I'm Chris, this is Topher, we're Yellow Productions.

We do travel guides that are fun,

informative, and entertaining.

This is part of our series on Japan.

We've got over 100 other videos on Japan,

but after you watch this one you'll be well-versed

to come to this country.

Many people think that Japan can be difficult to get to,

hard to navigate, it's like the land of foreign things.

But I'll tell you that is not so,

and after you watch this video, you'll be a pro at Japan

and if you want some specific travel guides

on specific places, well,

check out some of my other Japan travel videos.

The first thing to know before you come to Japan

is about etiquette and rules.

Japan is a country of rules and to make things work,

you should learn to follow them.

The Japanese have a specific way

of doing almost everything.

As a foreigner, you might get a pass,

they might understand if you don't understand

but it is better if you try to understand

so I'll give you a few of the Japanese etiquette basics.

First of all, the typical greeting is a bow

and the deeper the bow, the more respectful it is.

So you'll see a small bow to big bows

and if it's a bigger bow,

that means they are giving you more respect.

They have a certain way to sit if you're at a table

that doesn't have chairs and you're on a tatami mat,

there's a certain way to sit

but they'll probably expect if you understand,

and you just sit how ever you wanna sit.

But if you ever find yourself on a tatami mat

you'll need to take off your shoes.

Expect to take off your shoes in certain areas of Japan.

Don't ever step on a tatami mat in bare feet.

Tatami are straw mats, by the way.

If you hand something to somebody

or they hand something to you, it'll be with two hands

so give it to them with two hands

and receive it with two hands.

When you're paying for things in a shop,

you will find there's a little money dish.

Put your money in there,

they will put the change back in there for you.

The Japanese are happy to help, but they are often shy

and so if you find that they don't respond

quickly right away, it's because they're shy,

maybe not because they don't wanna help

or they don't understand, and when they do help

they will often really go out of their way to help you.

The second thing to know before you come to Japan

is about the language.

It's Japanese of course, but there's different dialects

throughout the country.

If you're speaking in English to Japanese,

they may not seem like they know English

when they're looking at you or how they respond

but it's often because they're just shy.

They often also understand more than they can speak.

You may find that the way they'll respond

is by going to get somebody else or perhaps writing it down.

Just speak slowly and speak with basic words

if you find yourself in a little bit

of English/Japanese trouble.

Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto are all pretty well signed

in English, particularly the public transportation

so if you're in the big cities you won't have an issue

getting around if you don't speak Japanese.

I will say that is not so much the case in the suburbs.

If you're in the smaller towns in Japan,

the stations are just in Japanese, so good luck. (chuckles)

It's also good to have your hotel and destinations

written in Japanese, just in case you get lost

and you need to ask for help.

You could always show somebody the card

that has that written in Japanese.

And if you're trying to speak Japanese

and you don't know it, just try the English variant.

For example, hamburger

is often (speaks in foreign language),

coffee is (speaks in foreign language).

But I'll say it's good to learn some basic Japanese,

a basic word I use all the time when I want water,

it's (speaks in foreign language),

or if you want beer, it's (speaks in foreign language).

You say that, chances are you'll get what you want.

The third thing to know before you come to Japan

is about timeliness.

In Japan, being on time is very important.

You will find that stores close and open promptly

at the time posted to the minute.

Bullet trains have to run within 15 seconds

of their posted schedule,

otherwise they're not considered on time.

If you've made dinner reservations,

make sure you are on time.

If you're five minutes early, chances are they won't

seat you 'til it's actually your dinner time.

And if you come 15 minutes late, well,

you might as well forgot

that you had that reservation anyway

'cause they figured you weren't coming.

Distance is often measured not in meters or miles

but in walking time, so things will advertise

that they are a one-minute walk from the train station

or a zero-minute walk which means they're basically

right on top of the station.

Related to time zones, Japan is just one time zone

for the entire country so that makes setting your watch

pretty easy if you're traveling around,

and also the calendar is different.

They measure it based on the emperor and things like that

and so if you look at dates and you don't understand,

well, that's because they've got a different way

of doing dates.

The fourth thing to know before you come to Japan

is about public transportation.

In short, public transportation in Japan is amazing.

I will say, be aware of rush hour and the last train.

Last train time's often around midnight.

If you miss it, you are kind of stuck

and if you're wondering why I'm talking

about public transportation in a canal,

well that's because there's some boats that run

on this canal here in Osaka.

And if you're wondering where I'm shooting this,

I'm shooting this in Osaka in the Namba district

around Dotonbori, this is the Dotonbori Canal.

If you wanna know more about like how to ride the trains

in Tokyo and Osaka, I've got separate videos on those.

But if you're taking public transportation,

you should note that on the trains and subway,

there is little luggage storage.

So Japan offers these luggage shipping services

that essentially you can pay and have your luggage shipped

so that you don't have to carry it with you on the trains.

I will also say the train stations, they are amazing,

but they can be confusing.

So if you're on the train and you're in the station

and you can't find where you're going, just remain calm,

that's the first step.

Don't rush for your train, there will be another train,

I guarantee it, well unless it's the last train.

But these trains, they come very very frequently in Japan.

The Yamanote Line in Tokyo comes almost every couple minutes

so just take the next one.

Also in the train stations, they have these neat

coin lockers where you can store your luggage.

The coin lockers are great, but make sure you remember

where you put your luggage, in what locker,

otherwise you'll be probably looking for your luggage

for a long time.

Japan offers this great thing called the JR Pass.

The JR Pass it's for foreigners,

unlimited, Japan Railways trains.

Japan Railways is the main train operator,

but there's other companies too so just be aware

that your JR Pass will not go on all trains in Japan,

just the ones operated by JR.

If you're driving, I've got a video on that too.

Check out my video on driving and renting a car in Japan,

just don't drive in the big cities.

Drive in the suburbs, it's pretty nice and okay.

Their expressways are actually quite good.

You might also hear of something called a limousine bus.

Those often pick you up from the airports.

It's not a limousine, it's really just a bus.

Maybe kind of a nice bus (chuckles)

but it's not nearly a limousine.

Also there's really no Uber or Lyft

or any app-enabled ride companies here, just taxis.

You're gonna have to hail one down the old fashioned way.

Also, bicycling is pretty popular right here.

Just park in a legal spot, otherwise you might find people

picking up your bicycle and towing it away

and if you are riding a bicycle, ride it on the sidewalks.

That's where you ride your bike here.

So if you're also walking on the sidewalks,

beware of some of the bicycles that may be riding there too.

The fifth thing to know before you come to Japan

is about food, Japanese food is awesome, excellent.

There's great food to be had all throughout Japan.

People often think of Japanese food as noodles, sushi,

and yakitori, but I'll tell you Japanese food

is so much more than that.

But let's start with noodles, ramen is probably one of those

quintessential Japanese dishes.

If you're eating ramen here,

make sure to slurp your noodles. (slurping)

That is considered a compliment to the chef

if you are slurping so you'll hear most of the locals

slurping their noodles when they eat it.

They are not being rude.

It's considered quite polite actually.

Some other great things are things

that are called (speaks in foreign language), D-O-N.

Typically those are bowls, rice bowls,

that have something on top.

(speaks in foreign language) is a rice bowl

that has breaded fried pork on top.

(speaks in foreign language), it's a tempura bowl.

One of my favorite chains in Japan is Pepper Lunch,

and their locations are dwindling but it's fast food steak.

It's delicious, they have another one called Ikinari Steak.

The Japanese love pudding.

There's pudding all throughout the country,

so check out the pudding while you're here.

They have green tea matcha everything.

Green tea pudding, green tea drinks,

green tea, green tea, green tea.

The fruit here is really good.

It may seem really expensive, but I will tell you

the fruit is worth it.

The strawberries will probably be some

of the sweetest strawberries you've ever had in your life.

Cantaloupe here too doesn't taste

like cantaloupe anywhere else.

And also, people think food in Japan is expensive

and let me tell you, it does not actually

have to be expensive.

If you're going to Tokyo, you can watch my video

on cheap eats in Tokyo.

It's pretty applicable for a lot of the big cities in Japan.

Many restaurants, they'll have the sort of plastic

replica food out in front so you can take a look

in the windows to decide what you want.

Many restaurants in the big cities will have English menus,

just ask if they have an English menu.

If they don't, then use the point and order method.

Point at the menu and say this one.

That is typically a phrase they understand

in most restaurants.

Some restaurants, they won't have menus or order takers.

They'll just have vending machines.