I have questions for those who have been to japan..

Im seriously considering making the trip. Ive wanted to for a long time.. I need a few things cleared up first..

My japanese is minimal... can you get by in Japan with only english? Ive heard that english is pretty common in Japan and you dont really need to know japanese, is that true??

Also, how much did you pay ROUND TRIP for your air fare, and how much was your hotel stay?

I heard that you can get a "cubby hole" room for fairly cheap in tokyo, is that true? how much exactly??

Is tokyo the best place to visit, or did you find another city in japan to be more pleasant?

I probably have a thousand more questions but thats all I got for now...

 

For nonspeakers, Tokyo will probably be your easiest destination but evenso you'll need a crashcourse in Japanese. Lots of Japanese speak "English" as it's warped into their everyday life but truthfully most have a long way to go, if you don't want to be that crazy foriegner who trys to speak English to everyone learn some Japanese Don't worry though, they'll expect that you'll speak English to them and if you have Engrish down, you're probably set

 

well i do know a tiny bit of japanese, but not a lot... i couldnt string a complete sentence together or anything.. (especialy the way they contruct a sentence.) but I do know hon is book and so on...

 

I advise you to at least pick up a phrasebook or something (check your local bookstore) so that you can ask stuff like "where is ...." and "I am from..." etc. Or check out the Japanese For Busy People vol. III audio CD's I just posted on sale ;-)

And my round trip fair, from Amsterdam to Heathrow by BMI and from there to Tokyo by ANA, was 1050 euros all-in. Though I heard of a few French guys who flew by Aeroflot from Paris (via Moscow) for only 500e, and they had 30kg of max. luggage whereas I only had 20kg. But it's probably cheaper from the US.

I stayed in the Cozy House in Ichikawa (www.cozyhouse.net). It's 30000 yen for 2 weeks, and by some crazy discount that's also the price for 4 weeks :-D

 

Shinjuku station isn't exactly the easiest of stations easier... I still rate it harder to navigate that Tokyo station, b/c more often you'll want to walk out of Shinjuku station, but almost never Tokyo station.

When I have some time I'll tell my crazy-ass story which involved Tokyo station for about an hour, and 6-7 other hours on local trains. Was ugly.

 

@Antipasta:

Did you manage to use the 20kgs to take stuff home, and did you get through Dutch customs w/o any problems? I'm planning my trip to Japan, but am afraid to get stung by customs. I could sent it off to NL using EMS/SAL, but I doubt if that will save me any money in the end; it'll probably cost me a lot of time extra to package everything and get it posted. Surely I'll mark the shipment down of course ;-)

PPT

 

The Japanese are pathetic at English. young people may be able to understand the most basic of thinks you ask them but don't expect many real conversations. I've been to Korea and China, two countries that put Japan's English level to shame. If you're just going to speak English then like the others said, get yourself a guide book. I have lived in Japan for 6 years now and find that I have to speak Japanese if I really want something.

If you're after a hotel then you'll probably find that business hotels are the best bet. These range from 6000 yen per night. Not the cheapest but they comfortable and all have a TV plus their own shower, tub and toilet unlike some Ryokan (Traditional Japanese Inn)

That depends upon what you want to do. If it's game shopping then you're best bests are Tokyo and Osaka. If you'd like to see some beautiful parts of Japan then checkout the most typical places such as Kyoto and Nara but also if you can try to visit Kyushu. Kyushu has some very beautiful places that Honshu (the part were Tokyo and Osaka are) just can't compete with. I've posted may pictures on this board of various places I've been to.

Yakumo

 

pptradio, most of the time if you go by the customs on schiphol therese nobody there :smt043 ... so Its a little bit like gambling

 

I was gonna say... so ridiculous, I was bogged down by about 20kg of hand luggage and 5kg of games in my coat, but there was nobody at Schiphol to stop me :smt043

And I did send out about 20kg home via Surface mail - that was 100e already. SAL or EMS will be way more.

 

Like I said on the older thread, Im going this summer and I have been checking out the prices here in Portugal, they are around 750eur-800eur (rough estimate with local airport taxes included).

But there are no direct flights, they all go via Paris or via London.
British airways, Air France and JAL all share similar prices.

And flights to Osaka are about 50eur-75eur more expensive.

A japanese friend of mine who visited Portugal some time ago complained that tickets bought in Japan were more expensive then ours. If I remember correctly they were all 1000eur and up.
Weird uh?

Since I havent gone to Japan yet, I would also would like some feedback on this from thos who have been there.
What's the absolute cheapest room you can get? Hotel/motel ? Ryokans? Youth hostels?

Are some of the Ryokan without toilets and/or shower? :smt022
I can live without the tv and tub...

 

I would love to see some of those pictures.. My trip would be geared more towards sight seeing. Im not a HUGE game collector. Although while i was there i wouldnt be able to help but pick up a few things.. I also would just mail it back home... airport experiences are stressfull enough for me, i dont need to make matters worse by trying to be some kind of smuggler.

but seriously though, where can i see some pictures?? that goes for everyone who has pictures of thier japan trip...

 

I have been to Japan last year to visit my fiance, and will definately be heading back. Some pics of my short journey:

A tree off the trail at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto:


A subway station in Kyoto:


On the way to the above subway station near Sagano, Kyoto:






I have more hi-res images if you want to see... I came back from Japan having experienced some of the most beautiful sites. Of course, I got off easy as my fiance speaks English and I was able to stay at her parents home. I did venture out to Akihabara by myself, although I knew how to navigate the subway system beforehand. For sure you'll find yourself asking people for directions in Japanese ("Where is the washroom?" comes to mind). I think Kyoto is like 5 hours by 'bullet' train from Tokyo, but I'd recommend you visit it.

 

my most vivid memory from last trip would be spending hours to end sitting in one of those mega expensive National shiatsu(?) full body massage chair at Daimaru Department store...

seriously that thing is freaking good - it will massage from your head to toe literarily - and quite tempting to import if they make one for 240VAC...

 

Excellent pics chip, very nice framing!

 

It's *alway* exactly 2h 53m according to my travel guide - and they were right when I went. Or was it Osaka? Anyhow, a Shinkansen ride is quite enjoyable I think, just don't go sit in the smokers' section.

 

Yes, Important tip that. No toilet paper in train station toilets in Tokyo unlike down here were I live :-D we always have toilet paper. It's best to go to the toilet in department stores. These mostly have those robotic toilets and always have bog (toilet) role.

Yakumo

 

You're right. I couldn't recall how long it took. I've only made the trip once, and 5 hours was the first number that came to mind :-D

 

Thats to Kyoto.