Going to japan next year for gap

[Picture2Perfect]

Hey people, well i am trying to research and plan my gap year trip to Japan next year, i just would like some information on where is the best places to visit, best hotels at cheap prices, i am planning on going for around 8-12 months to get a real taste of Japanese life.

Is the crime over in Japan very high, and what should i look out for, i just read a topic on pick pockets, it kind of scares me, since i dont want to of course get robbed especially by kids.

Whats some good tips for travelling around, what kind of work can i get over in Japan that would just cover my cost of living, dont want any spectacular job of course.

Thanks Will.

[Hoolan]

I've not been to japan but a good rule of thumb if to carry the least amount of cash possible and keep valubles in a safe place i know its common sense but youll be suprised at the amount of people who carry wads of money in an area they dont know.I think the crime rates are really low anyway

[Lacey]

Oh, I hope you have a good time!

In Japan, the crime level is very low, but that doesn't mean that one should be oblivious to everything going around them (of course).

A good way to keep your costs down is to stay at a hostle. A famous one in Japan is Sakura House, it is a national chain and they serve good cheap food and have programs for going and seeing things in groups. They also seem very clean.

As for a job in Japan, that might be alittle more difficult to do if you are wanting to travel around. You would first need to apply for the appropriate visa (Samokan put some really helpful links about visas on this thread: Japanese Language Resources)
Then finding a job for just a short amount of time would be another issue, but probably not impossible.

One thing that may be a good idea is teaching English to get paid (JET, NOVA, google :P) But, of course, you would be tied down a little more on I know for sure JET requires a BA or BS.

As for travel, I started a travel tip thread, Traveling to Japan? Tip Page
That might help you alittle more...

Ask more questions, lots of people on here can help!
Thats all I can think of right now :P

[Picture2Perfect]

Thanks a lot both of you, that really helped enlighten me a bit, well i still have a year before i go, to research and learn some basic japanese e.t.c

Will.
Thanks again

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

If you don't know Japanese very well, or at all, you might want to educate yourself for a bit. There are plenty of threads on here to help you learn the language. Even though English is the most used language in the world (I think?) a lot of Asians, know it, but a lot don't as well. If you go, which island are you thinking about visiting?

And which seasons are you looking forward to the most? If I was to go, I'd want to go in the winter, and early spring when the Sakura trees first bloom.