Ah, okay then, sounds good. It's early days yet, I'm still trying to find someone to come with me as I don't really want to travel alone. It's been a bit of a problem since people are like 'yeah I'll come to Japan' but when asked they never seem to have a means of getting the finances for it.

But it's reassuring to know that they'll be able to fix something for me, so I'll bear that in mind in case I decided to go with it. Thanks!

I'm not surprised if your budget is £80 a night just for accommodation and you're asking other 19 yo's. That's pretty steep for most students.

I wouldn't be so quick to write hostels off, most of them are just as clean as hotels and some offer private rooms, so it's not an automatic obligation to share bedroom space. The place we stayed at had them on offer for less than £30. At most a single room with wifi was about £35pn. There might not be an en-suite, but you'll have to use public bathrooms wherever you go anyway, and honestly, they're more likely to be dirtier outside the hostel than in.

I agree... What's wrong with Hostels? I've stayed in loads, and I've never had a problem! The only time I ever choose a hotel over a hostel is if I go to a beach holiday. Other than that, as a student, and as someone that goes "travelling" more than "holiday", I spend the bare minimum cooped up in a room.

I wouldn't mind if they said 'no I won't be able to afford it.' :p

I'm a picky female and I NEED my own shower to wash my hair in. I mean, for men, it's different... you can just kinda, leave it? I need to wash my hair every day, as a 19 year old female it does get nasty if I leave it longer than that. I know hostels won't be that bad, but I don't like sharing and I need my own space. I've saved up for so long to be able to afford it, I kinda want it to be as good as I can get it, if you know what I mean.

It's not the cleanliness I'm worried about, I'm just admittedly a bit of a diva and need to wash my hair in my own shower. Haha.

I suggest a JR Pass if you're going to do some traveling around. It costs about the same as a shinkansen round trip to Kyoto. It's valid for 7 days (14 and 21 days are more expensive.) You can use it on any JR trains, even the Yamanote line in Tokyo and the other JR lines there.

As far as fashion, Takeshita Dori (street) in Harajuku is pretty trendy. It starts just off the Harajuku JR station. Another street very nearby is Omotesando. That's the expensive boutique store street.

As far as hotels is concerned. I stayed at the Keio Plaza and it was way too much for me. My last trip to Japan in March 2005 for 10 nights and round trip airfare was $2600 at the Keio Plaza and Japan Airlines. The hotel was situated perfectly, but it was to ostentatious for me. I'm going back this October for 10 nights and Japan Airlines at the Shinagawa Prince for $1800. That sounds more reasonable. I doubt the hotel will be the calibre of the Keio Plaza, but I'm not concerned with it.

That's all I can think of right now. If you have any more issues, let us know! Keep us informed as to what you've come up with!

The JR pass will be good only if she definitely will travel on the shinkansen. But otherwise it may be a bit overkill if all she will be doing are some local travel around the Yamanote line. Though it will come in handy if she decide to go to Yokohama, which to me is a must. I think Misa will have a blast at around Sakuragicho (Minato Mirai) area

Second Takeshita Dori, and Misa, being a cosplayer, will definitely LOVE harajuku and area. Akiba as well. But for some real Japanese Teen fashion, I am going to say Shibuya. Its slightly more expensive than Takeshita Dori (For the most part), but thats where Asian fashion starts every year!

Can't go wrong with Prince hotel, at least you know they will always be clean....

Well, once I have a more detailed idea of where I want to go, then it'll be worth asking whether or not to get a rail pass, right?

I have a book on street fashion and it said to look at the Shibuya 109 building. My friend went there but she said she felt intimidated because she was dressed touristy and everyone was really pristine, haha. But I really want to see it.

I've been told to visit Harajuku on a Sunday, since I'm a cosplayer I'd love to see everyone else! I'm planning to wear normal clothes (I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, particularly as I've been told people get changed in Harajuku and back again before going home.)

And of course my main passion is video games so Akiba is a must. :D

Thank you for your advice, JohnBraden and godwine.

(I've suddenly become all excited, weee! Holiday! Yay! Haha.)

Yeah, a more detail itinerary will definitely help to decide whether you need a rail pass or not. As others have pointed out, a 7 day pass cost roughly the same as a single trip to Kyoto, but if you are just going to stay in one region, then there may not be a point in getting a rail pass. If you really want to be detail, go on hyperdia after you know where you want to go, calculate the overall cost of all the travelling you will be doing, then come up with the sum of all JR cost, if its less than the pass, then skip the pass

I say try to hit both Harajuku AND Akihabara on a Sunday if you want to see other cosplayer. You can probably visit Harajuku late morningish and early afternoon, and move to Akiba after.

109 is a bit beyond street fashion, its not formal, but its definitely a place wher you will get something more expensive and "up scale". I don't know how to describe it, its just not your average street clothes, but don't be intimidated by it, a lot of tourist shop there. There is also a 109-2 that said "MEN" on it, but the last time I was there, they do have a couple of nice stores for the ladies, do check that out too....

Jeans mate in Takeshita Dori will probably where you will find your street clothes

About 5000-6000 yen if you reserve it if it is an economy hotel(business hotel).
If you can reserve in Japanese...

I went to Harajuku on the Sunday I was there in 2005. Since I was 40 then and a guy and not in the best shape, it was I who stuck out like a sore thumb! But since there were so many other people dressed normally, no one ever gave it a second thought! There were so many people taking photos of the cosplayers, it looked like a fashion show. The area where they are is quite small. It is basically the bridge over the rail lines in Harajuku. But since the bridge is about 4 lanes with a sidewalk of about 30 feet wide, there is alot of space to hang out, but it can also get packed with people. I actually had a picture taken with a few girls there and I took many photos of all the people there. I will post them here in the forum soon. (I just joined up!)

As far as I know, the girls come from all over and meet up there and then accessorize. I don't recall seeing them get changed there. Maybe in the Harajuku station restroom or something. I just remember they were all so nice and accommodating to the people there taking photos. I bet you'll fit in there with no problem at all and make friends quickly. I got there early in the morning and some of them set up camp to stay the whole day. After a about an hour or so, I left to do more sightseeing around the area. I returned many hours later on my way back to the hotel and saw it was just as busy as I had left it, maybe even more!

And you are more than welcome!

P.S. I started the photo thread in the Japan Trip Report forum...enjoy!