View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
joe_doufu

Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere
|
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:19 pm Post subject: japan in winter |
|
|
OK, I've booked a ferry so I'll be spending five days in Japan the first week of january. sunday 1/1 to saturday 1/6. The travel agency (Marco Polo) reserved the ferry tickets for me and I got out my credit card and they said "no, sorry, this fare is cash only". Of course I didn't have that much in cash on hand, it was strange to have a travel agent actually not want to get his hands on my credit card. I'll go back tomorrow.
One decision I have to make: They suggested I buy the one-week Japanese rail pass for 300,000won. I said I'd hold off on that until I'd researched it. Is that a good deal? I certainly plan to at least go from Fukuoka to Tokyo and perhaps another city.
Finally, what kind of sleeping accomodations should I make? Are there youth hostels in Japan? How much money should I expect to spend?
Oh, and where do you think I should visit in the wintertime in Japan? Never been there. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
canuckistan Mod Team


Joined: 17 Jun 2003 Location: Training future GS competitors.....
|
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I've recently discovered this site but it seems like it has good info/prices on hostels/transpo in just about every country. The message board has some interesting info as well.
www.travelpunk.com |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The JR pass is great. Basically one round trip shinkansen trip between Tokyo and Osaka comes pretty close to the price of a pass. In bigger cities, like Tokyo and Osaka, the JR system acts as a secondary subway system. With your pass you can get on for free. Subway travel isn't cheap in Japan like Korea. I stayed in Osaka for a week and Sapporo for a week. With my pass, I could get on a shinkansen in the morning, zip to Tokyo, hang around for the afternoon and go back to Osaka. I took a sleeper train from Tokyo to Sapporo. The pass does not cover your room but it covers the boarding charge. The room costs as much as one night in a hotel. Since you're going to be staying in a hotel that day if you stay put in Tokyo, it's not really an odious extra fee to pay.
If you want to travel in style, go for the first class pass. You get to ride in the "Midori" (green) cars which have nicer seats. It's kind of fun to be a foreign backpacker type riding first class with the suited power riders. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
joe_doufu

Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere
|
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 10:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Cool, thanks. Do you think it's worth 300k won to buy the rail pass from the Korean travel agency? Or can I buy it when I get to Fukuoka cheaper? Are you saying the rail pass gets me on the subways for free? That would be good. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:22 am Post subject: |
|
|
joe_doufu wrote: |
Cool, thanks. Do you think it's worth 300k won to buy the rail pass from the Korean travel agency? Or can I buy it when I get to Fukuoka cheaper? Are you saying the rail pass gets me on the subways for free? That would be good. |
Not the subway. There's the subway system and then there is the commuter JR rail system. The JR rail system runs through the city and out to the burbs. I just found in Osaka and Sapporo I could use the JR system to get some places for free which would have cost me a subway ride.
The pass needs to be bought outside of the country. (I think it can be bought in Japan but this isn't fully easy.) Your travel agent will give you a voucher. You give the voucher to the JR rail guy in Japan and he then gives you the pass. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
joe_doufu

Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere
|
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 6:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
mindmetoo wrote: |
joe_doufu wrote: |
Cool, thanks. Do you think it's worth 300k won to buy the rail pass from the Korean travel agency? Or can I buy it when I get to Fukuoka cheaper? Are you saying the rail pass gets me on the subways for free? That would be good. |
Not the subway. There's the subway system and then there is the commuter JR rail system. The JR rail system runs through the city and out to the burbs. I just found in Osaka and Sapporo I could use the JR system to get some places for free which would have cost me a subway ride.
The pass needs to be bought outside of the country. (I think it can be bought in Japan but this isn't fully easy.) Your travel agent will give you a voucher. You give the voucher to the JR rail guy in Japan and he then gives you the pass. |
ok, i'll go to buy the Lonely Planet guide today and try to find out if the travel agent is charging a fair price or where i should get a better deal. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
joe_doufu

Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere
|
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 3:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
I got my ferry tickets and the LP guide today (chiaa, that was me) -- i didn't realize there is just so much stuff in Japan. I'm really not sure where to begin planning this thing. I thought maybe just head for Tokyo the first day and slowly work my way back west by the end of the week. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
just because

Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964
|
Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 10:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
JR Pass is definetely worth it..the biggest bargain for Japan
From fuokuka to tokyo and back is 560 000 won so buy it here as in japan it is unavailable...you can only buy it outside of japan...
Also you can't catch every bullet train, the noizumi(super express) is off-limits but you can take the Hikari(limited express) which is about every 30 minutes and from Fukuoka to Tokyo will take about 6 hours and 30 minutes so bring a good book....
Also in Tokyo you can use the JR Pass for the Yamonate(?? - forget the spelling) train loop line that stops at all the famous places in tokyo which is very useful
5 days is not long enough for a Fukuoka - Tokyo- Fukouka train run but it still sould be fun... |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Ekuboko
Joined: 22 Dec 2004 Location: ex-Gyeonggi
|
Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 4:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
just because wrote: |
Also you can't catch every bullet train, the noizumi(super express) is off-limits but you can take the Hikari(limited express) which is about every 30 minutes and from Fukuoka to Tokyo will take about 6 hours and 30 minutes so bring a good book....
Also in Tokyo you can use the JR Pass for the Yamonate |
NOZOMI;
YAMANOTE line. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
just because

Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964
|
Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Come on, i haven't lived there for 5 years..
i think that was a pretty good attempt of remembering  |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
|
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
Isn't it a bit cold for travelling around in January? |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
joe_doufu

Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere
|
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 5:13 am Post subject: |
|
|
Tiger Beer wrote: |
Isn't it a bit cold for travelling around in January? |
I'll be sure to let you know! LOL |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 4:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Tiger Beer wrote: |
Isn't it a bit cold for travelling around in January? |
It's not really that cold in Japan in Winter. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
just because

Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964
|
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
japan is Ok in winter...not to bad, nothing like Seoul |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
joe_doufu

Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere
|
Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:22 am Post subject: |
|
|
just because wrote: |
japan is Ok in winter...not to bad, nothing like Seoul |
It seems Japan extends a lot farther from north to south than Korea does, and there are some cold bits. I read that the coast fronting the Sea Of Japan (like Fukuoka) are colder than those facing the open Pacific (like Tokyo). I'll find out! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|