I Heart Japan’s Top Flying Tips

I’m not going to pretend that I’ve been all over the world and logged thousands of hours on airplanes, but I do travel, and I have noticed a few things that always keep coming up time after time.

So here it is, our top travel tips that will make your next flight a little less painful.

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What to Pack for a Fall Trip to Japan

We went to Japan in early to mid November a few years ago. I thought long and hard about our wardrobes and what to pack in order to keep it feeling fresh but pack as few clothes as possible.

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. It was the right combination for the various temperatures and for all the situations we were in.

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Staying at a Ryokan

You’ve probably come across the term ryokan in your travel books or perhaps you’ve had a friend suggest that you stay in one if you visit Japan.

But what is a ryokan? And how the heck do you pronounce it?

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Things We Learnt from our Last Trip to Japan

Whenever you fly into a foreign destination you typically have to learn things in a hurry. This is especially true when you can’t read or understand a word of the language.

Here are 5 quick things we learnt from our two week trip to Japan with hopes that they might save you a few headaches.

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Buying a Cell Phone in Japan

Well, it’s official. We just booked our tickets for our two month stay in Japan next year!

It’s all pretty exciting, but it also means we’ll have to be doing a lot of research for such a long visit.

Since I can work remotely for all of my clients, I can pretty much survive with a laptop and an Internet connection. But staying in touch with a local cell phone is a bigger problem.

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Taking the Train in Japan – Part 3

I know what you’re thinking. When you look at the train map above your pulse starts to quicken; your breath comes in raspy gasps; you feel yourself getting faint. No worries. That’s normal when you look at a Japanese Train map for the first time.

The good news is that with a few simple tips you’ll be purchasing train tickets from a vending machine like a pro.

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Taking the Train in Japan – Part 2

In Part 1 of our complete guide to travel travel in Japan we took a look at the different classes of trains, in Part 2 we’re going to brave the unknown by looking at how to actually purchase your ticket.

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Taking the Train in Japan – Part 1

We’re off the train and back in the office, and as promised, here is our first installment in our complete guide of train travel in Japan.

As I’ve mentioned before, train travel is an extremely efficient way to travel through Japan, and chances are you’re going to be hopping on at least one train in your visit to Japan. But while train travel is efficient, it’s not always going to be easy figuring out how to get from point A to point B. Toss in a foreign language and you have a recipe for confusion.

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The Roads to Sata

I often think that some first time travelers to Japan suffer from a condition of Japan-can-do-no-wrong. When I came back from Japan the first time all doe-eyed and with wonderlust, I certainly felt that Japan was as close to perfection as I could find. For months after I was constantly comparing everything in Canada to the way things went down in Japan. “That worker in Wendy’s didn’t say hello when I entered the store…hmmm.” “These people are not queuing up orderly AT ALL!” “Why is this toilet not shooting water at my bum?”

I had become a Japanophile.

Since I could see the signs of Japanophilia developing, I tried to find more books that covered the other side of the coin. That’s not to say that I went looking for the dark underbelly of Japan, I just wanted a more balanced look at the Japanese culture and people.

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Safety Tips for Travelling to Japan

I woke up this morning to news of another tragic bombing in Jakarta where several tourists lost their lives. It’s a sad reality that travel is no longer as safe as it once was.

When my wife and I planned our first Asian trip, we decided on picking up one of Cathay Airlines All Asian passes, as it would allow us to travel to several Asian destinations. As I sat down with big plans to jump from country to country and enjoy as many cultures as I could – reality gave me wake up call.

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