Avoid the exorbitant bars and cure the inevitable hangover by getting naked in a hot spa - just two of the tips from a cultural induction course for fans travelling to Japan for the World Cup, writes Arminta Wallace

We've all heard the horror stories - go into the wrong bar and you'll end up with a bill for € 500. So if you are heading to Japan for the World Cup in just over a month's time, is there anything you can do to protect yourself against making such a basic mistake?

Well, you could sign up for a cultural induction course run by a group called "World Cup Wanderers". But why, I ask course director Luke Carson, would anyone give him four hours of their time - and € 65 of their cash - to teach them about Japan?

"Because," he says, "they will save money when they get there - and they will also get much more out of the trip." Carson has just come back from Japan, where he lived - and worked on a government programme - for over three years.

"I asked to go to Tokyo and I was sent to, like, Leitrim," he says. "I ended up loving it. But it's not like going to France or the States. People are going to come back and say 'we spent all this money and we had a crap time'. The main focus of our course will be on how to save money; but it's a pity to go to the other side of the planet and not get a taste of Japan as well. If you're going on a package, you'll have 11 days unrelated to football in an amazing country. We'll tell you what's worth doing and what isn't - and also, more importantly, what not to do."

Sounds like a good place to start: so what's the biggest no-no in Tokyo? "People are going to want to drink every night and a lot of the bars are run around the principle of seating charges," says Carson, "so you get pretty Japanese girls who come and talk to you and pour your drinks for you. It's all very nice and not in any way sleazy - and if you want to try it, fine, but you're going to pay a hell of a lot for it. You won't get a bill until the end of the night, when you've got no idea what you're paying for."

Avoid like the plague, will be his advice. But what's the alternative? The nearest Irish pub?

"We'll definitely be recommending the Irish bars," says Carson, "but another alternative is to go to a restaurant where you can eat cheaply and also drink to your heart's content. That's what the Japanese do."

Football fans, of course, are not noted for their culinary experimentation - I mean, "who ate all the pies" is hardly going to turn into "who ate all the

sushi" overnight, is it?

"Well," says Carson, "there's nothing says you have to try Japanese food. If people want to eat Western food all the time, that's no problem and we'll tell them where to do it. But not all Japanese food is sushi. And you don't have to go to a restaurant every time you want to eat. Supermarkets stock pre-cooked pastas and noodles and stuff, which is really good and really cheap." Once fed and watered, what should the discerning footie fan do next?

'Onsen," says Carson, firmly. These are hot spas where everyone gets naked - and, before you ask, yes, they're segregated. "You can do this at hotels in the city, but the best thing is to drive up a mountain, where you'll end up sitting in a natural hot pool in a valley. Wherever you do it, it's fantastic - and it's a great hangover cure, as well." Best of all, it's not expensive - €15 will buy you a thorough soaking.

Carson and his Japanese colleague, Yumiko Kawamoto, will tell you where to go shopping in Tokyo, what to do if waiters shout at you (nothing - it's normal), not to worry if you see a young Japanese person get up on a table, remove their pants and set fire to their nether regions (it's a drinking game called "jungle fire" and quite, um, common), and how to master not just basic Japanese phrases, but a cunning concept called "Japlish" which will (in theory) enable you to communicate without any Japanese at all.

Groups for these cultural courses will be kept small - 15 people maximum - so that personal queries can be fully dealt with.

• The World Cup Wanderers roadshow starts in Cork next Saturday, moves to Galway on April 27th, Limerick on April 28th, and Dalymount Park, in Dublin, on Saturdays and Sundays during May. Details are available on the website at http://worldcupwanderers.tripod.com, or at 01 618 2069