🗾 Things you should know in Japan 🗾– Let's know few things and make the trip more enjoyable –

Symbol of JR Line (Excerpts of major routes only) :

	Tokaido Line
	Chuo Main Line (central railway line in Tokyo)
	Shonan Shinjuku Line
	Musashino Line
	Keiyo Line
	Joban Line
	Saikyo Line
	Chiyoda Line
	Utsunomiya Line
	Chuo Line
	Sobu Line
	Yamanote Lone
	Nambu Line
	Keihin Tohoku Line
	Yokohama Line
	Yokosuka Line

Symbol of Tokyo Metro:

	Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
	Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
	Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
	Tokyo Metro To-zai Line
	Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
	Tokyo Metro Yu-rakucho Line
	Tokyo Metro Hanzo-mon Line
	Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line
	Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line

Symbol of Toei Subway:

	Toei Asakusa Line
	Toei Mita Line
	Toei Shinjuku Line
	Toei O-edo Line

Symbol of Tokyu Line:

	Toyoko Line
	Minato-mirai Line
	Den-en Toshi Line
	Meguro Line
	Shin Yokohama Line

Others(Excerpts of major routes only):

	Keioh Line
	Inokashira Line
	Odakyu Line
	Enoshima Dentetsu Line
	Tobu Line
	Tsukuba Express

PLACE	THINGS TO DO	LINE
Tokyo Tokyo Sta.	Imperial Palace / Shopping / Shinkansen / Tokyo Station	Shinkansen
Shibuya Shibuya Sta.	Shibuya Crossing / Shopping / Anime, Game things
Shinjuku Shinjuku Sta.	Local Bar Hopping / Gozilla / Night Life
Harajuku Harajuku Sta. / Meiji Jingu-Mae Sta.	Meiji Jingu Shrine / Takeshita Street / Shopping / POP Culture	/
Asakusa Asakusa Sta.	Senso-ji Temple / Sumida River / Nakamise Shopping Street
Akihabara Akihabara Sta.	Anime, Video game things / Game Center / Retro Game / Maid Cafe

If you are interested in some things above but you don’t know how to enjoy, let us guide you!!
Check our tours here 🙂

▶Board from the front of the bus and alight from the center
Fares are paid in advance.
Fares vary depending on the destination and bus company, so if you are unsure, tell the driver where you are going (name of bus stop that you go) and settle your payment.

▶Board from the center of the bus and alight from the front
Fares are paid at the time of getting off the bus.
●If you have a Suica (public transportation card issued by JR), touch it to the machine on the right side of the bus when boarding. When getting off the bus, touch the machine at the front of the bus, to the left of the driver, and you can get off.

●If paying in cash, be sure to take the numbered ticket issued from the machine on the right when boarding the bus. Before getting off the bus, please check the fare chart at the front of the bus with the number of the numbered ticket you have. Only four types of coins (10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen and 500 yen) and 1,000 yen bill can be used on the bus.
Some buses give change and some do not. If you cannot judge for yourself, ask the driver using the following Japanese.

Q.　otsuri wa demasuka?　／　Will I get change (from the machine)?
A.　hai or demasu(in this case)　／　yes
A.　iie or denai(in this case) 　／　no

If they do not have change, you can get coins from the exchange machine provided.
Note that this machine only accepts 1,000 yen bills.

Let’s say “itadaki-masu” before you eat. This is a word which shows your respects and appreciation for those who made the food you have and the food itself.
In Japan, it has long been believed that the soul resides in nature, living creatures, and all things.
So we show gratitude and respect for the food in front of us, which is our sustenance for life.

◆Lift up dishes, but…
In some cultures, it is considered bad manners to lift the plate when eating. But in Japan, it is sometimes allowed, but it has to be a plate smaller than your hand. Eating with a plate larger than your hands is bad manners, as it is in other countries.
So why is it allowed? There are many theories, but it is said that the reason lies in the old eating habits and environment.
First of all, Japanese food is often served on small plates. In the distant past, Japanese people ate their meals on tatami mats and ate foods that were difficult to grasp with chopsticks, such as beans. So the best way to eat without spilling food was to lift the plate and hold it close to your face.
Now, are you convinced of the reason why you are allowed to lift “only plates smaller than your hand” as I mentioned at the beginning of this article?

Check out some examples of what you can lift:

▶ Smaller than your hand, and donburi bowls
rice bowls　 soup bowls
side diches　
donburi bowls

▶ Larger than your hand, or share plates
platters / share plates
middle plates / main dishes

◆About chopsticks
Unlike forks, knives, and spoons, chopsticks are used in pairs.
Chopsticks also have countless manners, and even people who are used to using them often make mistakes. Here are some of the most common manners.

Do not tap the bowl or plate with chopsticks
The dining table is not a music studio. If you want to practice your drumming, do it somewhere else.

Do not use chopsticks to point at something
The dining table is not a classroom and chopsticks are not pointing sticks. Use chopsticks only for grabbing food.

Do not stick chopsticks into the rice
In Japan, there is a custom of sticking chopsticks into rice and offering it to the deceased. Therefore, it is very rude to stick chopsticks into rice in front of a living person.
In addition to rice, sticking chopsticks into food leads to the interpretation that one is “checking for heat” and is disrespectful to the person who prepared the food.

Do not chewing and licking chopsticks
Although disposable chopsticks made of wood are available these days, chopsticks were originally made of bamboo or processed with lacquer, etc., and chopsticks were meant to be used for a long time.
It is considered bad manners to chew or lick chopsticks because it damages them or is undignified in the first place.

◆Do not stacking plates
After a meal, you may end up stacking plates on top of each other to make more space at your table.
However, plates are often expensive, especially in upscale restaurants or those with private rooms. In Japanese-style meals and set menus, plates are a part of the food and a part of the dining table. To avoid damaging the plates, refrain from stacking dishes on top of each other.
Also, if the stacking of plates is your concern so that the waiter can retrieve the plates, just put that feeling into words and simply say “Arigatou” which means thank you.

◆Let’s say…
Before a meal, you said “Itadaki-masu”.
Now, let’s end with “Gochiso-sama”. It shows your respect and appreciation for the food/meal too, but this “gochiso” is literally means “a feast”, and “sama” is used for say someone’s name more and more politely. Gochiso is not a person, but just for show some respects, we use “sama” for it.