Japan....

[WalterPill]

....is currently my number one unvisited destination. Any of you lot lived, travelled there? I'm looking at another extended spell of travel and I've never been there or korea or china and naturally would like to have a look. Any ideas on a good itinerary, mode of travel, good companies with which to travel and particular destinations of interest?

Karma awarded naturally. I'm good like that.

[{{909}}]

I want to go there too, although the more i read about it, the more i get put off slighly. Apparently its the most westernised part of the east, but i guess in some ways that may make it easier for us red haired devils to fit in.
I Loved the culture shock of the east when i went there last year. The rats in the hawker centre, the insane roaming the streets at night, waking up and theres monkeys boning in your front garden, 10p whores with stubble, you cant beat it.

[WalterPill]

I love 'culture shock'. I rate 'culture shock' above most every other holiday requirement. I do not and will never understand these people that go on holiday to places that have been designed to be as much like the UK as is humanly possible except with med temperatures and med sun. Fuck that shit and fuck anywhere where masses of britons unpack their HP sauce and their Heinz fucking beans.

[GTI]

I love 'culture shock'. I rate 'culture shock' above most every other holiday requirement. I do not and will never understand these people that go on holiday to places that have been designed to be as much like the UK as is humanly possible except with med temperatures and med sun. Fuck that shit and fuck anywhere where masses of britons unpack their HP sauce and their Heinz fucking beans.

Indeed fuck all that shit. I would recommend Jordan, Syria and Iran for a culturally enriching experience far from the maddening crowds of Brits.

[ruggie_uk]

To me a holiday is about experiencing their culture.
I hate to see places abroad offering "Full English Breakfast" and playing footy on the TV.
Might as well go to Blackpool if that's what you want.

[Thrush]

"To me a holiday is about experiencing their culture.
I hate to see places abroad offering "Full English Breakfast" and playing footy on the TV.
Might as well go to Blackpool if that's what you want."

A holiday could be anything that involves getting away from normal life and besides a full English breakfast in Spain (flights,hotel,beer) is usually cheaper then going to Blackpool.

Anyway....

Japan isn't a cheap place for a tourist. If I would recommend one thing, well two things, the first one would be to get yourself a tourist rail card (can only be bought outside of Japan) for a fixed period you can pretty much travel on any train in Japan, including the shinkansen (bullet train). Next up would be to join the Youth Hostel association, there are some excellent, super cheap youth hostels in Japan, with lots of helpful people who can help you out on your day to day travels, as soon as you’re bored of the area, jump on a train and go somewhere else. (I like this way of travelling around Japan, or at least I did when I was single)

Alternatively....

Business Hotel's are fairly cheap and dotted all over the shop 15~30 quid a night get your own room with shower, bath and toilet, good for the shy who avoid sleeping with others/showering with others.

I suffer a bit with people rage, if like me you have the same condition, avoid travelling out there on national holidays.

Have fun.

[WalterPill]

I'd heard that those tickets can only be bought from outside the country, thanks for the confirmation.

[{{909}}]

top advice there, ill bare that in mind if i ever get to go.

[WTD]

yeah i live here in japan..

if you visit tokyo then it will be fairly easy to get by, quite a few people will speak english (like in hotels etc), but as cueball said its not cheap!

Out of tokyo, will be a lot harder not speaking the lingo..

Anyway things to do here:

Snow monkeys in the onsen
An onsen somewhere
see Fuji
Nikko, very beautiful lovely place to go.
Several of the many many shrines
Tsukiji Fish market and Tuna auction, then sushi for brekky
Asakusa shrine
Kamakura and the massive seated buddah
Soaplands style massage parlour
Shabu shabu no-pan (nice japanese food served on very low sunken tables where all the waitress walk around with short skirts and no panties)
Ginza for shopping
Odaiba for shopping and a weird italian architecture styled shopping center
Millions of different eateries! with excellent food of all time!
Sumo
Sakura (cherry blossom) season
Harajuku for the freaks in yoyogi-koen (park)
Imperial Palace, but only for half a day
Tokyo Tower
Top of a tall building for beers (either roppongi hills or the mandarin oriental hotel)

erm, plus many more things I can't think of!