A solo traveler’s guide to being in Japan

Residing in China on a 90-day visa means that every three months, I have to exit the country and re-enter to activate a new 90-day period. Rather than simply walking across the Hong Kong border and walking right back onto the mainland in ten minutes, I decided to make a weekend trip out of my so-called “border run,” and ended up in Osaka, Japan. Despite not speaking a word of Japanese, the logistics of the trip were surprisingly easy and there were no real issues, giving me time to appreciate Japan’s intense beauty and history. Here are some tips for the solo traveler with anxiety about visiting Japan.

Japan runs on trains, and runs them well

Upon landing at the airport and clearing immigration, your first order of business will certainly be buying an IC card. Japan uses multiple types of IC cards that are based on region. For example, I purchased an ICOCA Card at the Kansai Airport in Osaka, which works on the local Osaka railways and commuter rails in the region that reached Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara. For a weekend trip, you can easily put 5,000 yen on an IC card (500 of which is a refundable deposit upon returning the card) and cover all of your transportation costs for the trip.

With this amount of money, I was able to ride a commuter rail to and from the airport, take a day trip from Osaka to Nara and back, and take quite a few short-distance subway rides. The key here is to take commuter trains rather than so-called limited express trains. Going to Nara, for example, I had a choice between an express line that traversed the distance in 45 minutes, or a limited express that made the trip in 35 minutes. The 10 minute time difference was not enough to convince me to pay the extra cost for a reserved seat on a limited express train, plus the extra ten minutes give you more time to marvel at Japan’s beautiful scenery.

Despite having an abundance of trains that may seem intimidating, the system is exceptionally simple to figure out with a few google searches prior to your trip. Additionally, train stations in larger cities like Osaka have English translations in addition to Chinese and Korean. With such a good rail system at your disposal, there is no reason for the solo traveler to find themselves in a taxi in Japan.

Lodging can be found cheaply and conveniently

Osaka had a nice selection of hostels situated near major scenic areas and transportation hubs. The great part about Japan is that it is exceptionally safe, so it is near impossible to accidentally pick a spot in a dangerous area. I was told by locals in Osaka that the area around Shin-Imamiya station is supposedly the most dangerous, but even so, travelers with their wits about them should face no problems.

My particular lodging was perfect for a young traveler packing light. For 16 USD a night I had a bunk in a shared room with one other person, with enough room on the bunk for me and my bag. The staff also could speak English, which I was not expecting. The advantage to it was that it was just two subway stops from the Namba station, with access to major shopping areas like Dotonbori street and Shinsaibashisuji. When looking for lodging, consider where your hotel/hostel is in relation to major transportation hubs you plan to use. This will make your mornings much easier if you must wake up and make your way to a train station at 8am one day.

You will eat well in Japan

Coming from China, where street food has a high likelihood of poisoning you and even well-maintained restaurants may not sanitize your chopsticks, I expected to exercise extreme caution in Japan. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that street food, especially in the major shopping areas, is fine to eat. My two favorite recommendations are definitely takoyaki and okonomiyaki. For me, however, a trip to Japan mandates an excursion to a ramen place and a sushi place, which are not hard to find. If you are worried at all about reading restaurant signs, I recommend tossing words like sushi into a translator and taking a screenshot of the Japanese writing. Then, all you need to do when walking down the street is compare the screenshot to signs until you find a match!

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Pynx was a media publication (an offshoot of Affairs Today) where writers of all walks of life could share their opinions without being edited. All opinions are those of the authors.

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Pynx Media is an online publication where passionate writers can share their ideas without being edited. All opinions are those of the authors.

Pynx Media (Archive)

Pynx was a media publication (an offshoot of Affairs Today) where writers of all walks of life could share their opinions without being edited. All opinions are those of the authors.

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