when traveling to Japan

Traveling in Japan can be a great experience. I have had many family members and friends come and visit me over this past year I have come up with some valuable advice I would like to share with all you visitors coming to Japan in order of importance:

1. Bring lots of cash. What ever you think you need double it and bring it in cash. Most places in Japan do not accept credit cards and this usually becomes a problem for my visitors half way through the trip. I know you might feel uncomfortable having large bills in your wallet ( as I first did when I came here) but Japan is such a safe country theft is not a problem. Bring CASH!!

2. If you are staying over 5 days buy a JR railpass. You can buy them at most travel agencies and it will save you a ton of money! Taking the train everywhere quickly adds up and especially if you plan on seeing more than one city you NEED to get a JR railpass. For example, a JR pass is around $200 for a week of unlimited travel anywhere in Japan. If I were to buy a train ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto this would cost around $150 each way. So if you plan to go anywhere in Japan I suggest you get a railpass. How do you get a railpass? You can only buy it in your home country you cannot buy it in Japan so you need to order it 4-6 weeks before you plan on coming so go to your nearest travel agency and pick one up it will save you a fortune ( which is important since Japan is soooo expensive)

3. For packing I suggest packing travel sizes of western medicine that you might need just in case ( Japanese medicine is alot less potent then western medicine I have come to find), always bring an umbrella, women should not pack any clothing that reveal their shoulders (yes even in summer), and finally a good pair of walking shoes since regardless of where you are staying in Japan I promise you will be doing alot of walking.

I hope this helps email me if you have any questions!