I didn’t love Japan at first

Many people fall in love with Japan. I didn’t. At least not immediately. I found it challenging. Yet as time passes, and I scroll through my photographs, the challenges fade into the background.

A first time visitor to Japan

As a first-time visitor, I found Japan hard work. Some things just got to me. The stress of being sent to, and waiting in line at, four different counters in Tokyo Station to convert our vouchers into rail tickets. The constant notices and announcements telling me how to behave. The crowds.

Preparing for a trip to Japan

When preparing for my trip, I joined a couple of Facebook Groups where people posted questions, hints and comments about visiting Japan.

Some had prepared spreadsheets of what they planned for each day down to the last minute. Others found they were too late to book tickets for bucket list activities. Many were stressed before they even stepped onto the plane.

What others said about their trip to Japan

One person posted:

“We are a family of four visiting Japan for the first time. We came in a little unprepared for this trip and have paid the price, lesson learnt.

I’m overwhelmed currently, trying to navigate the rail system here, it’s a lot harder than the tube, or the NY subway system that I befriended many years ago, before wife and kids and suitcases!!!”

That comment wasn’t unusual. Many people feel overwhelmed when planning their trip and again when they arrive in Japan. A friend told me “Japan is very pretty but it’s hard work.”

Should I join a tour to Japan?

Of course, if you join a tour, all the thinking is done for you. But tours can be stressful too. Another friend returned from her tour in Japan exhausted. They were on the go from morning to night with no down time.

An Australian that we met in a queue for coffee at Tokyo Station said his tour exhausted him. They hadn’t stopped. He said that he just wasn’t fit enough for all the walking required.

Travelling independently in Japan

If you’re travelling independently, a little pre-planning and research goes a long way. Our trip included a five-day food tour in Tokyo, a 3-day self-guided walk as well as independent travel both in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Naoshima, the Art Island.

I thought I’d done sufficient planning. I’d sorted our itinerary either side of the food tour and the walk. I’d booked our trains and accommodation. I decided to buy Japanese sim cards and a ‘welcome SUICA card’ at the airport.

The SUICA, when loaded with credit, could be used for train and metro trips. I booked a Team Lab experience and baseball game and arranged for a volunteer Greeter in Tokyo and Kyoto. The rest, I decided to play by ear once we arrived.  

Rail travel in Japan

The five-day Tokyo food tour at the beginning of our time in Japan helped orientate us to the city, the Metro system and the huge variety of food. We learnt restaurant etiquette, what – and how – to order and discovered row upon row of delectable food artfully displayed in department store food halls.  

What I didn’t understand is that there are many different train companies and rail passes. When our SUICA card expired towards the end of our trip, I bought a metro pass thinking it would cover us for our last three days. Then, when running late to meet a group for the Sumo Practice session I’d signed up for, my metro pass was rejected at the station.

“The Man” told me that my pass didn’t cover the train lines I needed to use. Rookie mistake. I hastily bought a ticket from the first machine I found. But not all machines are equal. That ticket was also rejected. I hurriedly threw coins into the next machine, which thankfully spat out the ticket I needed.  

I have fond memories of Japan

I found Japan challenging, but the more I reflect on the five weeks I spent there, the more I linger over the positive memories. I recall the people we met, sitting at a bar or at a restaurant counter. The food, especially the kaiseki (multi course) meals – for dinner and breakfast – were was fresh and delicious.

I enjoyed chatting to young Japanese folk who were dressed up in traditional costume for graduation or as part of the Japanese equivalent to our “schoolies,” and think back on how nervous I was the first time I visited an onsen and how communal bathing became normal after a time.  

Those who know me know how I enjoy discovering quirky things.  I sought out colourful manholes and fascinating lamp posts. I took my ever-suffering partner BK on a vending machine hunt finding machines selling all sorts of tat, food and drink.

I recall the feeling of delight as I walked through a snowy winter land on the Nakasendo Trail, finding quiet rooftop gardens in Tokyo, and the ‘Wow’ moment I experienced when saw a Monet artfully displayed in the Chichu Museum on Naoshima Island.

Japan might have its challenges, but it’s a fascinating place. I will be back.