Sorry this post took so long. I was wanting to take a few days to let the ideas come to me then write them down as I thought of them. Because I did that, however, I forgot that I was wanting to write a post about this topic and found myself writing things down without any reason why. Have no fear! Here I am now to ease your wondering minds, and bring you this final instalment of travel advice in Japan. In this final topic, I will talk about cultural things that you may or may not know about. Head's up, as I am American, I can only talk about things surprising to me as an American. So if things are similar in your country, then disregard that section and move to the next one.
Shopping First, let us tackle the most common and obvious difference when shopping in Japan. That is paying in trays. You never, ever just hand the money to the clerk, you must always put the money on a tray. If a tray is not available, the put the money on the counter. You will see this happening all over Japan. The same goes for credit cards too (that is if you find a place that accepts them), you put the cards in the try. 80% of the time, they will hand you the change, but the other 20% they will put the change in a new tray just for you to pick up. One thing you will notice right away while shopping at a mall or department store is the incessant need for all the employees to say, on repeat "irasshaimase." Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT say this back to them. If you do, they and anyone else around you will laugh at you. It means "welcome to our store." It literally means "you come/go" which is funny, but it really means "welcome." Let's say that you want to try on some clothing. Usually, they will let you just take the clothing off the rack and try it on, but sometimes they have a special item just for trying on that is literally the same exact thing without all the tags. Right before you head to the fitting room, they will either point out to you, or hand you a strange bag. This bag is not an actual bag, it is to put over your face to protect the clothing from getting makeup stains on it. All dressing rooms in Japan carry this, and it is encouraged that you please use it. Another important thing to note, is that you must remove your shoes. But don't take off your shoes, stand right next to them, then step up on the carpeted area to try on clothing. This is what most foreigners will do. You need to take your shoes off as you are stepping up. This means that your shoeless foot should never touch the same ground shoes walk on. Take off one shoe, then step up on the carpet, then remove the other shoe, and continue stepping up. Please, please, please, PLEASE do not step on the same ground as your shoes. The employees will yell at you might refuse to let you try on clothes. Don't gaijin smash! This web site is not about gaijin smashing. After you have made your purchase, you have correctly put the money into the try, you are ready to take your purchased item and leave. Yet, the employee isn't giving to you, despite the fact that your hand is outstretched. You have encountered a store that requires the employees to pass on the shopping bag at the entrance of the store. 50% of the time they will just give you your bag (taped closed I might add. Don't ask me why), but the other 50% of the time, they will be expecting you to walk with them to the front of the store, take the bag, then walk away. If you look back, they will be bowing deeply for several seconds. This is normal. Some foreigners really find it strange and odd and often make fun of them, just let it go. Please don't be rude. This is their culture, not yours. I am sure your culture does things that they don't understand as well. Restaurants After shopping things can get a little tiring so you stop at a local restaurant to grab a bite to eat. You get seated, you check out the menu, and you start to notice that everything include bread or flour and you are gluten free. "No biggie" you think. "I will just ask for a gluten free option or exchange an item for something else." While that works fine in your country, things don't work like that in Japan. You cannot, under any circumstance modify an order without causing utter chaos to the entire restaurant. It is impossible. The waiter doesn't know what to do, the chef doesn't know what to do, and the manager doesn't know what to do. No one knows what to do. Even if you are asking for something as simple as putting dressing on the side, they just cannot fathom anyone deviating from the set menu's recipe. The good news is, you can ask for minor modifications at Starbucks or fast food chains, but actual sit down restaurants, this is out of the question. A word of advice, check the menu first, BEFORE you decide to eat there. I have yet to see a restaurant in Japan that doesn't post their menu outside the place. You literally have no excuse to step into the store, then ask if they have anything you can eat. The sign is right there. Let us move on to having found a restaurant that accommodates you. You found what you want to eat, and are ready to order, but there is no waiter to be found. This is because you need to press a call button. They are usually on the table near the napkins or box of silver wear (oh yeah, they put all the spoons and stuff in a little box on the table). Just press that, and someone will be with you shortly. If there is no button, then just put up your hand and say "sumimasen!" If you hear a "hai~!" Then someone will be with you shortly. If nothing, then repeat it louder. Now you are finished eating your delicious food and are ready to pay. If there is no receipt/bill already on the table then you have to get up to the counter and tell the clerk what you had. This part is easy even if you have 0 Japanese. If you are with someone and want to pay separately, then just say "betsu betsu." If you have a bill at your table, you must bring it with you to the register. You never leave money on the table. Which brings me to my next point, no tips. You can't. I have tried. They will refuse until you are blue in the face. Just don't bother, no matter how good the service was. You can't do it. As a matter of fact, no tips anywhere in Japan. No one accepts them. Transportation Now you have been shopped out, and would like to travel back to your hotel. Well, now you have to take a train/bus/subway. (I will not be discussing buses, as their system is different in every area). If you have the JR Pass, you are taking the train. You cannot take the subway, however you can take very select buses. If you don't have the pass, you can take whatever you so please. The subway and trains are very similar with minor differences but for the purpose of this analogy, they are the same. There are so many train lines in Japan that they can feel overwhelming. Rather than just standing there staring at the map and trying to make sense of it, why not try using hyperdia? This site is helpful in finding your way around Japan. It might take a bit to get used to it if you have never used a transit system before but after a few tries it will make sense. You just need to type everything in capitals or it doesn't know what you want. Speaking of standing there searching for your train, be considerate and stand to the side by a wall or something. Don't just stand in front of the ticket counter or kiosk. Move to the side, find what you need, then go to a kiosk or train. People are constantly moving very fast to catch their trains. It is best not to be in their way. You have found your train, you have your ticket/pass, and head to the escalators to the platform. You see that everyone is standing on one side while the other side is completely free. This is because one side is meant for standing, while the other side is left open for people to walk up or down. In the kanto area (Tokyo), you stand to the left. In the kansai area (Osaka/Kyoto), you stand to the right. If you don't know, people watch. That is the best thing to do. Now you got on your train and it is packed. You have to squeeze your way into the train and mush yourself amongst many people, so you start uttering "sumimasen" (excuse me) over and over and over. You are probably garnering strange looks too. This is because no one uses "sumimasen" to actually mean "excuse me." They use it to mean "I have a question, please help me." "Gomen" (I'm sorry) is probably better to use, but when it comes to crowds, you are going to bump into people. Unless you notice that person react to you or drop something, there is no need to say anything. Everyone knows that physical contact is inevitable. While you are on the train you get a phone call from your friend asking where you are because she wants to see a movie. So you answer and start talking. This is a big no-no. You must not answer your phone. You can text if it is on silent mode but no talking. Quiet talking with your friend on the train is ok, but definitely no phones, no horseplay, no big gestures, and no loud talking. You must be very quiet. You have arrived at your stop, you meet up your friend to see a movie but you still are carrying all your shopping bags from earlier. You don't really want to take them with you all over the place. Never fear! There are coin lockers! Coin lockers at the station are usually more expensive, but nothing too extravagant. Most facilities have coin lockers. If they cost 100 yen, then it is actually free. Just open it up, put your stuff in, insert the 100 yen coin, lock, and you are good to go. When you are ready to retrieve you items the coin will be returned back to you. Simple, and convenient. Toilets Ok, first off, don't ask for the bathroom in Japan, they will all be thinking of a bathtub. Instead, ask for the toilets, or "toile" in Japanese. Before the movie, you need to use the bathroom, so you find one, and unfortunately, the only stall available is the dreaded hole in the ground. Dun dun DUUUUUUUUH! They really aren't that bad. It is just stigma. And they aren't holes in the ground either. It is an actual toilet. Just pull your pants down, face the piping, and do your business. Then it comes time to flush the toilet, but there is no handle. What do you do? Oh no! There is no handle! The toilet is broken! What do I do!?! Relax it's on the wall. If it doesn't say "flush" it will say "流". That means flush. The button will be obvious so don't worry. Now you are ready to wash your hands. Yay! Sparkly clean. Uh oh. There are no paper towels. There are no hand dryers. Are you.....are you supposed to use your shirt?? Not unless you read my previous posts and prepared well by bringing a hand towel. 99.9% of public toilets in Japan do not include anyway of you drying off your hands. Other You and your friend enjoyed the movie, you enjoyed your popcorn and soda. No you are ready to toss those away and head back to your hotel. But wait, what's this? Multiple trash bins???? I know why Japan does this, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Congratulations, you have encountered the annoying Japanese trash system. It should be pretty straightforward. Paper goes in paper, and plastic goes in plastic, and bottles go in bottles, there will be pictures so it should make sense. If you are unsure, you can ask someone. They will gladly help you. Another thing to note, it is considered rude to eat/drink while walking. So make sure you sit somewhere to finish your snack or stop walking for a moment to take a drink. Another thing that is rude is licking food off your fingers. Unless you want people to avoid you then by all means, lick away. Just use a napkin. Hooray! You have survived your first imaginary outing in Japan! Throughout this post, it progressively got more real. Sorry about that. Unless you liked it then, you're welcome! If there is anything that I forgot and you feel should be mentioned, feel free to let me know by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading! To read part 1 click here. To read part 2 please click here.
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In this post, I am going to focus on what to consider packing for you trip to Japan. I am not going to talk about obvious things, such as clothing or sunscreen, because that should be obvious to anyone with common sense. Just make sure you research the climate/weather of the area you will be visiting. Each area is different, much like the US. The things I will be listing are in no particular order. You also don't have to take my advice, I am just someone who has traveled a bit and can offer some advice. Without further adieu, here is a list of items I feel are important for you to consider packing on your trip to Japan. The first tip I have for you is when packing, pack light. You will be wanting to buy things while abroad, so make sure you leave space. Also, Japan is small. If you are from anywhere in the US, Japan is tiny. You need all the space you can get, and lugging around huge suitcases is a real pain in the behind. Plus, some tour buses or transport buses have a size limit. So try to pack as small and lightly as possible.
Carry-On Luggage This may sound like an unnecessary thing, especially since I just got finished saying to pack light, but hear me out. You want to make sure you have enough clothing to last you a few days in your carry on in case your luggage gets lost. Japan is usually really good about returning lost luggage but your luggage isn't originating in Japan. It first has to get to Japan. If you haven't already purchased your tickets it is best to read reviews of the airline to see how often customers get their bags lost. I have had my luggage missing before. Thankfully, it was returned to me the same day but I know people who lose their bags for days and even weeks. There is nothing worse than arriving to your destination and having no belongings except the ones you are wearing. (#0_o) Medications I will first discuss prescription medications. If you have a prescription, as long as it meets the laws then you are ok to bring it in up to a 30-day supply. The same goes for contacts and contact solution. Be sure you have the original prescription (not the bottle, the written prescription) from your doctor in case they ask for it at customs. Chances are, they won't even acknowledge you have luggage and just let you move on through, but just in case be prepared. You can find information on medications in Japan here. (This says it is from the US but it applies to everybody). Right off the bat, I can tell you than any mood suppressant or mood-altering drug is illegal even if you have a prescription. Also, narcotics are off the table. Aside from prescriptions, you are going to want to bring some meds to Japan. You can find prohibited ones in the link above. You will want to bring anti-histamines. Not just your everyday allergy pill, specifically anti-histamines. There are a ton of bugs and mosquitos in Japan. Bug spray does not work. Bugs are attracted to the histamines in your blood. Mosquitos can smell you from yards away and hone in on you. If you take anti-histamines, this blocks the bugs from being attracted to you. When I first came to Japan, I was eaten alive by bugs. It didn't matter if I wore long sleeves or not, they still got me. It wasn't until after I started taking anti-histamines that the bugs left me alone. It really does work. You may still get bitten by other bugs such as worms or spiders, but the flying ones won't touch you. On top of anti-histamines, you will want to bring another allergy medicine like Benadryl in case of an emergency. Benadryl is fast acting so if you discover you have an allergy to something from Japan, you want to make sure you have this on hand to help relieve you. Unless of course you have a severe allergy, then call 119 (the emergency number). You will feel very happy if you have anti-diuretics on hand. Japanese food lacks chemicals and other processing (for the most part) which means the food is very cleansing. That being said, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised to visiting the bathroom over and over for the first couple of weeks. To help alleviate this, it is best to bring anti-diuretics with you. Last on this medications list is cold meds. Tylenol cold and Sudafed are illegal in Japan. Any other cold medicine is acceptable. If you are not sure, please check the link above. Japanese over the counter cold medicine is very strong, yet it is very expensive. 3 doses of cough syrup will cost you at least $15. You will finish those doses in one day. Should you suddenly catch cold, it is best that you have medications you are familiar with on hand rather than spending upwards of $50 for OTC drugs. Hygiene If you are staying at a hotel for the entirety of your stay, you will have all your toiletries supplied to you daily. So this means, things like soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, facewash, etc. will all be available to you no matter what hotel you stay at. This is not true for hostels, Air BnB and some pod hotels. I still recommend bringing your own razor, but this info still gives you piece of mind knowing that you don't have to make sure you remember everything. If you have a shampoo that you absolutely cannot part with, then go ahead and bring it. Knock yourself out. There are 3 things I do suggest you pack even if you are staying at a hotel. 2 things if you are a guy. First thing is toothpaste. The toothpaste in Japan does not have fluoride because they believe there is enough fluoride in toothpaste to cause cancer, yet they have horrible teeth. It is better to bring your own otherwise you may as well just be brushing with water. Second thing is deodorant. They have this in Japan, but I don't know if people don't use it or if it doesn't work. In the summer, the trains and buses smell so bad of BO. Whoever said that Japanese don't sweat or have BO clearly only visited Japan from the comfort of their own home while watching "Memoirs of a Geisha." Do Japan a favor and don't stink. BYOD. Lastly, if you are a girl, and don't mind using maxi pads, then you are in luck! Japan is the place for you. If you are a tampon kind of girl, then bring your own. Even if you think you won't have your period during your trip, bring a backup box just in case. Sometimes your body does weird things during international travel and you never want to be caught red pantsed. They have tampons here, but they suck. I hate them, my friends hate them, everybody hates them. Just bring your own. You will be much happier. Snacks Unless you specifically pay extra for a breakfast coupon at a hotel in Japan, you will not be getting breakfast. The breakfast in Japan is not going to be something you are used to in your home country. I personally find the soy diet rather harsh for the morning, so I advise that you either buy some food beforehand at a convenience store near your hotel in Japan, or bring your own box of pop tarts (or something equivalent). Milk is rather rare but yogurt is EVERYWHERE. If you are a yogurt person then welcome to heaven. If you are a coffee person, your hotel should be equipped with coffee. I think pod hotels and hostels also include coffee or tea. Air BnB is up to the individual. Also, if you have a food allergy, it is best that you bring plenty of snacks to last you until you can get used to figuring out what you can and can't eat. Snacks are a must in my book. Hand Towel Most, if not all, public bathrooms in Japan do not include any means in which to dry your hands. No paper towels, nor blow dryers. You will need to dry your own hands using a towel that you carry around with you. You can buy them in Japan, but the first thing I am usually thinking of when I land is finding the bathroom. It is not looking for a store, which sells hand towels. You best save yourself the wet shirt and put a hand towel in your purse. You will be using it frequently in Japan. Electronics I am sure that you plan on bringing your camera or personal computer with you. Maybe even a cell phone, however, how exactly do you plan on plugging those in? Japan uses 2 prongs similar to the US without the ground plug but all computers and some cameras require that they be grounded when plugged in. You can't plug those in in Japan without either a surge converter or an adapter. You can find a rather good surge converter at Best Buy in the US or you could just order one from Amazon. The voltage is 100-110v in Japan. That means, if you are coming from the US, you can still use your curling iron or blow dryer (hotels include blow dryers btw) just fine. Some people say that it takes longer to heat up or charge something, but I have never noticed this. Speaking of electronics, sometimes computers from the US have a hard time connecting to a foreign server so it is best if you wire your computer to the internet. Most hotels include an Ethernet cable but to be on the safe side, just bring your own. Especially if you have a newer Mac or Chromebook, you will need to buy a special adapter to connect via Ethernet. If you are staying via Air BnB or going to someone's house, you shouldn't have a problem connecting to the internet. All our electronics work just fine with our internet. The only time I ever encountered a problem was in hotels. Other As I mentioned before, sunscreen should be obvious so I will mention it again. Also, if your area sells it, I would bring a collapsible UV umbrella. That way, if it rains (it rains a ton during the summer) or if it is really sunny one day, you are prepared. I am from Arizona and thought I was used to the sun trying to murder me everyday, but the sun in Japan is different. It is much harsher here and I will burn within 15 minutes. If carrying an umbrella isn't your thing, then just make sure you have a wide brimmed hat and good sunscreen on hand. In the winter, this isn't so bad but come late spring to mid fall you will want protection. As I wrote in my last post, have a phrasebook or pocket dictionary on hand at all times. You never know when you will encounter a problem, and the only people around are the ones who don't speak English. Phrase books are especially helpful in this instance. The phrases are already there and you can just look up what you want, and they can look up the answers. If you are more advanced or daring in Japanese, then the dictionary is better for you in case you need to look up just one or two words. This concludes part 2 of advice for your trip to Japan! The next and final post will be about customs you may not be aware of in Japan. If I forgot something that you think should have been added, please let me know! You can leave a comment. To read part 1 please click here. I was going to talk about this topic at some point anyway but since my mother has recently purchased tickets to come and visit me I figured now was a more than appropriate time to post this. This post is talking about preparing for your trip to Japan and some things to keep in mind while visiting. I will create a completely separate post regarding what to pack later. This post would be excessively long otherwise. You can use some of what I say here to apply for other countries as well. I will try to put these in a somewhat order of importance not necessarily in a timeline. Also, I am not even going to mention money because if you are seriously considering a trip to Japan then you already know about the costs.
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AuthorJeny B Archives
August 2021
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