Top 10 things to know before going to Japan 🇯🇵

I've been making Japan travel videos on places like Osaka and Kyoto and have been getting a lot of questions about Japan and thank you all so much for sending them through. So I thought it would be a good idea to do a bit of a sit down video and go through the top 10 things to know before coming to Japan. Timestamps down below if you want to skip around or you can just relax and let's go through them. By far the thing I get asked the most is when to come to Japan and this is really going to depend on what you want to see and what you want to do. So for example if you would like to see the cherry blossoms, they generally bloom from about mid-March till early April or you might want to see the autumn leaves change colour which generally happens in November. However this is going to vary greatly year by year depending on the weather. For example last year the cherry blossoms didn't bloom until about early April and the autumn leaves didn't turn red until late November early December. So you really can't predict those things so that's just something to know if you want to come and see the cherry blossoms or the autumn leaves. Also the seasons vary slightly depending on where in Japan. For example if you go to the top to Hokkaido, spring is going to hit later on in the year and autumn is going to come earlier and the summers are going to be more temperate. Whereas if you go down to Okinawa you might not get such a variation in seasons. If you want to come skiing, winter in Japan is from December till February and summer is from July until September and it gets very very hot but there are a lot of activities and festivals happening around this time. But please do note it's also the school holidays. In terms of times you want to avoid, Golden Week. So at the beginning of May there's a number of public holidays that line up so people generally just take the whole week off and prices go through the roof and it gets very busy wherever you go so if you can't avoid that time I would recommend doing so. A lot of people right? This isn't even Golden Week. This is just a random Tuesday. Golden Week gets a little busier. I just wanted to give you an idea of the scale. Another one would be rainy season which is generally from mid-June till early July just because it's very humid and the weather's quite unpredictable with like torrential rains and typhoons which can cause a lot of cancellations for like flights and shinkansen and can cause just a bit of a headache if you're traveling. Another one to note would be New Year's. New Year's is a very big celebration in Japan so a lot of people take time off to be with their families so you're going to have a lot of places that closed during that time of the year. However there's also a lot of really beautiful cultural things happening at that time including Hatsumode which is when people make the first pilgrimage of the year to a temple or shrine so you really got to weigh up the pros and cons for that one. My personal favorite times of the year to come would be May and October just because the climate is very temperate at that time. It's quite warm during the days, there's not too much rain generally and it's not as busy as the peak seasons. Number two, how long to go for. For a first time I think two weeks is a good amount of time to go. You can obviously stay for longer if you'd like to. There's so much to do it's never going to feel like it's enough but to avoid overwhelming yourself I think two weeks is a good place to start. Obviously this is also going to depend on where you plan on going and I'll touch on where to go a little bit later on. Number three, things to do before arriving in Japan. There's two things that I would recommend considering before arriving in Japan. Number one, installing an eSIM. That way as soon as you arrive in Japan you can have access to mobile data straight away. If you're confused and you don't know where to start with getting an eSIM let me recommend the sponsor of this video Aerolo. If you're not familiar an eSIM is basically a digital SIM card. This just means that you don't have to have a physical SIM card when you go traveling overseas to connect to the mobile network you can just download it. Aerolo is an eSIM provider that offer data packages in over 200 countries and regions not just Japan. So to get an eSIM you're going to want to activate it while you're in your home country before you come to Japan just because you want to have an internet connection for this part. It's super straightforward to do I'll walk you through it but just something to note not all phones are going to be compatible with an eSIM so just double check before you purchase it. You start by installing the Aerolo app on your phone and selecting the SIM card for your destination. My phone has an Australian SIM card in it so I would select Japan when I'm traveling here. There's a range of plans you can choose from depending on how much data you think you're going to need. I generally find 10 gigabytes is enough for like a two or three week trip but if you think you're going to be watching a lot of videos or downloading stuff you might need more I don't know. Once you've purchased it you install it onto the device just follow the steps on the screen. I would recommend labeling your eSIM so that you don't get confused maybe like Japan eSIM or something like that and then once you arrive at your destination you go into your phone settings mobile and then you turn off your home SIM card and turn on Aerolo. Also make sure that data roaming is turned on as well and then just give it a moment and it'll pop up in the top right hand corner that you have connection and that's it you're good to go. Honestly ever since I've switched to eSIMs it's just made coming to Japan so much easier one less thing to think about so if you would like to get started with Aerolo as well you can use my discount code Sunny to get an extra three dollars off. You can check it out through this QR code here or information will be down in the description below. Thanks again to Aerolo for sponsoring this video. Number two would be to have a card that you can use to withdraw money at a convenience store ATM here in Japan that has minimal ATM fees and a competitive exchange rate because you are going to need cash in Japan. Number four arriving in Japan. If you're coming to Japan you're probably flying to Tokyo and Tokyo has two airports Narita and Haneda. Narita is about one and a bit hours outside of Tokyo whereas Haneda is very close to central Tokyo so if you can choose I would recommend flying into Haneda although I know that's not an option for everywhere. If you are flying to Narita there are trains such as the Narita Express, buses and taxis you can take to get into Tokyo. On the other hand if you're flying to Haneda it's a very easy train ride to places like Shinagawa, Shinjuku and Tokyo so it's very convenient. If on the other hand you are flying into the Kansai region you've got the Kansai airport but you also have the Itami airport which is a similar situation. Kansai is a little bit out of Osaka and Kyoto but there is an express train that will get you there. On the other hand Itami is very very close to Osaka. Another thing to consider if you are flying in is to use the airport luggage delivery service. You can literally give them your suitcase and they will ship it to your accommodation so that you can ride the train in peace. Another thing to do when you arrive in Japan is to get a digital IC card. IC cards are used for riding public transport and generally you have a physical IC card but I would recommend getting it on your phone if you have an iPhone. That way you don't have to top up at the machine which can get quite busy. You can just use Apple Pay to top up on your phone. Personally I had issues topping up the IC card using a Visa card although a MasterCard and Amex seem to work fine so it could be a me problem but just something to know. Number five, language. Another thing I get asked pretty often is how easy is it to get around Japan with limited Japanese and to be honest if you're traveling to big cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto it's not too difficult to get around just because a lot of the signage is in English as well as in Japanese. Also a lot of the establishments around the really popular tourist attractions such as the restaurants and the hotels are also pretty well equipped to handle English as well as other languages. On the other hand if you plan on exploring more local or rural areas it might be a different story. There will probably be limited English in a lot of these places but whether you're going rural or to just the big cities I definitely recommend having Google Translate or some equivalent with you on hand so that you can take photos to translate things or communicate with the locals. I would also recommend learning at least some basic phrases before you go. I'll put some here on the screen that I think but you can also obviously build on it. Number six, manners. Japan greatly values social harmony and mutual respect and consideration and so a lot of the etiquette and rules will reflect this. Some big ones would include not speaking loudly in public especially not on the train, making sure your luggage or personal belongings are not getting in the way of anyone on a busy train, not eating and walking especially in crowded places and stuff like that. There's also a lot of food related etiquette such as not sticking your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. I think that's something that's done at funerals which is why it's kind of frowned upon in everyday life. I'll put some big ones up on the screen but honestly I don't think anyone is expecting visitors to be aware of all the host country's rules and customs. I think it's more just a matter of using your common sense and showing respect to the host country. Obviously I'm not Japanese but my husband is so let me get Kei's perspective on the matter. What like rules and manners do you think it's important for visitors to be aware of before they come to Japan? There you go, you heard it here first. Where to go? If it's your first time you're most likely going to Tokyo in which case you've got a few options to stay at. If you like the hustle and bustle consider staying in either Shinjuku or Shibuya. This has been my go-to place to book accommodation over the years when I do visit Tokyo because it's just so convenient. But it is a lot of people so it can be quite overwhelming and if you don't like crowds this one might not be the place for you. For my parents who are visiting Japan for their first time this year I recommended Ginza or Asakusa. Ginza is a shopping district that is very very close to Tokyo station so it's very convenient but it is a little bit up market whereas on the other hand you've got Asakusa which is a little bit out of the way but it's where you'll find Sensoji temple which is a very very popular temple in Tokyo and it's just a very nice vibe in that general neighborhood so that's another great option. I would also recommend exploring the Kansai region. So Tokyo is located in the Kanto region of that main island of Japan Honshu and then in the Kansai region is where you If you do plan on exploring the Kansai region I would recommend staying in Osaka and then taking day trips out to Nara, Kyoto or Kobe just because it's so well connected and so central and you can get to each of those locations by train within like 30 minutes to an hour. Another thing I would recommend is staying at a ryokan which is a traditional Japanese inn. Generally it's in a although some of the more modern ones will have western bed options available. It'll include a beautiful Japanese style dinner as well as an onsen. With these you can choose to have ones that have public onsens or private onsens depending on your price range but it's definitely a very very unique Japanese experience that I would recommend for everyone. In terms of where to book a ryokan you have a few options across the whole of Japan. Obviously you want to pick somewhere that has hot spring water beneath you so you can actually have an onsen so maybe somewhere around Mount Fuji such as Yamanashi or Shizuoka prefectures because that way you might also have a nice view of Mount Fuji from your hotel. So I've mentioned Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto as three great places but most people coming for the first time will be looking at going to those three places and because Japan is on it seems everyone's bucket list this year and for good reason it's going to get very busy in those places. Now if crowds are not really your thing then I would recommend considering exploring outside of those areas and going instead to places like Shiga prefecture which is also in the Kansai region and very very close to Kyoto. It's got beautiful beautiful temples and nature as well as cute little Japanese traditional towns that feel like you've stepped back in time or perhaps somewhere like Hiroshima as well as Miyajima the island with the torii gate in the water and all the deer that inhabit that island. Alternatively you can go to Hokkaido which is the island in the north it's very pleasant here in summer I haven't been yet but it's on my bucket list and you've got Kyushu in the west which if you can get out there I highly highly recommend visiting Fukuoka. It is such a gem of a city it's got an amazing food scene amazing cafe scene amazing night scene the ramen is to die for so yeah if you do get a chance to go out there I'd really recommend that one. Okay so now that you've got a list of places that you want to go and you've kind of got an idea of when you might be going it's important to consider that some of these places might be more suited to certain times of the year or more seasonal locations. For example if you want to go see the snow monkeys in Nagano you need to do that in winter. Another example would be the fact that Kyoto which has a lot of temples and shrines is absolutely absolutely beautiful during spring and autumn because of the way flowers and the frame these temples it's absolutely stunning but it also just get very busy during those times of the year. On the other hand places like Osaka are going to be fun all year round because they are a big city and there's just a lot of things happening at every time of the year. Also places like Hakodate-yama in Shiga prefecture during the winter it's going to be somewhere you can go skiing but going in the summer you'll be able to enjoy all the beautiful flowers and activities that they have out there so obviously if you're planning on going for the activities or the swing in the colder months you're not going to be able to enter because they're probably in a transition period so things like that you're definitely going to be want to be considering and checking the websites for updates. Number eight getting around. Japan has a fantastic public transport system and you'll most likely be using a lot of trains and some buses to get around in which case I definitely recommend getting an IC card and a digital IC card if you have an iPhone. If you need a refresher you can jump back to this timestamp on how to get a digital IC card on your phone. Japanese train stations especially in the major cities will also have signage in English as well as a lot of images directing you to where all the bus stops and taxi ranks are and any nearby attractions. You'll also find that the train lines are color coordinated which is very very useful to help you find which train line you need to get to. Train stations also have coin lockers where you can leave any luggage you have for the day. They range in price from 100 yen to maybe about 800 yen depending on the size of your luggage. Also google maps is fantastic in Japan you put in wherever you need to go from A to B and it will tell you which train to take which carriage to get on at and which exit to take as well as any accessibility information. It's so helpful but you also have some other options on how to get around in Japan for example the Shinkansen. I definitely recommend taking the Shinkansen at least one it is a pretty amazing experience. In terms of whether you want to be getting a JR pass or not that's really going to be depending on the type of trip and how often you're going to be using it. You can use something called a JR pass calculator to put in the trips that you plan on taking by Shinkansen to see if getting a JR pass would pay off for you otherwise just purchase individual Shinkansen tickets. But if you are taking the Shinkansen I highly recommend getting an ekiben which are these little bento boxes that are sold at the Shinkansen stations. They're different station to station because they use local ingredients and local specialties unique to that region so definitely grab one when you are hopping on the Shinkansen. Another thing to note if you are taking the Shinkansen there is not much room for large suitcases. If you do have a big suitcase you're going to need to reserve a seat that has space to store it behind you there's only a few per carriage. Alternatively take a smaller suitcase so you can put it above your seat or send your suitcase. A lot of hotels will provide services where they can send your suitcase from one hotel to another. Alternatively convenience stores can also do this but I'm not sure about the fees for that. I would also recommend flying domestically it is an amazing experience the domestic airports are fantastic so that's definitely something to consider instead of taking the Shinkansen or if you've got a really big trip from for example Fukuoka to Tokyo. Number nine food. Getting to eat lots of authentic Japanese food can be one of the most exciting parts about an upcoming trip to Japan but there's a few things to note before you go. It's pretty normal to line up for restaurants in Japan especially at smaller local run restaurants with a high turnover rate such as If there's a line it's generally considered good. If you do have a restaurant that you want to visit check on google maps whether you can reserve or not and if you can I definitely recommend you do just so you make sure you don't miss out. I get a lot of questions regarding how accommodating Japan is to dietary restrictions and it's really going to depend on the restaurant that you go to. Making changes to the menu is not as common here and it can cause a bit of confusion among the A lot of the times chain restaurants will have dietary information either on their menu or on their website and higher end restaurants or like hotel restaurants will generally be able to accommodate better to dietary restrictions than say smaller local run businesses. I do recommend learning how to say or explain your dietary restriction or at least writing it down on a piece of paper and then you can just hand that over to the staff at the restaurant. Something fun about the food scene in Japan is that each area you go to will have its own delicacy or gourmet dish and I highly recommend checking them out when you go and visit. For example Osaka has takoyaki which are those octopus balls or okonomiyaki the savory pancake or kushikatsu which are deep fried skewers. Some other ones include matcha from the city of Uji in Kyoto, tonkotsu Another thing you might find in Japan is that fruit is quite sweet and of a very high quality but it can also be a lot more expensive than other places. Fruits are often given as gifts in Japan but if you're up for it definitely give some a try. I've had some of the best strawberries, grapes and mangoes I've had in my life here in Japan and finally for all my North American friends no tipping in Japan. Number 10 the accommodation in Japan. You've got a few different options in terms of accommodation in Japan including hotels, airbnbs and the ryokan that I mentioned previously personally I travel mostly using hotels because they are just easy and convenient to book. When you are booking your accommodation I highly recommend booking as close to a station as possible it just makes life so much easier when you're lugging around a suitcase but also just so much easier for exploring the city. Another thing to note is that hotels in Japan are quite small but they are very clean. Prices are going to fluctuate greatly depending on which city and the time of the year that you're visiting. It's really hard to give an estimated price but I'll give you an example when I went to Tokyo recently in December 2024 I stayed in a business hotel in for $150 a night and then a capsule hotel in the same area for $80. Anyway that's my top 10 things to know before coming to Japan. I hope that's answered some of your questions but if you have any other ones or if you have anything else you would like me to cover in another video let me know in the comments down below. If you liked this video definitely give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing if you like this kind of content. I make videos about Japan travel and experiencing the culture and don't forget to check out Aerolo if you're thinking about getting an e-sim you can use my code SUNNY to get an extra three dollars off. For more details check out the QR code on the screen or through the link in the description below. But yeah thanks for watching and all the best for your Japan planning!