Navigating Japan for the first time is always an amazing experience and I remember my first time as if it was yesterday. Naturally, like any other country, there are a number of tips and tricks to have a much more enjoyable experience when you visit. I decided to compile a little list of things that I think that you should definitely know. I hope you enjoy reading about it and most of all I hope you find it useful!
Get yourself a wireless router
In most countries you would simply buy a prepaid SIM card in order to take care of all your calls and internet on the go, unfortunately this is not so easy to do, but getting a pocket WiFi device is very simply and convenient. All you need to do is rent one from a mobile phone store or telecommunications company, which can be found all over Japan. These devices are cheap and are great for those looking to travel to Japan on a budget. They also allow you to have unlimited internet wherever you go and connect multiple devices at a time. You will definitely leave Japan wondering why these don’t exist where you come from!
Travel by train
The Japanese love tourists and so much so that they have even designed a great all inclusive train ticket known as the Japan Rail Pass, which allows you to travel on the huge JR train network on the main islands of Japan (there are 4 main ones). The best way to take advantage of this is to get your passport stamped when you enter Japan stating that you are a temporary visitor (to avoid expats abusing the privilege) and buying the ticket. You must take your ticket and passport to a JR train station in order for them to complete the process, which is fast and easy. You can buy the ticket in advance from overseas if you are looking to save some time and want to get the most out of your trip.
Save time and money by flying to Haneda
Haneda Airport is a much better choice to fly into compared to Narita International Airport. The train ride from Haneda to Tokyo is much shorter and takes around half an hour and costs about 600 yen. In comparison the trip from Narita to Tokyo takes twice as long and costs around 2500 yen. As you can see, you can save a little bit of time and money and this could help you to even choose the better flight for you. If you have less time, Haneda should be your option of choice!
Get an app to help
The Japanese are a very friendly bunch of people and will always try and help you as best as they can, but sometimes hand gestures and trying to communicate just won’t work. That’s where a good translation app comes in to help you. Google Translate is a great option because it can help you to translate things and help you to ask the Japanese for some directions. It is a great tool and is very useful because it has a camera input, which is especially useful if you don’t read the katakana.
