For overseas adventure travel, we recommend visiting the land of the cherry blossoms, historic samurai districts and rich culture, and … Read MoreLooking for an Overseas Adventure? Travel to Japan! The post Looking for an Overseas Adventure? Travel to...
For overseas adventure travel, we recommend visiting the land of the cherry blossoms, historic samurai districts and rich culture, and more. We recommend Japan. Japan is home to friendly people, with honor being at the core of the Japanese culture. Ancient practices live on even in modern times, yet the infusion of modern technology, science, and anime is also rooted in the country.
Quick Travel Checklist
Before embarking on your overseas adventure travel, having a checklist helps you keep track of your needs and belongings. It can help keep things organized and on track. There are a few items you absolutely must have when traveling abroad to make travel more comfortable, to have access to the country, and vital things you’ll need or would want to get.
Sort out the luggage – You may need to secure some good luggage bags, and there are many to select from. Using bags with wheels makes moving heavy luggage around easier. You may also need something for hand luggage or overhead storage, including a smaller bag like a duffle or sports bag. A sling bag or backpack would also be great to keep your immediate belongings like your flight ticket, boarding pass, mobile phone, headphones, chargers, laptop, wallet, and items to freshen up in-flight Travel essentials that you shouldn’t be without – Ensure that you’re traveling with your important documentation like your visa, identity document, passport, health insurance card, travel insurance details, travel itinerary, keys, snacks, charger, money, earphones, neck pillow, and whatever you need that is small and easy to carry. Clothes to wear – You might buy some clothing items while you’re enjoying your overseas adventure travel, but you should pack enough clothing to be ready when you need it. For your clothes, pack a pair of jeans or two, some trousers, short sleeve tops, shorts, leggings, and thermal wear if you’re going during a cold season. Pack pajamas, undergarments, a swimsuit, walking or trail shoes, casual and dress shoes, a hat, sunglasses, flops, socks, water resistant rain jacket, a windbreaker, and a formal or dress outfit Personal items and toiletries – Pack your toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, sunscreen, razor, deodorant, contact solution or eye drops, your spectacles or contact lenses, hair accessories, hair dryer, makeup, jewelry, tissues, sanitary supplies, supply of medication for your stay, and a mini first aid kit. For the beach and exploring extras – Microfiber towel, travel umbrella, hand sanitizer, tissue wipes, reading material digital or book, camera, sleep mask, earplugs, all-purpose watch, travel diary, and pen, maps, power bank, chargers for your devices, phrasebook, translation app, lock for your luggage, a marker for your luggage, and insect repellant.Take Care of Fido Before Leaving
Arrange for a pet sitter when you’re leaving even if it’s just for a week. Someone you trust must take of your pet while you’re away to walk the dogs, tend to the cats, feed the fish, and so on. If you don’t have a pet sitter, you can use kennels and catteries to look after your cat or dog. There are also unique and wonderful dog boarding with webcam facilities that allow the owner the opportunity to check in via the camera on their fur babies.
Treat Yourself To Something Different and Delightful
Now that you’re on vacation, you can relax with some amazing things, including foods you must try out while living with the locals. Aesthetic treatment in Japan is popular with treatment centers like the Shinagawa Beauty Clinic. The clinic was established in 1988, and it grew in popularity, with about 34 clinics now throughout Japan. The beauty clinic has a specialized Skin Beauty Clinic also based in Shinagawa. The Azabu Skin Clinic, located in Azabujuban, a wealthy region of Japan The clinic offers many treatments and uses English and Japanese languages for communication.
Shibuya Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, as its name states, specializes in cosmetic procedures. The clinic has treated many Japanese celebrities and non-famous persons to get the look they want. The clinic also does non-invasive treatments. If you’re in Japan, make your way to one of the many reputable beauty clinics and get a non-invasive aesthetic treatment to refresh your skin and enhance your natural beauty.
Explore Japanese-Style Bathing
Japan is known for its baths and not so many showers like the modern frameless shower stalls as seen in the Western world and Western-influenced countries. Japanese-style bathing includes thorough soaking in deep baths where the water is meant to cover the shoulders or come up just about the shoulders. The Japanese baths are long and can last all evening tonight, which has been shown to benefit sleep, relax the body and improve mood.
There is also a natural hot spring in one of Japan’s wealthiest cities, Azabujuban. The 100-year hot spring, or “onsen” as it is called in Japanese, is in the middle of a street, concealed from the rest of the other roads and the city. Apart from this unique hot spring, Japan also has many other venues with natural onsens that are great for your skin and overall wellness. Beppu, Hakone, and Noboribetsu are some of the regions with beautiful hot springs to enjoy.
Try Japanese Beauty
With an overseas adventure travel to Japan, you can explore new cultures and trends like Japanese beauty trends, which are much different from what we know in the West. In the West, the makeup can be quite pronounced, and there’s a lot of emphasis on contouring and other styles. But in Japan, there isn’t a lot of demand for makeup; instead, the focus is more on enhancing the face’s natural features.
The key features of Japanese beauty trends include eyebrow waxing or shaping, eye makeup to highlight the eyes and make them look wider, and color in the lips and cheeks. If you can picture a traditional geisha’s makeup, a pronounced variation of eyes, lips, cheeks, and a lighter or pale face. In Japan, it’s common for men to wear makeup, and this minimal makeup style is made for busy consumers.
Travel to a Bathhouse
Overseas adventure travel includes delving into the local culture and learning more. In Japan, public bathhouses are a normal part of everyday life. You can visit a local bathhouse which is usually shared with others. Baths for men and women are separate from each other and available for anyone.
As is customary, those visiting a communal public bathhouse will strip down and shower, wash themselves and then put their belongings into a designated basket or locker. Next, you can dip in the bath’s steaming hot water. You may notice that your hotel may also offer large public bathing facilities for the guests staying there, but inside the hotel room is also a regular bathtub for private use. You can also bring your own soap and towel or rent a towel and purchase soap from the facility.
Maybe, you can take this bathing experience home with you and get the hot tub companies to build you a traditional onsen-inspired bath to enjoy in the comfort of your home. The Japanese public bath is a bit reminiscent of a hot tub or spa where one would also share with others.
Experience Tokyo in All Its Splendor
Tokyo is not only one of Japan’s main cities but also a world-renowned city for its charming presence, historical characteristics, wonderful people, and beautiful gardens, even in the busy, bustling city. Tokyo is steeped in history, originally called Edo, and the city’s origins go back 400 years ago. As of 2021, Tokyo has a population of 13 million people. Being a modern city too, Tokyo is big on pop culture that features the likes of video games, street fashion, Japanese anime, eateries, traditional and modern teahouses, and boutiques.
Explore Tokyo’s nightlife in Shinjuku with great eateries, bars, Japanese Sake, and lots more. The nightlife in this region is lit with neon lights and bright. There is also a famous fish market in Tsukiji, and taking the Tokyo Fish Market Tour will give you an even wider view of this old practice and historic site. Get the freshest sushi and other seafood and experience lots more.
Asakusa features multiple shrines and temples, with Sensoji being one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. If you love the outdoors, Tokyo offers a scenic hike on Mt. Takao. You can also book a tour with Wonder Travel, which does tours throughout Tokyo and Japan. If you want to explore the bar, there’s also a bar-hopping tour where you can enjoy Japanese beer the way the locals do. If you want to dance to some beats, Tokyo offers some dance classes, and you can have access to a great hip hop class at Zeal.
Visit Historical Sites
Japan is widely known for its historical sites, and if you’re going there for your overseas adventure travel, then there’s lots of history to discover. The Himeji Castle was built in the 17th Century, and despite being one of the older surviving buildings, it featured advanced defense systems.
There are also many memorials in Japan, and when thinking about memorials, Hiroshima comes to mind for many people. Hiroshima was one of the first places an atomic bomb was dropped by the U.S. in 1945, causing massive loss of life and injuries. The Genbaku Dome, or Bomb Dome, is the only surviving building that stands to this day and is a UNESCO heritage site. The second bomb was in Nagasaki.
Touring Japan, you can also visit the famous island with the floating torii gate at Itsukushima. The Itsukushima Shrine is a tall 16 meters tall and is a UNESCO heritage site.
Check Out Local Companies
Japan is renowned for its motoring industry, having produced world-class Japanese cars like the Yamaha dealership, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota, and Mazda, to name a few. Other local companies you could also visit on your overseas adventure travel tour in Japan include Sony, Canon, Asics, AEON, Fujitsu, AOC, Casio, Ibanez, and Veilside.
Have a Samurai Experience
You can’t leave your overseas adventure travel in Japan without the samurai experience in Kyoto. You can do a tour which includes discovering historical points, how samurais prepared for battle, wearing armor as it was worn then, plus visiting the samurai and ninja museum. There are family tours that are child friendly, and you can also see traditional sword making, have a sword lesson, and have lots more adventure.?
Grab Some Souvenirs
You can buy lots of cool souvenirs in Japan, like the traditional Maneki Neko cat, which is said to bring good luck and wealth. In Japan and China, you’ll see this cat displayed in shops. How about some authentic chopsticks to take home with you and a few extra pairs to enjoy your sushi? There’s also the ancient Kokeshi wooden doll that dates back over 150 years. It is a simple wooden doll with no limbs but features a painted face and painted clothing. Kimonos, Japanese knives, and Sake are also must-have souvenirs to take back home. You can also buy gold coins.
Consider Moving to Japan
On your visit to Japan, you may just fall head over heels in love with the deep culture and loving arts, culture, and beauty that makes this country what it is. If you want to move to Japan, there are also large expatriate communities, with an estimated 70% of them located in Tokyo, Osaka-Kobe, Kyoto, Yokohama, and Nagoya.
If you live in Inagi, you’ll find many Western stores and brands, Mitaka has an energy of sophistication, and Fukuoka is renowned for its local foods. Japan offers options for renting, but the renting fees and additional admin and other fees are hefty, so be prepared to have a lot of cash upfront to secure your apartment. Purchasing a house is easy with minimal restrictions. Japan is quite an expensive country to live in, but a beautiful one if you want to spend more of your days than just a brief holiday. You can hire moving companies to ensure your belongings are returned to your new address.
Get your travel bug jet-setting boots on and get ready to enjoy some great overseas adventure travel sites and scenes in the beautiful country of Japan. Where will you start your journey first?
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