Preparing for a Japan trip

I've done a lot of research for my Japan trip and I just wanted to share some tips that made our trip a lot easier.

Data:
Data was a life saver during our trip. There were a lot of places that offered WIFI but when you're walking around looking for something, Google Maps can be your biggest ally. Taxis are expensive in Japan so you will most likely be traveling on the train. Having the map open will let you know where you need to go after getting off at the train station. Since GPS does not update immediately, I downloaded a Compass app for my phone so I knew which way to start walking (which is a good thing because the Japanese people are always rushing to their destination).

Luckily, I have an unlocked phone. This allowed me to shop for some data sim cards online before heading to Japan. I chose http://www.econnectjapan.com/ for my Google Nexus 4. They only deliver to the terminal so make sure you know exactly which terminal you will be landing in. Be sure to write your name exactly as it appears on your passport so that the post office (inside the terminal) doesn't have any problems. There's some directions to follow to activate it but it's not difficult. My data worked fine and I went through Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

JR Pass:
If you plan on traveling in Japan, be sure to do your research on the JR Pass. We chose to get the 14-day pass which costs $422 each. It is costly but let's plan it out a bit...

A wonderful app to download for the JR Pass is called HYPERDIA. It allows you to search for train routes to your destination. If you are searching for JR only, you'll need to play with the settings a bit (make sure you uncheck "Nozumi/Mizuho Shinkansen" and also uncheck "Private Railways").

Really do your research here because sometimes it's worth getting a JR Pass and sometimes it isn't. Some things to consider are:

• How many Shinkansen rides will you be taking? Shinkansen (bullet train) will make the most impact on your decision for getting a JR Pass. Tokyo to Kyoto alone is probably around $80-100. We also went from Kyoto to Osaka, Osaka to Nara, Nara back to Osaka, Osaka to Hakone , Hakone back to Tokyo, and Tokyo to/from Gamagori. That's a lot of Shinkansen rides although the shorter ones are only about ($6-10 each way). Really do your research here.
• Don't forget the small rides though... JR works to/from the airport if you do your research (which saves $10 each way). Other stations (like Ueno to Shinjuku) is about $2 each way. Imagine you hit two districts in Tokyo a day.... that's at least $6 a day (ex. Hotel -> Shinjuku -> Ueno -> Hotel).
• When will you be traveling? I originally wanted to get only a 7-day pass because we were going to stay in Tokyo the last 7 days but then Ben really wanted to go to Gamagori (around $60-70 each way?). That would have cost me $120-140 per person for just that one trip.
• Where will you be traveling? Tokyo has a bunch of JR lines so you can use them for small trips like Shinjuku to Tokyo Station... BUT Kyoto doesn't have a lot of JR lines so you'll probably be paying out of pocket here. 
• Do you like flexibility? We were so tired from walking non-stop for two weeks that many times, we took a train back to the hotel just to rest/nap. If you're paying out of pocket, that's $2 to get back to the hotel and $2 to go back out to another area (per person!). 

Japanese:
I know a couple words of Japanese but not much. It does help because sometimes you can catch certain words and figure out what they're saying/asking. I downloaded an app called "Learn Japanese Phrasebook". It's an offline phrasebook that has really helpful phrases that you can listen to and spelled out phonetically.

ex.
Can you speak English?
Eigo ga hanasemasuka?

You don't really need to upgrade to the paid version because you have all your basic sentences/questions in the free version. The only one in the paid version I thought was useful was probably What's the WIFI password or something.



I'm sure I had more tips but I left this post as a draft for a couple of months now and forgotten everything. I hope it helped someone! At the very least, it'll help me if and when I return to Japan!