Hello all,

Sorry if this ends up ranting and is a long post, or if I'm offensive in any way....

I've always wanted to visit Japan, I love everything I've heard/seen of Japan in the United States. The food, the culture, the people, the sights. I just want to go so bad, and have wanted to for as long as I can remember.

I've only slightly been out of the country once on a cruise, so if possible I've a few questions, or maybe just a guide I'm probably looking for would suffice...

People going: 2(boyfriend/girlfriend)
Time: 2 weeks
Where we live: Raleigh/Durham North Carolina(airport RDU)
We aren't rich/well off at all(but we're okay!), but I want to save for a year and go and we can do that for sure.
Ages: 27 and 29

So here is the part where I don't know what else to say as I don't know....Questions below.

1. What time of year should we go?

2. Where should we go? I'm guessing the airport we need to get to is Tokyo? I think there are two, so which is it?

3. About how much is it usually or should I expect to pay for 2 round trip tickets from the US to Japan? Unfortunately living in RDU, I'm sure there are no direct flights or anything remotely close to that so I know it will be a bit more pricier.

4. How much Japanese as far as language/writing should I know? I want to get one of those rosetta stone courses for Japanese and run through it over the course of a year with the girlfriend, should be fun too!

5. How are the prices for food/fun/etc over there?

6. I hear the JR or subway train thingy is the best way to travel around. Is that the case for anywhere I'd really like to go? Or is a cab needed sometime?

7. I saw someone mention a ryokan as a place to stay, not sure if that's the same kind of concept as a Hotel/Motel or not, but is that what I'm looking for? I definitely want to stay somewhere nice, not 300$ a night nice, but not 49.99$ and rats nice

8. If anyone has ever traveled two weeks on somewhat of a budget, any advice for the amount of money to carry along?

9. I'm very ignorant and apparently slow, so I'm not sure how the currency would work...do I just exchange dollars for Yen?

10. What is your(the people helping me )'s favorite thing to do in any place in Japan, or favorite sight...something that you have a very fond memory of....

11. I think that's all for now, I'm sure I'll think of more,but I realize this is a ridiculous amount of work for some nice people to assist with as it is.


Any answers/help are more than greatly appreciated. Thank you thank you!

It sounds like the first step for you is a guidebook and a look at an online guide, www.japan-guide.com

Brief answers to some of your questions:
1. If you can go for the sakura (cherry blossoms) March/April, even into May depending on location or the Koyo (fall colors) in November, that would be great.
2. Where to go depends on your interest. Most people at least visit Tokyo and Kyoto, but there are many other options as well. There are two airports in/nears Tokyo - Narita is likely where you flights will land.
3. Tickets will likely be in the $1200 - $1500 range per person.
4. You don't have to to know Japanese, but a few phrases can help.
5. Food prices range from quite reasonable to extravagant. You can certainly eat on a budget.
6. Rail is an excellent way to get from one city to another. The rail system is fabulously efficient, ticket prices are reasonable. There are also subways and local trains. Not all trains are JR trains. You will sometimes want to take a taxi.
7. Ryokans are places to stay but are not like motels/hotels. They are often very expensive, as they usually include an elaborate multi-course dinner. $300-$600 a night per person is not unusual. You likely want to stay in hotels. Japanese business hotels can be a good value. Rooms are tiny, but everything is very clean. Tokyo Inn is one such chain.
8. Many thousand of people have travel for two weeks on a budget. Read some of the reports here - go to the top of the page and choose "Japan" from the drop-down menu and read reports. Also, if you have hotel points, Japan is the place to use them.
9. Currency works just as it does anywhere else in the world - you will need to use the local currency. You can carry US cash and exchange it at the airport, or, better yet, use an ATM card to withdraw cash from your US account. Now is the time to start shopping for a checking account that will not charge you $5 every time you use a foreign ATM and that doesn't charge the full 3% on foreign exchange. Check small, local banks and credit unions.

We loved Kyoto and were there at the height of the koyo. Take a look: http://www.marlandc.com/japan-2013.html

Fall or Spring are the best times to go as summer is hot & humid/rainy and winter can be bitter cold.

2. Narita is the main international airport about 1 hour outside Tokyo. Haneda is in the city, and covers the domestic airlines, but more and more int'l carriers are landing there now. If you plan to travel south, you might see if you can fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka. many airlines allow this with little or no increase in price. If you plan it like this, you won't have to backtrack at the end of your trip and will save you the $$. I like kayak.com for doing the air tickets. Use "multi-city" instead of "round trip."

4. It would be good to know a few phrases in Japanese...Hello goodbye, thank you, How much, where is (train, toilet, bus, etc).
I've never used used Rosettta stone, but a friend did, and she felt it was way too expensive. She preferred Duolingo.

5. Prices vary widely. Noodles/Ramen at a stall can satisfy for about $7. Luckily, most restaurants have prices on plastic (and very accurate) models of all their menu in the front window. You can say "dozo" and drag the server outside to point! Major Train and subway stations normally have lots of budget dining. Conbis (convenience stores like 7-11, Larsens, etc) are a good source of interesting and often quite tasty fast food.

6. Train/subway/bus are most economical. It's rare I use a taxi.

7. Ryokans are expensive, traditonal lodgings. There are guesthouses and inns that can provide Japanese rooms without the high prices. "Biszniss hoterus" are also good. If you go without reseervations, use the Info centers that are usually across the street from train stations. They'll find you a room and give you a map!
Another budget option can be hostels. Some will give couples a private room, and the prices are usually pretty good. Look at hostelworld.com for accurate descriptions & reviews. It's hard to get a bad room in Japan. Only twice in many, many trips have I had a room that wasn't really clean.

It is easy to just wing it in Japan unless you are there doing Golden week or other high travel seasons (eg. Cherry blossom time)

Museums tend to be expensive in Japan. Lots of the best activities are walking, hiking, bicycling, meandering, visitng temples or even the unique Japanese Department stores. A lot of advice will depend on when you will be visiting.

You can start with the Travel Essentials here: www.japan-guide.com/e/e623b.html

and here: www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

Kathie and lcuy have given you great info.

Definitely start with a guidebook. It doesn't need to be up-to-date at this point, so you can borrow some from the library, or hang out at Barnes and Noble and read theirs with a cup of coffee.

I fly out of RDU and you will have to change planes to get to Japan. I usually stop off for a few days on the way, but with only two weeks you'll need to go straight through. In addition to the standard sites like kayak.com and hipmunk.com you might look at consolidator tickets from sites like onetravel.com.

I travel on a budget, click on my name for my East Asia TR which includes Japan.

Rather than spending a lot of money on Rosetta, consider borrowing the Pimsleur language CDs from Wake County library.

1. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2273.html
2. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2034.html
3. http://matrix.itasoftware.com
4. Not much. I took an Open University type class before my first trip to Japan. Important is to learn how to correctly pronounce Japanese words. Start with pronunciation of Tokyo and Kyoto. Learn how to say: hello, good morning, where is ...?, toilet, train station. After you finish that language homework, and before going further into language, I suggest reading about Japanese customs. For example: no need to shout, cash is not passed hand-to-hand (use the little tray), no tipping, the phrase "that would be difficult" means "absolutely not". Things like that. For how to use a taxi see the link below. The Japanese have their ways. There are books on the subject as well as websites, I suppose.
5. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2410.html
6. What you heard is basically true. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e627.html
Using a taxi is a convenience and not a necessity. Occasional use of a taxi in Kyoto is worthwhile. Also, taxis are sometimes useful in small towns. Don't touch a taxi door or tip, as explained: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2021.html
7. It is possible to stay at a luxurious traditional ryokan with a kaiseki meal and breakfast for $300 per person per night. But, for $300 for two people, you can get a very nice traditional ryokan experience. Maybe $250, or less, but I think that $300 is the right price and not a budget buster. You might justify that by considering that half of the cost (or more) is for the meals, so the cost is $150 for lodging and a $75 per person splurge for a fancy dinner in traditional Japanese style, plus breakfast and use of a Japanese bath/onsen.
Great info here: www.japaneseguesthouses.com
And, of course, japan-guide has the rundown on lodging: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2025.html
8. See answer to 5. above, and this: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2028.html
9. Yes. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2196.html
10. Unlike the previous nine questions, this one is a personal one and a "read these webpages" or "get a guidebook" doesn't really suit. But the question is wide open so I will do it anyway and there is a nice itinerary tool here: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400.html
japan-guide is a good source for practical info. I think the JNTO website www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ would be helpful for you to get a better grasp of what Japan has to offer.

11. Your realization is correct but notice that we all gave you homework to do. In addition to doing that, it would be helpful for you to expand on your second paragraph "I've always wanted to visit Japan, ..." in your OP.

all of the above are experts...

I spent about 2 weeks there this past fall. I found it very expensive comparatively, especially for food and transportation within the country. fall is a great time to go, imo.

look at some of the Asian air carriers for you transport: Korean, jal, ana... jal has a non-stop flt from boston and I suspect maybe DC??

4. How much Japanese as far as language/writing should I know? I want to get one of those rosetta stone courses for Japanese and run through it over the course of a year with the girlfriend, should be fun too!

I spent 20-30 minutes EVERY morning for 4-6 months using Rosetta Stone to learn Japanese and I'm afraid I never reached anything that would have been ANY use while travelling. I guess I could have made random pronouncements to strangers that "the girl is running", "the boys are eating bread", "the man is buying a coat", "the women are standing on the bridge"... but in those several modules I did not reach any traveller phrases such as "Please, excuse me, I do not understand, where is the station, a single / return ticket please". And I'd consider myself strong in language learning. What it did give me was a bit of confidence on pronunciation and I then used a regular traveller's phrase book during the trip.

As everyone has suggested, I recommend you read AS MUCH of the Japan-Guide site as you can and then start working out your trip.