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aadadadasdsadadsdadasdada2. Criminal law 3. labor law 5. Taxation 7. Ethics Getting Arou Alternative/Indie Music Roppongi Akihabara Ueno Ame-yokocho (gCandy Alleyh) Asaku Odaiba Before planning Things you want to bring Getting there Once youfre there Nikko Kamakura Getting there Osaka Kyoto Getting there Places to Stay Places to Go Recommended pathways Nara Hiroshima Haikyo Other Logistics Telephones, Cellphones Money Stuff Currency Exchange Purchasing online Credit cards ATMs Wifi Postal System? Guidebooks The content here is by no means authoritative or complete. Please be sure to che ck out other useful sources. http://www.hellodamage.com/top/tokyo-tour-guide/ http://tokyoscum.blogspot.jp/ http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html http://tokyodeep.info/tokyo/minato/ (JP) http://wikitravel.org/en/Tokyo http://unmissablejapan.com http://travel.nytimes.com/frommers/travel/guides/asia/japan/tokyo/frm_tokyo_0085 020048.html http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/play/travel/2012/04/26/10-free-or-cheap-accommodati ons-in-japan/ General Cultural Thoughts There are some general things that might serve as a brief introduction to the cu lture and life of Tokyo as well as the 8.9 million (2013) people who occupy its 23 wards or municipalities. That pans out to about 37,000 people per square mile , though this pales in comparison to the 70,000 or so per square mile in Manhatt an. Area/Space Space and land is pretty much at a premium in Tokyo, and as such there is a lot of attention paid to maximizing the use of small spaces and keeping areas genera lly clean. For example, if you couldnft afford the space or the plumbing for a wa sh basin next to a bathroom, you could just add a small spigot at the top of the tank that would spew out clean water when you flush, with the leftover water fi lling the toilet bowl tank. Cleanliness The finickiness surrounding cleanliness comes from the fact that homes have tata mi (rice/rush straw) flooring, which can hardly afford your dirt and grime on th e bottom of your shoes (which is why youfll want to take off your shoes when you enter someonefs home, always). This philosophy translates well to the outdoors, w here youfll notice pretty immaculate subway platforms, trains, and pavements. The re arenft that many garbage bins, however, so the expectation is that youfll take it with you and throw things away at home. Politeness Japanese folks can be polite to a fault, and people apologize for pretty much an y indiscretion, however minor. Case in point: gwe truly apologize for the delay c aused by a man who fell ill at Iidabashi stationh. Apologies donft correlate with the person apologizing making any particular amends, however, which is why it ca n feel a bit hollow to foreigners. An ounce of politeness on your part will go a long way, whether it be a short bow or a smile. Following Rules/Groupthink Even as a Japanese national some aspects of the unquestioning, rule-abiding Japa nese person can be particularly infuriating. The Japanese equivalent to gthe nail that sticks out gets hammeredh (oéYÍŽêé) really does discourage any deviation from n a party of 8 state they want a beer, it really doesnft matter if you want one o r not - just order beer as well. Similarly, a friend of mine was asked to remove her PC power plug from a Starbucks cafe where she was drinking coffee simply be cause git was against the rulesh. Really? Tatemae/Hon-ne One particularly interesting aspect of Japanese psychology arises from the need to gsave faceh by providing a different set of opinions in public and in truth. Ta temae refers to this public behavior and opinion that a person will profess to h ave, while they may secretly harbor completely different opinions, which manifes t themselves in their gtrue selfh (hon-ne). You wouldnft want to embarrass someone by saying to them gwait, you just contradicted what you told me yesterday!h, becau se they may actually be maintaining a facade for others. Tokyo (Kanto) vs. Osaka (Kansai) There are some interesting nuances and differences Tokyo and Osaka, stemming fro m the way Japanese is spoken, to the side people pass each other on the escalato r. The general sense is that Osaka-folks are a little rough around the edges and are finicky with money, whereas Tokyo-folks will try to be appear a little more sophisticated and refined. Media Consumption Itfs particularly telling to note that of the top 10 highest circulated paid news papers in the world, 5 are Japanese. Most newspapers have both a morning and eve ning edition, and youfll see many advertisements on the subway for weekly magazin es adorned with scantily-clad women. There are quite a few concerns about Japane se media in general -- the use of kisha-clubs and the lack of international focu s -- but regardless, consider Japan to be a highly media-saturated country. Before Getting In There are some things you canft do if youfre a foreigner unless you do it outside Japan. The big part is purchasing a JR Pass if you decide to travel outside of T okyo. Also, consider checking if your credit or debit card provides ATM withdraw als without fees. Credit unions and Capital One or Charles Schwab Visa are a few that I know of that have that feature. You will want to have some cash on hand as well, or travelerfs cheques. See also: JR Pass Budgeting If you expect to be visiting museums or tourist attractions, they will cost on a verage about 1000~1500 yen per person. You can purchase a Grutt Pass at one of 7 5 museums (see Grutt Pass) for \2000. Food is relatively cheap. If you really want to swing things very cheaply, you c an pull off not being hungry with about \1200 per day (\200 for breakfast, \500 for lunch, \500 for dinner, all with stuff from the convenience store), but if y ou want to make sure to have enough money to enjoy a good Japanese meal/restaura nt/izakaya once a day, factor in about 2000~3000. Some places, especially those places that provide beer and food, will put in a cover charge to your meal - donf t feel duped if you see a cover charge. Protip: if you get a small bowl of edama me as you sit down, chances are therefs a cover charge. Transportation isnft cheap and can add up pretty quickly. Since the fare is calcu lated by distance between departing point and destination, a two-or-three stop t rip on the subway will set you back \170, with the average about \300 each way ( if you have to transfer between subway systems, it adds up even more). If you pl an your trip wisely, you can get away with a maximum \1000 for travel each day. If you plan on doing a lot of traveling, consider getting a day pass, though tho se have travel restrictions that are sometimes more of a headache than theyfre wo rth. Also check your bank to see if they levy a fee for withdrawing money at a foreig n ATM. See also: Money Stuff, Trains and Subways Dress The Japanese dress pretty much according to Western fashion, though women do wea r skirts much more than their American counterparts (regardless of weather). Driving You cannot drive in Japan with only a US driverfs licence. International Driverfs permits obtained outside of Japan can be used, but not for extended periods of t ime. In order to complicate things even further, International Driverfs permits f rom some countries (France for instance) are not valid in Japan. Driving is on t he left side, with the driverfs wheel on the right. No right turns on red are all owed. Public transportation provides more than enough for getting around Tokyo. See also: Trains and Subways New Years and Holidays Japan gets particularly quiet during New Years, with most businesses closed for December 30, 31, January 1, 2 and 3 (the Tokyo Stock Exchange is closed January 1, 2, and 3). Protip: if youfre in town during New Years, be on the lookout for fukubukoro (Ü), i.e. glucky bagh which are basically bags with unknown items inside sold at a steep di scount. For example, you might pay \1,000 for a bag with a certain theme (like ge lectronicsh or gmenswearh) - you might not necessarily know whatfs inside, but the t otal value is always more than \1,000. Another staple of the New Year is the Hak one Ekiden, where college runners run a relay from Tokyo to Hakone and back. Las tly, hatsumoude (w), the first visit to a temple of the year, is a big deal, so if you spot lots of people carrying what looks like wooden arrows with bells (hamay a jî - gevil destroying arrowh), just retrace their steps and pay respects to the local spirits and deities. Japan has a relatively large number of public holidays (see Wikipedia article), which is basically an excuse for overworked salary-men to relax with their famil ies - all at the same places. Golden Week, which is usually towards the end of A pril to the beginning of May, designates the cluster of several public holidays that allow most to take an entire week off. Visiting touristic places on public holidays will almost certainly be a crowded affair. Earthquakes Japan lies on tectonic territory and earthquakes are a common occurrence. As a r esult, Japanese infrastructure in preparation for earthquakes is perhaps one of the best in the world - any building built after the 1981 building code revision must withstand a Shindo 6 magnitude earthquake without collapsing.