5 Ways to Make Your Trip to Japan Rock!

Japan is one of the world’s most populous countries. If you are a fan of Anime and Manga, Japan is the place to be since this artform originates from the country. In fact, there are many anime and manga museums, not to mention buildings dedicated to finding your perfect book or movie. If you are willing to go off the beaten path, there are many things to discover. This is why I compiled 5 things to do to make your make your trip to Japan Rock!

Let me just get this out the way to take the pressure off: You will be overwhelmed! With this article however, I hope that this will help to get you on your feet quicker and cut through the clutter of information out there!

1) Do some background research on Japan. While in Japan you will not only happen upon beautiful temples, shrines, and parks, you will will encounter things that will make you scratch your head (I’m looking at you maid cafes) , and experience some things that you may have not experienced before. Reading things related to Japan will give you context to understand on some level what you are seeing as well as give you some ideas of places you might want to visit. Before I travelled to Japan, I read Lonely Planet to get a background for etiquette and basic phrases and Japanese newspapers online to get get up to speed on current events. I also read contemporary fiction: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and South of the Border, West of the Sun and IQ84 by Harukami Murkami. I enjoyed reading the books because it gives me a point of reference for streetscapes.

2) Get a Rail Pass. Before going to Japan, I was on the fence on whether to get any sort of rail pass. The trip was going to be as bare bones, budget-wise and I did not feel comfortable with parting with $425! Let me tell you today that you have options!!! In Japan, private companies operate public transport. Japan Rail or JR for short, is one of these companies. Japan Rail is the only company that offers a pass (https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-travel/japan-transport/japan-rail-passes). In addition the more expensive pass, Japan Rail also offers regional passes. I ended up buying the JR East pass for $180 (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/eastpass_n/index.html). The beauty of the pass is that it allows you unlimited travel any five days in a 14 day period. This pass is good for Tokyo area subways and the Shinkansen or bullet train on the JR East line and the JR Buses. You can buy the pass overseas for the better rate (you save $10.00) or you can buy it once you are in Japan. Whether your buy the ticket before arriving in Japan or purchase the pass in Japan, you have to go to a transit center to pick up the pass (https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/common-questions/where-to-activate-japan-rail-pass). There you will have to fill out paper work and present your passport. The transit centers are located in trains stations and are incredibly easy to locate. I highly recommend getting to the office when it first opens since the offices can get busy during the day. Unfortunately, the rail passes are not available to Japanese citizens or non-citizens who are living in Japan for an extended period of time.

3) Be open to improv! This is a related to the previous point, be open to exploration. I bought the JR East Rail pass that gave me access to stations in the JR East system (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/index.html). The pass also gave access to the Shinkansen take the train to Niigata and Nagano. I took trains to the last stop and explored the area. For example when I took the train to Motsumoto and let my feet take care of the rest! By being open to the possibilities, I followed a street procession that lead to a temple festival!

4) Suck it up and get your wifi situation straight. Yes Japan is technologically connected country, however connecting to the internet can still be challenging. If you love privacy like me, you do not want to give your email to random sites. Yes, the sites will require you to confirm your email before enjoying their internet access. Or you might be in a place with no available free wifi. My carrier gave me free roaming for data at 2G Speeds, Which is incredibly slow. This can be incredibly frustrating when you are using Google Translate to communicate with everyone. When you arrive at the airport you will be see a multitude of places where you can rent your portable wifi device. This page is also helpful in comparing the different companies (https://tokyocheapo.com/business/internet/rent-wifi-router-japan/)

5) This a little random, but visit a Ryokan. Ryokans are traditional Japanese Inn. Think Bed and Breakfast. They are not expensive as you would think. I stayed at the Nakagawa Onsen Shingaken and paid a little over $121 for a private room with breakfast and dinner! The Ryokan also has a cheaper option under $100!

If you traveled to Japan, what are some things that made your trip easier? Please comment below!