Planning a trip to Japan

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I know I've seen a few threads on here with Japan advice, but the ones I saw were a bit old (couple years). Was hoping for some advice.

My girlfriend and I are planning to go the first week of September. Yes, that's a while from now, but, I like to plan. Plus, I'm getting the expenses in order.

No worries about the passports and whatnot. Mainly, I'm trying to find the best possible deals on the flight. We'd be leaving O'Hare and landing in Narita (Tokyo).

So, what are my flight options? I read that Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" is a good choice, but probably will not be applicable until a month or so before the flight (since you get a better rate because they are trying to fill flights). Plus, I cannot order those too early, as they are non-refundable/non-transferrable.

I've heard you can get a good rate if you go on a tour? And I know a couple Japanese travel agencies have been mentioned, but I don't know what any of them are named.

I'm also aware that a "package deal" with the flight and hotel is usually cheaper, but we've already chosen the hotel we will be staying at. It's the Remm Hibiya.

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Anything we should specifically check out while we're over there? I think we will be staying in the Tokyo area, so keeping it limited to that is preferred. She's into anime, and I am (obviously, being on a game website) quite a gamer. And that's mainly why I wanted a hotel in/near Akihabara.
 
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This thread come up at the perfect time for me, i was planning a trip alone since i learned i have 3 weeks of vacation time at work. I think Japan maybe the place for me.
Has anyone gone alone before? I've only been out of the country once before on a family trip to the Dominican republic but i have gone alone to Chicago and New York. Do you guys think this trip would be to much for a first time out of the country traveler?
 
[quote name='kongfunk']This thread come up at the perfect time for me, i was planning a trip alone since i learned i have 3 weeks of vacation time at work. I think Japan maybe the place for me.
Has anyone gone alone before? I've only been out of the country once before on a family trip to the Dominican republic but i have gone alone to Chicago and New York. Do you guys think this trip would be to much for a first time out of the country traveler?[/QUOTE]

I think CK64 went to Japan on his own. I think you could handle it alone. My gf isn't gonna be of much help with getting around (she's bad with directions), so it's kinda like I'm traveling alone! :lol:

Booked our flight tonight. Through IACE I got our round-trip JAL (nonstop) tickets for $2308.80 ($1154.40 each) total. Best price I've seen since watching the major flight sites since January. Got the last two seats on the outbound flight at that price. Sadly, we won't be sitting together on the outbound, but we will on the way back.
 
The two times I've been to Tokyo (the last being in May 2009) my wife and I used Delta Vacations for the flight and hotel. Both times we stayed at the Tokyo Price Hotel which is a 10 minute walk from the Tokyo Tower. Very nice area, and has couple nice parks near the hotel to unwind in the evenings. There is a subway station right next to the hotel, or another line is accessible by a short walk.

When we booked both our trips we got the flight and hotel for what the flight would be on it's own. Plus you get transportation to and from the airport via the Limousine Bus. Trust me, after a 13 hour flight you probably don't want to mess around with the subway especially if it's your first time to Japan.

I'd recommend the Tokyo Prince to anyone looking for a clean and affordable hotel in a great location. Check out the reviews on TripAdvisor for more info. We enjoyed both our stays there, and you'll be spending most of the time traipsing around Tokyo anyway. :D Since we got such a good deal we took an overnight trip to Nikko, stayed at a ryokan, and left most of our stuff at the Prince.

I miss Japan so much. Such an incredible place when compared to the Midwest US. :( Have a great trip!
 
bumping for travel agencies for reference.

Me and a group of friends are going to try and go through them for next year.

Anyone know off-hand if they offer group rates for 15+ people (on the same flights obviously)?
 
Under a month until we leave! Getting excited!

I bought our tickets through IACE. (Thanks to whoever mentioned them.) Got our tickets on JAL for $2300. The *cheapest* I had seen in months was $2188 (US Airways), but, I went with JAL because it sounds like there's no baggage fees (two checked bags per person). Plus, I wanted to fly a Japanese airline. :)

Also booked the "Dynamic Tokyo" tour for one of the days, and the Mt. Fuji/Hakone tour for another day. (Search JAPANICAN.)

We are staying at a ryokan the last three nights.

So, that's that. About the only thing I'm still a bit wary of is all the subway travel. We're small town people. (Though, I'm sure we can figure it out.)

Oh, and money transfer is still an issue. I dunno if my bank will exchange dollars to yen before I go. (It's a very small "local" bank.) Also, I've heard a place in Narita airport will do it, and it's the best rate, but I dunno if they'll be open on Sunday afternoon (when we fly in). :l Any suggestions for that?
 
When I went in '08 there was definitely a exchange service/office/counter/thing at Narita and I'm fairly sure it was close to where you exit the airport and hop the shuttle for the train station.

Not sure about the hours the service is available - we traveled during the week and arrived and departed mid-day.

I know that's kind of vague! Sorry!
 
Found it on Narita's website:

Currency exchange is open 365 days a year, but, they are only open 9:00-6:00. I think our plane is scheduled to arrive at 2:35. I'm *not* usually a plane traveler; will that be enough time to get the exchange over there? (Dunno what "average" delay times are.)
 
I haven't done a lot of flying - Vegas, NYC, LA - the usual tourist stuff. I've never experienced a significant delay - I've lost 40 minutes here and there on the tarmac waiting to taxi and such - but nothing that would wipe out the four hours you'd have to make it to the exchange but YMMV.

I did my dollar to yen exchange at Bank of America - don't know if that's an option for you or not - but a quick mouse-over of the map on their website shows a pretty crazy amount of locations.
 
I just returned to America this past April after living in Japan for 5 years, so I'll offer whatever advice I can. However, I only traveled to the Tokyo area about 1-2 times a year so I'm hardly an expert..

First off, I'm not sure if you got a Rail Pass or not yet, but if you are only staying in the Tokyo area it's a huge waste of money. Most local trains range between 200-600 yen and the Rail Pass can only be used on JR trains, so if you wanted to go somewhere on a different train line you'd have to pay regardless.

About taxis, they can be quite expensive so avoid them unless it's absolutely necessary. If you must take a taxi, look for one that has a big 500yen coin on top, as they're cheaper than standard taxis.

I didn't notice if you posted the exact dates you're going to be in Tokyo, but if you will still be there during the weekend of September 18-19th you should go to Tokyo Game Show! It's open to the public and only costs about 1200yen for 1-day admission. You can buy tickets at several stores in Akihabara and/or most convenience stores.

Speaking of Akihabara, if you're planning to buy anything specific MAKE A LIST.
The first time I went to Akihabara, I was so overwhelmed by stuff I wanted to buy that I couldn't make a decision before it was time to catch my train and I went home empty-handed. Also, shop around!
Several stores sell the same games/collectibles at drastically different prices so it's worth checking out different stores instead of blowing all your money right away. For games, check out Super Potato and any of the TRADER stores on the main street. For anime/manga, I think Animate would be a good choice (I'm not sure as I mainly shopped for games).

As some other people mentioned, drinking alcohol in public is okay in Japan. Instead of overpaying at bars and clubs, my friends and I would often grab a few beers from the convenience store and head to a park. MUCH cheaper and you can avoid all of the disgusting smoke in Japanese bars.

As for food, if you want to save some money you can buy some of your meals at a supermarket. Almost every supermarket has a large section with freshly prepared food (like tempura, rice bowls, sushi, etc.) which is usually MUCH cheaper than the food at restaurants. And it's delicious! A few cheaper restaurants I recommend are CoCo Ichiban, which offers amazing Japanese curry (and has English menus), and a 105yen Kaiten (conveyor belt) Sushi restaurant like "Sushi-Ro", "Kappa Sushi", and others. Even if you don't like raw fish they usually offer other types with (cooked) meat and poultry or various vegetables.

It may be possible in Tokyo, but most stores in Japan won't accept credit cards, ESPECIALLY foreign credit cards. Therefore you should bring most of your spending money as cash. Japan is quite safe so you don't really have to worry about keeping large amounts of money in your wallet. I often walked around with the equivalent of $500-$1000 in cash with no problems whatsoever.

A few random things to keep in mind:
-some trains will have "women-only" cars at certain times during the day so keep an eye out for signs (they're usually pink and printed directly on the floor of the platform)
-there is NO tipping in Japan! you don't have to leave a tip at bars/restaurants/hotels/etc.
-people smoke EVERYWHERE in Japan, so be wary of stupid people waving lit cigarettes near you on busy streets
-have fun! there may be some a-holes who are rude to you or call you "gaijin" (a ruder version of the word "gaikokujin" which means "foreigner") but just ignore them and enjoy yourselves!

If you have any more specific questions I'll try to answer them as best as I can, so post em here and I'll check back later.
 
Yeah, shopping around in Akiba definitely pays off. I might have mentioned this in my initial post, but consider a nerd pilgrimage to Nakano Broadway and compare some prices there.

Mandarake and Book Off got a lot of my vacation yen.
 
Awesome advice; thanks Gameboy!

I called my bank earlier. They said they don't even handle currency exchange. (It's a *very* small local bank.) So, guess I have to get a Traveler's Check and do the exchange at Narita. I just hope we don't have some super delays, because our first hotel accepts cash only.
 
[quote name='transparent']Found it on Narita's website:

Currency exchange is open 365 days a year, but, they are only open 9:00-6:00. I think our plane is scheduled to arrive at 2:35. I'm *not* usually a plane traveler; will that be enough time to get the exchange over there? (Dunno what "average" delay times are.)[/QUOTE]

Might want to look again. The currency exchange places work in shifts and are open between 6:30 am - 11:00 pm. No need to worry.

You can always go to a post office to exchange money after you get into Tokyo if you want to top up your cash reserves. I don't recall having issues using credit cards at dept stores either. Of course smaller mom and pop shops are likely to be cash only.
 
Yeah, I saw that later in the day (after posting). Good to know.

My bank said I just need to stop in and get some Traveler's Checks, and I'll be good to go.
 
Getting very close...any last tips would be appreciated.

Import game recommendations for a guy that has all the major US systems? I'm looking for games that didn't make their way over here, and that don't require knowing Japanese. I like all genres.
 
i was playing a game guess they have lockers you can use on the streets to put stuff in them
 
Did transparent get lost in the Tokyo subway system? Is he roaming the country in search of Gamera? Did CheapyD get a hold of him for ransom?

He could just be pissed at the advice he got here. Sumimasen.
 
:lol:

Yeah, guess I should've came back in here!

Japan was...amazing! My girlfriend and I loved every single second of it!
Okay, I *guess* that's a lie; we hated the first time we walked into Tokyo Station. Gosh, what a mess! We wandered around for an hour not knowing how to get out on the correct side of the station. :( Thankfully, the next day, we figured out the stations, and realized it's simple.

Akihabara was great; I brought home a bag and a half full of import games. Saturn, DS, Wii, Super Famicom; and my girlfriend loaded up on her anime/manga/soundtrack sets.

The arcades were also wonderful; we spent *hours* in the arcades. Oh, and Pachinko was great, too. She won 9,000 yen the first night we played, and I won 6,600 yen the second night. (The place we went to even told us how to go collect our money...even though everyone told me before the trip they wouldn't mention those things.) :)

UFO catchers (their claw machines) were very fun for me. I've always enjoyed claw machines, and over there, they put legitimately cool prizes in. Once I got the system down, I was golden. Nearly a full bag of anime action figures, wall scrolls, toys, etc. I already miss them!

I would like to post some pictures up of the gaming stuff. Sadly, the Akihabara stores/maid cafes/arcades usually have "No camera/No video" signs posted. However, I snuck a few pics in when I could. For the first few places, we didn't even see the signs, until some clerks pointed them out. :lol:

bobo: Our first hotel (the "Remm Hibiya") was very nice. Very modern. However, it was also small. It was about ten minutes away from Tokyo station. It's right across from the Imperial hotel, if you need to Google Map it. I really liked it.

Our second was the "Ryokan Kamogawa Asakusa". Location wasn't as good on this one...unless your interested in the Kominarimon Gate area. This is *right* next to all those shops at the gate, which was cool (because it takes a couple hours to browse all those stores). It was the older style Japanese type hotel. It's small, and looked like it was family owned. The rooms were quite large here. However, they didn't have wireless Internet, nor did they have connections in the rooms. You had to use the Internet connections in their first floor tea room. An annoyance, but, nothing major. Oh, and you had to put a 1,000 yen deposit on the back door key if you were going to be out later than 11:30 PM. Again, an annoyance, since we were always out way later than that. :lol: I'm sure there are much nicer Ryokans out there. Nothing against this place though; the staff was nice, and like I said, they were big rooms.

One other (random) thing I noticed about Wi-Fi over there...they lock their stuff up! Traveling around Tokyo, I could only find a handful (less than five, and I was checking all over) open wireless networks. I'd find hundreds of secure ones. Over here (the US), I can walk a block in any direction and find at least a couple open networks!

If there's any other questions, I'd be happy to help with anything. Thanks again to all the helpful posts; some of the advice was greatly appreciated! :D
 
Glad to hear you enjoyed yourselves!

What were the highlights?

Did you get any especially good loot?
 
[quote name='transparent']:lol:

bobo: Our first hotel (the "Remm Hibiya") was very nice. Very modern. However, it was also small. It was about ten minutes away from Tokyo station. It's right across from the Imperial hotel, if you need to Google Map it. I really liked it.

Our second was the "Ryokan Kamogawa Asakusa". Location wasn't as good on this one...unless your interested in the Kominarimon Gate area. This is *right* next to all those shops at the gate, which was cool (because it takes a couple hours to browse all those stores). It was the older style Japanese type hotel. It's small, and looked like it was family owned. The rooms were quite large here. However, they didn't have wireless Internet, nor did they have connections in the rooms. You had to use the Internet connections in their first floor tea room. An annoyance, but, nothing major. Oh, and you had to put a 1,000 yen deposit on the back door key if you were going to be out later than 11:30 PM. Again, an annoyance, since we were always out way later than that. :lol: I'm sure there are much nicer Ryokans out there. Nothing against this place though; the staff was nice, and like I said, they were big rooms.

One other (random) thing I noticed about Wi-Fi over there...they lock their stuff up! Traveling around Tokyo, I could only find a handful (less than five, and I was checking all over) open wireless networks. I'd find hundreds of secure ones. Over here (the US), I can walk a block in any direction and find at least a couple open networks!

If there's any other questions, I'd be happy to help with anything. Thanks again to all the helpful posts; some of the advice was greatly appreciated! :D[/QUOTE]

Awesome! But it looks like we are going to the Narita Port in Chiba. Looks great from the reviews and it's only a 25-30 min shuttle ride into tokyo. I'm heading out there in late December and coming back in early Jan. I can use my American credit cards out there can't I?
 
Some places take Visa/Mastercard, but, they're big on cash over there. There'd be a lot of places where you'd have to have yen on you.
 
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