Japan is a wonderful country, and wonderful are its inhabitants and their love of nature and age-old traditions.
Wherever you go, you will find that organisation is the keyword.
To make them proud of us, it is good to be prepared on certain aspects before we can finally take the long-awaited flight:
Healthcare in Japan is private, which means that our Italian health card has no value.
To travel safely, and to cover any medical expenses, we recommend using an insurance company.
We, for example, bought the Coverwise travel policy online. You can choose between:
Cancellation of the trip is optional.
We chose the “medical + baggage” option with cancellation and spent € 100 each.
Unless you only plan to stay in one city, you can’t miss the Japan Rail Pass: an indispensable season ticket for Japan Railways trains (shinkansen included).
Once purchased online, a voucher will arrive by mail to be converted into the actual pass at the airport upon arrival.
At Tokyo Haneda airport, the “JR east travel service centre” office is in terminal 3, where international planes usually land (it is open from 06:55 to 20:00).
Our pass, valid for 14 days, cost € 339 each.
What it does not include: the metro, Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen lines.
How it works: just insert it at the station gates. Be careful not to lose it: you cannot get a copy!
The pass must be converted into a ticket within 3 months of issue.
For the metro, we suggest you buy a Suica card on site (or add it to your Iphone Wallet): you charge it as much as you want and each time you use it, the cost of the route is deducted.
To stay connected while traveling around cities (be prepared to use Google Maps more on this trip than you have in your entire life), it’s a good idea to purchase an international eSIM. We purchased one from Holafly.
You purchase and install it before your trip and activate it upon arrival at your destination. This way, you can also use your Holafly Internet connection data to make calls and send messages via WhatsApp. Your network will still be active for making emergency calls (remember to disable roaming!). Cost: approximately €35 per person for 14 days.
Alternatively, you can purchase pocket Wi-Fi: a portable modem that can connect up to 5 devices.
You can book online and pick it up directly at the office at the airport. At Tokyo Haneda Airport, the “Global WiFi – Ninja WiFi” office is located in Terminal 3, Arrivals Hall, 2nd floor. We recommend bringing a power bank, as the Wi-Fi modem may not always last until the end of the day. Cost: €70 for 14 days.
Not all shops accept credit cards. It’s good to leave with a bunch of Yen ready to use!
You don’t need a large amount of money; you can always change them on the spot at any ATM.
300€ (which is equivalent to about 49,000 Yen) is more than enough.
Here is a list of the apps we used most frequently:
We departed from Venice and had a stopover in Frankfurt, finally landing at Haneda Airport (Tokyo).
Flight duration, including the 2.30-hour layover, is around between 17 and 18 hours total, which passes fairly quickly between meals and movies.
We flew outbound with the Japanese airline Nippon Airways (super recommended) and on the return with Lufthansa.
From December 2024, ANA airline will operate the direct Milan Malpensa – Tokyo Haneda route. The flight duration is approximately 12 hours.
Don’t be alarmed by those who say that people in Japan don’t speak English!
Times have changed and now everywhere they understand essential phrases. You will see that in order to help you they will be the first to pick up a translator to give you the necessary directions and in many cases even accompany you in person to the desired place!
The directions are almost everywhere in dual Japanese/English languages.
Japan is in the UTC +9 time zone. There is no daylight saving time, so the time zone remains constant.
This means that it is 8 hours ahead when Italy is on standard time
To enter Japan, you must have a valid passport.
One last tip: if, like us, you’re traveling with a backpack, buy some vacuum bags to compress your clothes (like these) before you leave. You won’t regret all the space you’ll save for clothes and souvenirs to buy on site!
The last thing to keep in mind, for which you will never be quite ready, is “Japan sickness” on return.
Once visited, this country will be missed … And it will terribly!
You will miss the kindness of the people, always ready to offer a bow and a smile; the food, tasty but light; the tireless elders, who, even if they are tired, do not give up their work with dedication; the profound sense of respect, order and cleanliness that you can breathe everywhere; the love of nature, which they demonstrate by supporting each tree branch with ingenious ropes so that it grows as harmoniously as possible; art as a way of life, performing each action with absolute mastery, as if it were a masterpiece.
Be prepared, because once you return, you will have to start saving again to go back as soon as possible!
But back to the present: if you checked all the boxes above–congratulations, you are at a very good place!
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