How Not to Travel in Japan

During the last twenty years I have been an occasional visitor to Japan—often enough not to be thrown completely when things are strange, intermittent enough to need lots of advice from old Japan hands. By now I have heard enough of the advice to distill it into what might be called the Three Laws of Tourism in Japan.

Law No. 1: Do Not Rent a Car. The Japanese drive on the left side of the road. Most streets literally do not have names. Highway signs are less frequent than they are in the United States, are written in kanji (characters), and are often laid out differently (if a sign tells drivers to turn left in half a mile, there frequently won’t be another one at the turn itself). You will get lost, is the Japan hands’ advice. Terribly, terribly lost. Law No. 2: Do Not Travel During Golden Week. Golden ...