In Japan, there’s a consumption tax of 10% (since October 2019), or 8% for some items, that can be exempted under certain conditions. This can be a great deal for tourists that are leaving Japan in less than 6 months after their arrival. Everything is so different in Japan that… Read More »Can I Open Tax Free Items in Japan? A Quick And Helpful Guide
One of the most asked questions when preparing a trip to Japan concerns what should you pack for Japan. I’ve seen lots of good answers, but I noticed that most of the time there was something missing: the travel adapters. Of course, not all tourists will need one because Japanese… Read More »Do I Need an Adapter in Japan? All That You Need to Know
When traveling overseas, and specially for the first time, you might ask yourself some basic questions like “Is the tap water in Japan safe to drink?“. It’s true that most people only think of the places to visit and what to see, but when you know ahead that you are… Read More »Is Japanese Tap Water Safe to Drink?
If you’re thinking about learning Japanese or if you are just curious about the Japanese culture, you probably already asked yourself this question about the Japanese language. Other than the rather complex characters that make this exotic language, the next thing that we notice is the direction of writing. And… Read More »Is Japanese Written Left to Right or Top to Bottom?
Have you ever wondered why Japanese don’t wear shoes inside? Well I did. And it’s funny because I’ve always seen in anime people taking off their shoes all the time and I didn’t understand why they did it. I mean, it’s kind of normal to take your shoes at home,… Read More »The Real Reason Why Japanese Don’t Wear Shoes Inside
Japan is a country with strict rules regarding medicine, even when we’re talking about over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. There are several medicines that are allowed in the United States, and in other countries in the world, that are not allowed in Japan. This can be a huge issue for tourists that… Read More »Can I Take Paracetamol And Other OTC Medicines to Japan?
For those of you who are fans of horror movies like The Forest, you might want to visit one of the most famous Japanese forests: the Aokigahara Forest (青木ヶ原) also called the Sea of Trees (樹海). The Aokigahara forest is located at the base of Mount Fuji, but it’s not… Read More »How to get to Aokigahara Forest from Tokyo?
Japan is well-known for its major natural disasters, like the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 that resulted in a huge tsunami creating terrible consequences. When you experience the power of nature and what it can do, no wonder that the Japanese decided to power up their tsunami warning system… Read More »Tsunami Warning System in Japan: A Quick and Helpful Guide
Every year millions of people travel to Japan during Spring and specially during April and May. These are the perfect months to visit Japan, but there’s a small week between April and May that can change significantly your experience: the famous Golden Week. And every year people ask questions about… Read More »Is it OK to Travel to Japan During Golden Week?
One of the most common things people want to know when their planning their trip to Japan is whether they should buy a Japan Rail Pass or not. I saw this question so many times that I decided to give a little help to get a clear idea of what… Read More »Japan Rail Pass Calculator: Is The JR Pass Worth it?