ok what is up with the sick evil air travel system?

[bluepxl]

hey guys.. i'm trying to plan out my visit to japan this year. i have already laid out who i'm going to stay with, and basically when (for about 6 weeks from late may). i have figured since i won't be paying for hotel and much food, that $1000 minimum would be sufficient to at least get me there (as my friend will help me out a lot just taking me in). i figured $1000 would cover the cost of a round trip ticket from houston, tx to tokyo with at least $4-500 left over. i rarely ever do air travel, but last i checked, to fly just about anywhere within the country it costs usually around $2-400 max, so i figured since so many people do international flights there is no way tokyo is that much more. apparently i was very wrong!

i checked travelocity, cheap tickets, orbitz, all those airline look up things. and pretty much all of them came back with the round trip tickets ranging from about $1200-2500!!! what the heck is up with that??? why is it so expensive? i am working every day as hard as i can until then to have all the money i need in order to go finally.. i don't need these lame airline companies taking me for everything i have! can anyone explain to me how on earth it is so expensive?

also, i have another tokyo friend who said she has seen rates to go to NYC from tokyo around 29800 Yen roundtrip... wow, that is such a better deal than the american flights i am seeing from houston! why is it so much cheaper there?

someone help me find the right airfare... i've been working so hard and saving up just to go.. and i want to enjoy my time there with a little bit of money left over instead of having some crappy airline company wipe me clean, ya know?

[GomiGirl]

Those really cheap rates are a memory.. and were only there to get people flying again after 9/11.

But there is no way you are going to get to Japan from the US for $500.

Keep checking the cheap flights on the net, but also consider stand-by. Or even look at June as May still might be on a shoulder rate from Golden Week national holiday when the prices shoot through the roof.

You are also going to need a heap more spending money than you thought.

[American Oyaji]

As a rule, its cheaper to buy the ticket in Japan.

Also look for what I like to call roundabouts. They are not direct flights and have intermediate stops, but they are considerably cheaper.

[bluepxl]

You are also going to need a heap more spending money than you thought.

true, but i guess that also depends on what kind of spender you are

i am pretty poor, so i'm not too worried about it. i am setting a side a few hundred just for computer stuff i have been wanting to buy at akihabara and stuff. but all in all i'm a pretty light spender, or at least i'm going to have to be. i won't have much else left over afterall, after these stupid airline aholes clean me out....

[Taro Toporific]

[quote=""bluepxl"
i checked travelocity, cheap tickets, orbitz, all those airline look up things. and pretty much all of them came back with the round trip tickets ranging from about $1200-2500!!! [/quote"]

Online tickets are not the best buy. Try "bucket shops" that sell tickets in the back of the Sunday newspaper "travel section" in larger cities. Also investigate with Google "air courier" tickets offer by courier agencies (less than $500).

Rots of ruck!

[bluepxl]

i have had many people who have visited japan, and i defintiely know from hearing their stories time and time again that saving up a lot would be worth it.

but, what if there's not much money there to save up with to begin with? our economy is bad enough, my job is so slow. i've been trying to get a second job but no one will hire me so far. it sucks also because i have no car, and in houston it's really hard to get around. so you know, i'll take what i can get! if it's $1k, then it's $1k. if it's $2k, then great! you know? i'm not going to purposely decide not to go this summer just because i won't have a few hundred extra. i'll bite my tongue (that's the phrase right?) and spend very frugally. my friend will help with food, and i don't have to pay for any hotels... so basically it's just down to clothing and needs. as much as i would like to get awesome items and cool toys, i may not be able to. but i'm paying most for the experience that i have been wanting for a really long time. if i have to eat once a day i'd still go for the experience. ya know?

[Steve Bildermann]

Good for you. Go for it. Try to find a way to keep reading FG while you are in Japan. I'm sure we can all offer suggestions as to how to s-t-r-e-c-h the budget once you are here.

Japan on 1,000 yen a day *is* possible - don't be discouraged

[ramchop]

Agreed, first get over here, worry about the rest later.

If you're in Tokyo there's heaps to see and do without blowing the budget. So you might have to walk instead of catching the subway, you'll have the time so why not?

Get yourself a few credit cards as a back up plan and worry about the damage after you return home.

[Steve Bildermann]

If you have the time *everywhere* is walking distance.

Says Steve (having twice walked from Hanada Airport Tokyo to Shizuoka City, Shizuoka)

[bluepxl]

[ramchop]

[Maciamo]

On Yahoo Japan, you can get a flight Tokyo-LA for 25000yen (200US$) or Tokyo-NY for 28000yen (230US$). The day you leave makes a lot of difference for the price. Not sure these ticket are valid for up to 6 weeks as well (might just be 1 week). But then it's worth buying it twice than paying 5 times more for one ticket.

If you can read Japanese check this : http://abroad.travel.yahoo.co.jp/air/0500.html

[GomiGirl]

Yes you can live on Y1,000 or there abouts. I did it for a while. I lived on Yoshi-gyu (Yoshinoya - gyudon)and did a heap of snacking in the food hall of department stores. Man that was a really long time ago.

Best thing to think about is that drinks are priced very high in comparison to food. So if you don't mind drinking alot of water that you bring from home or drinking at home from your stash of duty free liquor, then you will be fine. As Jack said, a Starbucks coffee will set you back quite a few bucks, but a burger at MacDonalds is only about 79yen. A bowl of hot steaming noodles from a greasy spoon is *fairly* healthy and cheap at a few hundred yen.

Check to see if your friend lives on the JR line. If so I would suggest that you invest in a rail pass for even just 14 days. You can only buy them outside Japan and only for people on tourist visas. It will set you back a couple of hundred dollars for a few weeks, but you will have unlimited travel on all JR trains (including bullet train), some busses and ferries. This way you can jump on a shinkansen and head to Nikko for the day, or Kamakura or wherever. Tokyo is not that pretty a city so if you are here for so long, you should try to get out and see some of the countryside which is stunning and this way you can do it for next to nothing. Even if you just take a return trip on the shinkansen to Nagoya, it has paid for itself as one way it is about Y10,000 (about $90)

See a travel agent to buy one - or at least get prices.

You can even be adventurous and try and do Kyoto in a day.. leave on the 6am shinkansen and come back on the 10pm... but you can find fairly cheap ryokans/hostels. It is well worth the effort if this is your first time here.

Also, invest in a good travel book like "The Lonely Planet" It will answer alot of your questions. But then FG can give you more info as well.

If you are here for six weeks, why don't you even pick up some work for a few weeks? (Did I say that?? shock horror) Check the on-line classifieds like Metropolis Could pay for some of your toys. See if your friend knows of any work around for a hard working and industrious person like yourself.

That's enough wisdom for one day.. back to the salt mines..

[GomiGirl]

Says Steve (having twice walked from Hanada Airport Tokyo to Shizuoka City, Shizuoka)

How long did that take you???? What I can't believe is that you not only did it once, but went back a repeat performance!!



Blupxl - forgot to mention that if you are planning to do a heap of tripping around in one day, a day pass either for just the subways, or for JR and subways, is the best way. Jumping on and off trains in the city can really cost you alot of money. From memory they are about 700 yen for the day unlimited travel.

Most of this sort of information is available at the Tokyo Tourist office. Just near the old Sogo Department store (now Bic Camera) at Yurakucho station on the Yamanote line. * Great staff and most of the info is free and in English. Should drop in during your first few days so you can make some plans and make the most of your stay..

* Yamanote line is the big green circle that you will catch all the time..

[Steve Bildermann]

[bluepxl]

100 yen?? you sure you didn't mistype that? maybe you meant at LEAST 1,000 yen? even 1,000 yen is a great deal, but 100 yen is just insane.. how would they stay in business? i would almost feel bad staying there that cheap that i would surely tip a lot. 100 yen... that's.. wow....

[Taro Toporific]

I don't see much helpful advice here, so I'll try to help. In fact, buying tickets in japan is usually MORE expensive. .

If your travel a lot, buy the Japan Rail Pass---it will pay for itself in just 5-10 train trips.

Cheapo flights under $600 to the Mysterious Orient are at United right now for their "E-Fares"...

San Francisco &#8211]http://www.ual.com/page/article/0,1360,50109,00.html[url][/url]

[Taro Toporific]

[ramchop]

shinto jinjas are religious shrines - they aren't meant to profit.

But then again, after seeing how much money they get thrown at them at the New Year "Hatsumoude" I can imagine the monks driving around in mercedes on their off days. And of course they don't pay tax... hmm...

I walk past the car park of a Buddhist temple on the way to work every day. Quite a collection the head monk has built up. Of course, maybe shinto shrines are different.

[bluepxl]

thanks for the site big booger. i guess the only problem with that there is that i hope to stay about 6 weeks... it looks like amnet has round trip packages that are only about a week-- but do you think i could select my own time to come back, like 6 weeks, or at minimum 4 weeks?

thanks!!

[Blah Pete]

Asiana Air used to have a cheap ticket but the route wasn't direct. The route was Seoul-Narita-SF (or LA). Return is SF (or LA)-Seoul-Narita with a long layover in Seoul.
China Air may still have a flight SF-Haneda that goes like 3 or 4 times a week and was cheap (note Haneda not Narita).
I would look for cheapest air ticket anywhere in US/Canada. In country travel in the US in cheap and if you have more time than money there is always Greyhound.

I travel the Japan-US route and to other parts of Asia fairly often and sometimes find cheap travel deals in the newspaper with plane,hotel, and sometimes transportation included and the price is cheaper than just the air ticket alone. Probably can find something similar in the US.

2nd the opinion stated on the JR travel pass. Whenever my relatives come over they get one and they save a lot of $$ compared to what I end up paying for the same trips.

Good luck.

[Taro Toporific]

[GomiGirl]

All of these cheap tickets sound great but Bluepxl said that they were not a regular traveller. Some of the cheap flights are like milk runs and stop about a dozen times in various countries.

Some advice, make sure you are aware of the entire itinery and have alot of time for connections etc. Best thing is to stay with the same airline for the entire journey. The last thing you want is to be stuck in some god-forsaken place without knowing where you are supposed to be and can't speak the language. It may cost you more money if you miss a connection with a different airline and they will not compensate you for a non-refundable ticket.

Also take out some travel insurance - should cost about $100 or even less if you shop around. I hope that you don't need to claim but it will cover you for missed flights, lost luggage, medical expenses, theft, breakages of expensive computer equipment etc etc. A few bucks can save you thousands.

Second the opinion to get some credit cards.. especially ones that you can use at ATM's in Japan and get cash advances. Also, things that you buy on them have some sort of insurance etc - but most of all, proof of purchase for warranties etc. But even if you never use them, it may make you feel a bit more financially secure. Remember if they get lost/stolen, you can have them replaced within 24 hours... write down the card numbers etc.

It is the little things that can make or break a good holiday..

But if you do get into strife - there are a heap of FG friends on this board that can help you out. [/list]