I agree with the posts above about there being so many amazing things to see within China.

Since you expressed an interest in getting out of cities and are a bit short on time, you might consider a couple of nights at the Shambhala at the Great Wall. It's about a two-hour drive out of Beijing (they will take care of transport) and is on an unrestored section of the wall that's pretty much certain to be empty. http://www.redcapitalclub.com.cn/RedCapitalRanch.html

Flying to Chengdu would be something else to consider. It's quite different from Beijing and has a lot to offer. You can also get a driver and go to the panda reserve a few hours away. There's lots of farming on the way as well as some charming villages that are pretty untouched by tourism.

I got almost 2 weeks in beijing + the five days I want to go somewhere else! So about 18 days alltogether.

In that case, I would consider less time in Beijing and add more to the time you want to spend elsewhere.

Ah, okay, that's different. Want kinds of things interest you?

Sindre: Now you have too many ideas. :) At this point, here's what you should do. Step back for a couple of days and look really hard at Tokyo or Seoul, as to whether they fit in your budget for flight and for on-the-ground expenses. My guess is that with both flights, hotel, food, local transportation for about 4-5 day trip, even with the air-hotel specials you found, you will be spending a total of USD 1200-1400 for this short time--lower end for Korea, upper end for Japan. Unless you have a very strong desire to see either of these places right now, I suggest that your time and money is best spent elsewhere.

North Korea: If this is a STRONG interest, then you must go with a tour and they will take care of the NK visa, as you cannot do that on your own. It all is done as a package. Most foreigners go with a Beijing-based agency such as Koryo tours (google for their website). These will not be cheap, likely almost as much as going to Tokyo or Seoul options. There are somewhat cheaper tours organized for Chinese visitors but without being a Mandarin speaker, it will not be a good choice for you. Again, if you don't have a strong burning desire to see North Korea, then skip this.

China: You seem to have discounted China on the basis of visa/invitation formalities and I think yes, you are worrying too much. There are plenty of Norwegians running around touring China and after the initial paperwork hassle to get the visa, they get inside and then do what they want. There is no shortage of places to see in China, much more cost- and time-effectively for a few days.

If you decide to go international, then this thread stays here. And obviously, you need a double-entry Chinese visa. If you decide to stick with the entire trip inside China, a single-entry visa will do, and then we'll move discussion over to the China forum, where the experts hang out, and help you craft your extra days, based on your personal interests. And help you strategize how to deal with Chinese officialdom requirements with minimal trouble to you.

Young Pioneer Tours is reasonably cheap, and they go there by train so you get to see more of the countryside.

Does entry and return to Hong Kong count as another "entry" on your Chinese visa?

Yes. Hong Kong is an international destination.

I guess that depends on definition of "reasonably cheap". YPT's 4 night/5 day group tours by train are still running almost Euro 1000. This puts it on a par with going to Tokyo or Seoul, as I stated above. Same order of magnitude. But they are a DPRK visit option other than Koryo, to be sure.

Also for other readers and to forestall questions: unless something has very recently changed, USA passport holders may not enter/exit North Korea by train, only by air.

Thanks for alle the tips so far. I have read a lot about the different places, and I think I have decided I want to go to Tokyo, if the visa thing work out. The main reason is that I always wanted to see Japan, and I'm not sure if I'll ever come back. And for China, I'll probably be back someday, and I'm also going to see a lot in the Beijing area the two weeks I'll be there!

I managed to find plain tickets Beijing-Tokyo for 200 dollars. I think the price is incredibly low so I'm wondering if there something fishy about it. It's with China Eastern Airlines, which seems to have a good rating at skytrax. The only problem is that it will land in Shanghai. But it's only for a short stop and then the same plane will go on to Tokyo. That makes the flight a little bit longer, but I think it's worth it for that price. It will take 5 hours and 30 min one way, and 6 hours and 45 min the other way. Also it stood something on the site I didn't understand:

"the shortest retention period for passenger tickets is 3 days, the longest retention period is 1 month"

What does it mean? And is it anything else I've overlooked here?

I'm also thinking about staying in one of those capsules, which seems kind of interesting, that will also bring the cost down a little, so I'll be ok :)

China Eastern is fine -- I've flown them many times.

$200 is absurdly cheap for PEK-TYO, and MU shines on its Japan routes on which it faces competition (i.e. not so much on monopoly routes). However, the Shanghai stop is annoying enough that, if I were you, I'd consider tossing the final coupon (PVG-PEK) and spending a few days in Shanghai. I would also try to fly back to my home country from Shanghai instead of Beijing.

I agree that the stop in Shanghai is annoying, but atleast it's only a short stop, and I don't need to change plane or anything. My plans before and after the trip to Tokyo is already fixed, since I'm in Beijing to visit family who works there, but thanks for the suggestions anyway!

You can see videos of the North Korea tour on YouTube. It seems they're all pretty tightly scripted.

Question
 

Did you find out what "the shortest retention period for passenger tickets is 3 days... means?