In this video I'm going to share with you my tips and hacks to get around Japan
So a lot of you might think that the only way to get around Japan is at taking trains or cars
But there's just so many different options and there's so many different tips and hacks
But I definitely needed to share with all of you
So many things I've learned along the way living here in Japan
but before I start if you guys want to help support the channel then check out the Japan merch and if you want to see
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I wanted to say thank you to our sponsor luggage at free travel which brings me to our first tip of the video
So one of the biggest issues I have especially when traveling is carrying around a lot of luggage
especially in Japan when you take a lot of trains to get where you're going you have to haul all that luggage with you and
if you have a big family or if you just have a lot of baggage you have a lot of souvenirs you bought along the
Way, it just makes this super difficult to travel with all of that luggage
so a service like luggage free travel is the perfect solution you can use it right when you arrive in Japan from the airport and
Ship your stuff directly to your hotel and you can use it from hotel to hotel
So if you're traveling in Tokyo or outside of Tokyo
If this luggage and free travel is just a super convenient sending luggage is super easy
all you need to do is go to the luggage free travel website and schedule a drop-off from an airport or hotel in Japan you'll
Receive a QR code and then simply show the QR code at the luggage center of your specified drop-off spot if you don't speak Japanese
No worries. They have a multiple language support and then a few quick taps and your luggage free
When you pick up your luggage, say at the next hotel
Simply show you receipt or confirmation number at the luggage counter
The counter will get your luggage and then you're good to go easy like miso soup in the morning
So what's also convenient is if you're in the Kanto area you can get the same day delivery
So for example if you ship out your luggage before 10:00 a.m
In the morning, you'll get it the same day between a 6 and 9 p.m
And if you ship out your luggage from your hotel before 4 p.m. It'll arrive the next day from 2 to 6 p.m
so if you guys are interested in this luggage for me travel then check out the link in the description and if you guys use
The coupon code paulo you get an extra 20% off that all said that let's move on to my next tip now
Let's talk about trains now
If you've seen my other videos, you know
I've already done a video on Shinkansen trains and just writing a trains in general here in Japan
but in this video I wanted to talk about the jr pass which probably a lot of you will be considering so if you're coming
To japan and you're just staying in tokyo, then you don't really need a junior pass
In fact, all you really need is an IC card like a Sukkah or a paas
No, but I've covered in some previous videos
So I'll definitely leave links to that if you're interested, but if you're planning to travel throughout, Japan
Then junior pass is probably most convenient and cost-effective
method of traveling
So for those of you who are not familiar and junior pass is a pass that allows you to ride all the trains all
Throughout Japan it comes in several different packages
You can get a 7-day a 14-day and a 21-day and also it comes in two different levels
You can get an ordinary pass or you can get a green pass which allows you to have the nicer seats in the Shinkansen trains
And if you look at the chart, you can see there's quite a difference in prices. So be very selective when choosing
Especially considering how long you're gonna be in Japan and what type of seats you want when riding the train and here's how the green
Seats looks like and you can tell there's a little bit of the difference. The green seats are a little nicer
They're kind of more like a business or a first-class seat
There's a lot more space
But something to consider is that the ordinary seats actually get booked up a lot quicker than the green seats
So you might want to consider that when planning a lot of your travel
But you don't really need to worry because if you get the ordinary seats
Then you can always upgrade later at the ticket counter if you need to so in general if you're gonna be traveling all throughout
Japan and you're gonna be making multiple stops, then definitely in junior pass is something to consider
But if you're only gonna take one trip from Tokyo to Osaka and back then may and jr
Pass is not the way to go. So let me show you the cost from Tokyo - in Osaka
So if you're taking the Hikari Shinkansen, it's gonna take about 14 or 400 yen to get there one way
That's twenty thousand eight hundred yen
Roundtrip while using jr past seven day ordinary ticket costs just under thirty thousand yen. So the costs are very similar
So if you take multiple trips within those seven days then jr pass is definitely worth it
So for example if you're going from Tokyo to Osaka
- then Kyoto you've already paid for your 7-day ordinary pass
In fact, there's several websites out there where you can actually calculate whether or not jr
Pass is gonna be worth it. Depending on where you're going. I'll leave a link in the description
So you guys can check that out
But there is something to consider when taking the jr pass you don't have access to the fastest Shinkansen trains
But that's not that big of a deal
So for example, if you're going from Tokyo - in Osaka, there's a three different types of speeds. You have Nozomi Hikari and Kodama
I was only being the fastest but you don't have access to that. So here's a time from Tokyo to shin-osaka
You can see that there's a little bit of a difference in time
But you be the judge to see whether or not it's worth it for you
So finally a lot of people that get the TAS asked me can I use this in Tokyo quick and short answer is yes
But you can use it only on junior lines
So a lot of the junior lines run throughout Tokyo, but it doesn't work on the Metro
You can actually use it for the nutty to Express because it's run by j.r
So if you're arriving at Narita Airport, and you're going into Tokyo, then definitely you can use the jr. Pass
Oh and one final note you can use the junior pass on buses and ferries
But you're definitely gonna need to look on the website to see if it's available
For the location that you're traveling to but personally for the junior pass for me
I would definitely get it because it's rates that you would never get as a local. I can't even get the junior pass
So if I was a traveler, I would get it
I would probably stick to the ordinary pass because I don't really need to use the green seats
The seats are nicer, but I don't think it's worth paying the premium for it
and
If I do want to upgrade and I want to get a nicer seat so that I can just pay for it at that time
So we're back in the airport and now it's time to talk about
LCC flights also known as low-cost carrier flights if you're trying to save money on your travel in Japan then this is
Actually a very very valid way to travel. So in fact that Japan has a lot of different LCC flights available
They have Sky mark solo seed air Jets RPG aviation vanilla air AirAsia and spring Japan. There's so many carriers
So basically if you're trying to just go to one spot like if you're going from Tokyo to Osaka
It probably makes sense in terms of cost wise to take LCC flight, but if you're going to multiple locations
Then the j.r pass and may be a better choice. It really depends on your travel plans
So I recommend to do a bit of research to save yourself some time and money
So let me quickly compare the cost from Tokyo to Osaka
one-way so taking in the Shinkansen at Nozomi is about fourteen thousand yen while if you take an
LCC like jet star and you go by their lowest rates on Monday?
You can actually get a ticket for five thousand eight hundred thirty yen
That's eight thousand eight hundred and ninety yen cheaper even if you include a transportation from Tokyo to not eat the airport
That's about 15 to three thousand yen. So it's still cheaper
So if you are looking to travel and want to save some money, then definitely look into the different LCCs
So let me show you how easy it is to get on and LCC
So if you're flying from Narita, most of the LCC is fly out of Terminal three
There are exceptions to check beforehand. You'll need to walk or get on a bus at Terminal two
I usually walk as it only takes about 10 to 12 minutes
Terminal 3 is small but it does have convenience or drugstore and a food court just before the security gates
There are a few shops and kiosks after the gates
But if you're gonna eat I recommend eating at the food cart as it has the most options LCCs are cheap
So expect the minimum service no full meals and standard seating the flights though
Do have some limited snacks on board but since the flights are short
I recommend saving your money and eating before or after the flight
So a lot of Japanese actually prefer to take LCC flights because it is cheaper
But personally for me I kind of like riding the Shinkansen
So I prefer paying a little bit more to ride the Shinkansen and I don't actually like all of the travel from tray
Getting on a flight and then back on a train to go wherever I'm going
I'd rather just be on the train the entire time but it's usually personal preference and some people want to fly
So definitely consider LCC flights if you want to save some money and you would just want to go a different route
Let's move on to the next tip. Let's talk about
overnight buses now to be honest with you
I don't take overnight buses so much these days and just because I prefer taking the Shinkansen
It's a lot faster
But for those of you who have actually a lot more time than money
Then this is a very viable way to travel one being it's a lot cheaper
And two you actually save on hotel costs because the time you're traveling at night. You don't have to pay for a hotel night
So first of all when taking an overnight bus, there's several different levels
You can take you can take the really really inexpensive route. The buses are not as nice
You can probably get from Tokyo Dutch in Osaka for several thousand yen
But there are some luxury style buses that I'm going to show you right now
So we're about to board the night bus right now, and this is actually kind of a little waiting room
You can see they have an information desk. They have some vending machines. You can buy some souvenirs
They even have some computers over there where you can get on internet and it's just kind of like a lounge area
Before you get on it's actually quite a comfortable process to get on the bus
So I traveled on the Willard reborn overnight bus from Osaka to Tokyo it costs eleven thousand five hundred yen per person
It is pricey for a night bus, but it's super clean and it's still cheaper than a shrink onsen train ticket
You get your own pod with all the lux features
Folding table electric outlet reading light and amenities like blanket and high masks and best of all it has an almost flat reclining seat
almost
So I'm fully reclined all the way down and I'm pretty straight
So it's quite comfortable on this bus
So for those of you that are looking for a decent night's sleep
Then this might not be that bad of a solution
I mean you have the shake me of the bus but aside from that you can lay straight
But you can't get in a lot of other buses
So all I have to do is just take a nap and see how the morning goes
That was probably the most comfortable bus ride I've ever had but being me I still a bit tired
But then you get the best sleep in the world and also you don't need to go overnight
You can actually travel on a bus during the day
There's different types of buses you can get and depending on your price range. You can get different classes
So for me, I think overnight buses are great
If you really want to save that money
But I think at my age I prefer to just travel a little bit nicer and just like sleep at a real hotel
But it really depends on you
if you're trying to save money on hotels and
You want to like get from city to city then overnight buses are a really good way to do it now
Let's talk about car rentals
So the first thing I should mention
Especially because a lot of people ask me about car rentals if you're going to a big city like Tokyo
Then you definitely don't need to rent a car train access is pretty much everywhere and you can get to wherever you need to go
Via train and then walking to that location
So I think cars make the most sense if you're traveling outside of Tokyo and you want to explore some places that trains and buses
can't normally get to
also some really nice feel cons are really difficult to get to so taking a car makes a lot of sense another way cars make
Sense is if you're with a large family or a large
And car transit allows the entire group to stay together and go to these remote spots
But before you drive you need to make sure that you meet the requirements to be able to drive in Japan
So generally either need a Japanese driver's license or you need to get an international driver's license
There are a few countries where you can get your license translated, but that's only a few countries
So more than likely you're gonna need to get an international driver's license
Also when you're in a major city like Tokyo parking is limited
So even if you get a car and you rent it for more than one day you're gonna have to park it somewhere
And if you park it's quite expensive, sometimes it'll get to like 4,000 5,000 6,000 yen per day
So you have to be really careful of the costs and you might want to remember this. Kanji
It's pronounced Aki meaning there's an opening
So renting a car in general could cost between five thousand to ten thousand yen on average
It really depends on the car rental place that you go to a lot of them these days
Actually are translated into English. I'll leave some of the links in the description. So you guys can check that out
So let me briefly show you what it's like to rent a car
Renting a car in Japan is just as easy as any other country
It's easiest to book online then go to the rental car shop choose your insurance and sign the documents and you're ready to go
I used to go to rent a car a bit since it's close to my house and the prices are competitive
also
Most of the shops in Tokyo have English support and manuals even English
Navigation systems, if you're not used to driving on the left-hand side of the street
I recommend getting a new driver magnet to warn other drivers that you're new to the road
You can usually ask the car rental shop for it or buy it at the hundred yen shop streets in Tokyo are smaller
Especially compared to say the streets in the US and there are many one-way streets
So be ultra cautious with signs when you drive also in the u.s
You have free writes on red lights
But in Japan free left's and red lights are usually prohibited since we just talked about car rentals. Let's now talk about taxis
So the first thing I should mention is that if you're coming to Tokyo or any of the large cities to be honest with you
Not a lot of people use ride hailing services
Like uber the reason being is that there's just so many
Taxis on the road that it's really easy to hail down a taxi without even calling them
In fact, if you're trying to hail a taxi using one of the apps
What you'll find is that a taxi will come quicker than if you were trying to call one on an app
So that's why a lot of people don't use it
In fact uber in Japan is a little bit different than other countries uber is not run by private drivers
It's actually run by a company so they don't actually save you any money compared to the regular taxis
In fact, a lot of the times that are more expensive than regular taxis. So I personally never use them
So if you are in a larger city in Japan
Don't worry about downloading any apps. You can just hail a taxi on the street. No problems
Now if you're outside of the city then taxis may vary but the best thing to do if you're at the train station
Then they should have a taxi stop and that's where you should get picked up
Now if you're at the hotel, you can actually ask your hotel to call a taxi
That's basically the easiest way to get a taxi as opposed to using a ride-sharing
App and especially if you're outside in the country a lot of them don't use apps my personal favorite
Taxis are the new models which are specifically designed for the 2020 Olympics
it's a lot more spacious as wheelchair access comes with sea warmers and
Charging ports prices will generally be fixed for an area so you don't need to worry about being
Overcharged but note that taxis are expensive
So most people take the train, for example, it will easily cost you 20 to 30 dollars travelling only several stations away to pay
It's still common to use cash, but you can also use icy cards and credit cards these days. Oh, and there's no tipping
So taxis are faking when you see this red kanji right as Cuccia and when the taxi isn't taking fares
You'll see the kanji Kai's. Oh and one more thing to note about Japanese
Taxis the rear passenger door opens automatically controlled by the taxi driver. So no need to open or close personally, though
I've got so used to it that sometimes that I'm in another country
I stand there like an idiot waiting for the door to open. Anyway, enjoy the service while you're in Japan
so one thing that you should be
Careful of if you're trying to hail a taxi in Ginza on the weekdays between 10:00 and 1:00
They actually won't stop if you're on the side of the street trying to hail them down gonna need to find a taxi stop in
Ginza in order for them to come and pick you up strange. I think that's the only place in Japan that's like that
So let's talk about bike rentals. It's quite useful
If you want to explore a particular part of the city or like neighboring stations
And you don't want to take the train to get to each spot or if you don't want to walk because sometimes this
Transitions can be pretty far apart and bike rentals are just a great way to get around now
There's various services and companies and offer bike rentals or bike sharing but one of the companies I found quite useful is DoCoMo
The reason being is that their base in a lot of cities including Tokyo. Not only other in Tokyo
But there in Hokkaido Miyagi Kanagawa Osaka Nara and Hiroshima. You can read them on an hourly basis
But what's actually nice is that they have a one-day pass in Tokyo. It's about
1650 yen to rent a bike and it's great
If you're here with partner or maybe like a group you guys can just all run to bike
You can do a quick search for the location and find one near you you apply on the Internet
It takes about five minutes to apply and it's pretty easy
All you have to do is enter the password and then unlock the bike with one touch and finally have to riding the bike you
Don't need to return the bike where you rented it, but you can just drop it off at any other station
Which is like pretty easy. Another thing. I like about the bikes. Is that their pedal assist?
So if you're going on pills or you just want that extra push you don't need to like use all your effort to bike around
So if this particular bike service is not available
In the city that you're gonna be in it's quite easy to find another bike rental service
All you need to do is search on google bike rental and the city and something it should come up
Especially in the major cities, but one thing to be careful of is where you park your bike
You just need to look for the science. It says no parking
A lot of them are in Japanese so that no parking usually looks like this
So don't park there because you have a chance of your bike getting impounded. So now let me talk quickly about lockers
So lockers are available in most train stations and airports
But traveling around I find that they're usually like three different sizes
Usually you can pay by cash
But a lot of the newer ones it's really cool because you can use your icy card to pay and then when you come back
You can just swipe your icy card again, and it'll open up the locker for you
So when you're at airports or train stations, these are kind of the standard size lockers. It gives you that my baggage here
Doesn't actually fit into smaller sizes like this is actually the size. And so this is the mid-tier and still
Think I'll uh get to a fit in here. It's a little bit too small
And this is the largest size locker. It should fit a large suitcase like this one
Just know that during busy times like special events lockers get taken quickly. So be prepared personally
I'm a huge fan of lockers, especially when I have luggage. I want to explore the station
I don't want to carry a lot of stuff. So I use lockers quite a bit
It just makes it super easy lockers can be found throughout the city as well
Alright that concludes the video if you liked it help me out and hit that like button if you want to help support the channel
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