Japan in a year
 

Myself and a few close friends of mine (All adults, 18-21 range), are seriously considering a trip to Japan next year. Our main concern is lodging. We're not actually sure where to stay, because our plan is to stay a month or two. We're not really the "touristy" types, so we don't need a fancy Ryokan or something, and we won't be dining out at expensive restaurants

. Honestly the cheapest we can get while still having a bed to sleep in and a roof over our heads would be nice, since our stay is pretty long. We're more interested in hanging out and exploring the cities (maybe a bit of nightlife?) , so something in Tokyo is what we're looking for. Another thing we need help with is pricing. How much is a "normal" round trip ticket for a month or two? What kinds of things should we take, and how would cellphones work? Can we rent some cheap ones? We'll most likely have a laptop or two with us, so I guess maps aren't too big of a problem, but how easy is the transit system to understand without actually being able to read any Japanese. Our language skills are pretty weak, but we know enough to get around, I suppose.

Any answers would be much appreciated, I might think of a bit more, but a place to stay is our main concern, other than a general minimum pricetag for the tickets so we know what to shoot for.

Just do a ticket search for price ranges. You'll get anywhere from 2000-6000 USD for round-trip tickets, so it's kind of hard to give an estimate. I recently picked up my tickets for 2,300 from Japan to US and then back to Japan, however they were cheap because I'm getting a layover in Toronto. However, I've seen tickets go much higher than that. You'll just have to check the ticket climate closer to your trip.

Take whatever you'd normally take on a vacation. Your phones won't work, but you can get pay as you go phones. The only thing to worry about with electronics is three-prong plugs won't work.

If you're in Tokyo, the entire transit system is in English except for the occasional offshoot lines that you probably won't be going to anyway. Signs are in Japanese and English and they'll even give train announcements for every stop in English if you're on major train lines. The train system itself is extremely easy to use. The subway system is a bit more challenging to navigate, but you won't really need it save for a few potential spots like Roppongi (nightlife) or Asakusa (traditional stuff).

Thanks, I looked around plenty of ticket sites and found some cheap tickets, we'll probably put aside the ticket price+a few hundred dollars, in case of an increase next year.

I've honestly only flown once (Twice if you count the trip back XP) before, before the airport crackdown at that. Will I be able to take my shampoo, deoderant, etc with me, or is that something I'll need to buy once I get there? And what about outlets on the plane for charging the laptop, and free/paid wifi on the flight Or does it all depend on airport? And before I forget, transportation! Is there some kind of train/bus pass we can get, or is it just cheaper to pay for each ride?

You shouldn't have a problem with shampoo and such as long as it's in your luggage and not your carry-on, like all other planes. Specifications for outlets/wifi etc. depends on the airport/plane.

As for transportation, as far as I know there aren't any bus passes. You can get a train pass good for all Tokyo trains and subways for one business day for about 1600 yen (around 20 dollars), but if you're soaking in the sights and sounds, you probably won't be bouncing between stations enough in one day to warrant that price, especially since most popular districts are within walking distance and are quite easy to get to even for newcomers/tourists because of all of the English signs if you ever get bored with one area. Cabs can cost around 800 yen (around 10 dollars) just to sit in, so your best bet will be the trains.
To make your life easier, you can get a Suica card (a hard plastic train pass card) that doesn't offer any kind of discount, but can be preloaded at any stop. That way, you can just place money on it and pass through all of the train stations without having to worry about buying tickets/transfer tickets all the time.

those prices sound pretty high. i got round trip tickets and lodging for 9 days in tokyo for about $2000 on orbitz.

They were directly from the Airline's websites, direct flight. There are a few factors. It's good that you were able to find cheaper ones though. Who are you flying with?

american airlines from tx to chicago o'hare, and then JAP from there to narita

Take a look at Delta as well.

Yeah, the tickets I found were in the 1300-1500 range. Now the only major problem we have is lodging, which just happens to be the most important. I did a bit of searching, and hostels seem to be a good choice, but most don't offer stays that long. Are there any cheaper ones anyone can suggest? Maybe a longer month or two stay is just something I need to email them directly about. If not, then staying at multiple ones over the course of one or two months is always an option.

Just curious, why such the long stay? It sounds like you are on a limited budget, so why not go for three weeks and be able to spurge a little, rather than live like a poor person. There are lots of things to explore in Tokyo, but especially for non-speakers, you are likely to run out of things to do after a week or two.

Also keep in mind that people are considered adults at 20,not 18, so there are going to be some places the young members may not be able to get into.