Hi, in July my friends and I are going to Japan after our final exam :). We’re gonna spend 9 days in Tokyo and 4 days in Kyoto, and I have some questions for people who are more familiar with Japan.
1. What are some good clothing shops/brands, not too expensive, you’d recommend?
2. Does it rain a lot in July/August? Because I’m gonna bring my camera and if it rains I won’t be able to take photos outside.
3. Will we be able to use credit cards for the most part? Or having cash is as important?
Also, how does a Suica work? Should I get one?
4. Are most restaurants expensive? Are all you can eats more convenient?
5. What’s an itinerary outside of the city centre we can’t miss?
6. Can I connect my (Italian) chargers in hotels? Also, are there computers available for use, so that I can upload photos in my hard disk or online storage?
Thanks in advance 🫶🏼
5 comments
1. Uniqlo ?
2. It can rain, yes. Would still bring my camera as it won’t rain all day, every day.
3. Yes, credit cards are more and more accepted. But still get cash on you at all time (can get cash with credit card at the ATM, 7eleven is a good place for this), some places are still cash only. Suica is a contactless payment method. You load money on it and tap to pay. The main use if for transportation, you only have to tap to enter and to exit the train/subway and it will deduct the fare. Yes you should get it as you won’t have to buy individual tickets. If you have an iphone and a Mastercard or Amex credit card, just add Suica to your wallet and charge it direct on the phone via your credit card. If you get the physical card, it will have to be the Welcome Suica as there is chip shortage and regular Suica is not available, also the physical card is recharged cash only. Suica is also one of the commonly accepted cashless payment method.
4. No. You can easily find meals between 500 and 1500 yen, my average was probably around 1000 yen a meal. All you can eat is not more convenient, it would actually be much more complicated to even find it as it’s not that common.
5. Depend on your interest
6. No. You need an adapter. Japan use type A socket (same as Canada/US, two prong no ground). You also need to make sure it accept 100v, usually it will show 100-240v. No there won’t usually be computer available. Either buy some extra memory cards if you take that many pictures, or check to get something to do it via your phone. I have in iPhone, got the lightning to USB adapter and a USB card reader/USB hub that accept power, so I can connect a SSD drive and memory card and transfer between the two using my phone. It was unnecessary as I did not even filled half of my 128GB card.
Im in Japan right now (for like a month, you’ll have a blast) and while I’m definitely not an expert and other people will be able to help more, here’s some input with anyone with no Japanese language skills and here for the first time:
– Rain/camera: It has rained a bit recently (so I assume it will be similar) and we even had a typhoon when I was in Tokyo. Was brutal but fun, I was still out. Bring a rain coat and you can get an umbrella from the hotel or for cheap, this has been my pretence because it was still hot as hell so could walk around in a t-shirt.
This definitely did not stopped me from taking pictures, you just have to be brave and don’t baby your gear. My camera (Sony a7iii) has no special water proffing but it took it like a champ – just be smart, obviously don’t just leave it out for long periods in direct rain, but it can take a bit of direct a lot of side rain. It’s not the top top of line but still expensive that it’s not a throwaway toy, but it can take it. Don’t let the rain stop you from taking pictures. Couple examples here if you are curious: https://instagram.com/flipe.flops?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
– Suica has been great, you just load it with money and I’ve been able to use it in most transports, from subway in Tokyo to buses in Kyoto. You can also use it in some shops and vending machines, but my debit card worked in most places I tried (all of them really). That said, carry some cash because some places will only use cash.
– You can eat for very cheap (I’ve had good ramen and sushi for way less money that I would pay for worse back home in the UK) and paid a lot for some fancier meals. You have options basically.
– You can get an adapter for your chargers for cheap. Also you can connect the usb cable itself directly in a lot of places (the hotels I stayed at least). I don’t know what you mean by computers to use, if you are thinking of downloading pictures for your memory cards I just invested in a cheat card reader for my phone).
Its called Google. Learn how to use it.
Most basic questions ever asked.
Hello, I’m Japanese. Here are my answers:
1. Unless you are of Asian descent, don’t buy clothes in Japan. You will probably find out that things are a bit too small, and that sleeves are too short. In Canada where I’m living, I find sleeves to be too long. Even at Uniqlo here, their sizes are different from those in Japan. That’s why I stopped buying clothes in Canada.
2. Around mid July, the rainy season is usually over in Japan. Typhoons, however, hit the country from time to time. It can be pretty bad. Be prepared.
3. CCs are getting accepted more these days than they used to be, but cash makes your life easy there as well.
In terms of Suica, I use its app, but it’s only in Japanese. It’s very convenient as you don’t have to buy a train or bus ticket every time you use them. You can even use Suica at a lot of convenience stores and vending machines for payment. What you can do is that you get a physical card in Tokyo and charge some money using your CC. Every time you tap your Suica at a gate, it will tell you how much is left when you tap out. When the balance gets low, you go to a ticket machine and recharge the card with your CC or cash.
4. You have a choice of how much you want to spend for each meal. Around JPY 1,000 are minimum these days. A good thing about Japan is that you don’t have to tip. I tend to splurge on food in Japan because its quality and cost-performance are sooo good, and whenever I do so, I usually pay JPY 30,000ish. Yes, so you have a choice.
5. Mt. Fuji? Maybe?
6. There are Internet cafes everywhere in Japan, and you can rent a computer with a reasonable price. You go there, book a spot, pay, and sit down in a small room with a computer, and do whatever you want. There are usually comics and free non-alcoholic drinks, and a lot of people actually spend day(s) there.
Addition: Look into Yuka dining and Gion festival in Kyoto. Book your table asap if you want to try that.
If you have a dslr, for your camera, you can fashion your own rainproof bag. Get a silnylon bag from, say, sea to summit. Cut off the bottom. This will be for your lens. Sew some cord around that end and add a cinch thing so you can pull it closed. You can also add a hole in your bag for a mount if you want.
If you have a point and click then just get a case or bag. They should be small and light.
And if you guys are interested in going to a music festival, check out /r/fujirock