Japan Trip 5: General Knowledge + Photo Dos/Don’ts + Onsen

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5: ‘BEAN’ KNOWLEDGE (TRIVIA) for TRAVELERS

5.1: GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

• DON’T JAYWALK
  The first time we crossed the road our guide had forgotten to tell us this, and as silly tourists trying to keep up with the guide, half our group got split off and attempted to just cross the street when the lights switched. “Ooooh, oooh, oh no… ooooooh! Stay there! Stay there! I’ll wait! Ooooh!” She panicked a LOT.
  Afterwards she told us the punishment for hitting a pedestrian that doesn’t have right of way (whether they’re not at a crosswalk or whether they’re crossing when they don’t have the light) is a lot lighter in Japan than in other countries, so you ARE risking your life if you don’t follow the rules of crossing the street. Basically, if you get hit when/where you shouldn’t be walking, it’s your fault.
  Don’t jaywalk for your own safety.  Cross at crosswalks, check for crazy cars, and obey the traffic lights.
  BTW, I now understand the trope of Truck-san a LOT better.
• When they say Japan is safe, they mean Japan is SAFE
  I don’t think I’m paranoid, but usually, whenever I walk around in a big city I make sure my purse is zipped, sling it over my shoulder so that I can keep an eye on it, and keep an arm over it. When I get bumped into, I immediately check my belongings.
  Yeah… I don’t know when, but sometime during the trip I stopped thinking, “Phone, wallet, keys okay?” every time someone bumped me and started thinking, “Why is the street so crowded with tourists?!” Since cradling my purse in front of me is a pain, I just stopped caring when it got slung to my back. That’s how good the public order is in Japan. You just don’t think you’ll get stolen from. (Of course precautions should still be taken, but anxious travelers, don’t be anxious.)
  Even when we got semi-lost in the back alleys of Kyoto, just 2 obvious foreigners looking confused, I wasn’t anxious or nervous. I was just irritated because my feet hurt.
  The only place I felt even remotely unsafe was Osaka, but it wasn’t because I was worried about getting mugged or pickpocketed.
  Let’s just say if the ‘get transported to another world by getting run over’ trope was from Osaka, it would be death by bicycle.
• There aren’t trash cans on the streets
  I suggest bringing a plastic bag to stuff small trash in. If you have a can or bottle, look for vending machines. They may have recycling nearby.
  A lady asked our guide what people do with their trash. “What do they do, just take it home?” “Yes.”
  In Osaka there were a lot more trash cans… but also a lot more trash, so good luck getting your trash INTO the trash cans…
• In the Japanese airport security you don’t have to take off shoes, but any long, pole-like objects with metal in them have to be taken out and put in the bins.
  This includes pens, pencils, metal chopsticks… you get the idea. You can leave them in their cases, but… take them out, or they will stop you and have to re-run the cases through the scanner. They’re a lot nicer than the American TSAs, though, so no big deal if you forget. I’m just letting you know, so you have less of an ordeal understanding what they want you to do than we did.
• Japan time is “right on time.”
  The trains follow that to the T, so yeah… also, if you’re there for business, don’t be late.
• Use trains in Tokyo, taxis in Kyoto
  In Tokyo, the trains are the easiest way to get around. Not so in Kyoto; they do have trains and buses, but there are only two train lines in Kyoto (so much of the old capital doesn’t have close access to a station) and if you miss the bus you might be sol for half an hour or so, so the taxis are the most convenient and reliable way, so… be prepared for that.
  We had the guide helping us with the taxis, even during our free times, so we didn’t get a chance to try the foreigner-in-a-taxi situation and seeing where we ended up. Good luck.
• Flushing the toilet is a bit of a scavenger hunt
  It’s a bit overwhelming, because the washlets are EVERYWHERE, even in po-dunk roadside stalls, so you wonder if you’re piloting the Enterprise sometimes. With all those buttons… where’s the flush!?
  Hint, it’s NOT usually with all the other buttons.
  
  The most common ways are a button on the side of the stall, the normal lever on the back of the toilet, automatic, or motion sensor where you had to wave your hand over the sensor. If it looks like it’s an automatic, make sure it’s not a wave motion sensor.
  Although most toilets in tourist/metropolitan area will have FLUSH in English somewhere … just in case, 流す means flush.
  If you accidentally hit the buttwash or bidet, once again, 止 is STOP, but if you know how to operate a remote, it’s the button with the square for ‘stop playing’ on it. Not too hard to figure out… but… you know, in case the square is worn off, you have the kanji at least.
  Ah, the music notes button plays a flushing sound to cover the sounds for people too self-conscious to tinkle in public.
• Know how to use a squatty potty – just in case
  For women, the squatty potties (the ‘asian toilet’ or ‘hole in the ground porcelain’) can save your life, but make sure not to pee on your pants. (I assume men would just use the urinals)
  Most people, even Asians, will choose not to use squatty potties, so if the squatty potties are in a bathroom, they’ll usually be open. Run in, drop trou past your knees, and do a squat, 90 degrees at the knees, and … well, the handles near the ground are there for a reason, so hold on.
  Unfortunately, it appears they’re becoming rarer and rarer in the bathrooms, so you will still have to face the dreaded ladies’ room line most of the time.
  I had to go soooo bad at the pit stop, and there definitely was a line… but no one was going for the squatty potties. Saaaaafe.
• The traditional tatami rooms are a great novelty, but…
  … not especially comfortable. I’d suggest not booking ALL traditional rooms unless you’re certain you can deal with the limitations.
  I didn’t mind sleeping on the floor, but I have very mild claustrophobia, and the room bathrooms are… a tight squeeze of a closet for the toilet, a separate tight closet for the personal bath, and a tiny sink area. Sitting on the toilet, MY knees just about hit the wall, and I’m not super tall… rather, I’m pretty average in height.
  Exiting the toilet-closet was difficult if anyone was at the sink. So, yeah, the main thing for me was the inconveniences of the small bathroom area.
  Other inconveniences are things like not having a bed or sofa to flop onto when the futons aren’t out, and also there’s really NO good spot to chuck your luggage for fear of damaging the tatami. I ended up just leaving clothes and stuff strewn all over the place, which I’m NOT fond of.
  So there are a lot more things to consider than just ‘Do I want to sleep on a mattress on the floor or not?’ but I still say, if you don’t have bad knees or a bad back, a traditional Japanese room is a great experience. Just… maybe a once-in-a-while experience.
• The coins are 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1
  
  The 5 and 50 have holes in them.
  The 500 and 5 are gold-colored, the 10 is copper colored. All the rest are silver.
  If you just remember that, you’ll be able to navigate the coins pretty well, actually.
  I do suggest counting your money every night to figure out how many coins you have, since you can’t re-exchange coins.
• Most places are cash only
  There are too many things to list, and there are many, many sites that give you the rundown on cash, cards, and money exchange, so do your research, but in general, no credit cards
• Free wi-fi
  So, okay, there isn’t a lot of free wi-fi… but there is.
  Basically, don’t expect to solely rely on Google Maps for constant navigation, but … free wi-fi is a McDonalds or Starbucks away.
  Other major contenders with free wi-fi are the airports, bus terminals, and train stations.
  Having an enlarged paper map of the area you’re in, with a few places and stores as landmarks was EXTREMELY helpful. I don’t know if I can provide the maps my tour group gave us so I won’t, but if you wanted to see, say, Harajuku, print the Google Map of just the Harajuku area before you leave for Japan, marking down the places you might want to see.
  All of our hotels had free wi-fi, even the older ryokan had started putting it in all the rooms, but we stayed at fancy places so I don’t know if all the hotels in Japan have free wi-fi now, or if they’re only now beginning to. Either way, even if it’s not as ‘everywhere’ as in the states, you can find either a McDonalds or a Starbucks SOMEWHERE near you in the cities.
• Check out the 100yen stores in touristy streets for basic souvenirs first
  A LOT of places had the same souvenirs, and that includes the 100yen stores, but not ALL 100yen stores had souvenirs. Your best bet is 100yen stores along pedestrian, tourist heavy shopping streets, which you’re probably going to go to anyway because they’re famous market/eating streets.
  The selection may be sparser, but things like folding fans, keychains, magnets, and chopsticks are typically available, and quite a bit cheaper.
  If the souvenir you’re considering doesn’t seem unique to that area, shop around. If it does seem unique, make sure you won’t regret the price you pay for it … just in case.
  Other than the 100yen shops, most identical souvenirs in different shops were within a few 100yen of each other, so don’t stress too much over making the best bang for your buck.
  And some things mean more if you buy it THERE, like getting things from the Pokemon Center, Kyoto. Sure, we could have probably bought plushies and notebooks online, but… we got them in THE POKEMON CENTER in KYOTO.
  If you’re dropping by Osaka, the Don Quixote is a great place to buy fun kitkats and zany snacks at cheaper prices – or at least not ripoff prices. (buy the bag of kitkats. There’s less selection of flavors, but they’re a third of the price for the same amount as the boxed kitkats. NO idea why… oh wait. It’s because they’re aiming the nice boxes at tourists who can’t read the 12個 on the package)

5.2: PHOTOS in JAPAN

Shyashin totte ii desu ka? (shyasheen toe-tay ee dehs ka)
(Can I take pictures?)

Some stores will not be pleased if you take pictures of their merchandise, so if you’re unsure, ask.
If you can’t remember the Japanese, “Take pictures, okay?” while pointing will work too.

One VERY common “no picture zone” is the main part of temples and shrines. That’s the area behind the main offertory, whether there’s enshrined statues there or just the altar area.
If you’re unsure, a good rule of thumb is if there’s an offertory box, no pictures.
One exception was the giant Buddha at Nara, but there were NOT many exceptions.

Anyway, in places like museums and shrines, where you know from experience that pictures MIGHT be prohibited, take a quick look around to make sure there aren’t any signs that indicate no pictures … because in a lot of places, there will be police or curators there to enforce the no photo rule, so save yourself the hassle and look around.

If you want to take pictures of a Japanese person,
Anata no shyashin totte ii desu ka?
But again, a lot of the Asians wearing kimonos (even the geiko and maiko) in touristy areas are not Japanese, so it might be easier to say, “Take picture of you okay?” while pointing at them and gesturing to your phone/camera.
For the cosplaying girls at the Togo Shrine I hesitantly asked, “Want picture together?” as I gestured for the two of them to get together, and they figured out I was offering to help them take pictures pretty easily.

I took some pictures of ‘forbiddens’ (kinshi) signs.

Most are self-explanatory, but … note the difference between the camera ones.
Just the camera part is “No photo,” (which I didn’t take a picture of for obvious reasons). The one with the tripod is “No tripods.” A tad confusing…
The “No tripod” one really means don’t clog up the walkways with a huge ass group photo – at least, that was my interpretation because they were always located in busy, somewhat narrow walkways.

Also, no drones at most sites… because you’re totally going to clutter up your luggage with a drone.

5.3: ONSEN in JAPAN

The only onsen I went to were ones in hotels/ryokan that I was staying overnight in. I’m afraid I wasn’t able to experience a day spa or bathhouse.

Nervous about committing cultural faux pas while naked?
Thankfully, most onsen include pictures and engrish instructions in their bathing area regarding etiquette – you’ll be FIIIIINE.

Some less obvious things to keep in mind, though, are:

• Most onsens have free shampoo, body soap, and conditioner to use, and possibly fancy face washes, lotions, and whatever the heck ‘spa water’ is. If it’s a hotel that’s used to foreigners, there will be labels in English on the bottles. The free shampoo and conditioner is GREAT if you have a mass of thick hair like me and hate how you always need a full travel-size bottle of stuff for you hair.
  – The ‘hair treatment’ in the shower area is conditioner.
  – The ‘hair treatment’ in the sink/drying area is leave-in conditioner for blow-drying your hair
  – The ‘body shampoo’ is body soap.
• The washcloth you use for soaping yourself up should be located IN YOUR ROOM in a fully sealed bag, possibly with the hotel/ryokan’s emblem and name on it.
  That’s the only ‘towel’ you’re allowed to bring into the bathing/shower areas (leave the other towels in the changing/drying area with your clothes), and you get to keep it as a gift when you leave the hotel (along with the tabi socks that should be fully packaged near the yukatas). If you’re not sure, it’s a super, super thin, small ‘towel’ that doesn’t seem like it would absorb much water compared to the other towels.
  – make sure to thoroughly rinse the washcloth of soap before heading to the bath, because they don’t want the risk of suds getting in the bath at all.
• Some hotels will need you to bring towels to dry off on from your room, but others will have drying towels in the onsen area. If you’re unsure, just bring the bath towel from your room and make sure to take a replacement back to your room if they had some in the onsen area.
• If you’re in a hotel/ryokan, it’s MUCH easier just going down to the onsen in the provided yukata than having to worry about every single article of clothing you take off – and also having to bring along the change of clothing! – so I suggest changing into the yukata in your room first. Also, then you get a chance to fidget with the yukata beforehand out of the eyes of all the other naked people.
  Yukatas’ sizes are more for length, so if you’re tall, don’t go for a medium even if you’re on the thin side. You don’t want to wear a mini-skirt. They’re hard enough to walk around in without giving a show as it is.
  For well-endowed women, I suggest wearing a camisole underneath to keep the collar from going in between your breasts … if you don’t, it makes it easier for the collars to fall open and give a peekaboo when you’re not paying attention.
  Remember, left over right, not right over left. It’s a bad omen if you get it wrong. To double-check that you have the left over the right properly, make sure you can slide your right hand easily into the collar.
  You don’t get to keep the yukatas, unfortunately.
• If you borrow a brush, look for the box to put the used ones in or, if there isn’t one, take it with you. Don’t put it back in the box you took it from.
• Keep long hair and your wash-cloth out of the bath water
  – is what they say, and it was strictly adhered to in the womens’ bath, but in the mens’ bath my husband said he wasn’t thinking and just went under with the cloth in hand, panicked … and then watched all the other old men in the onsen dipping the cloths into the water, wringing them out, and scrubbing their faces.
  I… guess old guys just don’t care? Anyway, just… follow the written rules and keep the washcloths out of the water … even if the locals aren’t following them…
  My apologies if the old men make it more awkward and just start talking to you, either in broken English or full-on Japanese. It sounded like a hilarious awkward time.

Yes, yes, you have to get nekkid in front of other people, but really, truly, honestly, the only person who cares that you’re naked is you. You’re missing a great experience by simply being too embarrassed. Try it once, for five minutes, and if you don’t like it, leave and don’t do it again.
Of course, if you honestly just hate baths (or water), no point in forcing yourself just to be culturally sensitive, but I feel like most Westerners don’t take baths anymore, so give it a try?

Anyway, it was very easy to tell who was American in the baths – just look at who was trying to cover up, either directly with their hands and arms or indirectly by scrunching over in the water.
I’m the crazy person who actually changes out of their swimsuit in the changing room (gasp) without unnecessarily taking up a shower stall or toilet stall to change, so having to take off my clothes to, I dunno, bathe? wasn’t really that big of a deal for me. No one’s going specifically to ogle the other people in the bath (hopefully), so I didn’t feel the need to be self-conscious. Or like, I feel like being self-conscious made it worse?

That said, if you ARE feeling unsafe and not just somewhat uncomfortable… dry off, get dressed, and gtfo.
Trust your danger instincts.

If you’re worried about getting overheated, most actual onsen facilities will have multiple tubs in the same bath area of different temperatures, even a cold (well, cool) bath. If not a cold bath, at least a cold water fountain with a ladle. You’re encouraged to not overheat yourself, so don’t force a full submerge if it’s too hot. Just sit on the shelf in the water, hip deep. Or if that’s too much, then just sit on the edge, with just your feet in the water. When you’re getting hot but want to continue your bath, get out, walk around or go to a lower temperature bath, or pour a little cool water on yourself, and wait for a bit before you resubmerge.
It’s quite acceptable to have a short, 5-10 minute bath, even for the locals, so don’t force an endurance battle on yourself. Seriously, passing out in the bath is not good.

IF YOU HAVE BLOOD PRESSURE ISSUES OR HEART PROBLEMS, TAKE SHORT BATHS or even forego the onsen altogether. It can be seriously dangerous for you guys. I don’t know why exactly, but that’s what the doctors say, so beware. Consult your doctor if this could be an issue.

One last thing concerning open air baths: many open air baths will change which gender is allowed in depending on the day, so be aware. It’s not that hard to figure out, since the color of the cloth in the doorway will change (red/orange for women, blue for men) and they usually properly inform you, but JUST IN CASE:
女 – is woman
男 – is man

Also… I had no problems in the open air bath on the 11^th floor that was just for the view over lake Biwako, but… an open air rock garden bath on the 5^th floor was terrific in theory and absolutely beautiful, but … … … I was in for 3 minutes, couldn’t find a spot without a billion dead bugs in the water, and quickly turned my morning bath into a second shower and morning sauna. I don’t care if you say they’re probably sterilized by the heat (which is already debatable), it just feels gross.
It’s quite possible that I entered far too early in the morning for the filter to have gotten rid of all of them (right when it opened), but… ewewewew.

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Next time will be the actual itinerary and things I saw in Japan

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