Going to japan

[cutiebunny]

The JR Passes are only good for 7 consecutive days (or 14, or 21, depending on the version of the pass you buy). You can't activate a 1 week pass on, say, August 6, and then use it on August 19. So if you want to travel outside of Tokyo using the pass prior to your forum and afterwards, you'd need to buy a 21 day pass, or two 7 day passes, one which you'll activate on arrival, and the other after your forum. Or, you could just buy the shinkansen tickets which will be equally as expensive.

You can easily do Akihabara, Shibuya, Ginza, Harajuku (just go for the shrine...), Nakano, etc. after work each night. There might be some festivals going on during the time period in the area, so you might want to check one of those out just for the experience.

I would overnight in Tokyo on August 6. The Narita Express trains run 24/7. If you don't want to spend as much to get from Narita, you can take the slower trains, but be advised that you will be arrivind during commute hours, so, it will be crowded with people who won't be too appreciative that you have luggage.

I'd say do Takayama and its environs in the first 3 day cycle you get. 3 days is a good amount of time in Takayama. You could do the Hida no Sato/Hida walking tour one day, Shirakawa-go another day, or head up to Inuyama and see Inuyama Castle instead. Shirakawa-go and Inuyama are day trips. You can't do both in the same day. If you want to say you've gone to an UNESCO site, go to Shirakawa-go. It's a 2 hour bus ride from Takayama. If you really don't care, you can see the same type of buildings at Hida no Sato (all the buildings are originals and were lived in, but they were moved from where they once stood to this small park). I thought that the castle was pretty interesting - unlike most 'old' buildings in Japan, this is one of the few remaining original castles around. The majority of castles in Japan, like Osaka Castle, are recreations.

When you're in Takayama and assuming you like beef, try some Hida Beef. Same thing as Kobe beef, but cheaper. There's several decent shabu shabu places in town, and depending the amount and quality of the meat, a meal will cost about 6000 yen.

After your forum, use that three day period for Osaka/Kyoto/Nara or another area that is either further afield, or has a lot of things you're interested in experiencing in the area. I recommond checking out some travel websites to read up on what's in the area and if it sounds like something you're interested in. I find people in Kyoto tend to be more laid back and want to speak English. In Tokyo, everyone's in a rush. Return to Tokyo on August 22. You can then spend the last day shopping, or doing something you really wanted to do that you didn't get a chance to before you return to Narita. I'd suggest leaving Tokyo no later than 12p to arrive at Narita in time for the 3p flight.

[hgeek23]

Cutie, Thanks for the advice.
So based on what you said I eliminated Miyajima and Hiroshima and added a day to the Kyoto Osaka, nara and Himeji trip.
Himeji castle is under construction though according to Kuroi so I guess Himeji is going to be off the list as well.
Will I be able to see the anime related stuff in tokyo at night, like the places to get gengas and the cosplay stuff in harajuku?

So I have this now based on what you've advised:
Land in Narita and then head to Kyoto--spend three days in Kyoto/osaka/Nara (Himeji)
Go back to Tokyo the night of the 9th. This rounds out days 1-3
Day 4-Shiretoko/hokkaido
Day 5-Takayama
Days 6-7: tokyo (shibuya, shiunjuku, harajuku, tokyo tower, sky tree, akihabara)

Cutie, What do you think of this? it's a slight variation of what you said before except that Takayama still only gets one day. What do you think?

[KuroiTsubasa4]

Yeah, it's been under construction for a while: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3501.html I suggest checking that site before going anywhere. If I had, I would have known Miyajima's famous tori was totally covered in scaffolding before I went there XD It was kinda worth the look of shock and horror on my friend's face when she saw it though <3

[hgeek23]

It was kinda worth the look of shock and horror on my friend's face when she saw it though <3

Lol. Yeah I put all the places I want to go in a list and included the japan-guide links for my reference as well.
Im just trying to pin down feasible dates and regions so that I can then start looking for hotels and places to stay.
I'd rather save my money for buying uniquely japanese things so accomodationwise I am looking to save (but if I stayed in a place where it was terrible I don't think I could sleep.)

Kuroi, what do you think of the itinerary?

[hgeek23]

Another thing--based on my supposed itinerary, does buying a JR pass make sense? Where I am I going to be taking trains to? obviously the big moves (Narita-Takayama-Tokyo-Shiretoko-Tokyo) but within these regions will I also be using this pass? What about within the cities?

[cutiebunny]

I still think you're trying to fit too much into your schedule. I think, by train, it's about 24 hours from Tokyo to Sapporo. If you add travel to Takayama, that's 26 hours. If you fly from Tokyo to Sapporo, it's about 2 hours. But the flight can be pricey.

Unless you're going for a "Hey, I put my foot down in this city!" kinda trip, then, go for it. But I really think you should limit it to two major areas (outside of Tokyo). Otherwise, you're not going to be able to enjoy anything. I know it looks like a small area on the map but it really takes some time to travel.

Decide what areas you want to see most and stick with two of them.

If you want to go to Sapporo and Kyoto, then the JR pass is worth it. Train travel is only slightly cheaper than plane travel. You can find the current prices on the internet, but when I went, it was about 20,000 yen to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto. In the large cities, you can travel on the subway, but you'll still have to pay (unless you solely travel the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, and then in that case, you can use the JR pass). I suggest buying a Suica card once you get into Tokyo. They're very useful, and if you have any funds on it by the end of the trip, you can use it to buy drinks and snacks at the convenience stores inside the Narita airport.

[hgeek23]

So tokyo to Kyoto is 20,000 and back is also 20,000?
Travel is a fortune! I thought the flight was expensive...

I guess i'll have to eliminate the national park so now i have
Kyoto-osaka-nara: 3 days
Takayama: 2 days
Tokyo: 2 days

Does this seem appropriate?

[KuroiTsubasa4]

I know nothing about takayama but the Kansai portion seems fine. Depending on what you want to do Nara should only be a half day trip and doesn't involve much travel time at all. You can use www.hyperdia.com to check on train times/cost. When in Kyoto definitely get a bus pass. There's a kiosk right outside the station. They'll also give you a super helpful map. Like cutiebunny said, get a suica card in Tokyo. If you want to use Kyoto/ Osaka subways a lot you can get the western Japan equivalent called the icoca card. I hope you're not too confused by all this info. It must be a bit overwhelming XD let me know if you have any other questions

[cutiebunny]

Imagine how those living in Japan feel. They can't buy the JR pass.

Yeah, I think the time you're planning on spending in Takayama area and Kyoto/Osaka/Nara are good, and you should probably limit it to these two regions outside of Tokyo. Otherwise, you'll spend so much time traveling that you won't get to see anything.

The JR Pass will allow you to ride on the Kodama and Hikari trains. The Nozomi trains are special - you can't ride that one unless you pay for it. Kodama & Hikari are bullet trains, but they go slightly slower than the Nozomi version. When you buy the pass, you can opt between regular and Green Car classes. The only difference is that, in the Green Car, you get free snacks and a bigger seat. Unless you're traveling during peak travel seasons (ie. New Years, Gold Week), the trains are relatively empty and you will probably have the entire seat to spread out. So, IMO, don't bother paying more for the Green Car unless you just want to say that you rode in it.

Kuroi's train website recommendation is good. It's a good way to see if it's worth buying a pass.

Other recommendations -

Bring motion sickness pills with you to Takayama and take before you go on the train from Nagoya to Takayama. I, someone who never has motion sickness, always get sick on that ride. It's a rickety train that bounces up the mountain.

Eating bento boxes on the train is a fun experience. Pick one up at Nagoya for your ride to Takayama, and one to/from Tokyo. You're going to be on a train for about 4 hours total each way. Eating and drinking makes the experience a lot nicer, and snacks are cheaper off the train than they are on it (plus there's more variety). I generally like the tonkatsu boxes myself. The portions are big, though. And on a side note, I have a tendency to only buy drinks that come with prizes (yes, drinks come with prizes over there...). I figure if I'm going to pony up 130-150 yen for a drink, I better get something else for it. And they make for excellent souvenirs.

Bring good walking shoes. Might sound obvious, but bring a pair that have been worn in. You will be walking a lot in Japan, and that's regardless of whether you go on walking tours or not.

If you're not fluent in Japanese and decent in languages, I suggest brushing up on katakana and hiragana before you go. While the majority of street signs are in English, there are many instances where signs, such as those in restaurants, are not. It's helpful to know what you're ordering, especially if you have any food allergies. Learn some basic kanjii too - such as food items (ie. beef, fish, chicken, pork). Very helpful.

Well, whatever you choose to do, I hope you have fun.

[hgeek23]

Thanks!
I will only be able to eat fish with fins and scales, no shellfish so I'll have to learn how to say that.
I'll check for fares. Gosh I'm so excited. Do you think only 2 days of Tokyo is enough?

[Promethium]

The one-week JR pass is only worth it, if you're going to Kyoto, or further - which you are. Plus with the JR pass, you can get on/off anywhere, as many times as you want on all the JR bullet/express/local trains, so it's makes your schedule super flexible.

I know you dropped Hokkaido, but if you still want to go, you can take the sleeper trains to save time. It's a lovely scenic ride (and super clean too). They leave from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It's operated by JR but the JR pass only covers about half the cost - on the other hand you don't have to stay at a hotel, so you save money there. If you decide to take the night train, I suggest the Cassiopeia from Ueno (Tokyo). It's a little pricier than the other sleeper trains, but well worth it. It leaves Ueno at 5PM ish and arrives in Sapporo at 11AM ish. Squeezing in Hokkaido on a 7day trip is ambitious but thought I'd let you know about the sleeper trains for a future trip.

In Kyoto, Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji and Gion are the main attractions, but if you have time I highly recommend seeing Fushimi Inari Taisha. It's incredible and you can easily spend an entire day there - just wear sneakers as it's huge! I also highly recommend Sanjusangendou - it's Buddha madness.

[cutiebunny]

Sounds like you'll be sticking to McDonalds and the curry/beef bowl restaurants. Yoshinoya will be your second home

You could easily do a week in Tokyo and not see the whole city. It's huge. But I think it's good to get out of Tokyo and see other things.

[hgeek23]

As a college student with very little to no income of my own I do of my own I don't know when I will be back in japan. thanks for telling me about the trains. That sounds very good. will I be able to take a train at night, explore the natural park during the day, then return on a night train? If so then what day should I cut of cut off from the other cities?

[hgeek23]

Sounds like you'll be sticking to McDonalds and the curry/beef bowl restaurants. Yoshinoya will be your second home .

No meat while there: kosher food so it'll b milk, veggies and select fish

[hgeek23]

Sorry, didnt need to post this