Over the past few days, I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about travelling to Japan. I thought it would be a great idea to share a couple of tips based on our experience planning for the Japan trip. Our’s was a last minute plan but trust me we did all what we wanted to do within a budget of 1900$. Unbelievable right? But that’s the truth. No country is expensive if you know how to manage your expense. Bingo!
Here are few tips which would make your Japan exploration smooth and fun:
- Apply for the Japanese visa– It’s a very easy process and doesn’t take much time unlike other countries. Being an Indian, I had to pay only $7 to get the visa and guess what it just took 3 working days! There are many nationalities who get visa FOC. No complications as long as you submit all necessary documents. You don’t need the help of any travel agent as long as you know to fill the forms correctly.
- Get a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) to travel around Japan- It is very much essential to get a JR pass if you are planning to visit multiple city in Japan. It is pricey but definitely worth it. A 7-day JR Pass cost is roughly the same as a round trip ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka i.e, 265$. They are magic passes available only to foreigners. The trick is that you need to order it before you get to Japan as they will mail you the documents on postal which you will need to furnish to pick up the pass when you get to Japan. The luxury of waving your pass and hopping onto a shinkansen (bullet train) is exhilarating. No seat bookings required!
- Download an offline map – Renting a pocket Wi-Fi makes life easier but we love to do it the hard way. There are a lot of offline maps & Travel Navigators which you can download from the app store. One of the best offline app that we always use is the MAPS.ME which works efficiently.
- Don’t carry any basic toiletries– Even if you are planning to stay in a hostel in Japan, the basic toiletries will be provided. So save some room for souvenirs in your luggage than carrying unwanted stuff. This is not the case if you are travelling to USA or Europe!
That’s it for now.
I will be back with detailed posts (including tips to cut cost) on our recent adventure in Japan. Have a nice day!
A thousand miles together 