What do you think you will find in japan

[RobinMask]

Originally Posted by godwine

Departing from where? Thats pretty expensive.

I never paid more than 1000 canadian $ for round trip to Tokyo. You guys should check with IACE travel, they have brances everywhere, I always have good discounts from them

I haven't checked the prices in a while. I think it was around £700 one-way economy, £1000 one-way economy plus or for an economy return. These were for major airlines like Virgin, from Heathrow (London) to Narita (Tokyo). They used to be cheaper by £100 or so, but taxes and things sent the prices up in the past year . . .

I'm surprised that it's so much cheaper in Canada, but I'll be sure to check out IACE like you suggest, I've never heard of them before.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

I haven't checked the prices in a while. I think it was around £700 one-way economy, £1000 one-way economy plus or for an economy return. These were for major airlines like Virgin, from Heathrow (London) to Narita (Tokyo). They used to be cheaper by £100 or so, but taxes and things sent the prices up in the past year . . .

I'm surprised that it's so much cheaper in Canada, but I'll be sure to check out IACE like you suggest, I've never heard of them before.

The most I paid was around 1200 after tax, that was on JAL. I usually fly Air Canada, and so far, the most I've paid on AC is around 1050 after tax.. once a while it can be as cheap as 599 before tax (final price comes out to be around 750-800 tax in) but those are the last minute type thing and expect people to fly out in the next 3 weeks sort of thing... otherwise, its typical to be around 800 round trip...

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by godwine

How old are you John? I am with you on that, though for me, its not the age thing, I just don't think I can move there and have the same kind of life I have now, definitely won't be driving 100K cars and 400K house, i will have to re-establish everything again.. I am spoiled by the luxury i currently have. That and also, after witness how hard my uncle and cousin has to work daily, I just don't think i am ready for it.

So, like yourself, I will keep myself to perform the duty of a "Local tourist"

I'm 46. I have a heart condition, so I was required to have a pacemaker "installed", which led to an exhilarating experience as the quite cute twenty-something attendant at Narita proceeded to do her quite thorough body patdown....

I have only traveled there on JAL and both times I paid around $1000 for a round trip flight from Chicago. (This is a comment for subsequent posts after yours.)

[godwine]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

I'm 46. I have a heart condition, so I was required to have a pacemaker "installed", which led to an exhilarating experience as the quite cute twenty-something attendant at Narita proceeded to do her quite thorough body patdown....

I have only traveled there on JAL and both times I paid around $1000 for a round trip flight from Chicago. (This is a comment for subsequent posts after yours.)

I see.. similar price for us in Toronto, except that Jal doesn't fly direct from Toronto, we have to make a connection in Chicago, thats why it cost us slightly more.

But otherwise, flying Air Canada is the cheapest for us

[Lien]

Well I'd say it's about 3000 euros over here, but of course it might be less when flying with cheaper airlines and staying in a cheap hotel. At the moment I haven't planned on going so I'll check it if I need to. Saving for my 1000 euros flight to Canada :P

[tokusatsufan]

Originally Posted by GoNative

One thing I've never understood is why people think that Japan is expensive. Compared to Australia I have found living in Japan to be incredibly cheap.

Yeah! Ripoff Britain and all that. It probably just seems expensive to Americans. I wonder what the most expensive country to live in is.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by Lien

Well I'd say it's about 3000 euros over here, but of course it might be less when flying with cheaper airlines and staying in a cheap hotel. At the moment I haven't planned on going so I'll check it if I need to. Saving for my 1000 euros flight to Canada :P

Whoa 1000 euro to fly to Canada? From Belgium?

The 1000 i was talking about doesn't include hotel. There are many ways to travel Japan, hotel doesn't have to be expensive. If your party has more than 2 people it will be even cheaper... most major cities have nice cheap business hotel that goes for around 50-80 per person per night, some hotel can do it for less than 40 if you are traveling with a group of 2 or more

There are, of course, big expensive hotels, and even then they are not bad, I stayed at the Royal Park Plaza (Yokohama, landmark tower) for about 110 per person per night, also the Hotel Nikko Odaiba, about 150 per person pernight... even onsen resort can be cheap...

Food same idea, ramen runs you about 6-14 dollars, there are better and pricier food of course

The one killer will be local transportation.....

[BobbyCooper]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

Dude, you are like ignorant of your ignorance, that is astounding. You think that you have all of Asia figured out after just 6 months, and spending time with just a few people? Think about it, are you really all that knowledgable? The things you keep on saying, just makes me feel, like the other posters, is you are going to be hugely disappointed when you realize your assumptions are very wrong about Japanese society, I'm not talking about the rest of Asia because I do not presume to know about places that I have never lived, sure I have/have had Chinese/Korean friends/acquaintances but I do not feel that makes me an expert on Chinese or Korean culture, I do dare say I know a thing or two more than the average person about Japan though since I have spent 7 years of my life here and interacted with probably 1000s of Japanese by this time.

In any case I will point out one thing you will be in a shock for... you think asians do not discriminate.. I guess you have never seen any "Japanese Only" signs..www.debito.org: THE ROGUE'S GALLERY: Photos of places which refuse non-Japanese in Japan.. now I do not particularly like this guy and think he is kind of a d-bag about what he does.. but this is a very comprehensive collection you might want to look at, and maybe revise your position a bit.

Perhaps I misunderstood what you said earlier.. I thought by saying you wanted to be Asian.. that you wanted become a citizen of xxx asian country and assimilate into society. But if you want to just exist in Japanese society that is fine, you can do that, but make no mistake, you will not be able to assimilate, you will not be treated the same as everyone else. You understand this right? Because it sounds to me like you think that you will accomplish something more.. somehow find your perfect place in the world in Japan, even though everyone else will see you as out of place.

DUDE.. I've shared the most private situations you couldn't even imagine and even my bed with Asians from Korea, Japan, China and Thailand. I've spend 24 hours a day with these lovely poeple and this for a period of 6 long months. I've shared everything in that time, even my most secret affairs and you smart-atleck come in here and want to tell me I would know nothing about Asians? Yeah take a guess..

How about you learn how to read first? Where did I say I would knew how life is like in Japan or any other Asian country? I do know how life is in South-East-Asia, however I do not pretend to know these countrys either. I said, that I know Asians nothing else! So please Don't try to mock poeple on this board.

When I visit this place here, I do not want to get into heated debates.. my life is way too short for this kind of rubbish on the Internet. I want to educate myself about the most interesting Asian country, which just happen to me Japan for me.. thats all. And I find it facinating to read from people who actually made the move and live a happy life over there these days like RealJames for example.

[StonerPenguin]

@ BobbyCooper
Please stop derailing this thread to write TL;DR about your feelings and stop insulting everyone with a differing opinion. You say you want other people not to insult you, yet you go around insulting others, superimposing your opinions of westerners on random users and cussing them out for no reason. Your posts are very hypocritical. This discussion isn't for you to vent and blame random people for the problems in your life. I let your insulting non-sequitur comment directed at me slide and didn't respond to it so other users could have a more meaningful, on-topic discussion. Please be more considerate and behave like an adult.

[RealJames]

bobbycooper your behavior is very UNjapanese and you would not be welcome this way