Tokyo Autumn

Autumn can be a great time to visit Japan. While summer has a lot to offer, it really can be miserable because of the weather. June traditionally is the time of the rainy season, August is very hot and humid, and August and September are prone to typhoons.

So where does good autumn come in? Well, if you don’t mind a gamble, late September can be very nice IF the typhoon season is over. Otherwise October and even November are a good choice. Just keep in mind nothing is 100%. When I planned my first trip here, I planned it for October as typhoon season is usually over by then. However, that year one last typhoon decided to come, so days 2-4 of our 17 day trip were very windy and rainy! That didn’t keep us from seeing what we wanted, though!

While there aren’t many matsuri at this time, there are a couple large fireworks festivals outside of Tokyo. Otherwise, autumn is a great time for scenic sightseeing. If you come when the leaves are changing Japan is very beautiful and the temperature is usually just right. Plus by this time it is no longer humid, which is a huge plus in my opinion!

This time of year is also not a very high tourist-traffic time, so if you don’t like fighting big crowds it’s a good choice; most people are either in school or busy with work! However, that can make it slightly difficult for some to visit at this time, as most people would have to request special vacation time in order to travel during this season. But the lack of crowds and relatively good weather make it worth the trouble!

To better ilustrate, I’ll give a quick rundown of what we did around Tokyo in the autumn. First we visited Kamakura, a city south of Tokyo with five popular temples that are nice to see. The next day we toured around Eastern Tokyo, visiting places like Ueno and Asakusa. Our third day we made another trip out of Tokyo, this time north to another famous temple area called Nikko. The final day and a half we toured around Tokyo some more before we headed out to Nagano Ken. It was a great trip, and besides the initial typhoon weather the skies were almost always clear and temperature very comfortable. We sometimes saw other foreigners, but not nearly as many as one sees in the spring and summer!

Autumn is a time I definitely recommend visiting Japan!!

Waste Bins

Hello everybody! I’ve got a couple entries on the works, and one is on my iphone but I’m not yet exactly sure how to publish it from there!! That’s why I leave the technical stuff to the others in the group!!

Today I thought I would put up a short entry concerning waste bins (or as I normally call them, garbage cans). One aspect people often quickly notice about Japan is its cleanliness. While it is not spotless, there is significantly less trash and garbage laying around. However, the next thing people often notice is the obvious lack of waste bins. It’s not too difficult to find recycle bins for cans and bottles, but to find general trash receptacles can be quite the challenge!

I’ve heard many reasons for the lack, but I won’t list them here. Just know that when you come, expect to have to hold onto any wrappers or unnecessary papers or items for some time. It is not good to throw regular trash in with the recyclable trash (it’s actually a crime to do that, though they don’t enforce that law all too often). If you do have stuff you want to throw away, please just hold onto it until you do find one of the few elusive bins.

While they are few and far in between, they DO exist. They are often in train stations (within the ticket gates, on the actual platform), you can find some in parks, and they are usually in front of conbinis (the Japanese convenience store). If you still can’t find one, just hold onto it until you get back to your accommodation! It can be a minor pain, but it is better than just littering!

Tokyo Summer

One very important factor in planning a trip to Japan is the When. Depending on what time of year you come, your experience will differ greatly due to the weather. Some people don’t think about this too much, but I would encourage everyone to keep it in mind.

Japan has four very distinct seasons, and each has its own weather. Depending on what you plan to do and how you fare in hot or cold, you should plan to come at certain times. Also, prices in hotels and other places are subject to change depending on the time of year, so that’s another thing to keep in mind!

As I write this, Tokyo is in the middle of its hot, humid summer. Personally, I don’t like Japanese summers very much. I much prefer cooler, drier weather, but I know some people who really enjoy it! If you are very sensitive to heat, I wouldn’t recommend visiting in the summer.

However, the majority of Japanese matsuri (festivals) are held in the summer. Japan has literally hundreds of festivals, but the majority are small, local festivals enjoyed by just a few. There are a good number of public festivals, though, that are worth taking the effort to see. If you participate in one you will be able to see people in summer kimono and yukata. If you have the right resources, you can also dress in the traditional Japanese garb. One of my favorite parts of festivals is the food. There are always multiple food booths set up that offer yakisoba, okonomoyaki, baked potatoes, takoyaki, and shaved ice, just to name a few possibilities! Summertime isn’t the only time of year for festivals, but it definitely has the most!

Another reason to visit in the summer is it is the only time you can really see fireworks (hanabi). Fireworks are very popular, so they get their own festivals. They are fun and usually offer an impressive display, but you have to be careful because of the overwhelmingly gigantic crowds of people!!

Finally, Mount Fuji is only open to climb during July and August. During other times of the year you can go partway up Fujisan, but these two months are the only time people are allowed to climb to the summit. I myself have not yet accomplished this impressive feat, but eventually I would like to try! It is an arduous two-day climb, but hundreds of people do it every year.

There are of course other things to do in Japan during the summer, but these are some of the highlights. I don’t much enjoy the humid heat, but many worthwhile activities are offered during summer so think well on it!

iPhone

I’ve been living in Japan for over two years now, and about two days ago I went to renew my phone contract (as they are 2 year contracts here). I use Softbank as my service provider, and it just so happens that Softbank has the monopoly on iPhones in Japan! They are doing a special campaign at the moment (until the end of September, I believe) where if you choose the 8gig iPhone, the phone is free! You pay a monthly plan fee but pay nothing for the phone itself, so I decided to do that.

In case you are interested, if you are in Japan and have a visa that still has at least 15 months before it expires, you are eligible to apply for the iPhone. If you are here on a tourist visa or have less than 15 months left, you cannot get it. It appears that if you decide to pay a lump sum and use a credit card you could pay everything up front and get one, but if you are just taking a vacation here I would greatly discourage doing that!

After we get afpk established, we hope to be able to offer cell phone rentals somehow so people can contact us or others in their party if they get separated. We have to iron out the kinks in that idea, but if there is a way we will do it!

I am still learning much about my new phone (which seems more like a small computer with phone capabilities), but I hope to incorporate it into this blog so hopefully I’ll be able to get some mobile entries and pics up! I also got the Twitter app for the iPhone, so will be able to check twitter more often and reply to you easier! Again, if you want to follow us on Twitter search for Anfipokoka!

The Ryokan

Whoa! Been a bit busy lately! There’s a lot to be done when you are a foreigner trying to start a business! Anee is in Taiwan at the moment, but when she gets back we will start talking to various people about what exactly needs to be done and start taking steps towards making afpk a reality!

Today I want to talk about the ryokan. When you come to Japan, there are many options for accommodation from which you can choose. If you want to play it safe, you can always choose a western-style hotel. The beds and the rooms are usually a tad smaller than what Americans would be used to, but they serve their function!

However, if you want to be more traditional, you can choose a Japanese style ryokan. When I made my first trip to Japan I opted to stay in ryokan, as I wanted the full Japanese experience! Ryokan are very different from western-style hotels, and there are a few rules/expectations you should be aware of before you go.

First, like a hotel, they have check-in and check-out times. You should confirm these with your ryokan. The check-in time is what you should be more aware of when you go, as you may not be able to check in if you are too early. (However, if you arrive early you can almost always check in your luggage and then go exploring to pass the time.) When you make the reservation, they will often ask for your expected arrival time so they can greet you when you arrive. Often the owner and a maid or two will come out to greet you, take your bags, perhaps even offer you some tea; it varies from place to place.

When you enter the ryokan, you will take off your shoes and put on some slippers they provide. These slipper are to be worn on any wooden or tiled floors. However, slip them off before you walk on tatami mats or enter the restroom and bathroom; you should only wear socks or be barefoot on tatami, in the restroom there should be a special pair of bathroom slippers for you to use, and you go barefoot for baths. Depending on the ryokan your shoes will either be kept in a shoe box by the door or they will keep them behind the counter.

Before you are shown to your room, you will often be offered a seat in what would be the equivalent of their lobby. This is where you would likely be offered tea and perhaps a small Japanese sweet. Sometimes the tea you are offered here is called matcha, which is the very bitter green tea used in the tea ceremony. If you get this tea, you will only receive a small amount along with a small sweet on a plate. Sip the tea just a little at a time, and between sips you can have part of the sweet to help lessen the bitter taste of the tea. It is polite to hold the tea with both hands and to drink it all!

When you are shown to your room, your bags will be carried by one of the maids; this is usually the woman who will be in charge of bringing your meals, putting your futon up in the morning and getting it out in the evening, cleaning your room, and helping you if you need anything. Don’t try to help carry your luggage! It might offend them, and sometimes they don’t want guests to handle the luggage within the often narrow hallways. Once in the room (remember to remove your slippers before you walk on the tatami! this is one of the few things for which they will yell at you) she will show you where everything is and then ask if you require anything, and then will leave you alone until it is either meal time or you call for her.

Your room will be in traditional Japanese style, so expect a small, short table with cushions or little legless chairs in the middle of the tatami mat room. There are sometimes also a couple regular chairs, but they generally will not be located in the main part of the room. And there is almost always a tv! Depending on the ryokan your room might have a toilet and or a bath; if it doesn’t, then remember that they are communal (if your room doesn’t have one or both, you will be shown the facilities before you are shown to your room). Also, you will likely find a yukata laid out for each person. A yukata is a casual kimono, consisting of two pieces: the tunic and the belt. If you don’t know how to wear one you can ask the lady in charge of your room and she will happily assist you. Putting the tunic on is easy: just remember the left side goes over the right. It’s the belt that is troublesome!!

Usually the cost of the ryokan includes both breakfast and dinner. Sometimes ryokan have a communal dining room, but usually you are served meals privately in your room. They will ask you at what time you want your meals, and you need to know that they are VERY strict about these times. If you are late, you will lose the meal. Meals need to be served fresh and at a certain temperature. If you miss your meal time you are out of luck, so please be careful! They will often be traditional Japanese meals, so be adventurous and give everything at least a little taste!! When you are finished, put lids back on bowls and try to keep things in the same place they were at the beginning, and your room lady will come to fetch them.

If they have a communal bath, be aware of how to take a Japanese bath. Men and women have separate baths. There will be a changing room, where you take off all your clothes and get a small washcloth. Then you enter the bathroom (no toilets; literally a bath room) and there should be a large bath and little wash stations around the room. DO NOT ENTER THE BATH YET! You must first go to one of the wash stations and wash yourself. Take a little stool, sit on it, and then turn on the water. Use the soap and shampoo, and you can use your washcloth to help lather the soap. Rinse thoroughly so there is no soap left on you, and THEN you may enter the bath. Make sure your washcloth stays out of the water. Soak for a while, then get out, rinse off, and go back to the changing room to dry and get dressed.

Many ryokan have a curfew, so make sure you don’t get locked out by staying out too late! Of course, if you have dinner in your room you should have no worries about this! However, be aware that the curfew also starts the night quiet, so do not make much noise after that time. This is to respect and not disturb other guests. When you go to sleep, you will use a futon. They don’t seem like much, but they can actually be quite comfortable! The pillows might be a little hard, but the futon itself is usually very nice.

At the end of your stay, it is polite to give a tip to either your room maid or the owner (often the room maid, since she took care of you). If you do leave a tip (I’ve read anywhere from 1,000 yen to 10,000 yen), make sure you put the money in a small envelope and hand it to her. It is considered rude to give people money right out of your pocket, so make sure it is in an envelope. It is also polite to leave a small gift from your hometown, be it a postcard, a small pin, or some chocolate; just a little something to say thanks!

If you decide to come to Japan, I highly recommend staying at a ryokan. They are quite different from what Westerners are used to, but it can really enhance your experience of Japan!

Arriving at Narita

Foreword: long post! I give detailed information about arrival procedures and forms you have to fill out in order to enter Japan!!

If you make a trip to Japan, you will almost certainly arrive in Narita International Airport, located about an hour east of Tokyo. When I first came to Japan I didn’t realize it was so far away! But it makes sense, being that Tokyo is a large, crowded city and has no room for an airport! It can be a little overwhelming when you are trying to figure out what to do and where to go since you’ve probably been flying for 10 hours or more, plus the majority of things will be written and spoken in Japanese! So I’d like to give a brief run-through on the arrival procedures of Narita!

First, a little info about Narita Airport. It is composed of 2 terminals (aptly named Terminal 1 and Terminal 2). Which one you end up in is determined by what airline you fly; if you are coming from the Americas or Europe you will likely arrive at Terminal 1, whereas if you fly from Asia or Australia you will likely arrive at Terminal 2, though again it just depends on which airline you use! Just know that you only need to worry about the terminal in which you arrive!

Terminal 1 has five floors, though if you are just going to fly in and go straight to Tokyo you only need to worry about the 1st and 2nd floors. When you arrive, you will start on the 2nd floor where you will first go through quarantine. You should receive a questionnaire sometime during your flight (most likely toward the end) that asks you a few questions about your physical condition. After you exit the plane, follow the signs (or just follow all the other passengers, as everyone HAS to go the same way for quite a while) and you will arrive at the quarantine counter. If all is well, you just hand in your questionnaire and walk through.

A note on in-flight paperwork: Like any paperwork you receive on the flight, you should fill this out before landing; this saves you time and makes work easier for the airport employees. If you get to quarantine or customs without your paperwork filled out completely, they will most likely ask you to get out of line, fill it out, then get back in line. This is a hassle for everyone, so do fill out your paperwork as soon as possible! If you have questions, ask your flight attendant!

Next you will go through passport control. Here, you will need your passport and your disembarkation card, which is another sheet you receive in-flight. This is where many people get confused and have problems. Your disembarkation card will be rectangular in shape, about 9”x3.5” (or about 23cmX9.5cm). There are three parts, divided by perforated lines. DO NOT tear any of the parts off. The smallest part just gives a few instructions, the next size up is the Embarkation Card, and the largest portion is the Disembarkation Card. First, think of Embarkation as getting on a plane, and Disembarkation as getting off a plane. Therefore, the Disembarkation portion will be filled out in reference to the flight on which you are arriving, the Embarkation portion will be answered according to your flight back to your home. It’s best to fill out both portions at the same time so you don’t forget.

On the Disembarkation portion you are asked for the following:

Family Name – this is your last name; write it directly under ‘Family Name’, in the same box!

Given Names – your first and (if you have one) middle names; these, too, will be written directly under ‘Given Names’, in the same box!

Nationality – write this as your passport notes it; for people in the states, USA is all you need to write

Date of Birth – generally in the form of DD/MM/YY

Male or Female – circle either 1 or 2

Home Address – self-explanatory

Address in Japan - THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you don’t fill this out, things can get quite complicated and you might be taken off to the side somewhere for questioning! If you plan on staying in multiple places, just write the address of your first hotel. Before you leave home, you should DEFINITELY write this somewhere handy so you can access it easily!

Passport Number – self-explanatory

Flight Number – look on your boarding pass or ask a flight attendant if you don’t know

Intended Length of Stay in Japan – How many days? If you are here from the 18th until the 25th, write 8 days

Port of Embarkation – This is asking at which airport you got ON the plane you just exited. If you made a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, you would write LAX. If from Houston, you could just write Houston if you don’t know the airport code (which is IAH, if you were wondering)

Purpose of Visit – If you are here on vacation, just write Sightseeing

Signature

Print all your answers clearly in black or blue pen. I would suggest making a note card that you can keep in your passport (or wallet or purse; somewhere easily accessible) that has your address in Japan, the phone number of that address (needed for customs declaration), your passport number, and both your inbound (disembarkation) and outbound (embarkation) flight numbers (clearly distinguished from each other). This would make filling these cards out much easier; just make sure you don’t lose it!!

Your Embarkation Card asks for much less information: your family and given names, nationality, date of birth, flight number, port of disembarkation, and signature. The only part that needs explanation here is the port of disembarkation: you will write which airport you are going TO. So if your home flight is from Narita to Seattle, you would write Seattle or SEA.

For both cards, only write in the bold outlined area! I hope this helps you understand those cards!!

So continuing with arriving in Narita, after quarantine you will head to the passport control counter with your FILLED OUT disembarkation card and passport. Get in one of the lines for foreigners, and just wait until it is your turn. This can sometimes take quite a while, depending on how many people are working and how well other people have filled out their forms, so just be patient! They will take your passport and card, tear off the disembarkation portion and staple the embarkation portion into your passport. DO NOT remove it.

At this point you will then be asked to place your index fingers on little fingerprint readers and press down, and look into a camera for a headshot. These are still relatively new immigration procedures required of all foreigners. It only takes a few seconds, so isn’t much of a hassle.

When you are through, you will then go downstairs to the baggage claim. You should be able to find at which carousel your bags will arrive on your boarding pass; otherwise it will be posted on the signs around the carousels. Wait for your luggage, and when you get it you will most likely just need to head to customs. IF you have plants or animals which you are importing, you will first have to go to Plant and Animal Quarantine. If you aren’t, don’t worry about P&A Quarantine.

At customs, it is likely you will again have to wait in line. Please remain patient! For customs you will need your baggage and another form, Customs Declaration. If you are traveling with family, the good news is you only need to fill one out! This form has two sides; most people need only worry about side A. Again, you need to provide your flight number and point of embarkation (where you got ON the plane). Then it asks for Date of Arrival in Japan, Last name, First and Middle name, and address in Japan and that place’s phone number. Next, nationality and occupation (if you are in college, write Student), date of birth, and passport number. Number of dependents is only for those traveling with family, so if you are filling out your own card don’t worry about that part!

The next section asks if you are bringing any of four groups of items: Prohibited or Restricted articles, goods exceeding duty-free allowance, commercial goods or samples, and items requested from someone else. If you are just sightseeing, the answer to all of these should be No.

Next, it asks if you are bringing in more than ¥1,000,000 in cash, checks, notes, or securities; this is roughly US$10,000. If you are coming for sightseeing, I rather doubt you would have that much money. If you are bringing in that much or more, then you have to fill out another declaration form, but I can’t help you with that! Most people here will check No.

Finally, it asks if you have any unaccompanied articles. Again, if you are here for sightseeing, the answer will be No; you shouldn’t be importing anything if you are here for vacation.

At the bottom, you need to sign. The back of the card, side B, asks for a description of personal effects. Unless you are bringing alcohol, tobacco, or perfume, you only need to list items that are worth more than ¥10,000, which is roughly US$100. Again, if you are just taking a couple weeks of vacation, you likely won’t need to declare anything!

Once you are done with Customs, you will then officially enter Japan and end up in the arrival lobby. Congratulations, you made it!

The only notable difference between the above and the procedure in Terminal 2 is that you have to take a shuttle from the satellite to the main terminal, and Terminal 2 has only four floors; otherwise, everything else is the same!

WHEW! That was a lot to talk about! Hope you find it useful! I will talk about what to do once you get to the arrival lobby later!

The Taste of Japan

Ohisashiburi! Long time no see! Vacation time is over, so I will be working on the blog a lot more now. Two of us from afpk spent the last two weeks going around Tokyo, eating at various restaurants and sight-seeing, so I have quite a bit to share with you all!

I also want to let you all know that we can communicate with you in English, Chinese, Spanish, and German, so if you have a question but would rather communicate in your native language, please do so! I will pass your questions/comments on to the proper person and then post their response. We want to be as accommodating as we can!

One of the things I love the most about Japan (specifically, Tokyo), is the great variety of food you can find. To give you a little perspective, within five minutes from where I live I can choose among Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, or ‘American’ (i.e., McDonald’s) food. Personally, I generally don’t eat from American fast-food chains, but the option is still there; some people really can’t stomach the food here! For those of you who aren’t adventurous with food, know that there are still many options for you: McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Denny’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and quite a few other recognizable names are all here. HOWEVER, I would STRONGLY recommend trying the local flavor!!

As this blog develops, you will be introduced to all the different kinds of foods available, so today I will only cover what I consider some of the basic Japanese foods. First, the most basic of them all (meaning it is known to virtually everybody who has never been to Japan): sushi. Sushi is usually a slice of raw fish on a bit of rice, eaten with some wasabi (like horseradish, but green) and soy sauce (called Shouyu). There are also cooked fish, fried egg, hamburger, fried shrimp, and many other kinds of sushi you can find. I remember that I used to think sushi sounded so unappetizing, but after trying it I really love it! There are certain types I don’t like or won’t eat, but keep in mind most places offer at least 30-40 different kinds, sometimes more, so at least go and have one piece! If you don’t know what to try, I would suggest getting the tuna. Just go and say ‘Maguro o onegaishimasu!’

Another so-called basic food is also one I would guess everyone knows: ramen. I love ramen. Like sushi, there are many different types. You can choose different soups, noodles, and toppings, depending on where you go. I would say the most common types are shouyu, miso, shio, and tonkotsu ramen; that would be soy sauce, bean paste (might not sound too appetizing but is really delicious), salt, and pork stock, consecutively. If you go to a ramen shop and just order ‘Ramen!’ you will probably get the basic shouyu ramen for that shop.

One food I was surprised to find was Japanese curry. I had never associated curry with Japan, but they do have their own kind. It is usually a light or semi-dark brown color with anything from vegetables to fried pork cutlets, all poured over rice. In curry houses, as they are called, you can really customize your curry to your liking: you can usually choose the amount of rice, what toppings you want, and the spicyness of the curry. If you are not accustomed to foreign tastes, I would suggest either the rousu katsu (pork loin) or chiken katsu curry, with either regular spicyness or (if you don’t want any spice) amakuchi (which means sweet mouth; it isn’t sweet or sugary, but rather means it isn’t spicy).

Next, the plethora of donburi (or domburi). Donburi are the various rice bowl dishes. If you have a food that comes in a bowl and has rice on the bottom with some other food on the top, you are most likely eating donburi. The most common, from my experience, is gyudon, which is often translated as beef bowl in English. Donburi are usually inexpensive and tasty, so a good option for the traveler on a budget!

Another popular food is tempura. Tempura is deep fried food eaten with a dipping sauce or over rice (the latter dish is part of the donburi group, and is called tendon; the ‘don’ part is pronounced with a long ‘o’ sound). Tempura is usually made with vegetables and seafood. I would recommend a tempura set that has eggplant (nasu), pumpkin (kabocha), green beans (ingenmame), sweet potato (satsumaimo), lotus root (renkon), and prawns/shrimp (ebi).

The last food I want to introduce today is my personal favorite, shabu-shabu. This is a dish everyone can enjoy. It consists of beef, pork, and vegetables. This food was joked about in the movie Lost in Translation when Bill Murray complains about having to cook your own food at a restaurant. In the middle of your table is a large bowl filled with boiling water or broth. You get plates of raw meat and vegetables, and as you want, you cook each piece of meat and the vegetables, then dip them in one of two sauces, goma (a sesame sauce) or ponzu (a shouyu-like sauce). Both are delicious; I usually dip the meat in the goma sauce while saving the ponzu for the vegetables. The meat cooks in about 10-15 seconds, and the vegetables can be cooked for as long or short as you like. This is a popular food for 90-minute all-you-can-eat (tabehoudai) courses. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Many people who come to Japan don’t think much about trying the different tastes, but the food is also a big part of the whole Japanese experience. Afpk will help you truly savor your meals!

Interlude

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I WILL be adding more entries soon! I’m on vacation for a couple weeks, so haven’t been using the computer much and don’t have much time to be making entries, but I’m getting a LOT of material to blog about! Vacation ends on the 5th of July, so you can expect a lot more after that. Another afpk member and I are checking out a lot of sites in and around Tokyo, so I will have quite a few restaurant and sight-seeing blogs that will be going up soon. In the meantime, if you have questions feel free to ask! We’re always happy to help! And if you have friends who are interested in Tokyo or Japan, direct them to afpk!!

Thanks, and see you soon!

Manners

Japan is VERY different from the United States. Everybody ‘knows’ this, but until you come and really experience it I don’t think that you would really completely understand HOW different. Tokyo is rather Westernized but is able to retain it’s own identity, so you get a very interesting mix of cultures. However, in the end, it is still very Japanese.

One thing you notice here is a certain order. Now, there are of course exceptions and people to whom this doesn’t apply, but by and large Japanese people know and respect rules, laws, and social expectations. For example, when riding the trains, it’s fine to talk at night, but in the morning you will be hard-pressed to find Japanese people chatting it up. Or on escalators in Tokyo, if you want to stand and ride, you stand on the left, whereas the right side of the escalator is for people who want to continue walking (it is the opposite in Osaka; I’ve read that the reason is traced back to samurai!).

There are many manners, I suppose would be the best word for them, that foreigners just wouldn’t know if they’ve never visited. By myself I cannot cover them all, but I would like to review at least some of them here.

So again on the trains. First, if you do want to talk in the morning, it’s best to keep your voices down. No one will say anything if you are too loud, but people don’t appreciate it. Also, when riding if you have any bags or backpacks or anything, don’t wear them on the train. Take backpacks off and hold them, keep bags in front of you, hold purses close to your side or in front of you. These are polite ways to make more room in the train. If you sit, make sure you take up only one person’s amount of space. Again, either hold your bags or you can put them on the rack that is above the seat; you needn’t worry about people snatching your stuff, as pick-pocketing is very rare here (I’ve lost my wallet before to have it returned to me with everything, including money, still inside).

Some of you may have seen videos of Japanese trains being jam-packed, so much so that people are literally shoved inside; well, those videos are true. In the stations they have officials who wear white gloves, and if people can’t get in by their own power, the white-gloved men will come and push you in. This is not a fun experience, as it becomes crushingly crowded and sweltering hot. Trains are not always like that, thank goodness. Usually it is only for the morning rush, so it is recommended to avoid using the trains from about 7-9:30/10:00 in the morning. That seems like a big chunk of time out of your day, but few things are open before 9 or 10, even 11, so no worries!

Enough for now about train manners. Let’s talk a little about walking. First, I would like to say that in my experience, people are often unaware of others when walking. It is very easy to get stuck behind a group of very slow-walking high school students or grandmothers, or on narrow paths behind a zig-zagging woman texting someone on her phone. It can be maddening, but that’s how it is.

In busier, bigger areas, though, there is some visible order for pedestrians. When walking, watch for the general flow and try to keep with it. Usually it follows traffic rules: keep to the left. (It is good to remember that traffic is opposite from the US, especially when checking for cars! So in Japan, look Right, Left, Right) Sometimes the flow is opposite, so just be aware. If you are caught on the wrong side, just make your way over to the correct side when you can.

Many people ride bikes here, so you need to be aware of them when walking. They usually keep an eye out for people walking, so if you hear one approaching don’t try to avoid it; it’s best to keep on your set path and they will avoid you just fine. If you hear a bike and try to step out of the way, you’ll likely get hit. Bikes generally come with a little bell that people sometimes sound as they approach to warn you. If they keep ringing it, then that is usually a signal to please move, but otherwise just keep your course.

Japanese food is delicious, and much of it is easily held in the hand to eat. But it is somewhat of a no-no to walk around while eating. If you buy an onigiri (rice ball) and want to eat it, step off to the side somewhere, take a little rest, and eat. If you have to eat and walk, try to be discreet about it. You will see some Japanese eating and walking, but by and large they will stop to sit and eat. Ice cream is one of the few exceptions, as are taiyaki (fish-shaped pancake-like snack with cream or red bean paste in the middle) and a few other Japanese sweets.

Those are some of the basic manners for Tokyo. I will continue to talk about more in the future, but I don’t want entries to be TOO long!! If you have any questions about acceptable behavior, please ask!

Answering Why

You’ve thought a bit about how to get to Japan, and you now know a little about visas. Now you need to seriously ask yourself: Why do I want to go to Japan?

This may seem like a stupid question, but it is one that I think more people really should answer for themselves. When some people ask me about how to get Japan, the only reason they give for wanting to come is often one of the following: ‘Japan is SO cool!’ ‘Because I love Japan!’ ‘I think anime is AWESOME!’ ‘I love video games!’

True, those reasons are more original than the well-known ‘I’ve always wanted to go,’ but unfortunately, by themselves they are not reason enough to go to Japan! Yes, they can make for good motivation to get here, but if you only come because ‘Japan is SO cool!’ you’re probably going to be a little lost once you arrive!

‘Why’ is very important because it will determine WHAT you do and see in Japan. When I first came, it was purely for sightseeing and getting a first-hand experience of the culture. I did a lot of preparation before I came (though, as you will find out later, it turns out there were areas in which I really lacked preparation!), researching shrines, temples, castles, parks, gardens, famous towns and cities, etc. A friend and I had a 17 day self-guided tour of Southern Honshu (the main island), and it was quite good!

Other people come for the onsen. An onsen is (usually) a natural hot spring (sometimes man-made), and can be either public or private. It would be very similar to a hot-tub. However, they are quite common in Japan, and wonderful. (Once afpk gets off the ground, I hope to offer romantic onsen get-aways!)

There are various other reasons for coming, but I do know of people who come with little idea of why they came, and it can become disastrous. If you are going to take the time and spend the money to come to Japan, clearly knowing WHY is a must. So you like anime? That’s great. But do you know WHERE the best places to go for anime are? You think Japan is cool? So do I! Are you able to find the best places to really immerse yourself in the culture? You don’t want to come and end up missing the places that would really interest and appeal to you. This is another area in which afpk can help you. You tell us what you like, and we can suggest various places to see and things to do! We can also refer you to various places to search!

Japan will be here. While you may be itching to make a trip as soon as possible, don’t jump the gun and make it a mediocre experience. I fully recommend that you take sufficient time to answer this question and properly plan you trip; if you are going to do it, do it right!!