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We know how overwhelming it is to go to Japan for the first time. So these are the things you need to prepare your trip to Japan
Language!
Knowing basic Japanese language will help you a lot when traveling in Japan. This is because that most of the people apart from the staff you meet in the airport cannot speak English…
Japanese seems difficult, but don’t worry, with the right method you can easily master what you need in a relatively short time. First you will need to learn the alphabet. Click here to starts learning Hiragana-Japanese Alphabet.
Then you would want to start learning by imitating phrases like how baby learn language. You can use this FREE Japan Travel Phrasebook App to help you learn basic Japanese quickly and also to practice important practical phrase for traveling. When it seems too hard to memorize, you can always bookmark some phrases that you need, and show them up when you need it!
Transportation
First. Don’t ride a taxi. Unless you want to waste your travel budget… Taxi prices are quite irrational in Japan and the public transportation is very good that you rarely will need to ride one.
Next, get an IC card. What is it? Basically, this IC card will be your ticket to almost all public transportation. Check out the complete article here about IC card.
If you’re going to a different city often, check out if you need a JR PASS. JR pass is a kind of discounted ticket to travel from city to city with shinkansen/bullet train. This pass can only be bought overseas and they can be quite pricey. So be sure to check your itinerary first to see if it’ll be worth it.
Then the last one, make sure to research your way to your destination when you’re working on your itinerary. You can use Hyperdia or Google map to plan your way. Just input the starting location and destination. They will then provide you will all the available options to choose from.
Get a good coin organizer
You will start with a few bills of 10.000 yen. But you’ll end up with dozens of coins. Japanese cashier will require you to pay immediately and you won’t have a lot of time to pick which coin to choose. You can always ask the cashier to get the money by themselves directly from your wallet, but it’s better to have a good coin organizer so you can easily grab any coins you need when you need it.
Internet!
The internet is your best friend and guide in Japan. So make sure you have access to it all the time. Rent a wi-fi or buy a sim card at the airport. Don’t forget to bring a power bank to make your phone and wi-fi router long last!
Plan your baggage
You will need to use a lot of public transportation so you need to think of your mobility. Some trains don’t allow a big baggage and train in rush hours is soo crowded that a person barely fit in. Most people also will bring a lot of snack or souvenirs so prepare an empty baggage to make it easy for you to carry it back home.
