Things to Keep in Mind When Traveling to Japan

As someone who has lived in Japan for over three years now, I have made my fair share of mistakes. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know how to do everything correctly right off the bat, so you’ll inevitably make some mistakes at some point. But, I’ll let you know some of the major things to keep in mind when travelling to Japan, so you can more easily have a great time on your trip without getting too overwhelmed.

The first thing to keep in mind is that Japanese people always take their shoes off when entering a home, as well as many other buildings such as hotel rooms and bath houses. If you already know this, it’s understandable, since it’s probably the first Japanese rule that you ever learned. But, if you don’t know it yet, before traveling to Japan, you should keep in mind that you’ll need to take off your shoes in certain settings. In the entrance of every home in Japan is a small space called a “genkan” which roughly translates to an “entryway”. This is the place where you should leave your shoes, and then enter the home or hotel room with socks only. Sometimes, there is also a shoe rack near the genkan so you can neatly arrange your shoes to pick up when you leave.

Another thing to keep in mind when traveling to Japan is that getting a train pass is a lot more convenient than buying a ticket every time you ride the train. Because Japan is a society that’s heavily reliant on public transportation, especially in big cities, train passes are very convenient, are cheap to purchase, and can easily be tapped at the gate to let you in. The name of a train pass varies depending on the region of Japan you’ll be in. Some popular brands include Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, and Kitaca. So, definitely look into buying a train pass when you start your trip to Japan. They can be purchased at most train stations and at some airports.

Lastly, it’s a good idea to bring a fair amount of cash. While many countries have gone almost completely digital when it comes to payment, Japan is largely still cash-reliant. This means that smaller mom and pop businesses probably won’t take credit cards or payment apps, so bringing cash for these places is a good idea. Most large chain stores do take cards, payment apps, etc., but you’d be surprised at the types of places that still don’t accept cards, such as most ticket vending machines at train stations!

The last thing I want to remind you of is that you don’t need to stress too much about following every rule. While Japan is known for being a fairly strict and rule-bound society, locals will understand that you’re not from here, and won’t hold you to every rule that they have learned to follow themselves. As long as you’re polite, understanding, and try to learn from your mistakes as you go, you’ll be absolutely fine!

With that, I’ll be signing off for now, and I wish you a wonderful, memorable trip to Japan!