Your initial experience will be getting from the airport to the city. Most people fly into Narita airport and stay in Tokyo. Train or shuttle bus is the best way. If you know anyone there, it
might be helpful to have them meet you since carrying suitcases on a crowded subway can be difficult if not impossible!
Local transportation by train in Japan is very easy. In the big cities you will rarely find yourself more than 15 minutes walk from a train or subway station. The trains come every few minutes
during the day, and usually run from about 5am to about midnight. In the rural areas the trains may come only once an hour with shorter day time hours. Most stations in the big cities have the names of the station in English letters so you can identify
where you are. There may only be one or two signs, though, so you have to look hard to see them! Outside of the big cities many of the stations signs are in Japanese only, however they are usually written in "katakana," a Japanese syllabet. These chara
cters are not too difficult to learn so you can identify where you are coming from and going to, even if you can not pronounce them and don't know what they mean. There are subway maps available
in English in most major stations, however these often don't include the commuter trains (often privately operated). Hotels sometimes have larger, better maps available. If you are trying to save money, note that there are sometimes local trains that are
cheaper. For long distances the shinkansen (bullet train) is very fast, but also quite expensive. There is not a lot of air travel within Japan mainly because the trains are fast and efficient.
Travelling by bus is quite difficult, since most streets in Japan don't have names, and the schedules are very difficult to read. I would recommend travelling with an escort the first few times if you find that you are in an are where you need to tra
vel by bus.
Hiring a taxi is another good way to get around short distances. They are expensive, so you would be best taking a taxi only if there is no train available, and you are not going very far. Since the trains do not run in the middle of the night, a ta
xi is often the only alternative. You can find taxis outside most train stations, hotels, or tourist spots.
Driving a car in Japan is possible, but I would recommend it only to the most experienced driver. They drive on the left, and the streets are very narrow. This is something you might consider after a few months there. Used cars are quite cheap, but
the registration, parking, and insurance can be very expensive!
Riding a bicycle can be a really good choice depending on where you work. Used bicycles are easy to get, and often the school will have a few available from teachers who have left. If you live in a particulary hilly area this may be more work than it'
s worth. And of course bicycles can not be taken on trains. Some people keep a bicycle on each end of their daily train route if it is a long distance to and from the station. Bicycle theft is relatively uncommon in Japan, but it is a good idea to have
it locked anyway.
