Japan is the travel paradox to the majority of Americans. It is futuristic in technology, hyper-modern style of life, and on the other hand, a land of deep ancient traditions, calm nature appearance, deep cultural sense of etiquette that looks the world apart in the rush of American life. A journey through this most intriguing nation with its own language and traditions may sound daunting and cost-unfriendly. And The Wonder beyond the mystique is to be discovered which is quite accessible, very safe, that can be travelled on a reasonable amount with some simple planning. A two weeks tour of Japan is not just a holiday it is an experience of a new look on the world. This travel guide is a step-by-step tour planning, a fourteen-day route that will allow the American tourist to get the best that Japan has to offer and yet, remain afloat.
Ease of entry is in itself one of the most fantastic factors when it comes to planning a trip to Japan in the United States. No visa is required by those that hold a US passport wishing to stay in the country as a tourist up to ninety days, and this eliminates a lot of paperwork and advance preparation time in your pre-travel plans. This will save your time to concentrate on the main elements of your journey, and the first one will be the flights. Korea Los Angeles (LAX) is an important hub and is directly connected with Tokyo by airlines such as United, Delta, and American besides the Japanese Analyzing and JAL. The best fares of about 1,200 to 1,800 dollars on round-trip tickets are to be booked a few months in advance (three to six months before the flight), or earlier to get more bargaining power and higher chances of beneficial fare.
As the flights approach, the second thing now is to make a realistic daily budget. Japan is not a cheap country but it is full of high quality low cost options of food and accommodations. A reasonable estimate of a non-frugal average traveler is 12 000-15 000 yen a day per person. At an exchange rate of around 150 yen to one US dollar this makes about 80-100 dollars a day. That can be split up as about $40 in the good guesthouse or economy business hotel, $30 on tasty and filling meals, $10 on local transportation, and $20 on entertainment and sightseeing admissions. The most economical part of such s itinerary is the 7-Day Japan Rail (JR) Pass. It still remains a useful means of keeping the long distance travel between cities despite a recent price upsurge. This pass requires an exchange voucher, which you have to obtain through an authorised online retailer prior to your departure out of the United States as this pass cannot be bought after you get there. The cost-effective and convenient options to remain connected during the trip are pocket Wi-Fi rentals online and picking up in the airport or buying travel eSIM. Lastly one should make sure that he has informed his US banks and credit card companies of his travel dates so that there are no service disruptions. It is also prudent to use cards that have no foreign transaction fees which is a typical benefit attached to most of the American travel rewards cards.
You start your adventure when your flight comes down and lands in the great megalopolis of Tokyo. After clearing immigration, the first things you can do in both Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND) airports should be to collect your pocket Wi-Fi and buy an IC card that can be topped up such as a Suica or a Pasmo. With this card, you can access the very convenient subway and train system of Tokyo. Get on to a train and head into the city and book into your accommodation, preferably a convenient and busy hub such as Shinjuku or Shibuya. To fill your first night, plunge into the show of modern Japan in the Shibuya Crossing. Locate yourself in a window of the upper storey Starbucks and marvel as the highly-coordinated wave of humanity swept across the intersection under the blinding lights of enormous video screens. To eat dinner, the first sample of the real Japanese taste might be a thick, delicious dish of ramen in a small local restaurant, and this will rarely set you back more than 7-8 dollars (1000 yen).
Day two is the story of two Tokyos. Begin the day with a relaxing session at the Meiji Shrine, a huge and lovely Shinto shrine paying tribute to Emperor Meiji. The stroll around the thick forest on the way to the shrine seems to be miles away in the city. Then step out to the madness of Harajuku. Answer the call of the Takeshita Street, the nexus of the weird youth fashion and crafty snacks, then go and visit the more adult shop of Omotesando Hills. Afternoon would be spent in further engagement of the never-ending department stores of Shibuya and its rows of energetic streets. The third day will be the day to visit the more traditional side of Tokyo. Using subway, go to Asakusa where ancient, yet sacred Senso-ji Temple is located. The path leading to the temple called Nakamise-dori is the superb market road where you can easily discover traditional souvenir. Then, have a slow pace through Ueno Park, which is a popular recreational area incorporating a number of great museums, a zoo and a beautiful pond. The fourth day is a pilgrimage to those who love technology and pop culture. Go to Akihabara, Electric Town (with tall buildings of electronics stores, manga, anime and arcade centers). The incredible saturation of the stimuli is an experience by itself. Or perhaps (more) contemporary art is up your alley, in which case you should check out TeamLab Borderless, the amazing digital art museum that will dazzle and stimulate your senses (book the tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment).
It is day five and it is time to start your cross country trip. Visit one of the major JR stations in the country and trade in the voucher you carried with you in the US and ‘register activate’ your actual 7-Day Japan Rail Pass to commence today. Take the world renowned Shinkansen, or bullet train, and speed impossibly and smoothly to Odawara. In this case, you will change to local transport to visit the beautiful hilly sight of Hakone. The major aim is to experience the mighty Mount Fuji. One excellent way is through Hakone Free Pass (an add-on purchase) which includes a loop tour on the mountain railway, cable car, suspension cable car across volcanic crater, and a pleasing mountain tour across Lake Ashi. You will be presented by the magnificent views of the most sacred mountain in Japan in case the weather is clear. Tonight, why not tell yourself you are already staying in a ryokan: a traditional Japanese inn, where you can encounter the old, and welcome, Japanese hospitality: floor mats tatami, and lazy soak in a onsen (a hot spring).
On the sixth day, you then go even west via Shinkansen towards the former imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto. Kyoto, a city with more than a thousand temples is the cultural centre of the country. Upon arrival, go about spending the golden hours of the evening wandering around historic Gion district. The cobbled streets are very atmospheric with the traditional wooden teahouses, you might even get to see a geisha on her way to appointment. The seventh day is involved in the treasures of Eastern Kyoto. Start at Kiyomizu-dera Temple which is popular because of its enormous wooden stage which extends over the hillside, and gives out the panoramic view of the city. Then wind your way down along the wonderfully maintained streets of the Higashiyama region that is like stepping back in time.
On the eight day you will travel to the western part of Kyoto. The first destination is a famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Stepping between the stalks of bamboo, that reaches out to heaven, and the light piercing through it is very serene and memorable. Then see the nearby Tenryu-ji Temple, which is a World Heritage site and which has one of the most beautiful Zen gardens of Japan. There is quite a good amount of time in the afternoon, so take a walk to another iconic Japanese objective, Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion. The temple is truly picturesque in a perfect setting of still pond and a beautiful temple covered in gold leaf. Day nine is a day of Fushimi Inari Shrine visit in southern Kyoto. The shrine is renowned because of its thousands of bright red torii gates that create a realistic tunnel like way up the mountain. One may walk it and get to know how marvelous and tremendously spiritual it is. Nishiki Market is a covered food market, where you can enjoy dozens of different specialties of Kyoto, fresh seafood, and traditional Japanese sweets during lunch.
On the 10 th day, you take a short day trip by using your JR pass to the close-by city of Nara. Nara being the first capital in the history of Japan is full of history and it is mostly well-known because of its central park where hundreds of domesticated yet amazingly tame deer will make you feel outstanding. The deer are taken to be the messengers of the gods and will tend to bow to request one of the special crackers sold by vendors. Although the city maintains other attractions as well, Todai-ji Temple, a giant wooden building with the greatest Buddha, a huge bronze statue, is the most impressive attraction you will ever gaze upon and never forget its majesty and beauty.
On day eleven, your JR Pass will give you your last main long-distance leg of the trip, a short journey to the buzzing, food-loving city of Osaka. Once you get settled, there is only one place that you are going to visit, which is Dotonbori in the evening. It is a neon-lighted, cluttered blend of electronics, crabs and some of the best street cuisine in the world. Here is the place you can rejoice in Osaka foods such as takoyaki (grilled octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (a pancake, which is savory and editable). The twelfth day will be spent as a sightseeing session. Pay a visit to the majestic Osaka Castle, which is a brilliant replica of one of the most well-known world landmarks of Japan. Stop later and get a glimpse of the old-fashioned, post-war Japan in the Shinsekai district, including the Tsutenkaku Tower.
It is your day 13 in Osaka to make your plan. Universal Studios Japan is a big attraction to theme park lovers on a loose budget. On a less active day, you can stroll around more of the peculiar neighborhoods of Osaka, go shopping in the massive arcade of Shinsaibashi-suji or just going back to Dotonbori one more time and exploring a few more of the food factors. The fourteen-day Japanese odyssey ends on the fourteenth day. You can have a final Japanese meal before travelling by train to Kansai International Airport (KIX) conveniently; depending on the time you have to fly back home.
With you coming aboard flying back to United States, you will not only have photos, but you will have a great experience, and feel of a culture packed with precision, respect, and a lot of community. You will have observed a society in which the ancient tradition and the futuristic vision live in perfect harmony. What was once a long, possibly foreign and even intimidating possibility will have turned into a colorful picket of personal recollection, where it can be proven that with proper planning and an adventurous mind the treasures of Japan are not very far away.
A properly organized schedule is the bones of a good trip, the meat and bones of an effective tour of Japan is realizing how the country works every day and learning the cultural details through which it became so special. It lies not in making huge chucks of money by foregoing the big lifestyle decisions, but in the little, daily decisions: where you eat, how you travel and how you interact. And it is here that you will save hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, but also where you will get to understand much more about the way of life the locals live. This additional insight will turn you into a grown-up tourist who is no longer relying on the map as a checklist but is a self-assured and respectful traveler capable of overcoming the gorgeous confusion of Japan with ease and confidence.
We can start with one of the essential points in any trip which is food. Although the restaurants in Japan include some of the most praised and costly venues all over the world, it can be regarded as a heaven of the top quality yet remarkably affordable foods as well. The trick is to consider other non-traditional sit-down restaurants in order to eat most of your meals. The first and the greatest friend that you have in this quest is a Japanese convenience store or, to be more specific konbini. The concept of people buying the meal in a 7-Eleven store may sound to an American as a last resort but to the Japanese, it is an eye-opener. Say bye to bad hot dogs and iffy nachos; Japanese konbini are airy, heterogeneous, perfectly clean-as-you-like the buffets of fantastic and nice things to eat. You will be able to begin your day with a hot can of coffee, through a vending machine installed in the store itself and a fluffy pastry. The lunch is also great and you can get a fabulous and filling lunch, costing less than 6 dollars (perfectly seasoned rice balls with fillings such as tuna mayo or salted salmon) as well as a crispy fried chicken (karaage), served in a hot display case, and a fresh salad. The quality of food is always top notch and this is how millions of busy Japanese eat on a daily basis.
To have a more wholesome (even though still very affordable) dinner, ask about the magic of a depachika. These are the reeling, glittering food courts that are found in the basement of giant stores such as Takashimaya or Isetan. Though they trade in fine-gourmet products, they are also laden with all type of stalls which deal with a phenomenal range of ready-prepared food. The key is to come during the final hour when the store is about to close. The food sellers in this period will start to extremely reduce the price of the remaining stocks of their bento boxes, sushi sets, tempura and salads with up to 50 percent. You can buy a royal feast at an imaginary low amount and walk back to your hotel to indulge it. The other staple cheap food is the standing noodle and curry stores that are usually hidden away by the back carriers of the train stations. In this case, you buy a ticket at a vending machine at the entrance, give it to the chef and in minutes, you receive a hot bow of soba/udon noodles at a couple of dollars, which you eat standing and eating at a counter with the local office people having lunch. It is speedy, real and very justifying.
The next key in opening up the country is to learn the local transport. Although your Japan Rail Pass is indispensable when you move long distances, it is not utilized when you are travelling within the cities by subway or bus. Your reloadable IC card, a Suica or Pasmo is essential to this. consider it like your all pass ticket to city Japan. You can also use it to access turnstiles on subway lines, on local buses, and even to buy things in vending machines and konbini, so you do not need to keep digging in your pocket in search of cash. The maps of the Tokyo and Osaka subways may seem at a glance so complex and of a colorful spaghetti, but technology has simplified the same. Such applications as Google Maps or Japan Transit Planner (Jorudan) are a must. All you have to do is to enter your destination in it, and it will either tell you what train line you need to take, which platform and how much, and to what platform you need to make at their depending on the location of your destination. It de-mystifies the whole system and you will feel as one of the locals within a short period. Once you use the trains you will soon realize there is a set of unsaid rules that are essential to follow. Trains are not used as a place to make noisy conversations or to make calls. Consumption of a mess food or food with strong odors is discouraged. And probably the most significant of all, passengers form orderly queues on the platform at the special places before they board in a queue. Sticking to this etiquette is a small yet deep way to show respect.
It then leads to the bigger issue of cultural etiquette which can cause anxiety to most American visitors. The language barrier is always understandable in the first place yet you can always be assured that in main cities and tourist spots, most significant signs are written in English and the majority of those working in the service industry will have sufficient English to help you. Nevertheless, it will be much appreciated and will make your communication enriched with learning a couple of phrases. An easy Sumimasen stands in the meaning of Excuse me, sorry, and is incredibly versatile. Arigato gozaimasu is a mandatory word, which means Thank you very much. Being cheerful with a Konnichiwa (“Hello”) will be responded firmly by a smile. The attempt to utters just a few sentences in Japanese is also an indication of respect that does not rely on the language. As you deal with money, you will notice the presence of a small tray in all the cash registers. Put your money or credit card on this tray instead of giving it directly to the cashier, she / he will do the same to you as they hand you back your change. And talking about money, it is important to keep in mind that there is no tipping tradition at all in Japan. It is the rule to give good service and not something that has to be enhanced by the tip, and tipping usually gets misunderstood or even rude.
Among the most direct practical questions to an American traveler, the obvious lack of public trash cans stands right there. We are used to having a trash bin in almost every street-side in the US. In Japan they are extremely uncommon. This is related to cultural value of individual responsibility. This is because you are supposed to carry whatever litter you have created with you until you find a proper place to litter it, and this should usually be back in the hotel or at one of the thousands of public litter bins that you may see near any convenience store or around train stations. What you need to do is get a small plastic bag with you. Another show of respect is this easy thing that you will find everywhere because the cleanliness is amazing.
You have to adopt the light packing philosophy in order to physically ease up your travel. You will be walking around and moving into crowded train stations. Push your heavy luggage, and a heavy suitcase is not only inconvenient, but it is also a big nuisance to your fun. An amazing service which may always come to the rescue is the luggage forwarding service in Japan called takuhaibin. This is an extremely inexpensive service at a very reasonable fee (usually between 15 and 20 dollars) that you can use to deliver your main suitcase out of the Tokyo city and right at your destination hotel in Kyoto in place (this means that it will be at the hotel lobby where you should find it ready as you arrive the same place). This will enable you to travel to Hakone carrying only a small overnight bag where the changing of train and the cable cars will be a walk in the park. It is effective, absolutely reliable, and a smart travel secret, well kept in Japan.
In addition to the practicalities, a visit to Japan can be an emotional and life-long experience, and some people call it a soft reverse culture shock when they arrive home in their United States. When you leave a train car of Japan and stumble into the chaotic bustle of American life, you might be suddenly conscious of the continual background noise of the American life. There is the ability to feel a greater admiration toward the collective sense of responsibility that results in pristinely clean urban streets. You can be impressed by fantastic feeling of security when the children also can use the subway even alone and people can walk in the biggest city of the world late in the night not feeling any danger. This is where the cross of the journey shows the gift. You go with the intention of visiting another country, but doing so, you have acquired a new and important opinion about yourself. It is not the journey of attractions anymore but rather of expositions to unfamiliar lifestyles, a silent provocation to think about the values and conventions you do not question at home. This is a greater knowledge the real souvenir, the permanent change in vision that you will be able to bring with you even when you will forget about temples and towers. And now you can no longer be considered a tourist, but that is because you know more about the culture and are also able to act within it. You are a knowledgeable, polite and informed visitor, waiting to experience the best, unique and rewarding destination travel destination in the world.
