If you want to experience a large Japanese city without many tourists, go to Nagoya.
Everyone’s all about the Osaka – Kyoto – Tokyo circuit. And while those cities are popular for a reason, overtourism can be a problem especially if you visit during a popular time of the year (hanami or koyo season).
Nagoya, on the other hand, is conveniently located between Osaka and Tokyo. It’s the 4th-largest city in Japan, losing out to Osaka by only a small margin. One of its suburbs, Inuyama, is home to Inuyama Castle, which is one of the five National Treasures of Japan. Yet almost nobody has heard of it.
We spent 2 days in Inuyama during peak hanami season, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We could stroll along the river and parks and enjoy hanami in peace and quiet, with minimal crowds and perfect photo ops in every direction.
Oh, and if you want to rent a kimono? Do it in Nagoya. I don’t know how people tolerate navigating the enormous crowds and narrow sidewalks of Kyoto in a geta and kimono, but it looks like a rather unpleasant experience to me. In Nagoya you’ll actually have space to move around and take pictures, and the shops will have availability without you needing to book heaps in advance. Just don’t try climbing the stairs of Inuyama Castle in your kimono – trust me on this one!
I hope it goes without saying, but please respect the local customs. Don’t shout or play music from speakers, other people have the right to enjoy the magic of hanami in peace. Don’t be the tourist that you are trying to escape from.
Have at least one late night out in the city.
From everything I’ve seen and heard, as well as friends who have migrated to Japan, my impression is that as a general rule, the Japanese city folk are not morning people. Yes, they will be up and about early if their job requires it, but they won’t be up any earlier than they absolutely have to. For the average Japanese salaryman (or salarywoman), mornings are all about grabbing a quick bite at the kombini (or no breakfast at all) and a hectic rush to work.
They really let loose at night AFTER work, however. Japanese cities are absolutely bursting with life and entertainment and a wonderfully bewildering cacophony of lights and sound when the sun goes down. And if you go out after 10pm, the people around you will be almost completely locals.
I remember arriving in Osaka at around 10pm from our delayed flight. By the time we’d gotten to our accommodation and checked in, it was midnight.
So what did we do? Of course, we went out for dinner/supper.
We quickly found a ramen joint that opens from 10pm to 5am (yes, that isn’t a typo!). We didn’t speak much Japanese, and nobody in the joint (including the owner) spoke much English, but he was incredibly welcoming, and we had the best tonkotsu ramen and gyoza of our entire lives. It cost a total of about 2,000 JPY for two people. When we left at 1am, lots of other places were still open, and the city was as bustling as ever. Elderly Japanese weaving around on bicycles, young women walking around solo while talking on the phone, and not one single tour group to be seen. Not many people were visibly inebriated, and we felt completely safe. It’s not at all the same kind of experience that you’d have in a Western country at that time of the night.
Bring cash, or have a plan to withdraw cash
Japan is still a very cash-heavy society. While most touristy places, hotels, train stations, larger restaurants and chain stores will take cards, there are lots of places that don’t. Smaller shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, market stalls, street food vendors, vending machines, and even some lesser-known tourist attractions will usually only take cash.
During our time in Japan, we paid with cash just about as often as we paid with our cards.
Wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on
You will be taking off your shoes and wearing house slippers a LOT. At traditional inns, museums, temples, castles, even at some restaurants and hotels. There isn’t necessarily a place to sit near the shoe racks, and it’s rather cumbersome and time-consuming to be lacing and unlacing your shoes or boots 5 times a day. If you wear something that you can easily slip on and off, you’ll make life a lot easier for yourself.
Oh, and make sure you wear socks, unless you don’t mind putting your bare feet into slippers that everyone before you has worn.
Don’t count on being able to buy medication easily
Pharmacies are surprisingly few and far in between, the drug names are all written in katakana, and even when you do find the right medication, they often come in uncommon formulations. I could not for the life of me find ibuprofen without caffeine, or loperamide without berberine.
Unlike in most Western countries, convenience shops and supermarkets in Japan don’t sell medications at all, not even over-the-counter ones like paracetamol (acetaminophen). Especially if you’re going to be in rural areas, make sure you bring a first aid kit with any medications you might need in an emergency.
Bring your beanie if you think there’s even the slightest chance of needing it
For some reason, Japanese don’t seem to like beanies, and even on a 5C day you will see almost no locals wearing one. H left his at home and the search for one was… painful, to say the least. Uniqlo, North Face, and Daiso all did not have them in stock. We eventually found the elusive beanie at a random sports apparel shop (Super Sports Xebio in the AEON Mall next to Kyoto station, if anyone is interested).
Get an umbrella when you arrive
Either borrow one from your hotel or buy one at a convenience shop – even if you don’t usually use one at home. Rain in Japan is frequent and persistent, and there isn’t usually much wind – the perfect combo for umbrella usage and not for raincoats. Remember: waterproof apparel is typically only rated to withstand a certain amount of water.
After spending several hours outdoors on one particularly rainy day where the water had soaked right through my Goretex coat, H’s waterproof knapsack, and my shoes… we caved and bought an umbrella.
Carry a bag to put your rubbish in
Rubbish bins are the #1 most difficult thing to find in Japan. Chances are you will be toting your rubbish around for a long time before you come across a bin, so do yourself a favour and bring a bag so you don’t have to hold on to your rubbish the whole time.
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