The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[Brian Topp]

Cool, thanks guys. I got some more money from Travelex this morning, so I'll have 180,000 in cash for the two weeks. Should just about be enough, but I'll probably get some more from the cash machines along the way.

3 weeks today Still getting excited, even though this is my third trip in as many years.

[Lorfarius]

so I'll have 180,000 in cash for the two weeks.

I hope that's Yen

[QualityChimp]

Is that Yen or pounds?! I'm coming to find you if it's pounds...

EDIT: great minds think alike!

Have a great trip! Photos - we want 'em.

[Lorfarius]

Can't remember if I posted a link to it in this thread before but for anyone going to Japan I recently did a vid blog whilst I was over there (over Xmas):

http://www.youtube.com/user/Lorfarius#p/c/E80174A696C4E03B

I also did a set of vending machine adventure vids:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Lorfarius#p/c/682C2E5B11D41EA9

[tokyochojin]

Feel sorry for you guys who are changing from pounds, the rate is so bad these days. I can remember when I was a student here we got as much as 275y to the pound, these days you struggle to get half of that..

[Brian Topp]

I wish it was ?180,000!

Yeah, its best not to think about the exchange rate. My first time in 2008, I got 188 to the pound. These last two years, about 140.

Its not all bad though. For example, a bottle of Coke from a vending machine is 150 yen, or about ?1.10. The sort of price you'd pay in a machine here. And thankfully most of the touristy stuff appears to be free entry too, or just 200-300 yen.

Its the last couple of days in Shibuya/Akihabara where the 10,000 yen notes will be flashed about

[briareos_kerensky]

3 weeks today Still getting excited, even though this is my third trip in as many years.

Don't tell me, departure in on the 9th of April and I can only think on this trip.

[sj33]

What's the best option for someone in Kyoto who wants to go to Tokyo quite often? Are there train passes or something like that?

[Square]

Money related question for you guys. I'm planning on spending a month in Japan in September, traveling mostly with a friend, maybe a week alone.

I'm planning on traveling almost the length of the country (Sapporo to Okinawa) and I reckon to have around £5,000 for the trip excluding flights (i.e. accommodation, food etc). Am I being realistic here? Just been talking to some friends of mine who spent 3 days in Tokyo last year, and they went through just under £2,000 in that time...

[teddymeow]

Money related question for you guys. I'm planning on spending a month in Japan in September, traveling mostly with a friend, maybe a week alone.

I'm planning on traveling almost the length of the country (Sapporo to Okinawa) and I reckon to have around £5,000 for the trip excluding flights (i.e. accommodation, food etc). Am I being realistic here? Just been talking to some friends of mine who spent 3 days in Tokyo last year, and they went through just under £2,000 in that time...

Jesus!! I didn't take that much last year and there were two of us there for 2 weeks!!

He must have bought some awesome tat or enjoyed visiting the mega-expensive Hostess Bars.

[Square]

It was him and his wife. So I guess around £330 each per day.

[randombs]

When I went previously with my mate in July 2007 (240Y-&#163, I spent about £3500 for the 2.5-week trip including flight (£620). Hotels were quite a bit then, probably around £50 per night on average, compared with £30 per night in December.

When I went alone in December that same year (bear in mind the exchange rate I was getting was about 220Y-&#163, I spent about £1700 altogether on my 2.5-week trip, including flight (£480), JR Rail pass (£120) and hotels (£500). I used about £500 in cash, I think I used my credit card a few times but I'd say 99% of the time it was cash. Yes, I made a spreadsheet . The reason was valid, though - the trip was a fact-finding mission to see how cheaply I could go Japan for.

In terms of fun, £90 went on the two Daft Punk tours I saw, the rest of the fun was included in the £500 cash (couple more concerts, etc). I didn't really buy anything amazing other than Wii Fit and some random Megadrive carts. Food and stuff is cheap. For example, at McD's, our 99p menu is their 100Y menu. So at the time, 99p stuff was around 40p.

[teddymeow]

It was him and his wife. So I guess around ?330 each per day.

So, no Hostess Bars?

Sorry, Yakuza 3 on the brain!

If you take flights out of the equation it might be doable. Depends on where you're planning to stay.

We managed to have a brilliant time on about ?120 a day. Whatever was left went into the splurge-pot for one final Akiba hit on the final day. Man, what a rush!!

Only a few weeks for me to go now. Almost saved all my spending money. Only one lot left to go.

[Len]

What's the best option for someone in Kyoto who wants to go to Tokyo quite often? Are there train passes or something like that?

We used a JPR (Japan Rail Pass) for the Shinkansen from/for Tokyo - Kyoto - Tokyo over a week or so, so I'm sure you can probably do something similar over a longer period.

Have a look here:

http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html

[Square]

We managed to have a brilliant time on about ?120 a day. Whatever was left went into the splurge-pot for one final Akiba hit on the final day. Man, what a rush!!

Is that ?120 for both of you, or just one?