Joining your tour in Tokyo

Meeting Point:

The meeting time is 10am in front of the hostel. You will meet your Adventure Leader here, as well as the rest of your group, where you’ll have a pre-departure briefing before you start your tour!

Hostel Address:

Hostel DEN
Japan, 〒103-0023 Tokyo, Chuo City, Nihonbashihoncho, 4 Chome−13−8
+81 3-6661-2067

Finishing your tour in Tokyo

The trip ends at Tokyo Railway Station around 2pm on Day 13.

If you prefer to, you are able to leave the group in Osaka – for example, if you’re flying home from there, or wanting to travel onwards to somewhere else in Japan. However, we are unable to offer a refund for the train journey from Osaka to Tokyo if this you choose not to take it.

Your Japan Rail pass is, however, valid for that whole day, and your Adventure Leader will be able to advise on how best to spend the day.

Keep in touch!

We want to hear all about your amazing travels across Japan.

Whether you’re on the tour or reliving your amazing experiences, be sure to use the hashtag #thedragontrip to join in with our amazing community of fellow Dragons.

In addition, if you tag our profile in your photo with the handle @thedragontrip, we might just feature it! We love to see all the fun you get up to on your adventures.

Lastly: if you don’t want to have your photos appear on our social platforms, please do email us to let us know.

Meet Your Fellow Dragons

As many of our Dragons travel solo, we want to take to make the process of meeting your fellow travellers as easy as possible. We create WhatsApp groups for every departure date in advance, meaning that you can get to know everyone on your tour before you hit the ground.

You can also like us on Facebook and join ‘The Dragon Trip: Adventure Advice‘ Facebook group – here, you’ll be in a community of past, present, and future Dragons who can all share tips and advice.

Our Ultimate Packing Check List

Customers should be considerate of their amount of luggage when travelling. Please keep luggage to one check-in bag and to a size convenient for easily moving between locations, and for storage in hostel dormitory/shared rooms. We highly recommend a large backpack (50-70L). Laundry facilities are available throughout the trip to make packing lighter possible. For those taking domestics flights on their trip, please be aware carriers operate a standard 15kg limit on checked-in luggage.

On all of our trips you will be required to carry your own bags, so pack light. Japan is known for its shopping in case you forget something, and you can always borrow from others in your group – that’s what friends are for!

Documents:

• Passport (with a copy of the photo page)
• Insurance Details and photocopies
• Student Card (if you have one)

Money:

• Your credit/debit card (we suggest using ATMs at each country to withdraw cash.)
• Japanese Yen

The Essentials:

• Sensible walking shoes – you’ll need them!
• A small first aid kit, complete with blister plasters, painkillers, and any medicines that you have to take.
• Camera and charger
• A selection of t-shirts & tops
• Shorts or skirts
• Long trousers and sleeved shirts – you may need to cover up when visiting temples and some of the local villages.
• Swimming costume (optional, for if you decide to go surfing in Kamakura)
• Flip-flops
• Washbag
• Mosquito repellent
• Sunscreen
• Hat & sunglasses
• Lightweight waterproof jacket
• Earplugs (for a better sleep in the dorms)
• Locks for bags
• Waterproof backpack cover

Top Tips from The Dragon Trip

Try saying that tongue twister really fast.

On the weather:

• Japan’s seasons are one of the reasons to travel to Japan. The weather can change dramatically depending on the time of year, and it can be very hot in summer and cold and snowy in winter. Pack layers, so that you can prepare for any weather changes and be comfortable going from in to outdoors.

On how to travel sustainably:

• Packing as light as possible keeps your carbon footprint low. We recommend 10-15kg, especially as you are expected to carry your own luggage.
• Use local laundry services. This money goes straight into the local community, and is available in most of our hostels.
• Pack a reusable water bottle. You can drink the tap water in Japan, which reduces your need for single use plastics on tour
• Credit cards are not as widely used in Japan (in convenience stores and restaurant), so keep cash with you at all times to avoid missing some amazing foods and souvenirs!

Stay connected:

• Your Adventure Leader will invite you to a WhatsApp group chat on Day 1 to keep in touch with you and the rest of your group.
• Maps.me: This is a great app to stop yourself from getting lost! You can download it to your phone for free. We recommend downloading many maps from different cities in Japan before your trip, and using these maps later when you don’t have Wi-Fi.
• Feel free to bring your electronics! Japan is a very safe country to travel in, so bring whatever will keep you connected to home.

Food & Drink:

• There will be lots of great nights out on The Dragon Trip, but please remember to always drink within your limits. Never journey home by yourself at night and never leave another person in the group alone. Always follow the legal drinking age limit, which in Japan is 20.
• Drugs are illegal. If our Adventure Leaders see you committing any crime while travelling with us, they are obliged to report to Head Office and possibly to the police, so please don’t put them in that position!
• The food is delicious throughout Japan and you won’t be able to get enough of it. Try anything and everything possible. Your Adventure Leader will be able to recommend all of the best spots.
• A great way to stick to a budget while you travel in Japan is to grab food at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, especially ones near train stations (Kyoto, Hiroshima). They have good eating options, including sushi and bento boxes which are perfect for a quick pit stop.
• A lot of traditional Japanese dishes contain animal products. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, we recommend downloading the Happy Cow app, which will help you find local recommendations.

Pack patience:

• Despite the stories of Japanese efficiency and hospitality, can be very different from home. Some systems or ways of doing things which you may take for granted back home aren’t necessarily the same here. Please be patient with The Dragon Trip and Japan as a whole, as sometimes things don’t run like they may back home, despite our best efforts.
• You may meet many people from lots of different backgrounds and cultures on this trip. You may have different opinions or ways of doing things. Treat everyone how you wish to be treated and remember to work together as a group.
• Always try to arrive a couple of minutes early to check outs or departure times. Japan is an incredibly punctual society. Being late may mean missing transport connections, and you don’t want to delay the whole group.
• Some hostels in Japan may be gender-segregated, but not all.

Navigating Japan’s Culture

Japan’s culture is incredibly unique, which is part of what makes it such an amazing place to visit. By and large, in Japan it’s always better to be over-polite, punctual, and sensitive. Below, we’ve put together a guide that will help you navigate Japan’s culture successfully.

1. Be respectful of the local culture. Dress appropriately at temples and religious sites, and be polite and kind.
2. Do not tip. It can be seen as rude, and isn’t really a part of Japanese culture. In most cases, a service charge will probably have been added to your bill already.
3. Keep your voice low on trains, as common courtesy is for these to remain quiet. Please watch the volume of your voice in public places, particularly on subways and trains.
4. Split the bill! In Japan it’s common to split checks amongst friends or even on a date. This is known as betsu-betsu. It is not common for restaurants to offer separate checks, so people just roughly figure it out amongst themselves.
5. Always take off your shoes. Slip-on shoes can be useful in Japan, as there is a lot of taking your shoes off when entering a living area. However, never use shoes or slippers on a tatami (Rush Grass Mat) floor. You should walk on these with your bare feet or socks.
6. Wear the bathroom slippers! Many places in Japan will provide bathroom slippers for your use in their washrooms. It’s really easy to forget to take these off as you leave the bathroom. This is a big mistake, and considered extremely embarrassing.
7. Do not litter. Public trash bins are very hard to find, if available at all. This is because Japan is an island nation without much space for landfills. In order to properly separate trash into what can be recycled and what can’t, you are expected to carry your trash home and properly divide it up to dispose of. Please be prepared to carry your trash with you until you get back to the hostel!
8. Pointing is considered somewhat threatening in Japan and is avoided. Instead, people tend to indicate direction with an open hand.
9. Use the hand towels for your hands only. Many restaurants in Japan will provide you with a moist towel known as an oshibori, that’s either cool or hot depending on the season. These are used to lightly clean your hands before a meal. It’s considered rude to clean your face with them, or to continue using the oshibori throughout the meal as a napkin.
10. Be sensitive and patient. The Japanese are generally indirect about uncomfortable topics and avoid conflict where possible. Directly challenging someone in a way that might embarrass them is a bad idea. Instead, many Japanese people tend to drop subtle hints about how they feel rather than direct, bold statements. The ability to read such hints is an important social skill in Japan.
11. Make time to sit down and enjoy your food! Walking and eating is seen as sloppy. It’s very common to see people stand or crouch when eating Japanese street food.
12. It’s customary to take off your backpack on a crowded train and hold it in your hands.
13. Blowing your nose in public is considered rude. The locals retreat to the washroom to blow their nose.
14. Try to bow, if you want. The Japanese have a number of different ways of bowing that apply to different social situations. As a tourist, knowing the rules can be complex, so there is no need to bow unless you really want to. Just keep in mind that bowing lazily can be considered rude.
15. Don’t open taxi doors, as most are automatic in Japan. The driver will open and close the door from inside, and might get a little upset if you try to operate the door yourself.
16. Do not walk and smoke – walking and smoking is viewed as a dangerous and inconsiderate. The Japanese take this quite seriously, and it’s now illegal to walk and smoke in some areas. This is actively enforced. Designated outdoor smoking areas are quite common in Japan.
17. Follow Karaoke etiquette, in case you go with locals! Foreigners in Japan tend to take a haphazard approach to karaoke with people freely joining in songs as they feel fit. The Japanese are more likely to take turns picking songs and may get offended if you cut in on their song. This varies by person, but it’s safest to ask permission before joining a song.
18. Loud conversations on your mobile phone in public places are considered rude in Japan. Locals try to be discrete and very quiet when accepting a call. It’s also considered rude to talk on the phone on a train or in a cafe.
19. Slurp your soup! It’s okay to pick up a soup bowl to drink from it as opposed to using a spoon.
20. When you need a waiter in Japan, you can yell SUMIMASEN! (excuse me). It’s perfectly acceptable to call for them in this way.

Contact Us

Any questions or feedback?

Contact our London Team: info@thedragontrip.com

(Please note that this email is only monitored from Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 17:30 (Friday 17:00) UK time, if you have any urgent issues, such as flight delays or last minute cancellations, please contact our Japan Ops Team.)

Contact our Japan Team: mytrip@thedragontrip.com

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