The wife and I will be visiting her family, which is Civil Service and stationed in Okinawa, Japan. We have our passports, tickets, and suitcases, all to spec.

Curious as to what else we should expect? We have ZERO experience with customs and it sorta stresses me out. Where should we get Japanese money at?

Also, we will be staying on Tokyo for 7 days on the way back, wondering if you guys have any ideas on what we should say/do. We are staying at the New Sano, which is a hotel for americans/military etc. Comes out to about $70/night I believe. I believe the wife and her family want to go to Disney and Hello Kitty Land and also thinking of 'hiking' Mt Fuji. Anything you guys can recommend?

Also, what does it mean when it says "Class V" (AA) and "Class Y" (Nippon)?

This is our first real international trip, so any and all advice would be appreciated.

Here is our Itinerary:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CO DATE CITY-AIRPORT TIME FLIGHT NBR/CLASS ST SERV/AMNT
-- ---- ------------ ---- ---------------- -- ---------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A MO 22MAY LV FT WALTON/EGLIN 645A AMERICAN AIR 3862V OK
AR DALLAS-FT WORTH 849A 0STOP ER4
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
AA CONFO *


A MO 22MAY LV DALLAS-FT WORTH 1145A AMERICAN AIR 125V OK LUNCH
23MAY AR OSAKA-KANSAI ARPT 330P 0STOP 777
DEPART TERMINAL D
AA CONFO *


A TU 23MAY LV OSAKA-KANSAI ARPT 700P ALL NIPPON 1739Y OK
AR OKINAWA 900P 0STOP 763
NH CONFO *

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A TH 20JUL LV OKINAWA 800A ALL NIPPON 120Y OK
AR TOKYO-HANEDA APT 1020A 0STOP 744
ARRIVE TERMINAL D2
NH CONFO *

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A TH 27JUL LV TOKYO-NARITA APT 600P AMERICAN AIR 60V OK DINNER
AR DALLAS-FT WORTH 335P 0STOP 777
DEPART TERMINAL 1 ARRIVE TERMINAL D
AA CONFO *


A TH 27JUL LV DALLAS-FT WORTH 700P AMERICAN AIR 3863V OK
AR FT WALTON/EGLIN 850P 0STOP ER4
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Curious as to what else we should expect? We have ZERO experience with customs and it sorta stresses me out. Where should we get Japanese money at?


Don't worry too much about Japanese immigration and customs; as long as you aren't carrying contraband (drugs, porn, undeclared agricultural products or goods for sale) or planning to illegally settle down there, they won't bother you. Be sure that you have your address and phone number in Japan written down someplace where it's accessible to you on the plane; you will need it to fill out the immigration card.

I would exchange a small amount before you leave, enough to cover your first couple days of expenses. In general, your US ATM card will work at Post Office ATMs (but not normally at bank ATMs), but it's good to have a little buffer so that you aren't forced to make it all work immediately.

Have a great trip!

Also, what does it mean when it says "Class V" (AA) and "Class Y" (Nippon)?


"V" is a discounted economy class fare bucket, and "Y" is unrestricted economy class.

All Nippon Airways (NH) is ANA (a "star alliance member") You can get points with them on a UA FF account. Y class is full fare economy. If you pay a little extra upon checking in(about 5000 yen) you can have Super Seat premium business class which will get you snack/light meal on-board. The seats and pitch will also be much larger. Details are below:

http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/dms/svc/ssp/index_ss.html

With regards to money, I would bring my ATM/Bank card and access the Citibank ATM located in the arrivals hall of Kansai airport(KIX), or many post office branches located throughout the country. I would also assume that you will have access to an American base where you will be able to use the ATMs on the base.(there are many bases in Okinawa).

A month in Okinawa - should make for a pretty cool first international trip.

I spent a couple of days in Okinawa in December - rented a car and enjoyed driving around to see various gusuku ruins on the main island. With one month you have time to see the place very thoroughly - maybe enjoy the live music scene, take a ferry to some of the less developed islands, do some outdoor activities - scuba diving / hiking / etc.

The following thread discussed what to do with four days in Okinawa:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5200565#post5200565

There have been discussions in this forum about how much money to carry and what combination of cash vs. credit cards etc.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=492796
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393812

Your time in Tokyo will coincide with vacations - so you can expect some major crowds at Disney. It will also be the hottest time of year. (Personally I can think of places I'd rather be than a crowded Disney theme park at the height of the Japanese summer - but YMMV).

Mt. Fuji itself may also be more crowded than you would imagine possible - it's the peak of the climbing season. There are often traffic jams on the roads leading to Fuji in the summer (especially weekends). But at least the temperature is bearable once you get some altitude. The following site gives the inside scoop on climbing Mt. Fuji:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html

If you don't see the point of actually going up to the top of Mt. Fuji (after all, when you're actually standing on the mountain, it just looks like an expanse of black and reddish volcanic rubble) but you would rather do some hiking somewhere with a view of Mt. Fuji (which is truly spectacular), there are several options. It is very easy to reach Hakone from Tokyo - but if you are more adventurous, then I would recommend going to the North West of Mt. Fuji - Lake Motosu. That part is not served so well by public transport.

(If you are comfortable driving in Japan, you might consider hiring a car somewhere on the way - for example in Otsuki - and driving up to the Fuji Five Lakes area from there. Be prepared for traffic jams on the weekend).

All Nippon Airways (NH) is ANA (a "star alliance member") You can get points with them on a UA FF account. Y class is full fare economy. If you pay a little extra upon checking in(about 5000 yen) you can have Super Seat premium business class which will get you snack/light meal on-board. The seats and pitch will also be much larger. Details are below:

http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/dms/svc/ssp/index_ss.html

With regards to money, I would bring my ATM/Bank card and access the Citibank ATM located in the arrivals hall of Kansai airport(KIX), or many post office branches located throughout the country. I would also assume that you will have access to an American base where you will be able to use the ATMs on the base.(there are many bases in Okinawa).

Is there a way for us to upgrade to the 'super fare' now? or will we have to do it when we check in? Also is it 5,000 yen per person, per leg? Can our travel agent do it?

Thanks!

Is there a way for us to upgrade to the 'super fare' now? or will we have to do it when we check in? Also is it 5,000 yen per person, per leg? Can our travel agent do it?

Thanks!

That is 5000 yen per person per leg, but of course it is only applicable on the Osaka-Okinawa and Okinawa-Tokyo flights.

You would need to be booked into the SuperSeat at ticketing in order to have it now. To make the change may require a complete ticket re-issue which could be costly. Based on space availablity, you'll be able to do the upgrade at the airport. It's a no brainer and a standard offering from ANA.
If you choose to have a couple drinks in flight, they are complimentary in the Superseat cabin which helps offset some of the 5000 yen upgrade. The earlier you get to the airport, the better your chances will be.

The only reason to "hike" Mt. Fuji is to say that you've been to the top. This is usually accopmplished with about 20,000 other people in an all night ritual that makes the lines at Disneyland look short. The object is to reach the summit it time to see the sunrise. The most amazing part was that once it STOPPED raining and he sun came up, 90% of the people were gone.

Thanks for the advice so far! :) THe wife and I will be getting our International Drivers License from AAA this weekend. Will we be able to use these if we decided to get a rental?

Also, what documents should we have with us besides Passport/Driver's license? And what documents should we have copies of online and also with us just in case?

Yep, we'll be in Japan for around 67 days. Should be interesting!! :)

Yes, you can use the international DL if you want to rent a car. Your passport and int'l DL (also bring your U.S. DL) are all you need. In theory, Japanese law says you are always supposed to carry your passport when you are in the country. But the annoyance if you lose it is terrible and as a result, almost all folks don't do it and have no problems.

Seven days is enough to get do a traditional Japan trip -- 3/4 days in Tokyo and the rest in Kyoto/Nara. But to do that, you will have to leave the New Sanno and take a trip to Kyoto, requiring additional hotel and transportation costs. Still, if you are not likely to come back to Japan, you should consider this (if you want to do it, it would be cheaper to go from Okinawa back to Osaka and then eventually get back to Tokyo by train). If this is a possibility, do a forum search here, there is LOTS written about this kind of thing.

Incidentally, I disagree that late July is the hottest time of the year. I think August is worse, but maybe not so different that you would notice it!

if visiting disneyland in Japan is really a good use of time, energy, money? Is it significantly different from Orlando or Anaheim? Wouldn't it be like going to Rome and only eating at Mickey D's?

Also, it didn't sound from your initial post like you have hit the guidebooks yet. You should start soon and read as many as you can. The info will be overwhelming at first, but as you start to digest it, it will make sense and you can start making informed decisions. Also look at the itineraries of tour operators; you don't necessarily want to do everything they do the way they do it, but it will indicate to you what Japanese places and things are considered tourist must-sees.

Yep, we'll be in Japan for around 67 days. Should be interesting!! :)

Holy cow - you're right. Somehow I looked at your first post and "a month" in my head - but that's two months! I hope you'll write a trip report and share it with us.

If I were in Okinawa for that time, I would definitely want to visit some of the less easily accessible islands:

NYTimes travel article (http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/travel/04okinawa.html?ex=1143435600&en=ac4793952b19645f&ei=5070)

Check out the Wikitravel sections for Taketomi island, Iriomote island and others...
http://wikitravel.org/en/Okinawa

Of course, if you travel far and wide, then your costs will be higher. But there are ways to travel in Japan without spending a fortune.

If you decide to travel really far and wide (I mean trips out of Okinawa to other regions of Japan), it might be worth looking into some of the air passes that are available for Japan:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

For example, the air passes would make it less of an extravagance to take a trip to the mainland during those weeks that you are in Okinawa. (e.g. a short mid-week trip to Kyoto before the summer vacations start).

Wouldn't it be like going to Rome and only eating at Mickey D's?

No - Having 67 days in Japan and spending a day at Disney would be absolutely nothing like going to Rome and only eating at McDonald's.

I spent a year in Okinawa. Just some random thoughts. Looking at when you arrive you're probably going to hit the rainy season. It rains a lot in Okinawa at any time of the year but when you're there don't be surprised if it rains every day. However when the rainy season ends you get the best weather in my experience. Anyway some things I liked when I was there;

- Hit some nearby islands. Ikejima is nice, accessible by car. I also went to Minnajima via short ferry ride. A true tropical paradise. The Kerama Islands are also lovely by all accounts (I stupidly didn't take the oppurtunity to go there)
- The South East Botanical Gardens for some tropical scenery.
- Ryukyu-mura for a taste of old Okinawa- very touristy but interesting I thought.
- rent a car and go to the north of the island. Cape Hedo at the very north of the island is worth a visit. The northern part of the island is very different in character to the south part.
- get drunk on Awamori, the local rocket fuel. :D

I'm really jealous, you're gonna have a great time. Okinawa is truly beautiful. Enjoy. :)

Awesome advice!!! :)

The cool thing is we will be staying with the wife's parents who have a 4 story, 2400 sq ft house off base (courtesy of the Gov), which is nice. Not to mention they have 2 vehicles so we will have free room, free food, free transportation. Thats the only reason we can afford this trip.

We will also have access to the military bases which will be nice. :)

My wife is a teacher, so she gets the summers off, and I, well, I recently was laid off and am a full time student. So pretty much this will be the only time in our lives we will be able to undertake such a trip. ;)

We are excited to go to Expo Park and see the aquarium, and what not.

No one has mentioned Hello Kitty world yet, but it's easy to reach by train from Tokyo (the directions are on the San Rio website.) I would have to say, though, that unless you have a small girl child with you who is a Hello Kitty fanatic, like I did. you won't miss much by skipping it. It's relatively small and easily seen in half a day. The train ride out from Tokyo is largely through suburbs and not very scenic.

We enjoyed Tokyo very much, but I have to warn you the sticker shock will stun you. It was an adventure everyday to find someplace fairly reasonable to eat!

^ ^ for the Yaeyama Islands, one of the neatest places I've been to in Japan. However, it's not all that close to Okinawa Island and the tickets aren't dirt-cheap either, so you'll need to plan ahead a bit.

Awesome advice!!! :)

The cool thing is we will be staying with the wife's parents who have a 4 story, 2400 sq ft house off base (courtesy of the Gov), which is nice. Not to mention they have 2 vehicles so we will have free room, free food, free transportation. Thats the only reason we can afford this trip.

We will also have access to the military bases which will be nice. :)

My wife is a teacher, so she gets the summers off, and I, well, I recently was laid off and am a full time student. So pretty much this will be the only time in our lives we will be able to undertake such a trip. ;)

We are excited to go to Expo Park and see the aquarium, and what not.

Sounds like you need some ideas for stretching your yen. Get a copy of the "Let's Go" guide to Japan (formerly known as the Harvard Student series of guidebooks). The sightseeing advice is usually excellent and there are numerous suggestions about budget places to stay and eat - and the most cost efficient ways to travel (getting around Japan can be more expensive than getting there! - so some planning is in order).

By the way - we changed some dollars into yen this week at home (Florida) at Bank of America. Not the best exchange rate in the world - but we didn't want to have to worry about changing money first thing when we arrive.

Since we live near Disneyworld - I have no desire to go to Tokyo Disney. But it sounds very similar to Disneyworld in terms of weather/crowds in the summer (i.e., it's pretty awful - very hot and very crowded). If you go - look into things like whether they have EasyPass - which will minimize the amount of time you spend in lines. Robyn

and Ryuku Mura is an absolute MUST for a look at the cultural history of Okinawa.

With such a long vacation, if money allows you MAY want to consider a short side trip to Hong Kong. Purchased through base travel agents such a trip usuall costs less than $700/pp (and sometimes less). It's a very short flight (or couple of flights if routed through Taiwan) and my wife and I couldn't get enough of Hong Kong (and we're not big shoppers). Another thing to consider (budget dependent, of course), is to ask your family there to check with the various officer's wives clubs to see if they're offering Bangkok/Singapore/Hong Kong tours while you're there. Again, usually relatively inexpensive and comprehensive....

Enjoy....

One thing that I always wanted to do when I was there was to take the ferry from Naha to Ishigaki Island. It only goes once a week but it stops at Miyakojima on the way back. It won't be the Love Boat but it's cheap.
www.japan-guide.com/e/e2355_01.html#16

The wife and I will be visiting her family, which is Civil Service and stationed in Okinawa, Japan. We have our passports, tickets, and suitcases, all to spec.

Curious as to what else we should expect? We have ZERO experience with customs and it sorta stresses me out. Where should we get Japanese money at?

Also, we will be staying on Tokyo for 7 days on the way back, wondering if you guys have any ideas on what we should say/do.

I echo phred's advise to get a guidebook. Both Lonely Planet and Rough Guide have entire books devoted to Tokyo, and they're full of the kind of information you need. Tokyo can be confusing and intimidating for the first time visitor, and you'll need all the preparation you can get.

You're probably spending a lot of money for this trip, so a $25 guidebook shouldn't be too much to add on.

One thing that I always wanted to do when I was there was to take the ferry from Naha to Ishigaki Island. It only goes once a week but it stops at Miyakojima on the way back. It won't be the Love Boat but it's cheap.
www.japan-guide.com/e/e2355_01.html#16

That sounds like a great idea, particular considering how much time the OP has.

SirDomino, Ishigaki is pretty ugly right near the port, but the north side of the island is beautiful, and it's the hopping off point for the rest of the Yaeyama Islands, which jpatokal has recommended and I'll second.