Japan weather, daily life... what should I know before going there?

Question

I am planning to go to Japan from the end of August to the first week of September (9 days), and since I am leaving soon, I want to know what is the weather like at this time of year back there? What are the common courtesies among the Japanese (like taking off shoes)? I am going alone and staying in a hostel and I will not know the best places to eat, shop, etc. Any suggestions? Are there things I should look out for like rush hours on trains? Pickpockets? Pervs? How much do you think I should bring for a 9 day trip? (minus hotel accomodations and transportation as I will be getting the JR pass). Just tell me anything about Japan that you might think is useful for a tourist like me. Thanks very much!


**By the way, to the good peole who answered my last question about bank statements for a tourist visa, I will be applying on Monday so wish me luck!**

Arigatou gozaimasu!

Answer 1

The weather is likely to be HOT, HOT, HOT!! Hope you got that!
; )

If there's a typhoon, it'll still be hot, but the breeze will cool you down a bit...! You won't want to go out when the storm hits - if it actually hits your area - it'll rain and bluster fit to break your umbrella, and you're bound to get soaking wet. Keep an eye on the news bulletins, channel 1 (NHK) has bilingual weather forecasts on it's evening news, 7 p.m. every day, plus 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. You can SEE the typhoons approaching anyway, on the weather map I mean! You don't need English to know what's happening when they show a dangerous looking circle, and it's expected route for the next few hours or days!

Yes, as you know you have to take off your shoes when you enter people's homes. You can normally tell when you have to take them off in a public place, because there are normally lots of shoe-shelves - some of them with shoes already in them! In public places they provide slippers unless they expect you to go barefoot or in socks.

Bow a lot, but not too low. Most of the time it's okay to just do a sort of deep nod...!

Look for places to eat buy investigating the window! You'll see what's available, and how much it costs! Price will probably be a big deciding factor for you, but you'll find LOTS of reasonably priced restaurants!

Do lots of window shopping - you'll find something you want to buy sooner or later..!

Avoid rush hours on trains! They get SO cramped! Japanese people often lose all their sanity when they see an already crowded train... they just can't resist squeezing a few dozen extra people on! It's EXTREMELY uncomfortable! Rush hours are from 7 - 9 a.m. and 5 - 7 p.m. But the trains stay crowded for longer in the evenings because in the mornings everyone goes to work at the same time - but in the evenings everyone leaves at different times, and some of them go for drinks or a meal after work.

Watch out for pickpockets, as you would anywhere! That sort of crime isn't common here, but it DOES happen - especially in crowded stations! Perverts may be a problem, but you're more likely to find yourself squashed against someone on a crowded train than to find yourself being groped.

You'll probably be able to eat your 3 meals for anything from ￥1,500 each day, if you're careful! But I don't know how much you'll need for other things, gifts and all that...!

Good luck, BTW!

Just to add, the 'blowing your nose in public' thing has been given too much emphasis in some publications! It's not that bad really, and Japanese people DO sometimes blow their noses - even in public! Just be discreet and as quiet as possible, and do NOT use a cloth handkerchief!! Use disposable paper tissues ... you'll probably get free packets with adverts on at the stations too!

Answer 2

Take lotsa travelers cheques with you first of all. It is customary to wash your hands with the wetnaps provided for you, before every meal. The city of Tokyo, where I spent time, is very clean and the architecture is very... compact - I stayed in a Hilton but the rooms and beds were small. This is their engineering philosophy for the entire island I believe. There were some extemely 'miniature' trucks! Also, in the city of Tokyo, the subway system *closes* during the night, from a few hours before or after midnight (I forget) to about 5am. I am from New York City so that was a shock for me. I was stuck in Roppongi for hours with a friend. A cabride back to our hotel in Narita would have cost 200 US dollars!

Also, in communicating with people - for a reason unknown to me there is a great proliferation of written english around the city of Tokyo. So if you absolutely must communicate with a native and you can't speak Japanese, try writing out what you want to say in english on a piece of paper (works great for getting and asking about money amounts).

Their currency is the yen and is worth, on average, a little bit more than a penny. Unfortunately, things end up costing you about the same, if not more. They just charge greater amounts of their own currency and it adds up, but there are a number of things you will save at.

Another thing I noticed simply staggered me - EVERY morsel of fiid tasted better in Tokyo, than EVERY morsel of food I ever tasted in America! Even sushi bought in a supermarket was the best I ever had. Bread in the same supermarket, squeezing it through the bag it came in, was soft like a pillow. The quality of even the seediest looking fast food joints was far above what I have had at 'respected' places in New York City.

I hope you enjoy and get all you can out of your trip!

Answer 3

In Japan right now it is very hot and very humid take a look at www.findlocalweather.com I keep a constant eye on Yokosuka (outside of Tokyo) this web site offers the local time as well. I have purchased several books but so far the best is from AAA Essential Japan its only 6.99 it has all the area of Japan and what to see and do as well as restaurants. As for the language issue I have also purchased Japanese for Dummies it was 24.99 it has all kinds of cultural and customs in chapter 18 it tells you to never blow your nose in public! Never walk in a house with shoes on avoid socks with holes, Don't tell anyone that your mother is pretty, it sounds immodest and childish, basic rule is to deny any compliment you receive it shows humility, don't kiss or hug in public it is not a cultural custom, don't rip the paper off of a gift, it is considered part of the gift remove the tape carefully, Don't start eating without saying "Itadakimasu" (ee-tah-dah-kee-mah-soo) it is the polite form of I humbly receive this food when you are finished say "Gochisosama" (goh-chee-sohh-sah-mah) hope this helps enjoy your visit! take these books along on your trip its full of great tips

Answer 4

I am living in Tokyo for more than 2 years. Its hot here now . September might not be as hot like now.
Common courtesies:- Say arigato gozaimasu with a bow when you receive any help from anyone.
Say "sumimasen" for excuse me .
If you want to say sorry(for something seriously wrong) say "gomannesai" with a polite bow.

People here are very helpful in assisting you . I am sure you won't face any problems except language & food.

I can guarantee onething . Cases like pick pockets are extremely rare here. I never had a bad experience here , neither heard of from my friends also .however please take basic precautions..
Good places to visit :- There are many in tokyo..it is better to short list the places depends on your interest by checking in www.japan-guide.com . Few are Imperial palace, Tokyo Tower , Disney land, etc
Howmuch you should carry :- Min , approx 50,000 yen to 100,000 yen (depends on your plan)

Answer 5

What part of Japan?? I live in Okinawa so i can only really tell you how it is in Okinawa Japan. Okinawa Japan is different from Japan Japan ! where theres Tokyo . but anyways. When communicating w/ Japanese its not so hard use lots of body language they tend to understand. Japanese do tend to take you be an American as an advantage by ripping you off or jacking up prices sometimes so watch it. um thats all i can tell you since i live in Okinawa Japan because there isnt any trains or rush hours over here. Enjoy your trip hope i helped a little

Answer 6

♡You've already got lots of great info so I'll just add my 'two yen' as well.
*You can bring your own slippers if you like, although most places will provide them for you.
*Leave your socks on when taking off your shoes and putting on your slippers, it's polite. If I wear sandals out and go to a friends house I carry those tiny socks that just cover the feet and put them on at the entrance. But you don't have to do this. Just personal choice here.
*I'm wearing sandals and shorts today, I'm American, so you can feel free to dress comfy as well. Open toe or closed shoes are OK. It's very HOT & HUMID, so bring comfy, light weight, *easy to dry clothes. (Dry cleaning is expensive! With the humidity, you want clothes that dry quickly.) I would bring sandals AND shoes in case you go someplace 'nature like'. Bring a handkerchief or two and mini towel for your bag if you have them too, they'll come in handy. You can get them here as well. Bring your sunglasses and sunscreen, you'll need them if you'll be waiting in line at 'sightseeing spots or attractions.
*Be sure to leave your 'house slippers' outside of the bathroom door, it's also a sign that the 'toilet' is in use.
*Don't wear the house slippers out on the veranda/terrace/deck either, they'll have outside slippers for that too.
*During dinner or while eating meals, don't stand your chopsticks straight up in your rice or food. Don't pass food from chopsticks to shopstsicks. These are things associted with the dead.
*If you compliment people and get very humble answers, it's in general, don't worry, they're glad to be complimented.
*Mke sure to show respect especially to elders, refer to them as Last name/family name 'san'; Aoki san.
*You may want to bring small gifts from your hometown/country to give to people you stay with or are meeting with. It will be well recieved. Present the gift with both hands.
*If you're using the trains during rush hour, look for the 'special' LADIES ONLY train car. You'll feel better in the ladies only car during rush hour. As with any place, take care about carrying your valuables safely and keep a close eye on your bags while commuting.
*About money, bring all you've got and a credit card. You may not spend it all, but better safe tghan sorry.
*You didn't say where you'd be so great shopping spots are Ginza: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3005.html
Odaiba: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3008.html
Shinjuku: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3011.html
Roppongi Hills: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3031.html
Hope this helps! Have a great time.♡

Answer 7

I think this web site could be a help of you.
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quedisplay.html

Next time you ask, you better write your rough plan for your 9 days and how much money you are about to bring.
Nobody can say how much money is enough for you. cos it depends on your plan.

Answer 8

when you speak to them avoid too much hand gestures they find it offensive. have a nice time.

Answer 9

This is a copy and paste from an answer I gave before. This is more information that you asked for. It's currently and into September typhoon season, which means hot, muggy and rainy. Dress for warm weather. I hope some of the following is helpful. I hope you have a great trip.

Well, to enjoy Japan , you have to see more than Tokyo . Honestly, I have only been to the airports in Tokyo and spent the rest of my time in Central Japan . Japan is a wonderful and beautiful place, but has even more value to me because that's where my fiancé is from. If you don't have a passport, you will need one before you go. I don't think you are dumb, but it's simple thing that some people don't think about.

The best season to visit is Autumn, especially October and November. It's still a bit warm in September and the typhoon season may not be over. You can also try April, for the Cherry Blossom viewing, but things can be wicked busy then and it can give you a bad taste for Japan if you have to fight people to get to everything. It's very beautiful that time of year, but it's also beautiful in Autumn. Whatever you do don't go during the holiday seasons (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2062.html)... especially Golden Week, which is April 29 to May 3 and the end of the year to early January. Stuff is really busy at those times and it's just not good for foreign people. I have a really nasty memory of visiting Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquarium) during Golden Week.

My information about Tokyo is limited. As for a total trip to Japan , you should take 3-4 weeks and love it. It's a great place. People in Japan love foreign people. They don't hate to speak English, but they are afraid to do so. Many people seek out foreigner so they can "practice." I have been someone's home work for their conversation school several times. Things to understand. When you are in Tokyo and on an escalator, stand on the left and walk on the right. It's the opposite of the US (I don't know where you are from, sorry). The rest of the Japan is the same as here, stand on the right and walk fast on the left. Be sure and follow that because people will try to bump you out of the way. "Sumimasen" means "Excuse me" so you may want to practice this. Also, they often say it after they have bumped you. Remember that Japan is a crowded country and people are used to bumping into one another. It may seem rude to you, but it's normal to them. A really good guide book for Japan is Lonely Planet Japan (link below), or you can go to Barnes and Noble, they have a really good group of books on Japan .

Outside of Tokyo you should visit Kyoto , Nara , Osaka , Okayama/Kurashiki, Fukuoka (shopping), Beppu (stinky), Mt. Aso (beautiful Active volcano) and Shikoku Island (many volcanoes). Doing this should take the amount of time I said above. You can visit Hokkaido and the city Sapporo too, but I haven't been there nor studied the north island all that much.

One thing you must do is visit at least one Onsen. Check the second link below. It's beautiful and wonderful. You will live in the lap of luxury, have a wonderful hot spring bath, some have massages and they serve your food in your room, give you a special room to eat in alone or some actually cook in your room for you. It's expensive, but it's really wonderful. Some have a buffet for breakfast or dinner. Breakfast buffets are nice, but having breakfast in your room is really, though most have buffet for breakfast. I would avoid any that have buffet for dinner. Normally it's crowded, hard to get your food and sometimes the food is bad. A good English language service is at the third link below. This is run by an American man and his Japanese wife's family. They live in Hyogo Prefecture (state) near Osaka . They are really nice and been very helpful. Make your Onsen reservations as far in advance as possible. The fourth link below is a Japanese site that has many great places, but most of the links are in Japanese only, but they have many more places than the one in the third link. You have to make your own reservations by contacting the Onsen (hotel) yourself. If this is your only trip to Japan , then visit as many as you can. Beppu is a volcanic town that has many Onsen and that's why people go there, but the town smells strong from the sulfur, so some people can't stand it. They have many special baths with great healing qualities. It's really worth it and you do feel really great after spending your time in the hot spring baths. If you find one with cedar baths, that's really great too. If you are shy, try to find a place with a Private or "Family" bath since most of them have only public baths. The people will look at you since you are a foreigner and they aren't afraid to look at your "private parts" either. Don't be offended. Many of the really good onsen are in small towns and they don't see many foreigners. Just ignore them and enjoy yourself. The public baths have more to choose from, including outdoor baths, which are really great, especially in Autumn or Winter because you can have the cool air outside and the very hot water (normally around 41-44 degrees Celsius. Whatever that is in Fahrenheit). It's really a great experience, and don't worry, they have fences to block people from seeing you or something natural, like many trees or the side of a mountain.

Regular hotels around Japan . I have stayed at Tokyu hotels several times while in Japan . They are always nice, clean and have great service. They are very reasonable, you can make reservations in English and you can join their frequent visitor club, but that would be only if you are going back to Japan , because it takes a while to earn enough pionts for a voucher. Link #10 below.

Tokyo , I don't know a lot about Tokyo since my fiancé is from Osaka and hates Tokyo , so other than a few flights with layovers in Haneda and Narita, I haven't spent much time there. It's a huge city with many tall buildings. It's had a very good, but convoluted train system. Japan has the best public transportation system in the world (I live in Silicon Vally, what we have here is a joke. Then, after spending much time in Japan , I say we don't even have public transportation, but that's another story for another day). I bought a book called Japan Three Cities Tokyo, Kyoto and Ancient Nara by Cadogan (ISBN 1860119174). This has some good info about Kyoto and Nara , but I didn't go through the Tokyo part. Seems there's some good stuff too, though it may be redundant compared to teh Lonely Planet book. It was helpful for Kyoto and Nara though. Oh, the Lonely Planet books come out every year in October, so if you are going to Japan after that, then wait to get the new book as it will be updated. Even with that, sometimes the information is out of date for restaurant names and addresses or phone numbers or other things. It's not perfect, but it's the best guide I have used. I hope you can enjoy Tokyo and the whole metropolitan area.

Kyoto . Places you need to visit are the Golden Temple (link 7), Gion (Geisha District, link 8), Kokedera (Saiho-ji, Moss Temple in English, you have to make a reservation in advance by post card. I can have my fiancé get one for you if needed. My email is my name here at Yahoo, link five below is this place. It's beautiful), Byoudou-in which is in Uji (near Kyoto, link 6) and Fushimi Inari-taisha (link 9), which is a temple full of torii, literally thousands, take your walking shoes for this one, it's quite a hike, but worth it. The city of Kyoto itself is ugly. It's just too compact, too much traffic, dirty and not that great, but the temples, as you can see, are great. Also, I suggest visiting Onsen in the area. There are some nice ones north of Kyoto and to the west.

Nara , after visiting Kyoto , I suggest visiting Nara . This was the original capital of Japan a few thousand years ago and they have some of the original historical artifacts. You may want to find a tour guide, because some of the stuff doesn't have information in English. You should plan 1-2 days there. Maybe, leave Kyoto in the morning one day, spend the day there, stay in a Japanese style hotel in Nara and then spend the next half day or so there and then go to Osaka or a place with Onsen in Wakayama prefecture.

Osaka has kind of become like a second home to me and it's hard to say a visitor will really like there. I think the best thing are Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle, 11), Den Den Town (shopping district, mostly for men like electronics and such, 12), Universal Studios Japan (everything's pretty much in Japanese, but it's fun and interesting to see an American amusement park in another country, 13), Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquarium, 14), Suntory Museum (right next to the aquarium, 15) and the Imax, which is right there too, but everything is in Japanese, so you may feel lost. While in Osaka , I suggest stay in Arima Onsen. This is one of the most famous and popular hot spring resorts in the world. The problem for me is that my fiancé grew up minutes from there, so it's not interesting to her, so I haven't been able to visit one of the hot springs there yet. :-( Please check link 3 or 4 (part of Kinki) for information about this area.

Wakayam prefecture. There's a lot to do there, but it's not necessary. There is an amusement park in Wakayama city (16) that's okay, but there is an adventure park near Shirahama called Adventure World that's nice (17). That's where Mei Mei is, she's the best mother Panda around, or so they say. It was nice to see them. It's a nice place to visit. Shirahama has some great Onsen too. Also, Katsuura has a couple island onsen that are magnificent, but have buffet dinners, well, I know one has buffet dinners. Link 18 is one of them. You may want to visit Shirahama and Katsuura, if you are going to, before going to Osaka , since you will be headed back that way if you follow the order I say.

There's not much to do in Kobe , but in Himeji they do just Himeji-jo ( Himeji Castle ), which is one of the most popular places people visit in Japan . It really is nice. There's also a nice garden next to the castle. It's quite nice. Link 19. There is a really nice onsen, with a really nice Private Onsen near there in the small town of Yumesaki . You have to take a taxi to get there (don't worry, they aren't as bad as that moron that's never been to Japan says. Oh, the houses are made of the same materials as they are here. The homeless people don't even live in cardboard). It's link 20 and try to navigate through the Japanese page to find the photos of the Onsen. It's quite beautiful and they are very nice. Be fair warned, though, the private onsen is very hot, like 51 degrees Celsius.

If you are driving, then you should visit the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge. This goes to Awaji Island . There are some nice Onsen on the island. The Akashi bridge is famous for two reasons, one is that it's the longest suspension bridge in the world. The other is that the bridge was being built during the Great Kobe Earthquake (as they call it) in 1995. The bridge was almost unaffected. It's really beautiful, but it has tolls both ways that run 3200 yen ($29 US), I think. Link 23. I don't suggest driving in Japan on your trip there. It can be a bit nerve racking, but since I have been many times, I love driving in Japan and prefer driving there than here in California .

Okayama/Kurashiki. There's not a lot here, but there is a great theme park in Kurashiki . Okayama is the bigger city and you will find better hotels there. The theme park in Kurashiki is called Tivoli . It's link 21. It's an old style European theme park. It's quite fun, but no great rides. Sorry. Okayama is famous for their noodles. Really great Soba noodles.

Hiroshima . I haven't been here. Not sure what to see other than the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (also known as the A Bomb Dome, 22). I haven't been here because I feel guilty as an American with conscience. I am sure there are other things to see, but I am not sure I can be okay going there.

Shikoku Island is the Island just sound of the main island of Japan ( Honshu ). There are some nice places to visit and I have only been once. There are so volcanoes on this island. I don't know how many are active, but it's neat to see them. There are also several onsen here. One highlight is the Kotohira Shrine. This is really a great place to visit, but, once again, bring your walking shoes. It's 1368 steps to the top, but the shrines are nice (there are two) and the view is magnificent. They have horses up there too. Must have been a nasty trek for them. One interesting thing is that they have people that will carry you up the steps if you can't make it. So, I saw some older folks being carried by these people up the steps, but I would have sworn the people carrying them were actually older. All the people doing the carrying were old. Interesting. Link 24. Also, there's shops all the way up to the top and some really great noodle shops. If you really want to experience Japanese Udon noodles, this is the place to do it.

Fukuoka and Kyushu . Kyushu Island is the south Island of Japan (not including Okinawa ). It's a very lush and vibrant area. Fukuoka is a decent sized city with nice shopping areas (most big cities have good shopping areas since the women in Japan are literally nuts about shopping. This isn't a man's complaint, it's reality). I haven't been to Fukuoka either, but it's one of the places I really want to go. Check the Lonely Planet book for hot spots. I can't remember off the top of my head. Two places you really need to see on Kyushu are Mt Aso and Beppu. Aso is a beautiful mountain, but it's also an active volcano. There are some interesting places to visit around there. There is a small town not too far away called Yufuin that has some amazing Onsen, but it's small and English isn't spoken much, though they do welcome foreigners. Check link 3 and 4 for information about Yufuin (Kyushu, Oita Prefecture ). You can make the trek to Nagasaki . There's some history there other than being the other bomb dropped by US to "end the war," it actually had nothing to do with ending the war, but that's another story. Almost done here, sorta. Beppu is a place I think all people in the world should visit. It's an amazing place, but one has to get past the smell of sulfur. If that will be impossible skip it. If it's possible, then you must go!! There are many great onsen and many great things to see, though it's just a small city. Links 25, 26 and 3 & 4. If you are only to visit two places other than Tokyo , go to Kyoto and Beppu. After here, it's a short train ride to Oita Airport and fly back to Tokyo . I think commuter plane tickets run around $170-210. It's much cheaper and faster than taking the train.

Getting around Japan . Japan has a great train system. Really magnificent. One thing that you should experience is Shinkansen (bullet train). The fastest trains are called Nozomi (Hope) and run at over 160 MPH. Really, it's not that exciting after a while, because it's so smooth. It's kind of like riding in an airplane on the ground. You can't really look at things because you are going too fast. This is the way to get to Kyoto from Tokyo . A big city on the way is Nagoya , but there's not much to see there. Just blink and you'll miss it, well, on the Shinkansen anyway (links 27 and 28). You can get a Japan rail pass that will come in very handy and makes things so much easier for you if you are going to spend many days in Japan . The negative to the JR Rail Pass is that it doesn't cover Nozomi trains, but it does cover all other trains and it's only good for JR trains. Some local trains are owned by other companies, mainly Hanshin and Hankyu. Please go through link 29. If you have any questions, my email is hidden in this answer. Most of the stations have some signs in English a station/city names in Romaji (western characters). Also, don't be afraid to ask people. Japanese people are very friendly (except old people) and like to help foreigners, even if it's difficult for them. I have had many great experiences traveling in Japan , with my fiancé and her family and without, in a car and in a train. Sometimes trains are packed, but don't worry about that, it's not normally too bad. Avoid trains in the bid cities, especially the subways during commuter times (07:00-09:30 and 17:00-20:00) and you should be fine. Don't take any uncomfortable shoes and probably bring a small variety. You will be doing a lot of walking, no matter where you go. Japan is very beautiful. I hope you have a great time. If you have any questions or want to know about any other little hidden places (there are many), then let me know. I have only given you some of the highlights, but there is so much to do in Japan . I almost moved there, but she's coming here. Sorry for any typos. There's too much here for me to edit now. Please smile and have a great day.