To get the most out of Japan a spirit of adventure and a willingness to give things a try – whether that be fermented squid for breakfast, or getting help programming a car satellite navigation system using only hand signals! However, the effort you put in will be rewarded many times over. Here are a few handy tips:

Travel

Getting around is much easier than you might imagine. At airports, stations and most ‘visitor’ locations there are signs in English. If you feel it will be a problem, we can arrange meet and greet services or for a guide to assist you.

Flight time from the UK to Japan is approximately 12 hours. Tokyo’s Narita airport, Osaka’s Itami airport for Kyoto and New Chitose airport for Sapporo are some distance from their city centres. This needs to be allowed for in any itinerary planning.

Food

The food is sensational and in most cases, particularly outside the cities, very affordable. Your hotel will normally include breakfast and there will be a choice of Japanese (miso soup, rice, steamed fish, pickles and Japanese tea) or Western food (scrambled eggs, sausages, mini croissants and coffee). Most hotels will have both Japanese and Western restaurants for the evening.

Other options include beautiful Chinese food (not quite the same as British Chinese food) and French cuisine, which is considered sophisticated and is given a local twist by using local milk, cheese and beef.

Accommodation

Hotel rooms in the cities and resorts are as you would expect from a standard 3 star hotel. Rooms can be on the small side and usually have a TV and fridge (sometimes with free drinks!).

Hotel bathrooms tend to be fairly basic, even in 5 star hotels, and often have what is called a ‘unit’ bathroom – a bathroom pod that is a standard hotel room fitting. More luxurious bathing takes place in the onsen.

Onsen are a central part of Japanese life. These are baths of mineral hot spring water where, after a thorough scrub, you soak and relax. Onsen are (normally) single sex and naked

Most beds are singles and very few rooms have double beds. For the purist, try a tatami room (matted floor, with little furniture and futon for sleeping on).