Japan Travel Guide, Where to go? eat? What to see and do?

[doubledown11]

This thread is an opportunity for those who have lived in or visited Japan to share their insider knowledge with those that may be planning a trip in the near future.
I think the emphasis should be on how to enjoy Japan and make the most out of a tight budget since most people here don't have deep pockets.

There are lots of travel guides like: Frommers: Japan & Tokyo

Time Out! Tokyo <-- free to view with Google Books.

Lonely Planet

They're "decent" but filled with "tourist trap" destinations and suggestions. Some of the information is quite useful in these types of books but in this thread we will try to create a resource for identifying locales, cuisines and activities that mainstream travel guides tend to ignore.

So anyone who has already been to japan, share your wisdom.
iacus is heading to Japan for the entire month of July.
Help him get ready for his trip by suggesting where to go, what to see & do & eat.
Maybe write a list of top 5 places to eat (affordable!), top 5 places to visit outside of Tokyo, top 5 areas in Tokyo most people don't know about, etc use your imagination.

For now, here are some useful links that I will update frequently:

Probably the best resource on the net for travelling to Japan
japan-guide.com
essentials
sightseeing
accomodations
transportation

Timetables for trains
Japan Railways

Finding a hotel
Asiarooms
Agoda
I used to think the above 2 sites were the cheapest for finding hotels in Japan but hotels.com is actually very good, often a lot cheaper.

or a hostel if you want to save money
hostelworld.com
hosteljapan.com
^honestly, I don't know much about staying in hostels so if anyone else knows better resources on the net, fell free to drop some knowledge.

Where to Eat
bento.com

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For starters, I will mention some basic travelling tips that I admit may be better covered in any of the mainstream travel guides. It would be a good idea buying or signing out from the library at least one of those types of guides.

When you fly into Japan, you will most likely be arriving at Narita airport. Unfortunately, it is situated quite far from Tokyo. It would be a ~90min busride (3000 yen) or 60-90 min train ride (~3000 yen via Narita Express, ~1500 if you take the slower JR Sobu line) to Tokyo from Narita. The price will vary a bit (not much) depending on which area of Tokyo you need to go.


Some things to consider:
1. If you have lots of luggage, it will be a pain in the ass to carry all that stuff up/down stairs and onto trains. If your hotel/hostel is near one of the stops on the Narita Express or JR Sobu line then it won't matter too much. But if you have to make multiple transfers on different trains (that can be packed during riush hour) to get to your final destination then you might want to consider taking a limousine/shuttle bus instead especially one that can take you directly to your hotel or very close-by.

2. If you don't have much luggage, the Narita express is very fast and there is a promotional campaign available only to foreigners:
Narita Express (NEX) & Suica card package
Separately, the NEX ticket (3000 yen) and Suica card (2000 yen) would set you back 5000 yen, but with the promotion you can get it at a discount for 3500 yen.

3. Get a Suica card.


They don't save you money but they make life a lot easier since you won't have to wait in lines to buy train tickets. You can also use them on vending machines and for purchases at some convenience stores. If anything it will save you quite a bit of time.
this link has useful info so I'll post it again.

3. Buy a JR Pass



If you plan on travelling to cities outside Tokyo, like Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka or up to Hokkaido: this pass will save you a sh_tload of money. A 7day pass will cost you 28300 yen. If you took one return trip to Osaka, it would cost you over 27000 yen.
You can buy 7-day, 14-day and 21-day passes.
You need to buy the JR pass in your home country BEFORE you get to Japan.


Okay, that's enough for today. Will add more tomorrow.

[modnar]

Sweet idea for a topic Steve !
I`ll keep adding to this post but here`s a little bit to start with.


Nagasaki


Transportation.

Getting to and from Nagasaki: If you`re coming from Tokyo or somewhere outside of Kyushu then plane is cheaper than the shinkansen.

If you`re coming from Fukuoka then Bus is much cheaper than the JR trains.
Nishitetsu operate bus services all around Kyushu. The following link is a timetable and map showing where and when you can catch a bus to and from Nagasaki: Nishitestu Bus timetable



Within Nagasaki City: Where you can I`d recommend you walk since most places around central Nagasaki are within comfortable walking distance.

Trams are the main form of public transport in the city. They also happen to be the cheapest in Japan, costing a mere ￥100 per ride.

The tram stops all have English maps so it shouldn`t be too much trouble finding where to get off.


English subtitles are generally found throughout the city at key locations.

Map of Nagasaki tram routes:

Image via: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4404.html



Buses are also available and are useful when you`re travelling to places further out from the city center where the trams aren`t available.





Sights:

Firstly, Nagasaki City has free guided tours on offer so I`d certainly recommend this if this is your first time in Nagasaki. The guides are generally very knowledgable and have a decent level of English (mostly).

http://www.sarukuhaku.com/e/exp.html

This pamphlet will come in handy too: [Nagasaki Map] [PDF]

Sources: Map via http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/about/

1.) Atomic Bomb Museum

One place you must visit if you are in Nagasaki. The experience of going through this place is quite depressing but this is a story that must be told, lest history repeats itself.


# Location: 7-8 Hirano-machi
# Hours: May 1-August 31: 08:30-18:30 (August 7-9: 08:30-20:00)
September 1-April 31: 08:30-17:30
# Closed December 29-31.
# Entrance Fee: Adults: ¥200
Aged 6-17: ¥100

Access: Tram - Tram line 1

Useful links:

http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/

http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/peace/



2.) ****(more coming soon***)

[iacus]

Emphasis on the cheap but good part. I honestly probably don't have enough money to do the whole trip the way I want.

[Ravik]

I've found a good website for looking up Japanese addresses in English, as to help you on your trip:

http://diddlefinger.com/

It'll let you input addresses in Japanese characters or Romanized characters and map the result out for you. It can also accept Japanese post codes.