After a year of booking and planning, we finally took our trip to Japan. It seems like a very intimidating place to plan a visit, but in the end, it was quite straightforward thanks to the many YouTube and Instagram videos I watched in preparation for the trip.

Most things went as expected although we still had some surprises. I have some thoughts and tips on Japan for first-time visitors:

1. Book accommodations in advance – Even if you usually travel without a fixed itinerary or agenda, try and have a general outline and your accommodation booked before you go. Japan is busy and always has a lot of tourists, especially in the main cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Don’t miss out on things because you decide to wing it. Many may disagree with this, but I like to plan ahead.
   
2. Buy some tickets in advance (especially at certain times of the year) – You can probably wait on things like train tickets and most attraction tickets until you get there, but at certain busy times of year, you will need to buy these things in advance. We bought train tickets in advance because we wanted to take a certain train to Hiroshima and get decent seats. We also bought our green car tickets from Kyoto to Tokyo in advance for a significant savings. We would have probably been fine to buy on the day, but if you’re traveling during especially busy times, this will be more important. The same applies for attractions like TeamLabs and some museums.
   
3. Take advantage of free sites – Many temples, shrines and other sites are free to visit. You may want to put a coin in at a shrine as an offering to buy a blessing, but other than that, you can often visit for free. Sites like Fushimi Inari, Shibuya Scramble, the Hachiko statue, Nara Deer Park, the Meji Shrine, and the observation deck at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building just to name a few, are all free to see and wander around. Obviously these places get crowded, but its still nice to have iconic places to visit without paying an entrance fee.
   
4. Metros are less intimidating than they first seem – While they can be very busy at peak times, both the Osaka and Tokyo metros can be figured out fairly quickly with the help of apps like Google Maps. The app will usually tell you which car to board and which exit number to take from the station to get to where you’re going. The trains all have announcements in English as well. Don’t look at the maps on the wall as you will just get confused.
   
5. You’ll need a bit of cash – While most restaurants and shops will take credit cards, some still require cash. There were also a few temples and tourist attractions that required cash payment. Make sure you have an ATM card that refunds the fees like the Schwab Debit Card. The more outside the main tourist areas you go, the more cash will be needed.
   
6. Understand how to use IC cards – The IC cards are used for transit (and can be used for other small purchases at convenience stores) and you will either load it on your Apple Wallet or have a physical card (for now) if you have a non-Apple phone (or for your kids). Everyone needs their own IC card for the metro or bus and you need to load funds on the card. There’s plenty of info online about how to purchase and re-load the cards, either on your phone or the physical cards.
   
7. Restaurants tend to be specialized – While there are some chain restaurants with broader menus, most smaller neighborhood restaurants will specialize in one type of dish – ramen, udon, sushi, etc. Keep that in mind when you select a restaurant. There are also izakayas, which are like Japanese pubs with a broader menu of snacks and meat/seafood dishes.
   
8. Convenience stores are fantastic – There are three main chains – 7-11, Lawson and Family Mart. They are fairly similar and sell some of the same stuff, but each has their specialties as well. You will see them everywhere and they are nothing like convenience stores here as they have fresh food, fresh fruit smoothies, great ice cream desserts, and even hot food you can warm up in the store. We had a lot of 7-11 ice cream desserts on the way back to our hotel after dinner.

Next August, I’ll be going back to Japan with our daughter for a shorter trip, but we hope to visit some new places and check out one of the Disney parks there. I hope you enjoyed this trip report and it gave you some ideas for your own Japan trip.

Up next: I have several solo trips before my wife and I head to Morocco in March.

If you have questions about this post, let me know in the comments or send me an email at emptynestermiles@gmail.com. If you are thinking about opening a new credit card, please contact me via email and I will be happy to recommend the best new card for your situation. I also recommend using CardPointers to track your credit card spending discount offers.