Traveling in Japan: All You Really Need to Know

Shibuya crossing, Tokyo

We were relieved to find that Japan - despite its very different language and very different culture - is a surprisingly easy country to visit. This is thanks primarily to the kindness and hospitality of the Japanese people; all you really need to navigate the country is a willingness to ask for help, a little bit of patience, and just a handful of practical tips: 

• Be prepared to pay cash. Yes, surprisingly, the world's most advanced economy operates primarily on a cash-only basis. This includes many restaurants and traditional hotels.
• Rail pass. You want one. It makes you a traveling God. But it's tricky: you have to buy it in advance from a limited set of vendors (see here).
• Stamps. If you are traveling by train, bring a blank book: every station (and I mean every station, even the local JR line stations in Tokyo) has its own stamp. Yes, stamp, as in the rubber and ink pad variety. Supposedly, the Japanese are avid collectors of stamps, but I only saw preteen boys and other foreigners hunting them down. Still, the hunt is a fun challenge - and the resulting collection a pictorial diary of your travels.

• Don't tip. It's borderline rude in a country that prides itself on service.
• Bars aren't for just drinking. Itzakaya don't take kindly to Americans walking in just looking for a beer. If you want a beer, pick one up at the 7-11. If you enter a drinking establishment, order food. That seat ain't free.
• Don't worry. Japan has a ridiculously low (basically nonexistent) crime rate. You will not be mugged; your bag will not be stolen. Once you fully accept this fact, it is incredibly liberating.
• Shrines are Shinto, temples are Buddhist.
• Nothing is vegetarian. OK, maybe not nothing - but close enough it's a good rule of thumb. Sorry.

Not sure what all this was, except that it was alive at one point.

• The language barrier isn't a barrier. (1) Most Japanese in urban areas know basic English. (2) Much signage in urban areas is in English, or at least transliterated to the latin alphabet. (3) The tourist infrastructure throughout the country is pretty solid, and English has become the esperanto of travelers. (4) When in doubt, most locals are willing to help even without the benefit of a shared language. Only a handful of times were we reduced to comparing characters from our guidebook with signs on the street - and only because (inevitably) we were determined to find a particular restaurant we just knew would be worth the extra effort (and frankly, it usually wasn't).
• Never wear your house slippers on tatami mats. The first rule of shoe club is that you must take off your shoes when entering any house or house-like establishment, including many temples. (House slippers are provided for guests.)  The second rule of shoe club is that you must take off your shoes - this is not an optional, foreigners-are-excepted sort of club. The third rule of shoe club is that you never wear shoes or house slippers on tatami mats - even in public places like temples or restaurants. (This one is hard to remember.) The fourth rule of shoe club is that bathrooms are special: you don't wear your house slippers into the bathroom (bathroom slippers are provided) and you don't wear the bathroom slippers out of the bathroom (this would be disgusting). Takeaway: Invest in walking shoes you can slip on or off easily, and wear nice socks.

Finally, while traveling in Japan isn't cheap, there are ways to keep costs down.  Besides noodles and other cheap eats, here are a few more suggestions:

• If in Kyoto, buy a daily bus pass. They only cost about $5, and the sites in Kyoto are spread out. (Plus the main tourist bus lines helpfully announce the stops in English, too.)



Futons awaiting at Ryokan Sawanoya (highly recommended)

• Stay in traditional inns and "business" hotels. They are significantly cheaper than "Western" hotels (read: roomy with real beds) while also providing a more, shall we say, cultural experience. By "traditional," I mean places where you will sleep on tatami mats and futons (read: on the floor); by "business," I mean hotel rooms that are barely bigger than college dorm rooms (but, thankfully, private). I loved both, though those with back woes might want to limit nights spent on futons.  

• Use your rail pass smartly. If you do invest in a rail pass, know that you can get around much of Tokyo for free, using the local elevated JR trains.
• But at the end of the day, you get what you pay for. I don't know if this is a free market economist's dream come true, but we found that generally in Japan, there was a reliable correlation between price and value.  This is especially true with hotels. Also, if it's worth seeing, you'll probably have to pay an admission price. That's just the way this cookie crumbles.