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[Valkyr Junkie]

With delta I'm getting $3551.60 round trip for 2.

That's definitely quite a bit, but even $1500 would have the two of you covered and then some for a week.It would all depend on your preference for western versus Japanese/business hotels, and what your culinary preferences are. Obviously shinkansen tickets would be quite pricey, but I don't see you fitting in 2 large cities in a single week.

Just note that the wikitravel community has moved over to wikivoyage.org following some internet drama

Interesting. I noticed the Wikitravel front page changed recently, but wasn't aware there was Internet drama since before those sites appeared to be mirrors.

 

[jaxword]

Celiac disease.

Anyone have any info about traveling in Japan with this? I don't even know how to say "Is this gluten-free" in Japanese.

 

[pikablu]

That's pretty expensive... where are you coming from? Our flights have always come below $3000.

Atlanta

 

[Anony]

flight is tomorrow
kinda scared/nervous/anxious, not getting good sleep (takes like 2 hours to fall asleep)

 

[RapidCancel]

flight is tomorrow
kinda scared/nervous/anxious, not getting good sleep (takes like 2 hours to fall asleep)

No reason to be scared, enjoy your trip! How long is your flight?

 

[Anony]

13hrs

 

[dofry]

Celiac disease.

Anyone have any info about traveling in Japan with this? I don't even know how to say "Is this gluten-free" in Japanese.

My professor has the same problem and when he comes here he manages just fine. He speaks no japanese at all and somehow manages alone around town. If you know what normally has gluten I think you'll be ok, but bear in mind that Gluten-free is not that know issue here.

In any case, Gluten is GULUTEN or just GULUTEN ALERUGII, so probably asking

GULUTEN HAITTE IMASUKA? (Does this have gluten?) or maybe better
GULUTEN NASHI, ONEGAI (=No gluten, please)
GULUTEN NASHI NO SHOKUJI, ONEGAI (=No gluten meal, please)
GULUTEN NASHI NO SHOKUJI WO TABENAI TO IKENAI (I have to eat meal with no gluten)

would be enough to make things clear I think. OBS! Please note that this is not perfect japanese but is quite understandable and easier for you to say.

 

[hitsugi]

You counting airfare in that? Even still, that's overkill.

Really? My wife and I spent around $1800 on our tickets for round-trip airfare.. then boarding for 2 weeks (between Tokyo and Kyoto) was $1200-ish so that's $3k right there.. $2,000.00 left over; but then factor in shinkasen (or the JR pass), food, any kind of shopping... can't be that hard to spend between two people in 2 weeks.

 

[Zoe]

Atlanta

What time of the year are you looking at? Even a nonstop flight comes in below that at the few dates I checked.

 

[RapidCancel]

13hrs

Plenty of time to sleep. =]

Really? My wife and I spent around $1800 on our tickets for round-trip airfare.. then boarding for 2 weeks (between Tokyo and Kyoto) was $1200-ish so that's $3k right there.. $2,000.00 left over; but then factor in shinkasen (or the JR pass), food, any kind of shopping... can't be that hard to spend between two people in 2 weeks.

I think it really depends on what time of the year you go and when you buy tickets. Prices fluctuate a lot and it can be pretty aggravating when trying to buy tickets. Me and my gf spent $1,400/each last year for end of Dec, early Jan. So far I've been looking recently and they've been about $1,500 this year. Flying out of Houston, TX if that matters.

 

[hitsugi]

Plenty of time to sleep. =]



I think it really depends on what time of the year you go and when you buy tickets. Prices fluctuate a lot and it can be pretty aggravating when trying to buy tickets. Me and my gf spent $1,400/each last year for end of Dec, early Jan. So far I've been looking recently and they've been about $1,500 this year. Flying out of Houston, TX if that matters.

I bit slightly early at the tickets, apparently.. if I were willing to wait for one of the last seats on the plane, I could have gotten them for $1,400.00 or so.. but still, $5k total (including flight and hotel) for a 2 week trip for 2 people does seem a little low, but it's all relative to what they plan on doing and what their comfort level needs to be out there.

 

[hwalker84]

You guy think $5,000 is enough for 3 weeks not including my ticket? I'm willing to splurge on where I stay if it's traditional. I want to stay in some awesome Ryokan's.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

You guy think $5,000 is enough for 3 weeks not including my ticket? I'm willing to splurge on where I stay if it's traditional. I want to stay in some awesome Ryokan's.

Yeah that's definitely sufficient; a similar ballpark to what I spent for 3 weeks when I went, and I certainly wasn't slumming it. That amount may have included my flight as well.

You are probably only going to want to stay one night in a ryokan however.

Really? My wife and I spent around $1800 on our tickets for round-trip airfare.. then boarding for 2 weeks (between Tokyo and Kyoto) was $1200-ish so that's $3k right there.. $2,000.00 left over; but then factor in shinkasen (or the JR pass), food, any kind of shopping... can't be that hard to spend between two people in 2 weeks.

You're right, but he said one week, not two.

 

[pikablu]

What time of the year are you looking at? Even a nonstop flight comes in below that at the few dates I checked.

December. Is that too late?

 

[hwalker84]

December. Is that too late?

Come in November we'll meet up!

 

[SKINNER!]

Got a TGS special ticket for Saturday sorted so hopefully I can see it all in one day and have Sunday as an extra day of exploring Tokyo. Going to spend all afternoon tomorrow writing up my itinerary. Seriously can't wait now.

 

[RapidCancel]

December. Is that too late?

When in December? I'll be there late Dec till after new years. Flights are cheaper in the beginning of Dec than the later half.

 

[pikablu]

When in December? I'll be there late Dec till after new years. Flights are cheaper in the beginning of Dec than the later half.

I looking at the 8th to the 15th. Keep in mind I'm not going this year but am just trying to plan ahead a year or so in advance so I can know how much I should save.

 

[Zoe]

When in December? I'll be there late Dec till after new years. Flights are cheaper in the beginning of Dec than the later half.

They actually start dropping around Christmas.

 

[Neo C.]

Guys, I'm back! Went for a short Summer Course and learnt a bit Japanese in Kobe. 3 and half weeks, got a bunch of cute Japanese girls as Facebook friends now. :3
I really love to speak with Japanese women, they are the better talk partner than men for several reasons.

The class was really small though, because students around the world barely knows about the Kobe Summer Course program.

 

[hwalker84]

Guys, I'm back! Went for a short Summer Course and learnt a bit Japanese in Kobe. 3 and half weeks, got a bunch of cute Japanese girls as Facebook friends now. :3
I really love to speak with Japanese women, they are the better talk partner than men for several reasons.

The class was really small though, because students around the world barely knows about the Kobe Summer Course program.

Tell me all about it!!!

 

[hwalker84]

So I will arrive at 3pm on November 9th in Tokyo. Flying into Narita Airport.

Where would you suggest I stay till Monday morning that's near some awesome stuff?

What cool stuff is happening on Saturday and Sunday?

Anyone want to get dinner with me and hit up a hip-hop club?

Should I stay in a Ryokan those two nights or one of those two? or do it when I come back towards the end of my trip?

Monday morning I plan on heading West to the Hiroshima area. I'd estimate I want to get back to Tokyo by November 26th/27th. What cities would you make sure you travel to working your way back and for how many days in each?

Thanks guys!!!

 

[npm0925]

What are your opinions on this itinerary?

Nov. 5: Arrive in Tokyo from Chicago
Nov. 5 - 10: Tokyo with possible trips to Kamakura or Nikko (are these side trips worth it?)
Nov. 11: Ryokan at Takayama
Nov. 12 - 16: Kyoto with trips to Nara and Mt. Goya (possible stay overnight at Buddhist monastery)
Nov. 17: Hiroshima & Miyajima
Nov. 18: Tokyo
Nov. 19: Fly back to Chicago

Anything I should add or subtract? Such as Osaka or Hakone?

 

[Meier]

One thing my wife discovered when we went was that it is not easy to be a vegetarian in Japan (at least if you don't understand the language sufficiently to ask questions or read menus that don't have English as well). She ended up eating egg sandwiches from Family Mart for about half her meals. :lol

That's awesome...my wife and I took our honeymoon in Tokyo in 2007, and oddly enough, it was around the same time you'll be there (wedding anniversary is 6/30). We were there for 8 days and didn't have time to make it outside of Tokyo as most people say places like Kyoto etc. are better served with multi-day stays and not crammed into a day trip. We're heading back to Japan at the end of July this year, but will be staying with family and only there for a few days, so again we won't make it outside of Tokyo. That's ok, I know a bit more Japanese than last time and I'm not so scared of the differences in culture, so I'm looking very forward to getting more out of this trip than the first.

Enjoy your time there...it's a pretty fascinating place. Not nearly as "nerdy" as I had hoped (as I was expecting this wonderland of video games and such) but the people there are fantastic. I was impressed.

I missed your reply previously or I would have responded. That's a pretty neat coincidence! We went the day after we got married (did it at the courthouse so we could actually afford the trip!) so our anniversary is 6/28. Can't believe it's almost been 2 months tbh.

The trip was really amazing and as you said, the people were fantastic. My wife had the same expectation as you did, haha. Even in Aki and other places, there weren't THAT many huge game stores it seemed like. Lots of arcades there, but it was mostly just the huge retailers who had lots of games to browse through. This applied to comics as well -- again, we both expected it to be more pervasive but it was pretty specific to specialty stores and a few here and there at the convenience stores.

10 days wasn't enough, that's for sure. We spent about 2 days in Kyoto and 1 in Hakone plus the remaining 7 days in Tokyo but it all went so fast and we could have seen so much more if we'd had time. Tokyo DisneySea was one of the highlights of the trip for us.. what a great park! I was impressed with their exchange rates there too.

 

[Neo C.]

Tell me all about it!!!

About the girls or about the Kobe summer course?

 

[FreeMufasa]

So I will arrive at 3pm on November 9th in Tokyo. Flying into Narita Airport.

Where would you suggest I stay till Monday morning that's near some awesome stuff?

What cool stuff is happening on Saturday and Sunday?

Anyone want to get dinner with me and hit up a hip-hop club?

Should I stay in a Ryokan those two nights or one of those two? or do it when I come back towards the end of my trip?

Monday morning I plan on heading West to the Hiroshima area. I'd estimate I want to get back to Tokyo by November 26th/27th. What cities would you make sure you travel to working your way back and for how many days in each?

Thanks guys!!!

I'm in Osaka so if you come down there we can a hit a club.

I was meant to link with jaxword last week but we didn't plan it out so it didn't happen.

 

[Meier]

The Golden Pavilion was definitely the most impressive site we saw on the trip. It's truly stunning and made the Kyoto trip worth it all by itself.

 

[hwalker84]

I'm in Osaka so if you come down there we can a hit a club.

I was meant to link with jaxword last week but we didn't plan it out so it didn't happen.

I'm definitely coming through Osaka. How many days do you think is needed for Osaka? What are some must see things? Try not to get me into too much trouble....... LOL Lets get into some major trouble!!!

edit: Anybody want to take a stab at any of those questions I asked?

 

[hwalker84]

About the girls or about the Kobe summer course?

Both

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

What are your opinions on this itinerary?

Nov. 5: Arrive in Tokyo from Chicago
Nov. 5 - 10: Tokyo with possible trips to Kamakura or Nikko (are these side trips worth it?)
Nov. 11: Ryokan at Takayama
Nov. 12 - 16: Kyoto with trips to Nara and Mt. Goya (possible stay overnight at Buddhist monastery)
Nov. 17: Hiroshima & Miyajima
Nov. 18: Tokyo
Nov. 19: Fly back to Chicago

Anything I should add or subtract? Such as Osaka or Hakone?

You're really squeezing Hiroshima in there. It's nearly 3 hours from the Kansai area to Hiroshima, and 5 hours from there to Tokyo. You're probably going to be really worn out by that part of the trip, and I'm sure the days will be fairly short at that point of the year. I would try and amend that part of your trip in one way or another.

 

[hwalker84]

What are your opinions on this itinerary?

Nov. 5: Arrive in Tokyo from Chicago
Nov. 5 - 10: Tokyo with possible trips to Kamakura or Nikko (are these side trips worth it?)
Nov. 11: Ryokan at Takayama
Nov. 12 - 16: Kyoto with trips to Nara and Mt. Goya (possible stay overnight at Buddhist monastery)
Nov. 17: Hiroshima & Miyajima
Nov. 18: Tokyo
Nov. 19: Fly back to Chicago

Anything I should add or subtract? Such as Osaka or Hakone?

Our days match in Tokyo. Want to meet up the 9th and/or 10th?

 

[RapidCancel]

Got my flight booked for the end of December, can't wait to go back! Anyone else going to be there around that time frame?

 

[distantmantra]

Delta is getting rid of their Seattle-Osaka nonstop service in November. My wife booked us on a flight from Seattle to Osaka (Kansai International) for April 2014, but got the lovely call from Delta last week about this change, so now they've booked us on the ANA Dreamliner from Seattle to Narita, and then Narita to Itami.

Awesome. :-/

They're also cutting back on the number of flights between Haneda and Seattle. Fortunately our Haneda-Seattle return flight was not affected.

 

[npm0925]

You're really squeezing Hiroshima in there. It's nearly 3 hours from the Kansai area to Hiroshima, and 5 hours from there to Tokyo. You're probably going to be really worn out by that part of the trip, and I'm sure the days will be fairly short at that point of the year. I would try and amend that part of your trip in one way or another.

It is a lot of time on the train, admittedly; maybe I will have to skip it. Do you think I should get the 2 week or 1 week JR pass if I stick to the other areas I mentioned?

 

[npm0925]

Our days match in Tokyo. Want to meet up the 9th and/or 10th?

Definitely, though my itinerary is far from final; all I have at this point is plane tickets.

 

[hwalker84]

Definitely, though my itinerary is far from final; all I have at this point is plane tickets.

You and me both. LOL.

 

[Goldrush]

What are your opinions on this itinerary?

Nov. 5: Arrive in Tokyo from Chicago
Nov. 5 - 10: Tokyo with possible trips to Kamakura or Nikko (are these side trips worth it?)
Nov. 11: Ryokan at Takayama
Nov. 12 - 16: Kyoto with trips to Nara and Mt. Goya (possible stay overnight at Buddhist monastery)
Nov. 17: Hiroshima & Miyajima
Nov. 18: Tokyo
Nov. 19: Fly back to Chicago

Anything I should add or subtract? Such as Osaka or Hakone?

Agree that Nov 17 will not work. Also, for the "nature" places, makes sure that it is open. Some places closes or operates differently in the winter months.

 

[hwalker84]

So I will arrive at 3pm on November 9th in Tokyo. Flying into Narita Airport.

Where would you suggest I stay till Monday morning that's near some awesome stuff?

What cool stuff is happening on Saturday and Sunday?

Anyone want to get dinner with me and hit up a hip-hop club?

Should I stay in a Ryokan those two nights or one of those two? or do it when I come back towards the end of my trip?

Monday morning I plan on heading West to the Hiroshima area. I'd estimate I want to get back to Tokyo by November 26th/27th. What cities would you make sure you travel to working your way back and for how many days in each?

Thanks guys!!!

Anybody? Please help me GAF!! LOL

 

[I'm an expert]

You've already had a 5 page thread dedicated to giving you some advice, just make a plan and stick with it. You won't be able to fit in everything no matter how hard you plan.

 

[hwalker84]

You've already had a 5 page thread dedicated to giving you some advice, just make a plan and stick with it. You won't be able to fit in everything no matter how hard you plan.

Ok. I'll drop a outline in the next week or two and see what you guys think. I do really need help on hotels located in areas closets to the action. Its hard looking at a map and knowing if a particular place is worth a damn from your computer.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

It is a lot of time on the train, admittedly; maybe I will have to skip it. Do you think I should get the 2 week or 1 week JR pass if I stick to the other areas I mentioned?

If your only long Shinkansen trips are to/from the Tokyo and Kyoto, that's about a weeks cost on a JR pass, so you'll need to look at ticket prices and see if a 1 week pass works (assuming your long trips fit in the window) is worth it. A 2 week pass will definitely not be worth it.

 

[npm0925]

I arrived at a final itinerary of sorts.

Tues 11/5 - Tues 11/12
Arrive at Narita @ 1500
Tokyo with day trips to Nikko and Kamakura
Possible day trip to Nagano or Matsumoto (this is a lot of train time; is the time better spent elsewhere?)

Tues 11/12 - Sun 11/17
Kyoto with day trip to Nara
1 night at Ryokan
1 night at capsule hotel "Nine Hours" (looks too weird to pass up)

Sun 11/17 - Tues 11/19
Osaka
Possible day trip to Kobe

Tues 11/19
Fly home from Narita at 1700

I used Hyperdia to calculate train fare via JR:

Narita to Tokyo: 1280
Tokyo to Nikko: 2520
Nikko to Tokyo: 2520
Tokyo to Kamakura: 890
Kamakura to Tokyo: 890
Tokyo to Kyoto: 7980
Kyoto to Nara: 690
Nara to Kyoto: 690
Kyoto to Osaka: 540
Osaka to Narita: 9350

Total: 27350 yen

Does that look correct? Should I skip the JR pass altogether (7 day: 28300, 14 day: 45100)?

Also, how does Kobe beef compare to something you can get a premium steakhouse in the US? Will Himeji Castle be completely covered in November?

 

[hwalker84]

I arrived at a final itinerary of sorts.

Tues 11/5 - Tues 11/12
Arrive at Narita @ 1500
Tokyo with day trips to Nikko and Kamakura
Possible day trip to Nagano or Matsumoto (this is a lot of train time; is the time better spent elsewhere?)

Tues 11/12 - Sun 11/17
Kyoto with day trip to Nara
1 night at Ryokan
1 night at capsule hotel "Nine Hours" (looks too weird to pass up)

Sun 11/17 - Tues 11/19
Osaka
Possible day trip to Kobe

Tues 11/19
Fly home from Narita at 1700

I used Hyperdia to calculate train fare via JR:

Narita to Tokyo: 1280
Tokyo to Nikko: 2520
Nikko to Tokyo: 2520
Tokyo to Kamakura: 890
Kamakura to Tokyo: 890
Tokyo to Kyoto: 7980
Kyoto to Nara: 690
Nara to Kyoto: 690
Kyoto to Osaka: 540
Osaka to Narita: 9350

Total: 27350 yen

Does that look correct? Should I skip the JR pass altogether (7 day: 28300, 14 day: 45100)?

Also, how does Kobe beef compare to something you can get a premium steakhouse in the US? Will Himeji Castle be completely covered in November?

I had imported from Japan Kobe steak at Strip Steak in Vegas (Steak was like $180 bucks). It was amazing and completely melted in your mouth.

Where are you staying in Tokyo? Looks like our days may intersect a lot. Tokyo on 11/9&10, Kyoto.

I hope Himeji Castle isn't all covered up as thats a place i've been dying to see.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

I had imported from Japan Kobe steak at Strip Steak in Vegas (Steak was like $180 bucks). It was amazing and completely melted in your mouth.

It also almost certainly wasn't Japanese either. Japan just started exporting beef last year, and to date they've exported less than a cow's worth to the US.

 

[hwalker84]

It also almost certainly wasn't Japanese either. Japan just started exporting beef last year, and to date they've exported less than a cow's worth to the US.

Interesting because it definitely wasn't like any american kobe i've ever tried nor the american kobe we had at the table.

edit: Ah it was Japanese A5 Wagyu

http://wagyu.gourmet55.com/en/whats-wagyu

 

[Neo C.]

Both

The Summer Course is a pretty good opportunity for students, the fee for 3 weeks housing and study in Kobe University for Foreign Studies only costs 130'000 yen (flight and meals excluded). It's certainly not comparable with a semester worth of study, but for guys with (part-time) jobs like me who can't spend a semester or two in a foreign country, the deal isn't bad.

http://www.kobe-cufs.ac.jp/english/international/japanese_language_program.html

And about the girls? During the course I got mentor(s) who showed us the campus or went with us to have fun (shopping and Karaoke). Generally, I like speaking with girls much more than with (Japanese) men, it's much easier. I always felt like the men could lose their face by saying things wrong or misunderstanding me.

 

[Anony]

I used Hyperdia to calculate train fare via JR:

Narita to Tokyo: 1280
Tokyo to Nikko: 2520
Nikko to Tokyo: 2520
Tokyo to Kamakura: 890
Kamakura to Tokyo: 890
Tokyo to Kyoto: 7980
Kyoto to Nara: 690
Nara to Kyoto: 690
Kyoto to Osaka: 540
Osaka to Narita: 9350

Total: 27350 yen

Does that look correct? Should I skip the JR pass altogether (7 day: 28300, 14 day: 45100)?

i dont know how you got narita to tokyo so cheap:
the bus from narita to tokyo (to some hotel, mine was ana continental near ronpoggi) is 3000, 2500 with passport
the NEX from narita to tokyo is 3000 too (i think) and it comes with 1500 credit on the suica card, this should be the cheapest option

the tokyo to kyoto is 8000 yen, i think it doesnt include seats (my ticket from tokyo to kyoto was 8000 + another 4500 for seats)
this mean, when you take the shinkensen, if there are no available seats, you're standing on that train ride for 3 hours, so get seats

lastly, i dont know what route you're taking from osaka to narita, but it should be cheapest if it's osaka -> kyoto -> tokyo -> narita (500 + (8000 + 4500) + 3000) = 15000)

japan was fun, it was HOT as balls there, you're gonna be buying vending machine drinks every few hours (they're everywhere, dont worry)

 

[Tanner1495]

Reading through this thread has really helped me plan a trip to Japan, wish it was possible for myself to stay there long enough to see TGS and Wrestle Kingdom, but it is still several years away for me, but it looks like a ton of fun!

 

[SKINNER!]

Just a week and a bit to go before I fly over. Sightseeing by day, partyin' all night. Shit'll be sweet! Any travelling, expats and Japanese local gaffers wanna chill/explore send me a PM and we'll work something out

 

[Gskyace]

Will be in Tokyo for TGS... so 7 days on duty, 7 days for going around.
Reading this because I want to go to Fujisan from Tokyo.
Need help to enjoy the best view.