What to know before arriving in Japan

TRANSPORTATION:

Transport to Tokyo: The most convenient way to get from Narita Airport to Tokyo is the Nartia Express. You can get on right in the airport after you go through customs. We used Klook to purchase our tickets and it ended up being cheaper than what they were going for in the train station.

SIM Card: An e-SIM is all you’ll need in Japan. We use Airalo every time we head out of the country and it has never failed us. We paid under $20 for 10GB of data and we didn’t even use all 10 GBs while we were there on our nine day trip. Get your e-SIM all set up before you get on your flight so that you can just toggle it on once you arrive.

IC Card for JR Line Transportation: You will need to get an IC card like Pasmo or Suica when you arrive to be able to ride the JR lines. If you are flying into Narita Airport, they only have the Pasmo available. This is what we used and we had no issues! If you fly into Haneda Airport, then you have the option of getting the Suica card. Honestly, there isn’t really a difference between the two – you can ride the same trains with both cards, they’re just managed by different companies. We recommend getting the tourist version of the card because then you don’t have as large of a deposit initially. With the tourist card, you can’t get any money back at the end of your trip, but you can use your IC card at vending machines and convenience stores like Lawson’s and 7/11 along with paying for your train rides.

Metro tickets: The IC cards only work for JR trains. If you are taking an underground (subway-like) train (also known as the metro), you will need to purchase a ticket for the metro lines. There’s a 24/hour Tokyo metro card that’s only about $4 USD per day. Just know if you are taking any line that isn’t a JR Line, your IC card (Suica / Pasmo) will NOT work.

Purchasing Shinkansen tickets: Shinkansen (or bullet train) tickets are available on Klook and online at other websites, however, if you go to the JR ticket counter at any of the major train stations, the agent will be able to help you get all of the tickets you need to get to your destination with the best and most reasonable travel times. This is especially good when you’re having to get on and off several different trains. We did this on our trip to Hakuba from Kyoto where we had to take 4 different trains. It would have been a mess to try to figure out the timing and navigation on our own.

CULTURE:

Keep the noise down: The first thing I noticed when we landed in Japan was that it was extremely quiet. There was no music playing in the airport. No one was yelling. Everyone was quiet and keeping to themselves. This is also true on the trains and metros – no one is talking on the phone, in fact, hardly anyone was talking at all.

Eating on the go isn’t a thing: If you are taking something to go (yes, even a coffee), it is expected that you’re going to consume whatever it is at your next destination; not as you walk around the streets or on the trains / buses / public transport.

There really aren’t many trashcans: Not in the train stations, not populated around the street corners, hardly anywhere. Bring a plastic baggie to hold your trash throughout the day. The one place you can always find a trashcan is in the convenient stores (Lawson’s, 7/11, Family Mart).

Most bathrooms had hand driers: We brought along handkerchiefs because we heard that not many bathrooms had hand driers. Most did… but the ones that didn’t, usually didn’t have soap either, so we ended up using hand sanitizer anyways.

Onsens (hotsprings): Onsen culture is huge in Japan – so much so that people plan vacations around “onsening”. If you’re lucky enough to go in one, take the opportunity! Yes, everyone goes in butt-a$$ naked. No, it actually isn’t weird! No, the onsens aren’t co-ed – the women and men have separate facilities. I was super nervous about going in for the first time as this isn’t something we ever do in the United States, however, I actually found it really empowering. Plus, most onsen facilities have really good skincare you can use at the showers afterwards! A win-win!

Tattoos & onsens: Yes, it’s true – tattoos aren’t allowed in the onsens, but some onsen facilities do allow you to go in if you cover up your tattoos – if you are looking at booking a hotel with onsen facilities, I would call and ask before booking. I bought tattoo coverups on Amazon and honestly, they were horrible. Just bring XL bandaids, trust me, they work a lot better.