Travel to Japan in mid Nov2010 (best, cost, country, place)

[limlc_2004]

Any best suggestion of itenery if I am to plan for japan trip in Nov2010?

[minniemouse]

Hi!
I was in Japan in 2007.
wow..it has been a wonderful trip! I love Japan!!!!

I have seen:

• Tokyo
• Yokohama
• Hakone
• Nikko
• Kamakura
• Takayma
• Kyoto
• Nara
• Osaka
• Hiroshima
• Miyajima
• Himeji

I have visited all these places by Japan rail!

Have fun!

[SEAandATL]

How long will you be here? I'm assuming you're arriving through Tokyo/Narita. I would spend a couple days exploring the Tokyo area including 1 day in Yokohama, and one day in Kamakura. Secrets within the Tokyo area are Mt. Takao and Mt. Tsukuba, which are also nice in the fall. Kyoto and Nikko are nice in November, if you have time to see both. If you had to choose between the two, I would go to Kyoto for the Japanese cultural experience. If you can't make it to Nikko, than I would check out Hakone which is only 1 hr by train from Tokyo/Shinjuku. Hakone is similar to Nikko with the mountainous scenery (with fall colors in Nov.) and hot springs. Also if you have time, you may want to check out Shirakawa-go (which is where I'll be going in a few weeks).

[DrVanNostrand]

Originally Posted by minniemouse

Hi!
I was in Japan in 2007.
wow..it has been a wonderful trip! I love Japan!!!!

I have seen:

• Tokyo
• Yokohama
• Hakone
• Nikko
• Kamakura
• Takayma
• Kyoto
• Nara
• Osaka
• Hiroshima
• Miyajima
• Himeji

I have visited all these places by Japan rail!

Have fun!

Can you tell me a little about Japan's rail system? Do they have rail passes like in Europe? Are tickets expensive? Etc.

Also for anyone, and I assume this will help the OP, is it expensive to travel there? Are there hostels or can you find really cheap hotels that aren't health hazards?

Obviously Japan is a very well developed country and I know it isn't cheap, but I'd like to get a pulse for what kind of expenses one could expect to build over over the course of a 2-3 week trip.

Thanks.

[sponger42]

Originally Posted by DrVanNostrand

Can you tell me a little about Japan's rail system? Do they have rail passes like in Europe? Are tickets expensive? Etc.

Yes they have rail passes, yes the tickets are expensive, but not prohibitively so. Japan is the one place I didn't travel on a budget, so I can't really speak to the money issue. If you can do as I did and make the trip as a tour guide on somebody else's dime, do that. Japan is crazy expensive, but most things are almost kinda worth the price you pay for them. All I know is USD 100 per night will get you a spotless business hotel room. 150-ish per night adds extra luxury even in town in Tokyo or Kyoto. Return Tokyo-Kyoto is around USD 80 pp I think.

Also for anyone, and I assume this will help the OP, is it expensive to travel there? Are there hostels or can you find really cheap hotels that aren't health hazards?

You'll be hard pressed to find a hotel or hostel that's a health hazard in Japan, but you'll have a harder time finding one that is anywhere within a stone's throw of cheap.

Obviously Japan is a very well developed country and I know it isn't cheap, but I'd like to get a pulse for what kind of expenses one could expect to build over over the course of a 2-3 week trip.

Thanks.

Again, can't speak to expense, but in 2 weeks I found that 5-6 days in Tokyo, 1 awesome night in an Onsen in the area around Mt. Fuji, 2 days in Takayama down the spur line, and 4 days in Kyoto made for a nice slow-paced tour of that central region. Weather was cold and snowy up in the mountains, chilly and damp in Tokyo and Kyoto in January. Travel by rail was seamless, bus might be cheaper.

Getting around is a trick if you can't speak or read Japanese. If you can at least read Chinese you'll be much better off as many of the places share common characters in the names and won't just look like squiggles to you.

If you read/speak no Eastern languages at all, then hotel desks are your best bet for English speakers and directions. Don't count on cabbies at all.

[minniemouse]

Originally Posted by DrVanNostrand

Can you tell me a little about Japan's rail system? Do they have rail passes like in Europe? Are tickets expensive? Etc.

Also for anyone, and I assume this will help the OP, is it expensive to travel there? Are there hostels or can you find really cheap hotels that aren't health hazards?

Obviously Japan is a very well developed country and I know it isn't cheap, but I'd like to get a pulse for what kind of expenses one could expect to build over over the course of a 2-3 week trip.

Thanks.

Hi!
Japan rail system is very good! It's different to Italian rail . Japan is better!

About Japan Rail, exist a Japan Rail Pass. It's a "economic" pass to round to Japan. It's only for a tourist people and you need to buy it ONLY OUT JAPAN.
Then, this pass will be converted in Japan. About JAPAN RAIL PASS Please, read here!

here some link about Japan subway and rail:
Hyperdia | ä¹—ã‚Šæ�›ã�ˆæ¡ˆå†… 路線検索 時刻表 ゴルフå*´æ¤œç´¢ 旅費精算ã�ªã‚‰
It's very good to know train , hour and timetable.

Yes, I arrived to Tokyo Narita airport.

For us, now that we have EURO, Japan is not expensive. It depends on you go but for food and the other ..Its more cheap then Italy.

In Japan, credit card doesn't use a lot. It's different from USA.

My trip was for 3 weeks. I was 10 days in Tokyo because to see these cities, Tokyo is a good choice as base .

• Yokohama
• Hakone
• Nikko
• Kamakura

You can see these places for 1 day for each only use the rail. In Kamakura, when you arrive, you can rent the bicycle.


In Tokyo, I stayed here: Asakusa Ryokan & Hostel Toukaisou -- Cheap and traditional Japanese style hostel in Asakusa,Tokyo Asakusa ryokan Toukaisou
It's a hostel japanese style hostel! It's very good, in a wonderful location and it's cheap!


sorry for my English.
Please, tell me if you need more info.

JAPAN DOESN'T EXPENSIVE!!!!

[bigfatturkey]

Originally Posted by limlc_2004

Any best suggestion of itenery if I am to plan for japan trip in Nov2010?

perhaps if you could provide us with more info...then we can better advise.

for example:
- how long the trip?
- is it your first trip to japan?
- what kind of stuffs do you like to do? (i.e. scenery/culture/food/shopping/onsen etc)
- what's your trip budget (less airfare)?
- which part of japan are you likely to land in?

the Japan Rail pass ain't cheap....so unless you are planning to take long rides on shinkasen...it might not be worth it. there are other day/regional-passes that you can purchase for local travel if just within a certain area.

[limlc_2004]

Originally Posted by bigfatturkey

perhaps if you could provide us with more info...then we can better advise.

for example:
- how long the trip?
- is it your first trip to japan?
- what kind of stuffs do you like to do? (i.e. scenery/culture/food/shopping/onsen etc)
- what's your trip budget (less airfare)?
- which part of japan are you likely to land in?

the Japan Rail pass ain't cheap....so unless you are planning to take long rides on shinkasen...it might not be worth it. there are other day/regional-passes that you can purchase for local travel if just within a certain area.

The trip that I m planning is about 2 weeks.
It is my first trip to Japan.
Mid November is the only time that I m able to travel. Research tells me that places to visit is Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Its a family trip, 2 adult & 2 children aged 14-16 and preferably on budget.
Appreciate your advise.

[bigfatturkey]

Originally Posted by limlc_2004

The trip that I m planning is about 2 weeks.
It is my first trip to Japan.
Mid November is the only time that I m able to travel. Research tells me that places to visit is Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Its a family trip, 2 adult & 2 children aged 14-16 and preferably on budget.
Appreciate your advise.

it really depends. if it's your first trip...even just tokyo (& vicinity) alone can take you weeks to cover in full. but sure...if you are throwing in osaka and kyoto as well, the JR pass will definitely be worth your money if you are doing a round trip from tokyo-kyoto. the round trip ticket on shinkasen will probably cost more than if you were to buy the JR pass.

there are the 7-day and 14-day passes. you'll need to plan your itinerary with great precision to make the best use of your JR passes. perhaps you can just buy the 7day pass and then spend approx 1 week in tokyo before activating your JR pass to travel to the kansai region and then return to tokyo for your return flight before your pass expires. but it really depends on which city you are flying into and out of. the JR pass can be used for the Narita Express train to/from the airport as well.

the passes ain't cheap...especially for a family of 4. if you really need to keep your budget low....i'd recommend to just stick to around tokyo/vicinity (i.e. fuji lakes, hakone, yokohama, nikko etc.). trust me...you can easily spend 2 weeks just exploring those areas. if your travel is confined to those regions...then you don't even need the JR pass which could reduce your travel expenses. there are day passes as well as regional passes which are more affordable than the JR passes.

there are many budget accommodations in japan these days. and if you don't mind shared shower facilities, you might get some really good room rates. but please note that shared shower facilities are usually open bath areas without doors/cubicles of any kind. november is not really a peak travel season in japan....so i think you won't have much difficulties finding suitable accommodations. if you aren't claustrophobic...you can also try the capsule hotels =)

people have the misconception that it's very expensive to travel in japan. but i've always managed to travel in japan on a tight budget. there are affordable food options if you are not a picky eater. of course, you'll have endless expensive choices too if you are willing to splurge.

if you need more info, travel links, budget accommodations/food recommendations....just shout. meanwhile, you need to figure out where you really wanna go/what you wanna do too. once you've narrowed down your travel itinerary...then it'd be easier to advice.

this link might be a good place for you to start your planning japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide