Japan’s experiences and customs can be somewhat difficult to navigate, even if you speak Japanese. One way to get around that is to find a Japanese friend – the Tokyo Free Guide service pairs you up with English speaking locals that can give you personalized tours and, if you’re lucky, help you with booking day trips to Metropolis, Japan’s Expat magazine – stick with the "friends" category unless you’re prepared for some unintentional comedy. Or the facebook equivalent mixi if you speak Japanese.