An earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed large parts of the north of Japan, and caused a nuclear reactor disaster in Fukushima. Around that time I was booked in for a routine medical at work, and I mentioned to the examining Doctor that I was fascinated by Japanese culture and that I would offer to help with the relief work. He told me that I was mistaken, that the Japanese were insular and ‘not worth the time of day’. At the time I wasn’t sure whether he actually believed what he was saying but it was a shocking lack of empathy.
Japan is everything that I imagined it would be; the people I have met are kind, humble and eager to help. There is free wi-fi pretty much everywhere you go and the technology here is world leading. The Japanese seem to care deeply about the environment, most cars are hybrids, there are solar panels everywhere and recycling is a part of daily routines. Not to mention the scenery, which is stunning. There are a hundred different reasons to visit this country.
Getting around on public transport is fairly easy. Unless you are staying in one city, I would recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass. Trains are fast, frequent, usually run on time and are hideously expensive. A JR pass will start to repay its costs within two or three long distance rail trips and you can buy one for 7, 14 or 21 days. The pass is cheaper to buy if you get it before you travel to Japan, but you can get it at major airports on a trial basis, when you arrive in the country. You need to have a ‘temporary visitor’ stamp in your passport to qualify for the JR pass, you can’t have one if you are on a student or work visa.
Sadly the JR pass cannot be used on private rail lines or subways, but there are travel cards such as SUICA or ICOCA that can be used instead. These work a bit like an Oyster card in the UK, you pay a JPY 500 deposit for the card and top it up with cash when needed. At some stations you can use these cards to buy items from vending machines as well. You can purchase these at major railway station ticket offices or via ticket machines. They definitely make subway and metro travel easier, and save you the hassle of queuing for tickets. The deposit is refundable, if you return the card to a station before you leave the country, or you can keep it for future visits, they remain valid for 10 years.
Twintail 