u/Defami01

Like a lot of other posts, wanted to add another post Japan trip post now that we're home.

TLDR: It was a wonderful time. It was just as hot as everyone warns you, but it was a super fun experience all the same.

Note: Had to go back and retype some stuff because Reddit's phone app is a POS.

Basic Itinerary

• Tokyo: Monday-Friday (depart for Osaka)
• Osaka/Kyoto: Friday (afternoon)-Tuesday (early depart back to Tokyo)
• Tokyo: Tuesday-Wednesday (afternoon return home)

General Notes

• Heat: We got lucky and it rained with some more mild weather the first couple days of our visit but the heat then bumped back up a couple days later. My wife and I aren't the best water drinkers (we try) and with all the salt we were eating it got a bit rough a few times. Definitely stop by one of the many 7 Elevens or other convenience stores as much as possible to grab new drinks. There are also loads of places that sell ice cream, shaved ice, etc that can be good opportunities for a tasty snack and a cool treat as a break.
• Learn the Most Basic Phrases: May be obvious, but definitely learn some basic phrases before you leave, even if it's the day before. For example there are different "levels" of "thank you" in Japanese and doing your best to use approximately the correct phrases and pronunciation for a situation is respectful. You can get by pretty well with just "konichiwa" (hello), "onegaishimasu" (please), and "arigato/arigato gozaimasu" (thank you). There are hundreds of youtube videos you can find to help you out.
• Getting Around: We primarily used Google Maps going from place to place. Connection could be spotty in some places in the big city though so I would recommend that you map out where you are going at your hotel beforehand while you have a good connection. If you are having a lot of trouble, there are a lot of Starbucks around the main cities that have free wi-fi that you can hop on and use. Though I've heard other people have different experiences with the app, I found that Apple Maps was actually more useful walking around.
• Check the Floor of Your Destination: Small tip that took us some time to get used to, a lot of stores are stacked on top of each other in Tokyo and Osaka, so if you put in an address, make sure to pay attention what floor the address specifies. We walked around the building with the Nintendo store in it for 20 minutes in the hot sun before we realized that it was actually on the 6th floor and not ground.
• Communication: Most stores were familiar with enough very basic English to know pretty easily what you are interested in buying or ordering. Restaurants usually have an English menu and at least one had an online one that could be easily translated using Google. When all else fails, just pointing and an "onegaishimasu" is enough to get by. Don't also feel ashamed to take out your phone and use Google Translate to help pass along information when absolutely necessary.
• Eating and Drinking While Out: From what I understand walking and eating is discouraged in Japan and you're expected to eat your food a bit out of the way of the stall you bought it from. I don't know if it is technically illegal but I saw enough signs to not be surprised if law enforcement would talk to you if they spotted it. (Note: see dougwray’s reply below)
• Trash: Continuing from the last topic, yes there are very few trash cans about in Japan, but the vendor typically purchased our food from was always happy to take our trash once we were done.
• Compliment Your Chef!: This one is more for fun. I picked this up from this youtube video by Kaname Naito. The restaurants and food vendors we visited absolutely LOVED it when we complimented the food on our way out with an "oishi-katadesu" (roughly pronounced oy-shee-ka-ta-des") which means "it was delicious". I cannot say what exactly they responded with each time but by their tone it sounded like it made their day.
• Use What's App: I'm sure there are other apps you can use, but I went nuts taking pictures every moment I could and then sent them to friends/family at the end of each day using WhatsApp. You can create different groups for friends, family, and whoever else you like to keep conversations separate if you so wish.

Trains/Shinkansen

• Again, Google Maps is the way to go to plan out what trains to take to go from place to place. It will tell you exactly what station entrance, train, platform, and the number of stops you'll need to take to get to your destination.
• Learn about and download the Suica app on your phone for train fare You'll scan in/out whenever you enter a station and will be billed based on the distance you traveled. The app will all be in Japanese but you don't have to worry about that. You just need to add/download "another" suica card onto your phone's wallet app. You can then add money onto the suica card app purely through the wallet app. Again, for visual learners youtube should have some guides to help you figure this out. We had a friend who has frequently visited Japan show us how to set everything up.
• It's expected that you get on/off the train quickly to keep everything running on time. This is also true for the Shinkansen. You should really be grabbing all your things and getting ready to get off a couple minutes BEFORE it stops.
• There is a small section in most cars dedicated to priority seating meant for elderly people, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and so on. You can absolutely sit there (other people will) just please be ready to give it away if you notice someone who needs it. We gave up one of our spots for an elderly man who boarded the train a couple stops in and he was clearly super grateful for the gesture.

Temple Visiting and Goshuinchō

Enough to say about this that I'm going to make a small section for it on its own. My wife and I picked up a goshuinchō to collect their goshuins as a souvenir to bring home. It was fun to visit on its own, but thought I'd still include a few tips for collecting them.

• We picked up our goshuinchō at Meiji Jingu in Harajuku. With that said, I was basically handed a pretty plain one at the time and only later found some much cooler looking ones at later temples, particularly at Senso-ji. So if you can help it, find one ahead of time that you really like.
• Each goushin cost 1000 yen in cash so make sure you have some on you when you visit.
• The majority of locations do not draw in your goshuinchō and will just hand you a piece of paper, so make sure you have the right expectations whenever you visit.

Highlights

• Shinjuku Gyoen (Tokyo): We spent a couple ours wandering Shinjuku Gyoen early in our visit and had a wonderful time. The park is split between more "wild" growing trees and landscape garden areas. Both are equally beautiful.
• Shinjuku (Tokyo): Though crowded we had a great time store hoping and always had another place to visit. If you are into gaming/anime like my wife and I are, a lot of stores are right by each other (ex: Nintendo, Pokemon Center, Capcom, Ghibli, and more) which makes for some fun shopping. You can't go wrong with food there either.
• Universal Studios Japan (Osaka): Had an awesome time spending a fully day in Universal Studios in Osaka. We fast passed our entire time though, which I think is a must do if you want to truly enjoy as much as the park as you can. Also the employees there are super pleasant and friendly.
• Tsukiji Outer Market (Tokyo): I didn't expect to enjoy this location as much as I did. It was a blast finding different things to eat and picking up gifts at the different vendor stalls. Just an overall pleasant experience.
• Dotonbori (Osaka): Great party scene. We actually got some free drink coupons while passing The V and the vibes were good enough that we ended up staying for a few drinks. So shout outs to them.
• Kiyomizu-dera & Kenninji (Kyoto Temples): We visited a lot of temples in Kyoto but Kiyomizu-dera & Kenninji were definitely the highlights. Both were beautiful to visit, just be prepared to do some up hill walking to get to Kiyomizu-dera.
• Umeda Sky Building (Osaka): Made a visit to the top of the Umeda Sky Building during the night and the view of Osaka was spectacular. Couldn't fit in doing the same thing for Tokyo but I image it would be just as stunning. Though they are open during the day I cannot imagine that it compares to the views at night.