Hire a car:

• While public transport in Japan is exceptional, once you’ve got from point to point you’ll need your own wheels. Car hire is easy and not extortionately priced. You can even ‘go local’ and opt for a box car, such as this little pink one we ended up with.
• Driving is on the left of the road. Road users are very considerate, although most ignore the speed limit on express ways (police largely – bit not always – turn a blind eye).
• When you hire a car, make sure you:
  • Get an ETC card included: Toll roads are converting from taking tickets to operating only with automatic ETC card readers by 2030. While you can take a manual ticket to get onto a toll road, some exits are ETC card only, so you can find yourself stuck if you don’t have an ETC card. These will be fitted into a slot in the car dashboard. The fees will be charged to you when you return your vehicle.
  • Petrol cap: Ask how to remove the petrol cap. Most are lever-operated from the floor of the driver’s seat.
  • Work out the GPS: ensure it is set to English before you leave.
  • Use Google maps: Programming the sat nav in the car works by telephone number – you’ll need to select a phone number of a place near to your destination. This will only get you to the vicinity of your destination, so set the exact destination in your phone’s Google maps as well.
  • Bring a phone holder: it will add a bit of bulk to your luggage but it is well worth packing a suction-based windscreen mobile phone holder so you can follow google maps on your phone as you drive.
  • Don’t expect to be scammed: Service, as everywhere in Japan, is honest and impeccable – the charge for petrol, should you not fill the tank before you return the car, is the same as at

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Oversized:

On Shinkansen bullet trains, your main luggage must fit within certain dimensions to travel on board with you. If it exceeds the limit, you may be able to put it at the back of the carriage if you’ve reserved your seat. However, on some routes you will need to send oversized luggage by car. Really. And the (albeit very courteous) inspectors carry measuring tapes.

Buy a suitcase of the required dimensions before you travel and try to fit everything in. The limits are:

• 2 suitcases per person, max 60kg total, max dimensions (depth + width + height of both bags combined) of 250cm
• Neither bag can exceed 30cm depth, 50cm width, 80cm height.

There are lockers at most metro stations (and in many places you wouldn’t expect them). However, in our experience, these were almost always full, especially the large ones.

No rushing: 

Commuters on public transport are incredibly considerate. Seats are gladly offered to those who need them; passengers obligingly move down to let people on. Noise is kept to a minimum – headphones are inaudible, conversations on mobile phones are forbidden, and any conversation is kept to a murmur. Sign posts encourage passengers not to rush but to wait for the next train: the efficiency of the service makes this a valid option.

Eating is not allowed on public transport, the exception being the Shinkansens. Here, a culture has evolved around the Bento Box – a lunch box of a filling meal to see you to your next destination.

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Google that: 

• Google maps works excellently in Japan for viewing public transport options and planning the quickest route. It even lets you know which exit to take from labyrinthine metro stations in large cities. It also works much better for getting to your precise destination than GPS systems when hiring a car.