Korean Job Discussion Forums

jen_the_great · Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Location: Gangnam, Seoul

I'm looking into going to Japan for my summer holiday (August 22-30). I've looked up info on trains and flights, and want to get the foriegner rail pass and either take the ferry from Busan or a flight to Osaka. I went to Fukouka for my visa run, but I've never travelled on my own before, so help with anything would be useful to me. Here's some specifics I was wondering though:

-What's the best rail pass to get?
-Are there differences in rail/ferry prices? Do I need to shop around or should I just book it?
-If I only have 6 days, which places should I hit? (I definitely want to see Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka)
-Do you know any decent hostels or cheap places to stay?
-Is anyone else going during this time? I'd love to meet people.
-How much money should I bring?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

* Get the one week rail pass at Busan Port. Time your entry & exit to Japan to get the most out of it
* You get a slight discount on the KTX from Seoul to Busan , The Beetle Hydrofoil from Busan to Hakata, & the JR Pass, if you buy all 3 together, but I don't know if its worth the extra hassle. I don't know where you'd buy a multi ticket. Seoul Station perhaps?
* I wasn't impressed with Osaka. In 9 days using a 7 day JR pass, I did Hakata > Nagasaki > Hiroshima > Kyoto > Fuji Go Ko > Kamakura > Tokyo > Miyajima > Hakata. I detrained at Shin Fuji, but busses from there to Kawaguchiko & Fuji Yoshida are infrequent. I waited 2 hours. It may have been better to continue on to Tokyo, & get a train or bus from Shinjuku. Note the private rail line from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko is not covered by your JR railpass. The other 2 days of the 9 days in Japan, I spent in Fukuoka getting acquainted with Japan & picking up some confidence & orienteering, before I activated the JR Pass.
* I went in August 2006, so I paid for aircon rooms, much more expensive than guesthouses. Try Lonely Planet Japan for more budget accomodation. It was 5.5 k yen for the 3 sisters gh in Kyoto.
* I leave Korea for Australia in 2 days time. Unable to accompany you.
* Bring a credit card for atms. Most Japanese post offices have atms. My Nong Hyup card worked fine in Japan. Ask your Korean co-teacher to speak to your bank to ensure it can be used as an international cash debit card. I spent about 3 million won in Japan but also had a few days travel up the east coast of ROK. Japan is not a cheap country to travel in. 3 pages of photos I took in Japan:

http://www.trekearth.com/members/ChrisJ/photos/Asia/Japan/

jen_the_great · Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Location: Gangnam, Seoul

Thanks so much. I'm looking into everything you suggested. Your trip looks amazing from your photos. I hope I have as good a time as you.

newintown · Joined: 01 Jan 2007

yeah good info, thank you. i'm doing a similair trip first week of september, and would welcome more tips, especially for cheap accomodation, specifically in nara.
OP i suggest you check the beetle soon though, as seats sell up quickly
www.jrbeetle.co.jp/english/welcome/index.html
keep it coming peeps....

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

To jen_the_great:
Did a similar thing to you a couple of years ago when i went with my friend...
Did the rail pass and went from Fukuoka-Tokyo-Fukuoka

It was a bit rushed but the thing was i had lived in japan for 2 years previously and visited about 10 other times including kyoto 2 times, fukuoka 6 times, Osaka 3 times and Hiroshima 2 times before so had seen a lot of the stuff we went to see and knew my way around very well so it was fine...she paid for my ticket as she wanted someone to guide her to the best places without any hassles and she was a great travelling companion.

Anyway, suggested intenary:

Day 1: Busan - Fukuoka - Hiroshima(stay in hiroshima)
Day 2: Hiroshima(Miyajima and Bomb site) - early evening to Kyoto(stay Kyoto)
Day 3: Kyoto all day(Golden palace,etc)
day 4: Kyoto - Nara(todaiji) - late afternoon Kyoto- early eveing Tokyo(stay tokyo)
Day 5: Tokyo (all day)
Day 6: Tokyo - morning Kyoto(due to great hostel) - Osaka for the day - Kyoto(sleep kyoto)
Day 7: Kyoto - Himeji - Fukuoka(sleep Fukuoka)
Day 8: Fukuoka - busan.

Granted it was a little rushed but she got to see everything she wanted to see and it was good fun...

All up costs were about 1.2 million including food and accomodation..
a great, clean and cheap hostel run by the same people in kyoto and Tokyo is http://kshouse.jp/kyoto-e/index.html (kyoto) and http://kshouse.jp/tokyo-e/index.html (tokyo) but you have to book well in advance(really really popular) and since you are going next week you haven't left yourself any time. except for domitories everything is sold out.

newintown · Joined: 01 Jan 2007

just because, can you check those links, they'e not loading properly.
i'm trying to find cheap accomodation for kyoto at the moment...

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

Should be fixed now...

I booked a private room 3 months in adavance, that is how popular this place is.....

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

If you want a cheap place in Kyoto with more ambiance, I recommend

Waraku-An

In Hiroshima, J-hoppers.. It was the most social place I stayed in Japan.

As others have said, I'd skip Osaka if i were you.

Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo is what I'd suggest.

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

Huffdaddy: they don't call them bullet trains for nothing! Better to see the highlights, than not see them at all, imho. I would have liked to include Nikko & Nara too, but simply didn't have the time.

newintown · Joined: 01 Jan 2007

jen_the_great · Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Location: Gangnam, Seoul

I decided to fly over. It's only a hundred bucks more and saves me like 14 hours in transit. I'm going to land in Osaka at 2 pm on Thursday and fly out on the following Thursday morning. Any new suggested itinaries (Just Because you seem knowledgeable)?

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

First timers going to Japan for a week should be a sticky thread.

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

huffdaddy: I only got 2 weeks off for Chuseok. Not all of us are on university contracts. There are 2,000 temples in Kyoto alone. I would need several years to see them all. Highlights are better than nothing imho, but if I had the time, then yes, I would spend a week or more in each city. My next trip to Japan will focus on areas I missed: Nara, Nikko, & Hokkaido eg, with a few more days in Tokyo, to see attractions in that city I missed on trip 1. Mt Aso volcano in Kyushu is another tourist attraction I might include.