index.html (8205B)
1 <!doctype html> 2 <html lang="en"> 3 <head> 4 <meta charset="utf-8"> 5 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> 6 <title>Visiting Japan - Chris Bracken</title> 7 <link href="/css/site.css" rel="stylesheet"> 8 <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png"> 9 <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon/favicon-32x32.png"> 10 <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon/favicon-16x16.png"> 11 <link rel="manifest" href="/favicon/site.webmanifest"> 12 <link rel="mask-icon" href="/favicon/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#140f42"> 13 <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon/favicon.ico"> 14 <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#603cba"> 15 <meta name="msapplication-config" content="/favicon/browserconfig.xml"> 16 <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> 17 </head> 18 <body> 19 <header id="header"> 20 <div class="site-title"> 21 <h1><a href="/">Chris Bracken</a></h1> 22 </div> 23 24 <nav class="site-navbar"> 25 <ul id="menu" class="menu"> 26 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/">Home</a></li> 27 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/about/">About</a></li> 28 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/code/">Code</a></li> 29 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" rel="me"href="https://bsd.network/@cbracken">Fediverse</a></li> 30 </ul> 31 </nav> 32 </header> 33 <main id="main"> 34 <article> 35 <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/japan/">Visiting Japan</a></h2> 36 <h3 id="city-specific-info">City-specific info</h3> 37 <ul> 38 <li><a href="kyoto">Kyoto・京都</a></li> 39 <li><a href="tokyo">Tokyo・東京</a></li> 40 </ul> 41 <h3 id="transportation">Transportation</h3> 42 <ul> 43 <li>If you have an iPhone, <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207155">add a Suica card</a> in Apple Wallet. If not, 44 pick one up from any JR station. At last check, physical Suica cards were no 45 longer available due to a semiconductor shortage, tourists can pick up a 46 <a href="https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/welcomesuica/welcomesuica.html">Welcome Suica</a> card, but these are ONLY available at Narita 47 and Haneda airports.</li> 48 </ul> 49 <h3 id="luggage">Luggage</h3> 50 <ul> 51 <li>If at all possible, limit your luggage to carry-on sized suitcases and use 52 laundry machines at hotels. Lugging large suitcases through crowded stations 53 and on trains – particularly on weekdays during rush hour – can be pretty 54 inconvenient. If you need a large suitcase, consider also bringing a carry-on 55 sized suitcase containing two days worth of clothing, then see the next point.</li> 56 <li>Luggage can be shipped by courier (<a href="https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/airport/">Kuroneko Yamato</a>), typically 57 overnight, to anywhere in the country for very reasonable prices (~¥3000). You 58 can do this from most hotels and convenience stores. Shipping to airports 59 typically takes TWO days.</li> 60 <li>Hotels are happy to hold luggage after checkout at the desk for free, 61 typically up until end-of-day, so there’s no need to lug bags around. If you 62 prefer, most train stations offer coin lockers of various sizes where you can 63 place bags. If they’re full, ask station staff and they’ll point you to open 64 lockers, or sometimes hold them at the information desk.</li> 65 </ul> 66 <h3 id="banking-and-payments">Banking and payments</h3> 67 <ul> 68 <li>Most Japanese ATMs won’t work with foreign cards. You can find ATMs that work 69 with foreign cards in every 7-11. (<a href="https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/index2.html">ATM Locator</a>)</li> 70 <li>When paying at stores and restaurants via credit card, the machine may 71 occasionally offer a choice between paying in yen or your own currency. If 72 your card doesn’t impose foreign transaction fees, it’s almost always cheaper 73 to choose to pay in yen. The rate offered by these machines aren’t great.</li> 74 <li>I’d recommend always carrying cash. Most businesses accept credit cards, but 75 you’ll still find places that either don’t take cards or where your card 76 mysteriously doesn’t work.</li> 77 <li>Convenience stores and some vending machines allow payment via Suica card.</li> 78 </ul> 79 <h3 id="food-and-dining">Food and dining</h3> 80 <ul> 81 <li>In large department stores and some office buildings, you’ll almost always 82 find restaurants on the top couple floors. In Tokyo, this can mean spectacular 83 views.</li> 84 <li>In the first basement (B1) level of most department stores, you’ll find the 85 most amazing collection of to-go food counters with everything from simple 86 yakisoba through incredibly fancy Japanese and western cakes and desserts. If 87 you’re looking for nicely-packaged food gifts for friends back home, this is a 88 great place to get them. It’s also a great place to grab food for a picnic in 89 the park.</li> 90 <li>When entering, you’ll almost always be asked how many people you are. You can 91 just hold up the right number of fingers, but if you want to get fancy also 92 say 1: hitori, 2: futari, 3: san-nin, 4: yo-nin, 5: go-nin, 6: roku-nin.</li> 93 <li>The bill will almost always be left on the table after you’ve ordered. If not, 94 you can request it by saying “o-kaikei onegai shimasu” or catching your waiter 95 or waitress’s eye from across the room and making an ‘x’ gesture with your 96 index fingers. Bills are almost always paid at the cashier on the way out, not 97 at the table.</li> 98 <li>Before you eat, it’s traditional to say “itadakimasu” (I humbly receive); 99 you’ll hear this from a ton of tables around you. If you’re eating with a 100 Japanese person, or at their home, you should definitely say it.</li> 101 <li>Similarly, after you eat, it’s polite to say “gochiso-sama deshita” (thank you 102 for the meal). If one person in particular is paying, you should say it to 103 them, but also as you walk out of restaurants, you’ll often be assailed with 104 shouts of “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you) from all the staff. They’ll love it 105 if you toss a “gochiso-sama deshita” their way on your way out and/or at the 106 cashier.</li> 107 <li>There is no tipping in Japan. Service is expected to be good, and restaurant 108 staff are generally paid reasonable wages.</li> 109 </ul> 110 <h3 id="shoes">Shoes</h3> 111 <ul> 112 <li>In many restaurants, particularly more traditional ones, there are places 113 where you’ll need to take your shoes off. Typically these will be obvious 114 since they’ll have a step up from stone floor onto wood/tatami. If you’re 115 obviously non-Japanese, the staff will definitely let you know to take your 116 shoes off. Typically you’ll leave them there. The staff may place them in shoe 117 cabinets and return them to you when you leave.</li> 118 <li>Many temples/castles may also have places where you’re asked to remove your 119 shoes and either place them on shelves, or in a plastic bag and carry them 120 with you.</li> 121 </ul> 122 <h3 id="key-phrases-and-vocabulary">Key phrases and vocabulary</h3> 123 <ul> 124 <li>Ohayo gozaimasu: good morning.</li> 125 <li>Konnichiwa: good afternoon.</li> 126 <li>Konbanwa: good evening.</li> 127 <li>X onégai shimasu: I’d like X please. (e.g. o-kaikei: the bill, koré: this)</li> 128 <li>Kore wa ikura desu ka: How much is this?</li> 129 <li>Arigato gozaimasu: Thank you.</li> 130 <li>X wa doko desu ka: Where is X? (e.g. toiré: the toilet, éki: station)</li> 131 </ul> 132 <h3 id="stumble-your-way-through-japanese-mannners-like-a-pro">Stumble your way through Japanese mannners like a pro</h3> 133 <ul> 134 <li>Chris Broad’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GCuvcTI090">12 things not to do in Japan</a> covers almost everything 135 you need to know!</li> 136 <li>For extra points, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyypaP_D6No">Japanese table manners</a>.</li> 137 </ul> 138 </article> 139 </main> 140 141 <footer id="footer"> 142 <div class="copyright"> 143 <span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#"> 144 The content of this site by 145 <a rel="cc:attributionURL" href="https://chris.bracken.jp/about"><span rel="cc:attributionName">Chris Bracken</span></a> 146 is 147 <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">CC BY 4.0</a>. 148 </span> 149 </div> 150 </footer> 151 </body> 152 </html>