Any advice for me? Visiting Osaka in June/July 2009.
 

So, Me and my very best friend (Her nickname is Ichigo. Don't ask why.) are planning on taking a 2-week vacation in Osaka, Japan in the summer of 2009, A week after our school lets out for the year. Besides earning the money, Is there anything I've forgotten on my list of things to do?

Here's the list:

1. Touch up on my Japanese/Finish studying Hiragana
2. Help teach Ichigo Japanese
3. Hotel Reservations
3. Plane Tickets
4. Exchange Money
5. Discuss with Parents
6. Find Maps of Osaka, Kobe, and Neighboring Cities
7. Learn Train Routes


(Also, If you're wondering, here's the website that I'm working on about how we're earning the money: helpberriandichigo )

Is there anything I'm forgetting?
Also, Any MUST KNOW things about Japan that we should know and be aware of in our stay?

if i were you i would talk to your parents first cause then they might be able to help you with some stuff ya know

Thank you for the idea, but acctually, they're stressed enough as it is.

And the point of this (besides going on an epic trip to Japan) is to prove we are responsible, So we're trying to earn all the money ourselves first.

Why do you want to stay in Osaka for 2 weeks? It seems overkill

Hiragana alone won't be much help, you definitely want to have a dictionary of some sort that can help you with Katakana as well... Kanji will be a plus.

Because the Hotel in Osaka that we're planning on staying in is the only one we can afford. Not to mention, We're not staying in Osaka the whole time. I'm planning on visiting Kobe, and we were just discussing traveling to Awaji Island if possible.

And also, I'm already fairly comfortable with Katakana, But my Hiragana reading and writing needs some work, So that's why Katakana wasn't on my list of things to do.

There's more than enough to do in and around Osaka
 

There is more than enough to do in Osaka... you will love it! Here are some other tips:

1. Learn a little Osaka-ben. It may come in handy.
2. Get a JR rail pass through a travel agency so you can tour around a little bit.
3. Learn some of the history of places you are planning to visit-- this will make your experience there more rewarding.
4. Pack light and take as much $ as you can. You'll want to buy things.

Aaron

If you're staying in the Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Kobe, etc), you won't need a JR pass probably. It's really only useful if you need to take the bullet train, such as from Tokyo to Osaka. And if you're going in summer, the 18 kippu may be a much better deal for you.

From Osaka you can easily do day trips to Nara, Kyoto, Kobe and even Himeji Castle.

Figure out your budget, and then add 30%. That's how much you will really need.

You should check out the dates of matsuris/summer festivals if you're going around those time, it would be great to attend =)

Don't worry too much about the train routes, you can always ask for a map from the train station master. Of course it wouldn't hurt to know a bit as well.

A dictionary would really come in handy as well. If the words won't come out, just point. Add in with a little body language and you'll most likely get your answer =)