Quick Travel Tips • Guitar Town • World-Class Cocktails

Quick Japan Travel Tips

A short list of quick tips:

1. After getting out of a Japanese taxi, don’t shut the door. The driver operates them and they will close on their own.

2. Don’t tip. It’s not expected and is even considered rude in some situations. Plus, you may end up having someone from the restaurant chase after you to return the money you’ve left behind. Awkward.

3. Hungry? Look up. Many Japanese restaurants are not on street level. They are in buildings that may seem like business buildings but they have incredible restaurants on higher floors. You’ll see signs on the upper levels of the buildings. The fifth floor and higher is a good general rule in areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya.

4. Always carry cash. Japan is a cash-based society and a lot of the smaller restaurants don’t take credit cards or debit cards. The first thing I always do at the airport after landing is to find an ATM and take out a boatload of cash. It’s always good to be prepared.

5. Take the time to learn a few phrases in Japanese (10-20 is good). Your efforts will be rewarded. Japanese people don’t expect foreigners to be able to speak Japanese and are pleasantly surprised when someone does. This can lead to some wonderful and unique experiences. Just a bit of Japanese can change your vacation from a fun trip to a series of unexpected and unforgettable adventures.

Ochanomizu: Guitar Town

If you’re a guitar player, go to Ochanomizu in Tokyo. Take the Ochanomizu-bashi exit and you’ll be on Meidai Dori, aka Guitar Street. There are nearly 50 musical instrument stores here. In addition to guitars, they have basses, saxes, keyboards, drums, violins, all manner of effects pedals, and whatever else you need to create music. 

Spending an entire day here is easy. Pace yourself. Grab a meal in between looking at the most ridiculous selection of new and used instruments you will ever see in your life (maybe Nashville compares, but I’m not sure). 

Japanese guitar shops have incredible selections of goods. I once went looking for a Blast Cult guitar (don’t ask) and found it in the first used guitar shop I checked–in Nagoya no less. I asked the shop owner if these guitars are popular in Japan, and he said no, but that Japanese customers are very knowledgeable and particular and therefore demand a wide stock of guitars to choose from and that’s why he had that guitar. 

What I’m saying is you are likely to find your Holy Grail guitar in Ochanomizu, or possibly several. It could be hard to choose.

World-class cocktails 

It’s important to know when to splash out and when to save money during your travel adventures. Some things can only be experienced in the country you’re visiting (DisneySea for example), there are some things where the freshness or quality is a cut above the rest of the world, and there are some experiences that are so sublime and beautiful, you would be remiss if you skipped them, and that brings us to the world-class cocktail bars in Japan. 

Not every bar is world-class, nor do you need to go to that level of establishment every time you go drinking. I prefer the more casual places about 90% of the time, but if you have the means and want an unforgettable experience, you should most definitely try one of Japan’s many high-end cocktail bars.