@ cheekymonkey

no i am not from japan (even though countless people have asked me that). i am of chinese descent, though i don't look it, i have much fairer skin than many chinese, so many people mistake me for japanese. XD

most of my asian friends have gone to japan; some have been ripped off, as they do to any tourist in any country, yet some have amazingly done well and found many cheap ramen shops( i don't know how they do it)

wiltshire is UK? I live in the UK too, like near dartford south east london.

Well, nice to meet you *grin* and I'm glad I didn't insult you asking if you're Japanese!

Yep Wiltshire is in UK, Swindon is the town name, and it's about 100 miles west of London. I go on the train every day. It's very different from London here as you can guess :)

i've heard of it now..after i looked on a map. my geography is terrible, no offence. haha yeah london is v far from there O_O.

i live in london during my holidays...like meeting with friends and such like

well for electronics and latest gadget.. there is only one place "AKIHABARA"

for girls, latest fashion , "SHIBUYA, SHINJUKU, IKEBUKURO, HARAJUKU, GINZA"

Ueno is also a great place to visit, lots of food , very cheap things you can buy and its just beside akihabara.

And don't forget to try Ichiran Ramen, there is a shop near Ueno Station.

Also in between Aki and Ueno, there's an eat-all-you-can Yakiniku restaurant called "Carne Station" but there is a time limit only 1 hour.

And if you love spa or onsen, and mountain :D you can try to visit "Hakone" . There is a round trip ticket , i think you can buy it in Shimbashi or was Shinjuku :D ( sorry I forgot ).

Night Life , Roppogi ( Hills ) is your best bet.
Yokohama is a must place to visit to :D

Anyways .. Enjoy :D

I envy you mate, good luck on your trip i really hope you have a good time, and come back the forum with good feedback on Tokyo, i am going next year.

Can i ask, i know its rather a personal question but just out of curiosity how much has it cost you?
Just so i have a rough estimate of how much it will cost me next year, i am flying from britain though.

Once again good luck and have fun, get some pictures!!!


Will.

samokan, thanks for your hints, I certainly plan to go to akihabara. Also since I am there for 2 weeks I may to go other cities, like Kyoto or Osaka depending on how far away they are.

Picture2Perfect, I'm flying from Heathrow also, will be sure to take lots of pics etc. Because I am an IT contractor and I haven't had a proper holiday in years I am not doing this trip on the cheap!

I'm paying 1250 pounds for the flight (premium economy, I am 6'4 and need legroom for 12 hours!) and staying for the first week in Hotel New Otani Tokyo which is £80 a night for 4 or 5 star hotel :D

However if I was on a budget I could have probably flown economy class for £500-£600, and I would have stayed somewhere significantly cheaper.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Tokyo is very useful!

After my first week of "luxury" I am going to stay somewhere a little more japanese once I have more confidence with the culture. Not sure where yet, but we will see what happens!

Thanks for that 'cheekymonkey' it will help me a lot for when i go next year, i really hope you have a great time and come back praising Japan.
Good choice on going for the premium economy if i can afford it next year i ll be doing the same, being 6ft 2.
Again have fun, and hope to hear from you when you get back, if you can take the time to email me
[email protected] anytime after you get back it would be great, just telling me how the hotel was and the flight e.t.c £80 a night is really good, might end up staying in the same place.

Thanks again, and have fun eat lots of japanese food, take lots of pics and just have a great time.

Will.

get a JR railway pass , so then you can travel all over japan by shinkansen ( bullet train )

awww ur so lucky!!!!!!!!!XD
so jelous!!!!!XD
i9ma goin sooner or later T_T

Cheekymonkey

All things being equal i will be in Japan from the 3rd of June. Still trying to decide whether to actually take the plunge.

Never travelled alone before and only once been to that side of the world (Hong Kong).

My plan is to arrive on the 3rd and go straight by shinkansen to Kyoto. I am planning on staying there for 4 nights, hopeully, i can see all the sights in Kyoto. Then i plan on day trips to Osaka and Kobe/Nara. I would also like to see Hiroshima but, i think thats pushing it a bit.

On my fifth day i plan to move on to either Mt Fuji or Hakone for one night. Which people recommend? i want to be somewhere nice and pleasant. Hakone has the lake and the ropeway etc

On the 6th day i head back to Tokyo for three nights and hopefully spend one of those days in Yokohama probably the seventh day.

I plan on getting a rail pass for 7 days hence the reason starting off in Kyoto and back in Tokyo before its expiry.

Any insights into this trip.

I also have a few questions that i would appreciate any answers to

1. I know you have to pre book your rail pass before you get to Japan but how far in advance would you need to reserve a seat on a shinkansen train?

2. Do you have to reserve a seat on NEX train to Tokyo from Narita? can you just get on?

3. Are there unreserved seats available on shinkansens?

4. Is there must of a signifcant difference on riding the green car and ordinary car on shinkansens? i figure one is first class but is the ordinary uncomfortable? green is 2 by 2 seating right whilst ordniary is 2 by 3?

5. Which is better to go to Hakone or Mt Fuji?

6. are there any no go areas?

Thanks for any help you can offer. like i said, i am still thinking about it but i think there is a 90% that i will go, i will have to book flights and hotels tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Cheeky if you happen to see a tall black man looking lost in Tokyo on the 3rd, it just might be me, come over and say hi:D