You've just set foot in the city you've always dreamed of visiting after more than 14 hours of flight. The tiredness, however, is immediately replaced by enthusiasm. You are in TOKYO!
Okay, calm down. The money... the subway... the convenience stores! No, money first. Okay, you have to get those candies, but first... FFFFFIUUUU take a deep breath...
Do you have a prepaid card with you? Some merchants accept certain networks, others don't, so it's always good to have a Visa and a Mastercard in case someone doesn't accept one of the two. American Express is not accepted in many places, especially small shops, but it is slowly making its way. It's important to have cash.
No, it doesn't make much sense to withdraw cash from banks in Italy. They have senseless exchange rates, and leaving with all your vacation money in Yen is inconvenient, risky, and honestly useless.
It's a prepaid card where you load the money you need when you need it, or all the money you need for the vacation, and withdraw it when necessary.
In Tokyo, you can withdraw money at any 7-Eleven/Family Mart/Lawson, and you'll find plenty of banks around. There are ATMs everywhere. You can relax and enjoy your trip.
But yeah, it's always a good idea to have around 5000 yen on you, just in case someone doesn't accept cards.
No need to withdraw money at the airport. The convenience store just a short walk from your hotel will definitely allow you to withdraw. Change places at the airport usually have higher exchange rates.
INTERNET!
Panic! How do you manage without internet? Someone told you to get a pocket Wi-Fi... forget about it!
Download an e-sim. Actually... you should have already done it before leaving, as it only activates when you connect to the local network.
There are many available. Our partner is Saily, which we believe has the most advantages. There is also the possibility to purchase an e-sim for multiple continents if you are traveling in Asia.
If you want 15% off your first e-sim, go to www.saily.com/mrfranz and follow the instructions. Or, during the purchase, use the code MRFRANZ... or tell them we sent you, and they'll give you the discount!
Follow the instructions. It's not difficult! You can do it using the airport's free Wi-Fi.
Now you need to get to your accommodation. Where are you? Narita or Haneda? If you're at Narita, a taxi will cost you a pretty penny since it'll take about an hour to get there. There's the Narita Express. It takes you to Ueno station. From there, you're on the Yamanote line, which is the "Circle Line". You can easily get to the most well-known areas. I'm sure your hotel is near one of those stops.
From Haneda, you can take the Keikyu Line (Keikyu Airport Line), which directly connects the airport to the center of Tokyo, passing through stations like Shinagawa, where you can easily transfer to the JR Yamanote Line and other subway lines. Alternatively, there's also the Tokyo Monorail, which takes you to Hamamatsuchō, also connected to the Yamanote and other JR lines. Both are convenient: the choice depends on where you need to go. This is the most convenient airport. If you're flying with ITA, you're probably here!
Help... the metro card!
Don't panic. You'll find it in your smartphone's wallet under "transport card." Pasmo or Suica, it's the same thing. The design changes. Now there's also the Suica app (Suica Mobile), which is more convenient for recharging, but you can only use it once you're in Japan.
Also, if you're a fan of things that take up space in your wallet, you can also go to the ticket counters and buy a physical card. It's very cute, I must say, but a card can get lost, it can be demagnetized... you always have your smartphone in your hand, and it's definitely more convenient to recharge the card with money.
Now you should be close to your hotel. Your adventure begins!
Oh... remember that the Japanese are very... by the book. If there are 4 of you and you want to enter a restaurant with 3 free tables for 2, they will tell you that there is no space. Simply, there is no space for 4 all together!
So, these are the kind of communication and organization difficulties you might encounter, but they are an extraordinary people. They will help you if you are in trouble, and you will always feel safe.
One thing... please: respect the place you are in. Don't shout, don't throw trash on the ground (there are very few bins around). Don't eat or talk on the phone on the subway, disturbing others... in short. What should be done in every civilized country, but unfortunately we don't do.
Japan is a pearl that must be preserved. Be the first to preserve it!
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