Going to Japan

[aquamarine]

Atomicxxx: To backpack in Japan, you must come from a 'friendly' country that is allowed to enter Japan without any special visas. Those countries include the England, Ireland, Scottland, USA, Australia and Canada just to name a few. The vast majority of other countries (Middle-East, South-American, Asian) require a special visa that you must first apply for in your country of origin.

You will have to check into your local Japanese embassy to see if you quality for a special visa, or if you can just hop a flight and go on over.

From California. It's not some irrational fear. You'd never know it to look at me, I don't sweat or anything, I just don't trust planes. I'm not so worried about time since if I go it'll be for an extended period.

You -CAN- take a boat. You know the old expression "slow-boat to China"? Well it's something based off of truth. You can pay a nominal fee and take a cargo-ship. It's certainly not luxury, but you have a private cabin with bathroom, shower, etc and typically are allowed to wander the ship. Be prepared for copious amounts of boredom though as it will typically take 40 days.

 

[pauduro]

well i see alot of "im going to stay for xxx time and go this way and that way and its going to be GREATTTTT" but MY question is $$$$$ yea EVERITHING COMES BACK TO $$$$$ a friend and I are planing to go in Oct to stay for a month (i hope) and my personal BUDJET is of "3k US" you guys think I can get buy with this cash??:evil: :coldsweat: of curs mostly bacpaking and satying in cheap plases and eating ramen and plane water etc etc etc heheh.


sorry for my BAD sspelling:sick:

 

[guy]

$3000 before or after plane tickets? If you already have tickets, then $100/day isn't too bad, though you might be able to do more if you cut it back to 3 weeks.

If you want to travel inside Japan, get a Japan Rail Pass ($270 for a 1-week pass, same cost as a Tokyo-Kyoto round trip). It will let you ride the Shinkansen and all local JR trains unlimited for that week. Subway fare is usually $3-6 per ride, but you can get a refillable $20 card if you take JR Narita Express (N'EX) from Narita into Tokyo for $35.

Expect hostels to cost about $20-25/night. Do your homework ahead of time: if you want to do some overnight trips to Kyoto/Osaka, you can spend the night in manga cafes for about $15. Some places offer discounts for extended stays (2wks+), but it's a good idea to get a reservation.

A bowl of ramen is about $5-8; gyoza about $2-3. Fast food shops are everywhere for similar prices (bentos, donburi, curry, etc), usually no more than $12 for a good meal. You can fill up with 2hr all-you-can-eat meals in the middle of your trip for about $25. Beer is $6-8, some local bars have $15 all-you-can-drink midweek.

Admission to temples, museums, and tourist attractions (including skyscraper observatories) are usually $5-10, sometimes $15.

What else are you thinking about doing? Shows? Concerts? Hiking?




Also, if you're really in a pinch, you can now use international credit cards (cash advance) from ATMs at 7-11.

 

[pauduro]

thanks GUY yea the 3k are after the plane tickets and a friend of ours has a work agensi or somthing:evillaugh: so after mabie que can get some work for some extra $$ ijijij.

onse more sorry for my spelling.:sick:

 

[sora3]

I also want to go to Japan. How can you backpack for 3 months? I just graduated college and I need a visa just to go to Japan, let alone stay for 3 months. I'm from Manila and I was wondering what kinds of jobs I could apply for in Japan.

Well, I've been thinking the same. Since I'm from Australia, I don't need a special visa. But in your case, you might need to see the Japanese Embassy to be sure. You'll also need to factor in how much you'll be spending per day. When I was over there for a brief 1 week holiday, I noticed a lot of adverts for English speaking tutors. So you might consider that option as a lot of Japanese want to improve their English these days.

However, there is a warning when you travel to Japan as if you look like them like myself, then they'll expect you to speak Japanese. Too bad I lost my phrasebook and backpack on the train which was lucky as I didn't put my wallet and much needed stuff in that backpack...

 

[Volcan]

I wont go unless I can stay for a few years so it's possible I'll never be in the position to go.

 

[AkiraDingDong]

Hello
For years I've wanted to go to Japan (not live, I like America). Anyways I've heard mixed things about it or rather many asian countries. I'm black and I heard that they aren't too kind to us over there (my mom was stared at in Korea because of a story that blacks grew tails at night). I want to go, but I don't want to if I'm going to be stared at in a bad way.

basicly is it bad for balcks over there or not?

 

[pauduro]

(my mom was stared at in Korea because of a story that blacks grew tails at night)

YOU DONT :coldsweat: thats news to me :attention: ahahah JK ^^

i have another Q for all you guys y japan (or the ones that have bean ther)

i was thinkin ( for my travel plans ) to go to Mt Fuji so isit open all the year? how muchi dos it cost to go? isit hard to go to the top >_< im from mexico so the altitud preshure i dont tink it will be to much truble hehe.
thankls for your help

AND sorry for my sppeling >_<

 

[guy]

Right now is actually "Mt Fuji season". If you want to go there's all sorts of ways, you can join a regular tour group, you can take a hiking tour, or you can just go by yourself/with friends; all with different costs.

I think Mt Fuji is open all year, but I would advise against going during winter since it's probably quite unforgiving, unless you're very experienced. Check out japan-guide.com for more information.

 

[superjesus]

black life in japan.

Hello
For years I've wanted to go to Japan (not live, I like America). Anyways I've heard mixed things about it or rather many asian countries. I'm black and I heard that they aren't too kind to us over there (my mom was stared at in Korea because of a story that blacks grew tails at night). I want to go, but I don't want to if I'm going to be stared at in a bad way.

basicly is it bad for balcks over there or not?

i understand your feelings. being black and learning Japanese to go there. i'm black to but i heard that black life in japan was pretty good if you speak Japanese. after i learn a bit more Japanese i plan in backpacking thu japan with some friends. for the summer (may to aug or sep) then getting a job there the next year. so i say learn to speak Japanese and go for it. it's a fun place to get to know.

 

[Starwalker]

Hi Everybody,

This is my first post here and appreciate all the good ideas have have read so far. I'll be leaving for Tokyo next month and looking forward to it. Its been a couple of years in planning and met number of Japanese girls online via icq or yahoo messenger. Hopefully, we will be able to get together when I am there. I'll be staying in Tokyo for 5 days before joining Intrepid Travel's "Land of the Rising Sun" tour for 14 days ending up in Kyoto. I plan on spending 2 days in Osaka and maybe after hearing about Nara spend an afternoon there before heading back to Tokyo and Harajuku on Sunday. I'll be heading back on Monday. Any ideas in what to see in Osaka and Tokyo especially at night would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aquamarine]

I can offer a few points for Tokyo. Osaka, not so much.

*Hit up Shibuya and if you want to come out clubbing, PM me and I'll forward my email address
*Check out Akihabara if you wanna buy some cheap duty-free electronics and/or porn
*Go into Yokohama to Sakuragicho/Minatomirai
*Check out Yoyogi Park and Harajuku
*Go to Tokyo Tower
*Check out the Salt Museum
*Take a stroll through Dogenzaka and check out our wide selection of love hotels
*Consider shopping in Ginza and if you want to impress your little internet girlfriend, buy her something nice at one of the Louis Vuitton shops.
*Go for ramen at Yoshinoya, it's fucking good stuff

Some questions...

1) How old are you?
2) Who are you traveling with?
3) Are you just coming here for a vacation or to find a wife out of those internet girlies you know?

 

[aych]

wheres a good cheap place to stay in tokyo around shibuya or ginza areas?

 

[aquamarine]

Mornin. Try Sakura House. They're scattered all over the city.

http://www.sakura-house.com/

 

[jupiter999]

I can offer a few points for Tokyo. Osaka, not so much.

*Hit up Shibuya and if you want to come out clubbing, PM me and I'll forward my email address
*Check out Akihabara if you wanna buy some cheap duty-free electronics and/or porn
*Go into Yokohama to Sakuragicho/Minatomirai
*Check out Yoyogi Park and Harajuku
*Go to Tokyo Tower
*Check out the Salt Museum
*Take a stroll through Dogenzaka and check out our wide selection of love hotels
*Consider shopping in Ginza and if you want to impress your little internet girlfriend, buy her something nice at one of the Louis Vuitton shops.
*Go for ramen at Yoshinoya, it's fucking good stuff

Some questions...

1) How old are you?
2) Who are you traveling with?
3) Are you just coming here for a vacation or to find a wife out of those internet girlies you know?

:XD:You'd offered so much great tips! Thanks! But I'm still a beginner in Japanese language...
Not sure if I got the chance to go there or not...:death:

 

[vincent_z]

Doing it on the cheap

Contact me, either via Akiba-online, or via E-Mail. I will be in Tokyo next week.
Oooh. That was swift.
I have 'shopping' bots out on the internet scanning offers for things in which I am interested. Two of them are for airline flights.
This past Saturday, when I logged on to the internet, there was a notice for me to go check this offer.
It was an airfare deal to Tokyo.
Most of the time, when these airfare deals occur, the notification is usually way too short to allow you to take advantage of the offer. But I had left the first two weeks of May open in case it did. Yes, the idea was to celebrate my birthday in Tokyo.
It seems that American Airlines decided to cut its fares from the U.S.A. to Tokyo Narita [NRT]. The offer was matched, and then bettered, by United Airlines. It cut the fare another few dollars, and added non-stop flights into the deal. (American made you change planes in San Francisco or Los Angeles, if you were not departing from those airports.)
I had to move fast to get one of the few seats available. I did.
So I am going back to Tokyo next Monday, 4th May. I'll be there until the 13th.
There are neighborhoods of Tokyo I have not yet explored (Ikebukuro being one); and I want to spend more time in Yokohama as well.
I have a digital camera now. So I hope to capture images to share with you here.
Yes, I will shop for AVs; but I shall be more demanding this time. Unless I harvest another Don Quijote which I had not been to before.
Wish me fun and success. Maybe my Japanese-speaking will improve this time as well. :relief:

I hope that you enjoy your birthday here in Japan. Mine is coming up as well. Being here for Golden Week will be a bust treat for you. More people than usual will be out and about because the Japanese celebrate the first week of May. Good luck on improving your speaking ability. I know it's tuff.
desioner

 

[jupiter999]

Maybe my Japanese-speaking will improve this time as well. :relief:

Sure you will do...

 

[will2power]

Just thought I would offer a little advice, hope it is usefull, not sure if you are already here or not!

I have been working and living here in Tokyo for about 3 years and really feel comfortable here. Its a very difficult city to adjust to at first and you have to be pretty patient and determined/positive! If you persist it really pays off though!

I stayed in an guesthouse for about 1.5 years, the company is called applehouse (www.applehouse.ne.jp) and there was a japanese/foreigner ratio of about 50-50. Very good place to meet people which is often difficult here. Try some Japanese and you will get a lot of respect, a lot of Japanese people dont really speak english but usually they do try! Plus, Japanese girls think foreigners trying to speak Japanese is cute!!

I also recommend the JR pass people have mentioned. My friends did it and saved a lot!! Also try to check out Sumo! Even if you are not so interested its a great atmosphere. Akihabara is worth a visit but a little boring for me. Asakusa has a nice temple and good for souveneirs, Kamakura has a beach that is popular in Summer and a pretty impressive statue of Bhuddha (althought the sitting Bhuddha in Nara is bigger!). Kyoto and Nikko are touristy but worth a visit, as is Nara which has some cute deer wondering around! I havent travelled too far north but heard Hiroshima is interesting. Okinawa is far but a beautiful island. Back in Tokyo area, Shinjuku public gov building has a great view, Tokyo tower is also pretty good. For shopping check out Ginza, Shinjuku, and Harajuku. Harajuku is good for cheaper, stranger fashion! It is also next to Yoyogi park where you can see cosplayers, rockabillies and goths every Sunday!

Enjoy your stay, send me a message if you have problems or questions!!

 

[aquamarine]

Sending him a message might be difficult since he is no longer a registered user, LOL!

 

[Xandor]

Want to travel to japan and preferably start living.

Im swedish.
Going last year in school as a game programmer.
Havent worked a single day in my life... never on holidays...
Cant speak japanese yet, been trying to learn it a few times but other things have came up so put it on hold but will learn it someday.

Would it be possible for me to live in japan and get a work? Maybe as a game programmer or anything else that pays enough to survive.
Mainly need to learn japanese and complete my studies ofcourse, but would it be possible after that? Probably need to get quite a big amount of money aswell.