Is it very expensive to travel around while paying for all meals and lodging? We have 3 teenagers so I always try to factor in costs for 5 people and food + lodging can really add up

Download google translate to your phone. It is fantastic, eg for menus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are traveling to Japan in March without the kids. We will be staying in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kawaguchiko. This is my first time traveling to that side of the world and I'm both excited and nervous. Can you tell me about the best/worst aspects of your trips to these places? Any other general tips?

Japan is wonderful. The people are friendly. The food is great and it has a great deal of natural beauty. You will have a great trip. Just expect some moments where you feel off balance.

The culture shock is a completely different level if you are used to travel in Western Europe. There is a learning curve to use their trains/subways. Expect it to be a bit bewildering at times. English is also not nearly as widely spoken as in the west. (But there are plenty of English speakers in Tokyo and Kyoto)







They

Are you kidding? The trains are INCREDIBLY easy to use in Japan. They're so logical and easy to understand.

NP

They are easy once you get the hang of it, but, for instance, the Tokyo subway map is huge. It can be overwhelming at first. Especially when the crowds of riders come sweeping past you as you’re trying to figure it all out.

Japan is one of my favorite countries in the world. The worst thing that ever happened to me there during about 6 or 7 total visits, was when a man pinched my rear end one time in a department store. But even then, I was more bemused than anything. Groping is a thing though, and that’s why there are female-only train cars. But even with that said, I always marveled at how safe it felt there. People would trip over themselves to return a stuffy or baby toy that would fall out of the stroller. Or anything else you might drop!

Good reminder, also, that the Tokyo subway system has 3-4 separate companies so a pass or ticket won't always get you to where you want to go.

My DH went to a small but highly renowned sushi place in Tokyo several years ago and was very embarrassed to learn at the end of the meal that they didn’t take credit cards. The chef/owner followed him to the ATM and all was well, but could have been avoided.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are traveling to Japan in March without the kids. We will be staying in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kawaguchiko. This is my first time traveling to that side of the world and I'm both excited and nervous. Can you tell me about the best/worst aspects of your trips to these places? Any other general tips?

Japan is wonderful. The people are friendly. The food is great and it has a great deal of natural beauty. You will have a great trip. Just expect some moments where you feel off balance.

The culture shock is a completely different level if you are used to travel in Western Europe. There is a learning curve to use their trains/subways. Expect it to be a bit bewildering at times. English is also not nearly as widely spoken as in the west. (But there are plenty of English speakers in Tokyo and Kyoto)







They

Are you kidding? The trains are INCREDIBLY easy to use in Japan. They're so logical and easy to understand.

NP

They are easy once you get the hang of it, but, for instance, the Tokyo subway map is huge. It can be overwhelming at first. Especially when the crowds of riders come sweeping past you as you’re trying to figure it all out.

Japan is one of my favorite countries in the world. The worst thing that ever happened to me there during about 6 or 7 total visits, was when a man pinched my rear end one time in a department store. But even then, I was more bemused than anything. Groping is a thing though, and that’s why there are female-only train cars. But even with that said, I always marveled at how safe it felt there. People would trip over themselves to return a stuffy or baby toy that would fall out of the stroller. Or anything else you might drop!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are traveling to Japan in March without the kids. We will be staying in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kawaguchiko. This is my first time traveling to that side of the world and I'm both excited and nervous. Can you tell me about the best/worst aspects of your trips to these places? Any other general tips?

Japan is wonderful. The people are friendly. The food is great and it has a great deal of natural beauty. You will have a great trip. Just expect some moments where you feel off balance.

The culture shock is a completely different level if you are used to travel in Western Europe. There is a learning curve to use their trains/subways. Expect it to be a bit bewildering at times. English is also not nearly as widely spoken as in the west. (But there are plenty of English speakers in Tokyo and Kyoto)







They

Are you kidding? The trains are INCREDIBLY easy to use in Japan. They're so logical and easy to understand.

I have had NO bad experiences in Japan other than packed trains (normal for a major city) and being next to extremely inebriated salary men.

The only bad part are other stupid tourists who are loud and disrespectful.


Best experience was getting out of Osaka/Tokyo/Kyoto and visiting more of the rural areas and nature around the Japanese Alps. All of the smaller cities and towns there are beautiful. Really enjoyed the post towns (e.g. Naraijuku). We LOVED Gifu. Nice and quiet. Beautiful old town. Small and relaxing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found that learning to read Katakana before my second visit made a big difference in terms of being engaged with my surroundings and being able to decipher some stuff on food menus--I was only mostly illiterate instead of fully illiterate. 20-30 minutes of study per day for a few weeks was enough to have it down pretty good.

Hirigana? Katakana is used for borrowed words from other languages.

Since most of the words in Katakana are transliterated from English, it was useful to be able to read it.

Anonymous wrote:I found that learning to read Katakana before my second visit made a big difference in terms of being engaged with my surroundings and being able to decipher some stuff on food menus--I was only mostly illiterate instead of fully illiterate. 20-30 minutes of study per day for a few weeks was enough to have it down pretty good.

Hirigana? Katakana is used for borrowed words from other languages.

I found that learning to read Katakana before my second visit made a big difference in terms of being engaged with my surroundings and being able to decipher some stuff on food menus--I was only mostly illiterate instead of fully illiterate. 20-30 minutes of study per day for a few weeks was enough to have it down pretty good.

Carry CASH. Like 4x as much as you think you need. Many places (like the subway), and many of the best and coolest places, are cash only.

Cover any tattoos, for your own comfort and ease of movement. Culturally there’s a historical association between tattoos and organized crime. Some hotel pools / onsens may not allow you in the water.

Many restrooms assume that everyone carries their own handkerchiefs with them, so they do not have air dryers or paper towels. Carry a hand towel with you, or buy one at Sensoji when you go there on your first day.

Also carry travel Kleenex with you in case you need to use a public park -level restroom; it’s decreasingly so these days but that level of public restroom may be BYOTP.

If you like to blend in when you travel:

A clean and tidy appearance is part of basic manners here, so dirty sneakers or worn out, stained clothing might get you some grossed out glances on the subway etc.

It is bananas rude to take pictures of people in the street like they’re a zoo attraction. That doesn’t stop a lot of foreigners, but don’t be surprised if your cool wide angle shot marveling at the crowdedness of Tokyo at rush hour contains more than a few people shielding their faces with their hands. Yes, it’s bc of you.

Rooms are generally smaller, so it's best if you don't carry huge suitcases. You can get your luggage shipped to the next destination easily if you need to travel with huge suitcases, but if you want to carry your own, it's easiest if you go with smaller (international size) carry ons.

Carry a plastic bag with you for trash when you are out and about, because it is typically very hard to find public trash cans. Littering is an absolute no-no.

I went to both China and Japan as a blond haired green eyed American. I got gawked at in China but not Japan.

I found food to be way more expensive than i expected it to be. Also loved my ATM receipt in Yen. I kept it b/c I"m a millionaire in Yen and you are too!

Both assume and don't assume everybody speaks English. By that I mean, don't yell, be rude, even to each other. But don't assume so ask in Japanese if they speak english and learn please, thank you, may I, ect. in Japanese. you might get giggled at but that's part of the fun of travel.