Going to Japan in 2011
 

Finally, Japan Forum, I will have enough money to travel to Japan in 2011. I did intend to travel this year, however the finances just didn't stretch.

I haven't got anything set in stone yet, because I would like to base my journey on the experience and knowledge from the people of Japan Forum!

Firstly, I'll tell you a bit about myself and then I'd really appreciate it if you could help me decide some of the things about my trip to Japan.

I'm a Student, I'm 19, and I'm interested in Japan because I studied the language at college. I like video games and fashion, and sort of interested in anime. I don't really want to spend all my time in Tokyo, I'm interested in food and culture, and I really want to go off the beaten track and see some unique landscapes. Places that are really nice but no-one really goes, sort of thing.

It will be my first trip to Japan, so at the same time I don't want to end up somewhere completely remote where I'll easily get lost! That wouldn't be good, haha.

I'm also travelling from England, and wondered how much flights are these days and what kind of budget I'd need to set myself for 2 weeks in Japan. I've had a look and it seems the cheapest return flights average around £600?

So basically, here are a few questions I'm sure you've been asked before but would really appreciate it if you could help me out:

• What is the best time to visit Japan? I'm free from 25th May to the 23rd of September (finish University) so what would be the best time to go between these? I really can't stand too much heat, and similarly I don't want it to be miserable and raining.
  
• What kind of budget would you need to set yourself for 2 weeks in Japan, travelling from England? I don't want to stay somewhere like a hostel, just as long as I have my own room and bathroom then I'm fine. I was thinking around £2000 ($3084). £600 for the flight, no idea how much a hotel would cost, then the rest for food/travel etc. Maybe be better to spend £2500 ($3855)?
  
• Is there anything worth buying before I go, like a rail pass etc? Any sites or places that are really worth a visit? Please tell me your favourite places.
  
• I really like fashion, so I want to know where to visit in Tokyo. Harajuku and Shibuya? How much time should I spend there?
  
• What are your favourite hotels? Where have you stayed before that has been good value for money?

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure more questions will come as I research more! Thanks for your time JF. I've been here for 2 years now so I'm glad I can finally call on your knowledge to help me out.

1) The later you go, the warmer it is going to be. August is generally considered the most hot/humid, but that certainly carries into September. Tsuyu, or the rainy season happens in the earlier months of summer. In terms of comfort, I would probably go earlier in the summer than later.

2) You can stay comfortably in hotels for under $100 a night. I would budget about $40 a day for food, but budget some more for special meals you might want to try that will cost a bit more. The value of a rail pass will just depend on how far you plan on going outside of Tokyo.

3) If you are into fashion in Tokyo there are all kinds of places to go. I am not sure about Harajuku, but Shinjuku, Ginza, Roppongi will be places to explore.

Great, thank you MMM, that sounds good. The official time for finishing Uni is May 25th, but we usually finish earlier than that depending on exam timetables, so it might be possible for me to go earlier than that.

This is the hotel I stayed in earlier this year. The rates seem higher than when I was there. I think I paid about 8000 a night for a single room. Very new, clean and modern.

http://centurion-hotel.com/e/hotel.html

Oh wow, looks nice! It is expensive though, I'll have to have a think about it. :)

8000 yen a night is actually a reall good price, i doubt that you will find anything decent for less, I have stayed at places that cost between 4000 yen -6500 yen a night, but I will never go back to those hotels

Yeah, 8000 would be good, but the prices on the website seem to have gone up now to around 12,600 or something. That's a lot! (About £100 a night! If I were to stay there for 12 nights, that'd be £1200... a lot of money. Looking for something more around the £60-80 mark.) I'm willing to invest in a nice place though, I'm really picky about cleanliness~ I'm not really bothered about the style or anything, so long as it's a) clean and b) as it's own toilet and shower. So I shall have to think about it :)

I paid about the same for tokyo prince last year, it was like 13500 yen or something like that, so defintely 12600 may be a bit much

What about shinagawa prince? Its not exaly 8000 Yen a night, but I think you can get a decent price through japanhotel.net

You can find info on them here: TOP | Shinagawa Prince Hotel

Hmm looks nice~ When I tried to see the rates though, it says you can only stay for 10 nights, when I wanted to spend 2 weeks in Japan, so 12 nights, really. I'll have a look on Japanhotel.net and see what I can find though :)

You can email them, they can book it for you. Most I've talked to don't like booking through Japanhotel.net for various reason, I myself had positive experieince with them, and what it comes down to is for you to do your own research prior to booking, and they were able to make all kind of special arrangements for me so I am sure 12 nights won't be a big problem