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Hi all,

I have some frequent flier miles that I need to use in the next two  months.  About the only place I can fly to with this airline is Japan.  I have never visited Japan before, but I do realize that Tokyo is very expensive.  Are there any other major cities that I could fly to in Japan that are less expensive than Tokyo ?  I  plan to stay only for a few days, and just being in Japan would probably be so different that any city there would be interesting for me.  Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Don

... in response to Japan Question, posted by don2222 on Jan 4, 2005

Hi Don

I think I would agree with Jeff that flying into Fukuoka / Hakata might be a good plan.  When I was on my trip to Japan 2 years ago I really enjoyed the southern island of Kyushu very much.  Buy the JR pass for a week (outside of Japan and redeem it when you arrive) and use Fukuoka as your base.  

I took the train to Kagoshima way at the end of Kyushu - a nice  city with an active volcano accross the harbor  I stayed at a ryokan there like jeff mentioned and it was an interesting experience  If you  choose to go there let me know and I will find the name of the Ryokan  It was  about $70 a night with a good  breakfast.  Kagoshima is a large city but kind of off the beaten path  and not many foreigners visit there.  It was a nice train ride along the coast to visit there.

From Fukuoka I also visited Nagasaki -  very Cool  and  I wish I could explore more of it. they have European buildings there as it was the only port open to the west for many  years. Nagasaki also has a china town area too if you can time your visit around chinese new years  Feb 8th - 12 th  you are in for a good time.

Fukuoka  is  interesting too and there were many areas I did not even see.

If  you decide to go to Japan  - no matter where  you go  look on the web in that city for toyoko inns they are a chain that I stayed at  quite a few times.  I think they were in the $40 - 50 range for the most part. Basic hotel room but safe and  secure and most have internet access.

I think my Japan Journal might be floating in the archives somewhere if ya  want to research.

WINDY

... in response to Japan Question, posted by don2222 on Jan 4, 2005

Kyushu (the southern island) is really nice. The weather tends to be better than Tokyo, too. Fukuoka, Kokura and Nagasaki are several of the larger cities there. Of those I think the Fukuoka/Hakata twin cities area is really the most convenient - and it's where the international airport is. If you can swing it, consider getting a Japan Rail pass. With it you can get on any Japan Rail (JR) train for less than one shinkansen (bullet train) round trip. I think the last time I was there it was about $350 per week. With it you can make day trips to places like Hiroshima, Himeji (with the famous white castle used in Shogun and The Last Samurai movies) Okayama (another famous castle town,) Kyoto the cultural center of Japan and Nara (the ancient capital) within a couple hours of your base camp.

If I were to do Japan on a budget, I'd stay in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) or Minshukus (guest houses.) There for as little as $65 or so a day you get a room, bath, plus two meals. You have to sleep on a futon on a tatami and eat traditional Japanese meals (can you say nabe - usually a pot of boiled fish and veggies) and most people won't speak English (but will likely read it.) For lunch there are noodle restaurants everywhere (udon, soba, and ramen) for around $5.

Serously, Japan isn't any more expensive than the US. A nice hotel or meal in Tokyo is comparable with one in Manhattan, and lunch in a country cafe is about what you'd expect to pay in a cafe in the Rural US. Things are closer together there than in the US, so transportation is usually pretty simple - no cars or taxis really needed - you can ride the train and walk almost anywhere you really want to go. A bus may be easier in some conditions, but the entire country is set up for easy transportation. Now I do realize you've been living on the cheap in the PI for the last year or so, so things may sound pricey to you.

E-mail me if you'd like some more specifics.

- Jeff

... in response to Re: Japan Question, posted by Jeff S on Jan 4, 2005

kj