Clear sky, cultivate, rainy, read.

- japanese expression


BEFORE YOU GO

  • Order your JR Pass well in advance. This is a rail pass that is only available to tourists and can't be purchased while in Japan
  • Learn a few Japanese words, especially thank you, excuse me/sorry, hello, and of course, cheers! Kanpai!

​WHAT TO PACK

  • Comfortable shoes
  • Windbreaker or a light, fall jacket

THINGS WE'RE OBSESSED WITH

  • That there is a corner store literally on every corner (okay, maybe not every corner, but pretty close)
  • How quiet and respectful the Japanese are of others and their surroundings
  • Cleanliness

OUR BUDGET​

Coming soon (Need to get out the receipts!)

​WHAT WE LEARNED

  • We packed way too much and promised ourselves that the next trip we'd do our best with just carry-ons or one regular sized check-in
  • Few public bathrooms have hand dryers or paper towels. Everyone carries their own facecloth or small hand towel to use
  • No one eats or drinks while walking or in the streets. They either wait until they are on the train or sit down on a bench. Though there are a lot of smokers, you barely see them because they only smoke in designated areas
  • You won't find many garbage bins in public; majority of people carry a plastic bag and bring their trash home with them. You'll find them in corner stores and in parts of train stations, but we quickly learned to always have a plastic bag in our backpack and be on the lookout for the rare garbage or recycling bin

​THINGS WE DISCOVERED

  • A city "Go Pass" that includes many tourist attractions, discounts at restaurants, free access on certain buses, is a great way to discover a city for the first time. We bought one in Osaka which allowed us unlimited travel on their buses, subways, free admission to the Aqua-Liner (An enclosed glass river boat tour at night), discount on admission to Osaka Castle, free admission to their giant Ferris Wheel, etc.
  • When in doubt, do as the locals do. Most trains play a recording in multiple languages, so there is really no excuse, asking passengers to be respectful of others by keeping talking to a minimum and low, not to speak on your phone, and that the volume from your earphones aren't bothering the person next to you