The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[Darwock]

Oh yeah! The QQ shop is where I spend most of my time lol

Loaf of bread every 3 days, cheap spaghetti sauce the other days and a bottle of water whenever I need it - thankfully my girlfriend is looking after me and making me lunch to take to work, so that helps a lot

But damn I'm hungry right now

I could just dip into my UK funds and stop the pain right now but I promised myself I would never do that.

About the money, I wouldn't worry yet, as they like to tell you at the immigration office "applications may not be processed in order of receipt"

[teddymeow]

Having a bit of a tidy up this morning and I found a couple of plastic wallets with all my e-tickets and receipts and random 'stuff' that I accumulated during my last 3 trips to Tokyo. Been looking through it all and it brings back some fantastic memories. I really miss 'Cafe with Cat' in Akiba and Anna Millers in Shinagawa.

Had planned on going back out in October by using my annual work bonus but the bloody realistic part of my brain has convinced the rest of me that it probably isn't the greatest use of the money when there are other (apparently more important) things to buy.

Looks like my next trip out won't be until October 2010 as the difference in price between then and February (the last 3 times we have gone) is crazy and we'd get so much more for our money!!

[randombs]

I did that, too, I have a little envelope with random receipts, tickets, my Wangan arcade card and whatnot. I also have a folder with the larger A4 stuff I got (concert programmes, etc). Even the envelope itself is addressed to Sakura Hotel where I arrived (it had my I Am Legend premiere tickets I'd won on JP Yahoo Auctions the weekend prior to arriving there)!

I'm going to try doing a TEFL course after my exams finish this week, hoping to try going down there October/November time if I can.

[JU!]

My girlfriend got hers, I'm still waiting - cutting it a bit fine because thanks to the BOE's ridiculous over-reaction to the pig flu in shutting the schools, my already gimped working days were cut down to 5 this month. It really sucks to be an ALT in Osaka right now.

I've got to survive on about 250 yen a day for the next 2 weeks, unless that money comes through :/

Sounds bad sorry to hear that mate. You should look for more work maybe if you can or some private lessons poss.

[Supergoal]

Darwock, don't you get a salary? So even if days were reduced wouldn't you still get paid?

[elaniel]

I'm planning a trip to Japan for Sept. 2010. I know it's a long way off, but has anyone stayed here?

http://www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/ninja/

Seems very nice, but wanted to get some opinions. Going for 21 days and it's about 2500 yen a night (four of us going so can get our own room.)

The flight I'm looking at (return) is £550. Is that about right as well?

[fuji]

Can't comment on the accomodation, but ?550 is reasonable for a return flight. I managed to pay ?498 flying by ANA end of this July.

[Anpanman]

I personally would wait until nearer the time before booking a flight, £550 isn't bad by any means but you'll probably pick up something cheaper if you wait, you can currently get a fare for about £450 from Air France inc 30k allowance this September.

Good price on your ticket fuji, up to middle of July you can get fares of £390 inc 30k allowance but once the dates of the school hols kick in you tend to get shafted good and proper.

[Richard.John]

Perhaps its worth buying some yen now, as the rate is climbing back up again.

[Darwock]

Darwock, don't you get a salary? So even if days were reduced wouldn't you still get paid?

Missed this question from a while back

Basically we get paid by the hour. It is stipulated that every working day must be 6 hours, so it's effectively daily, but even so that means no work, no pay.

It's mainly because of Osaka Prefecture's financial problems, the contracts dished out by the BoE are really ****e. I am contracted from May to February yet only have 104 working days... any opportunity to not pay us, they will take it - if the school has exams, festivals, random events then we are not supposed to go in and won't get a salary. It's stupid really as the english dept require me to assist with the listening exams, but I'm not supposed to go in on those days. The Japanese way would be to go in and work for free, but to hell with that - if we work for free then we will never get a better contract!

I think I would get a much better job with a proper salary in another prefecture, unfortunately my life is here.

[fuji]

I personally would wait until nearer the time before booking a flight, ?550 isn't bad by any means but you'll probably pick up something cheaper if you wait, you can currently get a fare for about ?450 from Air France inc 30k allowance this September.

Good price on your ticket fuji, up to middle of July you can get fares of ?390 inc 30k allowance but once the dates of the school hols kick in you tend to get shafted good and proper.

Anpanman - interested to know about the ?390 fare for next time. Did see the Air France price of ?450 but the wife forbade me due to poor experience with AF and a recent crash...

[kryss]

The day before we left I got my 12'000 btw.
Sadly I'd already spent it the week before.

[Anpanman]

fuji - the £390 fare is with Asiana, of course routing via Seoul.

Can recommend them as have done it myself and paid something similar, they tend to have a fare running like at some point in the year.
Finnair are also cheap, prices around £450 outside of the school hols.

[Yakumo]

When I travel back to the UK I use Singapore Air. You do have to stop off in Singapore for about 10 hours but the service is next to none! makes the likes of JAL, ANA, British Airways and even Emerits look sad. Well, maybe not Emerits but you get the idea. So if you don't mind stopping off in Singapore then I fully recommend Singapore Air.

Yakumo

[Darwock]

Aren't they a bit pricey?