Tossing trash even an used tissue is impossible in public—you pretty much have toss where you’re staying
No unified public systen exists in Tokyo
Yes, there are young men who are obsessed with looking upskirts
Japanese hopsitality is amazing—even when you’re late—although it’s hard to tell if they’re upset
Causing a scene in a public place doesn’t exist—although if you see another Asian person do it, it’s likely that person is from mainland China
It appears that the most common tourist in Japan is from mainland China
But English is still the common language that one uses
If you do go to a local (aka not tourist friendly) restaurant in Japan, be prepared to be surprised by unexpected unspoken rules of dining and eating
It’s colder than you think in Sapporo in February
Food is truly amazing anywhere, even in the malls
Skiing/snowboarding in Niseko is really amazing due to the fresh powder, but be prepared for below freezing temperatures and low visibility
And amazing, because you have ramen and soak in onsen afterwards!
Read a lot and watch videos about onsens before going to an onsen so you can get accustomed to best practices and Japanese customs—aka nudity, bathing, noise
Tokyo subway stations, especially the central ones like Shinjuku, are super hard to navigate, but even a local is likely to get lost
Not all Japanese know where about all the trendy places, but then again, do the locals know about them in your hometown?
Being expected to take off shoes indoors…is so so great! Mostly because I am Asian and everything is built for that
Japanese-style rooms aren’t too bad even though you’re nearly sleeping on the floor
Why the US doesn’t have bidets everywhere is a mystery
Crime is nonexistent in Japan—it just is
Even if you’re American-born, unlike other Asian countries, the locals can’t tell that you’re American-born, they will assume that you’re a local—very weird to me!
Pocket wifi is the bomb! Better than sim card
But it’s a lie that they work everywhere, because I went through a whole process of where the signal suddenly went out for an hour along the coast of Hokkaido
Eat sashimi as often as possible—it’s so plentiful, high quality, and cheap! (Although I do harbor some guilt about overfishing)
Get the supermarket sushi!
Buy Japanese snacks, but don’t share them with your coworkers (just only a select few), because it’s actually super expensive and…so tasty…do you really want to give $5 to each person in the office?
Eat the cheese tart, because it really is that good
Double check all your addresses for restaurants, because you may go to the wrong location
Use Yahoo maps, not Google maps—as of 2019, Japan is the only country that uses Yahoo maps and the information on Google maps is not that great
Everything is popular in Japan, so reservations and tickets are necessary. For some restaurants, some museums, exhibitions, etc. It’s awful.
Better the hotel concierge, the better they will be in getting you hotel reservations
Bring extra duffel bags (or buy one at Don Quijote) for goodies
Bring your passport so that you can get a tax-free rebate when spending more than $50 USD
So organize your shopping so that you do it all at once
Cash is king
Hot vending machines (for hot drinks) are underrated outside Japan
No paper towels in restrooms, get used to the Dyson air dryers or bring your own hanky/tissues
