The Inside Japan website made a list with five recommendations to get to know Japan and make the most of your stay.
- Get lost. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, so getting lost shouldn’t be a problem. Furthermore, the Japanese are very friendly and there will always be someone to guide you. Adventure, explore, discover hidden places (those that do not appear in any guide), delve into the heart of Japanese restaurant.
- Eat everything. Japan is a country with one of the best cuisines in the world (for many, number one). Washoku, the traditional Japanese food, has been Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2013. Japanese food is much more than sushi or ramen. You have to try everything, discover new flavors. The worst that can happen is that you don’t like something.
- Visit the countryside, not just the city. It is unavoidable to visit Tokyo if you land in Japan, but your visit to the Asian country is not limited to the amazing skyscrapers that seem straight out of a movie, the bullet trains, the robots, the neon lights. Japan is a country full of natural attractions: mountains, forests, beaches (Okinawa!), hot springs, mangroves… In addition, the countryside brings you closer to traditional Japan.
- Go to a 100 yen shop. They sell everything: sewing supplies, tableware, hammers, pliers, blades, forks, pots, food, kitchen utensils, office supplies, towels, socks, dictionaries, cosmetics, pens. There you can buy souvenirs at a bargain price to give as a gift when you return from your trip. One of the best-known 100 yen retail chains is Daiso.
- Get the most out of the tour guides. Many people are “allergic” to using guides, to being part of groups of tourists who are taken from one place to another as a herd, to listening to guides who monotonously recite a script like a schoolboy who has memorized a lesson. However, there are good guides from whom you can get a lot of benefit, experts who lead you to interesting places that would not be known if it were not for them.