FlyerTalk Forums - First time visitor impressions and tips

I just returned from my first trip to Japan this week. What a surprising, wonderful holiday.

Flew J on United, direct from IAH-NRT, so I was very comfortable and barely jet lagged on arrival. Used "points and money" at the Hilton Shinjuku in Tokyo, not the Conrad. Definitely not the best location but the staff was wonderful and arriving to a comfortable bed, good shower and a great breakfast was very nice. Gold status there, so the silly $45 breakfast and $17 wifi charges were waived.

I love the customs at the temples in Tokyo. For ¥100, you stand in front of a large row of drawers with Japanese symbols written on them. Each drawer holds a fortune. Open it and in English and Japanese, that is your fortune. Panicked because I got the worst possible fortune! Basically, nothing will be right in your life, you will lose your money, have no friends, your family won't get along with you, you will lose a job, there are constant blocks in your life, I mean it was so funny yet a little scary. A Japanese woman glanced at it because she saw my expression and she pretty much acted like she was in the presence of a leper and jumped back. Now that was really funny. So I couldn't possibly leave Japan with that fortune and later at the temple, I tried again and got the absolute best possible fortune. So I decided to leave the Yin Yang alone and move on.

A custom I really like is that people pay ¥200 for some incense. It's placed in sand in a large stone or metal bowl and people stand around this deep raised bowl, maybe 4 feet across and fan the smoke toward themselves. Then you draw the smoke toward yourself with your arms and pat the part of your body that needs healing with the smoke. Many patted their head or perhaps an ailing knee. I patted the part that needed healing the most for me. Really lovely ritual. And taking a sip from these fountains with bowls that you pour a bit of the water in your hands and drink from. It was nice and refreshing.

Some Tripadvisor forum members described issues involving a SIM card purchase for my iPad mini. I tried for about an hour almost every place I could think of or see or learn from the information person at Narita to buy a SIM, but that's a no-go. You can rent a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot or rent a phone but I was not interested in those options. I wanted an iPad SIM. I bought one at the camera store in Tokyo. About $38 and I had no problems with 3G everywhere for the 15 days. You must have a Japanese cell phone in order to activate it free so the concierge kindly activated it with her mobile, which saved the $25 activation fee.

The two most valuable tools of my trip were my iPad and the JR pass. I used the iPad constantly because I was traveling alone on-the-fly and needed it for everything from directions to restaurant ideas to hotel bookings etc.

2 nights was plenty for me in Tokyo.

After the initial 2 nights, I had not booked ANYTHING for the next 13 nights.

The perfect advice to buy the JR Pass made travels comfortable and easy.

I booked Sakura Terrace online in Kyoto. There was a good rate of about $85 single occupancy, excluding breakfast. Every evening the guests are allowed a free drink in the bar which was a nice gathering place. However, I should have read up a bit more because staying south of the Kyoto station, Where Sakura Terrace is located, was definitely not the right location. North of the station would have been far preferable. Perhaps 20 feet from the front door was a subway stop, but in Kyoto, there's only one north-south line and one east-west line so the buses I found to be far more convenient. I bought two ¥500 daily bus passes and those were quite useful. English was spoken a little bit by a couple of the staff. The best deal at the hotel involved the public bath downstairs. It was super relaxing at the end of a long day to sit on the little stool and scrub yourself clean and then slip into the dimly lighted large communal (separate gender) warm bath. Delicious. I did not have breakfast there because they served quite early and I'm a late sleeper. However, their dinner was a great deal at 800¥. The nice chef is Turkish and there's a limited menu including yummy chicken kebab which I got with a big salad a couple of the nights.

7-Eleven's are everywhere and are great for cheap snacks or dinners including some salads. sushi, wine and pretty much everything you could want other than fresh fruit and vegetables. While I did not use the 7-11 ATM, it's my understanding that that is the most convenient place for an American debit card. I had taken out a large amount of yen in the Tokyo ATM that I carried that from my trip. I saw a person who was frantically trying to find cash from an ATM and I was glad that I went ahead and did it initially.

Unfortunately, I took a hard fall in the parking lot at the train station one night coming back from Nara where the adorable deer bite your tush (more of a gentle nibble) if you don't feed them deer biscuits fast enough. Rather than follow the orderly Japanese on the sidewalk to get to the red light at the station, I cut through the parking lot. I didn't realize there were little curbs that help the cars stay in line and I tripped over one and fell really hard. Ended up having to go to the (Takeda) hospital, thinking that I broke my ribs. That was quite the cultural adventure. My hotel kindly called ahead to explain that an American was on her way. I was warned on the forums to bring something to do because the wait can be hours long. After a couple of hours, I saw a doctor who spoke passable English and I was able to draw the diagram as requested to explain the issue. iPad came in exceptionally handy here among many other places, by using Google translate from English to Japanese. Turns out they weren't broken ribs, just badly bruised or hairline fracture, so with the extension of three days in Kyoto, I was ready to leave after the week. Something surprised me greatly in Japan which is that medications are extremely regulated. Bufferine is the strongest thing that you can buy across the counter without going to the doctor or hospital for prescription. It's like the United States in terms of controlled substances and painkillers and quite unlike most other countries in the world. Even going to the hospital and explaining that I barely slept for two days and had excruciating pain, begging for a few pain killers, I was given a prescription for "very very strong medication" that I needed to be very careful taking. I went to the pharmacy as directed and the instructions were written in English: only take one with food three times a day. I was a bit nervous that I had something like morphine on my hands so I Googled it... Ibuprofen, for heaven sakes, $13 for a few pills. I hesitated to go to the hospital. I did not have travelers' insurance this trip. I will next time but I did not. Anyway, the whole thing came to a very cheap hundred dollars.

The next night, I wanted to experience staying in a Japanese-style tatami room and with the added bonus of sleeping in accommodations connected to a Buddhist temple. The Buddhist priest was educated at Rice University. I really enjoyed staying at Shunkoin Inn. It had the surprising luxury of a private bathroom and air-conditioning. There is no breakfast served. From 9 to 1030am, there is a talk on Zen Buddhism along with a meditation session. There's also a temple tour guided by the English-speaking Rev. Taka. I think it was 6000¥ plus 500¥ meditation.

A note on the timing of my visit: I intentionally avoided Golden Week, arriving on its last day, May 6. I had heard that the kids had school break but I didn't comprehend what that really meant. At every shrine, temple, outdoor place, there were hordes of so many different uniformed kids on field trips. They were well-behaved but the places were generally packed. The bamboo forest, every major temple in Kyoto, all were packed with other tourists and loads of kids. It definitely affected my ability to enjoy the peaceful temples. I think I needed a few more Zen lessons to block out my surroundings.

Good $10 English speaking tour guide--a night walk in Gion. Very interesting to learn about these women, Giesha (they prefer to be called geiko and maiko) who devote their lives to entertaining men. I didn't realize that they were respected and virtually revered in Kyoto.

Next, lots of trains, ferry, bus, about 5 hours, to get to nirvana. One of the biggest draws for me in my decision to travel to Japan was to stay on Naoshima Island. That was bliss. It used to be a fishing village which was beginning to struggle financially until a famous architect, Ando, created Benesse House hotel and other amazing structures. For contemporary art lovers, this is one of the most unique experiences you'll ever have. There is basically one large, expensive hotel on the island (Benesse), a couple of guesthouses, a funky camping type place called Tsutsuji Lodge, also owned by Benesse right on the sea maybe 500 m down the coast, and a few dormitories. Benesse has four buildings for hotel rooms. I chose the least expensive at about $300 a night for the room only. Benesse's nicer rooms with a better view range from about $600-$1000. Breakfast was $21 Japanese-style and $26 American-style but again, they stop serving around nine something which is too early for me. I splurged one of my two nights at the Benesse Terrace restaurant and got the French tasting menu with one glass of wine for about $120. Delicious and fabulous service, though it was initially rushed. I asked to please slow service between courses, which was done. I would've dined in their Japanese restaurant the following night but they only have two seatings at each restaurant every night, 6 o'clock or 8 o'clock. As I dine comfortably from around 8 o'clock on, I did not choose to eat there at 6 o'clock the second evening. Instead, I had an amazing outdoor grill next door at Tsutsuji, the "dive" owned by Benesse. It was so nice to have a meal that was not rice-based. Lots of vegetables and meat that you grill on a hot sizzling metal plate on each picnic style table. Really delicious.

A Benesse highlight was that hotel guests are able to visit the museum after it is closed to the public at 9 o'clock. So from nine to about 10:30, you are in a fabulously designed building with world-class art, able to leisurely walk in private with a few other hotel guests, sketch, and just appreciate the art in silence. That really was one of my Japanese highlights.

Chichu museum was incredible. I loved the juxtaposition of four major large Monets, all water lilies, juxtaposed against the stark modernism of James Turrell's "light works." Walking up to the Ando-designed building, you stroll through the most beautiful garden imaginable, water lilies floating on ponds, a peaceful riot of colorful lilies and irises, other flowers, just beautiful.

After a couple of pricey nights at Benesse, I decided to try as many Japanese experiences as possible and to stretch myself. So the third night, I stayed in a trailer by the sea at Tsutsuji. That was a first. While it was air-conditioned, I felt claustrophobic and did not like to use the communal toilet. The communal shower was kind of gross and I found it pretty amusing that you put in ¥100 for a 10 minute shower. I decided to rinse off in the sink and take my shower the following day at the Narita Hilton. At Tsutsuji, there are four types of accommodations: Mongolian tents sited in a circle that sleep four which I found hilarious for some reason (those were all fully booked), three trailers and two types of cottages. I wanted the private cottage for ¥9500 but both were booked. The other available cottage had a paper sliding divider and I did not want to risk having loud people on the other side of paper and shows the trailer. ¥5400 for the trailer. About 700¥ breakfast.

I had the "fish pot" for dinner the second night while I stayed at Tsutsuji. 3200¥. Oh my god, that was delicious. You are brought a pot with a little propane flame under it that holds miso soup. It basically is a Japanese-style fondue. You adjust the flame to boiling or simmering, as you wish. I had a fresh little fish, shrimp, fish balls, veggies, and you are supposed to dip those into the miso. Spoon some of the miso and have some soup and use your chopsticks to eat the things that you dunked in it. I was told that you always begin with the fish so that the miso begins to get the seafood flavor from the beginning. At the end of the meal, the miso has been highly flavored with the fish and the vegetables and has thickened so that you put a little rice in it at the end and have this heavily sauced miso rice. A really unique and delicious meal.

There is very limited transportation on the island. I ran out of time and did not get to rent a bicycle but if I ever returned I would definitely do that. Bicycle rentals are near the port. Benesse runs a free bus among all the Museums and the port. That's where you are picked up you as you arrive from the ferry from the mainland at Uno. There is one taxi on the entire island, a nine person vehicle. That's it.

I decided to book my final night in the town of Narita rather than staying in Tokyo. I took the Shinkansen and then N'Ex train to Narita airport and the Hilton shuttle picked me up. I actually enjoyed the little town of Narita. I wished that I had not eaten a large breakfast because I wanted to taste the eel that the town is famous for but I just couldn't do it. It was nice having a late check out and getting the hotel shuttle to the airport which took about 15 minutes. Here, while breakfast was included, it was just so-so.

Getting back from Naoshima to Tokyo was a huge trek. Local trains, ferry, bus, shinkansen. I think it took me about nine hours. If you start very early, there are easier, faster connections. But staying on the island was well worth the effort it took to visit it.

Some general impressions: I've found that the overriding difference between Japanese and Americans was that they value the community first and we value the individual first. That value system permeates every aspect of their lives. Or at least their public lives. The jam-packed subways in Tokyo were virtually silent. People speak and laugh quietly in the crowds. People are not physically demonstrative. There's no ringing cell phone on public transport. If you care to talk above more than basically a whisper, you stand between the cars and do so. The few times that there was a loud person, you could see the subtle disapproving glances and raised eyebrows of other Japanese commuters. There just seems to be a great emphasis placed on the smooth running of society and not disturbing others rather than each person doing what he or she wanted. Even the most common man drinking a beer on the street, one of the few visibly homeless people perhaps, used the proper metal recycling bin that you see everywhere. People don't honk their horns or audibly curse other drivers. Everyone waits in line, stands in a certain place, follows the queue according to lines painted on the concrete, it's all very, very rules-oriented. There's no such thing as crowding around the door to get in, you wait in line quietly and patiently.

I have never traveled anywhere where people are more helpful. I'm almost always lost and I'm either looking at the map on iPad or the paper map. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I don't think I ever looked at it for more than 15 seconds without someone coming up to assist me. While they generally spoke no English, the maps are printed in both Japanese and English alphabets, so the person was able to generally assist me. Often, it wasn't enough to try to just point or tell me where I should be heading, but more often than not, the person would insist on walking me at least part of the way there to make sure that I am okay. I really have never seen anything like this in all of my travels over 30 something years.

Apologies are a big part of Japanese life. If there is anything wrong at a hotel or anywhere, if you mention it, the person apologizes so profusely that you really regret saying a word. If you're asked how something is, and you say that it was lovely or delicious or so pleasurable, you will receive many expressions of gratitude about that. It was amazing watching the ticket checkers on the Shinkansen go to the end of the car after they checked people's tickets, look in our direction, arms at his side and deeply bowing and then rising up and walking to the next car. I was shocked on the crowded Tokyo subway to see a standing woman placed her purse on the rack above the seated person in front of her. The train was crowded and she wanted to place it there so as not to disturb the person near her by hitting them with her purse. Imagine how long that would last in much of America or Europe, purses placed on the rack or someone could grab it and run out of the train. The Japanese were polite, helpful, efficient, kind. I had hesitated taking this trip because I was afraid I couldn't navigate and the culture seemed so, well, foreign. In fact, it was one of the easiest travels I've ever had, one of the most unique, and I hope to return one day.