JapanForum.com
Page 2 of 2 < 1 2
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

JapanForum.com (https://www.japanforum.com/forum/)
-   Japan Travel Advice (https://www.japanforum.com/forum/japan-travel-advice/)
-   -   Could use some help with my trip. (June '08) (https://www.japanforum.com/forum/japan-travel-advice/12423-could-use-some-help-my-trip-%28june-08%29.html)

Nao 03-05-2008 08:12 PM
-removed, various reasons

GhostBlade 03-06-2008 09:32 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 419239)
Just bought my plane tickets. Locked and loaded, so to speak. Almost definitely going, now.
If it's not too personal, where did you buy it and how much was the final price? I'm still waiting to buy my tickets to depart in late-May or so. I'm really flexible with my time during the summer so it can all change. If you don't prefer to answer than that's ok.

Nao 03-06-2008 04:01 PM
-removed, various reasons

Omaki 03-08-2008 12:28 AM
^ wow I'm flying out of NYC and it's only costing me $900.

Nao 04-23-2008 08:37 AM
An update.
 
-removed, various reasons

odonata 04-23-2008 03:41 PM
I am staying in Ueno and have been for almost a month. I have a good idea of the local area as I walk it most days finding new places. If you need help with anything then give me a mail [email protected] I can even offer to meet you at the station and help you get to your place as I know that when you first hit Tokyo it is a big buzz to know that you a really here. I went with Oakhouse and they sent someone to the station to meet me which was a great help, so I know what matters.

Again, I am here until June 25 so if I can help you then just ask. BTW I am on a 3 month tour made on a instant decision. Shall I go to Japan or not? Sod it, I'm going. No regrets.
Marc

Super sidenote. I know where all of the 105 yen shops are along with great places to pick up houshold items and food. Believe me that I had no assistance, so finding these places was like a great help to my survival here.

sujuncai 04-23-2008 04:53 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 394352)
I'm planning on being in Tokyo for the entirety of June (one month). There are a few areas I could really use some advice and comments on.

Location

I'm planning on renting a guest house from Sakura-House. The current room I'm looking at is in Ueno, on Ameyoko, and will run me about JPY74,000. However I've also been looking at other locations and see significantly lesser prices in areas like Asakusa. Why is that? Are they close? I was really looking forward to staying on the Ameyoko, but if I can get there quickly and easily from Asakusa, then I may stay there instead...

Can anyone make a good recommendation, or give input on the situation?

Funding

My total funds for this trip is roughly $5,400.

As far as plane costs go, I've found as low as (after tax) ~$1300.

That brings my funding down to $4,100.

If I rent the room on Ameyoko in Ueno, it'll be a $300 deposit, then around $700 for rent. That takes us down to $3,100.

If I spend $30 a day on food (unlikely, but I like to overestimate just in case), that'll be $900 in a month for food. That brings us down to $2,200.

Train fares... won't be too bad. If I spend $60 between trips to the airport, and then say $10 a day, that'd be $360 total for a month. That brings us down to $1,840.

Now here's something I haven't quite figured out completely. A phone. It would probably be a good idea for me to have a phone, and I've heard that prepaid phones out of Japan now require Japanese residency to acquire. The only solution I've seen for foreigners on temporary visitor visas now is rental phones. I've found a company called "RentAFone Japan", but the prices are kind of steep. They want a $300 deposit before they sent the phone, $10 for shipping to me, the first week is $35, the next 13 days is $36, and the last 10 will be $10, which brings the total cost to $391 for the phone, which is kind of ridiculous. If anyone has a better solution, please, PLEASE let me know. Assuming I went with this plan, I'd be down to $1,449 to last me for a month of fun and any unexpected costs... which, I think will do fairly well, but please give me your input on it.

General Information

I'm not getting a travel guide or anything of that sort, and I'm not planning on any huge trips. I want this to be fairly casual. One of my main issues right now though is finding places I might want to go to (I say might because, as I previously mentioned, I want this to be casual - I'm not setting destinations in stone).

I can read and write hiragana, katakana, and a number of kanji. I can understand and speak the language to some degree, but I am by no means anywhere near fluent. I have a rather basic grasp of the grammar (I'm a bit shaky on some of my particles and conjugations), and a comparitively large vocabulary (compared to my grasp of the grammar).

I am nineteen years of age, and will be traveling alone. I've never lived alone before, been away from my family for an extended period of time, or been in a foreign country (I am a United States citizen).

Conclusion

Any ideas, helps, comments, or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. I definitely need the input. I've been looking forward to & planning this trip for months, so I'm hoping everything will pan out as I plan for it to.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

-Nao
Go to my blog and download my Tokyo itinerary:) - 3 Really Cool Dudes In Tokyo :-D !!!

Nao 04-23-2008 05:48 PM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 04-23-2008 06:59 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 469766)

Next, even though I've run the numbers time and time again, I'm still worried about my budgeting. Everything should be fine, but if I made any critical mistakes (which I don't think I have, but can't stop myself from thinking about it) then problems could certainly mount. For instance, every travel insurance company I've consulted has told me that it can take two to four weeks to collect on a claim. That's a pretty long period of time, considering this is a one-month outing. I know the odds are against my getting hurt, falling critically ill, losing everything I have, or otherwise, but it still worries me. Some people tell me I shouldn't even bother getting traveler's insurance. What do you think, JF travel vets?

This week is my finals for this semester of college. Come Friday's end, I have nothing but free time to prepare for this trip. I have an entire month to hammer this stuff out, unless some other vastly time consuming activity comes into play that I am not yet aware of. I'll have a lot more time to worry about this stuff then, so I would appreciate any food for thought you all may have to give me.


-Nao

What are you buying when you buy traveller's insurance? Peace of mind.

But if you are worried buying traveller's insurance is going to throw your budget off, it is having the opposite effect.

Grab a black pen and X-out traveller's insurance from your budget, because you don't need it.

If you are sick or hurt no hospital will reject you. No one is going to leave bleeding and dying in the street because you don't have insurance.

Traveller's insurance is one of the biggest scams in the insurance biz (after additional insurance on rental cars). Cross it off.

Take a deep breath, congradulate your self on finishing finals and look forward to the trip. If you have hotels booked and plane tickets bought, that's 90% of what you need to worry about done. After that it's just picking out what you want to see. That's the fun part.

No offence, but you sound a little like a worry-wart, so be prepared to have your perfectly laid out plans go out the window once your foot hits the floor in Tokyo. It's an adventure, so you need to prepare YOURSELF not YOUR TRIP to be an adventurer.

Nao 04-23-2008 07:23 PM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 04-23-2008 07:55 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 470572)
Sorry that you seem to misunderstand, but I don't have much in the way of laid out plans. I'm a relatively laid back individual. I'm only worrying about a few things - getting there, getting back, having a place to crash, and having nothing go wrong financially/physically while I'm there. Other than that, I'm just taking some essential information along (Embassy locations, bank locations, transportation information, etc). The rest I'm leaving up to chance. I have no carefully planned itinerary; I don't like that sort of thing. I can't have fun if I have to get up to meet some goal every day. I'm just going to chill and go with the flow. However, it's hard reality that I will have to watch my budget carefully. If I overspend too much it could mean my going without meals, etc, which would really suck.

I wasn't worried about traveler's insurance throwing off my finances. It's not that expensive. I was just worried about the amount of time it takes to collect on any claims.
I am glad, because a trip like this won't be good for uptight people.

Plane tickets
Hotels booked
Transportation info/embassy info/banks...you can find all that online.

I think the thing you really need to worry about is budget. I always tell people to make your budget and then add 20%

Nao 04-23-2008 08:38 PM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 04-23-2008 08:55 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 470705)
I can't recall exact figures right now... but the way I figured things with my money, I can afford to take care of the essentials and still have 40-50 USD left every day for whatever. If I spend less, it will compound, etc. I believe that will be enough.

(This is on figures of 30/day avg for food (extra comes out of the above amount), 15/day avg transportation (+30 each way narita->tokyo tokyo->narita airport), and after lodging/plane/phone/possible insurance costs are subtracted)

Note that this is all averages, so of course it will fluctuate. I've also made note of total daily limits that I shouldn't cross without extra financial planning, so that should be fine as well. I'm pretty good with numbers (programmer), so if I play my cards right I think I'll be fine. Still makes me worry a bit, though. I guess it's just the fear of getting stranded, as I don't have many I can count on in the States to back me up financially if I'm in trouble.
Then I would recommend getting a VISA card for emergencies only. Get it, activate it, and stick it in the bottom of your suitcase with your dirty socks, only to be used in an actual emergency, that way, at least, you won't be stranded.

Nao 04-23-2008 09:03 PM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 04-23-2008 09:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 470757)
I have a VISA debit/checking card, but no credit card. Getting one for this is an idea I'll have to ponder, but I doubt I will - I don't have a steady income.
Debit/Checking card is only useful at CITIBANK or other machine that accepts American bank cards (very rare).

If you are worried about getting stranded, a credit card is the safest way. It doesn't cost anything to get, and you can cut it in two when you get home.

I would fly to the depths of Africa without traveller's insurance, but I wouldn't go over state lines without a credit card. Your credit card IS your traveller's insurance, but you only have to pay if you really need it.

Nao 04-23-2008 09:28 PM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 04-23-2008 09:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 470812)
Yeah, I know they're only useful at the Citibank machines and a select few others. Luckily, Citibank isn't rare, according to their locations information. I plan to land with about ￥20,000 in local currency for fees until I can get to a machine.

I don't know too much about credit cards. Really cost no establishment fee, huh? Would I have to pay any fees at all if it goes unused? Wouldn't it negatively effect my credit somehow if I got the card and then canceled it a month later? Come to think of it, I think my bank (Bank of America) offers a special deal for students for a VISA credit card. My checking account is also a special student deal; I pay 0 fees, and can even overdraw once and not have to pay an overdraw fee. I'll definitely look into this. Thanks.
If you are paying someone to allow you to borrow money, you are nuts. They give credit cards away for free. If you never use it, then you never need to pay them anything. Cutting your card in two and cancelling your account are two different things. You don't need to cancel your account when you get home, but if there is no card to use, your account will be idle. That doesn't hurt your credit one bit.

Nao 04-23-2008 09:41 PM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 04-23-2008 09:56 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nao (Post 470828)
Yeah you have a point there. I'll just make sure to double check with my bank and read and reread over the policies before I do anything of the sort. Credit is definitely not something to be trifled with. Anyhow, thanks for the idea. It's a good one.
Good luck, looking forward to hearing about it.

GhostBlade 04-24-2008 12:51 AM
You should think of getting this book called The Little Tokyo Subway Guide. I just got it in the mail and looked through it. The book is pocket sized but not too small and it's packed with info. You can get it for slightly less than $10 on Amazon and it's a worthy investment. I'll be going to Japan in late-May so I bought this book and I'm glad I did. You can read about this book online and see if you want to buy it. It not only has info on all of the 13 subway lines in Tokyo, but also info on ticketing, getting to and from Narita, landmark finder, exit finder on where to go when you get off the train, full-color maps of the entire Tokyo system as well as lines that connect outside of Tokyo to Yokohoma or other areas, useful words and phrases, etc. It's jam-packed with info that was compiled under the supervision of Tokyo Metro Co., & Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. This book was even printed in Japan and is of high quality. It's a worthy investment for your trip. You should look into it.

Amazon.com: The Little Tokyo Subway Guidebook: Everything You Need to Know to Get Around the City and Beyond: IBC Publishing: Books

The $30+ each way to and from Narita seems like one of the pricier fares. You can ride the Keisei Express train for cheaper and it will still get you to your destination nearly around the same time as some of the more expensive options so paying the extra cash doesn't seem to be worth it. Some of the more expensive options can even take longer than the cheap Keisei Express train.

You should open a credit card just so you have some credit history in the U.S. Credit cards are only a bad thing if you're a spendaholic and don't know how to manage your money. Get a credit card that doesn't have an annual fee. Some BoA credit cards have small annual fees so try to get a credit card that doesn't have annual fees like from CitiBank or others. If you want a credit card with BoA then ask them if they have an credit cards without annual fees. If you're responsible with your spending habits then a credit card is nothing to fear. It's only dangerous in the hands of irresponsible individuals.

Make sure there's plenty of money on your debit card and you should search for ATM machines at the post office from what I've read since they accept foregin cards while other ATM machines in Tokyo do not. I read that you're charged $5 for each Bank of America debit card withdrawal so you should just take out a lot of cash at once to last you a while so you don't have to keep paying the $5 fee withdrawing small amounts every time. I also have a BoA debit card that I will be using. Be aware that banks can also freeze your account if you withdraw your money in a foreign country. You could call you bank and tell them that you'll be in Japan at this time so they don't freeze your account thinking that maybe your card was stolen and used overseas. This is what I read when doing my research. I think you should also bring some cash with you on top of your debit card just in case.

odonata 04-24-2008 04:47 AM
On the insurance thing. I bought a 1 year world cover policy, covers winter sports ect. For me it was worth the peace of mind as I was in USA for 3 months and if things go bad there it can cost big time.

On hitting Shinjuku on your first day after a plane trip, well let me just say dont get there in the morning, also try to find a online map of the exits as that place still confuses me and I have been there 6 times.

Nao 04-24-2008 05:34 PM
-removed, various reasons

iammako3 04-27-2008 06:26 AM
Oh wow, this topic really threw me off since I'm doing almost exactly the same thing! ^_^ I'll be staying in Nakano (in Tokyo) from May 31 to July 2 with no concrete plans, though I do have a few ideas on what I want to do. I have a Mitsuwa (Japanese marketplace with a travel agency inside) near me so I actually got pretty cheap tickets. $940 round trip direct flight from Chicago! However, I'm splurging on the rental apartment, which costs almost $3,000. -.- And then there's the 1 week JR rail pass for when I go to Kyoto or wherever else. . . lots of $$, but it'll be worth it!

I'm so excited about this trip! Originally I was supposed to go over as a Nova teacher, but, uh, they folded. :-( So this is going to be my best vacation ever!!!!!

My tentative plans so far are:
*Over night trip to Kyoto
*Kabuki at the Kabuki-za Theatre
*Sanno Matsuri
*Dontsuku Matsuri (because who can resist a fertility festival where geisha carry around penis statues?)
*self-guided Shibuya tour based on the DS game The World Ends With You
*meeting up with a guide to show me Akihabara
*meeting up with a guide to show me either Yokohama or Kamakura
*going to the Metal Gear Solid 4 release party, if there is one

Sound like fun? Any other stuff you guys can suggest? Anyone want to meet in Japan? That'd be fun! (Can you tell I'm a bit keyed up about this trip?)

Dennehy 04-27-2008 10:58 AM
Quote:
I already posted my phone guide but ill copy and paste it to make things easier

Every time i come i rent a phone for hundreds of dollars! Bills get pretty expensive.
Docomo Wants up to 300 for 2 months and other companies are around 120-130 a month.
But this time i went with a Skype/ Softbank combo.
Ill explain.

There is softbanks all over Tokyo, the one i went to was in Roppongi across from the Almonds in the crossing.
They speak Very fluent english and will set you up with a phone within a hour.
TO buy a prepaid phone its 70 dollars you can pick from 2 models and 2 colors for each. *black, blue, and white and black*

This phone you can keep for ever, no need to return or mail back, its Yours.
All you need to do is buy a top up card for 3k Yen or 5k yen.
Its 90 yen per minute but its free incomming.
So you can call some one hang up and they can call you back and you get free incomming calls.
Text msging is 15 yen per text and free incomming.
They also set you up with a free soft bank email account
*yourname* @Softbank.ne.jp
mine is Housetek @softbank.ne.jp
okay so heres where the Skype part comes in

I like to keep in contact with all of my friends and family from the states and i want them to call me freely when ever they want.
So on skype for 12 dollars i bought a US number for 3 months in the area code all my friends and family live in.
its a PA/NJ number.

Then i put call forwarding on, and have all my calls from my skype from the US
forwarded to my japanese Prepaid Cell.

So my friends and family can call me ANY time they want with out being charged international rates and all of their phone calls go directly to my skype which then forwards them to my Prepaid in which i get Free incomming calls.
Pretty nifty.

So if your looking for a phone in japan, instead of buying one at the airport you can try my method.
Which will cost you 70 dollars for the start up phone which you can use forever, 12 for 3 months of Skype number i also put 25 dollars into Skype credit but i always have skype credit on it just in case i want to call internationally back home. and then the Prepaid top up is 3k yen for 60 days.

my last PHone which i go from Narita airport cost me 150 dollars for one month
and a previous one cost me 150 for 2 weeks!
so i belive this way will save alot more money. also its very convenient cuz once you have the phone and you want to Top up next time you come back to japan you can buy a topup card at Any AMPM, lawsons or Sunkus.
Copied that from Housetek's guide to Tokyo.

Nao 05-05-2008 07:30 AM
-removed, various reasons

Nao 05-13-2008 09:55 PM
Update: 18 days until I depart. I ordered and received ￥20,000 for money after landing. Bought just about everything I needed to, and as per your advice MMM, I got a credit card. Platinum status, $1000 limit, no annual fees, etcetera. My bank approved me right on the spot. Just waiting for the card to arrive now so I can activate it.

Over the next few weeks I may be sending a few of you private messages concerning things discussed here or otherwise. Thanks for all the support so far.

Note: Of course, as my luck would have it, my camera (and the 4gb card inside of it) have gone missing. I'm searching for them and hope I can find them. Worst case scenario, I go without one. Likely case scenario, I borrow one from a friend. Best case scenario, I find my camera.

Thanks.

-Nao

godwine 05-14-2008 12:36 PM
Maybe you can free up 200 bucks of your budget and get a new one in Japan. This is a great opportunity to get a new camera :)

Have fun, and show us some pics if you do find your camera or ended up getting a new one :)

Nao 05-15-2008 11:44 PM
-removed, various reasons

iammako3 05-20-2008 03:29 AM
Ah! Sorry, I haven't checked here in a while. ^_^ We should meet for lunch or something sometime! Also, I didn't hire guides — they're volunteers from a website devoted to that sort of thing. I figure I can use the guide one day and then go back again to self-discover. Especially in Akihabara!

Anyway, let me know if you want to do lunch or anything else! It's coming up so fast!!!! ^________^:rheart:

Nao 05-28-2008 04:57 AM
-removed, various reasons

Nao 05-31-2008 06:15 AM
-removed, various reasons

MMM 05-31-2008 06:16 AM
Good luck! Take lots of pics...

kennooo 05-31-2008 03:49 PM
not just tokyo
 
I would say first and foremost don’t just stay in Tokyo for 1 month. even if it means only 1-2 day trips outta the city you have to do it. Tokyo is not Japan, Tokyo is just a big city. at the very least try to get to Hakone or Izu peninsula or out into east chiba or something.

Good luck and if you have any questions let me know I have lived here 7 years now

Henbaka 05-31-2008 06:55 PM
As it is a bit late for more tips, I just wanted to ask you good luck and assure you that you will have wicked amounts of fun. :) I went there when I was 19 too, so I can kinda imagine what you feel now!

Oh just a quick thing, (dunno if someone already said it, but I don't have time to read 8 pages):

If you got the time, try riding the rollercoaster at Tokyo Dome! Isn't too expensive and is hella fun, with a nice view of tokyo :)

Nao 06-04-2008 05:24 AM
-removed, various reasons

Saikou 06-05-2008 04:41 AM
Very cool! I hope you're having a blast so far. :]

Nao 08-05-2008 09:02 PM
-removed, various reasons

Nao 08-07-2008 10:44 AM
-removed, various reasons


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:39 PM.
Page 2 of 2 < 1 2
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.0.0 RC6