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Japan, a tourist destination destined to take on new heights

Dailynewsfortravelers loves Asia. Not only do we often talk about it, but we stay there long enough to discover information and places that may be of interest to you. It should not be forgotten that Japan is likely to soon become a star destination thanks to the upcoming Olympic Games to be held from 24 July to 9 August 2020.

According to more and more passengers in Tokyo Narita

We took a low-cost flight to Tokyo. Not from Paris, because there are not yet any, but from Taipei. We will talk to you later about this other destination.

When you arrive in Japan, you sometimes have to be patient because the wait is a little long to get through immigration. It is not the number of civil servants that is at issue, but the number of passengers travelling to Tokyo.

There were 28.7 million tourists in 2017 and it is expected to exceed 30 million in 2018.

Forms and electronics

To enter Japan, French people like our Belgian friends (who also read us) do not need a visa. A passport is sufficient to get here but the validity must be more than 6 months. It is therefore necessary to check carefully.

On the plane, you are given the documents to complete. One for immigration and one for customs.

After a potentially long wait, officials will check your form and take your fingerprints electronically.

Then you wait to go past an immigration officer who will check the whole thing. After the delivery of the luggage, you will pass in front of the immigration office, which will take your form. On a previous trip, we had been searched. We’re not kidding.

Many choices for getting to the city

Narita Airport is quite far from Tokyo (about 64km). Taxis, buses or trains are available. It must be said immediately that taxis are overpriced. So the two solutions to recommend are the bus or the train.

It is quite simple to find all the means of transport in Narita. We chose the train because our plane arrived late in the evening and we have a direct line between Narita and Shinjuku, the area where we chose a hotel.

We opt for the Narita Express which is fast but not cheap (23 euros). That’s the price of a one-way ticket. For a round trip ticket, you will only pay 31 euros. However, we will leave Japan from Osaka Airport.

The Narita Express: a class </strong rail link>

When you buy your ticket either at the ticket office or at the ATM, you are given a car number and a seat. That’s very convenient. When you board the car, the interior is clean and modern. Screens will give you all the information you need about your journey. So, less stress! There is a luggage area.

Arrival at Shinjuku

When you arrive for the first time, you are amazed by the crowd and the vastness of the place. It is therefore important to know where your hotel is located. There are several exits so it can be complicated.

Fortunately, if you have been planning, you will have purchased a SIM card at the airport before taking the train and you will use the « Google MAP » on your mobile. We arrive at his hotel without being too tired.

How to choose your hotel

It is important to select your hotel and sometimes do not hesitate to pay a little more to get a suitable room. It should be noted that hotel rooms in Tokyo are quite small. In addition, when in the comments, you are told that the hotel is close to Shinjuku station, you should check carefully.

On our side, we made a big mistake when booking on Booking.com. You have to be very careful with positive comments that cannot always correspond to your personal wishes.

The Sunlite hotel we had booked is officially a three-star hotel. It’s a bit like in Paris. One three-star can correspond to 1 or maximum 2 stars. The bedroom is barely 13m².

You might as well say that if you have two large suitcases, you can’t move. Another problem if you arrive at the end of October, the nights can be cool (about 14°).

The air conditioning duct sent cold air without being lit. The room was freezing. We reported the problem to the reception… who did not react. And we alerted Booking.com, which, after two days of silence, offered us a compensation of 15 euros, which was not paid. In Tokyo, hotels in this category only turn on the heating on November 1.

But fortunately, we don’t spend our days in a room. The programme of visits is quite busy.

To be continued…..

Serge Fabre