kja

BTW, there are ATMs at the airports in Japan where you can withdraw cash without paying the fees that a currency exchange would charge.

cmstraf

Thanks, kja, didn't know that.

kja

With many cards, you can identify ATMs in advance of a trip. It is truly amazing what one can do with google! Example: you can find (some? all?) cards that are part of the Cirrus network at this site:
http://www.mastercard.us/cardholder-...m-locator.html

Another useful site for japan is (of course) japan-guide:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2208.html

To paraphrase cmstraf, its great to have an option after a long flight!

Kavey

I have recommended ryokan here a number of times but often hesitate to talk about hotels as many fellow Fodorites seem to stay in larger American chains, which look delightful but are far above what I spend on a hotel. I don't mind splurging on high end traditional ryokans, as this is a special experience, but when it comes to western hotel rooms, I'm ok to spend far less.

So taking that into account, we found a bargain on booking.com last time, for our stay in Kyoto, 5 nights (which we extended to 6 at the last minute) cost Y48,000 - that's less than Y10,000 a night, which is ridiculously low - and our room was large (especially by Japanese standards), comfortable, very clean, and the location was superb. The hotel is called the Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa and it's not quite as high end as that sounds, though it's a fair step up from the Dormy Inns we also stayed in (and were perfectly happy with). The location in particular was ABSOLUTELY perfect for us, both for using buses and metro and for walking to local dinner options every night.