Candace

I would like any kind of input for a first time traveler to Japan. I will be flying into Narita and staying about a week. I've never even been out of the country before. I have a good friend that has been there for three years now that will help some. I'm looking for any suggestions on what not to forget, must sees and for just a basic trip approximately how much spending money. Any suggestions from anyone are greating appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Florence

You'll find informations on travelling in Japan at www.jnto.go.jp and www.jinjapan.org <BR> <BR>Don't worry, the Japanese are welcoming to foreigners, and since you have a friend there, you won't experience any problems. Will your friend meet you at the airport ? will you stay with him/her while in Tokyo ? <BR> <BR>If you plan to visit Kyoto and/or take day trips, you should invest in a Japan Rail Pass. <BR> <BR>You don't say when you're going and what kind of hotel you intend to stay in, etc. with this kind of informations, I might be able to help you better. Don't hesitate to contact me for any precisions you'd need. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

lisa

Japan is great. The subway system is easy to use. People are nice but english is not spoken a lot. So be prepared. Look at as many web sites you can and print everything you might be interested in doing or seeing.

Jim

lEAVE 2 HOURS TIME FROM AIRPORT TO hOTEL

carl

The signage in Tokyo and the larger cities makes it possible to navigate subways and trains reading Roman characters on your own. There is plenty to see in Tokyo with the temple and old market at Asakusa a great place to start to meet the culture and the people. Outside the international hotels you can't count on someone speaking English even in a restaurant in an area like the Ginza. Relay on your friend's help in getting tickets, reservations and the like. You can cover a lot of ground outside of Tokyo on the very efficient trains. Kyoto is just a couple of hours away and it's a beautiful town that you could go to for a quick visit. <BR>The ATM's are a problem as most don't take use cards or have English screens. Citibank and some Visa machines do. The hotel exchange rates are not too bad. You need to carry more cash than in the US as many restaurants won't take credit cards. Food is relatively expensive unless you eat at fast food or neighborhood places. Watch out for $20 breakfast buffets in the hotels. <BR> <BR>On Narita, the Citibank ATM is on your left as you exit customs at Terminal one. Taxis are outrageously expensive so get a ticket for the airpot bus into Tokyo. Have fun.

jenny

hey candace. I also will be going to japan but not for another about year. U didn't mention when you were going but if theres time my advice is to take a class at a local college in japanese. I have and learned that the basic characters(katakana) are used alot. of you learn this (three months tops!!)you'll be able to understand english words.

Florence

Jenny, <BR> <BR>Katakana won't help you much in Japan (trust me, I've learned the hard way on my first trips 20 years ago when there was absolutely nothing in English in the streets, train stations, etc.). <BR> <BR>First, the Japanese pronunciation of English words doesn't quite sound like anything you'll be used to. Second, the meaning of English words is not necessarily the same to the Japanese as it is for us (have a look at www.engrish.com for a good laugh). Third, the Japanese don't usually use English as a vehicle for communication. When they do, they write it in roman letters like us. When it's in katakana, it's just that they want to look trendy. <BR> <BR>My advice is: learn Hiragana (2 weeks at most if you exercise daily) and the more common Kanji (chinese characters) for train stations, cities, basic vocabulary. It's easier than it looks if you take the time to remember the basic radicals (ask the teacher at your college to point you to a good kanji book, Adamitski (sp?) for example), trust me. <BR> <BR>A very good ressource, once you've mastered hiragana, is "The Nihongo Journal", a monthly bilingual magazine aimed at self-study. Look at www.alc.co.jp

Jennifer

A little reminder for you Candace, <BR>make sure you get a pen and a little <BR>writing pad with you, it's really <BR>useful if you got any problems to <BR>communicate with the Japanese, of <BR>course they don't speak English they <BR>don't read English, but they understand <BR>simple drawings, it did help me a lot <BR>when I travelled there independently <BR>couple of years ago. <BR> <BR>there're so much fun to explore the <BR>Japanese culture, have a great trip!