Japan: tourist memo

1. Firstly, if you come to Japan, you need to buy a new phone and a SIM card. The point is in a special communication format: all phones purchased in the CIS and Europe do not work there (with rare exceptions). If you want to find out this question thoroughly - well, try; you are probably lucky to find the phone you want. But you still have to buy a card there. You need to know that it is not accepted to talk on the phone in the subway and other public transport in Japanese cities, and you may be asked to hang up. Nobody needs to give way in transport. It is believed that in every bus, carriage there are places for the disabled, children, the elderly, so there is no need to give in. But it is not recommended to occupy specialized places either. You can also rent a car in advance and travel in Japan with comfort. Renting a car from Tokyo Airport will cost around 58 euros per day. Renting a car in Tokyo for a longer period will be more profitable.

2. In Japan, there is a very high level of service with regard to catering. Never leave change in restaurants and cafes - this is not customary. You will be persuaded to take the money very aggressively. Don't try to ask to wrap any food with you. In Japan, there is a special reverent attitude towards food, and you will not be understood at all if you eat on the go. And even more so they will not understand why you want to take food with you. Everything will end with a call to the administrator, and a conversation where English will turn into "English-Japanese" and you will stop understanding anything at all.

3. Yes, Japan is famous for its public baths and developed culture of collective bathing, but there is one important point here. Japanese girls do not shave their hair in intimate places, and if you appear like this, they may simply think that you are a girl of easy virtue - and this is not very pleasant.

4. The Japanese do not know and do not understand European gestures: a thumb up (which means good, great) can be mistaken for something offensive, not to mention other gestures with fingers and hands.

5. If you speak with Japanese in English, do not use figurative expressions and do not try to joke - you will again be understood. Japanese humor is completely different, and play on words, the use of words in a figurative sense - this is not here.

6. If you want to take care of a Japanese girl, then do not be afraid - she will understand that you are courting in a European way: flowers, an invitation to a cafe, etc. She saw it all in the movies and in books - there is nothing wrong with that. It is important to know that the Japanese are extremely rarely invited to their home - this is an important step for them.

7. Don't be afraid to ask in the streets. Although the Japanese are not friendly, they consider it their duty to help the tourist - they will lead you by the hand wherever you ask.

8. Don't take pictures of girls on the streets. You can get into an unpleasant story: this is prohibited and highly discouraged. Some associate this with the fact that girls are photographed by sexual maniacs, others with the fact that they did not give the right to shoot.

9. No smoking on the streets of Japanese cities. There are huge fines in parks and other public places. There are a lot of police. But there are special places for smoking - most often with transparent walls. If you can't find it yourself, ask.