Guide to Japan // Basic Travel Tips 101 ヾ(๑’౪`๑)ﾉﾞ

In 2015 I got the opportunity to travel to Japan twice and the experiences from my earlier Winter trip have made it so much easier to get around Japan when I went again, for their Summer. 

Throughout both trips there are a few basic tips and tricks that I picked up along the way to make a more smooth sailing adventure, so below I've put together my guidelines which hopefully you will find helpful when you plan a trip to Japan. Also read my generalised [Travelling the World //Preparation] guide. 

1. JR PASS
These are quite important when you intend on travelling from city to city that can only be reached via the bullet train (shinkansen), as individual tickets sold at the station(s) can cost you quite a bit if you're travelling to many cities. However with a JR Pass you are able to save some money on travelling. You will need to purchase the pass in advance to your trip (max. 3 months in advance) as they do not sell them at Narita/Kansai airport. A great company to buy from is JTB travel agent, which is a well known company that provides information for tours, packages, theme parks, tickets and passes. 

2. THEME PARK TICKETS
BOOK IN ADVANCE!! As soon as you know what day you will be going to whichever theme park, book your tickets ASAP! Reason being, is when you're making your booking, many ticket/date options will be sold out quickly, especially if you're planning to go during peak season. Plus you want to purchase the express tickets, so you don't have to spend hours waiting in queues!

3. SUICA/PASMO CARD (Opal card equivalent)
These are the equivalent to Sydney's Opal Card, which is only usable in the Kanto region. It makes travelling on public transport easier as you don't have to purchase tickets individually. You can purchase these in advance or when you're in Japan and refund them at the end of your trip. This just makes it slightly more convenient to travel around Tokyo. 

4. WIFI
I would say this is the most important thing when travelling in Japan. You can research while you're on your trip, update your social media and also Google map your location just in case you get lost. Most Airbnb accommodations will provide a free pocket wifi for you to carry around, otherwise you can rent one from the airport. 

4. CULTURE
Japan has quite a conservative culture, so best to make sure to do some basic research to understand the basic manners and etiquette's, plus what is considered rude in Japan. This way you can enjoy Japan to the fullest. 

♥♥♥♥♥

[03022017]

Hello my dearies! I hope the first few days of February have been wonderful! The weather here in Sydney is going a bit crazy with both hot and colder days. I've also started looking at flights again, even though I just booked some flights for April 2 weeks ago. But this time I'm looking at Japan (AGAIN!), I am 99% confirmed to go next year in 2018 with Stephy again, but I cannot ignore cheap flights that are currently on offer! Any way more Japan-related posts to come soon! 

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-LAZYPANDAH