Look, let’s put the cards on the table: landing in Japan isn’t just changing country, it’s changing planets. It’s travelling in time straight to 2050, but with thousand-year-old temples scattered in between.
Toilets have dozens of buttons and sing to you, the trains apologize if they’re 10 seconds late, and the food you buy at a petrol station at 3 a.m. is better than many a gourmet restaurant back in Portugal.
But Japan has rules. Lots of rules. And if you don’t want to be the classic clueless tourist (the famous annoying Gaijin) leaving locals rolling their eyes, Martin put together a survival manual for your trip to the land of the rising sun:
1. The Sacred JR Pass (The Magic Train Ticket) 🚅
If you’re leaving Tokyo to head to Kyoto, Osaka or Hiroshima, you’ll be riding the Shinkansen (the iconic bullet train, which travels at 300 km/h). Buying individual tickets costs a fortune.
The solution is the JR Pass (Japan Rail Pass). Watch out for the golden rule: You have to buy it before travelling to Japan. They send you a voucher to your home in Portugal, and when you land in Tokyo, you swap the paper for the official pass that gives you unlimited rides.
2. The Litter and Walking-While-Eating Rule 🗑️🍔
The first thing you’ll notice in the streets of Tokyo is that there are no rubbish bins anywhere. The second is that the streets are immaculate. Magic? No, the Japanese keep their rubbish in their pocket or backpack and take it home or to the hotel to throw out.
Another rule that shocks Europeans: you don’t walk and eat in the street. Bought a sweet bean cake or an ice cream? You stand still at the shop door, eat it, and only then start walking again. Eating while walking is seen as terribly bad manners.
3. Heaven on Earth Is Called "Konbini" 🏪
Convenience stores in Japan (7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson) aren’t like our sad petrol-station shops. They are a tourist’s salvation!
Open 24 hours, they have free Wi-Fi, ATMs that accept European cards, and the food is divine. The famous Egg Sandwiches at 7-Eleven, or the fried chicken Famichiki (FamilyMart), will be your favourite snacks. And dirt cheap!
4. The Stunning Silence of Public Transport 🤫
Stepping onto the Tokyo metro at rush hour is a religious experience. You’ll be squashed in among thousands of people, but you could hear a pin drop on the floor.
Nobody talks on the phone (it’s forbidden), all phones are on silent and conversations are held in a whisper. If you start booming about tomorrow’s itinerary on the train, you’ll feel the weight of dozens of glaring eyes on you.
Go to the Future, but Sort Out the Past Here in Portugal!
A trip to Japan is the adventure of a lifetime, but it’s also a marathon. You’re going to spend a solid 14 or 16 hours stuck inside planes, hop time zones and arrive in Tokyo deep in jet lag.
Your patience for logistical mishaps has to be saved for Asia.
Are you really going to drag your suitcase through Portugal’s streets at dawn trying to catch a bus or an Uber to the airport? Are you going to start a trip that demands military organization with logistics full of uncertainty and stress?
Do things with Japanese precision.
Take your own machine, switch on the air conditioning and drive impeccably and relaxed to the Departures door. There, the Multipark team is waiting for you (with the punctuality of a bullet train). You hand us the keys and we park your car in our ultra-secure Valet Parking service.
You only have to walk to check-in and start dreaming of sushi.
When you land back, exhausted but full of epic memories from the other side of the world, your car will be there at the terminal door. No delays, no fuss. Just get in and drive home to bed.
Organization and comfort. Run the simulation and book your spot on the Multipark website and Sayonara!
