Before visiting Japan, I'd heard so many wonderful things about the country and couldn't wait to dive headfirst into all it offered.
When my partner and I visited for the first time in April 2024, the food, the nature, the bustling cities, the bullet trains and the lovely people blew away us.
We also had the happy surprise of being there for Sakura (cherry blossom) season due to it being delayed a few weeks because of unusually cold weather.
While Japan was everything I hoped for and more, there were a few things that took me by surprise. While you won't struggle to find amazing things to do in Japan, these were some unique things I wish I'd known before travelling there.
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It's not cheap — but you can absolutely do it on a budget.
People often think of Asia as a cheap travel destination but compared to other Asian country I've visited, Japan is certainly on the pricier side. But the good news is you definitely can do it on a budget!
Accommodation is generally expensive in Japan, but if you're willing to try something a bit different, capsule hotels can cost as little as $30 per night, per person, and are a fun experience to have.
Eating in Japan on a budget is not an issue. A bowl of ramen costs $10 on average, and of course the 7-Eleven's in Japan are well known for their delicious and very inexpensive food.
If you're planning on taking a lot of bullet trains to go on day trips and get in between cities, you'll save money by getting the Japan Rail Pass. With their recent price hike, they're not cheap anymore, but they will ultimately save you a lot if you're planning on using it enough.
I would recommend using the Japan Rail Fair Calculator to compare what the cost of your planned trips would be with and without a Rail Pass, to determine if it's worth it for you.
If you aren't interested in taking bullet trains, then buses are also a much cheaper, albeit slower, option.
You can't eat in public.
This is something I'd read about before coming, but you can't consume food or drinks in the street in Japan. In other countries I'd say it's quite normal as a tourist to buy something to snack on or drink while you walk around the streets but in Japan, this is a big no-no.
It is considered rude and impolite, and it's important you respect this. It can be hard when you buy an ice cream or a chicken skewer and want to eat it right away, so my recommendation would be to stand just outside the store and eat it there before heading back out.
There are definitely a few touristy food market streets where it is acceptable but apart from that, avoid eating and drinking in public (water seemed to be fine, though!)
There are hardly any bins.
In Japan it is almost impossible to find a bin on the streets, but their cities are also incredibly clean so I was baffled about what people did with their rubbish.
We quickly figured out that you just have to wait until you get back to your accommodation so we often came back from a day out with our rubbish tucked away in our backpack.
Because of this, I would recommend bringing a tote or backpack along with you on your days out in Japan.
Public transport can be confusing, unless you know how to navigate it.
As soon as you get to Japan you should get a Welcome Suica card at the airport. This is the card that can be used all over Japan for local transport, excluding the bullet trains, and can also be used to purchase things from the supermarket. You can top them up anytime at any train station.
One ticket gets you one trip on one form of transport. This is compared to some other cities where a ticket lasts for a certain amount of time on any form of transport. When we were in Tokyo we had to buy separate bus tickets and train tickets. This meant our 10-minute bus trip to the train station each morning cost us around $2AUD and then we had to buy a new separate ticket for the train for another $2AUD.
When you're taking a handful of trains every day it can add up, so just be prepared for this!
Avoid catching public transport at commuter time.
On the topic of public transport, I would highly recommend avoiding catching it during commuter hours (approximately 7.30am-9am and 4.30pm-6.30pm).
Especially in Tokyo, the trains and buses are incredibly busy at these times (see this video of a man whose job it is to squeeze people in the train carriages). It is still normally quite busy the rest of the time as well but nowhere near as bad as commuter time.
If you're someone who is claustrophobic or likes their personal space I would suggest you choose an alternative option if you must travel during commuter hours.
There are electric bikes you can hire but they're not obvious.
Speaking of alternative transport options, electric bikes are a great way to get around cities in Japan. The only thing about them is they're not just scattered around the place like in other cities, they have special pods where they are stored which are often quite tucked away.
After some research, we discovered the app LUUP which has little pods around the place where their bikes and scooters are parked. Their app is available in English and all you need to do is upload your ID to prove you are over 16 and take a road rules quiz before they'll let you rent the bikes and scooters.
LUUP currently has bikes and scooters in Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nagoya. Use the app to find the nearest pod and pick up a bike or scooter for the day or even just for an hour or two.
It costs around $2AUD for every half hour but we searched for discount codes online and found one that got us the first three 30-minute rides for free so we never paid a cent! Once you're done you can either drop it back off at the same pod you collected it from or find the closest one to where you are.
You can collect stamps from train stations (and I highly recommend doing so).
Such a fun thing we discovered in Japan was that every train station has its own unique stamp you can collect. When I say stamp, I don't mean postage stamp, but rather an ink stamp. Bring a little notebook around with you and you can collect these as mementos of your travels.
At each train station simply ask a staff member "Sumimasen, eki stampu?" and you'll be directed to the little stamp booth that features in each station. It was such a small and simple thing but was genuinely really fun to do. If you have kids, I would highly recommend doing it with them. The artwork featured on the stamps was just incredible too!
Embrace the heated seats.
A fun surprise that I didn't expect was that so many toilets and train seats in Japan were heated. We visited in April, which is spring in Japan, and it was honestly quite cold while we were there.
Heated seats were a pleasant surprise when on the way home on a bullet train from a cold destination or going for a quick bathroom dash in the middle of the night.
Toilets in Japan are a novel experience in themselves due to all the bidet buttons and features, but heated seats were a fun bonus to the already exciting novelty of their toilets.
Jaywalking is a big no-no.
Jaywalking is definitely a no-go in Japan. Even if there's no traffic you have to wait until the crossing man goes green! As an avid jaywalker, this was a hard thing to remember at times.
Another thing about crossing the roads in Japan is that their crossings don't make noise when it's time to cross. I did later discover that this is not unique to Japan but as an Australian, it was the first time I had experienced it. A select few crossings had a button you could press for noise as an accessibility feature, but it wasn't common.
If you're planning a trip to Japan, you'll have an incredible time. It truly is a country that has something for everyone.
I loved Japan, especially the random, sometimes kooky experiences you'll come across.
I can't wait to go back.
Feature Image: Supplied.
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