Getting around in Tokyo

So you somehow made it to your hotel and you are ready to go see the sights. Now what?

[Update, Nov. 2019]

They either did not have them back in 2012, or else I missed it. But you can buy fare cards that will work on at least JR, some subway lines (haven't tried Toei), and buses. Get one at a machine in a subway or train station. There is English and they take credit cards. Then simply tap it on the reader whenever you encounter a gate or a fare box. This greatly simplifies some of what I describe below.

Also, once you know the system a little better (or simply get caught unprepared), the trick is to make your way to a major train station (e.g. Shinjuku) and find a large ticket office. Generally, someone there will know just enough English to be able to help.

[end update]

The best way to get around in Tokyo is the subway/train system. If you are not used to taking the subway, this can be a new and intimidating experience. If you are already used to taking the subway, it still takes some time to get used to the subway system in Tokyo, for 2 main reasons:
1) The vast majority of the time, fare maps have no English on them
2) You have to juggle multiple subway systems to get from point A to point B.

Tokyo is a little unique in this respect. They have the JR system, the Tokyo Metro system, and the Toei system (plus some privately owned train lines that are only of importance to go outside of Tokyo). The systems do not talk to one another. You can't transfer directly from a Metro line to a Toei line. You have to exit and get a new ticket and many times, walk to another station.

Here are some tips on using the subway system in Tokyo
1) Learn to recognize the logos for each company.

Toei

Metro

JR

2) Invest in a bilingual map. You can get by with an English map and comparing it with the Japanese map posted in the station, but with a bilingual map, you can easily match up the English with the Japanese. It's convenient, safer, and educational.
3) Don't let these subway entrances intimidate you. It can feel like you are walking down into hell without knowing what's at the bottom. Just go down and have a look-see.
4) Look for ticket vending machines and system maps. Get out of the way of busy locals, take a deep breath and collect your thoughts. As long as you stay out of their way, people will let you be lost and confused for as long as you need to be lost and confused so there is no rush.
5) Pull out your bilingual map and figure out how to get to where you need to go, preferably using the same system as the one you are standing in front of.

6) Compare your map to the fare map on the wall. You are looking for your final destination, at least with that company. From here it's relatively simple. The station you are in is highlighted on the map, usually by a gold box with some mysterious characters in it, as opposed to numbers. Look for your destination and note the number in that box. That is the fare you have to pay.
7) Prepare bills and coins and approach one of the ticket machines. If they have a button that says "English", go ahead and press that. It's pretty easy after that. If there is no "English" button, it's still pretty easy. Press the button that has your fare amount on it. Put in the money, out comes a ticket and your change.
8) Make careful note of two things: A) The name of the line you are taking. B) The station at the end of the line, or at least some big station along the way.
9) Go through the gates by inserting your ticket into the slot (watch people for a while to figure out how that works before you go in). Your ticket comes out at the other side. Make sure you pick it up and carefully hold on to it, you will need it to exit at the end. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
10) Follow the signs to the train you need (match the line name and the end of the line station). Once on board, keep track of the stops. Lots of ways to do that. Your map, written signs on the subway, signs at the stations along the way, oral announcements (depending on how strong your Japanese is).
11) When you arrive at your final destination, pause again. Look for a map of the area, posted in all subway stations. Tokyo has an extensive underground system of passage ways. Take advantage of them, as they have lots of signs and directions, which you don't have out on the street. Many times, there will be multiple ways to exit a subway station. The exits are numbered and labeled with major landmark (thankfully with English). If you take the correct exit, you are less likely to get lost looking for the place you came to see.
12) When you have to go through gates again, insert your ticket. The machine should keep it if that was your final destination.
13) If for any reason it won't let you out, first try a "fare adjustment" machine. If you look around, you should see one clearly labeled in English. Insert your ticket and see if you have to add any money. Then try exiting again. If that fails, they have attendants on call.

By the way, if you don't want to figure out the fare thing (the hardest part of the whole process), the fare adjustment machines are your best friend. When you buy your ticket, buy it with the minimum fare. When you are getting ready to exit at your final destination, stick it in a fare adjustment machine and add money as required.

Whenever possible, try to get from point A to point B with a single company. It is simpler, and also you will save on fare, as there is a minimum fare that you are paying each time you switch company.

Whenever I go to large cities, I like to learn and use the subway system. It is a quick and fairly inexpensive way to get around. It is also a great place to do some people watching (my favorite activity).

If you are traveling outside of Tokyo (or within), this website can be useful.

Eating in Tokyo

Finding food when in a foreign country can be intimidating and I must confess having sought safe haven in McDonalds before when arriving somewhere foreign, sleep deprived, confused and hungry.

But in Tokyo, I found it relatively easy to find places to eat. First of all, they are very abundant. I am convinced that someone could go eat in a different place every single day of their lives and not visit all of the restaurants of Tokyo.

Second, there is no funny business with tipping. The wait staff works for a salary, not on commission. For an astrophysicist who is utterly number challenged, that's nice. I also like it because having to worry about tipping makes the relationship with the wait staff a little awkward. While they are waiting on us, they try their very best while hoping they will get a reasonable tip. Meanwhile, we eat while debating what the proper tip would be. At least I worry about that and I don't enjoy my meal as much as I should.

Third, many restaurants have a full 3D display of their dishes, with prices. If all else fails, the wait staff will happily follow you outside so you can point to what you wanted to eat.

Fourth, with a few exceptions, meal portions are calibrated for smaller people. That's good news for me, as I could enjoy nice meals without washing yens down the drain or feeling stuffed at the end. For bigger people, that might be an issue and you may find yourself going hungry. Then plan to get a street snack later on. Some restaurants will provide extra rice. You can of course order some more food as well.

Don't be afraid to step into "holes in the wall". You never know. One interesting experience I had was in the Shibuya area. I found a little (japanese) noodle place, picked my dish in the show window and walked in. I was greeted by a vending machine.

By briefly watching people, I quickly figured out that these were ticket machines like in the subway station (by then I was an expert with these). Push button, put money in, take ticket.

Following the example of other people, I brought my ticked to the counter and handed it to the chef. He asked me a bunch of things in Japanese, and following a prolonged silence, finally took a good look at me. Some huge realization dawned on him and he whipped out a mat with two picture on it, and asked, pointing: "udon, soba?" Udon is the Japanese fat noodles, while the soba is the skinny ones. Easy enough.

A minute later, I received my tray with my noodles and side dishes. Easy as that. Water was self serve. And yes, it was pretty good.

I had another nice experience near the Asakusa temple where my hostel was. Lots of nice little places to eat there. Good and surprisingly affordable.

Culture shock in Japan

I recently got back from Japan and got inspired to start another blog, this one on traveling. My first post is about the general discomfort one might feel being in a very much foreign country.

The nice thing about Japan is that even a large city like Tokyo is not very "touristy". Or rather, most of the tourists are Japanese. So for the tourist from abroad, you get to experience the real thing. The bad thing about Japan is that even a large city like Tokyo is not very "touristy". That means that as a tourist from overseas, you must do as the Japanese, short of speaking the language. This means that one must expect and accept to be taken way out of their comfort zone. I don't recommend Japan as a first experience abroad, or if it is, then stay with a guided tour.

Sitting on a subway in Tokyo, expect to be the only non-Japanese. That comes with a feeling of being out of place and some amount of staring from the locals. Most of us are not used to being the "minority" so that alone makes us feel uncomfortable. If you already are minority, then this will not be a new feeling.

This also comes with a fear of doing something out of place and offend people. The operative word here is "relax". Or as my husband told me when I visited my (Korean) in-laws for the first time and was feeling like I would screw up if I merely took a step or opened my mouth (more pressure there than sitting among strangers on a subway), "it's OK, my parents realize you are a westerner and they expect you to do rude things".

While this might sound like an awful thing to say, it was actually the honest truth and meant to make me feel better. The Japanese just need to take one look at you to realize that you are not one of their own and they expect you to do things differently. I think the secret reason behind them staring at foreigners is to catch the odd behaviors and have a secret laugh. OK, now you can feel better about being in Japan. But the point is, they do not hate you, nor do they necessarily get offended.

That being said, do your best to remain within bounds of what is acceptable. And no matter what, be nice to people. Smiling is the universal language. The Japanese do not abuse kindness, so you can dispense it liberally (that feels nice). Learn a few Japanese polite phrases and even if that is the only Japanese you know, use those phrases. That will place the Japanese closer to their comfort zones around you, as they can at least have their ritualistic exchange of polite phrases. It also gives them another secret laugh, as you are trying your best to roll out a clumsy sentence with a heavy foreign accent. Also get into the habit of bowing. This is body language that shows respect. Of course, there will be many instances when you will bow when not supposed to, but it's always better to show too much respect than not enough.

And here is my tip for any time you find yourself in a foreign environment (whatever that may be). Take your time. Sit for a while and observe people. Start acting only when you get a sense of how they operate. Get in the habit of watching people. All the details. And imitate. That is what small children do to learn to live in society. As adults, we are not used to doing this, but with practice, it comes back.

I am not prone to culture shock, but some things did make me feel not quite at home. More pure "westerners" find it more difficult to adapt. Following is a list of a few things that may take some adjusting to.

1) The different alphabet. As educated adults, we are not used to being illiterate, but that is the feeling you must live with in Japan. You don't realize how much information we automatically take in while walking through streets until you walk through streets with signs that you can't read. Figuring out fare maps for the subway takes time, as they rarely have English on them. Always remember to relax and take your time. It starts making more sense after a week or so.

2) The driving on the left side. That makes riding a bus or in a car feel awkward and a little scary. In Tokyo, I nearly got into the driver's seat of a car by mistake once. It also means that people walk on the "wrong" side of the sidewalk. That is actually a bigger problem. Tokyo is always full of people and crowd circulation is an issue. In subway stations, you will actually see signs on the floor and on stair cases, indicating the direction of flow. It will take a few days, but always remember "when in doubt, move to the left". Many times, you will discover very quickly that you forgot about the backward flow thing when you find yourself faced with an onslaught of people running toward you and bumping into you. Things improve a lot once you have moved to the left side. Then you are running with people as opposed to trying to walk against the flow.

3) Related to that and more specific to Tokyo is the sheer number of people. It's busy everywhere, all the time it seems. "Lone" time is a hot commodity. If you are not already used to large city life, that can feel overwhelming.
4) As I have already alluded to, you likely look different. Things are a little easier if you are tiny and dark haired, otherwise expect to tower over people. I can't tell what that feels like (I am of small to average height for Japan), but it must actually make being among crowds feel a little less overwhelming. But on the other hand, that means that you are likely to stand out.
5) Related to that is the utter lack of space (at least in Tokyo). Part of the issue is homes and trains built for small people, but also a concern with saving space. Even I have felt cramped at times. As someone who lives in the US, I had to adjust to streets being a lot narrower. It took me some time to work up the courage to walk down what looked to me like narrow alleyways where people get mugged. These were not alleyways, but regular streets. And mugging is not common in Japan. But everything is smaller. Ceilings and doorways are lower, bathroom sinks are low (even for 5 foot me), stair cases narrow and claustrophobic.

Hard to tell from the picture, but two small people could barely pass each other on these at a capsule hotel in Tokyo.

6) And then there is food. For me, that was not an issue, as I am already used to Korean food and trying new things. But I heard from several friends that they missed having a nice, big chunk of meat on their plate. Japanese food is more fish based, or otherwise is vegetarian. They were not so hot on the tofu either and found it weird to have rice, fish and soup for breakfast. There is also a worry of not knowing what one gets, but that is alleviated by the fact that many restaurants have a show window where they display 3D plastic models of their dishes, with prices clearly marked. Or else, they have pictures.

7) If you don't know how to use chopsticks, learn before you go to Japan. They do not have any forks to give you and many times, not even a real spoon (they use chopsticks to eat their rice). If you can't master the use of chopsticks, carry a fork around, at the risk of attracting some more amused looks or some profuse apologizing.
8) Having to take off your shoes and the slipper etiquette. I find this one natural. What does not make sense, is to step into a house with shoes on. Or to walk around a toilet and then go back into the main part of the house without changing footwear in between. When you think about it, that's gross. That being said, it means that one has to think more carefully about everyday little things. It is very easy to forget to take off the restroom slippers when done, a MAJOR faux pas (no pun intended).

9) Another thing friends reported being uncomfortable with while we were in Japan was the fact that people in the service industry are too nice. It seems fake to them. Yes, it is fake, but it is their job. Let them do their job. If you respond by being as nice as they are, then you can turn that fakeness into something at least partly real. Their smile will become more natural if it is a response to your own smile. People in Japan also apologize for seemingly innocent things and way too profusely. That also is how they do things. Let them apologize as much as they need to. Repeatedly tell them it's OK (in English is fine, it's the thought that counts), smile and bow back until the apologizing is over. And no, you are not apologizing nearly enough, but it's OK because hopefully you are being nice to people and also, you are expected to do rude things.