Japan - what have I forgotten?

[OneOfEachPlease]

I’m going to Japan in March with DP and the kids (10 & 13). I am mainly excited but also anxious. We’re not well travelled, just a bit in Europe, and while I have crawled over our itinerary I am nervous I’ve missed something.

So come one, come all and tell me: what are the obvious and not obvious Japan/long haul things I should know/check I have done/bought/planned for!

Also, help me get excited! Thanks!

Duo lingo was useful to an extent, but it does not teach you Arigato gozaimasu which you'll need to say 4 thousand times per day when you're in Japan!!! 😀

Though when in a giant departo I was glad I knew how to ask where items were in a grammatically correct way, haha!

Japanese people are always pleased if you try a bit with the language

Another tip.... it's easy to change your train tickets for later/earlier. Go to the station office and they will alter them.

Shinkansen/ JR trains leave on time by the second. That means be ready to get off the train on time too, as the doors only open for a short time.

Don't take loads of luggage on the Shinkansen unless you book it in advance, there's no space for large suitcases.

On Shinkansen, you can turn your seats around to face your family so they can either be a 2 facing forward, or a 4 facing each other. There's a lever down at the bottom on the side that does this. Pretty cool.

In Tokyo, be aware that google maps does not always work, especially in areas such as Shinjuku station.... this is because there are so many tower blocks so densely packed together the satellite signal can't get through.

Don't miss the 3D Cat!!!! It's best at night

Long haul flight. As mentioned earlier plugs and eye mask a must...you don't get these free in economy anymore. I also have a wireless dongle thing that means I can listen to planes tv via my own earbuds. Saves the trailing wires.
Comfy clothes and I like to take a wrap or pashmina as can get cold overnight.
Snacks are good as I learnt on a 13 hour flight when I didn't eat the meal they served in hour 1 then didn't get anything else to eat for 10 hours.
I still wear flight socks long haul ...definitely saves getting swollen legs but not sure if they're still a 'thing'.
Don't go without shoes to loo...take sliders or free hotel slippers in hand luggage.

Joining as going to Japan as a first timer in June!

Going for 10 days - first long haul flight

Any advice or suggestions?

Honestly, how is any of this relevant in 2025? No Westerner is going to get stared at on the Tokyo Metro these days.

I did say at the beginning of my post that some of what I said may not be relevant.

Only 5% of Tokyo's population is non-Japanese, with the majority being from other Asian countries. So Westeners are in a very small minority and, for all I know, may be stared at in 2025. Have you been to Tokyo recently?

Edited to add second para

@IdaGlossop Some of your points took me back to my first visit to Japan over 15 years ago. Most of it doesn’t really apply now. I haven’t seen any of those little advertising tissues in the last couple of years, but know exactly what you mean from my first visit. There’s so many tourists now that nobody is paying any attention to westerners on public transport or asking for pictures with them. Toilets also reliably have toilet paper now, although hand driers and soap are still hit and miss, so paper soap leaves and a little hand towel are a good idea to carry.

The shoe and slipper etiquette is definitely still a thing and plastic or wax food models are still really common.

I don’t think the milk thing is true though… not even thirty years ago. Milk stands selling little glass bottles of milk for people to drink at train stations were a common thing in post war Japan. There’s still some around and I’ve come across a few. There’s one at Akihabara station that’s quite famous and has been there for decades selling milk to salarymen.

On reflection, it was stupid of me to contribute to this thread when I visited Japan so long ago. I've asked for my post to be removed so I don't cause any more confusion.

For typo

Like many posters have said an icoca or suica card is a good send. You preload at a station and you can use it for buses, trans, trains even ferries around the entire country so saves so much time buying tickets.

You can even link your shinkansen tickets to them so when you go through those gates it just gives you the seat info slip. Some people got confused about when to use travel cards and tickets at connecting stations and underground / normal train gates so the shinkansen gate would not let them through so would have to go to staff to sort out. Bit awkward if there's a big queue behind you so using the travel card for everything is easier

Google maps is great as it tells you what platforms to go to and even which exit to take out of the stations.

The one thing I would check each night when you plan journeys is when you get rapid or limited express trains. Theres quite a few private train companies in big cities and sometimes you need to buy an extra ticket for limited and rapid trains - and sometimes you don't.

Usually it's fine as there's staff on booths at the big stations you can ask who have good English if unsure and Google translate makes it easy to clarify what you need.

Being stared at is not really a thing. There are lots of tourists in Japan and Tokyo especially with the the yen being weak historically leading to big crowds in many cities / attractions. Yes many are Asian / Chinese but Europeans and North American tourists are very common.

These days Esims are probably easier than pocketwifi. You buy in advance, the app walks you through set up ( it's easy) and The Sims activate as soon as you land and pick up a signal and it's one less thing to worry about collecting at the airport after a long flight

Have a great time op.

Use the luggage forwarding service it works really well. https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/transporting-luggage-forwarding

all hotels no matter how posh have a self use laundry room. So useful.

go for set menus at lunchtime in department stores and train stations, they will be delicious and good value.

Do you think it's worth doing luggage forward for me? As we arrive in haneda, then Shinkansen to Kyoto, then stay there for 4 nights, then back to Tokyo for 6 nights

I’m going to Japan next month and this is my read on the plane book .

I had a fantastic trip just this summer. Nothing to worry about. Japan is modern and easy to navigate. Google translate was a brilliant addition and meant we could easily understand menus etc. you’ll have a great time!