10 JAPAN TRAVEL HACKS YOU NEED TO KNOW!

10 Japan travel hacks you need to know before you travel to Japan! I picked 10 tips that I would personally recommend people based on my past experiences!

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I'm Kim Dao, an Australian Youtuber & Blogger currently living in Japan! I make videos on beauty, fashion and lifestyle, specifically Japanese makeup and skincare, Korean makeup and skincare, Morning routines, night routines, travel vlogs and everyday life videos! Subscribe to join the family!

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This video was in collaboration with Odigo Travel

[veronicasalazar]

Take a portable charger! You will be on google maps a lot and taking many pictures. your phone will die really quick and it's a scary feeling when you don't know where your at, don't speak Japanese fluently, and the sun's starting to go down 😅. Thankfully we had one and it helped us a lot during a trip.

[XoPEGASUSo]

For anyone considering getting a pocket wifi;
If you're just staying in Tokyo, you definitly do not need to buy pocket wifi! There is Wifi in a lot of places now, and all JR rail station have free WiFi too! However if you're venturing outside of Tokyo, you'll need pocket wifi as there is not a lot of wifi, especially in Kyoto, the countryside or Hiroshima.

[missbeedoubleu]

yay! this is EXACTLY what I need! I'm going to Japan for the first time very soon and I'm incredibly excited. love you Kim ❤

[TheFlush]

For navigation you can use the phone app maps.me since it has offline maps. You don't need a phone service to use it. It was very helpful to me in kyoto and osaka.

[ela_robles]

I found it really helpful to bring my own reusable shopping bag. when you buy stuff in Japan, even the smallest, single item, they will definitely put it in a plastic bag way too big for what you bought. It's nice the first few times, especially if you forgot to bring a bag for your dirty clothes, but as someone who tries to put out less waste, it's definitely really nice to have a reusable shopping bag on hand.

Google Translate is super helpful! Google Translate has the option for you to take a photo of the thing you want to read and it'll translate from the photo. It's not 100% accurate, but it gets the job done.

[KiraKiera]

My biggest Japan travel trip is to look into domestic flights if you are travelling around different parts of the country. My boyfriend and I recently spent 6 weeks travelling all over different parts of Japan and heavily utilised domestic flights, which worked out much cheaper than buying multiple JR Passes as we were there for an extended time (JR Pass is best for shorter trips, ie. 1-3 weeks). For example, we managed to score a flight with Spring Japan from Osaka to Tokyo that was just 700jpy before fees! Worked out to about AUD$15 each, which was a steal considering that the shinkansen would have been around $150. Additionally, both ANA and JAL offer discount domestic flights to tourists.

My other tip is to use baggage forwarding! The majority of hotels provide this service, which ships your luggage from your current hotel to your next one for a fee. It's great being able to spend days at a time without all of your luggage weighing you down between cities, especially if you do a lot of shopping.

[cokii]

Not really a travel hack but advice... Have your pass e.g. Suica or Pasmo ready before you get to the ticket gates... I noticed many people had an extendable pass holder hanging off their bag so they could go in and out of the barriers quickly and smoothly and not hold everyone up behind them

[natasya]

About the JR Pass - You need to get the voucher before coming to Japan. We bought the vouchers online. When you arrive in Japan you go to a JR Office to activate the JR Pass. You will need to show your passport when you activate the voucher. You will get a Touristvisitor stamp in your passport at arrival in the airport. Only Touristvisitors can use this voucher for JR Pass... Remember do not loose your JR Pass. If you loose it then it is gone forever! You will not get it replaced. Also it can be used not just on JR Trains - but also on JR busses and JR ferries!

[smilerainandshine]

I started using Odigo after watching your last year videos. It is so much easier to make sure you're visiting places close to each other.

[Terry.....]

It is so nice that you not only tell in a video but also answering questions on the comments section!

[zbeebs]

Japan's transit system is AMAZING. If you're planning on traveling just within the major cities, and even some surprisingly remote locations, chances are really good there's a train that will get you where you're going.

That said, we took a side trip out to Sado Island and did rent a van for those few days. Coming from the US, driving on the left was a bit stressful ("Hey honey, look at this view" / "I can't! I'm concentrating too hard on not driving on the wrong side of the road!").

If you are traveling between multiple hotels, take advantage of the Yamato Transport system. You just take your bags to the hotel desk, give them the name and address of your next hotel, and Yamato will have them at your next destination, usually before you get there (they must have transporters, I don't know how they do it otherwise). There is a fee, but it's totally worth it.

[nikkinino]

This is the most perfect guide! Just went to Japan a few weeks ago and everything you mentioned is so spot on!

[BumBumSurpriseToys]

This is honestly super helpful! Thank you so much! ☺☺☺

[pastelone]

This is truely useful !!
I've been to Japan last month and I truely agree with struggle you've mention and can really see how your tips are going to help.

[gsnkldjglfksdbg]

When seeing all these prices I can’t help but feel I’m going to be broke after my trip 😂

[reneeb]

I would recommend hostels as well! JHoppers is a great one that I did when I went to Japan. It's clean and super affordable. In some of the hostels they had a once a week get together with the people at the hostel so you can meet other people! They also had unique Japanese snacks with explanations of what it is and why they eat it and drinks

[marro_]

Could you make a video about the things you should and shouldn't do in Japan? That would be really helpful too :3

[halfdutchgirlabroad]

This is exactly what I needed! It makes me super excited for my trip in ten days!

[JayyBit]

Pro-tip. You can buy almost every type of pass (like the Suica card) before your journey to Japan. Gearing up for my trip and already got mine. Can also load it online.

[honeyalba]

that's brilliant! Most helpful video in Japan you ever made! thank you!