Travelling to Japan

[JDon]

Hi

Im a 20 year old male from England and I am planning on visiting Tokyo for around 3 weeks in March.

It will be my first time travelling abroad by myself.

A few questions.

1 Is it safe for me to travel to Japan alone?

2 Where is the best area for night clubs (ive heard Roppongi is a bit sleazy so anywhere but there)?

3 Where are the best hotels to stay while I am in Tokyo on a tight-to-medium budget?

4 Is there anything else I should know about Japan and Tokyo?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by JDon

Hi



A few questions.

1 Is it safe for me to travel to Japan alone?

2 Where is the best area for night clubs (ive heard Roppongi is a bit sleazy so anywhere but there)?

3 Where are the best hotels to stay while I am in Tokyo on a tight-to-medium budget?

4 Is there anything else I should know about Japan and Tokyo?

1) Yes.

2) Roppongi, Shinjuku, a Tokyoite would know better than me

3) The best hotels aer in the Shinjuku area, but on a budget I would recommend looking for a business hotel, or even a capsule hotel.

4) What are you interested in? Let me say that three weeks in Tokyo is a LONG time. You can see everything you are going to want to see in half that time. I would take a week and ride the shinkansen down to Osaka and check out Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe/Nara, which are all within an hour of Osaka by train.

[filiadragongurl]

If you're on a super tight budget, you could also sleep in one of those manga kisaten. I never did, but I hear it's pretty cheap to stay the night at one and you get a couch and there's usually snack bars and of course, all the manga you could ever want! My other recommendation for sleeping arrangements are youth hostels. Even w/out a member card they're pretty cheap.

Oh, I also know an awesome place to stay in Osaka if you decide to go there^_^ This time I *did* stay there and it was the cheapest around and still comfy with super nice staff and little fridges in every room. Oh, and there's free internet access. Anyway, it's called Hotel Raizan and you can look up the details online.

Actually... you can look up hotels in Tokyo online too to try to find one w/ a good price.

Good luck!

[JDon]

Thanks Guys

MMM - Maybe 3 weeks is too long, I think 10-14 days may be better because I want more than a week.

filiadragongurl - Is this the hotel you stayed at Hotel Raizan Kitakan ? Does seem decent and well priced (under £90 for 10 nights) Is Osaka far from the centre of Tokyo and is it easy to travel to Shinjuku from Osaka?

thanks all

[filiadragongurl]

Yeah, I think I stayed in the North one. They're two right next to eachother and the only difference is like 100 yen (that's like $1) and the curfew. I stayed at the place that was 100 yen less and you had to be back by midnight, and I stayed there 3 times in 3 different rooms for varying number of days.

Anyway, Osaka is *quite far* from Tokyo. It will be easy if you get a shinkansen train and will take about 2.5 hours if you get on an express. The other option that's cheaper (if you don't have a pass that lets you go on any train) is the night bus. That's yoyaku basu, it will leave 11PM or later and get you there like 5AM or earlier... and I don't know how you make arrangements exactly, but I know where you catch the bus at shinjuku. I'm guessing you could just go into the office there and make arrangements. If you can't find the map online, PM me and I'll try to figure out how to give you directions because where you catch the bus is a bit away from the main train station...

Good luck

[JDon]

Thanks for the help

Ill keep all the info in mind but I think something closer to the centre of Tokyo may be better suited to me.

Just another few questions

1) I heard there may be some japanese people who may not want to sit next to me on the bus etc because Im foreign, which tbh I realise isnt a common thing for japanese people to do and it doesnt bother me too much. Im just wondering do Japanese people have any prejudise's against English people in particular? Are people likely to assume I am American?

2) Travelling back from Japan, are Japanese airports in Tokyo likely to be signposted in English? ( I assume they will be, but dont want to end up missing my flight because I dont know where Im going!)

3) How do I flag a taxi in Japan?

4) If Im in a Japanese shop or anywhere else for that matter, am I likely to offend people if I talk in English or would they expect me to attempt to speak in Japanese first?

[filiadragongurl]

1. I don't think most Japanese have any prejudice against English or American people... The people I talked to were all quite excited to meet a foreigner, but then again I stayed mostly in the kansai region where foreigners are fewer. I did spend some time in Tokyo and I found people there are quite nice and willing to help you if you can overcome the language barrier.

2. Yes, there are likely to be signs in English and you'll likely find that the people who work in the airport can speak English too (or at least enough to get you to your flight.)

3. uh... I think the common practice is to call one, but if you go to the nearest train station, they'll be lined up waiting to take people somewhere. I never tried to flag one down, so I'm not sure...

4. I don't think people will be offended but you might say "English?" before trying to ask a question in English. If you know some Japanese though, go for it. I'm sure they'll try to help you along. Oh and you most likely won't need to know any Japanese in a shop if you're just buying something. They have the amount to pay (the number) displayed where the customer can see it when you pay.

By the way, Osaka might be more like 2 hours away from Tokyo by shinkansen... I never went straight from one to the other, so I'm not 100% sure, but I went from Maibara (in Shiga ken) to Tokyo (Shinjuku station) and it was supposed to be 3 hours, but we didn't get on an express and it took a lot longer... Anyway, the point is I guesstimated, so I could be off. I spent a lot of time in Osaka, and I thought it was a lot of fun, so give it a second thought, okay? ^_^

[MMM]

Tokyo is a big place with a lot to do. As long as you are staying on Yamanote line, the trains will be really easy (Yamanote line is the loop that circles around the center of Tokyo.

Don't assume anyone outside of the airport speaks English.

[3m3m3m]

don't mind if i bump,i will be travelling to TYO too on early march, for total 7 days and the problem is i arrive and depart at same point narita tokyo, since i like travel to osaka and heard that the cost is very expensive around sgd$180.00 per trip by train.I tink the other ways is by bus, any kind soul know how much?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by 3m3m3m

don't mind if i bump,i will be travelling to TYO too on early march, for total 7 days and the problem is i arrive and depart at same point narita tokyo, since i like travel to osaka and heard that the cost is very expensive around sgd$180.00 per trip by train.I tink the other ways is by bus, any kind soul know how much?

I beleive the night bus is about 7000 yen, but if you are doing a round trip, and are only there for a week, do you really want to spend 9 hours each way on a bus (18+ hours probably all-together?)