Traveling Japan 2009: Osaka, Yokohama, Tokyo, Kyoto, etc
This year a pair of round trip tickets only costed me ~$1500, so I upgraded to the 14-day rail pass which was $1,000 for 2. Food is surprisingly pretty cheap in my opinion. I'm lucky because my gf has family over here, so if we stay in her hometown our lodging is free.
I would look up hotels via online prior to arriving to get some deals. Last year we booked some hotel rooms in Yokahama and surrounding districts in Tokyo for a pretty cheap price. It just depends on demand on the dates you are looking for.
Hope that helps a bit.
Website where rail passes can be purchased at a discounted rate and fedexed to you from Illinois:
https://www.japanrailtravel.com/Japa....cfm?stepNum=5
Last edited by Rickdogg; Jun 7, 2009 at 09:41 PM.
I visited a local private school, which was awesome to see firsthand. The kids typically walk pretty long distances to and from school so their uniforms are equipped with the bright yellow backpacks for safety. They also all have these pagers on their shoulder straps just in case anything bad happens, so that they can page someone if they are in trouble or need help. However, I don't really see that happening especially in this town since everything is so peaceful.
Some things that really stood out to me is the fact that the kids all contribute by growing vegetables in the garden that are used by the cafeteria staff to make their lunches every day. They also raise animals such as rabbits with kids teams coming early in the morning to feed and take care of these chores. The kids even take turns helping in the cafeteria serving food. All of the kids seemed to be very genuine and super sweet. I guess it is not surprising since their schools instill responsibility and a sense of caring at such an early age.
I also had a chance to have lunch at a restaurant that only takes reservations. They do not have a menu of any sort since they specialize in creating making new menu items each and every day. Apparently it's always a surprise. My favorite was the "black sesame ice cream". The ice cream was very rich in flavor. It was flavorful, not sweet, yet very tasty.
The soup that slowly cooks while you eat everything else:
Poor dog has to sit on the concrete stairs all day lol:
Store specializing in aloe vera:
The post office and bank is under one roof:
Place where im getting some business cards made:
Instead of receipts, the ATM machines stamp your check book tracking deposits and withdrawals:
Z32:
Modified Pathfinder:
Skyline:
Silvia:
Ings +1 Patch:
Some things that really stood out to me is the fact that the kids all contribute by growing vegetables in the garden that are used by the cafeteria staff to make their lunches every day. They also raise animals such as rabbits with kids teams coming early in the morning to feed and take care of these chores. The kids even take turns helping in the cafeteria serving food. All of the kids seemed to be very genuine and super sweet. I guess it is not surprising since their schools instill responsibility and a sense of caring at such an early age.
I also had a chance to have lunch at a restaurant that only takes reservations. They do not have a menu of any sort since they specialize in creating making new menu items each and every day. Apparently it's always a surprise. My favorite was the "black sesame ice cream". The ice cream was very rich in flavor. It was flavorful, not sweet, yet very tasty.
The soup that slowly cooks while you eat everything else:
Poor dog has to sit on the concrete stairs all day lol:
Store specializing in aloe vera:
The post office and bank is under one roof:
Place where im getting some business cards made:
Instead of receipts, the ATM machines stamp your check book tracking deposits and withdrawals:
Z32:
Modified Pathfinder:
Skyline:
Silvia:
Ings +1 Patch:
I'm getting used to sitting on the right side. However, it just feels weir looking over my left shoulder backing up. The front signal switch is on the right and the windshield wipers are on the left, so it's funny when I accidentally hit the front windshield wipers switch when trying to signal.
Last edited by Rickdogg; Jun 8, 2009 at 05:09 AM.
It really depends on when you purchase your tickets, your taste in food/lodging, and what cities you plan on staying in. A pair of round trip tickets costed me ~$2500 last year (Aug 08) plus another $550 or so for a pair of 7-day rail passes. Make sure to purchase the rail passes prior to leaving for Japan since they offer tourists the rail pass at a discounted rate.
This year a pair of round trip tickets only costed me ~$1500, so I upgraded to the 14-day rail pass which was $1,000 for 2. Food is surprisingly pretty cheap in my opinion. I'm lucky because my gf has family over here, so if we stay in her hometown our lodging is free.
I would look up hotels via online prior to arriving to get some deals. Last year we booked some hotel rooms in Yokahama and surrounding districts in Tokyo for a pretty cheap price. It just depends on demand on the dates you are looking for.
Hope that helps a bit.
Website where rail passes can be purchased at a discounted rate and fedexed to you from Illinois:
https://www.japanrailtravel.com/Japa....cfm?stepNum=5
This year a pair of round trip tickets only costed me ~$1500, so I upgraded to the 14-day rail pass which was $1,000 for 2. Food is surprisingly pretty cheap in my opinion. I'm lucky because my gf has family over here, so if we stay in her hometown our lodging is free.
I would look up hotels via online prior to arriving to get some deals. Last year we booked some hotel rooms in Yokahama and surrounding districts in Tokyo for a pretty cheap price. It just depends on demand on the dates you are looking for.
Hope that helps a bit.
Website where rail passes can be purchased at a discounted rate and fedexed to you from Illinois:
https://www.japanrailtravel.com/Japa....cfm?stepNum=5
Thank you for the insight and information. The link also gave us a better idea of the airfare.
thanks man
Rick,
You lucky dog you... I wish I was over there right now. Pics look good and can't wait for the rest. Have fun and be safe,,,and save me one of those Pedo Bear Keys..lol..
You lucky dog you... I wish I was over there right now. Pics look good and can't wait for the rest. Have fun and be safe,,,and save me one of those Pedo Bear Keys..lol..
