So Japan is amazing as they say. Of course it is… but now I can say it from experience.
I’ve wanted to go to Japan for years and although I married a half Japanese guy over 20 years ago, whose Japanese mom lives down the street, we just haven’t found the time to go. Especially over the last few years when we did have it actually on the calendar, it’s been a challenge to go with the whole pandemic and Japan being one of the most strict countries to travel in/out of. However, In October 2022, Japan finally lifted their Covid restrictions for entering into Japan and so we only needed a vaccine card or a negative test. This opened the door for many Japanese Americans to be able to go home and this included my Japanese mother-in-law who called and wanted to go visit her family…. immediately! She was almost 80 and wanted me to help her with the digital age of travel (and it is very digital in Japan) and in return we’d travel around Japan before visiting the family…and so we left…two weeks later.
Travel Notes:
These are my notes for planning and making your travels easier. I actually have another post on planning my trip to Japan that didn’t happen, that will cross over with this one but this is from the actual experience. And the info on the adventures we had and places we visited in Japan will be on another post.
Flights: Luckily we had United frequent flyer miles, so it only cost us $50 each (instead of $6500/ea) for our last minute booking!. We flew roundtrip out of San Diego (via San Francisco) to Tokyo.
Train: 7-day JapanRail pass – unlimited use all over the country for 90% of the trains – $225
Hotels: Booked most via frequent flier links or travelocity.com US dollar was strong, so all hotels were about $80-$100/night.
Destinations: Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hakone-Morioka-Tokyo
Time change: for Californians/PDST .. if it’s 11pm in Japan, it’s 7am in California … the same day! (Easy way to calculate is it’s 4 hours back and flip the am/pm during daylight savings). So the day after arriving we were up EARLY!!!
Departure/Arrival: We left on a Tuesday morning in early November from San Diego and arrived on Wednesday at 3pm in Japan into the Narita Airport. I ate dinner and then took a Costco sleep aid to help me get thru the flight. Thankful I did. The Narita Airport was incredibly organized but there are 4 to 5 stops you have to make to get out of the airport. It took us almost 2 hours to get thru the process. Make sure that before you leave, via your airline’s app, you upload your documents (scan your passport and vaccine card) and fill in the entry forms and get the QR code. It’s a lot of hurry up and waiting in line to go to the next, but you don’t want to have to fill out forms in the airport. Extra unnecessary stress.
WI-FI Service: Pocket Wi-Fi Rental – Pre-order this online. Yes, you’ll want it.
- It gives you wi-fi for your cellphone, etc. anywhere in Japan so your phone always works.
- There are several companies you can rent it from online, and they are about the same price (about $7/day). I used Japanese Wireless.
- Most of them give you an option of picking it up at the Airport Post Office or having it sent to your hotel
- I ordered mine through Japanese Wireless for pick up at the Narita airport Terminal 1 Post Office and we had to go all the way from 1st floor to 4th floor to pick it up. It’s a little confusing to find since it’s in the shopping area but it’s next to Starbucks if you need directions.
- Just a note that if you are immediately getting on a train to go to your destination that the Shinkansen trains and the JR (Japan Rail) trains all have free Wi-Fi and it might be easier to have it sent to your hotel or home you are staying at.
- Have your passport handy because you’ll need it for identification.
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- The pocket Wi-Fi should last you all day, just remember to plug it in to charge overnight. Mine even came with a backup charger so I left in my daypack and it worked for charging both pocket Wi-Fi device and my iPhone, Just remember to bring the cords they provide in the pouch. And don’t lose it as you’ll have to put everything back in the pouch and the provided envelope and drop it in the post office mail box at the airport before you fly home.
Transportation: Japan Rail Pass:
- Order the Japan Rail (JR) Pass BEFORE you leave. They come in different lengths of time (7 days, 14 days, etc.). There are some that cover all over the country and others that are specific regions, and limited.
- When at the airport the train station should be downstairs (follow signs…all in both Japanese and English) and go to the JR travel office to exchange it for your actual pass.
- They will also book your reserved seat ticket if your know where your going and when.
- DO NOT LOSE THIS PASS. It is NOT replaceable. I kept it will my credit card since it’s the same size and both are important.
- The first 4 numbers UNDER the QR code is connected with your Passport number so if you’re carrying multiple passes that’s how you identify who they belong to.
- If you book a ticket and you miss a train for whatever reason, just take it to another ticket counter for exchange.
- Some trains require reserved seating like Narita Express and the Shinkansen (bullet) trains. Others are not necessarily required but recommended so you’re not standing in the middle for long time. There is no charge to get a reservation when you have the JR pass. Local trains do not need reservation.
- You’ll have to scan your JR pass for entry into the train area – the slot at front takes it and spits out out as you walk thru the end. And your ticket is just for the train that will have you car #(where to stand on the track to enter the train) and your seat #. Usually the Shinkansen train has two doors for every car.
- You can use JR website to make your reservations and check timetables. When you log onto the Shinkansen Wi-Fi you can look things up right there. Otherwise make a note and write down the website to look it up later. Otherwise, we just booked it at a ticket counter or machine at the station.
TRANSLATE APP works Great!!! I just used the one on my iPhone and was able to communicate fine.
Notes for Kyoto station- if where you are staying is on the east side of the station, then you exit the building at McDonald’s. If you need to go to the west side of the station, which is what we needed but found out after getting turned around with Google maps, find McDonald’s and go to the left and follow that all the way to the exit on the other side of the station.
Google maps is a little challenging. Don’t use it inside of the train station. It did work mostly around town and overall research. Luckily for me I was traveling with my Japanese mother-in-law who spoke to locals/or train station attendants and got directions. Good news is that if she wasn’t around, most people speak English or enough to get you to where you need to be, so just ask.
Packing note – DO NOT bring more than you can carry! Literally, physically pick up and carry. We both brought rolling carry-ons and backpacks which I though was doable. But I was traveling with my 79-year-old mother-in-law and I had to help her carry her luggage. She brought a carry-on bag that was filled to the brim with clothes and lots of gifts for family. It weighed as much as she did. And train stations are not very accommodating to the elderly or the disabled. I was lucky that she is very able bodied and healthy…but there are lots of staircases and only some of them have escalators. And elevators are far and in between if any at all. So wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for lots of walking and carrying your suitcase up and down staircases.
If I did the trip again i would use my backpacking backpack or a carry-on that becomes a backpack and then a smaller backpack – then I could carry both of my items (one on my back and one on the front) and have hands free to help her out. The Taskin Xplorer is the one that I’m looking at ordering. I think it will be good for those trips that I hope to be able to wheel my bag along but there are always those times when putting it on my back at times. click image
Kyoto Hotel: Daiwa Roynet Kyoto Hotel Ekimae
Great hotel. Only $75/night. 5 minutes from exiting the station straight down the street/ by Kyoto tower. No breakfast but the place was pristine. And I’m loving the heated toilet seats and all the bathroom goodies they proved…even provide pajamas and slippers.
On a side note, when you book a hotel that says “two beds”, make sure you read it carefully…the next night in Osaka, which was more expensive and less quality, we ended up with a bunk bed! Yikes. And in homes, the traditional bed is a mat on the floor. We put an extra comforter down for cushion and I like a hard bed so I was fine, but just FYI.
Day pack…Hotels will usually agree to store your luggage for the day while you’re out being tourists either before you check in or after you check out. I brought my long strapped purse that zipped closed (that was about 8″w x 10″d that was big enough to hold a water bottle and I could hold it in the front, instead of a backpack which was my other option…It included:
- A water bottle (from the hotel)
- The pocket Wi-Fi, charger and it’s charging cord
- My cell phone / charging cord (but I used it so much that it was usually in my back jeans pocket
- A small tote bag that rolls up really small (in case I buy anything)
- A couple of granola bars/snacks/something to suck on to distract your hunger
- A makeup compact and lip gloss/chapstick
- Hand sanitizer
- Most importantly: a small zip pouch that held my passport, JR pass (and bus pass for Kyoto), credit card and some Yen.
Note about food… yes, there are places to eat… BUT unlike the US where there are vendors swarming around any and every tourist attraction, this is NOT the case in most places in Japan, esp. the temples. So make sure you plan accordingly to get food when you see it and have snacks with you.
Ramen is awesome and of course the sushi was great. Okonomiyaki was very different than I was used to. Street/snack food was yummy. Sweets were not so sweet…but sometimes even better. Just try it.
Note about trash… Japan is a VERY clean country. So clean that they don’t usually have trash cans around since they expect you to carry out your trash. They also do not eat on the go that I noticed as I was stuffing my mouth with a granola bar walking thru the city. They eat when it’s time to eat in a place where eating is acceptable. They do not make you feel bad for doing the American thing, but plan on carrying your trash until you get back to your hotel, etc.
Note about Fashion… LOVE IT. They are so trendy. Fashion forward I guess it’s called. Only the younger generation, and not even many of them, wore denim, unless is was stylish. Even the older generation. Some were a bit extreme, and some were into animay and others were just picture perfect like on the over of a magazine, but none the less, the people watching was a blast anywhere you went.
Visiting family in Japan was great. Everyone is so kind everywhere you go, but especially when you are married to an elder’s son. My mother-in-law is the middle child and all of her siblings are still alive. So I was able to meet all the extended family and even better I was able to update my ancestry.com site to include my husband’s Japanese family, including pictures, birthdates, etc. I have another post on my genealogy adventure and how important it is. I loved this part because I can share that with my husband and sons and hopefully someday they’ll get to meet this side of the family as well. 
Upon leaving it was a breeze. In Tokyo, there is a rail that takes to you either airport. We did not return via Narita but thru Haneda airport. So we just followed the signs and got to our exit. First, we stopped at a mail box in the airport and dropped off the envelope with the pocket WIFI pouch. Then did the normal airport routine. No vaccine check, just checked in and boarded.
It was a beautiful sunset departure from Japan. What an amazing Adventure. I may have checked this off my bucket list, but now there is still more that I want to do there. So I’ll be back with a new bucket list. Read my adventures in Japan for details on our trip and the amazing experiences in Japan with my mother-in-law. More adventures to come, more family to visit now (and now I feel like they are my family) and more ramen to eat!
Have you been to Japan? Would you rather pay to have someone take you there as a guide or be on a tour or do – it – yourself?