50 tips & suggestions post 15 days trip

I just got back from my 2 weeks trip from Japan. I spent quite a while planning this trip, and quite a blast executing it. Not only I checked almost everything that was in my Google Sheets plan, but also had time to settle down and enjoy the low pace moments. I am full of grattitude, accomplishment and energy to plan the next (3rd) trip to the best country in the world.

Here are my quick 50 tips based on my experience:

Planning The Trip

• 1. I did Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka – Tokyo route in 15 days. This included Sumo tournament in Tokyo, Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, Kawaguchiko day trip from Tokyo, Nara day trip from Osaka. While it was a GREAT trip, If I could redo this route, I would remove Osaka, add days to Kyoto and Kawaguchiko and do the Nara day trip from Kyoto. I would probably visit Osaka for more days in future. 
• 2. If you plan itinerary such as City #1, City #2  then back to the City #1 back to your original hotel, your hotel will most likely be OK to hold your luggage till you're back. This way you can travel light to the City #2. 
• 3. Don't try to squeeze in every popular place or attraction in your plan since they're trending. It's YOUR trip. YOU should enjoy it. I've seen sooo many tourists in great locations or events sooo vividly dissapointed, their faces screaming "aw man I wish I could be somewhere else now". If you dislike, say, sumo wrestling, don't grab those super high demand tickets just to be bored for 5+ hours. 
• 4. I had a quite detailed itinerary planned out for each day. We followed this plan pretty accurately, but what was more important than the plan itself was "it's ok to miss, skip or adjust these details on the way" attitude. You don't know Japan untill you visit it. You don't know your pace limits until you try it. So especially if it's your first time and you're not an experienced travellet, be prepared to adjust and defeat that "fomo". 
• 5. Put as much of a thought into making your itinerary breathable with enough times for and inbetween activities as you do in planning itself. Do not underestimate time you need to recover from a high paced day or a time you need to get from one place to another! You will spend time looking for correct transportation, you will want to visit that 7 Eleven, you'll stop by that souvenier shop that wasn't written on your excel sheet. 
• 6. Do not plan high pace days first and low paced ones at the end of the trip. Instead, plan a high pace day, than tone it down to recharge the next day, then do the high paced one again. You'll be more durable and the trip will be more enjoyable this way.
• 7. I do understand people who prefer to research as little as possible and just go explore. It's unique fun. BUT since I think time is more important, I strongly recommend doing a research behind major areas that you target to visit to see what it offers in terms of sights, shops or food joints. This could be done without spoilling the adventure part.

Getting Around

• 8. Getting Shinkansen tickets before the day of departure was easy and stress free. So was finding their platforms. I wouldn't bother booking them in advance (maybe only in case of oversized luggage which we didn't have)
• 9. Arrive early for Shinkansen departures for stress-free experience
• 10. I saw many tourists checking metro / train / venue maps… physically, trying to understand all the routes in detail. You don't need that, just use Google Maps. 
• 11. While using Google Maps, pay attention to Enter / Exit Via details. To check whether you're on the correct train or not, look at the next atop of your route and conpare it to your current or upcoming train stop tables. 
• 12. Don't be shy to ask for help, yes there's a language barrier, but Japanese are super helpful in general. 
• 13. In case of confusion, wrong train, etc. Don't panic, it's easy to get out of misroute or confusion. Just get out of the train, stay calm and re-check your Google Maps, train stop map on station walls, or just ask for help at nearby train office. 
• 14. Yes – taxi is expensive, but affordable if it's the best option in given situation. I've used it couple of times when we were in super hurry or super tired. If taking a taxi by a group, it's even more affordable. GO Taxi app is easy and smooth to use
• 15. Download Google Maps for main areas that you plan to visit. It'll save sone of your data plan and help you navigate in case of suddent expiration of mobile data.
• 16. Get the absolute best shoes of your life and get them in pairs. You'll walk more than you did in your childhood and your feet will look like a balloon if your shoes are regular ones. I recommend looking through brands such as Brooks or Hokas. Each of their shoes have their designed function, check them before buying.

Fuji / Kawaguchiko

• 17. A single day in Fuji area is not enough. Why? More days mean better chances to see what you come for in this area, also it's a very nice pace to spend couple of days minimum. Also: if going to Kawaguchiko, do some research on local bus routes + Google Maps don't work properly. Come prepared.
• 18. If you get to Kawaguchiko, check the local noodles / seafood restaurant Sanrokuen. It not only offers one of the best food in Japan, but also has a nice history of heing a 150-year-old reconstructed house of a Japanese lord (you can see his armor inside one of the rooms.) It's close to main bus station. 

Airport Arrival / Departure

• 19. Customs and airport+hotel route is super easy and smooth, nothing scary or confusing. Just make sure to make prepare that QR and do a tiny research on how the suica and airport train tickets work. Super easy, info is everywhere, Youtube is a good place to look, just check the upload time of videos.
• 20. Getting back to the airport from hotels were easy: Leave Hotel hours early -> Tokyo Station -> Narita Express -> Shop a little and eat before departure. Use elevators on the way if heavy on luggage

Weather, Sweating

• 21. Weather for Late September – Early October was a pure blessing. Not too hot in the middle of the day, not too cool in the evening. I read so many comments saying "Sept-Oct is still Summer, you will melt" – No. It was awesome. Maybe in early September it'd be still too hot. 
• 22. I did mention good weather, but no matter the weather, humidity and tons of walking will make you sweat. Get a good cooling towel that you'll use to wipe your sweat off. 
• 23. Doing laundry is easy, ask your hotel.
• 24. Bring your own deodorant or antiperspirant, chances are whatever works for Japanese won't work on you. 
• 25. Uniqlo has good airism underwear and undershirts, especially good for humid weather. Pretty good prices too. 
• Events / Attractions / Popular Destinations
• 26. If you plan to visit sumo tournament, arrive early to see Rikishis entering the arena, it's a nice experience. You can also ask for a photo with them. 
• 27. Shibuya Sky has great views and a nice area on the roof. I liked it better than the Edge of New York
• 28. Akihabara has some great shops that are bit off the center, such as Yellow Submarine or Kotobukiya
• 29. If you're considering but not sure about visiting Nara – do it. It's amazing experience, especially if you've got kids, they'll love it and you'll love it. And it offers way more than those lovely deers.
• 30. TeamLabs is fun to experience with close ones, but honestly it's bit overhyped, not groundbreaking
• 31. For event or attraction tickets, I tried to use the official pages and if not available, then used Klooked or Kkday – bith worked without issues. 

Money

• 32. "Cash is King" phraze is overrated. While it's recommended to always have around 10-20k yen around, you'll mostly pay by card. It varies by region though – in Kyoto there were much more cash-only shops compared to Tokyo.
• 33. Use 7bank ATMs for withdrawal. Choose Yen if asked by machine.
• 34. Welcome Suica card expires before your next trip, use it up before departure
• 35. 100 yen coins are most convenient to use, below 50 it gets almost useless and stacks up as a trash. Use them in $1 stores such as Daiso.

Manners / Communication

• 36. Please take details such as "No loud talking on trains" or "Stay this way on escalators in this city" seriously.
• 37. In tight shopping areas or crowded train, put your backpack in front or hold it. 
• 38. If you don't speak Japanese, stick to basic phrases. Speaking more will likely cause locals to think you know full Japanese and engage in more advance conversation where you'll no more answer and feel awkward. 

Shopping / Food

• 39. Tokyo is pretty good for shopping clothes. If arriving here, might be a good idea to arrive light and buy clothes here, in Uniqlo for example. 
• 40. Love to bring back souvenirs? Narita Airport has some nice goods such as tokyo banana and royce chocolates. Leave some money for those last minute purchases. 
• 41. Lines at good / popular food joints may seem long but they move fairly fast. It's worth the wait. 
• 42. Check the working hours of places you tend to visit – you might get there and be surprised how late the openings and how early the closing times could be.
• 43. If travelling in a group of, say, 4 people. It's OK to split up and explore / do activities each to their own interests and to avoid waiting for each other.

Mixed Details

• 44. Yes – Japan has great transit system. But I strongly advice not to stay too far away from your desired locations. My favorite staying location is Kanda area. Having option to wake up and explore Akihabara+Kanda by foot was a great plus. 
• 45. Do not believe a narrative of "every food place in Japan is awesome, just go with the flow!" Wrong. Check Tablelog reviews on top of Google before going to any food place. I advise to do this mostly and maybe sometimes try some places blindly to add that fun exploring factor
• 46. For internet connection, I used Saily. It worked great except for the summit of Fushimi Inari Taisha. 
• 47. Carry an umbrella always. It might rain one time during your whole trip but it'll be at the worst time. 
• 48. I used a small waist bag which was super convenient for wallet/passport/coins/random stuff. Small backpack for powerbank, jacket, possible goods bought on the way. 
• 49. Do you plan to visit lots of temples and shrines? Look into goshuin. It's an amazing experience to collect them and have it as a souvenier later. But – don't overcommit to hunting goshuin or eki stamps, it might eat up your time. Goshuin are essy to find in temples or shrines. Eki stamps are sometimes easy, sometimes weird to find at train stations or museums. 
• 50. This is my last and the most important advice: choose your travel buddies very, very, very carefully. They might be fine at your everyday interactions, but can bring a major negative effect on this wonderful trip.