Japan Travel Tips
Thought I’d add a few tips for planning a trip to Japan. I’ll be adding to this as time goes on.
Booking hotels: japanican.com This website is run by the reputable JTB travel agency. They have the most options for off the beaten path places (ie not Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, etc.) for an English website and have both hotels and ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). Some hotels you will need to prepay, although there is no charge for cancellation. The prices also seem better than on some other sites.
Train Travel: The Japan Rail Pass is a must if you will be traveling around by train. A one-week pass pays for itself with one Tokyo-Kyoto roundtrip, so any extra traveling is a bonus. You must purchase the pass before you arrive in Japan; you will receive a voucher that you will exchange for the pass at a rail office in Japan. There are many ways to purchase one, but on-line I have found the best is Kintetsu Travel. They do not charge any extra fees on top of the pass cost (you could buy a pass from AAA, but you’ll pay way too much). See kinetsu.com for details.
To determine whether you will save money by purchasing a rail pass check out hyperdia.com and input your travel to compare costs.
Tags: Japan
Leave a Reply