Planning a 1 month trip to Japan, help?

[Hitokage]

This is pretty much my first post, but I've been a lurker for many weeks. ^_^;

I've been saving up a serious amount of money to be able to go to Japan for 1 month when I graduate college next June. (2006). This looked like an amazing place to get some help on what people think I should do/know about going.

I'm planning to get a place through Sakura House. (http://www.sakura-house.com/) Which seemed like a decent place. Anyone ever get housing through them? Hints/help? Better ideas? Where exactly would any of you recommend staying?

I would like to spend at least a weekend at one of the ryokan (Hoping I have the right word) which seemed like one of the things I just ... really wanted to do. Anyone have a good one? Price isn't too much of a matter.

I am working on getting my passport (a little early but... figured it would be better this way) already.

Do you think I should rent a phone while there? I heard my american cell phone won't work there, but hey - I'd like to be able to call people! I plan on bringing my laptop with me (with a three-to-two prong converter) so most of the time, I'll be using voicechat - email - etc...

Where did you guys find the cheapest tickets over there? So far I've seen 1100-1300 dollars on things like priceline, orbitz, etc. I'm leaving out of Philadelphia International.

I think that's it. I've saved up about $5000 for this trip (over the course of 5 years) and am pretty damned excited. I have, so far, only taken a basic japanese course (all vocal, no kanji or anything) but plan to take 102 and 103 over the coming senior year. Anyone recommend a phrase dictionary, or something, in case I need it?

Thanks for anyone who replies! You guys always seem pretty helpful (well... some of you ^.~) so here's hoping!

[Pierrot le Fou]

Check here (http://www.eg.leopalace21.com/) for other apartments. You can get them anywhere in Japan, they seem to be a better price than what you're paying, and you can even rent them by the week (in case you want to see a couple different places).

I would recommend spending at least a week, if not more in Kansai. You could spend a couple weeks in Tokyo if that really interests you, grab a JR Rail Pass (http://www.japanrailpass.net/) and travel all across the country for free. A three week pass would cost you about $800 US. If that's too much, you could get a 1-week pass or a 2-week pass, and use it to go down to Kansai, maybe a day trip down to Hiroshima (if it interests you), and then back up to Tokyo in a week./

There are lots of cheap Ryokan in Kyoto. I forget the name, but I can ask the girlfriend, but it's right in the middle of Kyoto, by the subway, and was relatively cheap (around $80/night, I think) and a nice place. The owner also speaks some English (which is nice and helpful).

It really depends on what you want to do while here. If you want to just hang around Tokyo, then you'll have a much different experience than if you travel around the country. It also depends a lot on your Japanese level. So, well, who knows?

Care to share some interests? Things you want to see/experience? Then we can help with some more planning.

You could also stay in some hostels or whatnot if you wanted...

Basically, it's wide open. With a JR Rail Pass, you can travel up to Hokkaido in a day for free, or down to Kyushu. You can go from Tokyo to Hiroshima, see the A-bomb dome and miyajima island, and then stay in a Kyoto Ryokan that night and relax in a bath drawn for you. You could stay in Tokyo and experience the city life -- clubbing, drinking and eating in izakayas, and all sorts of other stuff.

If you want the cheapest tickets, it's best to get them from a Japanese agency. I found tickets back to Boston and back right before Christmas for under $700 round trip. There are cheap flights out there, especially off-peak, but US agencies don't post them for whatever reason.

More details. Season you want to go and whatnot, where you want to see, and I'll try to help out more.

[Hitokage]

Wow, Pierrot that was very informative! I think $800 for the rail pass is a weeee bit out of my price range, but it is a very good point. I think the 1-2 week might be a little better for me.

The pay-per-week sounds like an amazing idea. I don't plan on bringing that much and moving around does sound like a very good idea. I just don't want to stay in a hotel since that seems really, really expensive.

I'd definitely like to stay in/near Tokyo for a while and Kyoto. I'd love if you could get me the name of that ryokan, because that does sound nice. I have a month, and I want to see as much as I can. Temples, shrines... the country, the city, everything. I want to go clubbing, shopping... see some traditional stuff, thats a big one.

What sort of japanese agency did you go through for your tickets? I could do the three week JR pass if I could save that kind of money on plane tickets!!!

I am going in, probably not the best time, but late June into July.

I guess to sum up, I want to expierance as much of Japan as I can get. ^^; I hope that is helpful.

[hapacheese]

You can buy a pre-paid cell phone at 7-11 for about 6-7,000 yen... plus an additional 3,000 yen for the phone card. Sounds like a lot, but if you plan to use it a lot, it helps. Not sure you'd really need a cell phone unless you expect people to be calling you. If you need to make calls, there's plenty of public phones, otherwise.

[Hitokage]

I suppose you have a point, Hapacheese. I guess I'll just have to stick to Voicechat (getting my family on that, knowing their severe computer illiteracy, should be interesting) and email and IMs. ^_^;;

[tsiki]

That rail pass sounds quite sexy (I'm also planning to go travelling in Japan for a month or so), especially if you could use it to travel with trains overnight and that way save yens from housing fees :D. Also, thanks for the sites, those dormitories seem surprisingly cheap, an excellent location drains only some 300$/€ per month.

[Enjoy]

Wear an FFXI shirt.
Tokyo-
Marunouchi Cafe serves you with internet accessable PCs for free, also you don't have to order a drink or food. That means you can access to VT for totally free. If you would like something to drink or snack, You can use a vending machine in there.
The cafe is located in a business area, Marunouchi, very near to the Imperial Palace and is open between
8:00-21:00 (weekday)
11:00-21:00(Saturday, Sunday, national holiday)

rush hour- 7:00-9:30 & 17:00-19:00 of course


Phone Numbers to know:

emergency
110 police
119 amburance & fire station
118 the Maritime Safety Agency

others
104 dial information
106 collect call (behind the communicators)
108 collect call (auto)
115 order an telegram
117 time signal
177 weather forecast

The area code for Tokyo is "03". You don't have to dial "03" if you are
inside of Tokyo but you have to dial "03" at first if you are outside of Tokyo when you make a
phone call to inside of Tokyo.

The country code for Japan is 81, so dial 813 at first when you make a phone call from overseas
to someone in Tokyo.

To make a phone call to outside of Japan when you are in Japan, dial "001-010" at first before
country code. The overseas call service is provided by KDDI.
************************************************** *********

Akihabara district - Where electronics and video games are sold.


************************************************** ********************************


Omote Sando - This street is originally the main approach to MEIJI JINGU.

Now it's considered as the fashion street behind HARAJUKU.
A nice street for taking a walk, resting in some coffee shops, watching people go by.

************************************************** ********************************

Roppongi - You don't have to learn Japanese as long as you are in Roppongi. You will see foreigners
in every 10 persons on the street. There are a lot of restaurants and bars that you can order
in English.

************************************************** ********************************

Shibuya- High school Kid hangout- shoping, movies, drinking.... "Shibuya still is the center of the
current movements of japanese teenagers.

************************************************** ********************************

Shinjuku - It's a Babylon... I used to strall around this sleepless fortress thru the nights and days
when I was around 20years old. Well, when I was going rude and wild.

Dubious fascinations and pleasures with threats and traps behind them... I just learned...

Ok, you travellers will not have to be too frightened. Just enjoy the Babylon.

You can hit Shinjuku for nightlife, electronics and perversion, all in one area!
Shinjuku has a big shopping mall across from Shinjuku train station, an electronics area
and the red light district.

(Tocho) - What's the matter with this Blade Runner style building, huh? The Metropolitan Government's Office.
This might be a "Must See" to you visitors, in the meantime, it is a "Trap" for us citizens of Tokyo.
It's just a building of TAX for us.
Ok, you visitors, as you've been here with much trouble, at least go up to the observatory on the 45th
floor, 202meters high ; )

************************************************** *********************************

Ginza District - Check out the Sony Building in the Ginza district (Harumi-dori I believe) for the
latest and most dazzling consumer electronics products before they hit the Japanese market.

[tatsurou]

I stayed in an apartment through Sakura House with a friend while we studied in Japan for 6 months. The people at the Sakura House office (which took us a few min to find the first day ^^;;) are very nice and speak english very well if you don't know enough Japanese...but were also willing to try to put up w/our Japanese as well.

The actual apartment we stayed at (since our school was in Shinjuku) was Nakano Shimbashi (http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/nakanoshinbashi.php). It was like 1 min from a subway station, right across from a 7-11, and it was great. And if you cleaned up nice and neat (we didn't...do the best job, but it still happened for us) they give you your full deposit back on the day you move out w/o problems. I'd most likely use them again when I go back to Japan ^_^.

Oh yea, and when I wanted to actually talk to friends / family back in the states, I used Skype (www.skype.com) since it was free and worked amazingly. Good luck! :)

[Hitokage]

Wow! You guys have been so helpful! ^_^ Thank you! This has given me alot to go on... including a lot of things I hadn't thought of (like emergency numbers and such, eep!)

[seijihuzz01]

Definitely second the recommendation for the Japan Rail Pass!! It's good for ALL Japan Rail (JR) trains, including bullet trains (except the all-reserved fastest, Nozomi I think). Doesn't work for smaller private rails, but whatever.
Key thing is you have to buy the 'exchange order' from a travel agent or Japanese airline prior to arrival in Japan & then exchange it when you arrive. Can't get them in Japan.

A one-way Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket from Tokyo->Kyoto costs around $180, so even if you only go once round trip Tokyo->Kansai & travel around everywhere by train your 1-week pass will be worth the cost. If you plan to stay in one area & not take the bullet trains you might not get your full $$'s worth, but travel the length of Honshu & you save tons on tix.

Also, they use cash almost everywhere, most ATMs take VISA (it's everywhere you want to be!) but not Mastercard debit cards, and traveler's checks are worthless except for exchanging at a bank or money exchange (but only if you have a passport). Citibank is your friend :)

Why take a laptop??? Take a camera & buy a hello kitty notepad. Spend all your time updating your blog when you get home! :) Enjoy the country! Also, who do you plan to call? Cell phones aren't worth the hassle unless you'll be there for a long time. The gray phone booths are international, green are not. Yellow are worthless & confusing. I'm not sure why the red ones are red & not gray...

See the other '1-month Japan trip' thread as well.

Have fun!

[DoM of the South]

I also travelled across japan for 1 month this june/july. I had a really great time and would highly recommend not staying in one area, especially Tokyo, as it can be very full on for a whole month and will also give you a distorted view of Japan.

I would definitely recommend the all japan rail pass although no one so far as mentioned Fukuoka! This is the last stop on the pass and it is on the southern island of Kyushu. Also the shinkansen in the west is more spacious and comfortable than in the east of the country!

I spent a week in tokyo and also visited Yokohama which was very cheap to visit. I activated my pass, which was 3 weeks, at the end of the 1st week and headed to Kyoto. Whilst there i got full value by also visiting Osaka and Nara but using Kyoto as my base. From there i travelled to Fukuoka. I personally loved Fukuoka and planned to stay 1 week but extended to two. The beaches were really nice and i also used my pass to visit Hiroshima and surrounding areas. If you time the pass right you can travel all the way back to the airport just before it runs out. I felt i got my moneys worth from the pass so $800 could actually prove to be quite a good investment. I paid £280 which i dont think is quite $800.

For accomodation i would recommend guesthouses (sometimes called gaijin houses) over youth hostels as hostels often have curfews. The two guest houses i stayed in both had free internet access provided and also allowed you to purchase a bed by the day! In Kyoto J-hoppers (www.j-hoppers.com) was excellent, the rooms were largeand so was the shared kitchen and tv room. The rooms also had A/C.The staff spoke very good english and it is 10mins from the train station. I would highly recommend this guesthouse!

In Asakusa, which is a really nice area of Tokyo, i stayed at Khaosan guesthouse (www.khaosan-tokyo.com). The guesthouse had smaller rooms but once again the staff spoke english and there was free internet access. Some of the rooms had A/C and the guesthouse is on the river with a nice rooftop garden looking onto the asahi beer hall and tower.

I think a laptop would be unecessary as when travelling you want to stay light and it is another thing to worry about. As mentioned Akihabara sells large sized camera cards at affordable prices or alternatively take a memory stick and just use internet cafes or guesthouse comps to load your pictures onto. Cheap and light.

I hope this is helpful and not been too much of an essay. Let me know if you want anymore information as i would be happy to help you.

DoM

[Hitokage]

No that was VERY helpful DoM!

[Enjoy]

I don't know what it would have been like without my laptop. It's everything to me. I also use the www.skype.com to talk to home. Plus it's nice to watch some american TV on your lappy.