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Tour - You'll be carrying your own luggage between stations
and hotels, up and down stairs, across curbs and street grates,
and storing it in small Japanese lockers or just holding onto it
as you stand in a street car or train when no seats are available.
You make your own problems when you bring oversized and overweight
luggage. Don't make yourself a camel. Check out the luggage racks
in the photo to the right on a Shinkansen car. You have
to lift your luggage up and down as well as get it to fit.
Click on the photo for a link to a Shinkansen
info page, then take a look at the interior views keeping in mind
luggage size.
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POST OFFICE ATMs now help out (see below). You
CANNOT buy traveler's checks with a credit card in Japan
yet. In general, Sumitomo Banks will accept US credit cards for
cash. If you bring traveler's checks already in JPY (yen) denominations,
you'll still have to go to a bank to cash them. Checks are only
for banks. Upscale hotels will occasionally offer cashing services
for about the same as bank rates. Unfortunately, we don't stay
at these hotels. |
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Other ATMs in Japan that accept foreign issued
ATM cards |
Getting
a cash advance using credit cards issued outside
Japan can be a major problem. Since June 30, 2000, most of the
Post Office ATMs will now work with foreign credit cards. ATMs
which can handle these credit cards have stickers (quite small
) showing all sorts of credit card marks like the picture to the
left. To get to the right screen, press "English" -
"others" - and "corporation" and you'll see
"cash advance" and other services. Post offices now
also cash travelers checks, but usually only at the Main or Central
PO for a town or city. You may have to guide the clerk through
the "check" manual to point out your variety so they
can compare the "official" picture against your check.
For any type of credit card you need a PIN number. Be sure to
get it before you leave.
Beginning
11 July 2007 ATMs at 11,700 7-Eleven convenience stores
all over Japan will accept foreign-issued bank cards. Cards with
VISA/PLUS, MasterCard/Cirrus and American Express logos on them
will all be accepted to withdraw yen from the machines. Language
options for the ATM screen and receipts will include English,
Korean, Chinese, and Portuguese. According to Seven Bank President,
Mr. Takashi Anzai, the ATMs are located in 7-Eleven convenience
stores and Ito Yokado general stores in 31 Prefectures.
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Despite what you hear, Japan is a carnivorous country: there is usually some sort of meat in whatever you eat. Also, Buddhism doesn't consider seafood as "meat", and in the past, even whale meat was considered seafood. Japanese "vegetarians" consider fish OK. Most stocks for the noodle soups (soba, udon, and ramen) as well as vegetable tempura are either fish, pork, or beef-based. Dairy products other than milk and yogurt are few. There are some bland cheeses to suit the Japanese taste. Fresh fruits are expensive. Come with an open mind and eat what the Japanese eat. There are KFCs and MacDonalds in most major cities when you can't adapt (you have to like lots of mayonnaise). Check out the Tokyo Cuisine Link. Vegetarians should start with
a check of Mark Edward's experience about being Vegetarian
in Japan. Vegetarians that can eat fish, Japanese vegetarian style,
will have no problem. If one eats eggs and dairy, food can become
monotonous but there will be food. If eggs and dairy are not possible,
choices on the road are very few other than some breads and white
rice as grocery stores are usually only accessible by car, and convenience
stores only offer mainstream food (egg sandwiches being the closest
offered). Vegetarian restaurants are very few in Japan, and
usually found in temple areas (Arashiyama, Kyoto) or in places with
a large foreign clientele (Tokyo-Osaka), with meals starting at $35
for lunch. Indian restaurants also offer vegetarian, but again, it's
very expensive. If you can get the ingredients yourself (not in a
restaurant), tofu, miso, or natto can be made into a dish.
In a restaurant or in a prepared dish, tofu usually has dried
bonito (fish) flakes on top, and miso soup can have kamaboko
(fish paste) and dashi, a fish stock that is used in almost
all Japanese food (even vegetarian, because fish broth is OK for Japanese
vegetarians). For info on vegetarians in Japan, check out the Tokyo
Vegetarian Guide. It's in English as most are foreigners. Average restaurant cost of breakfast 500 yen, lunch 800 yen, dinner 800 - 1,500 yen. Everyone takes care of their own meals on the 2-week rail trip. Convenience and grocery stores will lower the cost over restaurant meals. Your instructor finds many meals here - usually about 500 yen for ready-made obento or pan combinations. In Yatsushiro, meals are provided with the homestay except for lunch. |
Diet - Eating is half the fun
of travelling in Japan. It is possible to eat differently for an entire
month. It's not all sushi, tempura, or sukiyaki.
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Youth Hostels
- Many youth hostels in Japan require membership. Where we
can, I'm trying to find inexpensive ryokan to stay in as these won't
have the mongen (curfews) and games that many Japanese YH have.
If we stay in hostels, you will need to get a membership card.
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Tokyo International |
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eKit - Youth Hostel Travel Vault for all your numbers (passport, traveler's checks, tickets)
on a secure server. Other services if you have the hardware.
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Culture Shock
- Most students enrolled in a Study Abroad program experience to
some degree culture shock. This is a common psychological reaction
to leaving one's home to live in a different country. Even though
this is only a 5-6 week program, people often experience some of
the following.
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