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 Satvic John Doe Post Count: 8 Msg: #1 86 weeks ago, May 5th 2008 | Greetings! =) | My name is Andrew, I'm 21 y.o. from Latvia. Finally found a nice forum to post my questions on =) So here I go: Me and my friend have always wanted to visit Japan since we're both fascinated with it, and now that summer is approaching, we are finally preparing for a real trip =) The problem is - neither of us have ever been so far away from home and we have absolutely no idea on what must we know/do/be prepared for. So we would be grateful for any help, info and advice! In a perfect case scenario, we want to stay for about a month and visit a variety of places in Japan - major cities, countryside, mountains, etc. =) There is no specific route or plan. We want to decide the cource on the spot. Still, what places in general should we aim to visit? We want to get a good feel of Japan, see it in all it's beauty, and experience it in every aspect =) Where should we go for fun, for sightseeing, for cultural education, and simply for a good time? And what places should we avoid? Secondly - what belongings should we take with us, what things are a must? As I said - we've never done this before, so we'd be happy to receive any advice =) And since I know the culture/tradition/laws of Japan is quite different from Europe, what should we be aware of and careful about? And lastly - our budget is limited, which is why I am concerned about where we should stay and how to travel around. What are the average daily expenses(food/lodging/transportation/entertainment/etc) and what are the best ways to minimise them? So there it is! We'd welcome any info, tip and advice, as well as any references and directions =) Thank you, and cheers! =) [Edited: 15:33 - Satvic - highlighting main subjects =)]  ritchie ritchie ramos Post Count: 32 Msg: #2 86 weeks ago, May 7th 2008 | food averages about 10 US dollars per meal | tokyo is great! visit UNI QLO store for trendy yet affordable clothings! consider staying at Tokyu Stay - about 150 US dollars per night in touring the city, consider using the subway - it was a little complicated coz they have a lot of train lines and nobody knows how to speak in english, at that! - but their map would be very handy visit Tokyo Tower... they duplicated that of Eiffel but it is 13meters taller than the latter check out Tokyo Dome  imcrazy8 Geoff D Post Count: 58 Msg: #3 86 weeks ago, May 7th 2008 | ritchie... where is that UNI QLO store located? im headed to tokyo on the 17th of may, wouldnt mind checkin it out. | everything else you formentioned is on my list to see... hoping to get into the tokyo dome for a baseball game! thanks for the tips ritchie ritchie ramos Post Count: 32 Msg: #4 85 weeks ago, May 11th 2008 | hi geoff, | i don't remember where exactly but i heard there's almost a 100 stores in tokyo have fun ritchie imcrazy8 Geoff D Post Count: 58 Msg: #5 85 weeks ago, May 11th 2008 | thanks ritchie, ill definitely keep my eyes peeled! |  Casey Lary Casey Lary Post Count: 28 Msg: #6 85 weeks ago, May 11th 2008 | Konnichiwa!! Just spent 2 years living in Japan. Wish I was you returning. | A good place to start with online info http://www.japan-guide.com/ For train times throughout the entire company www.hyperdia.com For the best priced hotels/hostels/capsule hotels http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ Must see places: Tokyo (Tsukiji Fish Market, Harakuju, Shibuya) , Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Nanzen ji, Heian Jingu, Golden Temple), Nara (a great day trip from Kyoto), and Hiroshima (I am biased I lived there- peace park, miyajima). Many would put Osaka in this list. it is an amazing city, but in terms of sightseeing not to much to do. A great to place to wander around though if you have time. oh and if going during the summer hiking mt fuji is a must! oh and on the way to Hiroshima stop at Himeji Castle. With a month I would also look into going to Koya-san (overnight stay in a ryokan with monks), Fukuoka (just a great japanese city), possibly spending a week around th temples in shikoku (might need to rent a car for this), nikko, hitting up some onsens in nagano is great too. I never made it down to Kagoshima but would have loved to to hike around. If youhave time (and money), I would def try to go to Hokkaido. In terms of places to stay- you can find some for 50 bucks. A cheap and really fun option is staying in a capsule hotel. I also use a site www.couchsurfing.com and met some amazing people traveling this way. A way to get immersed in the culture is wwoofing. (wwoof.org I think). You pay 4000yen and can go to any of the farms that participate. You put in a few hours a day working, then the rest is free time. A great way to meet japanese people. Getting around- japan rail system is unreal. By a Railpass for 1-3 weeks and it will take you everywhere. To minimize costs stay at cheaper places, eat at conveniences stores once in a while (food isn't bad!), drink from convenience stores before you go into clubs, oooh and if up for hitching can be a kick. Also look into what festivals are going on during your stay. During summer you can basically find festivals almost every wkd. I hope this helps a bit! Satvic John Doe Post Count: 8 Msg: #7 85 weeks ago, May 11th 2008 | Aye. Indeed, very helpful. Thank you for your answers =) | Can't wait to finally go there =) Number of Users: 4 | Number of Posts: 7 | |||||||||||||||
