10 Things You Should Know Before Trip to Japan

[Music] hey um my name is sh and a born in resident here in Japan and I've been doing the tour guide for about 4 years now and um I'm meeting around 2,000 guests from all over so you know like during these tours I've got to ask a lot of question by customers today um I'm going to share with you top 10 things that you should definitely know before you come into Japan okay so let's get started first let's talk about cash in Japan so probably coming from a lot of modern countries so you think that you can use credit card you could see know like you think Japan is modern country itself but actually many places here in Japan still do not accept credit card well the cash pay has been widely used since Co so now in Japan you can generally use credit card especially in a big city uh tourist spot and the commercial areas and a many spots and the restaurants but to be aware that some places like only specific cours may be accepted I use a Visa and um you know Visa Works in most places however in a small shop and local bars and street food vendors and many restaurant that are offer set me at lunch time credit card are not always accepted you should also be careful if you're planning to travel outside of the city be prepared to bring enough cash because um cash is more common in those areas of course I know like you don't want to carry a r of cash but reality in Japan is that there still many people do personally I always have around 10,000 yen in my wallet means like $80 as a local tip make sure you current some cash and having Purge for coins can be super handy cuz um you can use coins at a vending machines and when you visit a try and Temple you can use for you know good fortune to minimize the need of for cash you can also get a SLE or proo part you can load it up to 20,000 in cash so mainly it uh mainly it's used for Trans t so you don't need to buy a ticket each time when you get on the train but you can also use it at um comination store many venue machines and taxi and some restaurants and even like retail stores actually now also um if you need to like with cash in Japan I recommend it using Japan post offit bank and companies this toore like a 7eleven mer and lawon I mean like com store is uh 24/7 so you can withraw cash any time you want when you need to exchange the full month the big city have a lot of places but be careful because it's hard to find options in the countryside so next is eating and drinking while walking in Japan eating and drinking of what walking is not very common when I eat or drink outside I usually stop and I find a perk to sit on the bench the reason is that in Japanese culture public eate is highly valued so eating and drinking or what walking it is considered bothersome to other in Japan and I also refrain from eating and drinking while walking and contribute to keeping the public spaces super clean so that's why it's not common here in Japan however there are some expection eating and drinking while walking is often allowed in per in places like you know the F tree in the market in the festivals in such places you should know three things the first one is consider others by selecting less busy spaces and second one is fing the rule of the individual shops the last one is to make sure you throw your trash in Asen beans I mean TR cans so usually you can find a beans in front of the shop in those areas but you never thr on the street okay one of fous Market is a Tuk Fish Market um it's famous for its delicious seafood and it's so fresh but um you know it can get extrem crowded now what it used to be possible to eat and work in but due to the large number of people now it's kind of impossible to eat and drink while walking I guess so like some shop have specific rule against stopping in front of stuff to eat for example at this job there are two ways to eat the first one is a stunning style means eat outside and the other one is a sitting style means like eat inside so if you want to eat outside you just need order first and receive the number ticket and you know wait nearby to be cold if you prefer to eat inside some places have have no waiting new system by putting your name on the waiting list so you can explore other nearby shops while you wait but be cautious though if you miss your name being called your reservation look cancel but there are some shops where you can just buy and eat I went there in after lunch time and it was not very crowded well but some shops were closing but many places like offered the discount so next I'll talk about is a drinking in Japan the drinking age here is 20 years old so you can get any communist store you can go sorry you can go to any communist Tor and then you know that will sell your alcohol and then I'll ask you how old you are if you just look like over 20 years old but when you buy alcohol at a communist supporter you just need to press the age verification button easy if you look too they might ask your ID but usually just hit a Buton is all you need to do make a purchase however at the bar they have B stct age verification even if you like over 20 years old they might ask you ID and if you don't if you don't have any ID they won't R you so it's a good idea to carry something that shows you a just in case so now like uh let's talk about onen so Japanese onen AKA hot spring one of the coolest experience you can have in Japan but unfortunately the many Japanese on perer people with tattoo from entering the facilities well like because like tattoo have long been associated with Yakuza members and creating a personal image so I mean Yakuza is japanes master up here nowadays tattoo are getting more casual but some people still view tattoo negatively or linked into like un social behavior so that's why in public spaces like in hot spring they want to avoid discomfort for the other customers but for those of you that uh have tattoos you know don't worry as I mentioned tattoos are becoming more accepted in Japan recently so you can search tattoo friend on S on Google so you can find some spot not only in Tokyo but the other area that are cool with tattoo too you can also make reservation for private on some good real or hotel offer on facility directly in your room which is super nice now let's talk about the internet envelopment so in Japan as you know like many people don't speak English and sometimes many are only in Japanese so Google Translate is the must also the road can be super complex and navigating trainer transfers can be challenging without doing some research the internet is most important to travel Japan I guess of course Wi-Fi is available everywhere in Japan at the TR station in the city and at Cal in restaurant however sometimes you need to register and it can be quite slow so I highly recommend either Wi-Fi or SIM card even if you forget buy one it's okay you can find them everywhere at the electrical stores in the big cities and it's very easy to activate so for pocket Wi-Fi it's compenent to rent one at airport and reat when you fly back you ever for go your poet Wi-Fi hotel or somewhere look for the Starbucks their Wi-Fi is Easy Connect and super part and I realize um most of the stuff can speak English at a starburs I mean you know compared to the other C though but yeah do not uh do not hesitate to ask if you have any trouble or issues next one is smoking um in Japan smoking on the Stree and vaping is illegal if you want to smoke you need to go smoking area or visit cafe or isaka where smoking is low it sounds weird to you but still like you know the smoking indoor is still allowed in many places in Japan especially in is zakaya I mean Japanese Pub someh have smoking and no smoking sections but um there are also places where smoking is permitted uh throughout most places have signed on the door indicating whether smoking is allowed or not so be sure to check if you don't like smoking so finding smoking area can be bit inconvenient for like smokers but but nowadays there is some Ops available to help located smoking area so use that one say smoking area in major city are often small and you know can be quite Smokey so depending on this location some areas bit sketchy I guess so like a cafe or smoking Lounge I'll recommend it when entering the lounge remember that ID is required so do not forget uh know bring the password or like you know ID so electrial cigarettes are also popular in Japan and it can be purchased at Lune or commun store if you're interested next let's talk about the trains the before Bo in a train what you need is CA and a pmo cards so these cards are not only for trains but also for use that commun tours and vending machines and uh restaurants so when you get on the train just stop the C that's it so if you want to charge it you can do like the ticket machine or counters so if you want to get C you need to Pur sport at the airport or major stations however nowadays you can download S and posmoke apps and a CH than anywhere and anytime so making it more convenient so however some credit card issuing a broad might be rejected if you activate an overseas so it's a good idea to try using an up in Japan first and if it work it's great but if not you can purchase a card as everyone knows like Japan has rushed out when a trend gets extremely crowded in the morning from around 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. sorry uh 8:00 a.m. to maybe 9:30 a.m. and in the evening from about like uh 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. it depends on the location and big cities can get quite crowded during rush hours um there are few things you should know the first one is there are women only train cars these are designated cars in the areas designed to ensure the safety of women and prevent trouble during the crowded time to find a those cars and check out for the sign on the platform and near the doors in this case these CS are are in operation from the first train until like 9:30 a.m. or weekday exception including individuals with disability and boys in elementary school or younger secondly uh during the crowded times pay attention your PO on your backpack and your hands wearing the backpack on your front can help like secur your space without accidentally bumping into other passengers and also hold on to the hand ra or or keep your hand on your backpack like this during the crowed time to avoid unintentional contact with others these two practices help prevent any accidental touching and reducing reducing the risk of any trouble so now let's talk about tipping so firstly uh you might have heard the tipping in Japan is considered rude but it's not rude well in Japan there was tipping culture in the past but it didn't became Norm so you don't have to I mean you don't have to leave the tip but like you know talking about like OSI which is a different from the tipping but common question from customers so let me explain a bit so OSI is small appetizers which is served right after you see it in isaka I mean Japanese P it's including in curch so OSI is considered a form of hospitality in Japan to show their appreciation to the customers for paying the coverge they give you atier to TI you up sorry to TI you over until your order comes OSI is around 500 in and of course you know there is aers that don't have any OSI so one place with OSI that I'd like to introduce is T kizoku here everything is 360n I mean like $3 each so you can easily order cuz they use in touch pel so you don't speak Japanese plus of course no church all right so next one is accommodation in Japan so you will find a R of options from regular Hotel than a traditional realan or something unique like you know capsu Hotel so realan is a traditional Japan accommodation offering authentic experience with tatami M rooms and stone beds and capsu hotter is a compat accommodation where get stay a small ports or cap cells it's a space efficient and a cost effective options and providing a Coy and a unique experiences um for combinated booking and personally I often use aoda it's known for offering the competitive price and of future special deals and promotions you know however um the of caution um when BR through booking sites you might come across option label adult only these are usually love hotels so love hotel and typically have an age reselection and I generally uh guess must be 18 years old or older to say some hotels set the age is limited up to 20 years old so you need to check these are designed for short stays just a few hours or like even an internight they can be more budget friendly than regular hotels especially on certain days some even comes with a unique features like ter in the room so you can bring your own drinks and snack and get entry in the room so whether it's a t realan a regular Hotel then capsu hotel or love Hotel Japan offers a variety of accommodation to suits every taste and budget though enjoy stay and a unique experiences the last one let me share some uh super essential Japanese phrases and uh these are like commonly asked you by customers the first one is this means thank you very much some might know arato but this means things you can use it arato it's okay but if you want to be more polite you better you better to use next one is this phrase have two meanings it can be used at Cold waiters or when apologizing you can say s when getting the waiter attention of course us a service spell if available it's a good option but yeah and another T where you can use S is when you accidentally bump into somewhere or make a mistake saying so also that means what is your recommendation it's handy when you're asking it for recommendations especially in the restaurants okay so next one is ok this term is useful when uh when you're asking the bill so you can also use gestures like this this means check as well the last one is IESA and this is means how much is it this is useful when you're checking at the price or something just as you know so if there are more Japanese phrases you'd like to know just feel fre to ask in the comments oh yeah by the way like English is mandatory education here in Japan in school so if you speak simple word and easy word and it speaks super slowly maybe we can understand yeah speak slowly all right so that's my top 10 things you should know before you travel to Japan if you found this video helpful hit the like button and if you want to see more about Japan please subscribe to channel so I will catch you guys in the next one bye-bye I work for a company called mka trip that provid guided tour of different areas in Japan with local person who lives there if you go to our website you can look through all the tours we offer you can also learn about the guided before you go on the tour so he asks if you were looking for some guided tour in Japan i' would love to take you guys around Japan

Channel: ShoMeJapan

Views: 5,005

Keywords: japan travel, tokyo travel, what to do japan, what not to do japan, traveling japan, Japan, Japan Guide, Travel Tips, Japan Travel, Tokyo, Tokyo Travel Tips, Tokyo Travel Guide, Tokyo Guide, Japanese Manners, Things to know before going to japan, things not to do in japan, Japan Travel Tips, Best Japan Tips, Tips for Japan, Top 10 Japan Travel Tips, shomejapan, magical trip, japan travel update, first time in japan, tokyo beginner guide, tain, japanese phrases

Id: qKvDVANE2mA

Length: 16min 3sec (963 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 20 2023