Introduction

Japan has been on our bucket list for a long time now, Ryan has also never seen snow, so we thought what better place to go than Japan in the winter right?

We set off to Japan on the 25th of December 2019 and had 2 weeks here in total. The flight time from Adelaide, South Australia was approximately 12 hours And we flew with Jetstar Airways.

Here is a map of the places we decided to go whilst in Japan in order from 1 to 6.

Tokyo (2 nights)
Mt Fuji (1 night)
Osaka (2 nights)
Kyoto (2 nights)
Hakuba (5 nights)
Tokyo (2 nights)

To calculate our currency we used the currency app on our phones (Currency Calculator). We found this helpful when buying something, we could calculate the cost into Australian dollar quickly and easily to make sure we were not spending to much or to little.

Japan uses Japanese yen

JR Rail Pass

The Japan Rail pass was such a life saver. Depending on how long you are going to Japan for and where you are looking at going while you are there, you should definitely weigh up the pros and cons of purchasing a JR rail pass. We were in Japan for 14 days exactly and decided to purchase the economy 14 day pass which was about $620 PP Aus. There are also options to get 7 day and 21 day passes as well.

Because we headed to multiple cities including Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Osaka, Kyoto and Hakuba, with the JR pass we were able to have access to some of the famous Shinkansen trains also known as bullet trains. We also had access to the local trains in all cities which made our journeys very fast getting from place to place. We didn’t have to worry about purchasing single tickets every time we had to get on a train, which is both time consuming and more expensive.

When we added up the difference between the rail pass and single trips, we ended up saving over $400 each.

The other handy thing with the JR Rail Pass is that you can pre book your seats on the Shinkansen trains. When you know what dates you are travelling, we recommend you do this as it can book out fast (especially in peak travel seasons) and you may be left without a seat, having to stand for hours. You can pre purchase these seats on the Shinkansen trains at any of the main stations in the major cities. We booked all of our trips in advanced and we did this all in the Tokyo station upon arrival.

Handy JR Pass tips:

The rail pass runs consistently from the date you choose it to start. You cant start and stop the pass.
If you pre purchase the pass you need to pick it up at the airport or you can also buy the pass at the airport. You will need to line up to trade in your purchase confirmation and they will give you the pass on the spot.
Make sure your name is entered in correctly when pre purchasing as per your passport or you will not be able to collect the pass.
Don’t loose the paper rail pass, its just paper and easy to misplace
Purchase from a trusted website or a travel agent

Above photo: Reserved seat tickets for Shinkansen train

Packing list for winter in Japan

We packed everything into our ruck sacks for convenience to be able to walk around easily and efficiently. we both have a 70L size rucksack.

Clothes for him and her

Warm Socks
Tights/stockings for under things
Thermals
Long sleeve dresses
Turtle neck /long sleeves
Jumper
T-shirts
Jeans
Compression Singlets
Scarfs
Beanie
Sun glasses
Gloves
Boots
Runners/ shoes to walk in

Handy to have

World wide Charger cable converter
A Map of Japan
App for the rail system
Small fast drying towel
Battery pack
Dirty washing bag
Rubber Band
Pen
Rubbish bag

Rail Stations

The Rail stations in Japan can be quite overwhelming. As soon as you get off the train there are people going in every single direction at what feels like a million miles per hour.

Peak hour is when the locals go to work in the mornings and afternoons, these times are the most hectic. Trains are shoulder to shoulder, and people are squished up to the doors. Luckily the trains all come regularly (every 10 or so minutes) so you can just catch the next one.

We constantly asked people how to get places. If you ask one of the workers at the train station they are really helpful and will tell you the platform number you need to go to. Although basically they will just say “1 or 2” or “4 and 5” we didn’t understand at first and just though this meant you could jump on either train, but from there on you have to figure out what train you need to get onto as this is just the platform number, its not necessarily always the one that passes through that platform, as we made this mistake. If you get stuck just ask the locals they are all so friendly and willing to help! Conductors on the platforms are also a massive help. Just a tip, show them the name of where you are wanting to go in google or on a map, if you try and say it, it might not be pronounced that way and you will get directed to the wrong spot.

Basically nothing is in English so its best to ask, you can also download an app to help with train schedules, this is called : Japan Travel - Route, Map, JR

Another massive thing we learnt is that when you have a JR pass although it covers a lot of places there are also other companies trains you cannot access with the pass. The locals will always tell you how to get somewhere via the fastest route, and the JR is not always the quickest, but there is always a way around this, you may just have to take 2 trains instead of one, don’t end up paying for another train if you hold the JR pass, THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY!

Accommodation

We booked all of our accommodation on booking.com and Airbnb. Just make sure you really check out the places you stay prior to your travels, look at reviews and also check it out on a map, We found Its handy to locate yourself near a train station. Please see Japan in 14 days blog for a full list of our stays.

Tips and tricks

If you're expecting it to be cheap think again. We spent a bit more than expected, There are definitely ways to keep the cost down, Ie where you stay and places you eat are a huge factor.
Make sure when you board an escalator you stand to one side normally the Left. They will ask you to move otherwise and its classified as rude if you do not stand single file to allow others to walk by.
There are very few bins, we carried a bag around to take our rubbish with us until we could find a bit to dump it.
Vending machines have Everything and anything, from hot food and ramen noodles to all sorts of products.
A lot of places will require you to take your shoes of before you enter. So its good to always have socks on, mainly at restaurants and accommodation, also some shops you will experience this. If there is a step up into the building this also means you must take your shoes off. (you get use to it, it just becomes natural to take them of after the first couple of days)
Try and get on the Shinkansen trains when possible, they are such an amazing experience and go so fast. Getting from A to B never felt so convenient and smooth
Check out the arcades and gaming malls they are such a cool experience
Alcohol in the 7 elevens are really cheap
Tourist traps are everywhere, what you see in photos is not what you get, lots of lines and crowds in most places. If possible plan to arrive to popular places early to avoid large crowds.
Try and get some money out before you go as there are not many banks. We found a few money exchanges in the train stations also in airports.n
Try and learn basics before you go ie Thank you and hello in Japanese, they appreciate it. Hello = Kon'nichiwa
In the winter layer up as much as you can, as you will always be stripping down, the trains are heated and get real hot, so do all of the shops and restaurants. So make sure to have a t-shirt under all those layers.
WIFI Is in all Accommodation and cafes just ask for the passwords, we had no trouble finding wifi.

Food

If your a fan of Japanese food, you are in for a TREAT hands down the best Ramen, gyoza, karaage and sushi ever.

Restaurant recommendation

Menbaka Fire ramen in Kyoto

If you are looking at keeping the cost down we shopped at 7 eleven. This was a life saver, while on a budget. We ate most breakfast and snacks here. They have a massive bakery section, and great coffee too, also big bottles of water for cheap.

Thanks for reading

Love, Jess and Ryan @takeus_withyou

Top things to see and do in Japan on a budget