If you are thinking about going to Japan… I have a few thoughts for you.

First, GO.

Why?

• The people are amazingly generous
• It feels completely foreign (at first), but is extremely safe
• Its amazingly clean
• It’s an amazing juxtaposition of history and modernity
• The food is spectacular, especially if you like sushi or have an adventurous palate

Things to know

• The JR Pass was an awesome value. I got the green car (first class) which was nice for the long trips, but probably wasn’t really needed.
• Learn some Japanese. People speak english plenty of places, but there were many times where a few more words and phrases would have made the connections with Japanese people far easier, and would have therefore made the trip more rewarding.
• Plan to carry cash — cards worked a lot of places (specifically hotels and sushi places), but cash was king in Japan. I went through about 70,000 yen in 2 weeks on food, drinks, some hotels (20,000).
• My cell phone worked great the entire trip. I have Verizon and I used Global Pass.
• Get lost – I used Google Maps a lot, but wish I had just gotten lost and figured things out more often
• Reservations are more common than in the US. Many places require them for lunch and dinner, and they need to be made in advance via phone (most of the time)

If I think of more, I will update this page.

Summary

1. The best part of the trip was getting to spend time with two good friends
2. Amazing food and drinks are everywhere
3. I needed more time. Much more time.
4. You must experience the service and hospitality of a ryokan if you go to Japan
5. Making new friends is easy in hostels and Omoide Yokocho (Tokyo Piss Alley)

If you have questions about the trip, feel free to post a comment and I will do my best to answer.