Going to japan any advice, help, know someone there etc.

i could be wrong but i think this is the right place to post this if not let me know

Kyoto Japan (mainly because it has so many other great places near by and is a modern city.) im basic going to japan because im in a rut here.

I personal like how they tie history/modern together to form something else altogether. It does not hurt they have plenty of training places in japan either.

Now besides knowing a little of the history of japan, ninjas, samurai, history of some other there supernatural stuff. I don't know a lot about the present day japan well a few things.

For instance what is a good hot springs to visit, since im planing on staying for at lest 4 to 6 months or longer is there any place i should stay out for a long time.

Is there anything i should know before going, im looking for people to meet over there too. As for why so long well since im in a rut i have decide that immersion myself into something would help me get out it.

I figure it will take me at lest 3 months to learn the language at the very lest. Breaking it down, being able to write and talk it etc. Still like i said i dont know much about where i could stay or see etc.

For instance: i know they have 4 festivals one in each season but beyond that i dont know much. I also want to drink the Japanese traditional drink i think it called sake.

Also want to drink sake in the hotspring too.........well maybe not i might drown... beyond that i want to test my automated business system while im doing other things.

I know there more i should ask but im at a lost as too what they are.

It's been a few years since I was there, but I'll try to give any advice I can:

I assume you'll be going within the next two months? Since you're going to the Kansai region (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, etc), you're going to want to pack appropriately. That region is very tropical: Very humid, very hot during the summer. Pack light clothes that breathe well. While practically every place and form of mass transit has blessed air conditioning, you're going to do a lot of walking outdoors.

Walking means wearing good shoes. Seriously. You're going to walk everywhere. Plan for it.

Pick up a guidebook and look it over. Even if it's out of date, it'll still give you some good pointers.

Don't feel too pressured to learn Japanese. The country is very English friendly; most of the important signs (subway stops, landmarks, etc) will be displayed in Japanese and English. Also most Japanese do have at least some knowledge of the English language, especially the younger ones. Rule of thumb: the older they are, the less likely even if it is likely that they'll know a little. They tend not to speak it immediately though.

Festivals are all over the place. The Japanese love a good party as much as the next culture. Neighborhoods will throw small ones from time to time just as entire cities will get into the swing on the big ones. Since you're going to Kyoto, look forward to their month long Gion Matsuri which runs all of July, but tends to come to a peak on July 17th.

I suggest booking a stay at one of the ryokans, or "traditional inn." Ryokans specialize in Japanese accommodations, meals and their proprietors can help you find many things you want to see/experience in the city.

Another interesting experience to try is a capsule hotel. Think beehive and you're on the right track. My stay at a capsule hotel was in Tokyo, but I'm sure Kyoto will have at least one. If you are female, or traveling with one, keep in mind that these ones are geared more toward men. They were originally designed for providing cheap and spartan sleeping arrangements for salarymen who had missed the last train home, but many are now becoming more open toward female guests.

Keep in mind that Japan is a very expensive country. The cost of living there is very high. Plan your budget accordingly.

Travel! If you can, buy a Japan Rail Pass to travel to other cities. A JRP will let you use almost any JR train (even the shinkansen "bullet trains"), bus or ferry for a set fee paid in advance. I highly recommend Osaka as I found it a bit more laid back than Tokyo. Tokyo and Yokohama are still exceptionally interesting sights. There are also shrines and temples everywhere. Be sure to pay some of them a visit.

And for one final note, if you can, stop by a bookstore and purchase a "stampbook." This will be a hardbound book, ranging in size from 12cm x 9cm to much larger. Inside, the "pages" are linked and folded accordion-style. At many of the larger shrines/temples (and some of the smaller ones), there will be a calligrapher who, for a small donation to the shrine, will mark your book with a rather exquisite inscription and stamp. Also, all Japan Rail stations will have a stamp somewhere on the premises. Many of the other rail lines have followed suit as well as some various points of interest. You can use them to mark your travels in a cheap, but unique way.


EDIT: Forgot to mention: Be aware of how long you can stay on your visa. Japan sets time limits for various countries. For example, an American can stay for 90 days on their visa. After those 90 days are up, you must spend at least 24 hours outside Japan. Many Americans will go visit Guam, or in my case, spend a few days in Thailand. You can then return to Japan for another 90 days.

The Japanese know this sort of thing happens, and they do kinda frown on it, but so long as you don't cause any trouble and don't do it for more than a couple of times, you should be okay.

Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize

Oh my, someone is coming to Japan? You mean, for a while, I won't be alone out here?

I'm living and working in the Tokyo area (actually, not that far north of the airport), so I can definitely give you some advice/hints if you like.

Rush/Bolt covered a lot of details, so really a lot of what I can offer requires specific information (time of year, where you're coming from, etc. etc.) But here are some generalized hints/helpers

1) Try and at least learn hiragana - the Japanese script alphabet - since all train stations will have their name in hiragana, too. This will also help you if you need directions, since Japan, by and far, have NO NAMES FOR THEIR ROADS. They'll refer to things by area - near the train station, near the post office, and so on. If you can read hiragana (there's only 47), you can piece together a lot of information.

2) IF you need more money once you get here - banks are NOT open late!! ALL banks close at 3pm M-F and are not open weekends. ATMs are also not open 24 hours - most are closed after 6 pm, some after 7 (CitiBank is the ONLY exception - it IS open 24 hours). If you need to get money and a CitiBank is not convenient, head to any Japan Post Office with an ATM machine (aka almost any one in the Kyoto area) and use your bank card there.

3) I have only been through Kyoto area once or twice, so I can't recommend things i that area. If you want recommendations for areas I have lived in, post here and I'll be glad to provide more info.

4) Sake (aka rice wine) is an awesomely strong drink, hot or cold. There's a reason you see Japanese people in manga or movies use those small cups. Go easy on the stuff.

5) Each city has its own festivals. Head to the town office and ask - they'll be glad that a foreigner is interested in their festivals.

That's all I have for now. Lemme know if you want more

thanks for the information:

so i'm guessing i should start my three month stay about November if i can so that way i can ring in the new year in japan.

btw do either of you know or can get info for me about duel citizenship in japan i sense that japan is very eyefully? of non Japanese? mainly i would like to know the requirements of getting a duel cit's.

of course japan is not the only country im looking into, btw if there was one place in japan that you would want to spend a month at where would it be?

First time poster... came here looking for a VG to join, but meh :P

If you don't mind hostelling it for a bit before you start looking for accomodation proper, may I recommend j-hoppers.com. Last time I was there, the owner was still running the Kyoto hostel. He's done a bike tour around the world for 200+ days so he knows how it feels like being in a foreign land without the ability to communicate so he and his staff give that extra level of service to help you around. They pretty much booked us into a really nice ryokan, a couple other restaurants and directed us to the local bath house (they do have showers individual showers at the hostel though) that we would never have been able to get into since we couldn't speak any japanese.

And while, yes there are several festivals every season, Kyoto makes it easier for you a bit in that every 25th and 29th, they have a flea market at the two largest shrines in the city. Not quite a festival i know, but has the same general atmosphere.

And lastly, if you plan to stay in Kyoto, ignore this. But if you plan to travel north and south 'a lot', you'll want to get a JR rail pass. If you even have to do one return trip beyond tokyo and back, it'll save you some money.

Cheers and good luck Also... yeh, what Rush Bolt said. Osaka. Plus, Kyoto is just one sprawling grid. It's a bit like Canberra... you can't really get lost, but everything still looks the same.

I've been following the blog of an American living in Japan for more than ten years. His name is Peter and he writes about his experiences living in Japan (and his internet business too). If you have nothing better to do and want to waste some hours, read some of his archived blogs.

QR since pretty much everything has been covered - here in Europe you can apply for two cheap Shinkansen (Bullet train) 14-day passes at the Japanese embassy, but only before you leave. They can really come in handy if you feel like going from top to bottom of the country.

thanks for all the help so far btw why do Japan Rail Pass cost so much for? is it because they are fast you could get from say the bottom of japan to the top of japan in a few hours?

this is for 21 days

Ordinary: 57,700YEN/645.4841usd

Green: 79,600YEN/890.4772usd

i guess if you travel a lot maybe use this? i will most likely use the 7 day pass or the 14 day pass

JR Rail passes cost so much because, with the exception of the fastest bullet trains, you have UNLIMITED travel within Japan on JR lines, including bullet trains, overnight trains, and small JR lines. (The fastest ones are 10 mph faster and make fewer stops).

UNLIMITED.

A bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto is nearly 150 bucks US each way and is a 2.5-3 hour trip covering over 400 miles. And you still have to get from Narita (I assume you're coming in from the US in Tokyo) to Tokyo station - a mere 45 MILES - which is another 20 bucks if you stop at every station on the way. If you do just this round trip ... that's 340 bucks, and all you did was ONE round-trip train trip.

That JR pass will also get you as far as the southern end of Kagoshima on Kyushu, Sapporo and points further north on Hokkaido, the (until 25 years ago) remote and beautiful Shikoku, and all points inbetween.

Let's put that in perspective: a travel pass that lets you travel the equivalent area of the Eastern seaboard in all but the fastest trains, at the numbers you quoted, will cost you 40 bucks a day - no tickets, no transfers, just show the pass (and your passport), and you're on your way anywhere.

The pass is a VERY good deal. Even if you don't travel a lot around the country on the whole, traveling around the Kansai area will be a tad more convenient with only one pass to worry about.

As for the speed of the trains - you can get from Tokyo to Fukuoka on northern Kyushu in 6 or 7 hours, or Tokyo to the northern end of the main island (near Aomori) in about 5 hours. That's over 1100 miles in one day if you really had to push it. Even if you are staying in Kyoto, cities like Hiroshima, Nagano, Tokyo and even Fukuoka become day trips via bullet train. A great deal.

nice that would explain it, since im unfamiliar with trains travel (i walk, or car/truck) so i have little xp with trains

How exciting for you! A few tips:

1. They sell a lot of museum and concert tickets through little vending machines, and sometimes you have to buy tickets months in advance to see some of the cooler attractions.

2. "In-ter-net-o whaaaaa?" Was how I asked for wi-fi.

3. Tattoos are associated with the Yakusa so I downplayed mine. You also can't visit an onsen if you have visible tattoos

4. Young military men from the Military bases have a bad reputation at bars and clubs. Don't party anywhere you see U.S. soldiers. If you visit Tokyo, beware of partying in Roppongi.

5. They have a lot of little earthquakes all the time. It's not your imagination.

6. If you eat out, be aware of the "table charge" that is added to the bill. Some of the smaller places will try to rip off foreigners, but it is VERY rude to refuse or argue over a bill, so just pay for it.

7. The tap water is safe to drink in Japan, but the Kyoto water was not to my taste.

8. Not sure about Kyoto, but Tokyo has a Craigslist.com that has many, many cheap sub-lets and temporary apartments to stay at.

Hope you have a blast!