Japan welcomes you!

If you are planning a trip to Japan, and you are a first timer - there are a few things you ought to really take care of.

• Join 'Indians in Japan' orkut community - or you'll find a yahoo group for almost every city in Japan for fellow Indians. The mentioned orkut group has LOADS of tips on what you need for your stay in Japan to all the trivia that only a fellow Indian who has been in Japan can provide you.
• Remember that the average Japanese does not know English as well as you. So, you might have a hard time trying to understand what is happening around you if you have no clue of Japanese. Even more important, if you need help in the middle of the night like if you need a doctor, you might find yourself needing extra help to communicate your needs to the Japanese! So carry a travel book - Lonely Planet series gives you a small, very handy book - which gives you all the phrases you need to get around in Japan.
• If you are a veggie, come prepared to cook. Even the French fries in McDonald's is made with beef oil. And if your Japanese skills are improving yet, you may not be able to figure out which dish on the menu is vegetarian. Japanese think fish IS vegetarian - so you need to be specific that you dont want any kind of fish in your meal. Dont forget to bring your recipe books along!
  
• If you want to buy clothes for yourself, especially women who fall in the avg weight category (read as not pencil thin!!) in India, you will find yourself hunting for clothes that fit. The clothes here are pretty, fashionable and small in size for women of Indian build.
• You dont get hair oil in Japan - unless you order from Indian stores - which are expensive.
• It is possible to shop from home in an online Indian store. It is better that one takes a look at as many Indian store websites as possible (you'll find many in the orkut community) so as to know what to bring along and what not to bring along.
• You do get Japanese rice cookers here as well as different kinds of pans, ladles, knives, etc. What you do not get are idli plates, the kind of flat tavas we use to make dosas. Though some people prefer to buy pressure cookers here - available for 3500 yen - if you are planning to make idlis, etc, get your own cooker.
• Getting a pair of reading glasses fitted here is expensive - so, it is a good idea to carry an extra pair along!
• Find out if there is an International Association in your city online - in most cases there is one. Establish contact with them by mail - this is something you will find very useful because usually, if you run into any problems, you can ask the International center people for help. Also, they have a wide range of activities and literature that help foreigners to gain more out of their Japanese experience. Go to the Center once in a while - with luck you might even get to participate in one of their special activities! And you might get to meet fellow Indians too :-)
  
• Read up a bit about Japan and the Japanese etiquette. They are a genteel and very kind people who are also quite disciplined!
• If you have questions, ask fellow Indians - post your queries in your community - 99% of the time, the information you get will be very useful and much better than you imagined.
• Plan well ahead - including your flight tickets (ask fellow Indians for the cheapest fares or about transit visas or visa questions!), items to take along, what to do when you get to Japan, how to manage your stay, about your accomodation, money requirements.
  

If you have planned well ahead - then you'll probably have a fantastic stay in Japan! Japan welcomes you :-)