[josebrown]

Thanks guys,

Early 30's and single, so age/cash not that much of an issue. I figure spend before getting married since then it's "our money". I would prefer not to go overboard though. I dont mind roughing it. I studied Japanese in college, so I totally forgot reading but can get by on a limited basis. 2 weeks is my limit for the trip including flight.

Im coming from the US. So not Visa needed, *Check*.

Capsule hotel sounds out of the picture, I'll look at toyoko inn. I dont mind sharing facilities so I will look into hostels also. I was thinking about Shibuya, but I would prefer to put the cash towards going out vs hotel so a train ride is fine.

JohnBraden: Yes Tokyo Dome was the one!

I was looking at JAL since it actually seemed the cheapest for the lowest layovers. I'd prefer no layovers. I'll look again but a JAl flight seemed only $100 more than another carrier, and the reviews for JAL are pretty decent. If I have to spend almost 48 hours on a plane, an extra $100 is worth decent service. I'll see if there is cheaper but my quick look found everything to be around $1000 for a flight. Ill look further into it. Coming from NYC, so that ups the costs.


Hmm, since credit cards are not as good as cash, vs US where most stores prefer credit cards, Ill up my cash count to $3000. Kind of weird carrying around that much.

Im not really into the band Cartoon Katun's song, as much as I like their own show. That and they seem to be on so many TV shows. It has really exposed me to a variety of elements of japanese pop life. I figured since they perform every week for the last few years, it's kind of like going to Cats on Broadway. Not really a big deal if I cant get tickets.


Ive been reading older posts and they are a great help.
Thanks for any and all pointers in this tread as well!