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Japan for the Canadian Traveler course icon

Japan for the Canadian Traveler

Like Duolingo, but for Japan for the Canadian Traveler. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.

For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.

66 bite-size levelsAbout 5 minutes each

Free during early access · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Joji the Japanese Joy-rider
Japan for the Canadian Traveler
with Joji the Japanese Joy-rider
66
Levels
8
Sections
5
Min/day
What you'll learn

Key ideas in Japan for the Canadian Traveler

  • Narita is significantly further from central Tokyo than Haneda
  • Takkyubin services allow for hands-free travel on crowded Japanese trains
  • The Narita Express (N'EX) is the primary rapid link for Narita arrivals
  • Delivery usually takes overnight to most major cities like Tokyo or Kyoto
  • The Tokyo Monorail serves Haneda airport exclusively
  • The service is widely available at airport arrival halls
  • Deciding between the Narita Express and the Monorail based on arrival airport
  • Understanding the benefit of the Takkyubin luggage forwarding service
  • 7-Bank ATMs (in 7-Eleven) accept almost all international cards
  • Many local Japanese bank ATMs do not accept foreign-issued debit cards
  • 7-Bank offers a better exchange rate than airport currency booths
  • The Welcome Suica and Pasmo Passport are valid for 28 days and require no deposit
  • Suica is typically associated with JR East (Narita), Pasmo with private lines (Haneda)
  • These cards are essential for 'tap-and-go' travel on all Japanese transit
  • Distinguishing between the two main tourist-specific IC cards
  • eSIMs can be activated digitally without swapping physical cards
Why not just Google it

You've tried the other tabs

Wikipedia

Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.

YouTube

You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.

ChatGPT

One answer, then back to scrolling.

Online courses

Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.

Tomo gives Japan for the Canadian Traveler the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.

Try a question

Here's what playing it feels like

A real question from this course. Take your best guess.

Navigating the Arrival Hall

What is the main reason travelers use the Takkyubin service right after landing?

Get it right to open this lesson and 65 more in the app.

Course map

Where Japan for the Canadian Traveler takes you

A comprehensive guide for Canadians navigating a two-week journey through Japan, including the essential cultural pivot for a following week in Indonesia.

  1. 1

    The First 24 Hours

    • Landing and Getting to the City
    • The Konbini Survival Guide
  2. 2

    Navigating the Rails

    • The IC Card: Your Digital Key
    • Mastering the Shinkansen
    • The Local Train Maze
  3. 3

    Social Grace and Etiquette

    • The Silent Language of Bowing
    • Shoes, Slippers, and Tatami
    • The Art of Tipping (or Not)
  4. 4

    The Culinary Journey

    • Dining Etiquette: Chopsticks and Slurping
    • Izakaya Culture
    • Vending Machines and Street Food
  5. 5

    Wellness and Daily Life

    • The Onsen and Sento Experience
    • The High-Tech Washlet
    • Trash and Recycling Mastery
  6. 6

    The Golden Route Highlights

    • Tokyo: The Neon Metropolis
    • Kyoto: The Cultural Heart
    • Osaka: The Nation's Kitchen
  7. 7

    Shopping and Logistics

    • Tax-Free Shopping for Canadians
    • Connectivity and Power
  8. 8

    The Indonesia Pivot

    • Packing for Two Worlds
    • The Transition Logistics
    • Contrasting the Two Cultures

8 sections · 22 units · 66 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.

How it's taught

You pick the voice

This course
The Bestie

Japan for the Canadian Traveler is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.

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Start Japan for the Canadian Traveler today.

Download Tomo, search Japan for the Canadian Traveler, and play your first lesson in under a minute.