Having traveled extensively in the United States and Europe, the boys and were excited to visit Japan. A lifelong dream, it turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more! We all agreed it was the best family vacation we’d ever been on and the trip of a lifetime!
I won’t pretend the idea of traveling to a place where we wouldn’t be able to understand the language or even recognize the letters wasn’t a bit nerve-wracking, but this would be a completely new experience! A true adventure! We knew everything might seem and feel different, but that was part of the excitement. In many ways it was what made this trip so magical!
Unlike many western countries you won’t find that a lot of people speak English. In fact just the opposite, however we didn’t find this to be a problem and with the exception of one funny incident in a restaurant where we paid way too much we got along just fine! We learned to say a few basic words before we left and did our best to use them whenever we could!
When To Go
Yoyogi Park Tokyo Shibuya
If we ever get a chance to go back I’d love to see the autumn leaves which are also known to be breathtaking! Tokyo has well over 50 major neighborhoods and they’re all special, so we split our Tokyo time between two neighborhoods Shinjuku and Ginza with an additional 3 nights in Kyoto. If you’re planning to go during cherry blossom season I highly suggest booking everything as early as possible and for the best choice of hotels I recommend booking at least 6 months in advance!
Getting Around
Planes/Trains
Do keep in mind that the lines to get through customs upon arrival can be quite long. Three hours after we landed we finally made it to our hotel.
If you’re planning to visit more than one city on your trip I strongly recommend you consider the Japan Rail Pass. The JR Pass must be purchased prior to arriving in the country as they are only available to non-residents of Japan visiting for tourism. The most economical way to get from city to city they can also be used in city on certain train lines and for transport from the airport and back. They are offered in 7, 14 and 21 day options.
Purchasing the JR Pass is easy. We purchased ours through a local travel agency who specializes in Asian travel. It can take a few weeks, so contact them as soon as you’ve decided on your travel dates.
When you arrive at the airport take your JR Pass vouchers to the JR Pass Office where they will be exchanged for the actual passes. The people were incredibly helpful, friendly and much to our relief they spoke english. We were able to get all the information we needed to catch the JR Express into the city as well as information about taking the bullet train (Shinkansen) to Kyoto.
Depending on what cities you’re planning to visit you might want to look into reserved seats on the Shinkansen as well as information about the different stations. Keep in mind that the trains always leave on time. Plan on being on the platform a few minutes prior to whatever time you are expecting the train to arrive or you will miss it.
What would have been an 8 hour drive to Kyoto was only a 2 hour 20 minute bullet train ride. If you’re hungry there are light refreshments on the trains, though at first, due to the language barrier, we were a little shy about ordering from the refreshment cart. Eventually hunger and curiosity got the better of us and we were able to point at what we wanted, which worked out fine.
Taxis
Hailing and using taxis in Japan is quite different from any other city I’ve been to. While hailing the cab is the same, there are some other major differences. For example, you don’t actually open the taxi door by yourself. It’s opened and closed remotely by the driver. It took us quite a while to get used to this, and it’s considered poor manners to open and close the door yourself unless you exit or enter the vehicle from the right side.
Gardens of Ginkaku-ji Temple of the Silver Pavilion Kyoto
If you don’t speak Japanese it’s perfectly acceptable to give them your destination address on a piece of paper or alternatively we showed them where we wanted to go on the map. Tipping is not common in Japan and in most situations it can be considered offensive. However, if you decide to tip the driver it’s appropriate to round up when paying the fare.
Green means stop and red means go! Yep, a red symbol lets you know the cab is available and a green one lets you know it’s occupied.
Helpful Words
Japanese is an incredibly complex language, but we did learn a few words, and really enjoyed trying to speak to people as much as we could. Our attempts, though somewhat botched, were really appreciated. It’s always nice to be able to say hello and thank you and excuse me was extremely helpful in many situations!
Arigato = thank you
Arigatougozaimasu = Formal Thank You
Sumimasen = Excuse Me
Ohayougozaimasu = Good Morning
Konnichiwa = Good Afternoon
Sayonara = Goodbye
Other posts about Japan
Japan! Kawaii Means Cute & Other Japanese Cultural Phenomena!
Japan! Tokyo… No Wasabi Kudasai!
Japan! Experiencing Hanami!
Japan! Tokyo… A City of Many Contrasts
Japan! Three days in Kyoto!
Sunset from the 43rd Floor Park Hyatt Shinjuku Tokyo
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