14 things you NEED to know before going to Japan

I just got back from spending 22 consecutive days in Japan for my first time in the country. As I am working on the vlogs and what not I thought it would be fun to talk about the things that shocked me about the country and what I would want you to know if you ever plan on visiting yourself!
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Pickups Video: • June Pickups (Japanese...
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
0:41 1 Transportation
4:31 2 Shoes
5:42 3 Bullet Train
8:05 4 Trains Sleep Early
9:35 5 Taxis
10:50 6 SHOP SHOP SHOP
13:44 7 Passport Law
14:56 8 Japanese Sizing
15:49 9 Eating in Japan
18:37 10 Convenience Store Culture
20:56 Squarespace
21:36 11 NO APA
22:39 12 Toilets and Showers
23:36 13 Wednesday's in JP
24:03 14 Store Hours
26:13 Pvv
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#Japan #Travel #japantravel

[@dennismurphy9135]

A few tips for Kurashiki/Kojima: - A lot of the best shops aren’t on jeans street (kapital, COTTLE, Iron Heart, etc). - some great select shops are in Kurashiki. - check out el canek in Kurashiki, it’s hidden in a little garden with a leather working shop where you can get a customized travelers notebook. There’s also a great jewelry shop. - kojima food options around jeans street are sparse. General Japan stuff: - it’s a reservation heavy culture. It’s a good idea to reserve a dinner and work around that if you aren’t familiar with the area. - eat and drink at izakaya! These are the places you go when you don’t have reservations or plans. They’re all over and the food is excellent. They come in different tiers so many will accept reservations but have lots of walkin space. - if you miss the last train, staying in a love hotel is a cheap option for the night. You can pay by the hour. - malls are great and filled with tons of shops big and small. They often have small independent pop ups and amazing artist galleries.

[@IhsanAmin]

No way we got a Drew Joiner Japan travel guide before GTA 6

[@DrewJoiner]

😂😂 yo this actually cracked me up

[@zenbrandon]

I've been learning Japanese for a year now. It's my dream to visit someday. For now, I'll live vicariously through your experience, Drew! Keep the great vids coming!

[@crownjewel9602]

I hope when you go your trip is an excellent experience! May I ask, which parts would you prefer to visit most? When I went, I really loved Kyoto, but I spent the most time in Tokyo & Hokkaido, & a hot second in Osaka!

[@Burn143]

Same, been currently learning Japanese as well and hope to visit Japan one day. Especially places like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Yokohama, Kobe, Chiba, the countryside, etc. Keep up the good work!😎😎😎🤝🏾

[@user-eo2fs6dc8f]

Hi Drew I’m Japanese and an English learner. I watch your videos to learn English expressions. I’m glad to find your channel, and your videos are pretty interesting for me too!

[@LottoLogista]

I've visited Tokyo three times prior to Covid. One thing id recommend before flying into Narita Airport is to book your NEX (Narita Express Train) in advance. They have busses to shuttle you throughout the city (and are super cheap), but they take hours longer.

[@automaticshelter130]

I’m going back next Tuesday. Japan is a wonderful country. The people are very helpful and kind. ☺️

[@s.hanano2810]

Yes! In Japan, you have to walk a lot (except in non-touristy rural areas) and there are a lot of hills in the city, so comfortable shoes and stretching your legs every night are important! 🦵! I was happy to think that Drew was in Japan for a visit! I'm glad you had a good trip!

[@zesx_]

I'm a Japanese fan！ I'm glad you came to Japan Please come again❤

[@Whodnl]

Our guy, always helping us out

[@sangamkhati4244]

Man can't wait to watch your vlogs of Japan!!

[@idkuhh621]

So happy that I’m early! Love your videos, Drew. They’re always such a comfort to watch and again,thanks for this amazing video. ✨😼

[@azahareli]

I'm visiting Japan in August and it feels like everyone else it going to Japan too lol, hearing and seeing about it so often makes me even more excited!!

[@gustaveii]

Great video. One of your best! It bodes really well for everything else you dreamt up with there. I'm mostly commenting to encourage to dive right in and return as much as is viable. I used to want to travel widely, but fell hard for Türkiye and Mexico and have mostly built my trips around these countries for the past 10-15 years. The depth of cultural awareness and appreciation you will have on your 5th or 10th trip is incomparable. You'll have reason to absorb the language, make connections that lead to experiences you can't possibly manage on a first visit even with fastidious planning. To keep things in the realm of clothing, the repeat journeys give the feeling when your wardrobe really comes into its own versus having a bunch of cool pieces that can't really be paired together. It isn't that the latter doesn't have a place, there's a feeling when everything falls into place and makes sense together that just lifts the spirits. Looking forward to as many Japan videos as you can muster! #pvv

[@Tempo1345]

Loved the video Drew , I'm visiting Japan In July (next month). I took roughly a two month break from consuming Japan info/content as i felt the information was overwhelming. However, this video was refreshing and it actually got me back in that mode of looking forward to my trip and it really gave me new insight ,especially when you spoke on FOMO. Anyways ... I look forward to more Japan content...👊.

[@EliPlukchi]

Love your vids, trying to get into fashion and ur a big help 🫶🏼

[@davidvoggenreiter4962]

Great video and solid advice all round. I would say in regard to sizing that shoes, in particular "hype" sneakers, are the exception. I'm a US12 and there was hardly anything available in my size.

[@Chidge86]

Awesome tips mate! I'm heading over for 21 days in mid October with my wife and kids... Dragging them to Hachioji to see Iron Heart & Okayama/Kojima for denim street 😅

[@darkblader-zr7zo]

IM GOING NEXT TUESDAY!!! This video is heaven sent!!! 🤩🤩🤩

[@DrewJoiner]

I am jealous of you!! Enjoy your trip fr

[@harrypottah8889]

Early gang, dat boy living the dream 🤘🏾 I love seeing other black folks travel vids, I hope people treated you well, Drew!

[@R_Rod]

I subscribed just in time! Got here from today's Iron Snail video, so glad I checked out your channel, as I'm traveling to Japan for 23 days this September, and looking to buy some cool engineer boots, learher jackets, denim and cotton tees.

[@jaylenburley12]

Im here kinda early🤩 We need a whole price break down of the trip… how much did you spend in total😮‍💨

[@DrewJoiner]

Flight and lodging cost the most, then trains, then experiences (Baseball game/sumo), then clothes, then food

[@markmoriwaki3158]

Might go next year

[@tofu042]

After visiting Japan two times in the last 5 years (last time in March/April) I highly recommend renting a car for some Days and going rural. The experience of driving there is one of a kind. You get to places, like you mentioned, that are not reachable otherwise and its way cheaper then taking a taxi. Rental Cars are pretty cheap compared to prices in Europe and Parking really isnt a Problem in Rural Japan. If you are a car guy it also opens up all the famous car culture locations for you. Btw I did my Walking Miles both times in Vans Oldskools. Do I recommend it? Not really, but the Bond between my Vans and me is priceless now.

[@JasonCheeeseball]

I used new balance 990 for my Japan trip and it worked very well for 20-30k steps. I practiced walking a month before but was still sore by end of day. I mostly recovered after the days rest though I ended up using the subway for local areas a lot which is not covered by JR pass so you need to top up on another card For the food had to queue or the hyped places or book online using a international website booking system as they do go quickly. Ramen and yakitori is usually available late at night but depends on the area too

[@aidanthompson4328]

I’m really wanting to go for a honeymoon, it would be the dream!

[@idkuhh621]

Hope it works out for ya, Japan seems like a great place.

[@mynameiszer0]

By the way, that tax-free tip applies to a lot of places, it's not something that's exclusive to Japan. I went to France and all of my purchases (except for food & entertainment if I'm not mistaken) that exceeded 100 euros were tax-free which is like a 10-20% refund. Do you research before going on an international holiday, it just might save you some money.

[@EmmaneTheCreated]

Why did you cramped so many cities in 22 days? Lol but is a vlog coming? I looove Japan so I'm clinging onto any vicarious experiences I can take 🤣

[@DrewJoiner]

Honestly I have no idea... 😂 I would not recommend. BUT vlog is coming later this month

[@josephnerney4823]

On that topic of restaurants Japanese people are so happy to line up for food(or anything), change up what you usually do and go early and expect to wait for popular spots

[@JoseGonzTravels]

I’ve been in Japan for 6 months! Ended up engaged and now living in Tokyo haha

[@DrewJoiner]

Amazing!!

[@user-xu5dg2th7z]

高山に来てくれてありがとう!!!! また日本に来てください🥰

[@DrewJoiner]

Takayama!!!

[@Shoey]

absolutely loved japan. some misc tips that i didn't see talked about much or that may be worth keeping in mind: * bring multiple cards, including several with no intl fees (if available) that support cash withdrawal. make sure you contact your bank to let them know you're travelling overseas. even with the really handy 7/11 atms, we had mixed results getting our cards to work * allow lots of extra time to find your way in and out of major stations if you haven't been there before. even though many stations are very well signposted, it's so so so easy to miss your exit or gate and be on the complete wrong side of a station * be careful when tapping your ic card in stations and make sure you know what area you're tapping into. maybe this is just a sydney thing but here it's very very easy to tap on, use the bathroom or a locker or whatever, and tap off and not be charged. this is not the case in japan - the ticket reader will get mad if you try tap off later at the same station and you'll have to see staff. really really annoying. furthermore, you usually can't easily transfer between lines by different operators if you somehow access a gated area from another gated area and you'll have to backtrack and see the staff of said first gated area to reverse your charge. maybe im just stupid but im usually pretty good at getting around and this tripped me up a few times * go to every second street and ragtag you can.

[@DrewJoiner]

Great great tips

[@beakerland]

That Kapital jacket is soooooo hard maaaan!!!!!!

[@DrewJoiner]

You FEEL me!!

[@Devppp]

#pvv honestly I’m pretty read up on a lot of Japan’s tourist stuff so I don’t have questions on that front but I am curious if you’ve done any of the “traditional” Japanese activities like attending tea ceremony or visiting a zen temple

[@SteveGiffordLA]

Fried curry buns from Family Mart. 😍

[@ltc490]

That RRL hat would go good with the jacket bro

[@denzelndlovu1987]

This video is so clutch because i'm going with a friend in October😭 Awesome to see that you found didn't have a hard time finding your size(great for me as well because i'm also 6"3). Do you think it will be difficult finding clothing for my friend who is around 6"5 and has a bigger build? Just asking because I would love for him to fully enjoy Japans amazing clothing culture❤

[@sackmaster37]

Going to japan this fall gonnanuse the fluff out of this

[@guthriemeyer8646]

brooo!! i said hi at noju castle! excited to see the vid is out

[@DrewJoiner]

Yoooo this is wild, that was love

[@benpohlmann2352]

Hey! Im actually going to live in Japan for 6 months next year and I'm super excited (both positively and negatively). The video helped a lot. I've heard that Japanese people are sometimes not accustomed to strangers / not really friendly to non-Japanese people. Is that true? How did you experience seeing many different places in Japan?

[@kuljitsingh0]

the bullet train is really like a normal train in spain in the term of speed

[@eufrasiaerika3311]

i think the average speed of trains in Europe is quite high. For example, the TGV is even faster than the Nozomi.

[@JJJosh949]

@drewjoiner did you get a Seiko watch? Perfect for you! Especially the Grand Seiko!

[@DrewJoiner]

I didn't but it is something I have my eyes on!!

[@redasabri7835]

Any chance you can share your google map with all the stores you pinned ?

[@tp7525]

could you put a pdf link on the description of your script/plan of your trip to japan?

[@jeromel4563]

DREWWWWW you please need to go to australia.... I know there isnt alot here, but it would be awesome to see your view on australia. #pvv 🤜🤜

[@hmilo97]

hope u get into goros one day

[@kuyakeno]

7:56 😂😂

[@tp7525]

me watching this video like im going to japan soon

[@ryeofoatmeal]

point number 4 is also common in my country 😭 I thought this is normal?? train stops at midnight and the earliest is 6am 😐

[@masterneeks5282]

The whole hotel room with two beds is spot on! Their website and description (idk if it's a mistranslation to English) can be really misleading.

[@prytud]

I love the kapital jacket

[@cfctloz]

how English accessible was the trip (other than signage)? had a friend of a friend visit recently and they said that the locals and shop owners almost exclusively did not speak it- which was a stark contrast from when I visited Korea where I found that to be the opposite #pvv

[@lukiss5635]

what was that website you showed the bullet train fare?

[@josephvesagas2199]

Nice hat. Where from?

[@motar6825]

I’m Japanese, ITS NOT NORMAL TO SLEEP ON THE STREET JUST BC YOU MISSED A TRAIN they just drunk blacked out. It is safe enough in Tokyo to do so and yen is weak af right now but we’re not that broke like we can pay ¥4000 to go home lmao I’m genuinely curious how you ended up in that conclusion

[@nemueljrsumalinog3727]

People who sleep on the streets are only drunk people. People who missed their trains usually go to capsule hotels, take a taxi or stay at a karaoke place til 5am.

[@byshagi]

what did you do to your cap ?

[@Createdbycjay]

I cant imagine how long it took to plan this itinerary lol

[@Wavestarter_TV]

“Drew buy me buy me I’m only 88cent” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@DrewJoiner]

😂😂

[@pastense]

Yeah, I used a week pass for Tokyo’s metro line and had no problems whatsoever until the day I went to Shimokitazawa. Didn’t know it was outside the greater Tokyo system. So I only had to pay an extra $2 or so to get thru. Otherwise, Japan’s public transportation system is undeniably unmatched! And yes, bring your best walking shoes. Got a lot of “unspoken” compliments wearing my loud-colored New Balances on my trek lol And oh yeah, one of the biggest things I miss about Japan was the bidet toilets. Nothing better than leaving the restroom with a fresh, clean bottom! Side note: if you ever go to Hawaii, you’ll get the same experience in the 7-Elevens and their various convenience stores. Our mainland convenience stores are just SAD!

[@ma7719]

My family and I will be going to be going to some of the same cities you visited when we go to Japan. Please could you give a breakdown of places of interest you visited? #ppv

[@lisaworldwidequeen3642]

We're going to Japan, is the Suico physical card refundable if in case there's still available balance left in it?

[@DrewJoiner]

No I do not think so

[@holly939]

Reggie (The Casual here on YT and elsewhere) does a shopping tour in Tokyo with a focus on similar brands. He's lived there a long time and is fluent in Japanese. I haven't visited yet, but I would definitely check him out.

[@DrewJoiner]

Love reggie, sad I missed him while in Japan

[@holly939]

@@DrewJoiner There's always next time!

[@ce_rouse]

A bidet a day keeps the dingleberries away. ⛲

[@bossnass9368]

I have to say you were very unlucky with the restaurants being full. I’ve live here for 8 years and can count on two hands how many times I’ve been turned down from a restaurant for it being full.

[@M.Bennie]

👊🏼 👊🏼

[@chicagomatt06]

JR in the future is going to break up the fare so you can just buy for the island or area that you’re going to. Right now in 2024 I did not buy the pass because just paying for the train that they were taking was a lot cheaper

[@tuffguymoakavampyregxd9237]

Was the language barrier easy to overcome?

[@sangamkhati4244]

I can see that Americans are very obsessed with Japan.

[@1ly4]

walk with your cat?

[@gamingupdate7401]

1 view 10 seconds bro fell off (im your biggest fan)

[@aidanthompson4328]

I was that view 🥸

[@DrewJoiner]

0 views in .0003 milliseconds.. bro fell off

[@Mimiiu_]

I thought this was Han hyunmin😭

[@DrewJoiner]

Happens every video 😂

[@charliemackenzie3376]

Why do you have a punchdrunk mask in your background?

[@moreorlessok5635]

child of consumerism

[@caseygreyson4178]

Those were some… painful pronunciations but nice vid all around!

[@A_78939]

He’s American you dunce.

[@PhillipSThompson]

Love the video but you're butchering the word Kanazawa, every other Japanese word you are pronouncing you're not doing bad. but Kanazawa is really bad.