Japan for 1st time - Student
 

Hiya

I'm gonna go to Japan in the summer for about 2 weeks in the summer.

I will probably go to Tokyo airport and stay in Tokyo (probably only in Toyko or around the rea), but apart from that, I know absolutely NOTHING about which hotels, areas, tours I should do in Japan.

This is the first time I'm travelling by myself (I will be 18 in July) and therefore the hotel I will be staying at can't be too expensive (13,000 yen is about the average I'm hoping to pay a night for hotel).

This will be my first time in Japan (and 1st time abroad by myself), so I want to catch all the good stuff (like visit historical landmarks etc.)

BTW, my parents are going to Hong Kong in the summer at the same time as me and they will come to Japan for a week, but probably will only meet up once with me.

Thanks

Edit: Maybe this is a starting point? http://www.daiichihotels.com/chart/
The Kichijoji Dai-ichi Hotel on that page is 13,000 yen per night, but how far is that away from the centre of Toyko?

Welcome to FlyerTalk, jfhslvds. ^

I have no idea about sightseeing, so I recommend the Hato Bus Tour. Many people who visit Japan enjoy Hato Bus Tour as well as many Japanes. So maybe you can find some nice tours.
http://www.hatobus.co.jp/english/index.html

Also I recommend the Rakuten Travel for hotels. You can find the cheaper rate than those of the agencies in your country.
http://www.mytrip.net/en/index.html

Daiichi-hotel Kichijoji is inconvenient. It is very far from the centre of Tokyo. In my experiences, you could find the rates below 13,000yen at Tokyo Dome hotel, Raddison Miyako Tokyo hotel, Marriott Kinshi-cho Tobu hotel and so on. Anyway check it! ;)

The Tsujiki fish markets are a must see. Early in the morning (5 -5:30 are when the tuna auctions start) then get yourself one of the best sushi meals right outside the gates.

I'll have a look at these mate. These are all in the centre of Tokyo right?

BTW, I had a look at the Tokyo Dome hotel website, and the single rooms are quite expensive (20,000yen a night). I'm looking for something around 13,000 or below.

Oh, and if I pick ANY hotel, are all of them guaranteed to have tour-buses/tour guides packages for single days. i.e. I could go round Tokyo by myself for the first day, then on the second go round with a sight-seeing bus for a single fee, then on the third day go round by myself again etc.

Thanks a lot guys

NB. This is in the Summer, so what kind of clothes will I have to wear? Oh and keep in mind of the higher hotel prices in the summer.

It seems as if there has been some success via priceline. Seems as if the Crowne Plaza in Shinjuku (closer to Ikebukuro) is available for less than US$100.

Actually, 10,000 yens is more accurate in terms the MAXIMUM I'm willing to pay a night.

BTW. Does anyone know a good youth hostel/cheap hotel in the centre of Toyko (for easy convenience?). Oh and is it a better idea to book a cheap hotel or a youth hostel (and make some friends?).

The only disadvantage to a youth hostel that I can think of is that you usually have to share a room with another person, and you will have to plan your own day trips, as their aren't any single day tours that you can buy from hotel lobbies (or is there?).

Youth Hostel
 

http://www.jyh.or.jp/index.html

I have never stayed at any youth hostel, so I can not give you any comment. Yoyogi, Tokyo-Int and Skycourt Asakusa would be OK for their places. (They are in the centre of Tokyo)

Try Toyoko Inns
 

You might also want to try one of the Toyoko Inns( http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/). I guess you could say they're typical Japanese business hotels with small rooms, but the one I stayed in which was in Ikebukuro was extremely clean and it only cost about 7,000 yen a night. It seemed to be popular with tourists as well as Japanese. (However, I'm not sure how the tourists communicated with the desk clerks who seemed to speak no English.) The best part of the hotel aside from the cleanliness was that it was only about 3 or 4 minutes from the station.

Also, Kichijoji, in my opinion, is a pretty nice area even though it's a little far from the parts of Tokyo that most people visit. I guess it's kind of like a much smaller Ikebukuro. There are a lot of stores and restaurants concentrated around the station area. When I went there in the summer of '98, it was a nice getaway from the overpowering crowds of Shinjuku and Shibuya. But when I went back to Kichijoji last year during Spring Break, it was teaming with people - mostly students who were also on Spring Break.

And there's always www.biddingfortravel.com or www.betterbidding.com for advice on bidding for a Tokyo hotel room through priceline.com. Just go to the Tokyo section to see what others have been paying for rooms there. Recently I noticed that the Crowne Plaza Metropolitan (I think) in Ikebukuro was going for about $95/night.

I hope that was helpful.

Take a look at www.japanhotel.net and www.jtb.co.jp/sunrisetour/ .

JR

Forgot to add - Tokyo in high summer can be VERY hot and humid. Temps in 90's F and muggy, with occasional rain.

Do almost ALL hotels or hostels provide SINGLE day tour packages? I.e. pay $20 at the lobby the night before and next morning, you can be picked up by a coach to go to the Imperial Palace or something.

That would be the most important thing for me really (since I'm travelling in a country where I have no knowledge of absolutely anything).

No. For the most part, you will need to arrange organized tours yourself, unless you spring for one of the more high-priced, tourist hotels.

Since you admit that you "have no knowledge of absolutely anything," I suggest you invest a few bucks in a Frommer's Guide to Tokyo, or one of the other equivalents. A bit of research will make your trip much more enjoyable and might prevent a major disappointment. Any of them will list resources for tours and such.

JR

Alright mate thanks for that. Just need to get that book you talked about, Lonely Planet and about 10 other guide books :).

It it the school holidays for America during Summer right? Becasue its so expensive to fly from Britain to Japan, I am the only person who is going (if it was anywhere else cheaper, I would have taken a couple of friends with me). If it is indeed the school holidays, do American students usually go to Japan?

I also agree that you should get a copy of Frommer's Japan (I have looked at almost all the other book, and Frommer's is excellent). Also, as mentioned above priceline for that price/hotel is an excellent value. As far as things to do, it is very easy to get around tokyo using their train/subway system (get a JR Pass if you are eligible before going to Japan), and I would say that you probably do not need to go on a bus tour to vist most areas. Beyond the usual historical sites mentioned in guidebooks, I would definitely go to a baseball game, Tokyo Disneyland, and the fish market. Also, if you do get a JR Pass, I highly suggest going to Kyoto (and possibly Osaka).

Tokyo can be extremely hot and humid in summer-- so I would think anyone who had any choice in travel times would avoid going then. When I lived in Japan I usually left during that time!

There is also a rainy season (tsuyu) that hits sometime around mid June to early July. This can mean days of steady rain-- not exactly tropical downpours, but not spring showers either. Due to these factors I would think it is NOT the most expensive time to visit and so there might be some room on hotel prices.

Cheap Good Hotel recomendation
 

This is a good resonable hotel. I like this group.

Hotel: Villafontaine Nihonbashi
Address: Nishonbashi-Honcho 1-7-6, Chuo-ku,
Tokyo, 103-0023 Japan
TEL: 03-3242-3370
FAX: 03-3242-3288

Room charge: about $80/ night

http://www.villa-fontaine.co.jp/eng/index.html

You should take one day trip by bus and Shinkasan to Mt. Fuji etc. Tours are expensive. For food go to basement of various departmental stores and you can get really cheap food. Lots of free tasting stuff too ;)

Near Ginza, under the JR railway tracks you can find lots of very cheap open air places frequented by office people for GOOD cheap food. Most of the menu in Japanese but nowdays some have english menu. Yakatori is your best bet. You can get good cheap Indian food in Shibuya near Starbucks.

Carry cash (YEN) most of the cheap places DO NOT take credit cards.

Hope you will enjoy your stay