Travel To Japan

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Travel to Japan continued...

...Not far from Tokyo is a popular spot with local Japanese and foreigners called Hakone and worth a look if you travel to Japan. Known for its beautiful parks, mountains, resorts and volcanic hot springs, Hakone can be a relaxing change from the bustle of Tokyo. Hakone is a good place to do a day trip to view the famous Mt Fuji as well.

Osaka

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan with a population of approx 3 million and is located at the mouth of the Yodo river Kansai. Well known for great food and drink and for the stunning Osaka Castle it is well worth a visit. The main shopping and places to get great food is Namba, or if you want to check out the theatres head to Umeda. 

There are some great parks to visit, Nakanoshima being one and the Asaka Aquirium in also popular.

Okinawa

Comprised of 100's of small islands known as Ryukyu Islands is a truly beautiful place to visit. The islands are largely made of coral and limestone caves. The beaches of Okinawa are some of the most breath taking in Japan. If you are lucky you may even see a giant sea turtle.

Also worth a mention is the Beppu hot springs which are actually located in Oita prefecture, which is a close by region.

Matsumoto 

Located in the Nagano prefecture it is a great place to head for hiking excursions in the Japanese Alps. They also have a great museum and the Matsumoto Castle is quite something. If you're like me and love wasabi on your food, then head over to the nearby Hotaka which is where the largest Wasabi production factory in the world is.

Dogo Onsen

The oldest hot springs in Japan and a great way to relax and unwind. There are many Japanese style inns to stay in. 

Mt Fuji 

Japan's highest mountain and is located in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The best time to visit, if you intend on going climbing is July-August as you are strictly not allowed to climb outside these times. You can jump on a train from Tokyo, on the Tokaido line heading towards Osaka, you can get there in under a hour. I would recommend that you get on an early morning train because you will find that the cloud cover blocks your view later in the day.

Niseko

Further north in Hokkaido if you want a snow holiday then you want to check out Niseko. Known as the best place to get powder snow in Japan. The infrastructure is great with many restaurants and places to stay.The season is a long one roughly starting from the end of November and running to the beginning of May.  

How Much Money Will I Need? 

Obviously these figures will vary depending on your preference, however I have outlined a rough estimate of how much money you will need to budget  if you are travelling in Japan, and have included low and high budget examples.

Accomodation

Low -  Youth Hostel: 1500-3500 Yen per night

High - Single room in a hotel 7000+ Yen a night

Food

Breakfast

Low - 200-500 Yen, fast food take out venues

Medium - 500-1000 Yen, from standard Coffee shops

Lunch

Low - 500 Yen, from a simple convenience store (noodles, lunch box) 

Medium - 1000 Yen, dine in restaurant 

Dinner

Low - 500 Yen, take always

Medium - 1300 Yen, restaurant

High - 2000+ Yen, restaurant

Transportation

Japan is well known for having a highly effecient but very crowed public transport system. Trains are great when travelling inter city or getting around the metropolitan. You will need about 100 Yen a day as an estimate.

The best value you will find is using the 'Seishuu 18 Kippu', which is a 5 day unlimited nationwide railway pass. The pass costs 11,500 Yen and is not valid on bullet or express trains. Also please note that it is not available all year round, with March-Arpil, July-Sept and Dec-Jan being open times (you will need to check the exact dates in these months). 

Seeing the Sights

Make sure that you take advantage of the large amount of free activities, such as some gardens and architecture, however I would leave between 500-1000 Yen a day for sightseeing.

I hope this travel to Japan guide helps you and I hope you have a great time Japan.

Before you go if you want to learn Japanese the fastest possible way at the best price then I recommend Rocket Japanese course.You can check out their site by clicking here:Rocket Japanese hope that helps!!

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