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🇯🇵
ENTRY No. 010 · FIRST LOGGED 2022

🇯🇵 Japan

Asia
Precision meets poetry.

Why it's worth the airfare

  • Kyoto's temples
  • Tokyo's many wards
  • The Japanese Alps

🧭 Cities & regions

Tap a city to drill in. Each fills out with journals & photos as I add them.

General tips

Transport
  • Tokyo trains stop around midnight — plan the last ride.
  • Rush hour is brutal 7–9am & 5–7pm on weekdays.
  • Use Yamato to forward luggage hotel-to-hotel instead of lugging it.
  • Buy the KIX express train ticket on Klook and collect at the desk.
Etiquette
  • Don't walk and eat; don't tip; don't talk loudly on trains.
  • After your meal they bring a check — pay at the front register.
  • Put cash in the little tray, not into the cashier's hand.
Money & misc
  • Carry a coin pouch — cash still rules, though cards are spreading.
  • Exchange about $500–$700 to have on arrival; get an eSIM (~$35/15 days).
  • Carry your passport for tax-free shopping (sealed bag if you spend over ¥5,500).
  • No paper towels in public restrooms — bring tissues and a hand towel.

📱 Apps & services

  • Tabelogbetter than Google Maps for food — the local Yelp
  • Papagobeats Google Translate for Japanese & Korean
  • Suicareloadable transit card — add it to Apple Wallet
  • Visit Japan Webfill the immigration form before you land and skip the airport queue
  • Japan Wi-Fi Auto-connectfree hotspot connector around the country

Journals from Japan

No journals from Japan yet — this fills in automatically the moment I publish one tagged to Japan.