Visiting Japan

[Manifesto]

Hi Guys,

I have booked my tickets to japan for june (i will be staying for about 4 weeks) and i needed some information. i was wondering if their are any hotels/youth hostels/accommodations that you would recommend for various places.
i plan to visit: Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Beppu and Nagasaki (in that order) i am still planning my trip would £3,000 be enough for 1 month 600,000 JPY? (food, accommodation, traveling, clubbing and sightseeing?) i would prefer to keep my spending to a minimal. From which place would you suggest getting off to go visit Mt.Fuji? is their a direct train which goes to Mt.Fuji? i will be purchasing a JR Rail pass before i go, so should i go for the Ordinary pass or the Green Card Pass? is it crowded within the standard class carriage on the bullet trains? I do not speak japanese, i am learning some japanese before my trip, will this cause a huge problem? also, how much days would you guys recommend staying at each place to get the most out of my time in japan?

Cheers,

Manifesto.

[JTM]

Sounds like you have quite a trip planned and I'm definitely envious. You should try to make as much advanced arrangements as you can prior to your trip as it will make it all the more easier once you arrive in Japan.

600,000円 (5742 UDS/3681 EUR) is a bit conservative for a 4 week trip. I guarantee you it will cost you much more than that as Japan is very expensive, even more so than Europe.

If you plan on traveling a lot during your stay (as it appears you will be doing) your best bet is probably making arrangements with a Japan Youth Hostel. The facilities are domitory style and some facilities may be older but they are cheap (2500円 and 3500円) and if it's just to spend the night, shower and eat then it might be an option. You will have to sign up prior to your trip however.

http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/

If you plan on visiting Mt. Fuji first you can stay at this youth Hostel near the base - Fumoto No Ie. They list directions on how to get there via the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line.

http://www.kt.rim.or.jp/~sodom/fumotono.htm

Here's an interesting diary of a group's trip to Mt. Fuji that might be helpful:

http://yamasa.org/japan/english/dest...uoka/fuji.html

You should definitely learn at least some Japanese before your trip as it will help make things a lot easier for you - common phrases like "domo" (thank you), "sumimasen" (excuse me) etc.

You may be able to meet up with a "volunteer guide" dependent on the city or region you're in. Haven't used the service but it looks interesting:

http://www.hieverywhere.com/

You'll find additional good tips here:

http://members.aol.com/ghmarcus/tips.html

Tokyo is probably your best place for clubbing. Here's a good resource for finding places to go while there:

http://tokyoclubbers.com/node

Hope this helps and good luck on your trip.

[Glenski]

If you're planning on saving money, why are you going clubbing?

For such a trip as yours, definitely look into getting the JR Rail Pass. 1, 2, or 3 weeks long. Figure out the best logistics to determine which is the best choice. Maybe even buy more than one type.

[Manifesto]

for a week both me and my friend have residence in osaka, for the other two and a half weeks we will be backpacking, both me and my friend have decided to stay at youth hostels considering it will be very expensive to stay at the hotels. thanks for the information will look into it in awhile. w

hy would i want to sell samosa's at akibaharbra when i already making a living selling gulab jamin and jalebi in punjab?

[melink14]

If you look to live cheap that should be plenty of money for 4 weeks. I think you'll also find that much traveling hard in such a short time period, even so, good luck. (You should calculate the traveling times in between those places, it's longer than you think.)

My 4 week trip cost me about 1500 USD, but I didn't visit as many places as you. (If you have the JR pass, traveling is super easy though.)

As for MT. Fuji, I recommend staying at Kawaguchiko, It's a nice little town on a beautiful lake with a fine view of MT. Fuji (if it's not cloudy.) During climbing season, a bus from the station there goes to Mt. Fuji regularly so it's convenient if you want to climb.

Also, the K's House in Kawaguchiko is an amazing hostel to stay at and I would recommend it to anyone.

Good Luck.

[eighttotwelve]

I suggest that you ditch Okayama and stay in Kurashiki - It is a small city nearby with a very beautiful 'Old town" Unless you have a good reason for being there you will see anything Okayama has to offer elsewhere on your trip.

[Manifesto]

If you look to live cheap that should be plenty of money for 4 weeks. I think you'll also find that much traveling hard in such a short time period, even so, good luck. (You should calculate the traveling times in between those places, it's longer than you think.)

My 4 week trip cost me about 1500 USD, but I didn't visit as many places as you. (If you have the JR pass, traveling is super easy though.)

As for MT. Fuji, I recommend staying at Kawaguchiko, It's a nice little town on a beautiful lake with a fine view of MT. Fuji (if it's not cloudy.) During climbing season, a bus from the station there goes to Mt. Fuji regularly so it's convenient if you want to climb.

Also, the K's House in Kawaguchiko is an amazing hostel to stay at and I would recommend it to anyone.

Good Luck.

hey melink,
which places did you visit and what other places did you stay at/recommend? and also how do you get from tokyo to mt.fuji/k's house (by bus or train? which one do you have to catch and from where)

cheers,

manifesto.

[melink14]

hey melink,
which places did you visit and what other places did you stay at/recommend? and also how do you get from tokyo to mt.fuji/k's house (by bus or train? which one do you have to catch and from where)

cheers,

manifesto.

I could go through my whole trip, but you seem to have a decent idea.

If you find K's House Mt. Fuji website you will be able to find directions. I took a bus from Shinjuku station to get there, not too bad.

Other than that, for cheap/good places to stay I recommend something like hostels.com or hostelworld.com to search for availabilities and book easily online.

Just remember, you get what you pay for.