Podcast Episode “Japan Travel Myths vs Reality”

Welcome to the Japan Travel Pros podcast.

We're glad you're here.

In this episode, we're talking about Japan travel myths.

Yeah.

You know, those things you hear before your first trip to Japan.

Some are kind of true.

Some used to be true.

Got to say, some of those can lead to some pretty bad planning if you follow them too closely or take them too literally.

0:25

Hey, we're going to break it all down for you.

And oh, yeah, we'll even answer a listener question.

Let's get started.

0:42

Hey, it's Ari at Japan Travel Pros.

Thanks for checking in.

We're here in studio today with producer Aki.

Say hi, Aki.

Hi, Konichiwa.

Konichiwa.

Hey, Aki.

Today we're talking about Japan Travel Myths.

0:57

Yeah, there's a lot of those, aren't there.

But before that, we've got a listener question from Julio in Houston, TX Julio asks.

Hey, Japan Travel Pros, I've heard about luggage forwarding in Japan.

What is it?

How does it work and do I need it?

1:13

Julio, really appreciate the question.

And luggage forwarding, This is something that a lot more folks are talking about these days.

So let's unpack it.

There's a side eye from AKI right there.

So what it is, is a service that's offered by a couple of companies.

The biggest one is called Yamato.

1:31

Yamato is a big express company.

And what they can do is they can ship your bags from the airport to your hotel, from one hotel to another hotel, or from a hotel back to the airport, among other places.

A lot more people are using it these days.

1:46

Every year it seems like more and more.

There is another company, by the way, called Sagawa.

Chances are if you're staying in a hotel and you ask for Taku Bean, that's what it's called in Japanese.

Taku Bean refers to express shipment in Japan.

It works very well for luggage shipping.

2:03

Let's say for example, you're coming into the airport and you've got a couple of trains ahead of you.

Maybe you're flying into Tokyo, but you're moving on to Kyoto that day, for example, something like that.

Rather than schlepping your, you're thinking, yeah, I can do without this bag for a day.

Rather than taking it from one train to another train to a taxi to a bus or something like that, Yamato at the airport can send your bag on to your hotel.

2:25

They can send it to your Kyoto hotel, for example.

Usually the next day, depending on the sending time and where it's going now, they'll let you know about this.

But typically what we'll see a lot of travelers doing is sending it from one hotel to the other hotel.

Let's say you're staying in Tokyo.

2:40

Your next stop is Hakone and then you're going on to Kyoto after that.

Hakone is a great place to have a day bag or a carry on bag, something like that.

You might spend one night or two nights in Hakone and you can pack light for that and send your big bag onward from Tokyo to Kyoto.

2:59

So it kind of leapfrogs you in that scenario.

So there are a lot of useful scenarios like this.

Now, backing up a step, do you need it?

And the answer to that varies.

How much are you bringing?

So ideally you're traveling light.

If you're only traveling carry on, for example, you probably don't need luggage forwarding.

3:16

Tucky Bean is probably not for you in that case.

This is a point where some people start to get a little bit stressed and we want to say clearly there's plenty of room, especially on the bullet trains.

For example, there's plenty of room in the overhead compartment.

If you got that carry on bag on your flight, for example coming to Japan, you'll be able to get it as a carry on bag on the Shinkansen on the bullet train no problem.

3:37

Now if you have a large check in suitcase, maybe a 28 inch or a 30 inch, that's where it starts to get a little bit problematic.

In the overhead compartment in the bullet train, however, there are still rows with luggage space behind it.

3:52

There are luggage compartments depending on which bullet train you're taking or which express train you're taking.

There are other ways to do this, but what some people have found is that not only on the train itself, but just getting to the station and then getting from the station to your hotel at the next city, etcetera, that's more than they want to do.

4:08

So it really depends how you're going.

If you're not taking a taxi, for example, if you're taking a train, maybe a local train from your Tokyo hotel to get to Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station to ride the bullet train already.

You don't want to slap that bag on morning rush hour.

You think I just, I want to send this and I'll see it tomorrow or I'll see you in a couple of days.

4:25

That's fine.

OK, How do you do this?

How do you go about sending your bag?

Again, if you're staying at a hotel, almost all the hotels in the big cities in Japan certainly are going to be equipped.

They will tell you when you need to give them the bag, when the cut off time is, when the pickup time is.

4:42

They usually have the paperwork to fill out as well.

And they can usually give you a quote as to well, not only how much it is, but when you're going to see your bag on the other side.

Now here's the thing.

Japan has a reputation around the world as being flawless when it comes to logistics.

4:59

But we have to say luggage forwarding in Japan is not 100% perfect, because 100% perfect just doesn't exist.

It doesn't exist in the world of logistics.

It probably doesn't exist in the world at all.

That's not to say they're going to lose your bag, but they might give you a quote that says your bag should arrive tomorrow.

5:17

But sometimes, depending on what's going on, it might arrive the day after tomorrow.

We've seen that happen, haven't we, Aki?

Yeah, yeah, we sure have.

So as long as you're going to be in that city for a while, for a number of days, you're OK.

The challenge comes in, for example, if you're sending your bag back to your hotel in Tokyo and you're leaving the following day, flying out of Japan.

5:37

Aki's already grimacing.

That's probably not a safe situation.

At that point, you should be carrying your bag with you.

That's the safest way to do it.

Another tip that we have when it comes to luggage forwarding is also you can designate what day you want your bag delivered.

For example, if you're going to be out and about for a few days, maybe you're going to Hakone and then you're going to go to the NACA Sendo after that, maybe you don't need that bag for the next 4 days.

5:59

You can designate on that form that your hotel staff are filling out.

You can designate the date and even the time of delivery.

You can say the morning of the 26th or the afternoon on the 5th, something like that.

Up to seven days ahead.

You can actually designate the day and time for your bag to be delivered.

6:17

Another useful situation is let's say you're traveling around Japan and you want to send a bag back to Tokyo.

You've been doing some shopping along the way and you say, OK, I'm going to send this bag to Tokyo.

We're going to be in Tokyo in seven days from now.

Great.

Send it and maybe send it two or three days before you think you're going to get there just in case things get delayed a little bit.

6:35

So to sum it up, luggage forwarding in Japan is very efficient.

It has its uses.

If you're someone who travels light, you probably don't need it, but if you've got larger luggage, if you've got a few days of lag time or slack time in between, it's a pretty good service.

Doesn't cost much.

6:51

It can take a weight off, so to speak, and free up your days.

A lot of travelers enjoy the freedom and the convenience of using luggage forwarding.

7:01

Debunking the Myth: Do You Need a Japan Rail Pass?

Quick note before we keep going, a lot of people come to us after they've already done a ton of research.

And maybe that's you.

You're not starting from zero.

You got places pinned, restaurants saved.

You got hotel ideas and train questions.

7:16

Maybe one or two splurges you're trying to justify, but you're probably not asking.

Can you give me ideas now?

You got plenty of those, don't you?

More like, can you help me make sense of all this?

Oh yeah, we sure can.

Japan Travel Pros.

We help.

7:31

Take the ideas you already have, add the pieces you may be missing, and turn it all into a trip that works for you.

So that's where you're at in the process.

Head on over to japantravelpros.com/plan.

7:46

That's Japan travelpros.com/plan.

Luggage forwarding is a big topic these days and it's mostly reality.

Not a whole lot of myth on that one.

But you know what?

There are some topics out there that are pretty big myths.

8:03

I want to clear up the air a little bit.

We're going to start with the first myth about Japan travel and that is that you need a Japan Rail Pass.

Do you need one?

I'll cut to the chase.

You probably don't.

Realistically, unless you're coming to Japan and riding the bullet train every day, you probably don't need the Jr.

8:25

Pass or Japan Rail Pass.

I'm talking about the National Pass.

It is possible, however, that a regional rail pass could do well for you.

But let's let's break this all down.

So first of all, there's something called the Jr.

Pass or Japan Rail Pass.

8:40

It's been in existence for a long, long time.

The original purpose was to get people who were visiting Japan out of the cities, especially like Tokyo and Kyoto, out of those cities and into more outlying areas, regions that traditionally didn't get a lot of tourism.

8:57

So over the years, much like the your Rail pass, the different rail passes in Europe, for example, the Japan Rail Pass was a bargain for quite a long time.

You could ride unlimited and it didn't cost that much.

Even when Japan was pretty expensive.

9:12

It certainly used to save you quite a bit of money, even if you were traveling every few days or something like that, even if you were going around Tokyo and then maybe moving on to Kyoto and a couple of other destinations beyond that.

However, what happened is a few years ago, they raised the prices and they raised it very intentionally to a point where the math didn't math anymore for most people coming to Japan.

9:38

So that Jr. pass used to be pretty handy.

You had to buy it outside Japan.

That's still true.

You collect it once you get here with your passport and you take it with you, and you would simply hop on a train whenever you're ready to go, wherever you want to go, anywhere in Japan, as long as you're riding on the Jr. network, Jr. is Japan Rail.

9:54

There are actually several different Jr. companies, but that pass is valid on all of the Jr. networks.

It doesn't work on private rail lines, and there are a lot of those in Japan.

But if you're riding the bullet train, for all practical purposes, the bullet train and other connecting Jr. trains, it does work on those.

10:11

It works on some commuter trains around Tokyo, some commuter trains as well around Osaka, even in a little bit in Kyoto, and certainly elsewhere in Japan.

As we said, they've raised the prices to the point where it doesn't work out much anymore.

But it turns out that there's still a lot of old information floating around out there.

10:29

For example, you might hear from a certain chatty chat bot out there who says, OK, we'll get your rail pass and you can go from Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka and back.

Under no circumstance is that rail pass going to help you if you're simply doing the route that we just described.

10:44

Point to point tickets is the way you want to go on that.

Now people might push back and say, well, yeah, but you know, the junior pass is convenient.

OK, I understand where you're coming from in the sense that once you have that pass, you don't have to book tickets.

That's true in some circumstances.

11:01

For example, many bullet trains traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto or Tokyo and Sheen Osaka station, for example, there are non reserved cars unless you're coming at the holidays and there are several those every year in Japan.

There are non reserved cars and you can sit in those cars and that's and that's true.

11:18

Now, what you can't do with the Jr.

Pass, you cannot ride the fastest Nozomi trains or some of the other faster trains that run that.

We're talking about the trains that make the fewest stops all the way really between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, down from Colbate through Hiroshima and down to Kyushu.

11:35

Those trains that make the fewest stops, you can't ride with AJR Pass, So that doesn't help you there.

And the other factor when it comes to convenience is I mentioned earlier that you have to buy the ticket from outside Japan, but collect it inside Japan.

So you'll have to go somewhere and actually show your passport and collect your tickets.

11:53

And that can be a rather cumbersome process.

You can't do it everywhere.

You have to go to certain locations in certain stations and even at certain times a day, for example, and you can anticipate having to stand in line for a while.

So all that said, is it convenient you be the judge?

What we've said with most of our clients at Japan Travel Pros is the Jr.

12:10

Pass, the National Japan Rail Pass probably isn't going to work out for you.

However, there are some regional passes.

There are passes offered by Jr.

W, for example, and Jr.

E.

If you're going to be on several trains in a short period of time, one of those regional passes might pay off.

12:25

I'm still going to say it's less than 10% of the time from our experience with our clients, but there are online calculators out there.

For example, if you Google it or ask ChatGPT, there are Japan Rail Pass calculators or regional rail pass calculators.

Or let us know if you're working with us here at Japan Travel Pros.

12:42

We'll be happy to help you out.

But for your practical purposes, the Jr.

Pass is probably not the way to go.

12:53

Busting the Myth: Are Japan's Trains Always on Time?

Okay, we're moving on to myth #2 and on the topic of trains, Aki, I have a question for you.

Are trains in Japan always on time?

That's so much.

Well, there you go.

You heard it straight from a local at that.

Trains in Japan are usually on time.

They're almost always on time, but they're not always on time.

13:11

Train delays can and do happen.

Now you may have heard in a previous episode I mentioned the story where we were riding the bullet train, the Shinkansen.

We are arriving into Hakata Station in Fukuoka.

The train was running on time all throughout and just at the last minute we had to stop a little bit outside the station and we stopped for about a minute and it it made us one minute late.

13:33

And as we got into the station, as the, as the train was coming to a halt and the doors were about to open, the conductor got on the PA and said, hey, we're really sorry for the delay.

We're sorry for any trouble this might have caused.

We're sorry for your inconvenience.

One minute late.

13:49

Now that's pretty cool.

And that does tell you that the trains do usually run on time.

And in that case we were a minute late.

It didn't hurt us.

We didn't have a connection to make or anything like that.

But having said that, there are cases where trains can get delayed.

There are several reasons for that.

14:05

So weather, yeah, weather is a is a big one.

That's probably the biggest cause for a train in Japan being late, usually something like a typhoon, for example.

So in a typhoon situation, there's wind, there's rain.

And typically what they'll have to do is go out to do a track inspection once the rain has cleared or once the eye of the storm has passed through, it's going through that area.

14:24

That can cause delays.

We had clients last year, he was sitting on a train for over an hour and we were in touch with them the whole time and they were enjoying a few beverages and they were taking it on good stride and they got a refund.

They got a partial refund on their ticket because ultimately they got to their destination, but they were so late that the train was at that point not even considered an express train.

14:44

So they got the express portion of their ticket refunded.

But that's the exception, not the rule.

But it's not uncommon at some point in the day to see trains running, especially the local trains and some of the express trains, but not necessarily the bullet train.

Not uncommon to see them running 2-3 minutes late, 5 minutes late.

15:01

Now what happens, Aki, when there is a delay?

For example, if if someone's going to work and their train is delayed, what do they get from the station for their workplace?

It's basically a hall pass from the station saying, Yep, we had a train delay and so and so is affected by that.

15:17

So that's why they're late to work today.

And if that work for school as well, if somebody's coming to school exactly.

So a little note for your teacher, a little note for the principal saying junior is a little bit delayed because, well, the train was late.

So again, these delays don't occur that often.

Now, what does that mean for you traveling in Japan?

15:34

You've heard this myth about trains are always on time.

And so maybe you're scheduling a really packed tight itinerary.

Maybe chat TPT has given you an itinerary.

We see it from time to time with clients, for example.

And we will we'll always push back politely and say, well, OK, totally makes sense that you've got this because you're thinking, hey, trains in Japan are always running on time.

15:53

And if all you're doing is moving from city A to city B, for example, you're going from Tokyo to Kyoto, you don't have any plans for the rest of the day.

Yeah, don't worry about it.

But if you have a tight connection, for example if you're coming from Sendai, going through Tokyo Station and changing trains and going on to the next train to Kilto, and you have a 10 minute connection, yeah, you might want to give yourself a little more time than 10 minutes just to be on the safe side.

16:15

Tokyo Station's a big place.

Getting from one line to the other takes some time and why not give yourself a little breathing room, maybe even have time for a beverage or lunch or something like that.

That's what we usually recommend.

Now, more importantly, if you're catching a flight, especially if you're catching a flight back home, I know it's a really sad day and maybe not the worst thought in the world.

16:34

Like, hey, what happens if I miss my flight home?

Oh well, I'll just stay in Japan.

Hey, we love you too.

That's great.

But reality is not you.

You can't do that.

So again, because trains don't always run on time, make sure you have a little buffer, a little breathing room.

For example, if you're staying in Kyoto or Osaka, but you're flying back from Tokyo, do you want to do that on the same day?

16:55

Well, you could.

It's a little bit risky.

It's, again, statistically a non zero chance that you'll have a train delay or something like that.

So we usually recommend for our clients, if you're staying somewhere else in Japan but you're flying out of Tokyo, give yourself a little buffer, a little breathing room, maybe schedule your train the evening before, get back to Tokyo, spend the night in a hotel there and have a meal, do some shopping, and then head on home the next day.

17:20

That's the safest way to do it.

If you are planning to go the same day from let's say Kyoto or Osaka, allow plenty of time to take the bullet train back to Tokyo and get on to the airport from there.

If you have some time on your hands, the airports are great in Japan.

17:36

Plenty of opportunity for eating and shopping and watching the planes and oh, did I mention eating?

Yeah, the eating at the airport is really good.

Get that last meal in in Japan.

So again, allow a little buffer time, be on the safe side.

And so that's the myth busted a little bit.

Japan's trains are usually on time, but not always.

17:56

Is All Japanese Food Truly Healthy? The Truth Revealed

We're moving on to myth #3 and that is a myth about food.

Hey, we love talking about food, don't we, Aki?

There's a misconception out there that all Japanese food is healthy.

Aki, is all of the food in Japan healthy?

I don't think so.

18:13

Yeah, No, it's it's not.

Now, having said that, a a lot of Japanese food is healthy because it's all about things like balance and healthy portion control, healthy and fresh ingredients, things like that.

That's traditionally true.

And a lot of the types of washoku or Japanese cuisine certainly are healthy.

18:32

But we can run down a whole list of foods that are not that good for you.

They are really good, though, but not the healthiest stuff out there.

And what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Aki, what do?

What do you think is maybe the a food that's just you don't.

This is a food you shouldn't eat every day.

18:49

Tonkatsu.

Oh, yeah.

Tonkatsu.

Fried pork cutlets.

Yeah, that's probably not something you want to eat every day.

What else?

Karage.

Tuka.

Oh, Karage fried chicken.

Yeah.

Not the healthiest thing.

Really good stuff.

By the way.

Aki's fried chicken is so good.

19:04

What else?

Aki ramen.

Dukkha ramen.

Oh, yeah, that's a big one.

Ramen almond.

And we love.

We love ramen too, don't we?

How often do you and I eat it?

We still probably we should we shouldn't even eat it as often as we do.

But maybe you and I probably eat it twice a month.

19:20

The typical Japanese person.

Not the typical ramen aficionado, the typical ramen otaku, but the average Japanese person.

The typical Japanese person eats ramen.

How often?

Yeah, Exactly.

So.

And the reason for that is it turns out that ramen has a lot of salt to begin with.

19:39

There's a lot of sodium.

There's a lot of sodium content in there.

It has quite a bit of oil or fat.

Well, those are two big ones right there.

Salt.

And depending on the type of ramen, of course, there are things like pork back fat.

So we've got things like tonkatsu or karage.

So those are fried foods, for example.

19:56

Curry is Curry healthy Japanese Curry from the from the Roux even when you buy it from the package from the store.

Or Japanese Curry does have a high oil and sodium component to it as well, so not the healthiest stuff there.

What about if you're eating in izakaya, the Japanese pubs for example?

20:12

Are those healthy?

No, and we're not saying it's unhealthy, but it depends on what you have.

For example, not izakaya.

In Japan, the pubs have pretty big menus and if you order things like sashimi, for example, that's that's pretty healthy.

Oh, so by the way, if you're wondering about sushi, for example, of course the fish is healthy.

20:30

We mentioned sashimi, but sushi means that raw fish plus vinegar rice.

So the rice itself has a sugar component to it.

Again, not saying sushi is unhealthy, but not healthy to the point where you should be eating it every day.

In terms of going to an izakaya and ordering off the menu there, if you have things like sashimi, for example, or izakaya usually have a salad, Edababi is very good.

20:52

That is really healthy.

These are the you may have had these in your hometown or home country, for example, soybeans that are boiled and usually very lightly salted.

Again, watch it on the salt on that.

But on their own, those are those are quite healthy.

As I said, you can order salads or sashimi or things like that, but as you run down the menu in an izakaya, now you start to get into grilled foods.

21:14

Again, not unhealthy, but then you have the fried foods and maybe it's something like Kushikatsu, for example.

Yeah, fried stuff on a stick.

Not the healthiest thing out there.

Izakaya tends to be a drinking establishment tempura.

That's a big one.

You're going to see, again, fried things.

21:30

So a lot of fried foods on the menu in in an izakaya.

And of course, by its very nature, and izakaya is a pub and that means you're there to eat and drink.

So of course, if you're not drinking in moderation, if you're going crazy on the food and drink, it's like a round of drinks and a round of food.

21:46

Well, you can imagine that could get out of hand after a while.

And again, we can't call that healthy.

Not saying you shouldn't do this while you're in Japan.

Hey, do it, enjoy it, but bit of a myth to say that it's all healthy.

If your Japan trip is currently being planned by Instagram, Reddit chat, TPT, A cluttered spreadsheet and a big dump of info from your Co worker who just got back, you might be sitting there feeling overwhelmed.

22:14

Yeah, at some point you don't need another recommendation.

You need a second set of eyes or maybe a ref.

That's where Japan Travel Pros steps in.

We helped turn the pile of ideas into a trip that makes sense.

What belongs, what doesn't, what's worth it, and what's going to end up making it worse?

22:32

Want help planning a Japan trip that feels like it was made for you?

Go to japantravelpros.com/plan.

22:42

Japan's Future Myth: A Reality Check

So our last myth that we're talking about here in this episode, myth #4, is that Japan is living in the future.

Yep.

No words from Aki, just that.

Sigh.

You know exactly where she stands on that one.

There's an old joke.

There's a, there's an old.

I guess it's a dad joke at this point.

22:57

Not mine though that Japan has been living in the year 2000 since 1980.

So what that tells you is Japan used to be living in the future around 1980.

For example.

There's a train in our city, Kolbe.

It's called the Portlander train.

It is the very first fully automated train system in the world.

23:17

And not just the trains are automated.

The train stations, the trains have no drivers.

The stations have no staff.

In 1981 when it opened, that was a really big deal and it was really well built.

It's it fully survived the 1995 earthquake, for example, and it keeps on rolling to this day.

23:34

When you go to the stations, there's no staff there.

There's usually somebody you can contact somewhere if something goes wrong, but it rarely ever does.

And when you get on the train, you can sit right up front because there's no driver.

It's driverless.

It's all a fully automated system.

Well, that was really cool in 1981.

Now, of course, trains like that have come along since, but we could safely say that at that time in the 80s, Japan was living in the future.

23:57

Fast forward to 2026 when we're recording this episode, and Japan is still using things like the fax machine, a lot of paper.

One of the pieces of paper, if you want to call it that, that Japan is still using is cash.

24:13

We talked about this in another episode, so we don't have to dive too deeply here, but yes, cash is still important in Japan.

You may have visions of this cyberpunk, postmodern, futuristic Blade Runner kind of Tokyo or someplace like that.

24:29

And that exists in movies.

And there are little, little slices of it that you can kind of catch here or there in Tokyo especially or in some of the cities.

But for the most part, Japan looks pretty normal.

We joke about to say that's it's living in the past.

But other than the exorbitant amount of paper and the fax machine, well, something you won't really encounter too much when you're travelling here, but when you live in Japan, there's a lot of paperwork.

24:53

It's not just the amount of paper that's used, but there are a lot of forms.

So as a traveller, unless you're getting a special visa, you won't have to worry about that too much.

But yeah, when when you live here, a lot of paperwork to be done, a lot of forms to fill out.

There's a lot of bureaucracy.

Yeah.

25:08

So chances are as a as a traveller to Japan, you won't encounter too much of it other than maybe at immigration, at the airport, something like that.

But if you're ever curious about living in Japan, does it feel like we're living in the future?

No, Yeah.

No, it it doesn't.

And that's OK.

We're OK with that.

Japan has 1 foot firmly planted in the past and one foot gently pointing towards the future.

25:29

I think we can, we can say it that way and, and we're all good with that.

We like it that way, don't we?

That wraps it up for this episode.

You know, travel in general is usually a little more complicated, a little more complex than the myths let on.

There's usually a few more layers to things, right?

25:45

That's true for Japan, and when you think about it, that's true for pretty much anywhere, isn't it?

Hey, we got some great guest episodes coming up in the near future, so stay tuned for those.

If you want to let other travelers like you know about our show, the best way to do that is to leave us a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.

26:05

Much appreciated.

Thanks for listening all the way to the end.

Until next time, safe travels.