Self Travel in Japan Part 1 – General

Touring Japan has become popular due to the devaluing of Japanese yens.  In this series, I’m going to share my experience in Japan carefree self travel.  With the help of the latest apps, it has become rather easy and hassle free… First of all, I’ve been to Japan several times only in the past years and I’m no expert nor do I know Japanese except a dozen or so popular phrases and words.  Hence my sharing (or tips) are not for Japanese experts, but to assist those who want non-experts but want to travel freely and easily there.  All I rely on is handy mobile apps, etc., you don’t need to flip out clumsy paper and tube maps in freezing weather or crowded places.  All you need are:

• a working (and preferably fast) mobile phone- android or iOS,
• internet connection (i.e. a working router or SIM) – just rent one.  I paid HK$35/day for a fast router (Banana WiFi) recently.
• several useful apps- for whole of Japan: Google Maps (Android version, iPhone version), NAVI Time (Android, iPhone), Google Translate (Android, iPhone).
• for Tokyo: TRP (Tokyo Route Planner- Android), , tokyosubway (Android, iPhone) (the above for Tokyo.  For other cities, search for similar apps which are usually available)
• a few minutes planning/searching each time.  But if you use the Rail Passes – a bit more planning before you go as changing trains (sometimes in just a few minutes) can be a bit of a challenge especially if you have lug big suitcases with you.

I will discuss on details of how to use these apps for hassle free travel in the following parts of the post.  See ya!