On a new note...I'm visiting Japan!

[kuc1234]

My friends and I are traveling to Japan May 8th until the 20th. We reserved a hotel near Roppongi and will stay there for 5 days. The hotel is about the only black and white plans that we have made. We collectively agreed that the city life is what we would want at the beginning of the trip and then some country life after, maybe somewhere near Kyoto or Osaka. Any suggestions, advice on ways to get around, clubs, bars, areas with good food, cheapest ways to travel, and anything else that you would recommend? Oh and I don't know if this makes a difference, but it's 4 of us. As far as race, I'm black (Caribbean background) as you can probably tell from my avatar, and all my friends are white americans.

Thanks!

[ttokyo]

My friends and I are traveling to Japan May 8th until the 20th. We reserved a hotel near Roppongi and will stay there for 5 days. The hotel is about the only black and white plans that we have made. We collectively agreed that the city life is what we would want at the beginning of the trip and then some country life after, maybe somewhere near Kyoto or Osaka. Any suggestions, advice on ways to get around, clubs, bars, areas with good food, cheapest ways to travel, and anything else that you would recommend? Oh and I don't know if this makes a difference, but it's 4 of us. As far as race, I'm black (Caribbean background) as you can probably tell from my avatar, and all my friends are white americans.

Thanks!

For general questions such as transport, sights or nightspots, it's best to buy a guidebook, such as the Lonely Planet. Not sure what you mean by 'country life', but you'll also find good hiking opportunities near Tokyo such as Hakone or Takao-san.

[Effected After]

Some great hikes in kamakura as well.

[twelvedown]

Unless you have some train pass already you should probably get a pasmo/suica card. They don't save you any money but they make getting around Tokyo a lot easier. You can just buy them from a machine at almost any station. And bring cash.
Make sure to get to a proper sushi bar once if you like sushi.... eat as much Japanese food as you can stomach as a lot of what else is on offer isn't that amazing. Noodle shops, Izakaya etc. They're pretty easy to figure out.
Have fun!

[kuc1234]

Unless you have some train pass already you should probably get a pasmo/suica card. They don't save you any money but they make getting around Tokyo a lot easier. You can just buy them from a machine at almost any station. And bring cash.
Make sure to get to a proper sushi bar once if you like sushi.... eat as much Japanese food as you can stomach as a lot of what else is on offer isn't that amazing. Noodle shops, Izakaya etc. They're pretty easy to figure out.
Have fun!

Thank you for the advice! What ticket would you suggest I buy if we are planning to travel to Kyoto from Tokyo?

[hml]

Thank you for the advice! What ticket would you suggest I buy if we are planning to travel to Kyoto from Tokyo?

Take the naka sendo... :P

oh, *ticket* Hmm...

[kuc1234]

Take the naka sendo... :P

oh, *ticket* Hmm...

Yeah, I was trying to see if there was another pass besides the JRP that is cheaper, but because I have to get back to Narita it seems JRP is my only option.

[Effected After]

The Japan Rail Pass is cheaper than any option you will ever find in the country. A week pass pretty much pays itself off with a single long-distance trip, and if you are doing anything more than that, it turns into an amazing deal. They don't offer it to residents of Japan, it's only for visitors.

[kuc1234]

The Japan Rail Pass is cheaper than any option you will ever find in the country. A week pass pretty much pays itself off with a single long-distance trip, and if you are doing anything more than that, it turns into an amazing deal. They don't offer it to residents of Japan, it's only for visitors.

Agreed. Should I convert u.s dollars to yen? I read somewhere that I can just withdraw cash from an ATM, which would be cheaper than paying the exchange rate fees.

[Effected After]

Either convert when you arrive, or withdraw from an ATM. I don't think it's ever cheaper to buy a foreign currency in another country, you will get a better rate buying the local currency. I could be wrong though, I'm not so knowledgeable on finance matters, but in my experience this has been the case.