The Japanese power grid has a voltage of 100 volts and a frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz, depending on the region. That doesn’t match the 230 volts and 50 Hz we use in Europe. So you should definitely take a look at all the gadgets you want to take to Japan.

The vast majority of modern chargers or laptop power supplies are designed for worldwide use and can be used in Japan without any issues. Other devices (like shavers, electric toothbrushes, hairdryers) that need 230 volts won’t work in Japan. Some travel gadgets can be switched to 110 volts. Just don’t forget to switch them back when you return, otherwise there’s a fire risk.

The plugs in Japan are the same as in the US (NEMA connectors). You can get the right adapters at specialist shops here, in electronics stores in Japan, and sometimes you can even borrow them at the hotel reception.

A lot of travel adapters on the market here have three pins (meaning they’re earthed) and won’t fit into the two-pin sockets you mostly find in hotel rooms. So when buying one, make sure the adapter only has two flat contacts on the plug side (“Type A”).

You can find nice, flat adapters in Japanese electronics shops and also here on big online shopping platforms. They hardly take up any space in your luggage and fit perfectly onto our flat Europlugs. They’re super handy for this.

Plugs with an earth contact must never be plugged into two-pin adapters, even if they fit. It means the connected device isn’t earthed, and you risk a lethal electric shock.

NEMA plugs generally don’t offer the same level of safety we’re used to in Europe. The plugs easily slip out of the socket, and there’s a risk of accidentally touching one of the contacts while it’s still live. It’s a good idea to always be careful when handling them.

Right next to Okayama is the city of Kurashiki. Back in the Edo period, the town played a massive role in the rice trade. The name means “town of storehouses” and refers to the rice storehouses located along a canal. You can still check out this Canal Area today.

In 1889, the Kurabo company opened a cotton mill in the city; its brick building is known today as Ivy Square.

If you can drag yourself away from a stroll through the streets and shops, there are loads of museums worth a visit. The most important one is the Ōhara Museum of Western Art. But the Kurabo Museum, the Momotarō Museum and the Piggybank Museum are definitely worth a little detour, too.

The slightly tacky and out-of-place-looking Kurashiki Clock Tower at the north exit of the station is quite interesting. It’s dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen. On the hour, the top part of the tower lifts up and figures from four of Andersen’s fairy tales pop out. I sadly only found out about the chimes later on, but I found a YouTube video of it.

Kurashiki is super easy to reach by train from Okayama. From the station, it’s about a 15-minute walk to the Canal Area and Ivy Square.

You’ll find the Tōtō Toilet Museum on the factory grounds at Tōtō’s headquarters in Kokura. Tōtō is the market leader for toilets and washlets in Japan. The name doesn’t actually come from the word toilet, but from their original company name Tōyō Tōki (Eastern Ceramics).

To kick things off, you get to watch an introductory film in English. After that, you can check out the company’s over 100-year history in the museum; they originally made tableware alongside sanitary ceramics. There’s loads to discover, from the sit-down toilet that Tōtō introduced to Japan, to the washlets, and even various other gadgets and oddities like the Toilet Bike. To finish up, you absolutely have to pay a visit to the museum’s own loo.

You can get to the museum from Kokura station on foot or by bus. Entry is free. You can use your own smartphone as an audio guide, and there’s free Wi-Fi available in the museum. Taking photos is mostly allowed. They only ask you not to take pictures of a few exhibits out of worry over industrial espionage. Naturally, we stuck to the rules.

The museum is really entertaining and well worth a little detour.

In the east of Kyoto you’ll find the Heian-jingu, a massive shrine complex built in 1895.

Wrapping around the shrine is the Shin-en, the Garden of the Gods. It’s 33,060 m² in size and features several ponds connected by pathways. Loads of cherry trees decorate the garden, making the grounds an absolute must-visit during cherry blossom season.

In the ponds, you can spot rather rare animal species like the yellow pond turtle or the Japanese pond turtle. The fish and turtles love being fed, and you can buy the right food right there on site.

Visiting the Heian-jingu itself is free, but access to the garden costs 600¥. It’s worth not getting there too late, as time really flies by there, and the garden closes at 5 pm.

At 634 metres, the Skytree in Tōkyō is the tallest TV tower and the second-tallest building in the world. It opened in 2012 after four years of building work.

The tower is made up of a massive reinforced concrete pillar surrounded by a strut-like steel skeleton. The design was inspired by the pagoda in Nikkō, which is supposed to make the tower earthquake-proof. And it works – the Skytree actually survived the massive 2011 Tōhoku earthquake pretty much unscathed.

The lower platform, the Tembo Deck, sits at 350 metres up and offers the usual mix of restaurants and souvenir shops alongside its panoramic windows. You can also look right down to the ground through a glass floor.

A separate lift takes you up to the second platform, the Tembo Galleria, which is another 100 metres higher. The extra cost is totally worth it, because you get an even better view of Tōkyō from a spiral tunnel attached to the outside of the building.

A standard ticket (“Same-day Ticket”) costs 2,060¥ and gets you to the Tembo Deck. Once you’re there, you can buy a ticket for the Tembo Galleria for another 1,030¥. Alternatively, tourists can show their ID at a separate counter to get express tickets (“Fast Skytree Ticket”). They cost 3,000¥ for the Tembo Deck, or you can get a combo ticket for both platforms for 4,000¥. This ticket lets you join a fast-track queue for the lifts, though to be honest, I didn’t think it saved that much time. If the lifts aren’t too busy and you’re not in a rush, the standard ticket is probably fine.