When my boyfriend and I planned a 10-day trip to Japan, we had no idea what to expect.
Although we’ve traveled around the world together, it was our first time visiting the country. Upon landing, everything felt completely foreign — it was evident I was far from home.
Fortunately, we found Japan to be fun and easy to navigate as foreigners. With translation apps and a little bit of research, the majority of our trip went by without a hitch.
Even still, we made a few mistakes that put a damper on our vacation. Here are a few things we’d do differently to make our next trip even better if we go back to Japan.
Our biggest regret was traveling in September.
By far, the worst mistake we made on our Japan trip was traveling in the wrong month: September.
Though this isn’t the most crowded time to visit the country, the weather was far from ideal.
Most days, the temperature hovered around 93 degrees Fahrenheit which, combined with 98% humidity and no breeze, left us miserable in the oppressive heat.
Weather is hard to predict, but I wish we’d booked our trip just a month or two later. After all, October and November tend to be cooler in Japan.
The heat took away from our enjoyment of Japan’s sites, whether the astonishing Osaka Castle or Tokyo’s Sensō-ji Buddhist Temple.
The best thing we did was book accommodation with laundry services. We sweat through at least two outfits a day, so having easy access to laundry was a lifesaver.
Traveling with large suitcases was challenging.
There’s little space for non-essentials in Japan’s densely populated cities — especially bulky luggage.
My boyfriend and I each traveled with a large suitcase, but this was inconvenient. Not only is there limited bag space on the trains, but also doors open and close quickly. If you don’t get all your luggage on board in time, you and your bags will be left on the platform.
Next time, we’d use one of Japan’s luggage delivery services. For a nominal fee, these services deliver your bags to and from the airport and from hotel to hotel throughout the country.
We didn’t know about this service before our trip, but it would’ve made a huge difference on travel days.
I wish we’d tried more restaurants instead of relying so much on convenience stores for our meals.
While out and about, it was hard to beat the variety and convenience of a grab-and-go lunch at spots like 7-Eleven in Japan.
After all, Japan’s famous for its convenience-store culture with over 50,000 spots offering an impressive variety of quick, casual bites.
In between visits to Shinto shrines and futuristic arcades, we frequently forwent sit-down meals in favor of low-cost, speedier options, like rice balls or sandwiches. Looking back, I wish we’d done the opposite.
There are many unique, incredible restaurants in Japan — from old-school noodle houses that seemed to transport us to a different era to the izakayas, which provided a glimpse into the country’s social pub culture.
On my next visit to the country, I’d skip convenience stores and try sitting down at more restaurants like these instead.
The cities felt overwhelming, which left me wishing I’d planned a more detailed itinerary.
When I travel, I’m far from a planner — on most trips, I do very little research in advance. Sometimes, I don’t even know where I’m sleeping the following evening when I wake up in the morning.
Shortly after arriving in Japan, however, we quickly realized we should’ve done more planning before boarding our flights.
Japanese cities like Tokyo felt overwhelming in a way I’ve never experienced elsewhere. The sheer number of people, restaurants, skyscrapers, and things to do was mind-boggling.
We were struck with choice overload around every corner. As a result, we missed out on several experiences due to poor planning.
I would’ve loved visiting Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — but I didn’t learn about it until my last evening in the city.
Likewise, watching a Sumo tournament in Osaka would have been fascinating, but our short stay didn’t offer enough time to attend.
If we return to Japan, I’d like to to come equipped with a list of a few must-visit stops and experiences we’d like to check off.
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