Hi!

I am thinking about booking a flight to either Osaka or Tokyo for either 1 week or 2 weeks starting May 23.

Any suggestions for an intinerary and solo trip tips for a female!

Also, any warnings?

no warnings...Japan is very safe. of coarse, be aware of your surroundings, but its commons to see ladies walking around past midnite in the city... and i dont mean ladies of the nite

Japan is very safe. I see little kids (teenage girls) traveling by themselves, unchaperoned.

If this is your first time to Japan, do Tokyo, Kyoto. Nara is do-able on a day trip from Kyoto. Osaka is modern, more cutting edge than Tokyo.

Since you are solo you have a lot of flexibility to take advantage of, you can certainly venture out beyond Tokyo and Kyoto if you so choose on a first 2 wk trip. It depends on your travel style and interests.

At the risk of sounding like mrwunrfl (I say that because these were his exact words the first time a few yrs ago when I posted an "I'm going to Japan, where do I start" posting),

"Start here: www.jnto.go.jp/ "

Go there and see what interests you. If you are more of a book person, get a guidebook (although the internet info on Japan is so great that i don't use books anymore). With a rail pass and cheap domestic airfare for tourists, you can pretty much go anywhere you want anywhere in Japan w/some planning. Then come back here and people can help you more when you have more ideas on what areas interest you.

Warnings: Don't make the mistake of thinking you can get a rail pass inside Japan. And practice your ", drop, grip and aim" bathroom skills. Just kidding on that last one.

oh, and do NOT try to close the cab door.

OMG, emd you caught me off guard with that one! I laughed out loud.
Evan told us not to, but each of us forgot and tried at least once.
Have you ever seen such immaculate cabs?

What about the lace seat covers and the white gloves that many of the drivers have? This is one of those moments when you know you are not in NYC...

My husband kept trying to help the drivers put our luggage in the trunk, and some of them were very insulted.
I kept having to say "Honey, let him do his job."

I think he also insulted some women by offering them seats on buses and trains. He got some really dirty looks. He was trying to be a gentleman, but I think maybe it's a cultural thing?