Current mood:

tired

One for the Dragonites
To all Dragonites,

I’m currently on a double decker shinkansen (bullet train) appropriately called the “MAX Time) going from Tokyo to Niigata (North basically) so now is a good time to write up some information about coming to Japan on a sensible budget.

As you all know, I have special needs due to my brain tumour so I try to get the most comfort out of my journey while equating cost into the equation so there will be cheaper ways of doing this journey but this is how I do mine.

Firstly, a flight to Japan shouldn’t cost more than £550 especially if you’re flying indirect. I can’t sit down for more than 30 minutes without feeling a degree of pain in my legs so I’m happy to fork out up to £600 for a direct flight. My preferred airline is Japan Airways on the basis that:

a) They have no problems with my condition and are even willing to help and

b) They’re Japanese so I like to start my holiday on the plane.

Flying off peak season is obviously better if you can get it but the Japanese climate is a proper 4 seasons situation. I find summer to be blisteringly hot (40 degrees in some places) so I like to come here in Spring or Winter (the latter has proper snow up north with 3 foot snow falls in 1 night!)

Secondly, if you want to do some extensive travelling then the Japanese railway is certainly the best way to go. You can buy a 1 week Japan Rail Pass for little under £100 from your travel agent which will give you unlimited travel on 99% of JR Trains. If you’re staying longer then you can get a 2 week or 3 week Japan Rail Pass but be warned, if you lose it, as I have done on this trip, then you can’t get a replacement!

I got my travel insurance from STA Travel on the basis I fractured my leg here once and they paid for the treatment so I know they work.

With the travel sorted, next is accommodation. I highly recommend getting the Lonely Planet Guide to Japan if it’s your first trip to Japan if only for the information about the accommodation available. There are plenty of hotels that’ll quite happily burn your money but my personal favourite is the Sawanoya Ryokan in Ueno, Tokyo. It’s centrally situated and within striking distance from most popular spots including my personal favourite, the electronics capital of the world, Akihabara, which is a 40 minute walk if you were really desperate. But an interesting walk neither the less as you’ll pass some “interesting” shops with “interesting” neon signs.

The Sawanoya Ryokan is quite popular because it’s bloody cheap at £25 a night, no food but your room is cleaned every day and there’s a TV, phone and LAN connection should you have a laptop. You would be lucky to find the same sort of price in Central London.

If you can’t speak Japanese and not going with anyone who can, stick to the large cities as most of the signs have English as well as Japanese and there’s usually someone in a shop who’ll speak English if you need help. I used the ancient Enligh art of “Wingin’ It” when I first came in 2001 and got by fine. If you can speak Japanese then I highly recommend going to the countryside on the basis that’s where the friendliest people are.

If you’re like me and want to get electronic goods at a cheaper price then buy second hand stuff from Akihabara. All too often it’s of high quality and a fraction of the normal price. If you walk down the main street of Akihabara or into a big glossy building then you’ll be paying top dollar. Go down the backstreets if you want to find a bargain.

The places I eat at are where the locals eat on the basis, that’s the cheapest option. If you see a glossy restaurant then you’ll be paying a glossy price and you might like to note how many “Ordinary” Japanese people are eating there. Places like “Yoshinoya” are Japan’s version of fast food. You go in, point at a picture, they bring a bowl of rice, slap some meat on it and pour some savoury broth over it and hey presto, lunch for 3 quid. If you want breakfast then I find the convenience stores to be, well, convenient, especially as you’re rarely more than 300m from one in a big city.

If Japan, you get what you pay for. As a general rule, the more you pay, the better the quality in general. If you’re into games, CDs and DVDs like myself then second hand chains like Book-Off are very good even though they’re second hand as they’re still in very good condition (compared to the UK.)

If you use your common sense then you’ll get by quite nicely. If you’re nice to everyone with a smile on your face, most people will not only like you back but also talk to you.

If you can speak basic Japanese or more and would like some suggestions as to where to go off the beaten track then feel free to get in contact.

I’m trying to find an employer or a school that’ll employ a Japanese teacher I know as if she can teach me (18 brain operations, radiotherapy, minor brain damage, short term memory loss) to speak, read, write and remember Japanese then she can teach anyone. If anyone can help then please get in touch.

If you have any questions or comments then please write to me at mappymappy@hotmail.com