10 Surprising Things I Learned From Visiting Tokyo, Japan This Spring
And why I can't wait to return
My family and I recently returned from Japan and the differences between big cities in the United States like Chicago and New York City and Tokyo in Japan were surprising. As frenetic as it was, it was also really peaceful and calming in many respects.
According to JTB Tourism Research and Consulting Co, the United States had the fifth highest number of international travelers to Japan by country/region in December 2023 at 183,200 visits, the most recent data available as of February 9, 2024. Korea ranked first at 782,700, followed by Taiwan at 399,500, and China at 312,400. Still, the U.S. is a country of just over 340 million people. The fact that fewer than 200,000 visited Japan in one month translates to just about .06%.
Although we were in Tokyo and Kyoto for less than two weeks, I loved noticing the surprising differences between major cities like Tokyo and Chicago or New York City. If you’re planning a trip to Tokyo or Kyoto, here are 10 things I learned that would be fun or helpful to know in advance:
1. Japanese love their bidets. I’m not used to having bidets everywhere, especially not in public restrooms but they were everywhere and their bathrooms are impeccably clean and always free. This is in stark contrast to cities like Chicago or NYC where public bathrooms are challenging to find.
2. Japanese love to line up or wait in a queue. To board a train station, or bus, enter a place of business, restaurant, you name it. If it’s busy, you wait patiently in line. No cutting. Totally respectful. I loved it!
3. Suica card is your fast pass. If you have an iPhone, add the Suica card app on your phone and use it to tap in and out of train stations, and buses and even to pay for items at stores. You can easily add money on the go. So satisfying and fast to get in and out of train stations.
4. Be prepared to walk and take stairs. Generally, I’m a big fan of walking and prefer it to almost any other mode of transportation. I walk daily at least 5 miles just taking my dog for her daily walks. Walking in Tokyo and Kyoto is another level. It was not unusual for us to walk at least 10 miles a day. One day we clocked at more than 12 miles.
5. You can’t carry coffee on the go. So, this was a real problem for me and probably the only thing I didn’t love about visiting Japan. As a culture, they don’t eat or drink on the go. (I’ve been told they think it’s rude and you should sit down and enjoy a meal or a drink rather than rush through it.) I drink coffee throughout the day and it’s how I enjoy my day so not having a cup in my hand felt odd. I managed to deal with it by having coffee in the morning and then a break in the afternoon but it was still a bit of a surprise not to be able to walk around with a hot cup of coffee throughout the day.
6. Garbage cans are nowhere to be found in public. Another great reason people don’t walk around with coffee, drinks, or food is there are no public waste bins. One trick I learned from locals is they walk around with very nice tote bags and use them as their own trash bags. Once they get home or place of business, they can discard their trash there. It was surprising and refreshing to see public places spotless. No trash on the streets, in parks, on public transportation, or anywhere. It’s like they all got the memo that throwing out trash is not permitted and they actually listen and obey the rules. How I wish we’d get on the ball with this idea in the United States. Can you imagine how lovely that would be?
7. Shinkansen (Bullet Train) is a delight to ride. Tokyo Station is bananas. We picked up our Shinkansen train to Kyoto at Tokyo Station and didn’t realize Tokyo Station is like a mini city with its own shops, restaurants, and hotel and consists of several floors. I would later learn it’s the largest and busiest train terminal in Japan with more than 3,000 trains departing the station each day, providing transport for over 400,000 passengers. This place is PACKED. Click on this Tokyo Station map to give you a very rough idea of the behemoth that is this station. There are approximately 60 restaurants and eateries on two floors and 180 shops underground featuring a ton of anime/ manga stores and themed stories including a shop dedicated to all things Pokémon.
8. Shopping is unbelievable. One of the things I was most excited to check out were the stationery stores and they did not disappoint! My favorite was Itoya in the Ginza area. It’s a century-old business and the Ginza spot features 12 floors of stationery, pens, notebooks, Japanese handmade paper, gifts, and more. I arrived right at 10 a.m. when it opened and within the first few minutes, the place was packed with locals and visitors alike. I could’ve spent hours but I was with my son who was itching to get out of there so I only spent an hour. I came back to the U.S. with so many goodies that I cannot wait to use them!
You need not be a stationery enthusiast to love the shopping in Tokyo and Kyoto. There are so many places to shop. So many. I loved the smaller streets, the markets, and even the ridiculously overwhelming Don Quijote (also known as Donki by locals), the biggest discount store in Japan with the largest selection and varieties of Japanese KitKats I’ve ever seen in one area.
9. The food can be as inexpensive or pricey as you’d like it to be but the inexpensive options are delicious. Another surprising thing I wasn’t prepared for is how fun and interesting 7/11 can be in Japan! In the U.S., 7/11 is very much a convenient store that you only hit up if you really need to or you want a quick cup of coffee or slushies. In Japan, places like 7/11, Family Mart, and Lawson are convenience stores as well except they have delicious sandwiches (the egg sandwich is truly as yummy as everyone says it is!), snacks, pastries, breads, drinks galore, and more. Some people swear by Family Mart while others love Lawson. Japanese seem to love their sandwiches and put everything in them. Yes, there is the famous egg sandwich but I also couldn’t resist trying a fruit sandwich (exactly as it sounds – fruit in between two slices of bread). I was expecting more sushi options and while they did exist (and were amazing), I wasn’t expecting ramen and udon spots at every corner.
Little places that were a hole in the wall turned out to be not only super cheap to eat (we’re talking like $5 bowls) but also ridiculously good. By comparison, I’d expect to pay closer to $15 for something of that caliber in Chicago.
And don’t forget the fish markets! We didn’t make it to the Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo but we did hit up the Nishiki Market in Kyoto and it was quite the scene.
10. Google Translate and Google Maps were heavily used and relied upon. I’m not sure how people got around without access to their smartphones. It was hard enough to navigate without being able to read or speak Japanese but at least Google Maps helped us figure out which train to catch to get from Point A to Point B. And when we didn’t know what we were ordering or buying, Google Translate helped us read things in print or type in something in English and it’d translate it to Japanese. This came in really handy on our last night when a dish a chef was personally prepared for us using truffles (mushrooms). I’m allergic to mushrooms so I quickly used the app to let him know and he immediately removed my dish and replaced it with something I could enjoy instead.
There is really so much more to say but I’m trying to keep this post as short as possible. Both Tokyo and Kyoto felt extremely safe to get around and while there is a mass of people everywhere, never once did I feel unsafe. Japanese style of dress definitely leans more formal and modest compared to American styles but there were a lot of unique, eccentric, and incredible fashion throughout both cities. I didn’t see one Japanese person walking around in athleisure wear, tank tops, or belly shirts, for example, but several in baggy sweats or shorts with hosiery which is fashionable among younger folks.
Pack lightly because of stairs and lots of walking but also because you’ll want to have space to bring back all the KitKats, stationery, and other fun and beautiful Japanese items you see in many of the tiny shops along your visits.
We haven’t even covered the many shrines and temples and gardens throughout the country! That’ll have to be part 2.
Until then, be well my friends!