11 Facts know before visit Japan
Here is a basic list of 11 things a tourist should know before visiting Japan. I have omitted some things that people love to say but that there is little chance of experiencing and instead I added some that people never mention but can help you immeasurably.
1. Transportation in Japan
Japan has one of the best public transport in the world, so there is little need to rent a car (if you do, you will need an international driving license). Most visitors choose to obtain a JR Pass (Japan Rail Pass), which allows unlimited use of JR lines for a period of 7, 14 or 21 days. The cheapest pass costs just a little more than a round-trip ticket on a Shinkansen (bullet train) between Tokyo and Kyoto, so if this is on your agenda, there really is no reason not to get one. Just be sure to ask before arriving in Japan - you must receive your receipt before arriving and then validate it upon arrival.
1A. Different types of trains in Japan
There are different types of train lines in Japan. Many but not all land trains are JR, so your JR pass will work exclusively for them. But you should be aware of private lines called "Kintetsu Something Line", "Seibu Something Line", etc., basically anything other than "JR". The subways are not covered either, so with JR passes you can mostly navigate Tokyo. Depending on your plans, you may have to supplement buying individual tickets or investing in a Suica card with charge (there is a ¥ 500 deposit that you can recover when you leave the card when you leave; you can obtain a card from a machine at any station). Suica works in Tokyo and in many other areas of Japan, but not all of them, so check the compatibility list before trying to use it outside the Tokyo area.
1B. Station departures in Japan
When you search for a destination station, check which exit you should take. While small stations may have only one or two exits, the larger ones will have dozens and dozens connected to vast underground networks and taking the wrong exit could leave you disoriented and a kilometre away from your destination.
1C. Last train in Japan
With the exception of some bedspreads, there are no 24-hour trains in Japan. You should always be aware of the time of departure of the last train, as taxi trips are expensive, and the cost increases after the train lines are closed.
2. Airports in Japan
Try to use Haneda airport if you can. It is much closer to the city centre of Tokyo and is a much cheaper and more enjoyable trip than Narita's long journey. Instead of the Keikyu Line, you will probably want to use the monorail, since you can use the JR Pass. If you have to use Narita, only take the Narita Express if you have the JR Pass; If you don't have the pass, take the Keisei Electric Railway Skyliner, which is much cheaper. You can also take local trains from Narita, but they take forever and you will have to deal with more transfers.
3. Electronics devices may not work in Japan
If you come from North America, your electronic devices will not work without an adapter (assuming they don't have a ground pin, since most Japanese plugs won't have one). From anywhere else, you will have to buy an adapter.
3a. Wifi in Japan
Japan's Wi-Fi is sporadic, so, unless you have a cellular service everywhere, you'll want to rent pocket Wi-Fi at a kiosk at the airport. The rate is usually around ¥ 1,000 per day. If you have problems, go to a McDonald's or a convenience store. Some major Tokyo stations (for example, Shinjuku, Shibuya) also have Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi will be free in all modern hotels, but older traditional inns (Ryokan) may not be connected.
4. Money changing in Japan
Most major restaurants, transportation routes and tourist destinations accept international credit cards. However, if you want to go to places with local flavor or for most temples and shrines, you will need cash. Since ATMs close late at night, your best option 24 hours a day is 7-11, which has ATMs where you can withdraw yen using selected international cards. It is a good idea to have ¥ 10,000 in emergency taxi fare cash at all times.
5. Addresses Finding in Japan
Use Google Maps to move: put your destination and it will show you all the possible ways to get there, including train costs, schedules and transfers. For famous places just put the name in English. For less known places, you can try to copy and paste the kanji. If that does not work, look for the address in Japanese and paste it on Google (addresses entered in English tend to give results that are inaccurate by about 100 meters or more). In addition, Google tends not to include specialized tourist buses in its calculations, so you may have to do additional research to reach more remote locations. (If you don't feel like searching for kanji, you can try the same name on Apple Maps, which sometimes has registered English names that Google Maps doesn't have.)
5a. Station Names in Japan
All train stations are labelled in English and Japanese. But buses in the countryside (and even many in cities) will only identify stops in Japanese, so travelling to places far away from train lines can be complicated without using a Google map.
5b. Orientation
All streets, except the largest ones, have no names in Japan, and the houses are numbered non-sequentially in blocks. When you need to find things, trust your Google map or search for landmarks. Also keep in mind that the maps published in the stations tend not to be oriented with the north at the top, so they can be confusing.
5c. When you are lost in Japan
Station staff and police officers are amazing at giving directions. They will not speak much (or anything) of English, but they have extensive knowledge of the area. Believe it or not, the cops in a police box (koban) are quite used to giving directions.
6. Convenience stores in Japan
Japanese convenience stores sell almost anything you might need: phone chargers, razors, underwear, alcohol, food (including heated dinners that you can ask to warm up for you) and much more. Almost all convenience stores are open 24 hours a day and there is one approximately every 200 meters in most urban settings. Many also have Wi-Fi and you can use the Loppi machine at a Lawson convenience store to buy tickets to the Ghibli Museum, Tokyo Disneyland, sumo and more.
7. Food in Japan
Eating out is cheap in Japan. Nobody tips (don't even try, you'll just make the staff feel guilty and confused). You can get a good lunch for around ¥ 1,000 and a good dinner starting at ¥ 2,000. If you want to get some tips on how to navigate in popular Japanese-style pubs, called Izakaya, you can take a look here.
7a. Reading the menus in Japanise language
Restaurant chains will generally have pictographic menus, so you just have to order. Similarly, fast-food restaurants will have pictographic menus on the counter that you can point out. Medium-sized restaurants may have plastic replicas of their food outside and it is not uncommon to drag staff to the front and point out what you want to order. However, small restaurants probably only have Japanese menus, so don't venture without someone who can read Japanese. High-class restaurants tend to include English subtitles in their menus to look elegant, although it is likely that an Italian restaurant is in Italian.
7b. Payment systems in Japan visit
To pay at a restaurant, just take your time to get up and walk slowly to the cash register. They will have your bill ready when you arrive.
8. Language in Japan for visitors
The average Japanese person speaks almost, but not quite, zero English. Expect the average person to understand the following words: hello, goodbye, yes, no, OK, numbers 1-10 and thank you. That is all. There are many people who know much more, of course but don't count on this. Believe it or not, you can go far with just that list and a little strategic thinking.
8a. How to defend yourself in English
Everyone in Japan is studying English in high school and is now being introduced increasingly early in primary school. But only a fraction of them remembers something and the result is that everyone has a fairly good latent English vocabulary and a bad English grammar. In addition to this, most people know the English words for the main tourist places in their area. So, to be understood, just drop your grammar and say what you want with an obvious and confusing shrug: "Tokyo Disneyland?" It is enough and remarkably close to what a Japanese person would say in any case. Similarly, the station staff only expects you to indicate your destination, so you do not need anything else when buying a ticket. That said, if you want an advantage, knowing how to say "Excuse me" in Japanese can help you a lot; I have written about that here.
9. When to go for visiting spot
Japan has some amazing annual events and festivals that you might want to see. The big ones are the cherry blossoms in spring (late March to early April in Tokyo; from mid-April to early May further north); fireworks and summer festivals in August; and change of leaves from the end of October to the end of November. The new year is also a big problem but not so much for visitors. It is also worth noting that, while the mountains are small, if you ski, Japan has the best snow you could ask for. However, for each important event and particularly in spring you will have to compete with all local and international tourists in the hope of catching Japan at its best.
9a. Times to avoid in Japan isitors
The first week of May is Golden Week, the biggest party in Japan. Everything is reserved, so avoid coming at this time. June is the rainy season, although some years it rains very little, so it is unpredictable. And although there are some great events, August is ridiculously hot (Kyoto is like a human soup) and you can also expect one or two typhoons to hit somewhere in the country (the typhoon season usually continues until the end of September).
10. Tattoos in Japan
Tattoos are associated with Yakuza in Japan and visible tattoos will exclude you from water parks and hot springs (a general "no tattoos" policy is how they keep gangsters away). Some hot springs will allow you to enter if you cover your tattoos with stickers but some will not let you in. If you want to get more information about all this rigamarole and the ways to avoid it, check out here.
11. Exceptions for you in Japan
Finally, keep in mind that Japan is excellent in regular procedures and terrible in exceptions. Everything is done in the same way for everyone; so if you want something a little off the menu, you will probably cause confusion since generally only the administrator or the owner will have the ability to make a change. Excluding an item, such as ordering a hamburger without pickles is no big deal but an exchange, like potatoes instead of carrots, will require a high-level decision.
Bonus
Here are some other small details that may be helpful, but they are not so essential:
a. Different types of passes
There are day passes and weekend passes for transportation in most major cities. Look at the local transportation website before arriving and consider if getting one could save you some money. Remember, local subways will not be covered by a JR Pass.
b. Using chopsticks
If you still can't use them, learn how. These are the default values and although most places with pictographic menus will have forks, it will be difficult for you to enjoy the full range of food options (such as sushi and izakaya) if you cannot use local dishes.
c. Bathrooms
While most of the bathrooms now have western-style bathrooms, if you're in the countryside, you might want to know how to use a squat bathroom. At the other end of the spectrum, if you encounter a luxurious toilet, don't panic, just don't press the button that looks like the Golden Arches unless you want a wet butt ... or a wet chin, if you press the button While you look at the bowl.
d. Trash cans
Basically there are no trash cans except inside the train stations and in convenience stores. If you have garbage, be prepared to hang it for a while.
e. Easy to remove shoes
You should be ready to take your shoes off at historic sites and anywhere with tatami rugs (like someone's house). You really don't want to wear shoes with laces in Japan, they are a headache. You should bring comfortable shoes with which you can walk for hours, but make it easy to take them off.
f. Label
If you want to move without disturbing people, don't talk on the phone while you're on the train (or talk too loudly unless you're in Osaka) and don't smoke outside anywhere other than a designated area. Also, watch on which side of the escalator people are (you stand to the left in Tokyo, but to the right around Kyoto and Osaka).
I hope all this information helps you! Of course, there are more things you could know, but this is the most important thing you will need to know to survive!
