#only very basic phrases and prayers atm but i'm still learning

[shiroiraiha]

do you have any places you'd recommend visiting in japan? or any tips? especially as a naruto fan? (i'm thinking of traveling there next year so i'd love to hear your thoughts) thank you in advance! i love your blog

Thank you and yes definitely! I’ve only been to Tokyo and around Mount Fuji (Fujinomiya and Kamakura) so I can only give you advice for these areas but I experienced a lot so I definitely have a lot to share lol (also feel free to message me if you have any specific questions!)

Also this got super long so I’ll put a keep reading line here lol

Okay so here are some tips I learned for traveling in Japan:

- They are a cash based society so credit/debit cards aren’t accepted in most places (even restaurants and stores won’t take them)

- If you’re not used to traveling by subway and figuring out how to get around apps like Google Maps and Japan Transit can be a lifesaver

- If you’re going to be in a specific city for a while look into getting an IC card for the subway since they are easier to manage than the tickets (when using tickets you put it into the stall but make sure you take it back before going through! You’ll have to put it into the stall when you get to where you are going - does that make sense lol)

- The Google Translate app has a camera function for reading Kanji and Kana on signs and translating it and it’s actually very useful! (Most major signs in Tokyo like at train/subway stations will have English but if you’re going into the countryside this won’t be the case.)

- Not as many people speak English as you would think so learn some basic phrases you can use to help you get around (like asking if they speak English or how to ask where something is - message me if you’d like to know how to say some stuff!)

- Look up how to use their toilets!! Japanese bathrooms are awesome (and so are their toilets haha) but everything is usually in Kanji so it would be helpful to look up the Kanji for flush (大 - big flush; 小 - little flush) (and other stuff if you wanna use the bidet, etc)

- Usually when trying on clothes you have to take your shoes off before entering the dressing room (and always before entering someone’s house!)

- As weird as it sounds, convenience stores are your best friend (7/11, Lawson, Family Mart). Unlike in the States these stores are actually convenient lol they have a ton of food (like onigiri, soba, etc!) and anything you might need/want quickly like paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste, band aids, water, dish detergent, sweets, tights, hair dye, etc. They also all have atms that accept most American cards (this is where I took out money all the time).

- Also research general manners in Japan, every culture has their own way of doing things and it would be polite to learn a little of what they see as polite or rude (wouldn’t want to be a gaijin offending everyone by accident lol)

That’s all I can think of for now lol one thing that really helped me get ready to visit Japan was watching a bunch of vlogs about people living in Japan (mostly Tokyo). I thought they were a lot of fun to watch and I learned a lot about what to expect when I got there. Two of my favorites are Sharla in Japan / Sharmander and Rachel and June.

In terms of Naruto stuff in Tokyo:

I 100% recommend going to J-World Tokyo - it’s only like $10 and you get to walk around this whole area that’s completely Naruto themed (complete with ninja throwing star games, a replica of Ichiraku Ramen, and Naruto music playing over the speakers). It’s completely awesome (I was losing my shit) and definitely worth the money! The area also has a One Piece and Dragon Ball section. Plus J-World is located in the mall that also has the Pokémon Center and a lot of nice shopping.Next I’d recommend definitely visiting Akihabara. This is basically a section of Tokyo that’s famous for all it’s anime/manga related stores like Animate (like a 7 story store where each floor has something different and anime related) which is where I bought some Naruto art books and used Naruto manga (obviously it’s all in Japanese but still cool to have some originals - the manga looks different in Japan - and art books are mostly pictures). Around this area you’ll find a huge amount of anime related goods from books to plushies to gacha machines. Definitely visit Animate (and Super Potato if you’re into video games) but otherwise just walk around the main strip and there’ll be so many random stores you’ll be drawn into. (The Sega arcades are also a ton of fun - Japanese arcades rock!).My last Naruto/anime related spot in Tokyo would be Nakano Broadway which is like a giant mall in Tokyo full of anime/manga/cosplay related stores (among other things). A lot here I believe is used but used things in Japan aren’t like in the States - everything (mostly) is in good quality (I got a couple Naruto and Inuyasha original mangas here too). This place is like 6 floors and is HUGE. Not everything is anime related in here but most stores are and it’s fun to wander each floor to see what cool stuff you can find.Honestly Tokyo is full of anime (like I mean it’s literally everywhere) and Naruto is very popular (plus Boruto is airing now) so you’re bound to see something Naruto or Boruto related sooner or later even if you don’t visit these places.

Non Naruto Recommendations:

Alright so I don’t know if you watch Studio Ghibli movies but if so I definitely recommend going to the Studio Ghibli museum in Tokyo. It’s only about $10 and, I can’t stress this enough, IT’S AMAZING!! I honestly wasn’t expecting much but let me tell you it is so cool inside it’s 100% worth it (unfortunately can’t take pics inside). But be careful because you have to get tickets like a month in advance and they only go on sale for a specific day every month - here’s where you can find information about the tickets

I would also recommend visiting some shrines and temples while you’re there. They are all very beautiful and even if you can’t read about the history they are really cool to see plus it’s cool to be able to participate in this part of their culture by prayer, fortune telling in the bigger ones and/or collect the shrine stamps. I went to a few but the big ones that were really cool in Tokyo were the Meiji Shrine and Sensoji Temple (Sensoji is really cool as it’s in Asakusa and has a huge market full of awesome things to buy leading up to it and you could even rent a kimono to wear for the day!).

If you’re interested in shopping (for clothes and just awesome Japanese things like plushies, accessories, etc) Definitely check out Takeshita street in Harajuku, Tokyo. There’s soooo much shopping and even if you don’t wanna buy anything it’s a lot of fun to see the cool fashion everyone is wearing or to just browse through the array of stores (definitely check out Kiddy Land btw it’s so cute you’ll wanna die…in a good way lol).

Mount Fuji, of course, is beautiful. I didn’t get to actually see it much because apparently in summer and early fall it’s surrounded by clouds a lot but the little I did see of it was breathtaking. I also climbed it which is the hardest thing I’ve ever done (and completely out of character like exercise? me???) but it was really awesome lol

Alright that ends my extremely long recommendations for Japan lmao (I’m sorry! Why did this become so long lol) I hope this wasn’t boring af but if you ever want some more specifics please feel free to message me or send another ask if you’d prefer (though it’d be easier to talk back and forth on messages)