In March it's still going to be a bit nippy,especially up north, which will be under deep snow - but if you head south towards Okinawa it'll be perfect. I have a tent and in two you should be able to hitch easily enough. There's a great book I'll send called Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson - he hitches right up from one end of Japan to the other, following the cherry blossom as it comes into flower - late March to April and into May. It's a very good insight into Japanese culture - he has lived in Japan for 20 years and speaks fluent Japanese. It's also very funny. I highly recommend it.
The Okinawan island chain is linked up by ferries, which might be a good way to travel. You should go to Hiroshima, which is down that way. I'd also recommend Nagasaki, Osaka and Kyoto. Sado island, up north, is the home of Taiko drumming.
The first week of May is Golden Week, when the whole country goes on holiday and everywhere is packed and very expensive. But we can plan to go somewhere off the beaten track - the Japanese all flock to certain hotspots and cram together, while just round the next corner there'll be absolutely no-one.
It'll be good for you to meet some of our more sensible students - the more mature ones - you can have a great time in karaoke bars or whatever - looking round the bright lights of Tokyo - Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi etc. All easily accessed from here (once you know how to use the train and bus system).There are also some international students here - they tend to live in an international residence and have parties etc.
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Getting from Narita Airport
Step 1
At Narita you will be fingerprinted on arrival (all gaijin - outsiders - are now).
Go to the information desk - this could well be your last chance to speak to someone in English until you get to the house, so make the most of it - get as much info as you can - maps etc.
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Most stations in Japan are in fact a number of stations rolled into on, masquerading as a single unit. So you have to make sure you are getting, first onto the right line, and second the right train - the different lines are run by different companies, who don't always help each other by providing charts, information etc of their rivals.
On the major lines there will be a certain amount of information in English - the names of the stations for example, but not much - and no-one to help who speaks English - you can try asking the man at the ticket barrier but don't expect him to understand you, or you him.
You can try looking lost and asking some other passenger to help - say 'sumimasen' - meaning excuse me, thank you, or sorry - and then speak very slowly and clearly - just the destination to start with:
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We are on the other side of Tokyo from Narita. The train map of the Tokyo area is maybe 10 times more complex than the London underground, and resembles a plate of spaghetti, or a car wiring diagram. 20 million people live in Tokyo itself, with 40 million in the greater Tokyo area - compared with 10 million in London.
There is a certain amount of English everywhere but it's a gloss, a veneer, which the Japanese use to convince themselves that they are ‘international’ - it's used for them by them and is not primarily meant to help foreigners. There is still very little foreign tourism in Japan - but lots of domestic tourism.
So for example when I first arrived here I managed to get to an island stuck on the end of a causeway, called Enoshima - you will go there I expect - it's Japan's answer to Mont St. Michel / St Michael's Mount. I left the station and headed to a large notice board with 'Information Board' written across the top in large letters. The rest of the board was 100% in Japanese. This is typical.
The Japanese language is written in a mixture of Chinese characters (Kanji) of which there are perhaps 50,000. Most people know at least 2,000 (I know about 100). Then there are two syllabaries of 47 characters each (kana), which are phonetic. I have been here over a year and still have problems. So basically you are illiterate, and rely on help. You need someone to take you to wherever it is you want to go and then remember how you got there for the next time. This applies to the Japanese themselves, which is why they always go around in groups with an expert local guide.
Things are complicated further by the fact that streets rarely have names (and if they do there are likely to be in kanji), and houses don't have numbers (just the name of the occupant, in kanji). To find your way anywhere you either need a guide, or a satellite navigation system in your car (in kanji), or you plan your journey on the internet using google maps (in kanji) and print out detailed street maps of precisely where it is you need to go.
The other day, for example, I had to take a hire van back to a depot in Yokosuka where I have never been. M sent me a very detailed series of maps to get me there, which I finally managed after going round in circles for about an hour, trying to read the street signs, in kanji. I finally managed it - but then realised I had no idea how to get home. I found the station, but there was no information on how to get from Yokusuka to home - where to change trains etc. I needed help, which I was fortunate to find.
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The street signs I refer to above, by the way, are not the names of the streets but the names of the crossroads. The streets usually don't have names, but the crossroads do - in kanji.
So, from Narita you get on the Yokosuka line to Yokusuka or Kurihama, and get off at Zushi. So far so good. From now on you will be getting on a bus, so it's all in kanji - no roman alphabet, nothing recognisable, and probably no-one who speaks English - certainly not the bus driver.
I will also send you train/bus passes, which are top-uppable.
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I’ll give you a bank card to my second bank account, which I don’t use. Japan is very much a cash culture and a surprising number of places don’t accept credit cards, so you need to carry a reasonable amount of cash on you at all times. ATM machines, by the way, are booths, often at railway stations, and are free to use up till 6 pm, after which they charge about 50p, then they close completely at night – so last night, for example, the train was delayed and I got back too late for the buses and had to get a taxi, and only just had enough cash for the fare – and no way of getting any money out of the ATM, which had closed.
… so, you have arrived at Zushi station on the Yokosuka line from Narita airport. …
These train/bus passes are a relatively new phenomenon and there are two types: Pasmo and Suica. As they are interchangeable I will get you two Suica cards. This can also be used to pay for stuff at some newsagents and cafes, particularly near stations – wherever you see a Pasmo or Suica sign.
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When you get off at the front, you place your Suica card on the blue screen by the driver and it will beep etc. and you get off. The driver will say ‘arigato gozaimass’ (thank you very much).
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Japanese attitude to foreigners.
The Japanese are an amazingly contradictory people. In some ways they are very cool and distant and in other ways extremely caring and sensitive. I have never had any negative feeling from them, and often had loads of help – but it’s good to make the first ice-breaking move. They are a bit afraid of gaijin (foreigners) and unsure – shy, I suppose. So if you need help (or just want to be sociable), smile and say 'sumimasen’ – excuse me. And then ‘English?’ or ‘Eigo?’. If they can’t speak English (probable) they will rush off and find someone who can. If you are shopping you can just try asking for what you want in English – often it’s the same, but Japanised, although often it’s Japanese English. For example the other day I wanted short crust pastry, so I tried pastry? Shorto crusto? In the end we found it – Pie sheeto.
On the subject of shopping, if you buy fish, be aware that there are two grades – one for cooking and one for sushi or sashimi, ie. to be eaten raw. The sashimi fish have been kept alive in tanks so they are really fresh, and are much more expensive.
To get to the supermarkets (supaa) …
In the supermarket.
Pretty straightforward – you can pick up veg etc. Perishables are often discounted, especially in the evenings: sushi and sashimi for example are often half-price – they will have a sticker on them with the kanji 半 (half).
At the checkout they will ask you if you have a loyalty card (kaado). No is iie (eeyay). They might ask you if you want a bag (fukuro). Yes is hai (onegaishimas – please). Just onegaishimas is good. ‘No thank you’ is ii desu (literally – that’s good – that’s OK). OK is daijobu, or OK! Thanks is domo. Thank you very much indeed is domo arigato gozaimas.
Good idea to learn these and use them as often as possible – it will go down well.
When you are in the check-out line watch what the others do in front of you. Don’t start packing while you are standing at the check-out – you take your basket to a separate area to pack, beyond the check-out.
The checkout person will probably keep up a running commentary of what she is doing – don’t be perturbed. Just smile.
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More on trains:
As I said, each train station usually has more than one line, and often several. As you will have a Suica card your life will be so much easier, because all the lines accept it – at least round here – I can’t say because I don’t know what will happen once you move away from this area (Kanagawa).
There are at least 4 different kinds of train, often running on the same line – depending on which line, they could be Express, Rapid Express, Special Express, Local, etc (Romance car, Shonan liner … and of course the shinkansen (bullet train) these are all expensive, and look like British trains, with forward facing seats).
The Local and Express trains look like London underground trains with inward facing bench seats. As I have discovered the hard way, it is important to know which one you are getting on – the Local train stops at every stop and takes forever to get to Tokyo for example. The Express trains often don’t stop at the station that you want to get off at – so you whizz through and have to turn round and come back again on a Local from the next station. There are charts on the platform showing you what trains stop where, and the digital display board will tell you what kind of train is coming next. It also says on the side of the train – in kanji and in romaji (Roman alphabet).
On the platform you have to queue up to get on the train at each door – this is marked on the platform, and the train stops precisely at the right spot.
It is considered ill-mannered to eat in public – at least to eat on trains or in the street – like dogs. You might even get someone ticking you off.
Some trains do not have maps inside the carriages. Some only have maps in kanji – so I highly recommend you keep the map I will give you on you at all times.
Eating out.
You will no doubt want to eat out – it can be cheap – much cheaper than in Britain, ie. 800 – 1000 yen (4 GBP) a head. As you no doubt know by now, Japanese restaurants usually specialize in one particular thing. Probably the cheapest are the ramen shops. ラメン ra-me-n. The shop sign may be in romaji (Ramen) but usually in kana (ラメン).
Ramen is a bowl of noodles – check out your guide book. You can have them hot or cold. When you enter they will ask how many people, and may give you a V-sign meaning two. You give a V-sign back. They may give you a choice of where to sit – at the bar or on the floor, at the low tables on tatami (straw) mats. Never walk in shoes on tatami mats! You will be crucified. Be prepared to take your shoes off on entering almost anywhere. You will often be provided with slippers – watch what other people do. Don’t wear the slippers to the toilet. In a ramen shop you will have to put your shoes back on to go to the toilet. In other places you will have separate toilet slippers.
The drawback of ramen shops is that the menu is usually all in Japanese (kanji and kana) – check your guidebook for details. Stamina スタミナ （su-ta-mi-na） is a good choice – bits of everything. Some places have menus with photos, so you can point. Some places have plastic versions of the meals in a display cabinet outside the door, so you could wave at the waiter and take him outside and point.
When you pay they might want to know if you want separate bills (betsu betsu) or you want to pay together (isho). You pay at the checkout, not at the table.
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Beer is beeru – the cheapest is draught beer – nama beeru – although it’s often 500 yen for a half pint. A pint of Guinness is 800 – 900 yen.
My favourite places to eat are the izakaya. You get your own little booth, a photo menu, a button to press and the waitresses keep bring stuff all evening – but you end up spending quite a lot.
Where to go in Week 1.
I suggest you try getting to fairly local places and back in the first week or so, and gradually get more ambitious once you learn the ropes a bit.
1. The beach. Just walk down to the sea and follow the coast along. To the left … it’s pretty open coastline. To the right it’s more like a tourist resort.
2. Kamakura. Check your guide book. Kamakura is only two stops and is one of the must-see tourist destinations in Japan.
3. Yokohama. Depending on which train you catch, Yokohama is only 30 mins or so. …Check your guide book. Eat in Chinatown. Many Chinese restaurants offer an eat-as-mush-as-you-like lunch – you just keep helping yourselves. This is only at lunchtime, not in the evening. It’s called a tabehodai. 食べ放題。Ask when you go in – tabehodai arimaska? Many places also offer a nomihodai – drink as much as you like for a fixed price, usually within two hours (in the evening).
4. Enoshima. Japan’s Mont St Michel. A couple of stops from Kamakura,…
5. Hakone. The Hakone hills are the other side of Odawara. If you look across the bay you can see them in the distance, with Mount Fuji behind – a beautiful sunset on a good day. ..
6. Nokogiriyama. This is a bit more ambitious but a great trip. You take the train to Kurihama (20 mins), then the ferry across Tokyo bay (40 mins), then a cable car up the mountain. At the top there is the largest Buddha in East Asia, carved out of solid rock – in fact there are two enormous Buddhas – three times the size of the much more famous Kamakura Great Buddha. Plus 1000 smaller buddhas in caves all over the top of the mountain. Great views all around. Wild monkeys etc.
7. Once you have mastered the above, you might want to attempt Tokyo – gambatte kudasai! Good luck!
Camping
I have been told that camping may be more of a pain than it’s worth – apparently it’s not much cheaper than staying in a minshuku (B&B). Plus they are out of town so you have to fart around with buses. On the other hand, it seems you can’t just turn up at a minshuku and ask for a room – you have to book in advance, which means you need someone who can speak Japanese. You’ve also got the problem of finding the minshuku in the first place, in a country with no street names, and everything important written in kanji. …..
