I'm travelling to California, Japan, and South Korea this year!! - any tips or ideas?

1737392186

i'm also traveling to Japan this year so exciting! im doing a bunch of research and we should def share tips we find along the way :)

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1737363362

hello! I was in japan in october of last year, so I think I can give you some advice.

all of the touristy areas I went to were english friendly, so please don't worry too much about language barriers! you might have some issues at temples, since they weren't created with foreign visitors in mind, alongside restaurants (though worst case scenario, convenience store food is accessible & tasty! they also sell meals there!). I've heard that the google translate app is very helpful for decoding japanese-language menus (& also that some places will charge you more for the same items on an english menu, so it might be worth learning how to ask for a japanese menu!), & that google maps, I think? is very helpful for navigating train lines in stations while you're travelling around. all train announcements include an english speaker & information of the upcoming stations is available above each door, so it's easy to find your way around. on that note, there are also women-only carriages usually painted in pink (though also marked with english signs)- I found them to be really comfortable & safe (all train carriages are air conditioned!), so don't be afraid of using the public transport on your own c:

depending on when you visit, be careful of the weather ! although I went in september-october it was still really hot coming out of summer. the humidity over there is no joke, so consider wearing light & flowy clothing if you overheat easily. convenience stores sell cooling patches & patches for sore feet, both of which I found to be total lifesavers! also consider buying a small electric fan if it's going to be warm when you visit. train cards can also be used to make purchases at the convenience store or at vending machines; I'm not 100% on this but I think they can be bought at airports or train stations, & refilled at the latter.

as for destinations themselves, it really depends on what you're interested in- I'm sure that social media has lots of great inspo. it's also important not to overpack your itinerary, or you'll exhaust yourself & won't enjoy anything. I'm not sure how long you'll be in japan for, but if you have the time I recommend staying in tokyo & osaka/kyoto. from the latter you can take all sorts of daytrips, such as to hiroshima! while going between these major cities I used the shinkansen (bullet trains), which I adored. if you're someone who's prone to travel sickness they're a great option because they're extremely smooth & stable. you might like to buy 'ekiben'- bento lunchboxes sold at train stations intended to be enjoyed on the shinkansen! you can also book local guides for your daytrips, who will handle the plans for that particular day & gladly tell you all about their local area- it might help take some of the pressure to plan off of you, & since many of them speak english they can handle interactions in japanese for you.

I hope this was helpful! feel free to ask me any questions you might have, I'd be happy to help c:

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1736779673

hi!! I totally recommend you to make a itinerary, so obviously you'll have to make your own research on where to eat, where to go, the time, etc and I also recommend you to get familiar with the exchange rate as well. And also (and obviously) try to familiarize yourself with the culture, especially in asian countries. And also, if you want to have a really good time, I recommend to really explore the countries your going so eating Japanese food rather than go to McDonald's, go to temples in Korea, etc!
I hope you have fun travelling! Another tip is to not look like a tourist so you won't get tourist trap! haha. best of luck and fun!

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