5 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK BEFORE GOING TO JAPAN

Preparing your travel to Japan is no easy task. There are plenty of choices to make and sometimes not the best information at hand.

To make your life easy we’ve answered some of the questions we asked ourselves while planning our trip to Japan. We hope you are enlightened!

1) Should I get a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass)?

YES. A 7-day JR Pass costs a little more than regular round trip tickets from Tokyo to Kyoto, which means that every other train ride you take is for free. A 14-day JR Pass costs about the same as a round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto and Kyoto to Hiroshima, which again leaves you with “free” train rides for your other destinations.

The JR Pass can be purchased in advance and delivered to your own home. Besides it’s really practical just to show your JR Pass every time you want to board a train instead of figuring out how to buy tickets.

Apart from the JR trains, it can be used on some subway lines in Tokyo and buses around the country (be sure to ask before getting on the bus).

Click here to visit the JR Pass website.

2) Should I get the Green JR Pass?

NO. Green JR Pass gives you access to the “superior” or first class train cars.

We consider this to be completely unnecessary, since the regular train cars are already truly spacious, clean and comfortable. Rodrigo is almost 1.90 m tall (6.2 ft) and could sit with his legs totally stretched out without touching the seat in front of us.

3) Should I rent a portable WiFi?

YES. Getting lost in Japan is not something I would recommend.

A portable WiFi guarantees connection to the Internet at all times and, let’s face it, we can’t live without being on-line!

Apart from using the Internet to share your photos and write or talk with your loved ones, it’s useful for checking out train schedules, getting instructions on how to get from A to B, reading restaurant ratings or just to google some interesting piece of history.

Here you can check out the company from which we rented without any problems.

4) Should I download any useful apps to my phone?

YES. I would recommend downloading at least these three apps:

a) TripAdvisor. You all know I’m a fan and refuse to go anywhere without an extensive lecture of all the reviews.

b) HyperDia was a great find. It’s a tool which offers train timetables around Japan including arrival and departure platform number (really great for when you’re in a hurry).

c) Google Maps is a must, not just to stay on route, but because subway and bus schedules are available and really accurate.

5) Should I bring my old sweat pants and dirty sneakers?

NO. Men and women tend to be really well dressed and trendy, specially in Tokyo.

Fashion is different in Japan than everywhere else in the world. For women, long skirts with three layers of baggy sweaters and pink sequins shoes or short skirts with knee-length socks and loafers are everyday outfits. Men wear the typical salaryman white shirt-black suit combo.

So try to dress the part if you don’t want to stand out (ok, you’ll stand out no matter what).