Travelling Tips & Tricks Part VI: Japan

I haven’t done a “Travelling Tips and Tricks” post in a long while so here are some lessons learned from my visit to Japan:

• I had to go from Brussels to Dusseldorf to Dubai and my final destination Tokyo. The downside to transfers is how I underestimated the tiredness of travelling for over 24 hours. The advantage is that I was extremely grateful for the 3 hours I had in Dubai where I could stretch my legs and have a bite at Mc Donald’s before heading to Japan.
• Beware of the tummy jet lag!!! Whether I arrive at night or during the day, I try to avoid sleep during the flights so I’d get so tired I’d immediately fall asleep at night time of my destination. What I hadn’t realized was that I was so hungry, I woke up in the middle of the night as my stomach was demanding for breakfast and lunch in my home country.
• The best shopping discovery of all time:
  • Daiso: 100-yen (€0.80) shop
  • CanDo: also 100-yen (€0.80) shop
  • Bic Camera: enormous electronics retailer chain
  • Matsumoto Kiyoshi: the biggest drugstore chain in Japan where you can find all the cosmetics you’ll haul back home
• Don’t worry about theft in Japan. I dare you to leave your belongings outside at your table and go inside to order. You’ll quickly understand that your phone, money, bags etc. will still be where you’ve left them. Where else in the world?
• No matter how much I tried to understand the public transportation system before going, you won’t truly get it till you’ve used it over there. But then again, I’m not sure I truly understood it all…

So much to write, so little time. I’ll share some more stories in my next Japan 2016 posts.

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