Immigration form: https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/ Ideally do it in advance at home rather than at the airport – you have successfully finished it when you get the barcode (one each if a couple)
If roaming is expensive for you, and you can’t face an e-sim (i.e. you are over 35) consider getting “WiFi in pocket” (only available at the airport for some reason). You won’t need much because most places have Wi-Fi, but still it’s good to have.
You can drink the water.
Toilets everywhere, all free and all clean and they even have the holy Trinity of seat paper and flush.
No bins for litter at all. You have to take it home with you.
Clean, organised, friendly, helpful, totally safe,
and the food is really cheap, with the one possible exception of the tempura prawns sometimes, you just have to look out for them!
Definitely eat an Okonomiaki, where they fry it in front of you
If really stuck for food the fried chicken in the 7-Eleven and family Mart is really good!
Get a blank book and use the free stamp for each place you visit.
In your hotel, go to the Onsen, which is the communal bath, it’s really good ~ and it’s free
Remember you can use Google translate – just point your camera!
Public transport is very good and very cheap – both the buses and the trains
Don’t bother with the Riverboat trip in Tokyo – it’s cheap but nothing to see, and the commentary is all in Japanese
If you go shopping and you buy anything expensive, then have your passport so they can give you the tax off
Tokyo Fudo-do temple Fire ceremony – amazing
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My top five favourite things
- Chanting and drums at Fudo-do temple fire ceremony – epic, loud, exciting, great powerful rhythm.
- Underground door handle at Zenkoji Temple in Nagano – you go along a dark tunnel under the temple, but you do get enlightenment when you touch the handle, which is connected directly to the Buddha in the centre of the temple directly above you.
- Bullet train
- Okonomiyaki (stir fry omelettes cooked in front of you)
- Onsens (communal hot baths in many hotels)
Over-rated, in my opinion
- Tea ceremony
- Snow monkeys (in the summer at least)
- Viewing of Sumo practice (no tournaments were on)
- Staying in a tatami mat monastery
- The accurate and powerful toilet jets!
