7 Things to Know Before Visiting Japan (First Time Visitors)

If you want to go to Japan or are in the stages of planning a trip, there are a few things you may want to know before arriving in the country. There are seven things that I think any first time visitor would want to know, which I have covered in this video. Japan is an amazing country with so much to offer. It's public transportation is phenomenal and the people are very respectful and law-abiding. If you are planning a trip to arrive during cherry blossom season, just know that it is very crowded and the cherry blossoms are hard to predict. If you aren't a fan of crowds, you might want to go in the off-season. For solo travelers: I think you need to be fairly brave to navigate the cities of Japan on your own. Terminals are crowded and can be confusing. However, there were always people I could ask questions. I often didn't get a clear answer, since it was in broken English, but I could generally follow their hand gestures and arrive at my destination. OR, find another attendant that spoke more clearly! That's one thing I can say about Japan....they had plenty of personnel on hand. Also, many signs were in both English and Japanese. Many times if people didn't speak English, they would find someone that did. I usually like to figure things out on my own, but in Japan, I had to find assistance more often than not at restaurants, hotels and train stations. For senior travelers: You need to consider your physical limitations and plan accordingly. I stretched my abilities with over 20,000 steps and numerous flights of stairs on many back-to-back days. It might have been smarter to see less or extend the vacation longer, so I could see sites at a more casual pace. The historical sites, mainly the temples and shrines, almost all have stairs, elevations, narrow hallways, low ceilings and other hinderances. If you have limited mobility, investigate the destination first, before you arrive. Of course, there is always an easy and a hard way of doing things, but sometimes the easy way (such as a guided tour) costs more money. Just consider your abilities while making plans and give yourself time to rest. If I had a do-over I would have plann at least one day of rest. ‪@seniorsolotravel‬ Senior Solo Travel Facebook Group:   / 443309331791413   Japan Videos: 7 Things to Know Before Visiting Japan:    • 7 Things to Know Before Visiting Japan (Fi...   Tokyo Japan:    • Senior Solo Travel Tokyo, Japan: 6 days in...   Ghibli Museum Day Trip:    • Ghibli Museum Day Trip from Tokyo (with Ed...   Mt Fuji and Hakone:    • Mt Fuji and Hakone Day Trip:  Sunrise Tour...   Tokyo DisneySea:    • Tokyo DisneySea 2024: One-day touring plan   Kanazawa-Matsusaki Ryokan:    • Matsusaki Ryokan:  Kanazawa, Japan (2-nigh...   Kyoto:    • Kyoto, Japan: Senior Solo Travel (10 Thing...   Hiroshima:    • Hiroshima & Miyajima: Day trip from Kyoto ...   Osaka:    • 5 Things to Do in Osaka, Japan: 5 Best Pla...   Korea Videos: 8 Things to Know Before Visiting South Korea:    • 8 Things to Know before Visiting South Kor...   Seoul Part 1:    • Seoul, Korea:  Senior Solo Travel ( 7 Thin...   Seoul Part 2:    • Seoul, South Korea: Senior Solo Travel (17...   DMZ:    • DMZ Tour- Senior Solo Travel:  (Full-day S...   Gyeongju:    • Gyeongju, South Korea Senior Solo Travel :...   Busan:    • Busan, South Korea: Senior Solo Travel, 6 ...   Jeju Island:    • Jeju Island:  Tips & 15 Things to Do, Seni...