Luggage Forwarding

                                                 Things to know before going to Japan.

I love the concept of luggage forwarding.  All you need to do is tell your hotel/ryokan where and when you want the luggage and it will be there the next day!  What a wonderful concept.  Specially for people like myself who can never travel light and just want to carry their handbag from place to place. Plus think of all the shopping possibilities!

I now know that I shouldn't touch or blow my nose in public, not let the chopsticks touch my mouth
when eating, put the sushi sideways into my mouth and not dip it into a pool of soya sauce. Put small amounts in the bottom of the small dish.

You also don't wear any clothing into hot baths and you need to be clean and washed before you get into them!

I came across this in tripadvisor:

IS ANYTHING ELSE CONSIDERED RUDE IN JAPAN THAT MAY NOT BE ELSEWHERE? Yes - cleavage and bare feet. Bare feet are considered very dirty and there are many sites in Japan where you can enter only if you remove your shoes and then often only if you are wearing some sort of sock (nylons are acceptable).Don't miss out on your must-visit teahouse or palace because you didn't have socks. Even if you don't wear them with your shoes you should keep a short pair in your bag. On cleavage, the details of the breasts are just not shown by Japanese women and people are very uncomfortable around exposed cleavage and/or 'headlights.' If you're trying to be sexy in Japan, show off your neck or your legs - very short skirts are perfectly fine.