Travel to Japan can be daunting, especially those coming for the first time. The language sounds like gibberish, the writing is indecipherable, and everything seems to be happening so damn fast...

I remember arriving in Japan for the first time in 1992, on a virtually empty jumbo jet on Japan Airlines. The plane was so empty our lovely flight attendant didn't bother asking if we wanted more beer, she just shook our cans every time she went past to see if we were empty or not. Narita Airport was chaos, and getting into Tokyo proved to be a challenge and a half, especially as the beers from the plane were catching up with me. Thing have got a lot better since.

Anyway...Don't worry! Plow on in and you'll have the time of your life, and you'll find a country that keeps calling you back time after time.

Japan is probably the safest country you'll ever visit. Unless you do something stupid, like following a Nigerian tout into a bar, then you'll have no problems. Health services are world class (the Japanese have one of the longest life expectancies on the planet), transport is almost always on time, and all those things you were worried about before your visit turn out to be part of the fun that is visiting Japan.

We've put together this little guide to help those who are new to it all. We've gone on all the questions we've been asked over the years, but if you have a question then feel free to ask, as we'd like to get as much info out there as possible.