Development and description of a route around Japan. Practical tips for traveling to Japan. Mobile operator prices

In today's mini-guide to Japan you will find out what you can see in Japan in two weeks, how to use travel cards, what prices to expect and some other nuances that will help you plan independent travel. I will only talk about places I have visited myself. Two weeks are catastrophically not enough to see even a fraction of the unusual places in Japan, however, there are enough places in the review to form your own idea of ​​this beautiful country.

received a tourist visa to Japan while in China. Therefore, the list of documents required to obtain a visa may differ from the list of documents required to obtain a visa in Russia. Around July of this year, I will look into the issue of obtaining a visa to Japan and add useful information to the guide.

Narita Airport. Cellular, JR Pass activation and train to Tokyo

Most flights from Russia arrive at Narita Airport in Tokyo. Let's figure out how to get from Narita directly to Tokyo and what you should do first upon arrival at the airport. Everything stated below is just my observations. Perhaps there are some other features at the airport, ways to get to the city, etc.

How to buy a SIM card at Narita Airport

I arrived at Terminal 1 of Narita Airport in Tokyo. After going through all the formalities with your passport and luggage, you had to move to Terminal 2. It is in Terminal 2 that you can buy a SIM card, activate your JR Pass and take the train to Tokyo.

To get from one terminal to another, you can use the shuttle bus that runs between terminals at Narita Airport. Next, we get off the bus and enter the building of terminal 2. We go straight and in a couple of minutes there will be an escalator in front of you leading to one floor below. We go down the escalator and on the left side you will have several counters of mobile operators offering to use their services. The pictures below show what these racks look like. Depending on the escalator you will be going down, the counters may be on the right side, it is better to focus on the image.

Mobile operator prices

On picture above Representative offices of two mobile operators are visible, but there was another one on the left. It would probably have been wiser to ask everyone for prices and then buy the most favorable tariff, but I didn’t do this, but went to the one where it was more people. In the image above, in blue, the mobile center counter is indicated, which is where I bought the SIM card.

There are several tariff plans. On picture below, in blue, indicate tariffs without telephone calls, you can only use the Internet. The number of days and the volume of traffic are indicated, I think everything is clear here. On the right side, in orange, there are two tariffs with Internet and the ability to make calls within Japan. As you can see, the difference in tariffs is only in the volume of mobile traffic. Because I needed mobile connection, took the 5500 yen fare. By the way, cellular communication was never useful to me)))

Activating your JR Pass at Tokyo Narita Airport

The office is very easy to find. If you are facing the mobile operator counters, turn 180 degrees and in front of you will be a door leading to another room at Narita Airport. Enter the door, there will be an office on the left like in the picture below.

In order to exchange a payment receipt for a travel pass, you will need the receipt itself and your passport. The line moves pretty quickly. It took me about 20 minutes to do everything, despite the fact that there were at least 25 people in front of me and I also asked to book two trains along the route. According to the good Japanese tradition, people are extremely polite and patiently answer all your questions.

You can activate JR Pass as follows: from the date of your arrival, so set a specific date, from which the pass will be active. Say, if you have a pass for a week and your trip is for 10 days, it might make more sense for you to let the JR Pass be valid for the last seven days of your trip. It all depends on the chosen route.

In addition to the JR Pass, you can also buy the Suika Pass here, which allows you to travel on subways and buses in many cities in Japan. There is also more information about Suika. The image below shows Suika's pricing plans. Let's say if the amount indicated is 1000 yen, that means 500 yen will be put into your balance, and 500 yen will be a deposit that will be returned to you when you return Suika before departure from Japan.

How to get from Narita to Tokyo

So, you have your travel card in your hands, your SIM card is in your phone, it’s time to get to your accommodation in Tokyo and relax a little. After leaving the JR Pass office, we go straight and there are turnstiles in front of us, as in the picture below.

If you have activated your JR Pass from today, you can travel from Narita to Tokyo using this pass, in which case you do not need to buy a ticket. Go through the control as indicated in the image, show your JR Pass and go down to the floor below. Next, take the train to your desired station, located directly in Tokyo. I needed to get to one of the city's hub stations, called Tokyo station. From this station you can get anywhere using public transport. From Narita Airport to Tokyo it takes about one hour by train.

I advise you to think through in detail your route from the airport to your overnight stay in Tokyo. The capital of Japan has a wide range of travel options. To be honest, I did not delve into all the nuances of all types of transport, metro lines and other things. For this, there is the same Vinsky forum, where they will give you advice on logistics.

Sights of Japan

Okay, we made it to Tokyo, what next? And then everything depends on the route you have built. Below I will give a list of places and a brief description of them, in the order in which I traveled. In two weeks I managed to see quite a lot, without much rush, but also without getting stuck in any place for several hours. Taking photographs and shooting videos was also not very successful; we had to see as much as possible and collect materials for the tour program. One way or another, I’m sure you’ll find something useful for yourself.

Map of Japan attractions

Below is a map of Japan's attractions from the places I managed to visit in two weeks. Clicking on the marks on the map, you can find useful information on the object.

Tokyo

I don't have much to say about Tokyo. When preparing for the trip, I focused on places located at a distance from the capital. In total, I had a day in Tokyo, or even less. Below is a list of places visited and helpful information according to them:

Sky Tower(Tokyo observation deck)

TV Tower (television tower)

Akihabara area

I didn’t regret visiting this place, although I didn’t feel wildly delighted. If you have time, it’s worth going here at least to appreciate the scale of the capital of Japan. No matter which way you look, buildings and streets disappear into the horizon. In my opinion, it is better to go around 9 pm, when the city is in the night lights and not so crowded. Below you can see the prices and schedule for the Sky Tower Observation Deck in Tokyo.

Please note that there are several options. Regular ticket to the lower observation deck costs 2060 yen. The upper observation deck will cost 1,030 yen more. Judging by the reviews, the view is not much different; it makes sense to save on the ticket. If you don’t want to stand in line, you can buy a ticket at a special ticket office and you will be taken without a queue to any of the observation platforms. The cost of such a service is 3000 or 4000 yen, depending on the choice of observation deck.

• Opening hours: 08.00 - 22.00 (ticket offices close at 21.00)
• How to get there: Tokyo Sky Tree Station

The tower itself is relatively low when you stand in front of it. I didn’t go inside, I just wanted to take a photo of the tower in the evening. To do this, it was necessary to find some panoramic place, but this turned out to be not very easy. While walking near the tower, I met a Russian couple, they have been studying in Japan for a long time. From the conversation I realized that they knew one entrance to the roof. There is a lock there and it looks like you can’t go up there, but they know the lock code, so they can show you. It is not customary to refuse such offers, and I happily spent about an hour in the company of new Russian acquaintances who shared their experience of life in Japan.

• Opening hours: 09.30 - 21.30
• Cost: 720 yen
• How to get there: Akabanebashi Station

One of the most popular temples in Tokyo, it is definitely worth a visit if you are just starting your acquaintance with Tokyo or have a day or two to spend in the capital. After you've driven around Japan and seen dozens of different temples, Senso Ji is unlikely to seem anything unusual to you.

• Opening hours: every day from 6 to 17
• Cost: free
• How to get there: Asakusa Station (浅草駅)

Akihabara area

This place can be interesting in the evening, when Tokyo, like almost any Asian metropolis, lights up with millions of lights. Here you can see anime girls, a bunch of different informals, electronics stores, eateries with Tokyo cuisine, rooms for video games on local slot machines, where it’s simply unrealistically noisy! If you have time, it's worth a walk here. On the sights of Japan you can see where the Akahabara district is located.

Of course, there are still a million other places to go in Tokyo. Apparently these places are waiting for me next time.

One of the most popular places to see Fuji up close is the town of Kawaguchiko and several lakes adjacent to it. Kawaguchiko, a place that I highly recommend for exploring the nature of Japan. You won't find many temples here, but for temples you have Kyoto. People go to Kawaguchiko to relax, enjoying nature and silence. This can be especially felt in contrast to Tokyo, where my path lay from.

There are some nuances to how to get from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko. Let's understand how to do this and start packing a backpack for the road.

On the map below you can see the location of the JR train stations in Tokyo that you will be traveling on. I will start from Tokyo station. From Tokyo you need to get to Shinjuku, then transfer to the train and drive about an hour to the station Otsuki. All this way covered by JR Pass. Just show your pass where required, pay nothing and get on the train you want. But the pass will not cover the entire route to Kawaguchiko.

When you arrive in Otsuki, you find yourself at a tiny train station. At the Otsuki Station ticket office you can buy a train ticket to Kawaguchiko for 2200 yen round trip. That is, for 2,200 yen you get a train ticket to Kawaguchiko for today and a ticket from Kawaguchiko for tomorrow. Boarding time is not fixed, the ticket is valid for 2 days from the date of purchase. Check the train schedule and board at any time convenient for you. From Otsuki to Kawaguchiko by train scenic road will take one hour.

After all the trains, you find yourself at the train station in the town of Kawaguchiko, which also doubles as a bus terminal. It won’t take you more than half an hour to get to your overnight stay, no matter where you are based. In Kawaguchiko, everything is close by, and upon arrival, the beautiful Fuji will be your companion wherever you go.

How to spend one day in Kawaguchiko

How much time to spend in Kawaguchiko depends on the season. In most cases, the area can be seen in one full day. In my opinion, the smartest solution would be to rent a bike for the day from a hostel or bike rental shop. Ride along two lakes, Saiko and Kawaguchiko, visiting two viewpoints along the way. There are still places for a walking route, but I’m not sure that this option will leave more impressions.

This is how I see the optimal route for 1 day. Below, on interactive map Kawaguchiko, you can see the detailed marks. This route can be completed in one full day, but you need to leave early in the morning. In this case, you don’t have to drive the horses, but calmly look at everything and enjoy a good day of travel.

After leaving Kawaguchiko, you should move to the right, starting the route by stopping at one of the first two marks (indicated on the map as “ascent to the observation deck” and “cable car”). To tell the truth, when I was traveling along the route, I did not visit this place because I was not sure that I would have enough time. Having returned, I would definitely get up and move on. This is very popular place, where you can climb both by cable car and on foot. Both ascent sites are marked on the map. Allow one hour for your visit. Bicycles can be left just before the ascent. Just lock them, in Japan no one would think of stealing them.

Continue along Lake Kawaguchiko, following the map as your guide. Having crossed half of Lake Kawaguchiko, you will see a fork in front of Lake Saiko and the continuation of the road along Kawaguchiko. I recommend choosing the first option by going to Saiko. In this case, you will have to push the bike up on foot and this will be the most difficult part of the path. You will need to push highway, but there are practically no cars and people drive in Japan very carefully and respectfully.

Getting a little tired from pushing your bike is worth it, because then the road will only be straight or downhill. It's important that when you face Saiko Lake, take the right side. In this case, the second half of the lake will be the road down, when you just drive and enjoy the view. Breeze, beautiful weather, no heat, no cars. This is how I remember the bike ride around Lake Saiko. I wouldn’t say that the lake is very picturesque, but the whole route together brings positive emotions!

And for a snack, a descent from the very same rise that we pushed our bikes up. With the exception of the serpentine at the beginning, here you can release the brake and rush down like a bullet! Of course, if you're not scared))

After Saiko you will find the continuation of Lake Kawaguchiko, its second half. The map shows that there is a second observation point on the route. It’s nice to look directly at the lake and Fuji. The climb to the viewpoint takes about ten minutes; bicycles can be left near the rise.

When to go to Kawaguchiko?

If lakes Saiko and Kawaguchiko are good at any time of the year, then in April you can add Lake Motosu to them. The Fuji Shibasakura Flower Festival is held here from April 14 to May 27. Dates change every year, it is better to check about them in advance. I managed to visit this festival in the second half of May and I can say that it was already late, since many of the flowers had already bloomed.

Apparently, the best time for the Fuji Shibasakura festival is the second half of April. Here you will definitely see hills covered in flowers and it will not be as crowded as in early May, when the Japanese have Golden Week and are actively traveling.

You can get to the Fuji Shibasakura Festival directly from Kawaguchiko Station. Round-trip bus and entrance fees are 2,000 yen per adult and 1,000 yen per child 6-12 years old. Below you can see the official prices. The journey from Kawaguchiko to Motosu takes one hour. The first bus from Kawaguchiko to Motosu leaves at 7.50 and the last at 15.30. Buses from Motosu to Kawaguchiko: 9.00 first bus, 17.00 last bus.

Well, some photos of the Kawaguchiko area.

Matsumoto and the Alpine Route

When I was planning my trip to Japan, I could not find practically any sensible information on the Internet about the Alpine route. There is no talk about the Russian Internet at all, there are only a couple of reports, without any specifics. As far as I understand, there are several options to overcome the Alpine route. One of them, using cable cars and buses, along a specially prepared road. Other options include hiking. Even though hiking is closer to me, this time I went the tourist route.

In detail, in a separate article, I told you how to complete the Alpine route in one full day. I tried to describe everything in detail to make it easier for other travelers. All this is not very cheap, but it's worth it. I have never regretted spending time and money on.

Takayama and Shirakawago Go (Shirakawa Go)

I don’t have much to tell about Takayama, perhaps because I didn’t want to explore this place. Having met, in turn, first a girl from Brussels, and then a guy from Brussels, we spent two fun half days in Takayama. Once in Takayama, you can see all the most important things in one day. On the map below, the area highlighted in dark orange is just a few blocks away, where all the tourists tend to go. There are a couple of temples, as well as many restaurants, souvenir shops, everything is designed in traditional Japanese style. Maybe I didn’t search well, but I didn’t find anything interesting in Takayama. A little further from the town there is the village of Hida, where you can see the architecture of ancient Japan in the form of houses traditional for the area. Entry costs 700 yen and this place is about nothing at all. For such architecture you need to go to Shirakawa Go.

P.S. if you want to know where in Takayama you can try “unlimited sake” for 300 yen, I’ve marked the place))

Shirakawa Go (Shirakawa Go)

The Japanese themselves say Shirakawa Go, and not Shirakawa Go, as is commonly written on the Russian Internet. Therefore, we will try to call things by their proper names. On the sights of Japan you can see where Shirakawa Go is located. The area is extremely picturesque, with clean air, varying shades of green foliage and snow-capped mountain peaks in the background. Half a day at a relaxed pace is enough to get to know the village and it’s worth a trip here. I think there can be no two opinions. Shirakawa Go is beautiful, and judging by the photographs, this village is beautiful at any time of the year. Check it out for yourself!

I have no specific advice, how to watch Shirakawa Go. The village is quite small, at the bus station you can pick up a map and just follow it. You should definitely visit the observation deck, which will definitely catch your eye. I advise you to visit the folk village, as far as I know, the only place in Shirakawa Go with paid entrance. The cost is 500 yen, in view paid entry There are fewer tourists here and it’s a little quieter.

Upon arrival, it is better to immediately arrange a return bus ticket. Since there is only one bus company operating flights in this region, prices for travel are high, there are not very many buses, and there are not enough people willing to take them. Allow three to four hours to familiarize yourself with Shirakawa Go. Upon arrival at the bus terminal, you can leave your luggage for storage. For a small bag or backpack, you will be charged 500 yen for the whole day. For a large rolling bag or large backpack 800 yen. For two large bags 1300 yen and so on. The Takayama - Shirakawa Go bus costs 2,500 yen and takes just under an hour.

Below you can find the schedule, map and some photos. beautiful village Shirakawa Go. After Shirakawa Go, my path lay in Kanazawa, from where I immediately went to Kyoto. Kanazawa can be reached by bus in an hour and a half and costs 1,850 yen. From Kanazawa to Kyoto it takes 3 hours by train, covered by the JR Pass.

Kyoto

There is a page on Kyoto where I described the main attractions and posted a separate map of Kyoto. Kyoto is worth seeing. This is very tourist place, but this is real Japan, beautiful, with history.

The article also told, in a nutshell, how to use buses and the metro. Read it, you might find something useful.

Nara

It would be a crime to visit Kyoto and not visit Nara. Yes, in Nara there is the oldest fortress in Japan, there are temples, but most importantly, there are hundreds of almost tame deer. Connoisseurs of Japanese history may throw stones at me, but feed the deer by hand, take a selfie with them, just play! Do you get to experience something like this every day?

In Nara, this is all possible because deer are literally everywhere. To get from Kyoto to Nara, you will need a JR Pass, it fully covers all travel to Nara. Trains depart from the main Kyoto train station, the journey takes about an hour and you arrive at Nara train station. Half a day is enough to see all the sights of this unusual place. When planning your day in Nara, focus on the markers in, by clicking on specific places, the necessary information will be displayed.

Attractions Nara

Upon arrival at the train station, start moving towards the main attractions - Todai-ji Temple and the deer park (everything is on the map). In about 20 minutes you will already be there. If you arrive early in the morning, it is logical to start with Todai-ji. This is very large temple with a seated Buddha inside. The place is very crowded, which is why it is better to visit it right away. On the way to the temple you will be accompanied by deer. Buy them something to eat!

Deer parks are located in close proximity to Todai-ji, and you are unlikely to miss them.

• Todaiji Temple opening hours: 7.30 - 17.30
• Cost: 600 yen

Kasuga-Taisha Shrine

If you decide to visit this shrine after a few days in Kyoto, you probably won't have much of an effect on the place. The architecture is similar to many similar buildings in Japan; the orange color, so characteristic of Japanese temples and shrines, will no longer surprise. Still, it was nice to walk around. In Kasuga-taisha there is a small room where dim lamps burn in the twilight, in my opinion, the most unusual place. Entrance fee 500 yen.

Horuy-ji and Chugu-ji Temples

If you want to see the most ancient temple Japan, it is located in Nara and is called Horuy-ji. We arrived close to closing and didn’t have time to really see it, so I don’t know whether to recommend it or not. From a distance, it seemed that the garden that surrounds the Horuy-ji Temple looked beautiful. Literally ten minutes from Horuy-ji there is another temple, Chugu-ji.

• Horuy-ji Temple opening hours: 08.00 - 16.30
• Cost of visiting the temple and garden: 1500 yen

Himeji

A very interesting place, which again I liked. Himeji is the tallest fortress in Japan, you can go inside and walk along all five floors. It would be wise to combine a visit to Himeji with a trip to Hiroshima if your route lies west of Kyoto. Even if you don't plan to go to Hiroshima, it's worth spending a day to travel and explore Himeji. The journey one way is about an hour from Kyoto, the road from the station to the fortress and the actual inspection will take two to three hours. As a result, in half a day you can travel back and forth from Kyoto. A ticket to the castle and adjacent park costs 1,040 yen.

Himeji Castle opening hours: 09.00 - 17.00 (last entry at 16:00)

Hiroshima and Miyajima

The museum, in my personal opinion, is the most interesting thing in Hiroshima. All the most significant things in the notorious Hiroshima are located in close proximity to each other and, if desired, all the sights of Hiroshima can be walked around in an hour or two. The Peace Memorial Park, the nuclear-bomb preserved house and Hiroshima Castle are all worth spending time on, but it's really just an hour of leisurely walking.

The Hiroshima War Museum is worth your time. You leave there with a heavy aftertaste, but this is one of best museums which I had a chance to visit. We need to remember such events in order to prevent them in the future. The fee for the war museum is symbolic, only 200 yen. There is a war museum in Hiroshima from 8.30 to 18.00.

How to get from the train station to Hiroshima

There is a free way to get directly to Hiroshima upon arrival at the train station. In the picture below you see a special bus that, if you have a JR Pass, will take you to the center of Hiroshima. At the train station there is tourist office, where you can get a map of the bus route (there are three or four routes). These buses run frequently, just wait your turn, get on and get as close to your hostel or hotel as possible.

Miyajima

You can spend a full day on Miyajima Island, there are several walking routes. The map shows possible options for the beginning and end of the trails, you can use cable car and choose different viewing platforms. I also noted for you the observation deck, where there are practically no people and it has a different view than the most popular and crowded one.

On Miyajima you will also find the very popular Itsukushima Shrine. That same orange structure in the water. I wasn’t very impressed with this place; after all, the panoramic views are exactly why you should go to Miyajima.

Transportation in Japan (JR Pass and Suika, Hyperdia.com)

You know, regarding transport I will limit myself to only general points. I can recommend the Vinsky forum, I’m sure you will find comprehensive information on all types of transport there. At Vinsky they really helped me with sensible advice. Moreover, it’s not only about trains, which are so popular in Japan. Metro in Tokyo and Kyoto, buses between cities, you will find all this in a special branch.

Travel cards in Japan JR Pass and Suika

There are quite a few passes in Japan, depending on the mode of transport or region. I had the opportunity to use two. The most popular travel pass, the JR Pass, which covers a significant portion railways in Japan. And Suika, which allows you to use subways and buses in Tokyo, Kyoto and other cities. I have already written separately about Suika and how to use city buses.

If your trip to Japan includes not only Tokyo, but also other cities such as Kyoto or Hiroshima. In this case, it makes sense to buy a JR Pass. Not only will it save you money, it's simply more convenient. There is no need to go to the ticket office and buy a train ticket every time. Just at the control, in the railway station building, show your travel card and go to your train.

The main thing to remember is that if you haven’t booked trains in advance and don’t have a ticket in hand, you need board a carriage marked non-reserve. This means that in these carriages people are seated in empty seats. Upon arrival of the train, standing on the platform, you will see an inscription on the electronic display on each carriage. Most will say non-reserve, here you go.

If you're not sure whether your pass will pay for itself or not, use Hyperdia.com. It will help you roughly calculate your transportation costs. A good article on how to use this site has already been written on the Vinsky forum.

How to buy a JR Pass before your trip

There is one important nuance when purchasing a JR Pass. It must be purchased before arriving in Japan, and upon arrival exchange the payment voucher directly for a travel card. As far as I know, the Japanese are trying to simplify the process by making it possible to purchase a travel pass within the country, but so far I have no specific information on this issue.

Paying for a travel pass online is very simple and can be done in a few steps. I'll tell you how I did it myself. Go to jrpass.com

Scroll down the page to the location indicated in the screenshot. We choose for how many days we need a pass and how many pieces. For example, one JR Pass for 14 days. Click ORDER NOW

On the next page we will have the opportunity to choose a class (ordinary or green), buy more cheap ticket per child and, if necessary, change the number of days for the travel card to be valid.

Click CLICK TO BOOK.

Enter information about the future owner of the JR Pass and select nationality. Click NEXT STEP

The next step is to agree to the terms.

Next, upon arrival in Japan, you will be offered to acquire Internet access for the duration of your trip. To be honest, I did not go into details of this proposal, so there is nothing to advise. The issue price is $98, you can agree or refuse. Click NEXT STEP.

In the penultimate step, you need to fill in the address to which the letter with the payment voucher will be sent. The address must be filled in Latin characters. Click NEXT STEP.

We check the information, agree to the terms, see the delivery cost and the final cost of the JR Pass. Click PROCEED TO PAYMENT and go to the payment page.

After payment you will receive a confirmation email to the specified postal address. Typically, the voucher, which you can redeem upon arrival at the airport, will be delivered within a week. Nothing complicated, right?

Luggage forwarding between cities and luggage storage at train stations

There is a convenient option in Japan, which I also did not use due to the almost complete lack of luggage, but which is worth talking about. Due to the short distances, you may end up visiting two or three places in one day and spending the night in a fourth. In this case, carrying luggage with you can be expensive.

You can use luggage forwarding from one city to another. The service is very popular and in demand in Japan. I can’t tell you the cost, it all depends on the size of the luggage and the distance to which it is planned to be sent.

To take advantage of this option, contact the postal service office where you are staying in this moment. Take with you the address of the place where you plan to send your luggage and the post office staff will calculate the exact cost for you.

You can go another way. At every train station in Japan you can find automatic lockers. Luggage storage compartments vary in size and cost. In the pictures below you can see what they look like. The cost of using cameras is from 300 to 700 yen, depending on the size of the bag. You throw coins into the coin acceptor, open the door, put your bag in, take the key to the locker and walk lightly.

Since only 100 yen coins can be used, please note what the automatic coin changer looks like. You put in a 500 yen coin and it gives you five 100 yen coins. Everything is super convenient and fast.

Prices in Japan (accommodation, food, attractions, transportation)

Everything is very expensive in Japan! You can always hear this when we're talking about about this country. I don’t even know whether to agree or not. If we compare Japan with Thailand or Vietnam, one hundred percent, these are completely different planets in terms of prices. If we compare with Europe and America (I agree, different regions, but still), Japan should be cheaper.

Food

Like any trip, a trip to Japan can be organized by spending countless thousands of dollars, or within a very reasonable amount of money. You can eat delicious sushi within 500 rubles per serving of 10-15 rolls. You can also drink beer there for 300 rubles per bottle of Asahi.

You can have a meal in a small restaurant for two, when you will be served several meat dishes to choose from and you will cook it yourself on a special tile on the table. In this case, expect about $50.

Everywhere you will find 7/11 stores, where there is a wide range of food for every taste. The main thing to remember. When you buy food from Japan, the food is always delicious and fresh. You enjoy your meal and personally I didn’t mind paying for the quality.

Housing

Since I lived in hostels, it’s difficult for me to give a breakdown of all types of housing. But hostels, if you want to save your budget, great option for overnight stays in Japan. These are always clean rooms, with fresh air, even in dormitory rooms (those who have been in hostels in dormitory rooms in South-East Asia they will understand me). Prices for a bed are about 2000 yen per night. The staff speaks English most of the time, which is important in Japan, where the population has difficulty communicating in languages ​​other than Japanese.

By the way, this was my first time trying capsule hotels. Below in the picture you can see one of these capsules. I can’t say I was delighted, but if necessary, I would stop again. The price is the same as in shared room in the hostel.

Also in Japan, you can stay in ryokans - hotels made in the traditional Japanese style, where you sleep on tatami mats. Of course, there are hotels of all star categories and all price ranges. Check accommodation booking sites and all prices will be in front of you at a glance.

Attractions

Here I would like to note the low level of prices for entrance tickets to attractions. I compare it with China, where I lived and traveled for a long time. In China you pay for absolutely everything, often really big money. In Japan, even the most popular and visited temples will cost you 500-700 yen for entry. And most often, it will be 300 yen or even free. In my opinion, it's inexpensive.

Transport

Transportation will be one of your main expenses in Japan. However, purchasing a JR Pass will cover the vast majority of train journeys. By purchasing one of the passes, which allows you to use the subway and city buses in Tokyo and Kyoto. This will reduce your transportation costs to almost zero. Yes, in some directions you will have to use “paid” buses, but it all depends on the route you have built.

For myself, I found that transport in Japan is very convenient, even if sometimes it was difficult for me to figure out which train to take and how to find the right platform.

When is the best time to go to Japan?

Absolutely any time of the year! Of course, as a person who has only been to Japan once, it would be rash to say such a thing. But Japan is always unique in its own way. Winter snowy landscapes, sakura in early spring and green motifs of late, the arrival of autumn in September-October and the flowering of maples in November. Only the second half of summer may not be the most comfortable time due to the intense heat. However, it is in the summer that the famous Fuji is open for climbing.

I would really like to see Japan in November and winter. Without options, return to these times of year and tell you about my impressions. Maybe we'll even do it together when the tour programs for Japan for next year are ready. I decided not to hold tours this year; I have other interesting plans.

People!!!

I have never, truly, met such polite people as in Japan. Moreover, politeness is characteristic of people both in the service sector and just on the street. Everywhere they try to help you, they constantly bow in their oriental manner and smile. If I were to make a list of countries visited with the most polite people, Japan would be in the lead by a wide margin.

But living for a long time in a country and traveling around it are different. Those Russians who met in Japan were not so optimistic. Someone said that the Japanese have no emotions and are like robots. Someone complained that they would never say what they really think to your face. This is probably true. But this is generally typical for Asia.

From my own experience, I will say that the people in Japan are wonderful and the people of this country are one of its main assets.

My impressions of the country

As of today, June 2018, I can safely say that Japan is my favorite country in Asia. If you take all the components of travel, Japan is number one. Although, for example, nature is more beautiful and diverse in China, in other respects China is inferior.

All this is very subjective, but this is how I feel now. If possible, I will discover Japan for myself, creating new routes and flying to different time of the year. I will be doing tours starting next year and will be glad to everyone who wants to discover this unusual Asian country.

If you have any questions about planning Japan, please ask, I will try to help as much as possible.

Don't delay your travels! Get ready - go for it!!!

5 (4 voted. Vote too!!!)

Today we will have a review of Japan, and it will, as expected, be conveyed in a manner that is incomprehensible to you and me, but I am sure you will like it, and you will support my new format by liking and sharing with your friends!

Imagine an evening, there’s nothing better than deep night, and you, having watched enough videos about Japan, but not travel reviews, but videos for adults, for some reason you decide that you really need to visit this country and after 5 minutes you don’t find a single reason why No. Indeed, as much as you can observe these beauties through the screen, you need to act and contemplate live, accept new experience and become immersed in a new culture and understand whether Japanese women are really that beautiful?

You shift the task of getting a visa to your sister and it turns out that getting it is ridiculously simple: a minimum package of documents, 4 days of waiting, not a penny of money spent, and they give you a stamp that opens the gates to the Asian paradise, the real country of the future!

I wanted to learn Japanese in a couple of months, make a clear plan for traveling around the land of the rising sun, but I was so carried away by my vacation in Bali that I completely forgot about it and went without any preparation, I didn’t even have a tourist pass for Japanese ultra-modern trains , which everyone advised to do in advance. I was completely naked in front of new horizons for me and expected to be greeted in the same way, but that was not the case...

The capital of Tokyo was hit first by one typhoon, then by a second, and I had to buy some clothes and hide my shamelessness!

I got distracted a bit. I go through passport control, get my luggage, but no, I flew here with hand luggage with the hope of stocking up on Japanese clothes and buying myself a new suitcase. Japanese style“denim” is known all over the world, but no one mentioned that it’s hardly possible to find anything for a Russian hero like me, so I returned home naked with only a backpack!

I get into a taxi. I have always believed that upon arrival you shouldn’t bother too much and you can overpay a little and quickly end up in a hotel, sleep and go explore the nightlife!

But I immediately got out of the taxi and was a little amazed to learn the price for which a polite and rather elderly Japanese man wanted to deliver me and my small backpack to the center of Tokyo, since I didn’t have a hotel yet, and I didn’t lie about nakedness!

200, you might think yen, but no American dollars, here I was a little shocked, fell into a stupor and couldn’t figure it out, but does this happen?? In a country where cars are made and such prices for taxis? Moreover, as a taxi - an old Toyota model, unfamiliar to me, with automatically opening and closing doors, as if indicating that you are in the future!

I had to figure out for myself how to get to the center, sit in a cafe and find accommodation, although I was perplexed and could not get this figure out of my head!

I wanted to make a second mistake and buy a SIM card with the Internet right at the airport, but I already realized that I shouldn’t do this, I just need to be patient a little, the girls on Tinder will wait for me, since they’ve been waiting for me for 30 years!

The only thing you should do upon arrival is to withdraw some money from the ATM or change your bucks, although it is already old-fashioned to travel with bucks and then change them. In almost all countries you can pay by card and withdraw money from ATMs - don’t complicate your life with old habits, be as changeable as our world, adapt and evolve, otherwise you will face a disastrous end and you simply won’t keep up with it!

And I almost forgot, you still need to buy a 72-hour metro pass + a pasmo card, you put money on it and pay, where the pass does not work or when it suddenly runs out + you can pay in some shops and cafes. A very convenient thing, with the possibility of receiving unspent funds!

And now you, with a wad of local currency, a travel pass and a Pasmo card, can go to your hotel. Or, for those like me who fly into the country and forget to find accommodation in advance - to the city center, to Starbucks!

But how, you ask, is everything so complicated and confusing? You connect to the Internet, which is available at the airport, enter your destination into Google Maps, choose the optimal route and that’s it, if you get lost somewhere, just go to the station attendants, they will always help!

Having spent a month in Japan and using the metro every day, I can say that it is very convenient and understandable, everything is dubbed in English and it is simply impossible to get lost or lost there, the main thing is to persistently move towards your goal and not panic!

I sit down in a cafe, order myself a large portion of cappuccino and a delicious dessert to eat away a little of my stress, and here is the first good news - for this entire luxuriously set table they charged me only 8 bucks! But then, when I started looking for accommodation, I again became upset when I saw how much I would have to empty my card...

Having found the best option for just 60 bucks, I went to the hotel, got some sleep, went on an evening shopping spree, bought myself some pants, although it took several hours to search!

And I'm sure you will find below ideal route around this country, which I will provide you with based on my experience of holidaying in the country and will save you from unnecessary travel and expenses!

Visa - it takes 4 days and is completely free, everyone can fill it out themselves, or entrust everything to your sister.
Food: - it’s just everywhere, there are a lot of sushi restaurants, where my main advice would be not to take the usual sushi sets, but to take a bowl of sushi - it’s the same thing, only they’ll pile rice on your plate and throw all the fish on top, but it saves 25 percent ! In Starbarks you can drink coffee and do business, they are very convenient and coffee there costs on average around 200 rubles, and in general the prices for food in Japan made me very happy! And the second tip about food - you can go to a good big store and eat right there, or in small markets that are literally at every turn, the food is fresh and tasty everywhere, you won’t die of hunger!
Getting around the city, only by metro and buses, is incredibly convenient, buy travel cards to save money, and you can create a route right on your phone - there are no complications or difficulties and after 1 day, you can feel at home!
Internet - don’t buy at the airport, be patient a little and find any “Big camera” store and ask the bmobile operator there. They also offer a 21 day travel package with 5 gigs of data for just 27 bucks. This the best option, which exists and do not forget to use the Internet in cafes, hotels, and then you will confidently have enough of this amount of traffic! Wi-Fi is available in almost every establishment.
Housing: it doesn’t matter in which area of ​​Tokyo you rent it. Don't be afraid of hostels! In Japan, they are all very clean and often very cool! The main advice is that from Monday to Thursday you can choose more expensive options, and from Friday to Sunday you need to look for a variety of hostels or drop-in hotels, as their prices rise 2-3 times. This is especially true during the cherry blossom season; if you are traveling to Japan during this period, then look for accommodation in advance! I lived in 4 stars, in hostels and in capsules, and I really liked them all and I advise you to experiment and try all types of housing! On average, housing can be rented from $50 a day for two people, which in my opinion is much cheaper than America and Europe! I would not recommend Airbn, there are no special benefits, and there are no normal options either! Next to our apartment there was an apartment where tourists were given massages and then turned into prostitutes; there were brutal showdowns all night long!
You will also definitely need a train pass; you can buy it in Moscow and other major cities and it will be 10 percent cheaper than in Japan. But if you forgot or couldn’t, you can buy it on the spot, right at central station Tokyo, just ask any employee where the office is and they will tell you everything!
Shopping - if you are a girl, then you will have something to spend all your money on, there is a lot of everything here and the prices are normal. If you're a big guy like me, my advice to you is just don't waste your time, you won't find anything. Guys similar in height and weight to the Japanese can buy themselves some clothes, but, in my opinion, shopping in Japan is not suitable for a European, the only thing worth buying is Japanese jeans and more than one pair!
When to go? I am convinced that the best time is the end of October! Excellent, not hot weather, about 15-20 degrees and it’s super comfortable to see the country, not such a popular season. In addition, you can seriously save on housing, there are not so many tourists and queues everywhere, and on top of everything else - this is the red maple season and in Japan it is very beautiful everywhere, no worse in the Sakura season, when everything is tight and it is difficult to find accommodation. I visited in mid-October and loved everything!
Excursions and the like. I didn’t order anything in advance, especially since everything can be bought on the spot by booking any excursion a couple of days before it starts! Prices leisure and the attractions are some of the lowest in the world: a Ferris wheel 400 rubles, an aquarium 1200 rubles, a lot of free entertainment - I really liked this moment, the Japanese are not trying to cash in on tourists and want everyone to be able to try and see the maximum number of attractions.
Money: we paid mostly by card and sometimes withdrew cash from ATMs!
It seems to me that the main points that are spinning in my head before the trip - I voiced them! And I’ll just add, even if you don’t know anything about the country and just flew in, like me, you won’t have any problems, everything is very simple and easy here, I quickly felt at home and easily moved around the whole country, exploring all its corners.

How far to go? I was there for 25 days, and it seemed to me that that was a lot! For the first time, about 2 weeks is enough!

To study all interesting places 3-4 days is enough in Tokyo.

Area to live? I would advise: Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya and under no circumstances settle in the Rappongi area, there are clubs, apartments with massages and generally not a very clean and calm area, it’s better to just come there and then leave.

What to do in the city itself?

The best thing to do is to take a walk through all the central areas of Tokyo, they are all different! Just take a walk in them and see what’s there, take a ride on the Ferris wheel in Odaiba, climb up to the free observation deck, which is located in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings and there is, in my opinion, the best view from above. Tokyo is not very impressive from above, there are not many high-rise buildings.

I don’t recommend wasting time on the famous fish market - there’s nothing to do there, and also on the ice cream museum - it’s just wasted time!

Walk around the areas, visit interesting museums, there are many of them here!

I didn’t go to clubs, so I can’t recommend anything here. From a cafe, find Nissan in the Ginza area, there you can make coffee with your photo + a restaurant where you can catch fish and then they will cook it for you, all the other outlandish restaurants, according to reviews, not so much!

Must visit imperial palace!

Yes, I think 4 days is enough here!

After Tokyo you go to Yokohama by subway (one hour), it’s a gorgeous city and there’s a lot to do, but you only need to go here on weekdays, since there are no hostels and good hotels Prices go up on weekends! If you are staying near Landmark Tower, this is real city future, clean, with big buildings, next to the ocean, I liked it here the most!

Two days are enough for sightseeing:

What to do: climb to the very top high building at 16-00 and look at the city during the day, sunset and night! What to do before this: in front of the observation deck, there is a museum-ship, it is also worth a visit and there is a museum there. Everything costs a penny, and in the evening you can go to the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse area, here you can eat and relax, and then, if you still have the energy, visit Chinatown nearby, the city is small and everything is nearby, you can walk and sometimes take the subway!

The next day, your goal is Yamashita Park, where you can also visit the museum-ship on which Charlie Chaplin sailed and then be sure to take a ride to the ship across the bay and watch the sunset there.

Then you can go to any bar you like, although night life there's not much development here, so it's best to go to bed!

Don’t waste your time on the aquarium, you can go to it in Osaka, it’s gorgeous there and one of the best in the world!

Get up early in the morning and go to Central station in Tokyo. From this day on, you buy yourself a travel card. I took it for 2 weeks, but it seems to me that you can take it for one and just ride around Japan like that!

From Tokyo you go to Osaka, where half a day is enough for the city. First you go to the aquarium, towards sunset - to the Ferris wheel, then go to the Kuchu Teien Observatory observation deck and at the end of the evening - to Dotonbori Street.

The next day, you visit the imperial palace and immediately take the metro to Nara Park, it’s incredibly cool there! In the evening, upon your return, you can wander around the central streets, go to the Japanese bathhouse complex, we visited and liked it (costs about 700 rubles).

The next day, travel to Kyoto. Here 2 days will be enough! On the first day after checking in, you can visit the bamboo forest and park. It’s incredibly cool there, then take a walk along Geisha Street and sit in a bar! Don’t bother with geishas, ​​we don’t understand this, and there’s nothing cool about them!

The next day, from the very morning, go to all the palaces of the city and walk while you have the strength, then go to the bar and sleep!

In the morning at the 6th tour you are already heading to Nagano, watching the winter monkeys and walking around the city! One day here and that's it! Come, check in and immediately go to the park with monkeys, you can take a taxi, it’s not very expensive, but it will save time! You walk around the park, watch how monkeys live and take baths, and then in the evening you go to a real Japanese bathhouse!

In the morning you go through Tokyo to the Hakone area, rent accommodation there, spend the night and then, in the morning, leaving your things at the hotel, you first go to the museum under open sky- an incredible sight, and from it you can already see Mount Fuji and the surrounding attractions.

Cable car, ship and so on. Take a one-way ticket everywhere, at the end of the route by bus go to the hotel, where you pick up your things and go straight through Tokyo to Nikko, spend the night there, but be careful in some hotels check-in before 21-22, you need to be in time - with us happened!

The next day in the morning you explore this place, and the same day you return to Tokyo!

You have to fit in your weekly train pass, you may not have enough for the return trip from Nikko, just buy yourself a ticket!

Then you can stay in Tokyo if you liked it there or finish your trip to Japan!

Believe me, this will be enough for you for the first time and you simply won’t want to watch any more, you will be tired and exhausted, since you need to walk a lot everywhere!

I excluded Hiroshima from the route, since there is nothing to do there at all and it is very far away and then you will not have time to go to other places! I strongly don’t recommend it, I was there, if you offered me to go there again, I wouldn’t go! Learn from my mistakes!

And one more piece of advice: when you travel from Tokyo to Yokohama, you can leave all your things at the station in a storage room (300 rubles per day) and do the same when you go to Nikko!

This concludes my strange review, have a good trip to the land of the rising sun!

Overall I liked it, but I expected more!

I was especially attracted to Japanese minimalism in all areas of life. I'm sure you'll like it too! You are unlikely to see any perversions and inventions of the future; everything is calm there, just like everywhere else!

Playlist of my video reports from Japan - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhedGjZUK5nAFpe1Hxl_T6vmd9e5rOVvO

It’s time to put together our entire route around Japan, which was from April 19 to May 4, 2017, into a single post - perhaps this will help someone in planning their vacation and answer the question “What to do in Japan for 2 weeks.” The post will contain our locations, housing and briefly what to pay attention to, as well as an attached link to my post, where you can see photos, descriptions and routes in more detail.

First of all, I want to note that with such a travel schedule, without it you will simply go broke on transport, well, take PASMO in the Tokyo subway - the price for the trip will be lower.

Briefly about the Internet in Japan: we ordered pocket wifi three times. I wrote about how to do this. From the comments: it worked perfectly twice, without any complaints at all, but the third time was hell! The connection was lost, the connection was interrupted, it didn’t work everywhere, the device quickly sat down and generally frayed my nerves. Therefore, the next time we go, we’ll take SIM cards at the airport for tourists, they are sold everywhere there and the prices with wifi are the same.

1. We start with Tokyo. (fast

On Tokyo we laid 4 days- from April 19 to April 23. There were more than enough of them to even meet as friends :)

Most likely, you will arrive at Narita airport (if you flew with Aeroflot) or Haneda (we flew there with Emirates). Our JR pass was only for a week, so we did not activate it immediately, but when we left Tokyo for Kyoto. So we bought a bus ticket into the city for 3000 yen per person. If you activate the JR pass right away, you can use it to buy train tickets into the city (just be sure to take the express train, otherwise the ride will take an hour longer).

What to plan in Tokyo:

1. Tsukiji Fish Market
2. Ginza crossing and Shibuya crossing are two interesting intersections
3. Itoya - stationery paradise on all 9 floors
4. Tokyo Sky Tree
5. Toriya Hie Shrine
6. Tokyu plaza omotesando harajuku

From tips on housing in Tokyo: the fact that the center will be expensive is beyond words, just like Disneyland. Therefore, my advice is to take hotels near metro stations. I also made posts about housing: about where we stayed in 2015, and about from the sakura trip in 2017 (one of them was recognized as one of 25 best hotels in Japan and won TripAdviser's Travelers' Choice Award in 2016)

2. We are traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto. (post)

In Kyoto we had everything two and a half days— that’s probably why it was the most complete city in terms of density. I posted 3 complete route, walking around them with your feet, you will see classic Kyoto from all sides.

1. South Higashiyama
2. Northern Higashiyama
3. Arashiyama and Sagano
4. Temple of a thousand gates Fushimi inari

On our April trip to Kyoto, we stopped right at the station, so I’ll repeat the words said there - this location was incredibly beneficial to us: we didn’t want to waste time walking to the metro, then rushing to the station, then finding and jumping into 7/11. Again, I would like to emphasize that this idea does not work in all countries, but in Japan the central city station is usually one of the main hubs of the metro, shinkasen, trains, and electric trains, so when planning your route, look in advance at how and what you will use to get there and Based on this, look for housing. Because it may turn out that by renting a cheaper apartment, you will inflate on transportation costs.

3. We are going from Kyoto to Fukuoka. (post about the city and immediately about the hotel)

We added Fukuoka after all the logistics planning, because we realized we needed a break somewhere in our busy schedule of getting up at 5 am. Why Fukuoka? Initially, we only planned to visit Beppu in Kyushu. Getting there is not easy and takes a long time, so we set up a transshipment point in Fukuoka ( two nights).

I wouldn’t stay here a second time, because I didn’t find anything interesting for myself :) We only went to Fukuoka Tower and to the bar near the hotel after a walk around the city.

4. We are going from Fukuoka to Beppu. (post)

The post will be useful not only with vivid photos of Hells of Beppu, but also with information on how to get to Beppu. We've only been here day and on the same day we returned back to Fukuoka - but according to our impressions, it was one of the most delightful and memorable days!

5. From Fukuoka we go to Osaka with a stop in Hiroshima.

We only visited Hiroshima for half a day to walk around the main memorable places“There’s probably no point in staying there any longer.” I didn’t write a post, although I took photographs.

All the most important things in Hiroshima are actually in one place:

1. Peace Memorial Park
2. Atomic dome
3. Peace Memorial Museum
4. Monument to the Children of the World
5. Hiroshima Castle - it will take a short walk to get there, maybe 15 minutes

This is what we visited. There is also a zoo, a children's museum, you can get to Miyajima Island (which we did in November), a botanical museum, and so on.

6. From Hiroshima we go to Osaka. (post)

We stayed in Osaka three nights, and for me, this was catastrophically not enough. Not enough, due to the fact that we went to Nara to visit the deer (I’ll describe it a little later) and quite far from the city we went to a huge store to capture a wall of books. On my personal to see list, we haven’t completed even half of it, unfortunately :(

Catch the list of what we managed to do in the post, as usual, with details, maps and photos:

1. Tempozan Ferris Wheel
2. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
3. Hirakata T-SITE (amazing bookstore)
4. Restaurant Daiki Suisan Kaiten Sushi
5. Umeda Station - and nightlife nearby
6. Osaka Science Museum
7. Umeda Sky Building

We traveled to Nara from Osaka by taking the Kintetsu Limited Express on the Kintetsu-Nara Line. And go to the end, you will then get off almost in the park, then you won’t get lost :) We left earlier and took the bus, although we could have walked for about 15 minutes.

Initially, when planning a trip to Nara, we decided to go there from Osaka and budgeted little time 🙁 You need to set aside a separate whole day for Nara and not plan anything else - keep this in mind.

8. From Osaka we go to Fujiyoshida. (post)

Fujiyoshida is our last point of the April trip to Japan, after which there was only a day in Tokyo before departure. And what I want to say: it’s definitely not in vain that we came here, although one day was not enough. More precisely, we arrived here after Osaka in the evening (we checked in, ran to the pagoda), and had dinner. We spent the night (breakfast, Fuji-Q and left for Kawaguchiko, ran around the lake and left for Tokyo) - in total it was not a day, but 20 hours at most.

List of what we managed to do in 20 hours, except sleep:

1. Arakurayama Sengen Park (Fuji Sengen-jinja) - beautiful pagoda
2. Fuji-Q Highland - amusement park
3. Gyu-shige - Korean restaurant
4. Kawaguchiko
5. Mystays Fuji Hotel

I hope someone finds all this information useful for planning a route around Japan. We tried to cover all the basics. Lent, of course, did not include every kind of everyday life: shopping, buying masks and vitamins, sometimes aimlessly wandering the streets or silently eating eel on rice at 5 am in a small cafe under the bridge.

Today I will tell you about how to pick up and go to Japan. This is a wonderful country, about which I have already written a lot in my blog. And now I offer you a simple guide with which you can organize your own trip. If you like to plan your own trips, but are more used to traveling around Europe, this post is for you - here I will explain what is worth seeing on your first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.

And if you have already been to Japan, also scroll through this text to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Or vice versa, give me advice!

There are many links here to other posts that describe in more detail certain aspects of a trip to Japan. But I tried to build this post as simply as possible to give a general idea of ​​how to ride for the first time. If you have friends who are going to Japan, feel free to send them to read this post, and if you yourself are not ready yet, but would like to go in the future, it is better to bookmark it for the future!

My friends often ask me: “I’m going to Japan for the first time. Where to go? What to see? How about security? Internet? English?” I also compiled this post so that in the future they could simply give them a link! (Yes, friends, this is for you!)

When is the best time to go to Japan?

I have visited Japan in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and I am happy to say that any season is... good time in order to visit this country. It’s hot here at the end of July and August; if heat is not your thing, then it’s probably better to choose some other time.

The main tourist seasons are (usually early April) and (late November). These are approximate numbers for Tokyo and Kyoto. Japan is incredibly beautiful during these two periods, but because of this there will be a lot of tourists everywhere and many hotels will be booked in advance.

Summer is a great time to go if you are walking (I did it at the very end of June, a few days before the official season opened). And winter will give you the opportunity, this is also a very beautiful sight.

If it doesn’t work out for so long, then in general it’s not a problem either; any time spent in Japan will make you feel that you need to come here for longer.

Where to go in Japan?

You will most likely arrive at one of the airports, as this is where most international flights arrive. In addition to the capital of the country, you should definitely visit, this is the city that has preserved the old Japanese culture the best.

If you don’t have too much time, try to spend at least 2-3 days in Kyoto, and then see how Tokyo turns out. If you have more time, then it’s worth traveling around the country, and maybe even going to one of the islands besides the main Honshu (there are four main islands in Japan).

How to get around the country?

Here you can give a definite answer. You will ride trains. Japan has the most developed rail transport network in the world. There are numerous subways and trains running in and around the cities, and for long journeys there are trains that can cover 450 km between Tokyo and Kyoto in two and a half hours!

Trains run strictly on schedule and can take you wherever you need to go - the Japanese love of rail transport shows itself on a national scale.

True, shinkansen are an expensive pleasure. A one-way ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto costs about $100! To save money on these moves, you should order yourself in advance JR-Pass, a pass that allows you to use most trains for 7, 14 or 21 days. A seven-day pass costs about $250 (depending on the yen exchange rate), and generally pays for itself if you go to Kyoto and do some more exploring. short distances. Please note that it can only be ordered before arriving in Japan! ()

If you come to Japan for 10 days, then it is better to spend the first two in Tokyo, and then, having activated the seven-day JR-Pass, go to Kyoto and further. Then return back to the capital in the evening of the seventh day, when the pass expires.

And for those moments when the JR-Pass is not activated, or for private metro lines where it is not accepted, I advise you to purchase a card Suica. Suika costs 500 yen, which you can get back if you return it before leaving. Then cash is put on it, and the card is used to pay for trains, and a bunch of other things. Suikas take everything more points, they are convenient to pay throughout the country.

Unlike the JR Pass, the Suika can be purchased upon arrival in Japan at any train ticket office. Don't forget to put money on it and it will make your trip a lot easier.

Is it safe there? Will I get lost?

Safely. You won't get lost. For everyone railway stations The navigation is excellent and there are signs to the main attractions. And in cities where tourists often come, there are information departments right at the railway stations, where they will give you a map of the area and explain in English what you can see in the area.

Plus, Google Maps knows everything about Japanese streets and trains. You can point at a point on the map, and Google will tell you the best way to get there by public transport, when the next train is, and how much it will cost! ( .)

In addition to this, Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. Nothing bad will happen to you.

Tell us about Tokyo!

Tokyo is a huge, bustling metropolis. What's the best way to watch it? You won't be able to live in its center, because Tokyo has at least five different centers! Ask any resident of the city, and he will tell you that even a week is not enough to study it properly! But for the first time you will have enough three days. I wrote a post that talks about how to watch them in two days!

“So for two, or for three?!” you ask. "Yes!" I will answer you.

The whole secret is that upon arrival in Tokyo you need to rent a hotel in the area Ueno- It’s convenient to get here by express from Narita Airport. Ueno is a relatively inexpensive and relatively quiet area. On your first day in Tokyo (let's say it's Friday), you can see its eastern part, moving from Ueno to the south, or going down to Ginza, and rising north. Your JR-Pass will not be valid yet, so you will have to move around with the help of Suika.

And on the second day (Saturday), you will go to Kamakura- one of the ancient capitals of the Japanese Empire. This is a wonderful place an hour's drive from central regions Tokyo, here Coast, ancient temples and statue Big Buddha. Here you can spend most of the day, and even go for a ride.

Well, on Sunday your JR-Pass will begin to operate, you will board the Shinkansen and head towards . It is important to take seats by the window on right! You don't want to miss this view:

You will return back to the capital by the evening of the seventh day (Saturday), when the railway pass comes to an end. And this time you will live in the west of Tokyo, in an area called Shibuya.

If you've ever seen a picture of Japan where crowds are running through a huge pedestrian crossing, then this is exactly what Shibuya is. There is a crazy drive here, and there seems to be an endless number of people, but spend an evening here and you will be drawn into this crazy zen. .

The next morning - it's time to go explore the western part of the city - this is the second half of my guide. We'll see the fashion district Harajuku, the shrine of Emperor Meiji, and located next to it Yoyogi Park. Oh, did you notice that we ended up here on Sunday? This is not easy! It is on Sundays that they pass in front of the entrance to the park!

Well, by evening you can get to Shinjuku, the area where it is located! After an evening spent here, you will not mind flying home.

What about Kyoto?

For a thousand years, Kyoto was the capital of the Japanese Empire. Built on the model of the Chinese capital (), it has a rectangular structure uncharacteristic for Japan. The city is located in a beautiful valley between two mountain ranges, and has preserved many aspects cultural heritage feudal Japan.

But besides the temples, you should just stroll along the old streets of the city. Here you will meet Japanese people in beautiful traditional clothes (most likely they are tourists, like you), and you will be able to taste the old local cuisine, And .

I advise you to settle in the area Sanjo Ohashi Bridge and spend in Kyoto approx. four days. No, you won't be walking around temples all this time. There is a lot to see in Kyoto and beyond. Here are just a few of the nearby attractions (you can spend half a day or a whole day on each):

• with a huge wooden temple and tame deer
• - red gate sanctuary
• Arashiyama- a mountain in the north-west of the city, where the famous bamboo grove is located
• Philosopher's Path in the northeast, cherry blossoms bloom especially beautifully along it, and there are many ancient temples.

About other places.

You can usually squeeze one or two places from this section into a 10-day trip. Choose! There are two directions here...

If you have a few extra days of JR Pass validity and want to look at some more unique places, feel free to take the Shinkansen to Kyoto and head further southwest!

And between Osaka and Himeji there is also Kobe, the city that .

As you can see, there is enough choice to fill out a seven-day, 14-day, or even a 21-day JR-Pass. And what’s great: all these places are easily accessible by train!

What's with the money?

Perhaps it’s worth saying a few words about money. Japanese currency is yen. The exchange rate is constantly changing, but you can estimate that one hundred yen is somewhere around a dollar (in fact, recently the yen is cheaper).

You can often hear that Japan is expensive. Compared to the rest of Asia, no doubt. But if we compare, for example, with Europe, then in Japan only housing and trains are expensive, and even then they are not much more expensive than European ones. We have already saved on trains with the help of the JR-Pass, but you will have to pay for housing if you want to live in the center of everything (I recommended exactly these places). But if you want, you can save money here too. Yes, in Japan there are a lot of high-quality expensive things - restaurants, clothes, etc., but if you want, you can make your way here on a modest budget.

One problem is that credit cards are not accepted everywhere (especially away from cities). Cash will help us out, but there are few exchangers, and some ATMs refuse to understand Western cards. Fortunately, ATMs at 7-Eleven are ready to dispense money to tourists from Europe and America. And there are plenty of these 7-Elevens in Japan. (Not everyone has ATMs, but many have them.) They also say there are friendly ATMs in post offices.

Hotels? Ryokans? Apartments?

As I said, housing in Japan is not cheap. But some are more expensive than others. Let's look in order:

Ryokan: These are classic Japanese bunkhouses, in a traditional style. It is because of this that staying in them is the most expensive option. But this is very cool: you can sleep on straw mats tatami(don't worry, they will lay out a mattress for you) and dress in. Many ryokan have traditional hot baths - onsens, and the opportunity to dine the way the Japanese ate back in feudal times. In short, a ryokan is a complete immersion. But they also cost starting from $100 per person per night! One room in a ryokan can accommodate up to 4-5 people, although the price for each person will not drop much, since payment is made based on the number of people.

The best ryokan stay in Kyoto. But I advise you to book them in advance, since places in those that are relatively affordable may become occupied several months in advance.

Next we go rented apartments on sites like AirBnB. (and sometimes -!) but the price may be lower than comparable hotels. An apartment can be a good option for Tokyo, especially if you are traveling in a group of 3-4 people, it will be cheaper than taking several hotel rooms.

Regular Western-style hotels in Japanese cities are quite expensive. Personally, I try to avoid these. But I love filming. They're relatively inexpensive, and I love how well thought out everything is to squeeze all the amenities into a small space. Such hotels are profitable to rent in small towns, where a double room can cost $60-80, or in Tokyo, where they will already be $80-120.

In Japanese hostels I've never stopped, but I know they are there. Although if you really decide to save money, I would recommend it to you. They cost $20-$30 a night, many have great onsens, and overall it's a wonderful experience of Japanese culture. The only thing is that they are usually either only male or only female (there are fewer of the latter).

Every kind of everyday life - food, internet, English.

Well, let's talk about a few more things that are not included in other departments:

Sockets: Japanese sockets are similar to North American sockets, with two flat prongs. Most plugs from the USA, Canada or China can be plugged in without adapters (the exception is plugs where one of the pins is wider than the other). But Russians and other Europeans will definitely need adapters.

Here you go. I hope it’s now somewhat clear to you how to go to Japan and what to see there. If you have any questions or comments, I will be glad to hear them in the comments. I will also update this post as needed.

Before describing the beauty, unusualness and attractiveness of Japan, I would like to give some practical advice and answer questions that I myself had when planning a trip to Japan.

1. Route around Japan. How to build? What to see? How to choose?

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When planning my route, I focused on the historical sights of Japan, deciding that I wanted to see Kyoto more than Hiroshima. Here, of course, everything is individual, but for example, here is my route for 10 days plus the day of arrival and day of departure:

Arrival day and one full day in Tokyo - two days in Nikko - five days in Kyoto with outings in Himeji, Nara and Osaka - passage in Kamakura - one and a half days in Tokyo.

Wonderful site on English language With detailed information about the sights of Japan, opening hours, recommendations on how to get there, etc. - http://www.japan-guide.com/. It was this site that helped me plan my route by day, and it was from there that I printed out the names of all the places I needed in Japanese - it really helped when traveling in a taxi!

2. When to go to Japan?

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And again - everything is very subjective! Traditionally, there are two periods when everyone flocks to Japan. The first, of course, is cherry blossoms (as usual, from late March to early April). The second is the time of “red leaves”, in our opinion - golden autumn =)

Japan is very hot in summer and quite chilly in winter. The weather in May suited me completely - almost all days it was above 20C, we wore T-shirts and shorts, and it only rained for a couple of days.

3. How to get around by trains and metro? Why do you need a Suica card?

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Japan has a very developed railway transport network, which, unlike Russia, belongs not to Russian Railways alone, but to several private companies, which, naturally, have their own trains and platforms and their own tickets. In big cities, this is supplemented by underground and overground metro lines and monorails, which can drive an unprepared traveler crazy.

To prevent this from happening, the Japanese made a website where you can get directions by indicating the destination stations. The smart system will offer you several route options, calculated by the minute, indicating platforms, lines, travel time and cost. The name of this router is http://www.hyperdia.com. Unfortunately, their iPhone program cannot be downloaded in Russia, so you have to use the website.

Cost of travel to public transport in Japan it depends on the distance traveled. At each station, there are giant maps above the ticket machines indicating the cost of travel to the different stations. Looking at these cards makes you feel dizzy, you want to hide in a corner and, wrapping your arms around yourself, cry =)) Therefore, to make your life easier, you need to purchase a card on which a certain amount of money is placed and debited when passing through the turnstiles - and you don’t have to rack your brains over the cost tickets and waste time buying tickets from a machine or ticket office. The most common such card is Suica. You can use it to pay in supermarkets like a regular credit card, spend the balance at the airport, or return it back after receiving a deposit of 500 yen (~300 rubles).

You can top up your Suica balance through machines at any metro station.

For big cities with a lot of subway lines, like Tokyo or Kyoto, the Suica card is indispensable!

4. What is the Japan Rail Pass? Is it needed?

As I mentioned, the railway network in Japan is owned by various companies, but the largest carrier is considered to be JR. Their branches cover almost all of Japan, they are the “owners” high speed trains, so-called Shinsansen.

Transport in Japan is very expensive. For example, a Tokyo-Kyoto trip will cost ~ 8,500 rubles one way per person!

To alleviate the plight of travelers, JR offer the so-called. Japan Rail Pass - unique all inclusive a 7 or 14 day pass that allows unlimited use of JR lines.

The JR Pass voucher can only be purchased by foreign citizens outside of Japan. There are several authorized offices that sell passes; it seems there are even offices in Moscow. But I ordered online here https://www.japan-rail-pass.com. Vouchers were delivered by Fedex 3 days after purchase!

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Upon arrival at the airport, vouchers must be exchanged directly for a JR Pass at the JR East counter.

The cost of the pass is rather high - $260 for a week or $420 for 14 days. It’s easy to understand whether the cost of a pass will pay off in your case - make a route for your movements on the website http://www.hyperdia.com and calculate the total cost of tickets that you will have to buy without a pass. In principle, the pass pays for itself on the Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo route alone. If the cost turns out to be slightly less than or equal to (or even more so than) the cost of the JR Pass, feel free to buy it! The pass saves a lot of time - show it to the inspector when passing the turnstile and off you go! No box office, ticket buying, queues...

By the way, the JR Pass also covers the cost of the express train from Tokyo Airport (Narita) to the city, and it costs about 1,500 rubles!

It is worth remembering, however, that some trains (especially high-speed or long-distance ones) require seat reservations - in this case, you just need to go to the ticket office, show a printout of your route (I just took a screenshot from the hyperdia website and showed it on my phone to the cashier) and you Tickets will be issued free of charge indicating the carriage and seats.

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A few words about the Green JR Pass - this pass gives you the right to travel in luxury carriages. The seats in such carriages are wider and more comfortable, there is more legroom and there are fewer people. But overall there is not much difference. Our trip took place during the peak season (public holidays "Golden Week", when the Japanese go to travel en masse throughout their country), and besides, our company had men two meters tall, so we bought a Green JR Pass, which cost ~150 dollars more expensive (~$90 cheaper for a week pass).

The JR Pass is also sold for children 6-11 years old and costs 2 times less than an adult ticket.

Conveniently, the JR Pass does not have to be activated by the date of voucher exchange at the airport - you can specify any date! For example, if your trip will last 10 days, but only days 3-9 will be active for travel between cities, feel free to activate the pass from the 3rd day and in this case a weekly pass will be enough for you.

5. How are things going with Internet access? Do our mobile phones work in Japan?

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We had MTS and Megafon on iPhone and Samsung phones - cellular communications worked great everywhere!

In my opinion, Mobile Internet extremely important when traveling around Japan! Will you give me directions? Do you want to know the train departure time? Read about the attraction? This almost always requires the Internet! You can get it in two ways - by renting a phone with a Japanese SIM card or a portable wi-fi router. All these services are offered immediately at the airport.

I decided to leave my phone - it’s more comfortable and convenient for me. But I ordered a wi-fi router (in order to save time) online in advance here: https://www.econnectjapan.com/. The envelope was waiting for me at the hotel reception, the kit included additional charging (very necessary thing, since charging the router itself lasts for half a day), as well as an envelope with a return address, in which on the last day I simply put the router with all the bells and whistles, sealed it and threw it in the first mailbox I came across.

A router with maximum speed (you could even download a movie!) and the ability to connect up to 10 devices cost me ~3,600 rubles for 12 days of use. Behind early booking give discounts.

6. Delivery of luggage within Japan? Is it true that you can send your luggage to the next hotel and travel with a minimum of things?

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I don’t know any other countries, except Switzerland, where there is such a mega convenient and inexpensive (this does not apply to Switzerland =) way to move luggage between cities.

Imagine - in the morning you check out at a hotel in Tokyo and set off for Kyoto, deciding to visit a few more interesting places along the way. And all this time you are dragging a suitcase behind you, rushing around stations with it in search of the right line, looking for a storage room of the right size so that at intermediate destinations you can at least have a good look at the city... Can you imagine? Now think how much better your life has become, because you travel lightly - with a backpack or handbag, and the Tokyo hotel sent your suitcase to the Kyoto hotel!

This amazing service costs ~900 rubles for a large 25 kg suitcase. You can drop off your suitcase directly at the reception of most hotels or at any collection point (http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/), and you can also pick it up at your next hotel or selected collection point.

The only negative is that you must return your suitcase before 12 noon following the day of your check-in at the next location.

7. Is it possible to pay? credit cards in Japan? How to withdraw cash from an ATM in Japan?

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Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere except some taxis, restaurants and souvenir shops. Cash, of course, is much faster and more convenient to pay - for example, when buying tickets to temples.

There are currency exchange offices, but you still need to look for them. And if you are gone during public holidays, then the bank will have to wait for opening =)

We are proponents of withdrawing cash from ATMs. What a shock we had when the cash began to run out, and the ATMs of different banks into which we tried to insert our cards were either only in Japanese (!), or rejected the operation under various pretexts like “wrong PIN”, “ authorization failure", "try again later"!

An Internet friend helped, who said that Japanese ATMs operate on some other platform, which is not compatible with the platform of European banks and therefore they do not consider the cards of our banks to be human! =)) There are only a few banks whose ATMs are kind to tourists , - the largest of them is 7 Bank, which is owned by - da-da-dam! - Seven-Eleven supermarket chain, so almost every supermarket has an ATM suitable for international cards!

8. Tax free in Japan

VAT in Japan is small, about 8% (but still money!) and is available for purchases of 5,000 yen or more. Tax Free can be provided in two ways. 1) In small stores they give a discount right at the checkout and you pay a smaller amount. 2) In large department stores, after paying for the goods at full price, you must go to the counter tax free and receive a refund in cash.

In both cases, a receipt will be stapled (!) into your passport and stamped, and the goods will be packed in sealed bags as in duty free(clothes are placed in a regular bag). Further, according to the rules, kindly given in the brochure that will be given to you in the store, shopping bags (without unpacking!) must be presented at the airport (before check-in - if you are checking in your purchases as luggage) or after passport control (if you are taking your purchase in your hand luggage) .

In practice, as confirmed by my experience and the reviews of other travelers that I have studied on this issue, no one looks at the purchases, and you can either tear off the receipts from your passport yourself or go to the Customs window after passing the inspection and the kind Japanese customs officers, who in theory should check your purchases, take the receipts from your passport (even despite the list and cost of what you bought!), smile and let you go in peace.

I took all my purchases out of the bags, removed the packaging and other tinsel that was taking up space (I bought mostly cosmetics), and packed them into a suitcase, which I checked into my luggage. I did not have any problems with the tax free return.

9. Visa to Japan

I have already written a separate post on my blog about obtaining a visa to Japan, for those who are interested and relevant - go there =)

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It seems that I have touched on all the main practical points. I will be happy to help/recommend/answer any questions about independent travel to Japan.

aerobulochka
16/06/2016 13:00

The opinions of tourists may not coincide with the opinions of the editors.