First Time to Japan? 🇯🇵 9 Things you need to know before coming to Japan 🇯🇵 Local's perspective

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Hey guys!! Many thanks for watching the video 😊 I thought I’d go back to basics and make this video that would be useful to tourists coming to Japan soon! If you have your “things tourists should know before coming to Japan”, please leave a comment here! I’m sure your tips would help the other fellow tourists ✨ If you would like a guided tour by me, make sure to check out Shun Tours! www.shuntours.com/

[@quadratic123]

A good tip is that I found the Google translate App camera extremely helpful if there was no English available to help read menus and signage in Japanese. But Sarah’s recommendation to learn a few basic phrases can really ingratiate yourself with locals. It is true that people really do appreciate the effort to speak even just a simple greeting and thanks in my experience.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Great advice from an expert! Thank you! 😊

[@RetiredOfficerandGent]

I visited Mount Fuji area last year to ride the annual Fuji Hill Climb. I arrived 4 days before the bike ride to acclimate myself. At Shimoyoshida train station, I was the last passenger to disembarked that night and the Japanese couple that were operating this station helped me tremendously in finding my accommodation for the next 6 days. I knew very minimal Japanese but we were able to communicate with each other. The Japanese lady even talked to the owner of the apartment via phone and ironed out the details. The couple literally took me to the front door and her husband checked the inside of the apartment before helping me carry all my luggage’s and bike bag. What a way to start my Japan visit and a true Japanese hospitality to foreign tourists. I’m going back next year.

[@dominichill1492]

Sarah thanks for the tips that you always give us subscribers before coming to Japan. Sarah wish we had more people like you around.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Thank you! 😊

[@DaveAtonal]

Amazing video again, thank you! Very informative and useful!!! Thanks!

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Si_Hano]

Aloha Sarah, I just got back from Japan on May 22. Spent 5 days in Tokyo(Shinjuku) and then 4 days in Hakodate. I'm planning my next trip already. Food was amazingly tasty and cheap. In Hakodate, we stayed at Yunokawa Prince which had an onsen in the room...wow what an experience. Most places accept credit cards. My suggestion to new travelers, not in a group tour, do your research about using the train or rail systems. To me, the train stations were the hardest to navigate, especially Shinjuku. I'm taking Japanese language tutorials so I don't have to use Google translate 😂

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

That's a great point! Even I get lost in Shinjuku 😂

[@lysruiz3953]

Wonderful tips! I love the advice on respect. Very appropriate for our day, wherever and whenever one is traveling. Thank you.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Thank you! I thought it was an important one to point out especially now 😊

[@ペン虹虹]

Sarahさんこんばんは！😊 国によってそれぞれの文化があり私達、日本人も勿論、文化や生活週刊がありそれは海外では受け入れ難い事もあると思います。Sarahさんのようにこういうナビゲートしてくださる方が居ると私が海外に行く際にはかなり参考になる事だと思います！すっごく素晴らしいVTRだと思います✨✨ 暑くなってきましたね！外での撮影、無理しないようにしてください☺️

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

こんばんは！今回は改めて基本に戻った感じの動画を出してみました😆 ありがとうございます、日中はかなり暑くなってきましたね・・・お体には気をつけてくださいね！

[@astrostar49]

Great video. I think I might subscribe. 😍😍😍

[@kevin19358]

Greetings from Tokyo. I arrive in Tokyo last Monday on my special day, it's my 1st time flying Zipair flight number 1 from Honolulu, flight is 85 to 90% full and the flight is good and okay, almost 8 hours, I pay between less than $300 to $400 and it's really cheap.

[@AlanVByrnes]

And yes I want to book as many tours with you as well!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@AlanVByrnes]

Appreciate the helpful tips Sarah always from you as well!! I’ll be sure to keep these in mind when I come for sure!! 🦾🦾🦾

[@olyabryzhata1016]

Thank you for the advice!

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

I hope you found them useful!

[@Bad_Karma1968]

Fun and informative Sarah

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Thank you!

[@gaytonabeach]

I just got back from Japan and I used so many of your videos for recommendations 😊😊 thank you for all of the hard work you put into these videos!!

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Omg I'm so glad to year that!! It made my day! Thank you so much 😊

[@AziaXtremeNFinity]

3:24-3:30 my local burger joint here in California (US) a cheeseburger combo costs $13.00 (Y2040) and that's supposed to be cheap

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

😱😱😱

[@RadioYui]

Make a guide on how to travel to the north, it's so beautiful and many people miss it for sticking to Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Great advice!

[@gaytonabeach]

If I had to give one tip it would be to not rely on Google maps for restaurant recommendations. The best places I ate at were ones that were recommended by locals, or by just walking around and picking one that stood out to me. Restaurants with Google maps ratings of 4.5+ stars often seemed to be heavily catered towards tourists

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

That's a great tip! Locals never really use Google Maps but we use Tabelog a lot!

[@RtdRotem2810]

nice video thank you very much i am start to waiting to the next one hahahaha

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Thank you! 😊

[@bonwatcher]

Which gyudon do you prefer, Sukiya or Yoshinoya? I wanted to try Sukiya when I was there this past spring (not in US like Yoshinoya and Japan Yoshinoya is a lot better!) and didn't get to do that, but are there other big gyudon shops to try or is it better to go to small shops? 🤔

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

I haven't had sukiya and yoshinoya for a long time! I've been really liking matsuya though - it's a similar gyudon chain 🤤

[@reyshakquit]

I love you Sarah 😊

[@randyselgalamsen5980]

Konbanwa Sarah, i am studying japanese language.🗒🖊 Ogenki desu ka? 😅

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Genki desu!

[@meltingsnowman266]

I was raised to be respectful to others anywhere (at least as long as they have not shown that they don't deserve it), and of course especially when I am a guest or visitor. You know, the golden rules of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" or "treat others as you would like them to treat you". I find it very difficult to understand how it can be difficult to tourist respectfully. As you mention, if you just show some respect and effort, you will be much more appreciated by the locals, and respected back. OK, I guess that there could be cultural differences that could annoy the locals even though you think yourself that you are polite. But some people don't even seem to use their common sense in their interactions with others as tourists, and that of course leads to the point where some locals lose their patience with the tourists. Sadly for us who try to do our best, but fully understandable in the big picture.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Thank you for the comment! What you said is so true. Some tourists do things that are still considered rude in their home country and they think it’s ok to do it in Japan 😔

[@enjoystraveling]

@@TokyoFoodieSarah I don’t understand those tourists that do rude things in Japan or any other country, fortunately my parents taught me taught me better than that.

[@AlejandroMéndez-j6j]

Something I wish I had known before going to study PhD in Japan is how common is to face abuse from supervisors. Mine even became physically violent, so I had to leave. But many other MEXT scholars (as I was) suffer continuously. Many of them can't even graduate because their supervisor just blocks them in the process. It's just horrible. Terrible people have so much power in Japan...

[@shawnbell6392]

The younger generation there is working to change that. No where is perfect. I am sorry to hear of your experience.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

I am sorry to hear your experience. The culture is slowly changing to better, so hopefully the future generations will not have to suffer like you did.

[@AlanVByrnes]

🌹🤖🇯🇵✈️🌹

[@anata.one.1967]

6:19 there she goes again. 🤨

[@jimwoo9552]

New subscriber. Have you done a do's and don'ts ? This will help entitled and dense tourists to understand and respect local customs and cultures. Ignorance is not an excuse.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

No I haven’t and that’s a great idea! Thank you 😊

[@arterisdewberry9467]

You're so beautiful

[@shawnbell6392]

Please learn about the culture because everything about Japan unfolds from that. Harmony and not bothering others in the public space is a strong cultural value, hence the quiet on trains. None of us foreigners are exempt from understanding the culture and that we are in another society. Louts and exploitive instagram addicts should be shunned by all of us.

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

Great advice. Thank you!

[@AKRex]

This list is missing some important points, let me add my top 7 (cause I love number 7!): 1. Slurp as loud as you can (even if it kills you) when you eat any noodle dish. 2. Make sure to run around in general public and yell “RASENGAN!”. 3. Do not listen to advices from Sora the Troll, he’s just an American pretending to be Japanese! 4. Make friends with some yakuza or a local biker gang, cause video games and “Tokyo Revengers” show how awesome they are, so this will definitely be an experience to die for! 5. When walking on the streets in the city, do not use a specific “lane” where other people are going, but walk right in the middle and make sure to spread your elbows like a swan, since that way you can quickly jump into any lane you want and other people will be walking around you within at least 1 meter radius, so you wont risk bumping into anybody. 6. Always forget to take your shoes off whenever going to the fitting rooms in clothing shops and Japanese style rooms. Locals ofc can never get away with this, but you are a foreigner, you have a platinum pass on everything! 7. If you book Sara for a private tour, be sure to gift her a nice pet snake. She likes them very much and thinks they are super adorable! 🤭🤭🤭

[@TokyoFoodieSarah]

My intelligent viewers including you know not to do any of these especially No. 7. 🥺

[@AKRex]

@@TokyoFoodieSarah 🐍🤭🤗