Japan (Flickr photo KatB Photography)

Todd Anderson is a freelance writer for the University of Southern California’s Masters in Education online program, which prepares student to earn an MA in TESOL as well as a California credential.

Living in a culture as different as Japan’s can be challenging for many Americans. I lived in Japan for six months during my junior year of college and did everything I could to not be one of those stereotypical gaijin (foreigner) who only hang out with other Westerners and never become a part of the real Japan.

Here are some of the things I figured out that were most important to living life to the fullest in Japan:

1. Talk as much as possible
Well, maybe not as much as possible, but don’t miss out on any opportunities to have a conversation in Japanese. Many Japanese people are curious about Westerners and what they think about Japan, and will be happy to endure your mediocre Japanese to get to know you. You can also give them an opportunity to practice their English.

I met my closest Japanese friend when we were both waiting in a doctor’s office to have a physical done. He was wearing a goofy pair of shorts and I made a joke about them, and it turned out we had a lot in common and ended up meeting for coffee or drinks several times a week for the rest of my stay. A close Japanese friend will make navigating Japan much easier, as well as giving you great conversation practice.

2. Eat and be merry
Japan has amazing food made with fresh, delicious ingredients. There are many types of meals to try besides your stereotypical ones like sushi and yakisoba. Do yourself a favor and try abura ramen and shabu shabu. The Japanese takes on other cuisines such as Chinese, Indian and Indonesian are also very good, as they blend some local ingredients and cooking styles with dishes from afar. Get together with some eating buddies and try something new!

3. Do something!
Food is great, but too many foreigners living in Japan spend their lives in a monotonous cycle of working, eating, drinking and sleeping. Many are too intimidated by the language barrier to try a group activity or participate in an event, but there’s no way to get around this fear — you have to push through it! You can find a group of people doing almost anything you would enjoy in America, especially if you’re connected to a school or university.

When I was in Japan, I joined an Ultimate Frisbee team, which is how I got most of my exercise as well as how I met many of my Japanese friends. I also joined a reggae band in which I played trombone. Being a part of these groups gave me lots of opportunities to practice my Japanese as well as keep doing the things I love. I had other American friends who joined a Coffee Appreciation Society and a Snowball Fight Club. There’s something for everyone.

Ask around at your school or use the Internet (possibly with the help of a Japanese friend) to find something to do in your area. English language magazines like Metropolis can be a great help too.

4. Learn to love the train
Odds are you won’t be driving a car while you’re in Japan, so the sooner you learn to get around by train, the better. This is especially true of Tokyo, where I lived and where there are over 100 different train lines to choose from. But don’t worry, there are lots of helpful websites such as Jorudan where you can put in any two stations and it will show you the fastest route between them.

Anywhere you want to go in Japan can be reached by train and even though it’s a little pricey, you should try riding the shinkansen (bullet train) when you travel between cities.

Some things you should be aware of when riding the train in Japan:

• You have to pay for the distance you travel on the train, which means each stop is more money out of your pocket. Some trips across Tokyo can cost $10 to $15.
• The trains stop running around 1 A.M., so you’ll have to be sure to catch your shuuden (last train). I once misread the station name and got off my last train at the wrong stop, but luckily found some fellow students from my university who let me sleep at their place.
• Trains get really packed during rush hour, sometimes to the point where station employees have to shove people in so the doors will close. Try to take up as little space as possible, breathe deeply and remain calm. It’s stressful at first, but you get used to it.

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Now you’re ready to go off and enjoy your time in Japan. Ittekimasu!

Budget travel in Japan: Ten tips for frugal travelers  in Japan

1. Accommodations in Japan are known to be expensive, but there are still great deals to be found.

• For cheap rooms look at youth hostels and business hotels first, or try spending the night in a capsule hotel.
• Love motels offer unique ambience at affordable prices. They can also be rented by the night or by the hour.
• Family-owned and operated Japanese style inns called minshuku offer a reasonably priced bed, and if you’re lucky, you might get a meal or two. Plus, you’ll gain first-hand knowledge of traditional Japanese lifestyles. Contact the Minshuku Association of Japan for more information.

2. A car rental is both economical and convenient if you are traveling in the remote countryside in groups of two or more. Japan’s domestic car rental agency, ToCoo, offers excellent rates, and they offer support in English.

Special tips:

• Check for discount coupons online.
• An international driving permit is required for renting a car in Japan.
• Rental cars are economical, but the price of toll fees and gas prices can add up. Do your homework in advance.

3. Take a tour with a Goodwill guide. These guides are local residents and volunteers who offer personal tours of their city or town.

Special tip:

• You are expected to pay entrance fees and buy lunch for your guide.

4. Avoiding taxis and expensive parking fees and opt for public transportation or walking. In Japan, tourist attractions are a lot closer than you think.

Special tip:

• Buy day passes instead of single tickets if you’re traveling by public transpo.

5. Traditional meals like sushi and udon might be expensive at a fancy restaurant, but they’re relatively inexpensive at supermarkets, convenience stores, department store food courts, and small family-owned restaurants.

6. Shop for souvenirs at flea markets and 100 yen shops. Avoid pricey mega-department stores.

7. Lodging and meal expenses drop once you leave big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. Find a room in the countryside and enjoy your room at half the price.

8. Select one or two tourist attractions that you don’t want to miss and skip the rest. You’ll save a bundle by avoiding expensive entrance fees.

9. An overnight ferry or bus ride is a cheap way to travel, and you’ll also save on lodging as well.

10. There are loads of free things to do in Japan. Do your research and remember that some of the best Japanese experiences are free: a drive through the rural countryside, window shopping, parks and gardens, even department stores are all excellent places to learn about Japanese culture.

Japan has a reputation for being one of the most expensive countries to visit, and its capital city of Tokyo can be especially tough on the pocketbooks of budget travelers. With accommodations and food eating up a large chunk of your travel budget, many budget travelers will complain that there isn’t any money left over for sightseeing. Or is there? Despite the fact that Tokyo is expensive, it still manages to provide a number of top-notch free attractions that showcase its unique culture and diverse lifestyle.


1. Tsukiji Fish Market

If you aren’t afraid of getting up early – try 4:30am – the Tokyo Fish Market is guaranteed to be a most memorable event of your time in Tokyo. Catch the early morning fish auction near Tsukijishijo Station. The inner market is a wholesale market where fish processing and auctions take place in the wee hours of the morning. Outside the market, you’ll find shops selling Japanese kitchen tools, groceries, seafood and the freshest sushi restaurants in town. The market is open early on mornings except Sunday. The auctions begin shortly after 5am and are over by 7am. Access to the market has been banned during high season.

2. Odaiba and Tokyo Bay

Odaida and the Tokyo Bay area is simply beautiful if you’re looking for a view of the city skyline. A popular place for family outings and barbeques in the park, Odaiba Bay’s Promenade runs alongside the park and will take you right to the doors of Decks Shopping Mall.

3. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku (west exit) has two free observation galleries on the 45^th floor and offers a stunning view of Mount Fuji, Yokohama and the beautiful city of Tokyo.

4. Harajuku District

If pop culture and cosplay are what you are after, a visit to Harajuku promises to deliver. Harajuku is well-known for its boutiques and bistros and famous for its Harajuku Kids and Cos-play-zoku aka The Costume Play Gang. A day spent here is a day in voyeur’s paradise.

5. Shinjuku Station

Known as one of the busiest places on Earth, Shinjuku Station at rush hour is a sight to behold. You’ll see more people in one place than you’ve ever seen before at the Ginza Sukiyabashi crossing or at the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station.

6. Yoyogi Park

Yoyogi Park on Sunday offers free entertainment and loads of visual appeal. This beautiful park is a gathering place for live performances, artists, drumming circles, flower children and the occasional rave.

7. Free Food

Did someone say free food? Yes, indeed. Most department stores in Tokyo offer free samples in their basement food halls.

8. Akihabara

A visit to Akihabara, Tokyo’s largest electronic store, is bound to impress. Listen to the latest music, or test-drive the latest gadgets and gadgets. After you’re done window-shopping, wind down with a free massage from one of the massage chairs on display in the furniture department.

NOTE: The following photos have all been made available under a Creative Commons License on Flickr. Please click on each photo to go to the photographers photostream.

Hina Doll

The Japanese Peach Blossom Festival is a special day for young women in Japan. Otherwise known as Hina Matsuri or Japanese Girl’s Day, this special tradition is held each year on March 3.

On this day, young girls decorate their homes with fresh peach blossoms. Fresh peach blossoms play a special function on this day. The peach is a symbol of long life, and the Japanese believe it carries the traits of composure, tranquility and gentility. Peach blossoms are also a symbol of a happy marriage, and young women place them in their homes for good luck and happiness when they get married. On Hina Matsuri day, time is taken to bestow wishes for good fortune and marriage in the future to young women in the family.

Then, these young women dress up in special clothing and honor the elaborately dressed dolls that have been set up on a special tiered display covered in red cloth. People eat special food such as colorful sushi, clam soup, and sweet rice cakes, and they pray for girls’ happiness, health and beauty.

Hina Dolls

You might be surprised to learn that this special festival originated in China.  Hina dolls were thought to absorb bad luck and were then removed from the home to be abandoned near a river, where it would be carried away.

The ceremony was established in Japan sometime during the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Although the festival is at the beginning of March, most families will bring out their doll displays in mid-February. However, it is generally put away right after the festival in order to dispel the belief that putting away the displays and dolls too slowly will result in trouble when marrying off their daughters.

This special ritual still exists today outside of traditional Japanese homes. It can still be viewed at several Shinto shrines around Japan. The best place to go is the Awashima Shrine of Wakayama. This shrine is especially important to women, who pray there for good luck in their marriages and in childbirth.

Hina Dolls at Tomisaki Shrine

The Hina-nagashi Matsuri is also an important part of this festival. Today, several towns in Japan sell special paper dolls which are made to be set afloat. As in the past, the dolls are taken to a river and released into the water or floated away on a wooden structure. With their departure, they take away all the evil, sickness, and bad luck surrounding the young woman who released it.

This beautiful festival is just another classic example of how the Japanese continue to combine ancient custom and tradition with style, grace, and incredible creativity into their modern lifestyles.

Japanese Deep-Fried Tofu

One of the pure joys of traveling is discovering the culinary delights that are at your fingertips. Japan, in particular, is a gastronomes paradise.

Yes, there are McDonalds and KFC chains on every block, but what’s the point in traveling if you aren’t willing to be a little adventurous?

How to find food:

1. Look for restaurants that are busy. A busy restaurant means two things to a traveler. Busy restaurants usually mean good food. Lots of people eating in those restaurants means you can get a good look at local dishes first-hand.
2. Department store food courts and train stations are usually pretty good places to eat. Food should be fast and considering how many people pass through these places, the food vendors probably have established a good reputation.
3. Unlike their North American counterparts, convenience stores in Japan actually pack pretty decent food.
4. If you’re  a picky eater, it’s generally safe to stick with noodles and rice dishes. Ramen noodles, udon noodles, beef noodles – there are loads to choose from.

The Art of Plastic Sushi Rolls

Table Etiquette:

The Japanese are fastidious about manners. We always follow these simple rules:

1. Most places will provide a chopstick rest for your chopsticks. Use it. If you don’t have one you can lay your chopsticks across your rice bowl. Your chopsticks should NOT be sticking  out of the bowl vertically. It reminds people of death and funerals.

2. Don’t share your chopsticks.

3. Don’t feed someone else with your chopsticks.

4. Don’t stab your food.

5. Don’t lick your chopsticks

6. Don’t play with your chopsticks.

7. Don’t point at anything with your chopsticks.Don’t walk and eat in public. It’s better to find a place to sit down. Face away from people while you are eating.

8. Don’t pour beer or alcohol into your own glass. Let your guests serve you. Likewise, you should serve the people you are dining with.

9. If you keep your bowl close to your mouth you can avoid making a mess.

10. People don’t normally split the bill in Japan. If you invite someone to eat, you should pay.

The Japanese are experts at urban landscaping, and one of their most superb examples is Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion, also known as Kinkaku-ji, formally known as Rokuon-ji or “Deer Garden Temple”.

The Golden Pavilion was built in 1397 as a retirement villa for the ruling shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After the shogun’s death in 1408, his son converted Kinkaku-ji into a Zen Buddhist Temple. Today, it’s famous for two reasons. It’s covered in gold leaf and it houses sacred relics of the Buddha.
Kinkaku-ji is encompassed by an impressive Japanese strolling garden (kaiyū-shiki), while the heavenly beauty of the pavilion is reflected in a clear pond called Kyōko-chi (Mirror Pond). The Buddhist creation story is said to be represented by the islands and stones on the pond, and the forest surrounding it makes it one of Japan’s most picturesque settings. Consequently, it became a prized subject and continues to provide inspiration for countless Japanese artists. In 1994, the pavilion became a World Cultural Heritage site. Today, it draws tourists from all over the world.

This visually-arresting three-story building is very unusual, both inside and out. It is unique for two reasons. Its upper floors are covered with gold leaf on Japanese lacquer, and each floor reflects a different architectural period of its time. The first floor is designed in a palace type style of architecture from the tenth century, called Shinden-zukuri. The second floor is Buke-zukuri, the architectural style of the samurai. The third floor is decorated in Karayo style or Zen temple style.
In 1950, disaster struck when The Golden Pavilion was burned down by a novice Buddhist monk. In 1955, Japanese architects followed its original design to reconstruct the pavilion. The only major change they made was to increase the amount of gold leaf applied to the Golden Pavilion’s exterior and interior. The present-day structure dates from 1955. In 1987, a new coating as well as gilding with gold-leaf was added. The roof was restored in 2003.
The Golden Pavilion is often linked with Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion Temple, which is also located in Kyoto.

Hours of Operation: 9:00 – 17:00
Admission: ¥500

How to get there:
By bus: Take bus number 101 or 205 from Kyoto Station.
Nearest bus stop: Kinkakuji-michi or Kinkakuji-mae.
By subway: Hop on the Karasuma Subway Line to Kitaoji Station. Then take a bus or taxi to the temple complex.
Golden Pavilion Tours: Organised guided tours are available in English to the Golden Pavilion.

One of my favorite photos from Japan is of these colorful little temple dolls. We found them at the last station in a temple 6.3km from the top of Mt. Fuji.  Although the weather refused to cooperate with us that day, we still had a great time exploring the area despite the fact that the elusive mountain remained hidden behind her cloak of clouds and mist.

I snapped this photo as we were driving in downtown Osaka. I think it brings new meaning to “Bright Lights, Big City.”

Any country is A-OK in my books when their construction workers look like this. Japanese construction workers must be the best-dressed in the world!

Osaka is a colorful city with a little something for everyone. It also boasts one of the most charming places I’ve ever been to in all my travels. This was my choice for sightseeing in Osaka and we thoroughly enjoyed spending our afternoon strolling through this gorgeous park. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in traditional Japanese culture and architecture.

The Osaka Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses showcases 12 original old farm houses and structures brought from different rural parts of the country. They were reconstructed in a natural outdoor park setting located in Hattori-Ryokuchi Park. The houses were all built during the Edo period (1700-1900) and represent the styles and folk customs which were characteristic of each area. Furniture and tools are also on display. Modern visitors can’t help but wonder what life must have been like back then, when people lived in harmony with their natural surroundings.

The museum is open from 9:30 am to 5:00pm. Admission is 500 Yen per person.

The style of this house is called “Gassho” because its steep roof looks like two hands pressed together in prayer. This is the largest of the farmhouses in the park. This residence used to house over 20 residents. The Hida-Shirakawa village was well known for its unique system of housing large families.

Farmhouse from Shirakawa, Gifu

Farmhouse from Settsu-Nose, Osaka

This farm house was built in the early years of the Edo period. The interior is divided into two areas, one of which has an earthen floor for cooking.

Farmhouse from Totsukawa, Nara

The roof of this house is thatched with bark. It also has wooden boards to protect it from heavy rain and wind. The style of this farm house is narrow because the village was located in a valley.

Chashitsu from Kitakawathi, Osaka. A room for ceremonial tea.

This L-shaped farmhouse combines a dwelling and a stable. This was especially convenient for keeping horses in the winter because the inhabitants could see the stable across the yard from their living quarters.

Farmhouse from Nambu, Iwate

Before WWII, this windmill was used to pump water in the Sakai district of Osaka.

Windmill from Sakai, Osaka

How to get there:

Rail

• - 15 minute walk from Ryokuchi-Koen Station on the Kita-Osaka Railway
• - 30 minute walk from Sone station on the Hankyu Railway

Car

• Drive 1 km west off Shin-Midosuji on Route 423