Japan: The Essential Tips

I'm baaaaaaack!!

Yes I've been away for waaaaay too long, partly because we've been away for 5 weeks, 4 of which were spent adventuring through Japan! Which means, I have at least 4 weeks worth of travel stories to share! Heh.

To kick things off, I thought I'd share my essentials for travelling in Japan.

Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass)
The number one travel tip from anyone who has been to Japan is to get the JR Pass. It seems like a huge expense but if you're going to do a lot of day trips like we did, it's most definitely worth the expense. The JR Pass allows you to take all trains on the JR Line, including most shinkansens... the latter being extremely useful if you want to cut down on travel time to outlying towns.

We spent 600 dollars per person for a 21 day Ordinary Pass. On our day trip to Himeji alone, we spent nearly 100 dollars per person for a return trip between Kyoto and Himeji. That's a sixth of the value covered in ONE DAY. So it's a pretty awesome deal.

While you can get a green (first class) pass, we chose to get the ordinary pass after some consultation with a friend. It really is good enough because the seats are comfortable (more comfortable than some budget airlines!) and there is plenty of room to store your bags (either overhead or in the space behind the back row of seats) if you are travelling with luggage. Additionally, you can still reserve seats on an ordinary pass - handy if you're travelling during a peak holiday season like cherry blossom season or Golden Week. 

Important to note: the JR Pass does not cover the extensive subway network in Tokyo. While the JR lines do cover most areas, there are some attractions where it would be much easier to take the subway to reduce walking times - this includes Tokyo Tower and the Odaiba region.

Pocket wifi

This isn't a Japan-specific necessity I suppose but we found having pocket-wifi extremely useful in Japan. Yes, we got free wifi every where we stayed at but having the internet in your hotel room isn't going to help you find your way when you're lost in the street nor will it help you find a good place to eat on the fly. Without the pocket wifi, we wouldn't have found Tofuya Ukai, our first dinner reservation in Japan.

Also, hotel wifi isn't always reliable - we found that our connection was compromised during certain times of the day, probably because other people were using the wifi.

Additionally, pocket wifi kept us occupied on the train rides when we weren't catching quick cat naps and allowed us to Skype my parents without worrying about whether the hotel wifi would be stable enough.

If that doesn't convince you: it's cheap (we paid about $120 for 28 days) and it's a high speed connection (faster than broadband in Australia!)... why not?

We used Japan Wireless - we arranged our modem online and picked it up at the airport's post office on arrival. They provide you with a prepaid satchel so that all you have to do is drop it into the mail before you leave Japan. Easy peasy.

Power bank
Again, not another Japan-specific necessity but definitely one you'd need. Considering our reliance on the internet for maps, train schedules and entertainment... the last thing you'd want is a flat battery when you need to figure out the way back to the hotel.

Hyperdia/Japan trains app

The trains are a godsend and take you (nearly) everywhere you need to go in Japan, which makes Hyperdia (which only has an app for iPhone at the moment) and Japan Trains (for Android) a must have app on your phone.

The apps take the headache and stress out of trying to figure out which trains to take. Also, the trains are super prompt so knowing what time you need to be at the station in advance helps.

Alternatively, if you're like us and sometimes find it hard to stick to schedules, you can just look up the route while you're on the go if you have a pocket wifi device :)

SUICA/PASMO Card

The SUICA and PASMO card are basically electronic cash cards which you can use on the trains and at the shops and some vending machines.

If you get it for only one reason, make it this: so that you don't waste time trying to figure out how much to pay for your train ride.

1. The Japan rail network is massive. So the printed maps above the ticket machines tend to have really small print.
2. Sometimes, the maps do not have station names in English.

Save yourself the hassle by just tapping in and using your train timetable app to figure out which platform to go to. Alternatively, go old school and ask the super helpful train masters :)

Keisei Skyliner + Subway Pass

Another great tip if you're travelling via Narita Airport - get a Keisei Skyliner pass. The skyliner is the express train from Narita to Ueno, in downtown Tokyo. Once at Ueno, you have the option of transferring to a JR line or the subway line to get to your hotel. 

You can get just that Keisei Skyline pass or you can get one bundled with a Subway pass. Seeing how our JR Pass would only last us 3 of the 4 weeks of our trip, we got the package which came with the 3 day Subway pass. This was really handy for the last leg of our trip because we were based in the main Tokyo area and most of the places we visited were accessible by the subway. This includes: Tokyo Tower, Ueno, Kappabashi-dori (kitchen street) and Tsukiji Market.

The great thing about the subway pass (if you choose to get it) is that you don't have to decide on the spot when you want to use it. Just use it when you feel like it and it will automatically start your validity period. Similarly, you can book your return ticket whenever you want - we booked it a day before our flight but we did see some people book their tickets just before boarding the train.

Uniqlo Down Jacket
If you're like me and get cold easily, then it's very likely that you'll need a jacket to keep warm. I was lucky enough to be gifted a long Uniqlo down jacket by Captain Cute (aka my dad) and it was a lifesaver for the first few days in Japan. I did buy myself a ScotteVest with ten million pockets specifically for this trip but I miscalculated how cold it was in Spring and ended up using the down jacket to keep me warm.

I loved my Uniqlo down jacket so much that I bought myself a second, shorter one which I ended up using more.

Now I'm sure you're wondering why I'm raving about this jacket. I mean, a jacket is a jacket right?

Not so when you're travelling. The reason why I LOVE the Uniqlo down range is the fact that it squishes down to a portable size. A big plus when you've got to stuff it in your luggage or when it suddenly gets too hot and you need to stash the jacket away.

I used my shorter red jacket more because it was a little more compact. That said, both my bronze and red jacket could fit in my tote bag.

Super Essential for Cherry Blossom season - A PLAN
The sakura season is the BUSIEST time of year in Japan. Unless you're specifically after cherry blossoms, I would strongly discourage you from visiting Japan during the peak cherry blossom period. Everyone, foreign tourists and locals, go out in force to see the cherry blossoms, meaning hotels will be fully booked and expensive, dinner reservations at nice restaurants need to be secured in advance... ditto activities.

For example, we booked tickets to Miyako Odori (a performance by the geisha throughout the month of April - your only chance to see them perform without being a super rich and well-connected businessman) in advance... when we went to collect our tickets on the day, we saw lots of disappointed people because the show was COMPLETELY sold out.

Additionally, sakura are finicky - the bloom period is ridiculously short, about a week in each area, at most. The season is also significantly affected by weather. Rain is your worst enemy as it brings an early end to the blooms.

With these two points in mind, it would be absolutely INSANE if you plunged into cherry blossom season without planning in advance. I started planning our trip over a year in advance (in December 2013, actually) and had secured all our accommodation by October 2014.

Additionally, make sure you study the cherry blossom reports/predictions before you book. The best piece of advice I can give you - prioritise. Don't aim to see cherry blossoms in each and every spot but pick a couple of must-see spots. If you're travelling to different regions in Japan, pick a region or 2 to focus your attention. From there, make sure you allow some flexibility in your schedule - stay a few days before and after the predicted bloom date in the area and keep your eye on the cherry blossom report on Japan Guide.

For example, we wanted to see the blooms at Chidorigafuchi, the moat around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The estimated bloom for that was around 1st April - so we planned to be in Tokyo from 24th March to 2nd April. Ideally, I would have preferred staying till 4th April but we didn't because we wanted to catch the blooms in Kyoto too. Full bloom ended up happening on 30th March, so our schedule ended up working our perfectly.

There's no excuse to NOT plan in advance as you can get so much done online. Aside from the usual flights and accommodation, JTB Travel sells tickets to some of the bigger attractions (Ghibli Museum, Universal Studios) and some attractions even have their own websites (eg: Tokyo Giants, Samurai Kembu, Miyako Odori). And worst case scenario, you have websites like Govoyagin where people offer to help you buy tickets/secure restaurant reservations for a fee.

Do it. Don't be LAZY. 

Japan Guide Website
An absolute must for any traveller. Aside from being packed full of information, I like how it's set up like Wikipedia and you can click through on links to bring you to other relevant tourist areas and information.

Something else that's super useful (but not immediately apparent) is the clickable area maps for each tourist attraction. So you can research any other nearby attraction and make an informed decision when planning your itinerary. Check out this map of Nara, for example.

So that should be enough to get you started on planning a trip to Japan. I'll be writing more posts about Japan over the next few weeks, so stay tuned :)