Japan for people who are scared of Japan

June & Teo Marsh6 May 2023 · 1 min read

A narrow lane in Tokyo at night, with red lanterns and lit signs

Trip details

When: 25 Mar – 9 Apr 2023
How long: 16 days
Who went: June and Teo (and, it turned out, Pip)
Stops: 7
Getting around: Shinkansen, ferries and a great deal of walking

For years Japan was the trip we'd do one day, which is what people say about things they're frightened of. It was far. It was expensive. It had rules we didn't know, in a language we couldn't read, and we'd heard you could be shamed in public for blowing your nose.

Then we got married, and spent the honeymoon at June's aunt's caravan in Pembrokeshire because of the pandemic, and when everything opened up again we decided we were owed something. So, in March 2023, we went.

A narrow lane in Tokyo at night, with red lanterns and lit signs — A lane of bars in Shinjuku, each with room for six people, all of them regulars except us.

A wet Tokyo street at night, neon reflected on the road — Tokyo after rain, which is the best time.

What we were scared of, and what happened

The fear	The truth
We won't be able to read anything	Every station sign is in English. The trains are on time to the second, and they say sorry if they aren't.
It will be wildly expensive	Hotels are. Food is cheaper than Bristol. A bowl of ramen that changed Teo's life cost seven pounds.
We'll break a rule without knowing	We did, several. Everyone was kind about it. Nobody shamed anybody's nose.
We'll be overwhelmed	Tokyo is huge and somehow quiet. Thirty-seven million people and you can hear the birds.

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Slow trips, by train, ferry and bribery

Japan for people who are scared of Japan

What we were scared of, and what happened

Photos from Tokyo

Comments

Slow trips, by train, ferry and bribery

What we were scared of, and what happened

Photos from Tokyo

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