Japan (Tokyo/Kyoto)

As in Studio Ghibli? They really have a museum? That'd be pretty
cool.
If you have time you might consider going to Yokohama's China Town or
even down to Kamakura (one of my favorite places in Japan).

Yes, I was thrilled to learn about the museum as well! I really hope I
can get the tix. I will be so sad if I can't, I really love Ghibli
Studio films! My brother wants me to visit Yokohama just b/c of the
reference to the anime Macross, but I think I can't squeeze it in for
this trip =(

There's something to be said for tours; you can get lots of info
that's
otherwise not readily available. I personally am not a big fan of
taking tours, but I do understand the attraction.

Honestly, if possible I'd head out to Kyoto the previous evening.
While
you lose a night of play in Tokyo you gain half a day in Kyoto
(factor
in travel and check in times). If you opt to do this you could go to
Shinsaibashi in Osaka as a substitute for the Tokyo playgrounds; I
really like that area.

What do you like in Osaka very much?

koneko wrote:
As in Studio Ghibli? They really have a museum? That'd be pretty
cool.
If you have time you might consider going to Yokohama's China Town
or
even down to Kamakura (one of my favorite places in Japan).

Yes, I was thrilled to learn about the museum as well! I really hope
I
can get the tix. I will be so sad if I can't, I really love Ghibli
Studio films! My brother wants me to visit Yokohama just b/c of the
reference to the anime Macross, but I think I can't squeeze it in for
this trip =(

I will probably have to make a special trip to Tokyo when I go to Japan
this spring just to visit. But it should be worth it; is it hard to get
tickets?

There's something to be said for tours; you can get lots of info
that's
otherwise not readily available. I personally am not a big fan of
taking tours, but I do understand the attraction.

Honestly, if possible I'd head out to Kyoto the previous evening.
While
you lose a night of play in Tokyo you gain half a day in Kyoto
(factor
in travel and check in times). If you opt to do this you could go
to
Shinsaibashi in Osaka as a substitute for the Tokyo playgrounds; I
really like that area.

What do you like in Osaka very much?

The night life is different. It's kinda hard to explain. I see Tokyo as
more of a dance club kind of city and Osaka more of a sit-down bar
place. That's not entirely accurate, since both cities have both. But
the pace in Kansai (the Osaka/Kyoto area) is just different. One thing
to see in Osaka is Osaka Castle. It's not the best castle in Japan
(Himeji, just West of Osaka) gets my vote, but you probably don't have
time for that); but it's still a nice place to visit. If you do, make
sure you go to the top and compare the view from there with the one of
Tokyo.

John W.

John W. wrote:

As in Studio Ghibli? They really have a museum? That'd be pretty
cool.


I will probably have to make a special trip to Tokyo when I go to
Japan
this spring just to visit. But it should be worth it; is it hard to
get
tickets?

It is a bit tricky, but as long as you do it early enough it seems you
can! I don't know yet, it's too early for me to get mine... I am so
sad! I really want them! I am practically getting an ulcer, waiting
for Feb. to come so I can try to get mine! (It's very formal... need
your passport number, the exact date you will going, etc!) I will let
you know how it goes. I really have my heart set on the museum! It's
in Mitaka (thanks Chris!!), right outside of Tokyo, so I hope you can
go if you get to Tokyo! Miyazaki designed it himself!

Thank you for the info on Osaka. You are right, I prob. cannot squeeze
this into my schedule, but I always like to learn more! It's never to
early to start planning my next trip, right? ;-)

"koneko" wrote in message
oups.com...
Also... with tour packages... how bad is it to argue with the company,
of you think they are overcharging you? I think that the price they
are giving me now is higher than the price they give me before? I am
really not confrontational at all, and I hate arguing. I'm really new
to this!

Can't hurt. At worst, they will stick to their guns and
not drop the price - but you might be able to get some
concessions from them, especially if you can go in armed
with the right information. Fare info, etc., regarding the
JR trains, including the shinkansen, is pretty easy to get.
Again, try the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO);
they've got a great English-language web site:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/


And here's a great site that can give you schedule and fare
info all over Japan:

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/


I don't want to scrap the package though, b/c most everything else is
perfect. Just these two things popped up. If I can take care of the
Shinkansen, that'd be great. And if I can figure out how to approach
about prices that'd be even better.

It's pretty easy to get shinkansen tickets on your own, especially
at the major train stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinagawa). Figure
out what train you want in advance, using either the Hyperdia site
above or the JR site, and it will make things easier for you when
you go to the ticket window. Basically, besides the time you want
to travel, you'll need to tell the clerk whether you want a smoking
or non-smoking car (non-smoking is in the minority!) and if you
want the "Green Car" (first class, and IMHO not worth the
extra charge). I wouldn't until the day of to get the tickets, but
2-3 days in advance should be no problem.


Bob M.

Bob Myers wrote:
Can't hurt. At worst, they will stick to their guns and
not drop the price - but you might be able to get some
concessions from them, especially if you can go in armed
with the right information. Fare info, etc., regarding the
JR trains, including the shinkansen, is pretty easy to get.
Again, try the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO);
they've got a great English-language web site:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

I checked, and they ARE charging us more for the Shinkansen tix!! I
guess I will tell them never mind, I will book those myself! Wow, it
was a huge mark-up too. It's funny, though, b/c I calculated the rest,
and we are still saving money by taking the package, just these extra
tix alone are totally crazy-overpriced!


It's pretty easy to get shinkansen tickets on your own, especially
at the major train stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinagawa). Figure
out what train you want in advance, using either the Hyperdia site
above or the JR site, and it will make things easier for you when
you go to the ticket window. Basically, besides the time you want
to travel, you'll need to tell the clerk whether you want a smoking
or non-smoking car (non-smoking is in the minority!) and if you
want the "Green Car" (first class, and IMHO not worth the
extra charge). I wouldn't until the day of to get the tickets, but
2-3 days in advance should be no problem.

I found this site: http://www.world.eki-net.com/

Do you know if this is reliable? I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way... my adobe isn't working, so I can't see where
I can pick up the tix though. I just need to make sure I can get back
to Tokyo from Kyoto! =) But if you think that I can get Shinkansen tix
easily enough when I am in Japan (maybe while I am in Tokyo?) But I
rather it was taken care of. That's the reason why I went with the
package the first place. :-/

In article . com,
koneko wrote:

Bob Myers wrote:
Can't hurt. At worst, they will stick to their guns and
not drop the price - but you might be able to get some
concessions from them, especially if you can go in armed
with the right information. Fare info, etc., regarding the
JR trains, including the shinkansen, is pretty easy to get.
Again, try the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO);
they've got a great English-language web site:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

I checked, and they ARE charging us more for the Shinkansen tix!! I
guess I will tell them never mind, I will book those myself! Wow, it
was a huge mark-up too. It's funny, though, b/c I calculated the rest,
and we are still saving money by taking the package, just these extra
tix alone are totally crazy-overpriced!

Does it include 'transfers' to hotel ?

jay
Tue Jan 18, 2005




It's pretty easy to get shinkansen tickets on your own, especially
at the major train stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinagawa). Figure
out what train you want in advance, using either the Hyperdia site
above or the JR site, and it will make things easier for you when
you go to the ticket window. Basically, besides the time you want
to travel, you'll need to tell the clerk whether you want a smoking
or non-smoking car (non-smoking is in the minority!) and if you
want the "Green Car" (first class, and IMHO not worth the
extra charge). I wouldn't until the day of to get the tickets, but
2-3 days in advance should be no problem.

I found this site: http://www.world.eki-net.com/

Do you know if this is reliable? I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way... my adobe isn't working, so I can't see where
I can pick up the tix though. I just need to make sure I can get back
to Tokyo from Kyoto! =) But if you think that I can get Shinkansen tix
easily enough when I am in Japan (maybe while I am in Tokyo?) But I
rather it was taken care of. That's the reason why I went with the
package the first place. :-/

"koneko" wrote on Wed 19 Jan 2005 04:36:07p


I checked, and they ARE charging us more for the Shinkansen tix!! I
guess I will tell them never mind, I will book those myself!

Are you buying a 7-day "JR Pass"? It's fairly expensive, but if you use it
on the Narita Express in to Tokyo from the airport, use it on the JR lines
around Tokyo, use it on the shinkansen out to Kyoto and back to Tokyo, and
then the Narita Express back out to the airport, the convenience is worth
it - especially as you are only the country for a week anyway. Actually,
for the convenience, it's probably worth it just for the Toyko-Kyoto-Toyko
part alone :-)

The Green ticket office (Midori no madoguchi) at the airport is downstairs
from the arrival area (as is the train station itself). You could activate
your JR pass right then if you have the time. When you do this, ask for an
English timetable. It's a fairly thin thing (20-odd pages?) with the pages
about the size of a large hardback novel's. Apart from departure/arrival
times, it will also help you decide exactly *which* shinkansen you can take
- note that the cheap JR Pass is not valid on the fastest, or "Nozomi"
services.


Do you know if this is reliable? I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way.

You can buy your shinkansen "reserved" tickets at a normal Midori no
Madoguchi days in advance for no extra fee. So as soon as you hit Tokyo,
you could buy tickets to Kyoto - and back! Then you just have to stick to
that timetable :-)

--
Chris
Concatenate for email: mrgazpacho @ hotmail . com

"koneko" wrote on Wed 19 Jan 2005 04:36:07p


I checked, and they ARE charging us more for the Shinkansen tix!! I
guess I will tell them never mind, I will book those myself!

Are you buying a 7-day "JR Pass"? It's fairly expensive, but if you use it
on the Narita Express in to Tokyo from the airport, use it on the JR lines
around Tokyo, use it on the shinkansen out to Kyoto and back to Tokyo, and
then the Narita Express back out to the airport, the convenience is worth
it - especially as you are only the country for a week anyway. Actually,
for the convenience, it's probably worth it just for the Toyko-Kyoto-Toyko
part alone :-)

The Green ticket office (Midori no madoguchi) at the airport is downstairs
from the arrival area (as is the train station itself). You could activate
your JR pass right then if you have the time. When you do this, ask for an
English timetable. It's a fairly thin thing (20-odd pages?) with the pages
about the size of a large hardback novel's. Apart from departure/arrival
times, it will also help you decide exactly *which* shinkansen you can take
- note that the cheap JR Pass is not valid on the fastest, or "Nozomi"
services.


Do you know if this is reliable? I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way.

You can buy your shinkansen "reserved" tickets at a normal Midori no
Madoguchi days in advance for no extra fee. So as soon as you hit Tokyo,
you could buy tickets to Kyoto - and back! Then you just have to stick to
that timetable :-)

--
Chris
Concatenate for email: mrgazpacho @ hotmail . com

"koneko" wrote in message
ups.com...


I found this site: http://www.world.eki-net.com/

Do you know if this is reliable?

I believe I've seen that site before (although for some reason
couldn't access it this morning), but I can't personally vouch for
their reliability. I've always purchased my tickets in Japan, and
had very litle trouble doing that. As I said, getting your shinkansen
reservations as little as 2-3 days in advance should be no problem,
or even (as another poster mentioned) at the airport when you
arrive or (even better) through simply using a 7-day JR pass.
(Unless you just HAVE to have the "Nozomi" service - but the
time advantage isn't really all that great; check the timetables.)

I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way... my adobe isn't working, so I can't see where
I can pick up the tix though.

In the major stations, the ticket office should be very easy to
find. It is certainly no problem in either Tokyo or Shinagawa
stations; at Shinjuku it may be slightly more difficult to spot just
due to the ever-present crowds (and Shinjuku station itself is
somewhat confusing, though certainly not impossible, to find
one's way around in). Don't forget, the hotel concierge can
also be of a lot of help in arranging these sorts of things, or
just telling you how to get to the station and back!

Bob M.

"koneko" wrote in message
ups.com...


I found this site: http://www.world.eki-net.com/

Do you know if this is reliable?

I believe I've seen that site before (although for some reason
couldn't access it this morning), but I can't personally vouch for
their reliability. I've always purchased my tickets in Japan, and
had very litle trouble doing that. As I said, getting your shinkansen
reservations as little as 2-3 days in advance should be no problem,
or even (as another poster mentioned) at the airport when you
arrive or (even better) through simply using a 7-day JR pass.
(Unless you just HAVE to have the "Nozomi" service - but the
time advantage isn't really all that great; check the timetables.)

I thought maybe I could reserve my
shinkansen tix this way... my adobe isn't working, so I can't see where
I can pick up the tix though.

In the major stations, the ticket office should be very easy to
find. It is certainly no problem in either Tokyo or Shinagawa
stations; at Shinjuku it may be slightly more difficult to spot just
due to the ever-present crowds (and Shinjuku station itself is
somewhat confusing, though certainly not impossible, to find
one's way around in). Don't forget, the hotel concierge can
also be of a lot of help in arranging these sorts of things, or
just telling you how to get to the station and back!

Bob M.