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#381
29th December 2007, 02:15 AM
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♥ Ayu fan since September 2006 ♥ |
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#382
29th December 2007, 04:27 AM
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That's a great idea! I'll have to check those out sometime. I'll look on the front page - thanks =)
edit: Actually, after reading more and more throughout this gigantic thread, (as it's nearing 2:00am now where I live), I think I've pretty much decided I will just try to buy the 2 tickets at the reseller shop in Harajuku. It seems like it may actually be cheaper, anyway - or at least there's a small chance of it. Also - I'm at www.hihostels.com, and just for the fun of it I put in my supposed information: Country: Japan City: Yokohama Arrival date: 04 June 2008 Departure date: 18 June 2008 Nights: 14 Males: 1 Females: 1 And it said "Not Available 04 June - 18 June" in big red letters. :'( And, also, I don't have a Youth Hostel Membership card - I'm assuming that costs even more money  As of now, I don't really know where I am with this. Ideally, what I want to happen is I find the two cheapest round-trip flights to Tokyo (with Narita) for June 4th '08, buy a JR pass somewhere there at Narita airport I guess, find a youth hostel either in Tokyo or in Yokohama, I don't know which would be the better idea (I'm assuming my gf and I could stay in the same room and make it cheaper for us, yes?), on the next couple of days (probably June 5th and 6th) ride the rails to Harajuku and look for Takeshita street, in which I'll eventually find the LOVX lingerie store and, if all is awesome with the world, find two reasonably-priced Ayu tickets that won't completely blow. On the 7th or the 8th depending on which we buy, we'll go to the concert and have a blast. Then, the rest is pretty much as we decide to make it. We'll go exploring (taking "Hatix" 's suggestions most likely, along with any others  ), until the 18th when we'll fly back home.As of now, that is my dream for this. I think what's dragging me down now is the whole hostel thing - I think I'll be able to eventually figure out the whole flight situation for us (whether or not it will be cheap is still up in the air), but hostels are another story. They seem to be incredibly cheap though, which I know both my gf and myself will love. 
Last edited by jonneh; 29th December 2007 at 08:07 AM. Reason: more to add to it |
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#383
29th December 2007, 05:31 PM
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IMPORTANT NOTE: you cannot buy a JR Pass in Japan! You have to buy a voucher for it in your own country and then you can exchange it for a JR Pass in Narita or a big JR Station. Check the english website of the JR Pass for addresses: http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en005.html
Also: also try the reseller shop in Ueno, it's bigger than the one in Harajuku and sometimes has more choice. I also suggest taking a hostel in Tokyo, not in Yokohama, you'll probably only be in Yokohama for the concert (and maybe visiting Minato Mirai 21). And you would have to get on the train half an hour every time to go to Tokyo, and then take other trains/subways to other parts of Tokyo. I took a look at hihostels and they don't have much choice for Tokyo, try hostelworld.com as well. Compare and see what you think is good. It's always best to check a few different sources. Also, plan ahead what you're going to do in Tokyo, don't go there and think "we'll see what we do". Tokyo is big and so that you know where everything is and how to get there (which train/subway). Because it's big, it's not like just strolling through Tokyo, you don't do that. You stroll through parts of Tokyo which are 10-20 minutes from each other  . Not to scare you of the size, the train- and subway system can get you everywhere in no time.It's just that personally, I want to be prepared before I go somewhere I haven't been. Things like size, distance, language barrier... if you have (almost) everything planned out up front, you don't need help on the spot. (Although the japanese people are very friendly and would love to help you out) P.S.: I think I'm really gonna have to make a big tutorial too, with some travel tips and how get things like a Japan Rail Pass. Not that I know everything (certainly not!), but that I can share the things that I do know.
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My Japan Blog (and about Ayu, Anime,Figures,...) Japan 2007 Trip Travel Blog (May 4-18,Ayu Concert x2) Japan 2008 Trip Travel Blog (March 23-April 08,Ayu,gazette,X-Japan Concert & Tokyo Anime Fair) Japan 2009 Trip Travel Blog (April 26-May 13,Ayu & Perfume Concert & Dolls Party 21) Tokyo 2009 (Dec 27-Jan 3, Ayu CDL Concert) Japan 2010 (April 6-23, Ayu & Kuu Concert?) January 28th 2010: The day everything changed for international Ayu fans. <3 Last edited by Hatix; 29th December 2007 at 05:34 PM. |
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#384
29th December 2007, 08:22 PM
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Here's a map of my plans of action if I were you (hopefully ti would help)
1. Get a Youth Hostel Membership Card- it's 35$ and you save on average 5$ a night so it's worth it. You also get a free magazine subscription and good guides on traveling. And it's good for a year, so if you ever go anywhere again... 2. Find a cheap flight. Make sure you arent planning to go during any holidays or it's the high season or you'll be paying for it. Wikipedia will show you the best times to go. Test the days of the week you fly out and in on, cause that could change prices. 3. Get a rail pass. Buy it online and get it mailed to you. You can't buy them in Japan, but like Hatix said you get a voucher which you use in Narita airport in the JR place. The person I sat next to on the plane was so helpful and took me there Get it stmped so you can use it right away, cause you can use it to get into Tokyo for free. Decide how much travelling you will do, and then what rail pass you'll need. If you just go to Kyoto and back it will already have paid for itself right there.4. Find a hostel for the dates you will be there. Book the first few days. It probably says it's all booked because you are looking so many months in advance! I recommend Tokyo Yoyogi youth hostel. You and your girlfriend will be in separate roms, but you get individual rooms and it's 30$ a night and they are very helpful. It's right by shinjuku so it's central and easy to get to. I think I've talked about that hostel in here and it's the same on the creator of this thread sayed at. The best part about it is it has this awesome breakfast buffet next door that all the school kids and other travellers use and it's sooooo yumm- all you can eat and drink for 4$. 5. Plan your itinerary and have fun! Japan in incredibly convenient but you should still have a rough idea of what you want to do when. Searchthe internet and read some travel books on Tokyo and Japan- make a list of what you want to see
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#385
29th December 2007, 08:44 PM
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For the hostel, this is where I stayed last year... (booked it here too)
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldet...tel-Tokyo-6464 If you dont mind sharing, then you can get away with $20 a night. Was the best option for us heh. It is located in Minowa, which is in northern Tokyo. Was a very friendly place to stay and would easily recommend it. |
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#386
29th December 2007, 10:10 PM
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You seem to be very knowledgeable about Japan and especially Tokyo - I will certainly be taking all of your advice! If we do decide to go through with all of this, I will definitely be printing out much of this forum to take with me haha. I'll check both the shop in Harajuku and the shop in Ueno just incase one has more selection than the other, or better prices, etc. Quote:
I will definitely be getting a Hostel membership card, now that I realize it will be totally worth it. For the flight, that's exactly what I'm trying to find. A cheap flight - haha. Great idea about wikipedia; I'm going to try to find when the cheapest tickets for June would be available, while still being able to try and see the June 7th or June 8th concerts. I'm not quite sure what to type into Wikipedia for it, though - any suggestions? "Japan seasons"? Or maybe "japan holidays"? "The person I sat next to on the plane was so helpful and took me there Get it stmped so you can use it right away, cause you can use it to get into Tokyo for free." -- I can only hope I'll meet someone nice like that as well Did you speak Japanese when you went? I can ask little things here and there, and I know some vocabulary, but that's about it. I'm taking a class soon though, just because I love it. Also, you say to get it stamped ASAP so you can get into Tokyo for free - where do I get it stamped once I trade the voucher in for the JR Pass? At Narita airport as well?"Book the first few days. It probably says it's all booked because you are looking so many months in advance! " - Good point, maybe you're right about that. So maybe I should wait until about May to try booking a hostel? Also, do you mean to say only to book the first few days that I'll be there? So, like June 4th - June 8th, or something? Why is that? Tokyo Yoyogi Youth Hostel sounds really nice (I also read your previous comment about it in the thread..), I'm going to have to compare that one to this one that kel64 mentioned: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldet...tel-Tokyo-6464 decisions, decisions.
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#387
29th December 2007, 10:27 PM
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I went to Japan so I could practise my Japanese, so yes I could communicate (however clumsily) without English. I found less people spoke English than I expected, but still, people are so helpful that they didn't care about language barriers and will help you regardless!
I'd only book the first few days of your trip just in case you want to travel or go somewhere else. Do you plan on staying in Tokyo? Just if ou want to go to another city, you dont want to have already booked hostels so you are tied to one place.
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#388
29th December 2007, 10:54 PM
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Actually, what I was thinking was we would just take the trains to the different cities during the days we were there, and then ride back to Tokyo when we were done visiting that city and go back to our hostel. Does it not work that way? If not, I suppose either way is fine, really. I do worry that by constantly trying to find other hostels in different cities, we'll end up finding one (if we even can) one time where they will be booked for the night and we won't have a place to stay. I've heard sleep capsules are pretty neat (and small ) to stay if you just want a one night's stay or whatever, but about 99% of them don't allow females, which would leave my gf out on the streets of whatever city we're in. 
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#389
30th December 2007, 01:51 AM
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P.S: While looking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_holidays through Wikipedia, it appears no special holidays exist throughout June, which is perfect for me (how lucky!)
So I guess now I just have to test certain days of the week to see when I can get the tickets for the cheapest price..?
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#390
30th December 2007, 02:16 AM
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You could do that by staying in Tokyo and then going by train to other cities, but Kyoto (& Osaka, Himeji, Nara) are at least 2.5 hours away from Tokyo (by high speed shinkansen).
Some like Himeji or Nara are doable in half a day and then go back to Tokyo. But in Kyoto it's quite spread out. But it's your first time in Tokyo, so you might need a full week. Indeed, look up on the internet, japan-guide.com is a great source of everything Japan: tourist info, culture, shopping. Wikipedia is not really a "tourist guide" but you can find some stuff there too. The busiest holiday week is Golden Week in the beginning of May, so you're quite safe in June .What I've heard about the capsule hotels, is that they have separate floors for males and females. Haven't tried it yet though .Also, if you're going to just go and look for a hostel in other cities, look them up in advance, and print out a map of their location. See that there is a train station on that map and that you know which train station. This may come as another difficulty, but there are practically no street names in Japan, only the large streets have names... Maps are essential in Japan (for foreigners AND for local people too). And if you've lost your way, try to find a "koban", police box, they will surely try to help you find your way. Or find your way to a train station and ask there. And as a last resort, there are quite a few maps on the streets as well, but they are mostly fully in Japanese, so also print out names of reference points in english & japanese text. This might seem a lot of work and planning, but it might help you a lot.
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My Japan Blog (and about Ayu, Anime,Figures,...) Japan 2007 Trip Travel Blog (May 4-18,Ayu Concert x2) Japan 2008 Trip Travel Blog (March 23-April 08,Ayu,gazette,X-Japan Concert & Tokyo Anime Fair) Japan 2009 Trip Travel Blog (April 26-May 13,Ayu & Perfume Concert & Dolls Party 21) Tokyo 2009 (Dec 27-Jan 3, Ayu CDL Concert) Japan 2010 (April 6-23, Ayu & Kuu Concert?) January 28th 2010: The day everything changed for international Ayu fans. <3 |
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#391
30th December 2007, 02:37 AM
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If that's true about the capsule hotels, that females can do it too, then that would be wonderful. But I suppose I shouldn't base all of our hopes and dreams on just a rumor. If anyone could confirm that for us, that would be greatly appreciated. Anyway, I suppose you guys are right and we won't just stay in Tokyo, considering I think we kind of want to visit Osaka or Kyoto (I don't know which would be better yet). I didn't realize they were about 2 1/2 hours away by the high speed bullet train. Thanks for the heads up! Okay, so it's settled that we'll only book the first several nights at a hostel in Tokyo (maybe until just after the concert, if we arrive on the 4th). Not having a place to stay the night in either Osaka or Kyoto, or even in Tokyo if we end up returning back there, sounds scary though. Is it really that easy to just find a place to stay the night at in Japan? I can just look up different hostels in different possible cities we may travel to on hostelworld.com (Tokyo[certainly], Kyoto, Osaka, etc), print out all the information for each hostel to take with us (hopefully along with a picture, incase we get lost and maybe the natives will know
), go to the specific hostel in whichever city we're currently in, and just get a room for the two of us ?
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#392
30th December 2007, 02:54 AM
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This thread has inspired me to go....but I refuse to until I can speak Japanese to a satisfactory degree, I would feel completely disoriented and isolated if I couldn't speak the language.
I was speaking to some people I know who fly to Japan for gaming tournaments and they recommended a Hostel as well. What exactly is it? (it sounds quite rough). |
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#393
30th December 2007, 03:04 AM
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Hostels and Hotels both provide a place to stay, but a hotel is usually much more expensive than a hostel. Probably because hostels provide really the bare minimum (from what I've read. I've yet to actually partake in one), such as a small room with a bed, a bathroom and a shower. Hostels, again, from what I've read, also are generally shared - hostels are more for like "backpackers" and are meant for generally shorter, temporary stays, I think. Here's what a site I just stumbled upon has to say about them:
"A hotel will provide guests with mini refrigerators, wet bars, cable television, wireless Internet service, telephones, irons and hair dryers. A hostel usually provides none of the above. The accommodations in a hostel, while minimal, are not unpleasant. If you're staying at a hostel, there's a good chance you'll meet like-minded people with some interesting tales to tell. In a hotel, you probably won't get to know the person staying in the room next to you. Hostels often provide a community room where guests can mingle and shoot pool or watch television. On a busy night, this can mean a crowded and noisy stay. A hotel room, on the other hand, offers privacy and quiet." That basically sums it up, I suppose. In my opinion, I would love a hostel over a hotel, especially for trying to plan my little trip to Japan that I'm currently doing. I love meeting new people, I don't mind sharing, I'm extremely open minded (though I hate people who aren't), and I'll just need a temporary place to stay. How small it is doesn't really matter to me much. So if you're the same, a hostel may be a good idea for you too. If not, maybe you'd prefer a hotel. (privacy is a nice thing, I will admit)
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#394
30th December 2007, 06:11 AM
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Hey guys,
I stayed at this hostel last year for ASIA TOUR 2007. I recommend it 100000% http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Free wi-fi, small kitchen, CLEAN bathrooms, comfortable beds, modern a/c + heater, shared fridge, plasma tv. It was in beautiful Asakusa and a 5-10 min walk to the subway. It's REALLY quiet there, so you can sleep. Plus, its relatively close to Ueno to go to the Tiket King to buy concert tickets. And it was perfect for me to connect to go to Saitama Super Arena! This is the room I was at with a friend as were were packing to leave :
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#395
30th December 2007, 06:28 AM
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Here are a few albums of my adventures in Japan if you want an idea of what I did.
Be warned....I look pretty fugly in some hahahah...jet-lag. http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...eca&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...9a1&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...e23&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...4f9&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...ee3&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...458&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...a0f&id=2003184 http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?ai...9bb&id=2003184 |
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#396
30th December 2007, 06:33 AM
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[QUOTE=jonneh;1280260]HIf you're staying at a hostel, there's a good chance you'll meet like-minded people with some interesting tales to tell. In a hotel, you probably won't get to know the person staying in the room next to you. Hostels often provide a community room where guests can mingle and shoot pool or watch television. On a busy night, this can mean a crowded and noisy stay. A hotel room, on the other hand, offers privacy and quiet.[/I]"
/QUOTE] Very true. However, I know hostels can also be used for longer stays since they are much cheaper, and allow travelers to meet large groups of people. Many of them will stay at a hostel for a week, go to a different city, and then come back and stay an additional week. They usually offer a kitchen, commons area, and computers and are catered to assist you in your travels. Since people in hostels tend to be very budget-minded, they may cook dinner inside and do laundry. I've read some horrible hostel reviews, so I would always recommend double checking where you are staying. |
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#397
30th December 2007, 06:34 AM
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 But the rooms were never full for us. It may not be for everyone, but for us who generally aren't the most outgoing types, it made us meet a whole group of people from all over the world who we probably would not have meet if we were in separate rooms. Certainly never boring at the hostel. Up to you whether you like the idea or not. |
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#398
30th December 2007, 07:01 AM
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♥ Ayu fan since September 2006 ♥ |
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#399
30th December 2007, 11:37 AM
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jonneh; It doesn't sound bad at all, ill have to consider one
Jin, nice pics, the food ones made me very, very hungry
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#400
30th December 2007, 01:25 PM
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- For couples - 2 singles beds, or 1 bunk bed in a room " That's about $73. Oh well, thanks for the suggestion What I can do is add that one to our list, so that if we need a place to stay, it can be one of our options, if even just for one night. Thanks!Quote:
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