Travelling to Japan

[xxMijimexx]

I plan on going to Japan too, when I'm older. I just don't know anything about the city or its people. Sorry if I'm butting in, I was just curious.

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by xxMijimexx

I plan on going to Japan too, when I'm older. I just don't know anything about the city or its people. Sorry if I'm butting in, I was just curious.

This quote (and the thread in general) makes a very common mistake I see too often, with people thinking Tokyo=Japan, or is the best/only thing to see in Japan. I know the above was probably an innocent mistake, but it gives me a chance to say Tokyo IMO is not really representative of all of Japan, it's just 1 big city. IMO, and my experience, the real Japan is found in the smaller towns, the out-of-the-way places, the temples and shrines, the fishing villages and terraces of rice paddies climbing the hillsides, the mikan farmers and family-run restaurants, the onsens and castles.

Sure, the night-life or the cos-players in Tokyo are a side of Japan too, but too many people seem to forget about all the rest of Japan. If I were to return to Japan for a vacation, I would not even step 1 foot in Tokyo. I'd fly into Osaka Airport and hang around the Kansai region (and maybe head south to Shikoku or Kyushu), where there are FAR more things to see and do IMO. Big cities tend to be fairly similar anywhere in the world... lots of impersonal highrise buildings, crowded, busy, and constantly rushing. Sure, visit Tokyo (or Osaka, which is a mini-Tokyo in many ways), but get out and see the rest of Japan, the parts that really make it unique and different, the "real Japan", don't just stay in Tokyo...

[JDon]

Thanks for answering my questions guys, heres another. What is the main airport in Tokyo, am I correct in thinking it is Narita? Is Narita far from the centre of Tokyo?

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by JDon

Thanks for answering my questions guys, heres another. What is the main airport in Tokyo, am I correct in thinking it is Narita? Is Narita far from the centre of Tokyo?

It is Narita, and it is a fair ways from central Tokyo.

[yukiya]

Originally Posted by 3m3m3m

don't mind if i bump,i will be travelling to TYO too on early march, for total 7 days and the problem is i arrive and depart at same point narita tokyo, since i like travel to osaka and heard that the cost is very expensive around sgd$180.00 per trip by train.I tink the other ways is by bus, any kind soul know how much?

You can use Seishun juhachi kippu
Seishun Juhachi Kippu (Seishun 18 Kippu)
and go anywhere for 2300yen per day. That's what I'll be doing.

DOn't mind me bumping in as well. I'm going for 10 day end of March, and I also share your problem (entry and exit from Narita).
I'm planning to cover Tokyo, Kyoto, Himeji, Nara, and Hakone so I'll be using that youth ticket to save on transportation.
It's my first time to Japan, and I'll be alone too. I really hope the transportation system is as easy as the description =_=

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by yukiya

You can use Seishun juhachi kippu
Seishun Juhachi Kippu (Seishun 18 Kippu)
and go anywhere for 2300yen per day. That's what I'll be doing.

DOn't mind me bumping in as well. I'm going for 10 day end of March, and I also share your problem (entry and exit from Narita).
I'm planning to cover Tokyo, Kyoto, Himeji, Nara, and Hakone so I'll be using that youth ticket to save on transportation.
It's my first time to Japan, and I'll be alone too. I really hope the transportation system is as easy as the description =_=

Is there any way you can fly into and out of Kansai International Airport instead of Narita? It's not as big as Narita, but I was able to get flights to and from Japan through there on a variety of airlines. It will save you the trouble of travelling to and from Tokyo, and trust me, there are a TON of things to see and do in the Osaka/Nara/Kyoto area, all of which is very close by the Kansai Airport. I don't know if you saw the Amazing Race episode in Japan last week, but they all flew into and out of Kansai, not Narita.

Kansai International Airport Official Site
Kansai International Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kansai International Airport travel guide - Wikitravel

[Michigan90]

Check out these web sites.

VISIT JAPAN CAMPAIGN by Japan National Tourist Organization

Yokoso! Japan Weeks Jan. 20 - Feb. 29

Discover Japan! Database

Rural Areas with Pastoral Landscapes - The Essence of Japan

Tour Guide-Interpreter Search System

Foreign Language Guide at Transportation Facilities

Japan Event Calendar

Japan Railway Group

Japan Airlines

Hotel/Ryokan Booking and Tours

New Discovery of Akihabara

Also this one should be useful.

Japan Travel and Living Guide