Where to go?

[playaa]

Ok, I can't decide where I should go. I have $6,500.00 to go anywhere in the world between May 16 - June 1st but don't know where to go. I made plans for Tokyo and it seemed to cost about 1100$ for flight and hotel. Anyone got any other ideas? :relief:

[RockLee]

China perhaps or Spain,Greece..sounds nice to me...OR maybe even Australia..want to go there too !! :-)

[dreamer]

I'd advise you china or vietnam since the prices there are kinda low...however I dunno about the flight's price...

[playaa]

Well price doesn't matter, I just wondering for other ideas so I am not limited to where I can go.. Just wanting to make sure that I am going the best place I can.. :)

[RockLee]

You saved a whole amount of money...wish I had that...then I would have arranged my staying allready :D

[budd]

not going to japan?
they might have cheap flights to afghanistan or something like that...
good luck, hth

[Keiichi]

How about Alabama? :D
C'mon, there's gotta be someplace you can go! With that much money, you can go on two different trips!

[RockLee]

ONLY 2 ???? heck..I could make 4 trips this year with that amount of money!!!!

[Keiichi]

Ok, I guess that depends on how long you're staying for each trip also and spending money. I was approximating for a bit longer than a week each trip. :)
But I don't know, I only have done research for Japan, which is a pretty expensive place. :D

[playaa]

I am buying my plane tickets right now.. Gonna stick with my plans for Japan for 2 weeks :) I figure $1100 for flight hotel + extra money like 400$ and that leaves around 5400$ for me to have spending money

[RockLee]

That sounds like my plan :D ...I envy you because of the amount you allready have...it's saving a little more for me .... owh yeah...make lot's of pics and post news :D :cool:

[playaa]

Heh, well I didn't save all of my money, I got 10,000.00 as a pre-settlement from one insurance company, because I broke my wrist in a wreck where I was a passenger. I am not sueing just they are paying compensation. Both drivers were considered at fault so I get money from both. In the end after my last check up I will end up getting around 17,000 more.

[Keiichi]

Are you buying this ticket online? I don't think a roundtrip from LA to anywhere in Japan costs $1100. That's too much, yo. But I dunno.

[playaa]

No No, $670.00 for the ticket, I am including the cost for a single japanese style room at New Koyo in Tokyo for 2 weeks also.

[playaa]

I am wondering if I should invest in business class or something better then coach.. as I will be bringing a laptop and would want to get online, etc.. and sleep maybe other then sitting up.


EDIT: Anyone know of a site that compares the different flight class's? and has pictures?

[Keiichi]

Oh, haha. Gotta use them 'and' in your sentences. ;)
But yeah, $670 sounds pretty good. Even from Hawaii it costs around that. I have to keep looking.
When are you going?

Screw the plane classes, save the money to buy stuff! :p

[RockLee]

I think it's time I'm going to let myself get beaten.....I could use the money :p

[playaa]

May 16 - June 1

[Uncle Frank]

Heh, well I didn't save all of my money, I got 10,000.00 as a pre-settlement from one insurance company, because I broke my wrist in a wreck where I was a passenger. I am not sueing just they are paying compensation. Both drivers were considered at fault so I get money from both. In the end after my last check up I will end up getting around 17,000 more.

Lucky you weren't hurt bad(I hope) and both parties have insurance. Hopefully you didn't sign off on future problems down the road?

Frank

[Maciamo]

Well price doesn't matter, I just wondering for other ideas so I am not limited to where I can go.. Just wanting to make sure that I am going the best place I can.. :)

If you only have 2 weeks, no need to try and see all the world. My advise would be to concentrate on one or two places. If you have already made up your mind for Tokyo (1 week ?), you could go to London, Paris or Rome + Florence for the other. Having travelled in about 40 countries, I don't think you'll find better than these cities if you like sightseeing, vibrant cities and history. The weather should be especially fine at that time of the year.

[Maciamo]

I am wondering if I should invest in business class or something better then coach.. as I will be bringing a laptop and would want to get online, etc.. and sleep maybe other then sitting up.


If you use a good airline (Asian ones, like Singapore Airlines, Korean Air...), you should get an individual screen with a choice of about 10 new movies + 20 video games. You probably won't need your laptop much to divert yourself.

Busines class is definitely more spacious aand better to sleep, but as it cost twice more I don't think it's really worth it. I mean, if you can stay at a place like the New Koyo Hotel (rabbit hutch), then economy (=coach) class is really no problem. How long is your flight from Louisiana to Tokyo ? Any stop-over ?

[Maciamo]

ONLY 2 ???? heck..I could make 4 trips this year with that amount of money!!!!

Well, if you were travelling around India on a shoestring, spending around 100US$/month for everything (hotel, food, transport...), then 6.500$ would be enough to stay 65 months (take out 500$ for the plane and that's 5 years of living in hotel and eating at restaurant !).

[playaa]

Sounds good Maciamo, but question is the New Koyo like really bad condition and poor quality? Also.. My only worries about staying in Tokyo would be getting lost and not being able to find anything. So any maps/advice would be helpful.

[playaa]

Also my flight is something like 18 hours, with one stop in Dallas, TX.

[budd]

"but question is the New Koyo like really bad condition and poor quality?"
no
he may be referring to the size, the room (i stayed in) is something like 5x8
but please keep in mind that if that hotel wasn't any good, then why would there be so much info on it elsewhere?
pictures are on the website, and i can vouch for their authenticity
different strokes for different folks

although the flight may be 18 - 24 hours, i spend about 13 hours at the most, 10 hours at the least on the plane
here is a virtual tour of delta's business class -- i'm sure other airlines have the same options to view on their sites
ttp://www.delta.com/prog_serv/biz_elite/tour/index.jsp

[Hiro~~~]

come on,$1100 for an air ticket to tokyo is not at all expensive....even from Oita, it is almost the same.
as long as you decide to come to japan, you have to prepare yourself for a big amount of money, for the particular high price here....
hoo.......

[playaa]

Thanks budd, yeah I figure you stay a good bit in airport transit, etc.. Room size isnt an issue as I dont think ill be spending much time asleep. Anyone have any ideas of what to do around there? I want to sight see during the day time, and experience night life at night. So maps, and info on some places to go could help :)

[budd]

it depends
but check out this site -- roughguides.com
a guy i met at hotel new azuma had one of these and he wanted to go all around to each -- WITH ME guiding and translating
i was like ehh
but i have to admit, i did see some parts of tokyo i never would have on my own
i went to the observatory in shinjuku... to shinjuku park... some okay pics, plus i got through in enough time to meet ol girl in ueno
rough guides
http://www.roughguides.com/store/details.html?ProductID=105
phrasebook
http://www.roughguides.com/store/details.html?ProductID=122
especially check out the journals, tokyo has 53 to choose from
better get started :)
http://travel.roughguides.com/planning/journalCountry.asp?locationID=200

[playaa]

Would Barnes and Nobles have this book? I might be going to invest in some of them if so..

[Uncle Frank]

When I was there, every place you walked into offered wooden matches in a little box. On the back was a tiny map & info of how to get there. I would grab one at each place then just hand them to the taxi drivers and say take me there. It was a great system. When I came home , I must have had over 500 boxes.

Frank

:?

[playaa]

HAHA Uncle Franks easy 1-step method to traveling Japan! :)

[budd]

not as far as flying. leave them in the hotel :) when coming back
i saw security make this man throw away a solid gold lighter he'd gotten as a gift :(
but that is an excellent idea! one that i hadn't thought of
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=BQv150GFWF&isbn=185828712X&itm=1
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=BQv150GFWF&isbn=1858286999&itm=3

[Maciamo]

come on,$1100 for an air ticket to tokyo is not at all expensive....even from Oita, it is almost the same.
as long as you decide to come to japan, you have to prepare yourself for a big amount of money, for the particular high price here....
hoo.......

Well, everytime I go back to Europe from Tokyo, I pay about 50.000yen, which at current rate is about 385 euro (remember that the US$ used to be stronger than the euro).

[playaa]

Yeah, if we get the democratic president the US$ will rise over every currency once again but since we have such low interest rates right now the US$ has fallen.

[Golgo_13]

Ok, I can't decide where I should go. I have $6,500.00 to go anywhere in the world between May 16 - June 1st but don't know where to go. I made plans for Tokyo and it seemed to cost about 1100$ for flight and hotel. Anyone got any other ideas? :relief:

Is that $1100 for BOTH airfare and hote for 2 weeks? That ain't bad at all for going to Japan. I stayed at a hotel that had 6,000 Yen rooms (about $58), and there was a Denny's close by. I was there for 10 days and spent less than $100 a day (other than hotel).

You could go to Osaka and stay at the same place where I stayed. And meet Mad Pierrot on his day off, or you can go meet him because he lives near a hot spring (onsen) resort. Ancient cities of Nara and Kyoto are close by, and the temples in Kouya Mountain is a famous attraction.

If you'd consider Osaka let moi know and I'll make more suggestions.

Over and out.

[playaa]

Would it be to much time to go to Osaka, from Tokyo.. for a day or 2? I would be paying for my hotel in Tokyo during this time but I guess it wouldnt be too expensive to spend a night in Osaka, and use the Shinkansen?

[Golgo_13]

If you take the Shinkansen it's about 3 hours from Tokyo to Osaka, but you're going from downtown to downtown. If you fly, the flight is about an hour but you have to get yourself to the airport in Tokyo from your hotel, then take a train, bus or cab from the airport in Osaka to your hotel. Besides, the Shinkansen is way more fun.

So, if you start early in the morning, you could still get to Osaka before noon and have a full day of sightseeing. Stay overnight in a cheap hotel, and do more sightseeing the next day. Then take a Shinkansen back to TKO at night. If you're too tired to go back to Tokyo, stay another day.

Sounds like a plan eh?

P.S. The hotel where I stayed is Hotel Nankai

http://www.hotel-nankai.co.jp/eng/

I stayed at their Sakai branch.

If you stay at their Namba branch you'd be right by the Kintetsu Railroad Station which will take you to Nara. Or the Nankai trains that go to Wakayama (where Mad Pierrot is) or to the Kouya Mountain Temples.

If you stay at a hotel closer to Osaka or Shin-Osaka station, you'd be closer to Hankyuu or Keihan trains that go to Kyoto.

Let moi know if you have more Qs

over and out

[Maciamo]

Would it be to much time to go to Osaka, from Tokyo.. for a day or 2? I would be paying for my hotel in Tokyo during this time but I guess it wouldnt be too expensive to spend a night in Osaka, and use the Shinkansen?

I personally think that the shinkansen price between Tokyo and Osaka is overpriced (13.000yen one-way at best). The night bus cost only 4500 yen and you save one night accomodation. I don't know what you are interested in, but I would recomend Kyoto rather than Osaka, because Osaka is just like Tokyo (except the castle and the people). Kyoto has much more interesting touristical attractions (temples, palaces, gardens, geisha, festivals...) :genji:

Btw, the "shinkansen" (actually Eurostar) betwen Paris and London takes about 2h, so you can easily go from one city to the other, in case you follow my previous advice.

[playaa]

Hm, Sounds interesting great suggestions and I think I am definately gonna take this option, as I will be there for 2 weeks.. Maybe the monday of the second week I will do like monday/tuesday and come back wednesday to osaka or kyoto...

So maybe even a capsule hotel something for around 2500yen like new koyo i could stay in, or a youth hostel. Take the night bus sunday night arrive monday in osaka or kyoto and just take the shinkansen home to tokyo...

How does that sound? Please adjust and edit.. or add things I should look into.. :)


ALSO I picked up those 2 books suggested by budd last night and 2 others... I now own these..

THE ROUGH GUIDE TO: Tokyo Second Edition
A ROUGH GUIDE Japanese Phrasebook
Easy Japanese: A Guide to Spoken and Written Japanese

And last.. Survival Japanese: How To Communicate without Fuss or Fear - Instantly!
This one is a little pocket phrase book.

I also have printed out and made a booklet of all of the Journals written from the link budd sent.. They had some interesting information on sights.. I am amazed at all of the free stuff to do in the day :balloon:

[Golgo_13]

The city of Nara, just east of Osaka, is nice, with Buddhist temples, giant statue of Buddha, and the deers roaming freely in the middle of the city. You can even buy "Shika Sembei" or deer biscuits and feed them. Some unsuspecting foreignors have been known to eat one themselves! I paid 6,000 Yen for the room in Sakai, so the cheapest hotel might go for 10,000 in the middle of Osaka.

[mikko]

if i would be you, i would spend ALL the money in Japan and bring a ton of stuff back home. No need to see anything else than Japan, ｴcause itｴs the best country there is (havenｴt been there though).

or then save to a tripp next year...

[budd]

there are a lot of books on tokyo/japan -- i just liked that one in particular (will probaby buy it myself)
frommers
fodors, etc

[jolan]

I think you should really go to Hiroshima, one of the most vibrant city of Japan. It's such a nice city! definitely one of my favourite place in Japan. I prefer Hiroshima than Kyoto, that's for sure...

aaaahhh Miya Jima!

[Golgo_13]

Hiroshima, one of the most vibrant city of Japan.

Does it still glow at night from the radiation? :D

But seriously, that Peace Memorial is worth visiting.