Accomodation in Japan ??
Discussion
Hi Simon
Yes - hotels over here are quite expensive. Things are not helped by the fact that the Japanese are prepared to pay for "quality" so cheap and cheerful is not usually the done thing. Laughably for a country as advanced as this, the majority of hotels are not on the web, and of those that are, not many have english websites that you can book at! The travel agent is still king here.
You are looking at around Y4000-5000/night on average with the cheaper hostels down at the Y3500 mark.
A good, cheaper hotel is the toyoku inn chain: http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/index.html
They are the equivalent of a Holiday Inn Express and you can book them online.
What are you thinking of doing/going?
Glen
Yes - hotels over here are quite expensive. Things are not helped by the fact that the Japanese are prepared to pay for "quality" so cheap and cheerful is not usually the done thing. Laughably for a country as advanced as this, the majority of hotels are not on the web, and of those that are, not many have english websites that you can book at! The travel agent is still king here.
You are looking at around Y4000-5000/night on average with the cheaper hostels down at the Y3500 mark.
A good, cheaper hotel is the toyoku inn chain: http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/index.html
They are the equivalent of a Holiday Inn Express and you can book them online.
What are you thinking of doing/going?
Glen
Hi Glen - thanks for the response.
Thinking of of seeing a bit of Japan as somewhere I have never been before. Was thinking of 3 maybe 4 weeks so a bit of travelling around to different regions - hence the need for cheaper accomodation !!
I've read that spring is a good time to go and was thinking of using the easter leave period to come and visit. Haven't looked into it much more than that at the minute but I think it would be the sort of place i would like/find interesting.
I've also read that the local transport is a cost effective way of getting around ? Is it worth trying to rent a car at all or not worth the bother ?
Thinking of of seeing a bit of Japan as somewhere I have never been before. Was thinking of 3 maybe 4 weeks so a bit of travelling around to different regions - hence the need for cheaper accomodation !!
I've read that spring is a good time to go and was thinking of using the easter leave period to come and visit. Haven't looked into it much more than that at the minute but I think it would be the sort of place i would like/find interesting.
I've also read that the local transport is a cost effective way of getting around ? Is it worth trying to rent a car at all or not worth the bother ?
SimonV8ster said:
Hi Glen - thanks for the response.
Thinking of of seeing a bit of Japan as somewhere I have never been before. Was thinking of 3 maybe 4 weeks so a bit of travelling around to different regions - hence the need for cheaper accomodation !!
I've read that spring is a good time to go and was thinking of using the easter leave period to come and visit. Haven't looked into it much more than that at the minute but I think it would be the sort of place i would like/find interesting.
I've also read that the local transport is a cost effective way of getting around ? Is it worth trying to rent a car at all or not worth the bother ?
Now is a good time to book flights as both Virgin and BA have had deals recently. My view is that a direct flight is worth the extra cost.Thinking of of seeing a bit of Japan as somewhere I have never been before. Was thinking of 3 maybe 4 weeks so a bit of travelling around to different regions - hence the need for cheaper accomodation !!
I've read that spring is a good time to go and was thinking of using the easter leave period to come and visit. Haven't looked into it much more than that at the minute but I think it would be the sort of place i would like/find interesting.
I've also read that the local transport is a cost effective way of getting around ? Is it worth trying to rent a car at all or not worth the bother ?
I wouldn't bother with a car for most of it as the train system is top notch. Also driving over here is very dull with a 100kmh speed limit on the freeways, and the country is bigger than it looks!
Tokyo to Hiroshima is 880km and that is less than half of it. Shinkansen does that in 3hrs 45 with an average of nearly 150mph incl stops! Tokyo to Sapporo is a 2 hour flight....
You can get a Japan Railways pass for about 250 quid that is valid for a month which is excellent value if you are touring about. You need to allow Y1000-2000 for lunch. Beer is approx Y600/450ml. Dinner is Y2000-5000 depending on how upmarket you want to go. Obviously you will pay more in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto than in other bits of Japan.
If you drop me a PM, I can put you in contact with a bloke in Bristol who comes over here alot and can help with the touring and rail pass side of things: you can get better deals being a visitor than I do as a resident.
SimonV8ster said:
Looks like its going to be a little bit more expensive than I thought ?!
Only found a 21 day rail pass which was 58,000 Y (about 450 quid), food and drink looks quite expensive too !!
Japan is a notoriously expensive country to visit, but a fascinating one IMO and one I'd love to explore, too.Only found a 21 day rail pass which was 58,000 Y (about 450 quid), food and drink looks quite expensive too !!
SimonV8ster said:
Looks like its going to be a little bit more expensive than I thought ?!
Only found a 21 day rail pass which was 58,000 Y (about 450 quid), food and drink looks quite expensive too !!
That may well be the one if it is the JR pass. The only trains you are not allowed on are the Nozomi Shinkansen (the very fastest ones). But bear in mind that the fare to Hiroshima to Tokyo on the Nozomi is over 130 quid each, each way so 4 big trips by train and you are even. Add some trips round Tokyo (at least Y150 each on the "circle line") and you will soon be in profit.Only found a 21 day rail pass which was 58,000 Y (about 450 quid), food and drink looks quite expensive too !!
Get hold of "Japan by Rail" by Ramsey Zarifeh - Amazon did it and we got ours in Waterstones. Very good book and in many respects a better guide than the Planet. Forget the rough guide out here - it is rubbish.
The food IS expensive but is always very fresh and exquisitely presented. McF**kwits is also over here and a big mac happy meal is Y650ish and that is about the cheapest you will get...
Edited by GlenMH on Tuesday 17th February 10:03
GlenMH said:
SimonV8ster said:
Looks like its going to be a little bit more expensive than I thought ?!
Only found a 21 day rail pass which was 58,000 Y (about 450 quid), food and drink looks quite expensive too !!
That may well be the one if it is the JR pass. The only trains you are not allowed on are the Nozomi Shinkansen (the very fastest ones). But bear in mind that the fare to Hiroshima to Tokyo on the Nozomi is over 130 quid each, each way so 4 big trips by train and you are even. Add some trips round Tokyo (at least Y150 each on the "circle line") and you will soon be in profit.Only found a 21 day rail pass which was 58,000 Y (about 450 quid), food and drink looks quite expensive too !!
Local trains/subway used to cost peanuts, now it is just cheap....
I am peeved about the yen, I have someone I wish to visit that I met at a mates wedding, but not so willing to go if she is going to give me the run around AND it costs me huge wedge for the trip. Hopefully the bad economic news will drop the value of the yen soon, and I can be content the trip is cheapish!
smack said:
Local trains/subway used to cost peanuts, now it is just cheap....
That is true providing you don't change train companies too often. One journey that we do regularly is either Y700 or Y1100 depending on the places you change train companies!smack said:
I am peeved about the yen, I have someone I wish to visit that I met at a mates wedding, but not so willing to go if she is going to give me the run around AND it costs me huge wedge for the trip. Hopefully the bad economic news will drop the value of the yen soon, and I can be content the trip is cheapish!
My wife works in finance for a French company and interestingly the banks are predicting the Yen to continue to appreciate by 3-5% against the Euro for the rest of the year. What the £ will do against that obviously depends on who breaks wind in Downing Street....At least getting a direct flight for the trip is cheap at the moment.
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