TEN TIPS FOR MASTERING JAPAN

Get a local SIM card Sakura (sakuramobile.jp) sells an unlimited data SIM for £44 for 15 days or £60 for 30 days. Book online in advance of travel and collect on arrival at

Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

Take the train

Superfast 300kph (186mph) Shinkansen trains are the best way to travel between cities in Japan. Departures are frequent and there is no need to book ahead, announcements are made in English and trains are always on time.

Even the Japanese use Google Maps to find train times. Put your destination station into the app’s search facility and tap “directions”. Add your departure point for a list of trains leaving from there, often including the platform number.

Cash is still king

Japan has yet to fully embrace foreign credit cards and contactless payment technology, especially at smaller establishments. Banks rarely have ATMs; instead they are found in the ubiquitous 7-Eleven and Lawson convenience stores (press “international cards” to start the process). Post offices also offer foreign exchange services.

Get an IC card

These useful prepaid, rechargeable cash cards sold at larger railway stations can be used to pay fares on public transport countrywide. They can also be used in vending machines, convenience stores and some restaurants.

Download Google Translate

Translations of Asian scripts have improved markedly over the past few years. Tap on the camera symbol to help decipher restaurant menus, or tap “conservation” to ask someone a question.

Use luggage forwarding Superfast trains have very little space for suitcases so locals prefer to use a takuhaibin (luggage forwarding) service. They are utterly reliable and can be accessed through hotels, post offices and most convenience stores (look out for the yellow Yamato Transport logo of a cat carrying a kitten in its mouth). If you buy something bulky, the shop will happily use the service to forward it to your final hotel for around £10.

Hotel reservations

My go-to is booking.com. It has the widest choice of stays at all price points, in both hotels and ryokan, and reservations link to map locations for taxi drivers. Airbnb is good for private homes and smaller traditional inns and hostels.

The shoe thing

As you will be removing your shoes many times a day, bring slip-on footwear; the Japanese improvise by wearing trainers two sizes too big. They also wear socks with sandals (showing bare feet is rare) so keep a pair handy to wear with house shoes as a courtesy to others.

Eat it all up

It is considered rude not to finish all the food on your plate – and that includes every grain of rice. On the other hand, it is considered polite to slurp up your noodles to show your appreciation of them.

There is no tipping

Japan is one of the few countries in the world where tipping is not expected. And don’t worry about being ripped off by taxi drivers. Invariably they wear a smart uniform and white gloves, will open the door with a bow, and always put the meter on as they set off.

i Meal deal: it is considered rude not to eat everything on your plate