So how does this work? You buy your Japan Railway pass before you depart and exchange the obtained voucher for an actual pass at a station in Japan. You can then simply show your pass at the check-in points at all stations instead of having to go through the gates with a paper ticket. All aboard! You can reserve a seat on the high-speed trains, the Shinkansens. You can do this at the station, at the ‘JR ticket office’. They will give you a printout of an itinerary too, which helps a lot when trying to locate the correct trains! You can make a reservation a few days in advance or on the day itself. There’s also a non-reserved part of the train, so you could just sit down here. Of course you run the risk of your train being full, which means you’ll have to wait for the next one. Making a reservation is easier.

Individual train tickets, subway access, as well as shopping in various stores can all be paid using the Suica pass. You buy this pass with a one-time payment of 500 Yen, which you’ll get back when you eventually hand it in at any random train station (the place where you also reserve your tickets). After purchase, you can put any chosen amount onto the pass. The pass is especially useful on Tokyo’s subways, because you can just check-in with your Suica pass without buying a ticket. You can buy the Suica pass at a Suica ticket machine at the station.

The Japanese bow for practically everything. Whether it’s when you buy something in a store or when the train departs. And sometimes they do it more than once. We actually don’t quite know what the rules for this are, but in our experience, returning the bow is appreciated.

You can find vending machines on every street corner in Japan, a cheap way to get a drink on the go. You’ll soon grow accustomed to starting your day with a coffee from a vending machine. The vending machines offer warm (red label) and cold (blue label) drinks. You can pay by cash or use your Suica pass.

Besides the machines with drinks on the streets, you’ll also see vending machines in certain food shops. These consist of loads of buttons with Japanese symbols on them. These machines are meant for ordering food. This is how it works: you’ll find a menu with photos and numbers lying or hanging somewhere. These dishes correspond to the vending machine. You choose a dish, press the matching button on the machine and pay the requested amount. The machine gives you a ticket. You then hand the ticket to the person behind the counter. They will then prepare the dish and present it to you when it’s ready. Bon appetit!

A unique but delicious phenomenon is the Japanese onsen. It’s comparable to a sauna, but instead, they are hot springs. Sometimes the onsen is accompanied by a sauna, which may or may not include the option of watching television in the sauna. Onsen come in indoor and outdoor versions, can be small or large, and are usually open to the general public. Sometimes they are part of a hotel, but you can use the hotel’s onsen (for a fee) even if you’re not a hotel guest. You can recognize an onsen by the special symbol, a kind of bowl with three vertical rings above it (representing a hot spring). There are usually separate onsen for men and women. Bathing in onsen is a true part of Japanese culture, so you shouldn’t miss out on it during your trip to Japan. But because there are quite a few customs involved, let’s just list a few things so you can enter as a true onsen regular:

• Onsens are almost always naked, so you don’t need a bikini or swimming trunks.
• You get undressed in the changing room first and put your clothes in one of the baskets you find there. You can put valuables in a locker and wear the key around your arm.
• Soap or shampoo is usually provided, sometimes you need to bring your own.
• Japanese people bring a mini-towel when they visit the onsen. They wrap this around their head during their visit to the onsen or place it on top of their head. They also use it to dry themselves after their visit to the onsen, even though the towel is sometimes wet at this point.
• You are required to wash yourself before entering the bath. There’s often soap provided for this purpose as well as a bowl and some water, so you can toss a few of these over yourself. When in doubt, wash yourself a few more times; better too much washing than too little. You can also wash yourself in the shower. There’s a stool in front of the showers for you to sit on. Showering is done seated. You fill the bowl that’s next to the stool with water and toss it over your head.
• The baths often vary in temperature. Have a look and see which one you prefer.
• Try to observe how the Japanese do things, though this may vary from onsen to onsen too, depending on its features.
• Finally: Enjoy the superhot water, it’s a treat for your muscles, especially after a long day of walking!

TOILETS

It’s customary to take off your shoes before entering most buildings in Japan. This is often the case in hotels, hostels, houses and onsen. It’s easy to tell whether you’re expected to take off your shoes if you see a row of shoes and/or slippers by the door. If you see slippers, you’re meant to take off your shoes and wear slippers. But you can also choose to just walk around in your socks. Bathrooms or toilets often provide different slippers, because using the same slippers is seen as unhygienic.

You can have delicious food anywhere in Japan and you don’t need to worry about kitchen hygiene, it’s all perfectly fine. A lot of times, you’ll get a warm cloth before dinner which is meant for washing your hands and/or face before eating. Eating on the streets of Japan is also really safe. This is even easier, just point at what you want!

USEFUL APPS

Finally: a few apps that’ll make traveling through Japan a lot easier:

• Tripadvisor cityguides Tokyo & Kyoto
• Google translate app
• Maps.me app
• Wiki Triip

STAYING OVERNIGHT IN JAPAN: TIPS ON ACCOMMODATIONS

Are you going to Japan and looking for tips to stay overnight in Japan? Naturally, your choice of accommodation depends on your budget and wishes, that’s why we’ve listed a few accommodations in Japan.

BUDGET ACCOMMODATIONS OR HOSTELS IN JAPAN

In Japan, a hostel is a good choice for a budget traveler or solo traveler, as you can find them everywhere. A beautiful hostel in Tokyo is Unplan Kagurazaka and Piece Hostel Kyoto is a good choice in Kyoto. Our personal favorite budget accommodation in Japan is located at Mount Aso and is called Aso Base Backpackers. It’s a squeaky clean, beautiful hostel with a cozy common area and nice food. The private rooms in this hostel are also very pretty.