I just called my card companies and got them authorized to use in Japan. I found out that my debit card charges the following fees:
3% foreign transaction fee
$5 Foreign ATM fee
Plus any fees charged by the ATM in Japan
I think I will try not to use any cards when I am overseas. I only used cash on my two trips to South Korea. I may have to that again. However, even with cash there is still a small fee to exchange cash. I think I paid a 1 or 2 percent premium on most foreign cash exchanges. I got lucky and a couple times I got a higher rate than what I saw online. Cash exchange stores were everywhere in South Korea. I don't know if there are as many in Japan. I have heard that my hotel gives one of the better rates. I guess I'll see in a few days.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Bringing Travel Information To Japan
I travelled to South Korea in 2011 and 2012. On both trips I carried a Lonely Planet Guide and a Rough Guide Book on South Korea. The Lonely Planet book was best for city and point of interest information. The Rough Guide was best for transportation information. I also picked up a few brochures and maps at the tourist information booths. Along with those, I was able to travel all over the country. I saw and experienced everything that I wanted. I did get lost a few times but only briefly.
Now, technology has greatly decreased the need for the travel guide books. That's not necessarily a good thing. Since I rented a wifi device to take on this Japan trip, I will storing the information that I need on my Ipad. Everything else I need is readily available online. The information that is stored on my Ipad is backed up to Microsoft's One Note. So, even if I lose my Ipad, I can still access my trip information.
I shop at an online photography store and check their website a couple times a week. Every day they have the Deal Of The Day. One day this past Summer they had a special $350 Ipad Air 128 gb on sale. I saw the deal with only 9 minutes left. Fortunately, I was able to finish the transaction in time. It was even better that I had a big rebate coupon from a camera purchase earlier in the year. So the my price was close to $250. The only downside to the deal was that it was a Sprint cellular model. Even though I only use it in wifi mode, it periodically asks me to set up a cellular account.
With the Ipad Air having 128 gb of storage I am able to take lots of music, movies, and television shows that I can use on the plane. I don't plan on watching any television, other than the weather, while I am in Japan. Though I am curious about those strange Japanese television game show clips that you see on Youtube.
There is so much travel information on the internet that no one should have much trouble travelling to a foreign country, even if you don't speak the language. I've watched Youtube videos about how to order at the sushi conveyor belt restaurant, how to go through the ticket stile at the train station, to just about everything that I could possible need to know before I get there. Even though you can watch it on Youtube, your actual experience may vary. Some of your best travel memories will be when you figured things out on your own and when you get a little lost. So don't take that away from yourself by planning too much.
Now, technology has greatly decreased the need for the travel guide books. That's not necessarily a good thing. Since I rented a wifi device to take on this Japan trip, I will storing the information that I need on my Ipad. Everything else I need is readily available online. The information that is stored on my Ipad is backed up to Microsoft's One Note. So, even if I lose my Ipad, I can still access my trip information.
I shop at an online photography store and check their website a couple times a week. Every day they have the Deal Of The Day. One day this past Summer they had a special $350 Ipad Air 128 gb on sale. I saw the deal with only 9 minutes left. Fortunately, I was able to finish the transaction in time. It was even better that I had a big rebate coupon from a camera purchase earlier in the year. So the my price was close to $250. The only downside to the deal was that it was a Sprint cellular model. Even though I only use it in wifi mode, it periodically asks me to set up a cellular account.
With the Ipad Air having 128 gb of storage I am able to take lots of music, movies, and television shows that I can use on the plane. I don't plan on watching any television, other than the weather, while I am in Japan. Though I am curious about those strange Japanese television game show clips that you see on Youtube.
There is so much travel information on the internet that no one should have much trouble travelling to a foreign country, even if you don't speak the language. I've watched Youtube videos about how to order at the sushi conveyor belt restaurant, how to go through the ticket stile at the train station, to just about everything that I could possible need to know before I get there. Even though you can watch it on Youtube, your actual experience may vary. Some of your best travel memories will be when you figured things out on your own and when you get a little lost. So don't take that away from yourself by planning too much.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Estimated Costs For My Trip To Japan
Here is a breakdown of the estimated costs that I expect while I am in Japan. My airfare was bought in May and my hotels were booked in June. I booked my JR Rail Pass in October. These costs are known but I do have to estimate how much that I will have to spend daily. I know that I need to travel on the subways, pay entrance fees, and eat. I do plan on doing a little shopping but have a separate budget for that.
$640 Airfare from Houston to Tokyo
$1200 Hotel costs for 16 nights
$320 JR Rail Pass
$2160 Pre trip costs
$1800 Daily allowance for 18 days
$4000 Estimated costs for my trip to Tokyo
I don't think that I will have much problem spending less than $100 per day. However, I may be wrong. I'll find out soon!
$640 Airfare from Houston to Tokyo
$1200 Hotel costs for 16 nights
$320 JR Rail Pass
$2160 Pre trip costs
$1800 Daily allowance for 18 days
$4000 Estimated costs for my trip to Tokyo
I don't think that I will have much problem spending less than $100 per day. However, I may be wrong. I'll find out soon!
How I Picked My Hotels In Japan
Tokyo:
The first consideration that I had was that I wanted a hotel that would be easy to access from the Narita Airport. My research indicated that the easiest way to travel from Narita to Tokyo was to take the NEX subway. It has reserved seating, is affordable, and only makes a few stops across Tokyo. I narrowed my search down to the subway stations that the NEX stops at. I decided to look at hotels near Shinagawa Station. As a bonus, two of my day trips from Tokyo are accessible from Shinagawa Station. I will travel to both Yokohama and Kamakura early in my vacation.
For me, the Shinagawa Prince Hotel was the ideal place to stay. The price was in the $60 to $70 range per night. The hotel is only about a 5 minute walk from the subway station. There are lots of places to eat near the hotel too. The biggest drawback is that the rooms are very small.
Western Japan:
I plan to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Japan. I chose to stay in Osaka due to the city staying open a little later at night. Osaka is very well known as a foody town and that is one of the main reasons that I wanted to go to Japan. I wanted to stay at a hotel near the high speed train station and was affordable. I chose the New Osaka Hotel near Shin-Osaka Station. The price was around $65 to $70 per night. The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the subway station. I will be taking the early morning train from there to Kyoto most mornings while I am in western Japan. Also, the main food districts are a short subway ride away.
Return To Tokyo:
I plan on staying at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel again whenever I return to Tokyo. It is convenient to the high speed rail from the Kyoto/ Osaka. It is also on the NEX subway that I will take back to Narita Airport when my stay in Japan is over.
It is very importantt to book your hotel rooms early. The price went up every week until both hotels were sold out for the time period that I will be there. I booked my stay with the Shinagawa Prince Hotel directly. I booked my stay at the New Osaka Hotel through Travelocity. I did not have to pay anything in advance. All fees are payable upon check in. If you have to cancel then you pay a small fee up to the price for one nights stay. It depends on how far in advance that you cancel your reservation or are a no-show.
The first consideration that I had was that I wanted a hotel that would be easy to access from the Narita Airport. My research indicated that the easiest way to travel from Narita to Tokyo was to take the NEX subway. It has reserved seating, is affordable, and only makes a few stops across Tokyo. I narrowed my search down to the subway stations that the NEX stops at. I decided to look at hotels near Shinagawa Station. As a bonus, two of my day trips from Tokyo are accessible from Shinagawa Station. I will travel to both Yokohama and Kamakura early in my vacation.
For me, the Shinagawa Prince Hotel was the ideal place to stay. The price was in the $60 to $70 range per night. The hotel is only about a 5 minute walk from the subway station. There are lots of places to eat near the hotel too. The biggest drawback is that the rooms are very small.
Western Japan:
I plan to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Japan. I chose to stay in Osaka due to the city staying open a little later at night. Osaka is very well known as a foody town and that is one of the main reasons that I wanted to go to Japan. I wanted to stay at a hotel near the high speed train station and was affordable. I chose the New Osaka Hotel near Shin-Osaka Station. The price was around $65 to $70 per night. The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the subway station. I will be taking the early morning train from there to Kyoto most mornings while I am in western Japan. Also, the main food districts are a short subway ride away.
Return To Tokyo:
I plan on staying at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel again whenever I return to Tokyo. It is convenient to the high speed rail from the Kyoto/ Osaka. It is also on the NEX subway that I will take back to Narita Airport when my stay in Japan is over.
It is very importantt to book your hotel rooms early. The price went up every week until both hotels were sold out for the time period that I will be there. I booked my stay with the Shinagawa Prince Hotel directly. I booked my stay at the New Osaka Hotel through Travelocity. I did not have to pay anything in advance. All fees are payable upon check in. If you have to cancel then you pay a small fee up to the price for one nights stay. It depends on how far in advance that you cancel your reservation or are a no-show.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
JR Rail Pass
Foreigners are able to purchase a voucher for reduced high speed train travel. These are available in 7, 14, and 21 day versions. You also have a choice of regular pass or green pass. The green pass offers up reserved seating in superior seats. I bought the 7 day green pass which I will use to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara in Western Japan. My voucher cost 38,880 Yen. Due to a good exchange rate, I paid $319. The current price, as of today, is $321.
The vouchers for foreigners must be bought before you arrive in Japan. Once in Japan you will exchange the voucher for an actual ticket that you can use on the trains. There are only a few companies that are assigned to sell the vouchers. The list can be found on the JR Rail Pass website. I bought my voucher from JTB USA online. The transaction went without incident and it arrived by 3 day FedEx Express for free.
I will exchange my voucher at Tokyo's Narita Airport before I travel to my hotel. My previous train travel has been limited to South Korean subways and their KTX. The South Korean KTX high speed train ride between Seoul and Busan was really enjoyable. I was interesting to travel through the countryside and the see nature and the less developed areas of South Korea. I am excited to see what lies along the tracks of Japan's high speed trains!
Bound For Japan
In a little more a week I will land in Japan for a 2 1/2 week stay. Over the past two years I have been putting a little money away every month for another overseas trip. My dream trip to Japan has finally become a reality.
The deciding factor in my decision to travel to Japan was a great airfare that I chanced upon. During Memorial Day weekend I found an airfare from my hometown to Tokyo, Japan for less than $650. I have regularly checked online and I have not found any fares near that price. Also, the US Dollar to Japanese Yen exchange rate has been historically good.
I have found that early booking is very important in Japan. Most of my hotel rooms were in the $60 to $70 range per night. They steadily increased in price to well over double until they were all sold out. There are plenty of rooms available but there are too expensive and too far from the subway stations for my liking.
It has been a lot of fun planning the places that I want to visit, the things that I want to do, and the foods that I want to eat. I would hate to know the number of hours that I have spent researching this trip. Anyway, it has been fun and I am looking forward to taking a lot of photos and having a great time.
The deciding factor in my decision to travel to Japan was a great airfare that I chanced upon. During Memorial Day weekend I found an airfare from my hometown to Tokyo, Japan for less than $650. I have regularly checked online and I have not found any fares near that price. Also, the US Dollar to Japanese Yen exchange rate has been historically good.
I have found that early booking is very important in Japan. Most of my hotel rooms were in the $60 to $70 range per night. They steadily increased in price to well over double until they were all sold out. There are plenty of rooms available but there are too expensive and too far from the subway stations for my liking.
It has been a lot of fun planning the places that I want to visit, the things that I want to do, and the foods that I want to eat. I would hate to know the number of hours that I have spent researching this trip. Anyway, it has been fun and I am looking forward to taking a lot of photos and having a great time.
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