Backpacking through Japan

[DeeJee]

Hi fellas,

I am planning a backpacking trip to Japan for 1.5 - 2 weeks around end of April / beginning of May... if anyone has done / wants to do a similar trip, feel free to pour in your mind on this thread..

Cheers !

D

[drumbrake]

if you are going to travel around a little, then the rail passes will probably save you money. Seat61 has some information.

Japan is expensive, but you can save money by staying in hostels, and eating in department stores-lunch is cheaper.

Carry lots of cash on you. Credit cards are not accepted much, and foreign card friendly ATMs are scarce.

[gypsy3x4]

country side and islands are cheaper than the big cities. yakushima is beautiful!

[jgl]

Very few people speak English in Japan, but trying basic English words with a cheesy Japanese accent works remarkably well and is kind of fun. Train-u stay-shion, bus-u stay-shion work where "train" and "bus" stations fail miserably.

[Oldtimer]

Many years ago did the tour of Japan by bus,rail, ferry. Bought visit Japan rail pass for 30 days and traveled all over. Visited Nagasaki, Beppu, Miyajima, Kyoto temples etc.

[ckoning]

K's house is a good, clean hostel.
They got them in different (big) cities.
It's a expensive but amazing trip!
Yeah you should buy a railway passport if you gonna travel true Japan. You can buy one only outside of Japan!
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[gabyluk]

yea don't worry about carrying lots of cash with you. it's a rather safe place!

[gilleshk]

While it's true that some things are very expensive in Japan, I traveled there on a lower budget than I did in North America or Europe. There are reasonably priced hotels all over, either the chains or more traditional ryokus and if you eat out at noodle/rice or yakitori places, the prices are very reasonable.

Check your dates and with some luck you can catch the cherry blossoms which are very pretty in the countryside or in Kyoto...

[freeier]

err.. well, if u want to do the sakura in kyoto your accommodation is going to hit u hard.

the best part on japan trip is always the interaction u get with the locals at the youth hostels. the locals love to travel and the younger ppl will live in the hostels, which are generally fren and nice for young travellers..

haven't done the backpack route in japan for a long while.
but bear in mind if your trip includes buses, then check the timetable way in advance. some places the train/bus are so infrequent if u miss one u can forget about going that route for the day.

[DeeJee]

Thanks to everyone for the excellent tips !! I will let the forum know how it goes..

Cheers !