[Monorella]

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.