Are you Japan Ready?

Travel

A direct flight from London to Tokyo is 11 hours 45 minutes

The currency is Yen

Many taxi drivers don't speak English, so take a hotel card with the address on

If you have allergies, you’ll want an allergy card translated in Japanese to show to hotels, bars and restaurants

Stand to the left when using escalators

Don’t use or make calls on your mobile phone when using public transport

Rugby World Cup Japan

There are 12 host cities for Rugby World Cup Japan

There will be 20 countries taking part in the tournament

The Tournament will consist of 48 matches

Etiquette

To bow and say thanks in Japanese, you bow from the waist with a straight back. Men have their hands at their sides and women have their hands clasped in their lap. When returning a bow, try not to hold it for longer than two to three seconds or you may inadvertently get stuck in a bow-off as it will encourage the other to return yours with a short bow

Don’t raise your food above your mouth

Don’t rest your chopsticks on the top of your bowl

Don’t bite your food in half and place half-eaten food back onto your plate

Fun facts

The unluckiest number in Japan is four as it sounds like the word for 'death'

Japan has the 10th largest population in the world

Japan is made up of 6,852 islands

There are little to no public bins in Japan

Almost every street corner has a vending machine

When using the Bullet Train, many travel with just one or two pieces of baggage, hand luggage size, leaving behind their larger luggage to be delivered to them at their next destination via a baggage delivery service