OK! So you've decided you're up for a trip to Japan. Let's get this ball rolling right away.
You do want to do this cheaply, right?
Of all the places where you can save money on your trip, your own desk is where you'll actually save the most. We'll look at the three big ways of saving cash in a second, but first, a couple of important things:
How long should you go?
I usually recommend that first-time visitors schedule a trip between 1 and 2 weeks. People with more international travel experience typically do better with longer stays.
Do you have your passport?
If you do have your passport, skip this section. If you've never had a passport, follow this process [this guide assumes you're a US citizen]:
1. Get passport photos taken at your local photo processing place (like a CVS Pharmacy). You'll be able to take them home with you.
2. Get this form from the US government [hit the "PRINT A BLANK FORM DS-11" button] and fill it out.
3. Take the photos, the form, a valid ID (like a drivers license), your birth certificate and $100 to the nearest post office. Take $160 if you want rush service (which you do if you're leaving in less than a month).
Got your passport? Lovely, let's get around to the saving money part. There are three big steps:
1. Don't go on a guided tour vacation.
Guided tours are no fun. I promise. All the fun stuff in Japan is what you find in between the famous places: the shops, the restaurants, the random people you meet along the way, and most importantly, the stuff you can't possibly predict. Plus, they're really expensive. If you're independent, you'll get to choose what you want to do and when to do it.
2. Book your flight with a Japanese travel agency.
The flight can be the trickiest thing, and many people people think this is where they save or lose the most money. Not true - that's number 3. Still, there's a lot of money to be saved here. When I book my flights, I do the following things:
- Fly to Tokyo Narita. The most flights go through here, and Tokyo is the best place to start your trip.
- Find a non-stop flight, or the closest thing to it. The fewer layovers you have, the fewer times you have to have your luggage inspected, take off your shoes, show people your tickets and passport, stop to eat expensive airport food, and turn your iPod off then on again. Plus, it's a shorter trip, and who doesn't love that? Non-stop flights aren't the cheapest option, but they're still the best.
- Call a travel agency specializing in Japan. I personally use IACE when I fly. Pick their office nearest you and call them on the phone. They'll answer the phone in Japanese, but they speak English. Airlines often say "Our website has the lowest prices!" but in truth, the travel agencies do.
Konnichiwhoa's Flight Deals page will show you what's on sale right now, so keep an eye on that page if you're looking to buy a ticket.
3. Book your hotels online.
Hotels, not flights, are where you're most in danger of spending too much money. Since you'll be staying several nights in Japan, price differences add up quickly. The easiest way to pick solid hotels is to check Konnichiwhoa's Hotel Deals page to see what's on sale now. But if you want to look for yourself, there are two great English websites for finding and booking hotels:
- Rakuten Travel: Basically like Expedia for Japan. Lets you search by location, sort by price, see photos, and make reservations online. Mostly has Western-style hotels and has more high-end hotels than ITCJ (below).
- International Tourism Center of Japan: A more basic search engine with a wide variety of different kinds of hotels. Has more small hotels and cheap hotels than Rakuten. Good for backpackers and budget travelers.
While you're using these sites, keep these tips in mind:
- Expect to pay over 5,000 yen per night for a single room with a private bathroom, and closer to 10,000 yen for a room for two. I typically pay about 6,000 yen for a single and anywhere from 8,000 to 15,000 yen for a room for two. Anything over that and you're getting really luxurious.
- Prices vary based on location. Expect to pay more to be in really famous spots like Shinjuku's business district or Shibuya Crossing.
- Pick a single room if you're alone, a twin room if you want separate beds, or a double room for a room with one bed that sleeps two.
- If you want to enjoy Japan's night life, pick a hotel that doesn't have a lock-up time or else you'll be stranded until it re-opens.
- On Rakuten, try searching by location for Japan / Central Tokyo / Ueno for good places.
- On ITCJ, try searching Taito, Tokyo; Shinjuku, Tokyo; or Minato, Tokyo.
- On ITCJ, you'll be doing your correspondence with hotels by email. When you "make a reservation" you're really emailing a hotel to see if they have an opening. You'll get a reply from the owner telling you whether or not they have room for you. You can cancel a reservation at any time.
- Once you have a reservation, you don't have to keep it! Feel free to cancel one hotel if a better one comes along - but don't cancel until you're set at your new place!
Searching for just the right hotel takes a little bit of time, especially the first time you try it. Once you make your first reservation, you'll be managing your hotels like a pro in no time.
OK, so you've got a flight and a place to crash. Time to pack your bags!
