April 4, 2013 · 4

Japan: when to go and how to prepare

The trip to Japan, a lifelong dream finally come true. One of those journeys you have absolutely no plan to make but that almost happens by accident, thanks to an airline offer that lets you buy a return ticket at a truly affordable price. When I bought the ticket in December I had the possibility of choosing when to travel, somewhere between February and June.

After a great deal of searching, researching, and analysing, I chose late April for two main reasons: the first is that I have always wanted to witness the cherry blossom, which normally occurs between April and May; the second is that spring (March to May), together with autumn (September to November), is one of the best periods to visit. The climate during these periods is very pleasant, not particularly hot or cold, and so it lets you walk around the cities without any particular difficulty. It must be said, however, that late April is a holiday period in Japan — the Golden Week — so it is wise to book accommodation well in advance to avoid the risk of finding everything completely full.

Since my trip will last around 14 days, and I intend to move around enough to see a bit of the country without getting stuck in just one city, I preferred to use two cities as a “base” for sleeping so as not to have to keep moving from hotel to hotel with luggage in tow. My bases will be Kyoto and Tokyo plus one night in a Buddhist temple as an interlude between the two cities.

Another very strong desire of mine has always been to sleep in a true, traditional Ryokan. One must be careful, though, because it is easy to stumble upon accommodation that on paper proclaims itself a traditional ryokan but which then turns out to be an ordinary, somewhat Westernised, hotel.

For bookings I used the portal Japanese Guest House which proved really very useful. It is divided by area, but above all it is organised by type of accommodation; from the highest and therefore most expensive category down to the most affordable; from the Western hotel to the truly traditional ryokan. The hotels are very often accompanied by photos and visitors’ comments, so it is possible to understand whether it really is what you are looking for. Personally I also did cross-checks, reading reviews on other sites such as TripAdvisor.

Starting from these bases — the first will be Kyoto — I will make day trips to other cities such as Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima. And since Japan is not a particularly cheap country, especially when it comes to transport, it is essential to purchase the Japan Rail Pass, which lets you use all the Shinkansen (the fast trains) throughout the country, with the exception of a few that are reserved exclusively for Japanese citizens. The Japan Rail Pass was designed specifically for foreigners; it can be purchased with a validity of 7, 14 or 21 days. If, like me, you plan to travel a lot, you simply cannot do without it. It is possible to purchase it from Italy in advance; there are several sites that offer this service.

During my research I noticed that different sites have different prices for the same pass; so I advise you not to buy it on the first site you come across. Another very useful thing, which will prevent you from going broke, is renting a mobile phone with a SIM card. Roaming, as we know, is very expensive in countries outside Europe, but in Japan there is the possibility of renting a mobile phone with a SIM so that you can make calls abroad without spending a fortune.

My final piece of advice is to check well in advance the availability for all the attractions you intend to visit, also because for many attractions it is not possible to buy the ticket on site, but only through the internet. As for documents, it is really very straightforward: for Italian tourists no visa is required for tourism trips of less than 90 days. Medical care is paid for, and not cheaply, so it is advisable to take out travel medical insurance before leaving and to bring along a small medicine kit with essential medications!