I've got some money to finally do this! I should mention, this will be my first time outside of Canada -- I don't consider just going across the border to northern New York State really going 'outside' of my country -- in my life, although it may be the second if I go to the UK first...haven't decided fully yet. I'm more interested in Tokyo than other parts of the country, but that is up for discussion, as it may be my first -- and only -- time I'd have the money to go. I think if I go, the summer would be the best time for me to do so, granted I don't get to see the cherry blossoms in the spring, but that doesn't matter much to me. So, where should I visit in Tokyo? Hopefully I can make some friends here who'd show me around, either guys or girls...preferably girls. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the areas that are in the movie "Enter the Void", even though I hated said movie! Can anyone tell me why is there such a big price disparity between Air Canada & Japan Airlines: AC (Tango), round trip: CAD$1912.95 JAL, round trip: CAD$8967.64 (I don't have this kind of money, so obviously JAL is not an option) And I've chosen the same dates: Jul 1 - Jul 15, 2014. Just looking at prices at the moment. But don't you find it strange that there is such a disparity?
Since this thread's been here with no response for several weeks already, maybe a minor reply is better than none at all, so here goes. First, a disclaimer; I've never actually been to Japan except through the international transit terminal at Narita (Tokyo) airport several times. Having said that, some of observations that I made from books and news articles is how insular they seem to be. Visitors must speak at least a little Japanese in order to be able to functionally navigate as it's supposedly not that tourist friendly. The expectation is, that you're in their country so you must speak their language. In that sense, unless you're fluent, I would suggest you invest the time between now and next summer to take a crash course in Japanese while watching as much of their media as possible as it allows you to learn their customs, mannerisms and language. I would also invest in a good travel translator App for your phone, as well as a non electronic version (ie. a regular print translation dictionary for when you run out of batteries). Practice using that Ap before going there; you should be intimately familiar with how to call up words in Japanese and English. The best translations are the ones that give travel phrases in addition to individual words. Also have electronic and print versions of local maps. Insofar as air tickets, Japan Air Lines is the national carrier of Japan; as such, they're usually well booked for that (their home port) destination. They literally don't need to discount at all and can charge full price, especially during the summer, prime time months. Thus, I don't think you will have much chance of scoring cheap seats on JAL. But there should be plenty of other carriers as Tokyo is a hub destination. Search on line for competitive prices. You're right of course, that going across the border from Canada to New York, isn't really a worldly experience even as it is narrowly considered "international" travel in a strictly technical sense. In essence, as this will be your initial or first trip abroad I would advise you to read up on foreign travel as much as you can before even considering this trip. Having been in the military and also traveling across the world multiple times over the span of a half century, I can tell you that not all places in the world will be like home; one needs not only to prepare oneself emotionally for a lot of culture shock but have to be thoughtfully self sufficient to be able to survive at least a few days alone at any given time. Of course, a lot of this depends on how much time you intend to stay and for what purpose. If you're there a whole summer as part of some scheduled gathering (technical, student exchange, employment, training, et cetera), then making friends and finding resources there will be easy as participants will have a collective common agenda. However, if you're an individual unknown traveler with no planned on site sponsored purpose, then you'll be a total stranger that no one wants to deal with. If you fall into the latter category (from your post, that's what it sounds like), I would suggest you take one of those guided international tour groups instead as it sidesteps problems with language or accommodations; plus you'll have a full planned itinerary so you won't waste your valuable time. Before traveling, you should have electronic and several print copies of your passport and all travel documents (plane tickets) in case the real items are lost (one copy kept home by family members so they can keep track of you in an emergency). The numbers and names on the copies would allow you to quickly give information to relevant authorities and allow you to get replacements. Being asked by the police after you've just gotten robbed "what is your passport number?" ...and not being able to provide a precise answer only delays assistance. Ensure (don't assume) that your phone is international call enabled so that you can call home for help if you need to. You can do this by calling your carrier and asking; also ask if your plan allows this and how much it would cost per minute to call home; you don't want to get a thousand dollar phone bill upon your return. I believe Japan now has a Visa requirement for US visitors, but I don't know about Canadians so check with the Japan consulate in your home city. If you're from a small town then you may need to travel to a bigger city to get a travel visa (if required) from their consular office. Allow several weeks time for processing. There are plenty of books and other sources of information on the net for travelers. Since you're new at this, it would be to your benefit to take advantage of them before going. Good luck, enjoy your trip and please post some pictures and give us a report when you return PS. One last advisory; for those who have never considered what bringing along a few, ...ahem, "pharmaceuticals" can result in, take a look at these: [video=youtube;XvBsixRbNy0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvBsixRbNy0[/video] [video=youtube;yiw2NULDjKM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiw2NULDjKM[/video]
LOL... just some general tips for an admittedly first time traveler. But, all for naught it seems, as I don't think he ever bothered to come back to PA after posting his question.
