I had a great time in Japan (aside from the heat and humidity), but at what cost? Japan is pretty pricey, and while I avoided splurging on much, I didn't try very hard to save money either. These numbers might help someone thinking about visiting Japan.

( The damage )

Aside from the weather, the trip to Japan went fairly smoothly - we did most of the things we wanted to do without running into any problems. Nothing's perfect, though, and I did finally have some minor issues on the last day of vacation.

( The journey home )

Sunday was the last full day we had in Japan. Sadly, our trip was winding down.

( Hiroshima )

Saturday we went to a petting zoo Nara and the Golden Silver Temple.

( Something like that )

Friday was more tourist stuff, of course, but more personally significant, I finally made a breakthrough on the manga front.

( Finally, a change in weather )

It's not as fun to wander around a foreign country by yourself, so I met back up with B and E on Thursday. Rather than try to find each other without the benefit of cell phones or solid landmarks, we simply took the same train and reserved adjacent seats.

( Kyoto )

I parted ways with B and E on Wednesday; they wanted to go to a hot springs resort in Hakone, I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars to sit around for a day. A family friend, V, is working in Japan as a JET ALT, so I took the opportunity to visit her in Nagano.

( Travel )

JR Rail passes allow free use of Japan Rail trains while they're active, and come in 7, 14, and 21-day variants. As were were only in Japan for 8 days, it made no sense to pay extra for the 14 or 21 day versions. Tuesday was the first day our passes were active.

( Tuesday )

Hotel Yanagibasi was about what you might expect from a Japanese hotel - a tiny room (relative to the US, anyway), basic amenities like a desk, clock, and wired internet, the essential air conditioner, and a futuristic toilet. I didn't get much time to enjoy it, though - our plans for Monday called for a ridiculously early start, and I had to get ( Read more... )

About a month ago some friends, B and E, mentioned they were going to Japan for vacation. I've been hooked on manga and anime since high school, but never got around to actually visiting the country of origin of so many of my formative mythos. Mentally crossing my fingers, I casually mentioned that I'd always wanted to go; fortunately, they said it ( Read more... )