Jade’s Guide To Visiting Japan

So you’re thinking of going to Japan – congratulations! It’s truly an incredible country to tour around. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time taking some beautiful pictures, buying a lot of anime merchandise… Or whatever it is you want to come to Japan for.

However, before you go, there are a few things that I think would help you out if you knew a bit about them. So here we go!

1) Smoking rules

My smeggy friends smegging off to smoke while I leered on

If you are a smoker, you might be in for a bit of a surprise. You will be pleased to hear that, at least compared to the UK, cigarettes are very cheap in Japan! Hooray! The average UK price is £10.40 for a pack, while in Japan, it’s a mere 460 yen (approximately £3.25!).

However, it is illegal to smoke outside. What the smeg?! Yes, unless you are smoking within confined smoking areas set by the local ward, you cannot smoke outside. But, it is perfectly legal to smoke indoors…! So, most pubs, restaurants and cafes will have ashtrays available for you. Weird much?!

Smoking in clubs

For anyone thinking of going clubbing in Japan, smoking is permitted in clubs too. Just be prepared to leave the club reeking of smoke and possibly coughing too.

2) Taking a train

My life’s dream come true… I am a car.

Most train stations in Tokyo are fairly easy to understand and move around in. All of them have signs in both Japanese and English – hooray! However, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Ginza and Ikebukuro train stations have a billion different exits. They also have a billion different train lines too and can be quite hideous to navigate. Therefore, I advise you to check the exact exit that you need before you try and leave the station. That way, you can follow the signs to freedom.

Passenger rules

This freaked me out at first, but Japanese trains are silent. You mustn’t talk (unless whispering or in a very hushed voice). There are many signs asking you to have your phones on silent and keep your music down if you’re wearing headphones. In short, never disturb the other passengers! The Japanese will not hesitate to tut or shake their heads should you or your phone make a loud sound!

A sign I found in a lift (elevator), but I have seen similar signs on trains too.

One final thing! When riding a train in rush hour (between 7-9am and 5-7pm), make sure to have your bags in front of you rather than on your back. This is because you are about to get squished to within an inch of your life and need to make room for the other unfortunate souls piling up against you.

3) Temple etiquette

My Mexican friend and I at a local temple in Kyoto

If you go and visit a temple in Japan (which I highly recommend you do), you will find what looks like a large water basin with long-handled ladles resting on it. You should rinse your hands and mouth using the water in this basin to cleanse yourself first. Once “clean”, you can pass through the large Tori Gates to visit the temple. Don’t swallow the water, though. Spit it in the ridge around the sides of the basin instead.

They say that when you pass through the Tori Gates, you are entering the spirit world. Thus, they say you must be clean so as not to attract any bad spirits. Many Japanese people also bow before the gates before walking through them to pay their respects.

Incense sticks

There is often a place where you can buy an incense stick or candle and then place it in a special area. You are supposed to waft the smoke from the incense onto yourself while praying and is another way of cleansing yourself.

Praying

When you enter the main temple, you will often have to take off your shoes to go and see the statue of Buddha. However,  you can also stand and see him from a distance if you don’t want to do that. There is usually a large wooden box in which you throw coins and then pray. Five and fifty yen coins are said to bring luck, so it is preferable to throw those. Then you clap your hands twice, bow once (while praying), clap once more and then move on. There are sometimes large bells attached to long ropes that you can use to pray too. Ring the bell and then do the above clap/bow routine before moving on.

Fortune slips

A row of unlucky fortunes…

There will usually be a section of the temple that has big wooden boxes. You shake the box and try and get a stick to come out of a small hole that is drilled into one end of the box. The stick has a number on it, so pay the person waiting at the counter there (or put money in a box if it is unmanned – usually 100¥) and you will receive your fortune slip (“omikuji” in Japanese). You can usually choose to get a slip written in English, but if not, there is a chance that you will get a bilingual one with English written on one side and Japanese on the other. My last three slips all gave me good luck! Hooray!

4) ATMs

My feverish attempt at accessing money when I first arrived

For those of you that do not bring yen with you, there are several convenience stores (or “conbini”) in Japan, and you will find an ATM inside 99% of them. ATMs that accept foreign bank cards are usually found inside 7/11. If you intend on using your card in Japan, inform your bank before you go so that you are able to withdraw money without any problems (you can do it online).

You will have to pay a small fee for using your card abroad every time you take money out, so check how much you will be charged before you use it.

Alternatively, there are currency exchange counters dotted around the place. The one that I recommend using is called Exchangers. You can find a branch in Shinjuku, but I know that there are branches all over Japan too.

5) Air BnBs

Now, I always suggest booking an Air BnB apartment instead of a hotel. However, in Japan, it is illegal to host on Air BnB without a special permit. So, be aware that there might not be as many places available to book, and some of the owners might be doing it on the down-low. I once stayed at an Air BnB in Kyoto and was told that, should someone ask if I were the owner of the apartment, to say yes. Of course, I had no problem with this because they were helping me out by lending me their house. I am also pretty sure there are no repercussions on the people that rent the properties, so it was fine.

6) Travelling around Japan

Did you say momo? Get your train card!

If you are planning on visiting not only Tokyo, but also Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, etc. and plan on moving around the country a fair bit, I highly recommend buying a Japan Rail Pass. These are only available to tourists (lucky you), and will make your travels so much cheaper.

When my mum and grandma came to visit me in Japan, I made sure that they purchased the Japan Rail Pass in advance (you have to buy it in your own country and have it delivered to your house first), and it saved them a lot of money.

Shinkansen Time

As well as whizzing around Tokyo, we also took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto and visited Osaka and Nara too (which are in that area). For the price of that one bullet train, which is more or less how much the Japan Rail Pass costs, they could also travel around the entirety of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara (with some buses also included).

My mum and grandma came to visit for ten days in total, and they bought the 7-day pass. I took them to places near my house in central Tokyo using Pasmos (like the British Oyster card) for the first three days until they activated their Japan Rail Passes.

The Japan Rail Pass has different prices to cover the different amounts of time you wish to use it for. So, check out the information here for those wanting to purchase their ticket in Great British pounds. Or, click here for those wanting to purchase in US dollars.

7) Survival Phrases

Unless you have been studying Japanese for a while, you might feel a bit lost. This is because you will eventually realise that very few Japanese people have any basic knowledge of English.

So here is my brief, basic survival phrase list for you:

• Hello – konnichiwa こんにちは
• Please – onegai shimas おねがいします
• Thank you – arigatou gozaimas ありがとうございます
• Sorry / Excuse me – sumimasen すみません (You will probably hear and need to use this a lot. Especially when ordering in a restaurant)
• This one, please (said while pointing at an object – mostly food on a menu) kore oh kudasai これをください
• One beer, please – beeru oh hitotsu kudasai ビールを１つください
• Two beers, please – beeru oh futatsu kudasai ビールを２つください
• Where is the station? – Eki wa doko deska? えきはどこですか？
• Where is the toilet? – Toire wa doko deska? トイレはどこですか？

8) Eating out cheap

My favourite yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) restaurant has got to be the famous chain, Torikizoku. The more updated branches, such as those in Shinjuku, have electronic tablets that you use to order food with. They have an English menu too, so you don’t have to struggle to read what you’re trying to order – hooray! The best thing about the restaurant is the price, though. EVERYTHING on the menu (food and drinks alike) is only 298 yen! So head to your nearest Toriki for the yummiest cheap chicken (and deep-fried Camembert cheese) you can find in Tokyo.

9) The weather

Umbrellas ahoy!

Japan has a lot of extreme weather that might affect your trip. It just so happened that my mum and grandma came to visit me in the middle of a typhoon and spent their entire ten days here clinging to umbrellas. Oh dear, oh dear. But typhoons, which are basically just a lot of wind and rain, are just the tip of the iceberg.

Earthquakes

What do you do in an earthquake? Well! The first thing you should do is… open a door. You don’t want part of the building to collapse and find that you can’t get out, so make sure your exit is clear. The second thing to do is get under something (a table, for example) in case of falling debris. If that isn’t an option, stand in a doorway or in the toilet (not the actual bowl) because these places are structurally the most secure parts of a building. The smaller a room, the closer together the supporting walls are.

Once the earthquake has stopped, you should make your way to the evacuation point – this will probably become clear when you leave the house and see a crowd of people heading in a specific direction. However, most earthquakes are only diddy things that make the building shake a bit, but don’t destroy anything. So don’t worry too much! I always just look at the Japanese people around me (most continue their business completely unfathomed) and do as they do. If they were to panic, I would too.

Tsunamis

What do you do in a tsunami? If you are out in a coastal area, there should be signs that guide you to where the evacuation point is. If you cannot see any signs advising you where to go, try to get to high ground. If you are not by the coast, you shouldn’t have to worry too much because if a tsunami occurs, you will have plenty of warning on the mainland and be told what to do and where to go with more time.

10) What to wear

Or what NOT to wear, as the real issue may be.

Men

If you are a guy coming to visit Japan, you don’t have to worry about what you wear. As long as there is no public nudity (outside of hot springs, that is), you should be fine.

If you are coming over to work here, however, be aware that if you work as an English teacher, you will have to have short hair and very tidy or no facial hair.

Women

If you are a woman, the Japanese are a bit more picky. You should have your chest and shoulders covered because it is seen as “too sexual” to have these areas out in public… but short shorts? Go ahead!

Tattoos

If you have tattoos, it’s advisable to cover them in public because they are linked to the Japanese mafia (the Yakuza). Be aware also that you will not be able to bathe in a Japanese hot spring with them visible. Read more on hot springs, or “onsen”, here.

11) Don’t forget your Deodorant

Whether for a week, a month or a year, remember to bring your own deodorant with you to Japan.

This is because Asians have different genes, which means their body odour is different to ours. Thus, Japanese deodorant does very little in the way of masking or preventing any bad smells that we produce. Read more on why this is here.

12) Crossing the road

This may seem like a strange point. In England (and probably the rest of Europe), people cross the road even if the light is red for pedestrians. Of course, we make sure that there are no cars in sight (or within hitting distance), but it is fairly normal to cross the road without the green man guiding us across.

In Japan, this is a huge no no.

The Japanese will insist on waiting at a crossing even if there are no cars in sight for miles. So, unless you want to risk getting dirty looks from them, I advise you to wait for the green man.

13) There Are No Bins Here

A bunch of flyers I accepted before I realised that there were no bins around to get rid of them…

This was a huge shock to me and still to this day peeves me somewhat. The Japanese have a very polite culture in which they teach their children from a young age to take their rubbish home with them. So they do! And the streets are nonetheless sparkling clean, with or without bins! 

If you are in desperate need to rid yourself of some rubbish, nip into the closest convenience shop (Family Mart, 7/11, Lawson and Mini Stop are the main ones). That’s because these are the places most likely to have a bin. Some train stations also have bins on the platforms, but usually only the biggest ones. You’ve been warned!

14) The Toilets Are Magical

The toilet in my sharehouse.

I will most probably end up doing an entire post on Japanese toilets alone because I love them so much. However, in a nutshell, Japanese toilets have heated seats, built-in bidets (squirters for both the ladles and the gentles of the world), and flushing sounds to block out the sound of you peeing (or pooing…).

I hope you learnt a lot in preparation for your trip! Wish I had known some of this before I hopped on over.

TTFN – Ta ta for now

Jade xxx