I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka over a span of 14 days for cherry blossom season, and below are the MUST DOs for a tourist there. Honestly, the below were the things that really helped…
1 – Get a Suica/IC Card at the airport – The IC card is gonna be your best friend there. Metros, subway, bus, taxi, and even shop payments can all be done via that card. It can be bought at the JR counters. Trying to figure out routes to get for pay-as-you-go tickets are gonna be a pain on those ticket machines.
2 – Luggage Forwarding – The hype for this is real. It cost me a bit, BUT it was one of the most useful things ever! Just ask your hotel or the closest convenience store for Yamato or luggage forwarding, and they’ll help you. The only condition is that it will take one day to deliver. There are a LOT of stairs to exit japanese stations, which is an absolute nightmare, so this really made my journeys hassle free. Plus, the inter city shinkansens dont have that much luggage space.
3- Tissue Packets – Japanese bathrooms are the BEST! Honestly, the world needs to catch up. I’ve never loved public bathrooms more. HOWEVER, very rarely will you see tissue in the handwash area, so always carry a packet or a hand towel of your own.
4 – Hotel Neighbourhoods – With how crowded it was, shibuya and shinjuku are extremely busy neighbourhoods to stay in. Ebisu and Hibiya were really good alternative options that were well connected and away from the crowds. I loved ebisu.
5 – Power Banks – a travelling must, but with the number of apps you will use here (camera, maps, and translate), it is super important to have one in japan.
6 – Cash – a lot of stores accept card payments (either via tap or swipe), but a lot insist on cash only, especially in the markets. Be sure to carry both.
7 – Tax Free – Keep your passport on you, as many stores will ask for it in order to bill you tax-free or tice you further discounts!
8 – Google Maps and Google Translate – I WOULD HAVE HONESTLY HAD A MENTAL BREAKDOWN IF NOT FOR THESE. Google Maps in japan is your best friend. It will show you train schedules, bus schedules, and the exact exits you need to take on your route, and EVERYTHING is accurate. Keep an eye out for announcements and boards as well as everything is in english, in case anything changes.
9 – Shopping – you will DEFINITELY end up needing an extra luggage, lol. Travel with a small one, and then buy a proper one at the Don Quihote store, which is THE BEST chain of stores all over japan. The one in shibuya especially is so fantastic! I literally didn’t need to shop anywhere else in japan except this one store for souvenirs, character goods (loke pokemon, ghibli, etc).
10 – Theme Parks/Restaurants – Start looking at these wayyyyyyy in advance, at least 2 months prior. A lot of them have fixed schedules for when they release tickets on their official website. Alternative apps that sell them are klook and trip.com.
11 – USJ Express Pass – This pass was worth every buck i spent. Just to give you some context, i spent 30s just walking past the line for regular entry. It was ALWAYS that long. The main difference between the two:
with no express pass – you will need to line uo super early to enter and secure your rides, you wont be able to do more than 2/3 in one day, the waiting lines are 1-4 hours min
With express pass – come whenever, no need to queue. I reached 11AM, and there was no entrance line. You can also cover up to 7 rides with the pass. The waiting lines are never more than 15 mins. All in all, definitely save up for this, and it really helps make your day more enjoyable and less about just waiting and queuing.
Okay that was waaaaay over 5, but hope the above helps! 😊
by eLYp3895