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To the uninitiated Japan can sometimes seem a bit daunting, but follow Andrew Bowman's advice and you'll feel like a native. Here's his guide to maximising fun, ease and survival in the always eye-opening Land of the Rising Sun.

The ancient and the modern, the polite and the perverse - the contrasts and extremes of Japan make any trip there something of an adventure.

Luckily, Japan is, by and large an incredibly safe place, but it is confusing to the uninitiated. If you're planning a trip there, you've surely read or been given stacks of advice already, so this is our alternative and (sort of) educational guide for maximising fun, ease and survival.

The most important thing: Restaurants

If you can't read Japanese and there's no English/Romanised menu, don't worry as you may be able to pick your choice dish from the incredibly lifelike plastic models in the restaurant window. It's fun and only mildly embarrassing.

Lots of people will be keen to tell you that you shouldn't stand your chopsticks up in your bowl as the action symbolises death. This is true and is well worth noting, but there are many other subtleties in the etiquette of public dining in Japan. However, it will usually be abundantly obvious to staff that foreign visitors are not Japanese and therefore not expected to know all the ins and outs, so relax. But don’t tip – the chances are you'll need to pay at the front desk anyway. Nevertheless, if you really liked your service you might be tempted to leave a little something on the table for the waitress or waiter. Just don’t be surprised if a member of staff chases you down the street to return your ‘forgotten’ change to you; this does happen.

The nitty gritty: Toilets

If money’s no object and you’re staying in a nice hotel, the chances are your toilet seat will greet you warmly. Literally. It may even take the trouble to clean itself, so don’t be alarmed if it starts whirring and moving when you’re done. In the likely event that it has a built-in bidet function you may be curious as to how that works. To save you getting a jet of water in the face and on the bathroom ceiling, we can tell you that the jet comes from a small retractable pipe inside the bowl.

If you're staying at a Japanese ryokan or you're out and about, you may find that an establishment’s facilities feature only one Western-style sit-down loo, which seems to be the most popular cubicle. If you’re forced (or are happy) to go traditional with the squatty style, just be sure to remove the change from your pockets.

Also, if you're offered packs of tissues on the street, take them, as you may find that toilet paper is conspicuously absent from many public restrooms. Carrying a small hand towel, handkerchief or flannel is advised as well, due to the lack of hand dryers or paper towels. This is an especially good tip for winter travellers as the water in the taps is usually close to freezing.

Gents, if you’re wondering why the urinals are clearly visible from the WC's open entrance, this is an ancient security measure. You wouldn’t want ninjas jumping out at you when you’re dying to go, now would you?

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