Any advice on where I can save money without compromising on entertainment?
ie. How to get cheap flights/JR travel passes/accommodation/disney tickets, etc would be very much appreciated!
And any recommendations about good places to see too =P
Budgeting for 2 weeks in Japan
twig on 16/03/2010 - 00:18
Comments
Stay in the local Ryokan hotels - they're cheaper and a more authentic experience.
I actually just wrote up an entry for the choose your own adventure competition, which lists some more out-of-the-ordinary sights to see in Japan (like the atomic tuna memorial site) - have a look here http://createyourownadventure.com/tour/PoLTNa93JySV/ (and vote if you feel like it.)
You can try whirlpool if you haven't already
Lot of discussion in the past
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1392373&p…
thanks guys!
@kingwang: lol i dont really feel like going now that its been compared to canberra
@saine: nice writeup! i love those little random things to do rather than the typical boring historical tours
@kycw: nice, lots of stuff there. do you happen to know where the mobile phone details are? i'd like to get a temporary prepaid type service happening
Having done all the typical touristy things, when I visit Japan I prefer Osaka over Tokyo. It's a bit smaller, but when I last went, most things at retailers were about 10% cheaper than Tokyo. Also, I'm a bit of a foodie and Osaka is known to be one of the better areas of Japan for food =)
Mentioned this on a previous post, but if you're got a group of people going, it's usually cheaper to hire an apartment.
I've recently returned from Japan and really made the most of the JR Pass. We flew into Tokyo and travelled all the way to Hiroshima (total 5hours by bullet train), then to Miyijima which is an island I'd highly recommend. It's 30min train plus 10min ferry ride away from Hiroshima. The ferry is also included in the JR pass.
I had made enquiries and the cheapest I found for the JR pass itself was via Japan Package Tours in Melbourne. They've got a small office on Little Collins St. It costs 28,000yen for a 7 day pass, and depending on the exchange rate at which the agents bought the JR pass exchange orders, it can vary. I got mine through Japan Package Tours for $355 each and could pay without any credit card surcharge. In comparison, I was quoted by Student Flights via one of their rail pass agents at ~$460 thereabouts!
About the prepaid mobile phone - all but impossible. You need an alien registration card to get the phone's (which you get if you're staying 90 days+), there are rumors around that some softbank stores don't ask for the card, but take my word on it, it's not worth the trying to find one (I certainly never did). You can rent a phone from the airport, but they're very expensive.
Hotels - some of the big budget hotel chains (Toyoko Inn is the one I used) are great value. Don't forget to try a ryokan as mentioned above, I prefer ryokan's when I can find them at a decent price, as you meet more people. There are some fantastic hostels in the country too, I've stayed at a couple up in Hokkaido, two different ones that provided dinner and breakfast, all of which was made using produce grown on the premises.
Flights - I've found that if you're not moving around too much, buying flights rather than the JR pass is better value (I had a trip where I was there for 6 weeks, and basically 'did' five areas - Osaka, Tokyo, HachijoJima, Hokkaido and Fukuoka, it was much better value for me to fly into the cities, and then purchase local three and five day transport passes). Both JAL and ANA (and there is another one, Skymark) have great prices for many flights if you book them in advanced, usually 10500 yen per sector. The local transport passes usually get you two or three days of unlimited transport in a small area, often over a couple of different modes (ie train, bus and tram/skyrail).
Food - I actually think that food is pretty cheap in Japan, certainly comparable to Australia. All of the fastfood chains are pretty reasonable (and don't be fooled, I'm not talking crappy burgers, I'm talking currys, noodles and gyoza). There are stacks of 'hole-in-the-wall' food bars where you stand up to slurp your noodles then run for your train, and meals from the convenience store are a great option too (healthy, tasty and cheap). Prices for drinks are pretty consistent for buying softdrinks and beers, whether from a store or from a vending machine. Alot of the clubs have "free drink passes" that are a set price (normally 2000-3000 yen), which entitles you to entry and unlimited alcohol (and it's decent alcohol, not like 'unlimited drinks' in China!!)
Attractions - Depends what you're looking for, but my quick must see list: HachijoJima (hippy island off Tokyo, amazing sushi, friendly people), Wakkanai (north most tip of Japan, sunset is amazing here), temple stay in Koyasan (kinda near Osaka, includes the traditional monk dinner and breakky, and prayers), Furano Cheese Factory (pumpkin, lavender, cheese, spinach icecream, need I say more?!), stay in a capsule hotel (I did this in Tokyo), Beppu (sand onsens, where they bury you in hot black sand, amazing feeling), Akiharaba (in Tokyo, or den-den town in Osaka, if you're into electronics), Noboribetsu Onsen (hokkaido, onsen capital of Japan). My 'hometown' in Japan is Fukuoka, and while there aren't any 'must see' attractions there, the feel of the city is great, very different vibe to Tokyo, Osaka etc, everyone is extremely friendly and laidback.
Wow thanks for the details! Much appreciated.
Guess I'd just have to resort to global roaming. I'll see what my provider says about the rates.
That cheese factory sounds good!
rent a car, travel around using that car.
dont queue up for disney tickets, buy them before you go.
5 star hotels r cheaper compared to 5 star hotels in sydney
go to kyoto, osaka, the big mountain there, disneyland and tokyo.
spend at least 2 nights at tokyo, kyoto is small and osaka is just like canberra