I've been to Japan!
Allow me to help you. Prepare yourself, this will be a long post.
I went to Japan last year with a group of friends, we were there for just over three weeks. We traveled south to north, starting in Osaka before going to Naara, Kyoto, Tokyo and Niseko.
I'll do two separate posts. My first post will be about courtesies, tips and such:
- De-Ting is absolutely right. When someone hands something to you, try to remember to accept it with both of your hands and offer a bow. Do the same when you hand something to someone, even if it's money. The deeper the bow, the deeper the respect. You don't have to go crazy and put your head in between your knees, but offer a nice, hands by your side bow, especially to the elderly. The way I honestly bow to people there is how I bow to people in judo training/competition... it's the same since well, it's Japanese too. People don't often shake hands in Japan.
- Don't tip. In Japan, tipping is actually seen as offensive and rude.
- Try to say "thank you" in Japanese when receiving goods/services from Japanese folk. You can say it either as "Arigatou" (Ari - Gah - Toe, which is "Thank you"). There's also "Arigatou Gozaimasu" (Ari - Gah - Toe, Gah-Zye-Ah-Mas) which is a more polite, formal way of saying "Thank you very much". You don't have to do this, but they honestly do appreciate it.
- Please understand that not a lot of people speak English there. I was told "Everyone speaks English in Japan" but this is not true. Many Japanese people only have very basic English if any at all, but many are not fluent. If you are trying to speak to someone in English, speak slowly and try to use basic, non-complex words. It might be handy to buy a small Japanese language handbook before you travel there, so you can study and learn a few basic words, sentences and such.
- If you use a taxi, do not open the door, hell don't even touch it. The taxi driver will either open the door for you by hand, or the door will open automatically. If the door opens automatically, opening it manually can actually cause damage to it. Trying to open it yourself by hand is seen as rude/offensive. Let the taxi driver open the door for you, when they pick you up and when they drop you off.
- GPS is your friend. Use it. Japan has a lot of free Wi-Fi you can connect to.
- Look into getting a "JR Rail Pass", that'll be so handy and will actually save you a lot of money because chances are, you'll probably be using trains a lot. Study the maps and find out what train(s) you'll need to take to get you to where you want to go.
- Speaking of trains, just like Western culture, if you're on a seat on the train and someone needs the seat a bit more than you (e.g. pregnant woman, elderly person, person with injury/disability), please give up your seat for them. Sometimes they may not take it, but at least you've offered.
- Some hotels are ridiculously small and may not be designed with westerners in mind. Let me put it to you this way... I'm 6'3 and in one hotel when I sat on the toilet - my knees were touching the bath room door. Some hotels are bigger and more "normal", though.
- Some train carriages are for women only. They'll generally say so in English, with female-symbol and might be pink. Don't get on these trains. Don't be "that guy".
- If you eat with chopsticks, don't rub them together. People in Western culture break their chop sticks apart and then rub them together for some reason... well, don't do that in Japan.
- Many restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs allow patrons to smoke inside. If you don't smoke, ask to go to a "no smoking" table at a restaurant/cafe.
- If you happen to visit Naara (which I do recommend, it's such a beautiful place and the temples are amazing), there are a lot of deer there. Sometimes the deer can be annoying as they want food, but please do not push, hit or even tap the deer... that's considered a great offence and you can get fined for it by police.
- ATMs suck over there. A lot of them will not be able to read western cards over there. However, I found 7 Eleven's that would have ATMs that actually worked for my Visa debit card. Some ATMs have English options, however some do not. You may want to speak to your bank before you travel, so you can find out the best option for you and your money while you're over there.
- If you choose to drive over there, just remember that you'll be driving on the left lane, with oncoming traffic on the right lane. A lot of people honestly drive very aggressively there in busier places like Kyoto, you you'll also need to be aggressive, and careful.
- If you go to Japan in the winter, I suggest wearing very good, warm clothing. Layer up if you need to. I come from a very humid, tropical place and I'm a huge pansy in the cold, so when I was in Japan I often wore long sleeved thermals (top and bottoms), jeans, a long sleeved shirt, gloves, a scarf and an insulated coat. If you end up travelling to Niseko in the winter, you will need snow gear. You can hire snow gear from various shops in Niseko, but I'd suggest making the arrangements before you arrive so it's easier.
I'll write another post shortly detailing some of the stuff we did, where we went etc.
Hope this stuff helps!
