Tips for First Time Travellers to Japan

Here are some tips I would give to first time travellers to Japan to make your trip easier and more enjoyable whilst remaining respectful to the Japanese people. There are increasing number of reports in the news of foreigners being disrespectful in Japan and you don’t want to be one of those.

As a couple of Geordies, we first came to Japan on holiday in 2007. A lot has changed since then. We’ve now lived here for just over a year and love to call Japan home. With the visit of our beloved Newcastle United (NUFC) to Japan for their pre season friendly I thought I’d share some tips that may be useful.

Some of these tips for travellers in Japan are tips we wished we had known on our first visit. Some are things we’ve picked up since living here. We have 2 small Youtube channels we would appreciate you subscribing to whilst you are here. First is Wylie Westie which features pet friendly places (but covers a lot of general Japan too). The second is Geordies Abroad which features the more random side of our travels. This page is a work in progress so let me know if there’s any you want us to add.

General Tips

Here are some general tips for travellers to Japan.

• Bring a day bag with you – there are almost no bins in Japan for rubbish. You are expected to take it home/back to your hotel with you. Plastic bottles can be recycled next to vending machines and in convenience stores. Some convenience stores have bins for general rubbish also. Do not drop litter on the streets. General Rubbish should not be placed in vending machine bottle bins
• Bring comfortable shoes – you will likely walk more than you’ve ever walked before
• Get a SIM before you arrive. Mobal sims are super easy. If you only need data you can order an e-sim up to 100 GB of data. An activation code will be e-mailed to you so you can use it from the moment you touch down. If you want voice & texts a physical sim will be delivered to your home address so again it will be ready to use from the moment you touch down
• Wear sunscreen & keep hydrated – the sun can be very intense, especially during summer months
• Do not smoke on the street – there are designated areas for smoking
• Learn some basic words – at the very least konnichiwa (hello), arigatou gozaimasu (thank you) & sumimasen (excuse me)
• Download offline version of Google translate with Japanese. Most people will not speak English well apart from very touristy places. Google translate will be your saviour. You can take pictures of menu’s, things in shops etc to translate.
• Google maps is generally pretty good with directions for walking and trains. See below for more tips on using for trains
• Dress respectfully. No one wants to see your butt hanging out or you walking around with your top off.
• Don’t take photos of people without permission, especially on the train and of school children
• Don’t tip in Japan. They will often run after you even for the smallest amount of change

Transport Tips

• Add a Suica or Pasmo transit card to your iPhone wallet and add some credit. You can then just tap in and out of each train station without having to worry about buying tickets. You can also use on a lot of vending machines & in convenience stores

• Train is the best way to get around as taxi’s are pretty expensive unless you aren’t going far. Short journeys on the train are quite cheap (about ¥300 or so each trip)
• Don’t speak loudly on the train and refrain from playing audible sounds/speaking on your phone. Certainly no singing
• You can use Google maps for the best routes to take on the train. It will tell you which line to use as well as which platform. It’s advisable to stick with the train time given by the app as not all trains stop at all stops on each train line. If in doubt, you can always ask someone at the platform. Japanese people are super friendly and helpful
• There are 2 main train options in Tokyo : Tokyo Metro and JR Lines. You can use the Suica & Pasmo cards on both. Which one you use will depend on where you are going.
• It’s best to give yourself plenty of time to navigate the train system if you need to be somewhere at a specific time. For first timers it can be overwhelming but if you take your time it’s actually pretty straightforward.
• Tokyo is HUGE it’s very difficult to comprehend the size of it. Getting places takes time so plan ahead as to where you need to be.
• Trains don’t run all night. Most stop around midnight (sometimes earlier). Please plan ahead so you don’t get stuck with an expensive taxi.
• If you do miss the last train, consider finding a karaoke bar or all night izakaya. There are many that stay open until 4:30/5am in order for you to catch the first train of the day. Remember the first trains will have people going to work so please be respectful and not loud.

Where to Stay Tips

I personally would recommend all first timers to Japan to stay in Shinjuku area. It’s easy to get to from Narita airport using Narita Express. It’s very central with plenty to do. It has the world’s busiest train station so you can get to most places in Tokyo easily from here (although can be easy to get lost!). There’s lots of nightlife in this area and it stays open all night long.

Whilst we don’t have any specific hotel to recommend, we always book hotels using hotels.com as you get free nights after 10 nights stay. You can filter based on your budget, what * you want etc. It’s also a good idea to check with your hotel the best exit to leave the station from for ease.

From airport take the Narita Express train to Shinjuku station. The best option is to buy a return ticket which is ¥5,000 valid for 14 days from arrival. Follow the generic signs for train and then you will see the machines for Narita Express. You can usually buy from the ticket machine in the airport train station but it should be a card with a pin number rather than a signature. Or you can go to the ticket desk. The below video shows how to get the tickets. This video takes us to Yokohama rather than Shinjuku, so make sure you choose the one that goes to Shinjuku.

A taxi will cost around £150 into central Tokyo so most people will take the train, especially if you stay around Shinjuku area so don’t need to change trains.

Things to do in Shinjuku

There’s lots of things to do in Shinjuku itself. Here are some of our favourites.

• Omoide Yokocho – https://shinjuku-omoide.com/ small alleyways with plenty of izakaya (drinking/eating places, see below for further explanation)
• Kabukicho – one of the red light districts but it’s not seedy or dangerous, good to have a walk around, lots of neon lights etc. Just don’t follow any touts into any bars or clubs. Kabukicho Tower is a new entertainment tower that recently opened with street food kind of stands inside.
• Golden Gai – a collection of around 250 really tiny bars in a few compact alleys. Most only fit around 10 people inside. A lot more foreigners here these days so most people will speak English at least a bit. A lot have a cover charge to go in but it’s usually clearly written on the door. A few also don’t allow foreigners but again written on the door. It’s good to try a few as many have different themes.
• Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens
• 3D cat (at the East exit of Shinjuku station)

Food & Drink Tips

• Lots of chain restaurants (and some izakaya) will have tablets to order from. You can usually change the language to English so ordering is easy. They also usually have pictures of the food to make it easier.
• Try as much Japanese food as possible. There is a lot more to Japanese food than sushi (although the sushi is amazing). Ingredients are usually really fresh and nothing like you’ve had before.
• Some top foods to try : shabu shabu, yakiniku (grilled meat BBQ) ramen, tempura, Fugu fish (poisonous puffer fish), monja, Japanese curry.

• Try the sushi, you’ve never tried sushi until you’ve tried sushi in Japan. Even if you aren’t a fish fan, try at least one piece.
• Convenience store sandwiches & ready meals are amazing. Family Mart is famous for it’s fami chiki (fried chicken) although you can get fried chicken also at the other convenience stores also.
• Don’t be afraid to go into a restaurant. 99.9% of the time everyone is super friendly and welcoming even if they don’t speak English.
• Don’t ask to amend a dish eg can I have it without cheese. It’s considered rude. If there’s something you don’t like on it, order something else.
• Drink plenty of water – water is safe to drink from the tap. Or you can buy bottles from convenience stores & vending machines
• Vegan is not popular here. There are some vegan places but often some things you may think are vegan may not be. It’s best to plan your eating in advance if you are strict vegan and follow some of the many Vegan Japan instagram pages.

Nightlife Tips

• Japan doesn’t have a lot of ‘normal bars’ like the UK. Izakaya’s are more common which are small pub/restaurant type places. It’s common to have a cover charge of around ¥300 which will give you a small appetizer. Most places it’s expected for you to both eat and drink rather than just sit drinking
• If you want a ‘normal bar’ look out for Hub which is a ‘British chain of bars’

• 2nd Half Bar in Takadanobaba is a good British pub to watch the football. Owned by a Man U, the Newcastle United Japan supporters have taken over as their base for watching all things NUFC
• Don’t follow touts into clubs. Especially the ones in Kabukicho. There are reports of people being scammed here
• Try karaoke. I absolutely hate Karaoke but it’s different in Japan. No one cares if you are truly dreadful as long as you sing from the heart.
• Nomihodai (look for 飲み放題) means all you can drink. It’s often offered at izakaya restaurants for a limited time and is usually really cheap. Expect to pay about ¥1,000 (less tan £5) for 2 hours at basic izakaya’s. It’s often not offered as standard to foreigners in our experience as they generally take advantage of it. Especially us Geordies like to get the most for our money!. Whereas Japanese people seem to be OK to just break even. If you can’t see the symbol for 飲み放題 you can always ask the staff Nomihodai arimasuka?

Shopping Tips

• Credit cards are accepted in a lot of places but it’s good to have some cash on hand for some smaller restaurants and shops. International cards can be used at ATM’s in 7 Eleven convenience stores
• Always choose the option to pay in ¥ than your home currency, you will get a better exchange rate.
• Take your passport with you if going shopping. Most places offer tax free shopping but you need your original passport to benefit
• Leave space in your suitcase, bring an empty one or plan to buy a new one. It’s very likely you will be leaving with a lot more stuff than you arrived with!

Other Areas to Visit/Things to Do

Here are some ideas of other areas and things to do whilst in Japan. I’ve focused only on Tokyo on this page as this is where most first time travellers will spend the majority of their time. But of course Japan is huge and there are so many amazing places to see outside of Tokyo as well if you have the time.

• Shibuya – Shibuya Scramble (the famous crossing), Shibuya Sky, Hachiko statue
• Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu & Harajuku
• Akihabara – anime, electronics, arcades, maid cafes
• Asakusa – Senso-ji temple, Tokyo Skytree, Asahi headquarters
• Ueno – Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, Ameyoko shopping street (lots of outdoor izakaya)
• Tsukiji Market – the famous fish auction no longer happens here but it’s still bustling with fresh fish stalls
• Tokyo Tower
• Roppongi Hills
• Teamlab Planets & TeamLab Borderless – good for a rainy or super hot day as it’s indoors
• Watch live sports – J League football, baseball games are great fun. Sumo is also amazing to watch
• Tokyo Disney – book tickets well in advance
• Yokohama – Minato Mirai, Chinatown, Red Brick Warehouse

There’s obviously an awful lot more to do than this but these are some of the more popular things to do for first timers. You can also do day trips to places such as Kawaguchiko & Hakone if you want to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji. Drop me a message in the comments below if you have any questions.

Toilet Tips

Whilst it seems strange for toilets to have their own section, all visitors we’ve had have been confused by how to simply flush the toilet. Once you have used a Japanese toilet, going to the toilet will never be the same again.

• You are never far from a public toilet – almost all are very clean. You can also use the toilet in most convenience stores and there is always one in the train station as well as public parks
• Some toilets have a sink above the basin to wash your hands. This is often the case in small izakaya where space is paramount. Don’t worry, this is not toilet water, but is water that is used to fill up the toilet after flushing.

• Always flush toilet paper, don’t put it in the bin
• It’s polite to knock on the door before opening the cubicle door to make sure there is no one inside
• It’s common for women’s toilets to have small urinals for boys to use
• Some toilets will have a fairly large flush button which you can either press or hold your hand over to flush. Even though it’s quite big, it might not always be obvious

• Others may be a bit more cryptic. There’s usually 3 options for flush – eco, small and large. Eco is obvious as it literally says eco. Small is the one in between with the 小 symbol and large is the one with the 大 symbol. Knowing what these symbols then make it pretty obvious which one to use
• For washing, there are usually 3 pictures and a stop sign. In the picture below from left to right 止 means stop and is used to stop the washing. おしり(oshiri) means bum or butt, やわらか (yawaraka means soft and the final one isビデ (bidet) and is meant for front spray for females. Enjoy!

Conclusion

I hope these tips for travellers to Japan help make your trip as smooth as possible. Japan is our favourite place in the world. I hope you love it too. Let me know if they helped you on your trip or if there are any others I should add. If you are bringing your dog with you, you can also check out these pet friendly recommendations here in Japan.

Woof woof, Wylie x

If any of my travel tips help, you can also leave a small donation which would be greatly appreciated 😊 Some links on this page are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you buy anything from them. But that doesn’t affect the price you pay.