We leave in less than a week. We are going with another couple (she was born in Japan and speaks/writes fluent Japanese); all travel arrangements have been made through a TA (for a change); hotels are booked in Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Tokyo; JNR vouchers secured.

We travel abroad a good deal so no "issues" with stuff at home, credit card issuer notification, house/pet sitter, etc.

We are told the Japanese are a "little more formal" and therefore are planning not to wear t-shirts while touring.

We know how much things cost and about the expected weather.

If there is ONE thing you would tell someone going for the first time what would it be?

Thanks very much.

Hi, Dukey -
I hope you enjoy Japan as much as I did! One bit of advice that I got before I traveled there was to take small token gifts - wrapped if possible! - to give to people who were particularly helpful. It is a very giving culture, and I was glad to be able to show my appreciation for their many kindnesses. I was also told to always present the gift with both hands, facing up, one atop the other, while saying thank you and bowing my head slightly. Hope that helps!

> We are told the Japanese are a "little more formal" and therefore are planning not to wear t-shirts while touring.

Sorry, no offence but that's non-sense. Many people there are casual about how to dress. (ok, women might wear lots of make-up and dress carefully). Otherwise everybody wears t-shirt. They just don't want to look dirty & sloppy looking so it is a good idea to dress nice and clean, t-shirt or no t-shirt. If you are t-shirt person, wear it, no problem. If you like dressing well, do so.

Thank you Kja and Kappa for those very helpful responses. They are MUCH appreciated.

Keep your voice down.

plan to keep more yen in your pocket than you would your own money at home. Not because Japan is so expensive but because they are more of a cash society. Have a great time!

Aloha!

Hi

My wife and I went to Japan for the first time a couple of years back and I have posted my impressions and pictures in this trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_tokyo.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

In Tokyo, on escalators keep to the left at all times. If your standing on the right side walk up/down.

Don't miss the Miho Museum outside of Kyoto and Ohara

Once again, thank you for the comments.

We are planning to have plenty of cash-at-hand and the days have been pretty much filled with all the so-called "must sees" at this point.

I wasn't aware of the excalator situation, KMLoke, and would have assumed just the reverse so that is good to know.

When using a cab in Japan, do not open the door yourself. The cab door opens and closes automatically.

Barkinpark,

Thanks very much for that info.

Make sure your shoes are easy to slip-on/off as you'll be asked to remove your shoes at temples in Kyoto. Also, no smelly/"hole-some" socks, pleease.

Weather should be perfect. Not too cold, not too hot. May rain of course, so carry a folding brolly.

Transportation-wise, assume 90% of taxi drivers in Tokyo do not speak English. It is safe to carry a business card from the hotel so that you can show to the taxi-driver/passer-byes for direction.

As for cash, we found our UK-bank issued ATM card is accepted at 7-11 ATMs.

As for general sense of costs in Tokyo, suffice to say I feel like I get good values (esp at casual restaurants and public transportation) when I go there from London.

Again thanks for all the replies. We leave in less than 8 hours from now and have just learned that our travel agent (from San Diego) is actually going to join us in Kyoto and also go along to Hiroshima with us.

I am keeping a diary on my PDA so will in all likelihood post a trip report upon return. Hopefully it may help a few others.

The last-minute reminder. There is no Blackberry coverage in Japan (bliss if you're on hol, nightmare if you're on biz). Also they use different cellular technologies, so most European/US mobile won't work there.