The Ease, Comfort & Affordability of Travelling Throughout Japan

Posted on 01/15/2021 Last updated on 03/09/2021

Top photo: “Shinkansen N700 with Mount Fuji” by tansaisuketti , licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. (CC BY-SA 3.0) No changes or modifications made. Wikimedia Commons Link

A member of our team shares their experiences traveling throughout Japan.

I have had the opportunity to work and live in both the Netherlands and Japan. Part of my motivation to work and live in Europe and Asia was to have the opportunity to travel. Before moving to the Netherlands, I had an idea of where I wanted to travel to in and around Europe (including the Netherlands). Likewise, before moving to Japan, I had an idea of where I wanted to travel to in and around Asia (including, well, Japan!) Overall, I feel am pretty well-travelled by now, and I can tell you that it is easy and comfortable to travel throughout the land I now call home.

First of all, Japan has an excellent public transportation system. The railways and roads are modernized, and therefore offer a comfortable journey. The main methods of public transportation that I have used are trains, subways, the Shinkansen (bullet train) and buses. Overall, the public transportation here uses the hub system and is very timely, making it easy to transfer between different modes of public transportation.

Japanese people & society is very clean in general, and therefore public transportation is very clean. I believe all forms of public transportation are cleaned at least once a day, and I have never had an issue with filth or dirt. In some countries, public transportation (depending on location) may be stigmatized as being dangerous. This is not the case in Japan. Japan’s crime rate is very low and it appears that Japan doesn’t have dangerous suburbs or regions. I have never felt afraid while using public transportation or when traveling to a new location in Japan.

The Shinkansen can be a bit pricey; however, there are alternatives. During my first year in Japan, I can recall doing a cross country trip using trains and buses. We started our tour from a small town in Yamaguchi prefecture and managed to travel to Osaka, Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, Kamakura and Tokyo by use of train. The standard train is not as fast as the Shinkensen, but is much more affordable and offers a better opportunity to look through the windows to enjoy the Japanese landscape. When our trip finished, we returned to Yamaguchi (from Tokyo) on a night bus. It took 17 hours and wasn’t expensive. It is easy to keep travel affordable if you do your research / planning / booking 3 months before a major trip.

In addition, accommodations are affordable too. I have always travelled with a partner or travelling buddy, so I have never stayed in a hostel in Japan. I have stayed in many small hotel rooms and often times was charged ¥5000 – ¥6000 per night (or ¥2500 – ¥3000 per person per night). The hotels were good enough. The rooms were small, but clean and offered internet / TV access a small fridge, bed/s and a bathroom. If you are looking to stay in one location for a prolonged period of time, you may want to look into a guest house as it may be a more affordable option for a longer stay.

The three major holiday seasons in Japan are Golden Week, Obon & New Year’s (Winter Vacation). Many Japanese citizens use these periods to travel. If you are planning on travelling during Golden Week, Obon & New Year’s, I recommend planning / booking your vacation months in advance. If you procrastinate, travel prices may go up, or accommodations may not be available.

During my first year in Japan, I did a two week trip across Japan and used long weekends to partake in shorter trips. In addition, I travelled to South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and we were reasonably thrifty (allowing us to travel more). I returned to Canada for a year before deciding to come back to Japan, because I realized that I really enjoyed my experiences & adventure in and around Japan so much, I wanted more. And that’s why I’m still here today!

Traveling these days is tough. But that won’t be the case forever, and sooner or later you’ll have the opportunity to see more of this wonderful country. But do you want to be stuck in an office all day and night, or do you want a career that gives you free weekends and school vacations for traveling around? That’s just one of the many great things being an Assistant Language Teacher can give you! For more information, read all about the job of an ALT and then how to apply!

Photo Credits:

Additional image provided by the original author, used with permission