AlwaysAisle

Most common taxi is mid size car and can carry up to four passengers, three on a back seat and one on a front seat next to a driver. There are compact car taxi also but same four passengers maximum, three on a back seat and one on a front seat next to the driver. In your case likely a driver will ask a person to sit on a front seat next to a driver to be an adult.

evergrn

I needed tissues that came in small pocket-size packs.
Couldn't find this for either Kleenex or freecia's Nepia Celeb at the drugstore I went to 2 days ago.
There were 3 different kinds available... all Japanese. I got the one by Elieru called "Hada ururu" "+ Water." The package said it had special moisturizing property and that one would instantly feel the difference. Complete baloney. Another disappointing Japanese tissue. I should've brought a pack of Kleenex from US, but I forgot again.

LapLap

On the other hand...
Despite my own dislike for Japanese tissues, we always end up with a bunch of pocket size packets.
Packet size and shape is a little wider but considerably flatter than the bulky personal packs sold in Europe, makes it much more convenient and comfortable to carry around in a pocket.
Gave some out to children with sniffly noses this morning. None of them minded and it did the job. They’re more impressed with a cute packet design and don’t seem to have the capacity to blow a hole through the paper like a snotty adult can.
Handy to have on you when you are out and about and risk needing to use a toilet without lavatory paper (I find them invaluable in Spain). The paper having less “integrity” than Kleenex or Tempo is a real plus in this instance as I want it to break down quickly in the sewers.

Since not finding lavatory paper is rather common in Japanese public conveniences, I’d suggest not forfeiting free packets of tissue. They have their uses.

Pro tip for first time visitors to Japan is, as well as some tissue, to take around a little soap as this is even more likely to be missing from a public rest room than lavatory paper. Either in a small “Purell” type dispenser or as a flatish pack of soap leaves. No anti-bacterial sanitiser exists that beats soap and water.

JFSV

Hi,

I have read the entire thread - lots of good stuff here!

Quick/easy question I am sure for those of you experienced travellers in Japan. In relation to the luggage-forwarding service, is it required (or advised) to give a heads up to the receiving hotel that you (the future guest) will be sending your bags their way? Or do receiving hotels simply check, on their own, the names of the bags' owners against their upcoming guests?

Thanks.

LapLap

I don’t remember ever making a point of telling a hotel in Japan that I was sending luggage to them, but may have mentioned it in emails I was already sending. It’s certainly not necessary.

What you might like to do is include your hotel reservation code on the takkyubin paper work. It would be difficult to fit it in the small box where your name goes, but there will be a larger space on the form to describe what you are sending. Personally speaking, I do generally add the reservation code as well as the check in date.

jib71

I think it's a good idea to notify hotels if you're sending luggage ahead - particularly since I've recently heard that some budget hotels won't store luggage. If you send luggage from one hotel to another, the reception staff at the first hotel typically make a telephone call to verify the address and notify the hotel that they're sending the luggage to.

ksandness

I'm one of those people who doesn't travel without reservations, so if I forward my luggage to a hotel where I have a reservation, they've always been smart enough to figure out the situation, and many times, the bag is already in my room when I check in.

JFSV

freecia

atadistance.net pointed out that Google changed from Zenrin maps to their own in-house map data in Japan
https://atadistance.net/2019/03/22/g...down-in-japan/

It has a some issues based on the screenshots... It might be good to check satellite view for more "off the beaten path" locations to make sure roads are accessible and allow some extra time before reservations and important appointments. English speakers can also spot check maps by entering the zip code on Yahoo JP maps like 100-8111 https://map.yahoo.co.jp/maps?p=%E3%8...gs&zip=1020094 or copy paste the JP address in.

fandi

Hello All,
I try to book in advance tickets for Tokyo View but they don't have the option to buy the ticket for the Rooftop Sky Deck
https://art-view.roppongihills.com/en/info/
What website I can buy the tickets for Tokyo View + Rooftop Sky Deck?
Thanks.
PS; I see that Google offers buying tickets thru them but I'm not sure how that works.

raymintokyo

Thanks for all this info! Great help.
What are some of the cheapest local sim cards? Looking just for data, no need for calls.

LapLap

SIM card information seems to change all the time, what was useful on one visit might be redundant on the next.
There is a dedicated thread on this subject here

Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)

K7Beach

Thanks for this thread, very helpful. I just have a few questions so I can make sure I have my understanding correct:

1. If we will be in Tokyo for 7 days and using the train as our primary mode of transport then its we need is a seven day JR Pass, correct?
2. If we are looking to do a 24 or 48 hour trip to Kyoto and we wanted to take the Shinkansen (Nozomi Line) then we should book that separately as it is not covered by the JR Pass, correct?
3. Must the Shinkansen tickets be purchased each way? I did not notice a Round trip option?
4. With the JR Pass and the Shinkansen tickets to Kyoto, should that pretty much cover our needs for train and high speed rail transport while in Tokyo and Kyoto, respectively?

Thank you!

mnbp

There are many types of JR rail passes. Generally speaking, a JR pass saves money if you take long distance trains nearly each day of the pass's validity. That's a general statement, you'd have to run the numbers to see if a pass saves money for your planned travel.

For the trip you generally described, a single round trip long distance journey Tokyo to Kyoto, with most travel within Tokyo or Kyoto, a Suica (or similar IC card) would be perfect. Here's a web page describing these stored value cards: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

With a Suica (or similar) stored value card, you very simply pay for each journey you take - no more, and no less. Simple to use - just tap in / tap out, and use a machine to add money to the card when you run low.

Then, for a longer journey on Shinkansen, just buy a ticket when you are ready to travel. You might end up paying a bit more, or you might well end up saving money if it turns out your plans change and you are unable to utilize a pass to its maximum value.

K7Beach