My first trip to Japan left me feeling rude and underdressed. I wish I'd known better before I left.

Business Insider

3 hours ago

As an American, I made several travel mistakes during my first trip to Japan.
There was train etiquette I wasn't aware of and I often felt underdressed in Tokyo.
I didn't realize I couldn't wear my slippers on tatami mats or how much fish I'd eat for breakfast.
As a professional travel writer, I rarely experience culture shock and I adore the wild unknown of exploring a new country.
However, on my first trip to Japan, I may have bitten off more than I could chew.
My two-week trip started with a group trek along the Nakasendo Way, led by Walk Japan. I stayed at an assortment of centuries-old ryokans (historic Japanese inns) and ate traditional foods.
After that, I embarked on a budget-minded, three-day, self-guided tour of Tokyo. Going from hikes through rural towns to the major city made me feel like I'd been blasted into outer space.
In hindsight, as an American, there are loads of cultural expectations and fashion norms that I wish I'd researched before I even got on the plane.
Here are a few mistakes I wish I avoided on my trip to Japan.
Wearing the wrong slippers
On my first night in a ryokan, I removed my hiking boots, put on a pair of house slippers, walked approximately 15 feet, and then stepped onto a floor lined with delicate tatami mats.
I figured that these traditional Japanese floor coverings were like carpet in the US, and that these slippers would be perfectly fine to wear in any room.
Immediately, I was scolded by the lady running our ryokan.
Since tatami mats are made out of natural materials, like rice straw and woven rush grass, that they can actually be damaged by slippers. It's better to walk on them barefoot or in socks.
As my trip continued, I realized many spaces in Japan require visitors to wear several pairs of indoor slippers. For example, most restaurants and cafés I visited had a special set of slippers you're supposed to wear to the restroom.
Not knowing the local train rules and etiquette
Japan has some etiquette on its trains and subways that I haven't seen elsewhere in the world.
For example, any person I saw talking or making noise on the train seemed to be a tourist. Throughout the start of the trip, it was hard for my group to adjust to the expected silence.
Although it would've been perfectly acceptable in Chicago or NYC, we felt a bit rude and out of place even just asking our guide questions on the train.
Once I got to Tokyo, I found the trains seemed to have even more unspoken social rules.
I learned to pay special attention to where people are lining up to get into (and out of) a certain train car. If you find yourself waiting near a pink mat in a line full of women, you're likely in line for an all-female train car.
Some of these cultural norms might seem counterintuitive to those of us from a more Western world, but many of them are designed to keep things polite, safe, and orderly in densely populated Japan.
Trying to read with a tablet in the bathhouse
I'm a big fan of reading when I soak in the bath or a hot tub, but I don't want to get a paper book wet. As such, I always bring my Kindle to spas.
Internet-connected devices are generally prohibited in onsens and bathhouses in Japan, but I thought my Kindle might be OK in airplane mode.
Instead, I got reprimanded by a hotel employee when I was trying to unwind with my tablet in a fully nude, all-female bath in Tokyo.
Next time, I'd just do breathing exercises or bring a magazine if I head to the baths alone.
Eating too much fish for breakfast
Because I'm an adventurous eater without allergies, I didn't think twice about dining on traditional Japanese cuisine for the entirety of my Nakasendo Way trek.
It turns out, this meant eating salted fish for breakfast eight days in a row.
As much as I love seafood in all its forms, I would've sold my soul for some toast and scrambled eggs by the time we got to a more Western-style hotel in Karuizawa.
Next time I travel to Japan, I'll make a point to switch up my accommodations, vacillating between quaint, traditional inns and modern hotels. That way, I can easily have more of a variety for breakfast.
Being very underdressed in Tokyo
When I planned my trip to Tokyo, I knew it was a worldwide fashion mecca. However, I didn't realize how dressed-to-the-nines so many locals and visitors would be, even outside trendy districts like Harajuku.
Because I had spent the previous 10 days trekking across the countryside, my suitcase was filled with outdoorsy, function-first clothing from brands like Patagonia and Kühl.
I only packed two sundresses for my time in the country's capital, and I still felt horribly underdressed in them.
Japanese clothing sizes are also very different and typically much smaller than those in the the US, which made it tricky for me to purchase an outfit or two to wear out in the evenings.
If I return to Japan, I'll be sure to check a large suitcase with a full makeup kit, cute walking shoes, and loads of modern, fashion-forward outfits.