Unfolding a canvas of contrasts Japan is an intriguing island with a rich heritage well intertwined with futuristic innovations and outlook. It is also a land with enormous beauty, serenity and deep-rooted traditions making it an incredibly unique nation. The best way to savour its mesmerizing offerings is to live like locals through immersion and exploration.

Japan - Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash

Whether your stay in Japan is a short one of a few months or a longer stay running into a few years your place of stay can offer many opportunities for you to be like locals, learn more of the local culture and mix with locals. Traditional ryokans (Japanese Inns) offer a good layout to understand the Japanese culture and practices of day-to-day living in them.

If ryokans are costlier other practical options offering the Japanese way of living are homestays, which provide an immersive cultural experience in living with a local Japanese family and becoming attuned to the local way of life and using serviced apartments such as Yokohama Kannai apartments that enable seamless living on your own however with many local activities and events taking place in the apartment complexes regularly.

Just as much as you try to be close to the Japanese way of living, make every opportunity to get about. This expands your horizon of experiences such as when you need to meet a business associate rather than using a taxi and use public transport as relied on by guests at Citadines Harbour Front Yokohama when they travel about. The train service is excellent and safe in Japan and the train conductor and fellow commuters will assist if you need help. This will also improve your understanding of the language and show you how polite and helpful the Japanese people are.

Rather than visit a supermarket near your office use a neighbourhood supermarket and convenience store (combini). These small excursions when you are not rushed after work give you time to learn more about Japanese food beyond the favourites like sushi, tempura, and ramen, you also get to see the food picked up by the locals and enables you to get a feel of the local vibes and build a rapport with the locals manning the counters.

To help you interact with the locals better master a few Japanese phrases like Arigato gozaimasu (Thank you) and gradually build up more phrases to use.

Selecting what to eat and drink can be a dizzying experience for visitors till you get familiar with it and are settled down. Don’t limit your choices to only what you have tasted before, tasting different food and beverages (F & B) is a part of your immersive exploration. It gets you to not only make a selection of F & B, it gets to scout for venues like posh restaurants, homely cafes, train station kiosks or a joint down an alleyway.

Combini food – The food at these convenience joints is nutritious and healthy, there are snacks, salads, bento boxes, soups, noodles and gyoza etc. offering a great choice.

Taste traditional breakfast – There are varying standards of this traditional breakfast served in Japan such as a restaurant chain, an authentic ryokan breakfast, a niche hotel etc., whichever level it is served at savouring this unique breakfast is an insightful experience. The array of items includes rice, miso soup, grilled fish, tofu, pickles, soft eggs etc.

Indulge in coffee – Coffee comes in cans off wending machines as well as presented in style and aplomb at traditional kissatens.

Visit a Sake Bar – Many visitors love to taste this traditional Japanese beverage, it is good to have an understanding of the local language when you visit a sake bar for the first time or go with a local friend.

Irrespective of where you are staying in Japan, do what the locals do in the locality and embrace as many things as you can.

Scout for good shopping places – There will be many markets not much known to visitors but patronized by locals, look for these and visit similar places great places to improve the feeling of community which you will enjoy.

Visit a popular local restaurant or pub – These visits are great for socializing and improving local interactions as well as appreciating the food and drink.

Engage in a sport – It can be engaging in the sport or even watching a game at a stadium, hiking or doing a cycling tour etc. allowing you to mix with locals.