Japan for less than €300 rtn!

Bhangraman

Tristram wrote: »

Payment still showing as pending on my bank account. More worried now that this will be cancelled.

Same here, still pending.

kn

But a rail pass for Japan before you go. It saves a fortune compared to buying one in country.

lc180

Aaaahhhhhhh I booked flights to Japan last week before seeing this!

As others have said it's an amazing country. Be very careful booking flights for April and start of May though. Theres lots of school holidays then and Golden Week is towards the end of the month. It's the longest holiday period of the year in Japan and accommodation and transport can be difficult.

Jentle Grenade

Has money been taken from anyone's account for their flights? I'm starting to lose hope

PM me nudes

Jentle Grenade wrote: »

Has money been taken from anyone's account for their flights? I'm starting to lose hope

Pending on mine too, been 5 days

RasTa

Yeah but we paid on a visa debit

Tristram

RasTa wrote: »

Yeah but we paid on a visa debit

Also paid on Visa debit and still pending.

Jentle Grenade

I paid using my Visa debit too, booked in a hurry for April 2016 ex Dublin. The transaction is still pending though.

Bhangraman

Transaction is finally showing as confirmed on my statement, I guess we're going to Japan

Tristram

Confirmed here also. Interpreting it as a positive sign.

Kathy22

Japan is an amazing country to visit. If I was not pregnant I would have booked these flights in a heartbeat. We went there on our honeymoon last year and traveled around to quite a few cities. Eating out is cheap enough, we did high end restaurants, izakaya (bars that serve food with your drink) and sushi places. There is amazing value to be found. A lot of the sushi restaurants including the places with sushi trains have small plates starting at 200Y. For anyone who has booked and planning on going to Tokyo try visit this restaurant!

Jentle Grenade

Payment confirmed! Woohoo! Time to get planning.

PeeDawg

Payment confirmed here also. Really looking forward to this trip. thanks again OP <8¬D

Tristram

Thank you OP!

zweton

any decent prices left i wonder:) should have booked it.

mrcheez

I'm subscribing to secretflying... pissed I missed this by a few hours!

TheBeach

You can amend a name rather than change it. I thinks it's a tenner to amend and a lot more to change.

....sorry this is probably a bit late! I only read the first page!

sheep?

For those going, check out this website:

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

Incredibly useful for planning itineraries.

If you're travelling a bit, the trains are great and punctual, but expensive. Look into night buses, if you think you can sleep on the seats, as they're cheaper.

The idea of Japan being expensive is a myth if you know where to look and what to get. At restaurants, look for two things called 'tabehoudai' and 'nomihoudai', especially at izakayas and karaoke bars. They are all you can eat and all you can drink. Don't think of them as challenges, they are conveniences. I used to live there, and we could get 2 hours of all you can drink and karaoke in a private booth for 2,000 yen a head, about €17. Some restaurants have all you can eat from a buffet or menu for the same price, no time limit. The menus are restricted, but still extensive.

My god I'm so jealous of those of you going, I miss that place so much!

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer whilst crying on my keyboard and cursing you inside. :P

Jimmy Iovine

Enjoy Japan. Wish I was going.

shardylan

http://www.secretflying.com/2015/12/amsterdam-netherlands-to-beijing-china-for-e322-return/


For those who missed Japan this might be of interest ??

absolutegroove

I am unable to access my booking on the Turkish Airlines or Expedia websites.

Anyone having the same issues?

Bhangraman

absolutegroove wrote: »

I am unable to access my booking on the Turkish Airlines or Expedia websites.

Anyone having the same issues?

All good on my side on both Expedia and Turkish Airlines

mrcheez

Just FYI, there are still good deals to be had by paying the "normal" price on Turkish airlines. Probably pay another €100 but sure that's probably what you'll spend on accommodation per night.

Just booked 11 May to 30 May... gonna be a damn nice time I reckon and away from Golden Week.

Bhangraman

If anyone are looking for ideas for their trip: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=znvBp5SnDk-8.kSG6gEp4C2Yg

TheIrishGrover

With regards to that To-do list:

• The last few times I've been there the Harajuku kids were not there. They used to be there at the weekends (Sunday usually) but I believe they have now moved on as they became too much of a tourist attraction rather than doing their own thing. Harajuku is still worth checking out. Check out Takashita dori just to see the insane crowds and then go back during the week to actually go shopping. Also worth checking out is Kiddie Land and Yoyogi Park is lovely and definitely worth a visit. Check it out at the weekend and you could catch a wedding. They do not mind photos but be discreet for God's sake and take pics from a distance if you must. You wouldn't believe how ignorant some people (Tourists especially) can be when getting in their faces
• Studio Ghibli is DEFINITELY worth a view. Even if you have only a passing interest in animation. However you MUST HAVE your tickets before you leave. You CANNOT buy tickets in Japan. Buy them as early as you can as they do sell out. This is to stop it becoming too much of a foreign tourist attraction - You have to have done your homework before going instead of "Checking out that cartoon place while we're here". I have created a map [HERE] to the museum with details on how to get tickets etc.
• Get a Kit-Kat sandwich if Big Kitchen are still doing them.... Seriously!
• Check out Lifesize Gundam statue in Diver City in Odaiba. Nice Skyline view of Tokyo from Odaiba.
• Try to check out Asakusa during a festival or Sakura season. Looks wonderful. Same with Ueno park. Good food stalls at weekend in both places.
• I wasn't gone on Ueno zoo but the science museum is pretty good. Not sure if it's worth going all the way to Japan and visiting it.
• When going to Shibuya aim for the Hachiko exit as it's the one you've seen in all the videos. Get your footage from the Starbucks but, again, be discreet as I believe they frown upon it as it's not exactly allowed.
• Did I mention the Kit-Kat sandwiches?

Bhangraman

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

With regards to that To-do list:

• The last few times I've been there the Harajuku kids were not there. They used to be there at the weekends (Sunday usually) but I believe they have now moved on as they became too much of a tourist attraction rather than doing their own thing. Harajuku is still worth checking out. Check out Takashita dori just to see the insane crowds and then go back during the week to actually go shopping. Also worth checking out is Kiddie Land and Yoyogi Park is lovely and definitely worth a visit. Check it out at the weekend and you could catch a wedding. They do not mind photos but be discreet for God's sake and take pics from a distance if you must. You wouldn't believe how ignorant some people (Tourists especially) can be when getting in their faces
• Studio Ghibli is DEFINITELY worth a view. Even if you have only a passing interest in animation. However you MUST HAVE your tickets before you leave. You CANNOT buy tickets in Japan. Buy them as early as you can as they do sell out. This is to stop it becoming too much of a foreign tourist attraction - You have to have done your homework before going instead of "Checking out that cartoon place while we're here". I have created a map [HERE] to the museum with details on how to get tickets etc.
• Get a Kit-Kat sandwich if Big Kitchen are still doing them.... Seriously!
• Check out Lifesize Gundam statue in Diver City in Odaiba. Nice Skyline view of Tokyo from Odaiba.
• Try to check out Asakusa during a festival or Sakura season. Looks wonderful. Same with Ueno park. Good food stalls at weekend in both places.
• I wasn't gone on Ueno zoo but the science museum is pretty good. Not sure if it's worth going all the way to Japan and visiting it.
• When going to Shibuya aim for the Hachiko exit as it's the one you've seen in all the videos. Get your footage from the Starbucks but, again, be discreet as I believe they frown upon it as it's not exactly allowed.
• Did I mention the Kit-Kat sandwiches?

Thanks for the tips! I updated my map with all your suggestions Hope they still have the Kit-kat sandwich...

mrcheez

This being Bargain Alerts, anyone know if "made in Japan" items are cheaper in Japan, like Canon cameras/lenses, or Nintendo stuff?

I'm aware of the 8%-off tax that tourists can claim back when departing, but just curious if electronics like that are cheaper there.

sheep?

mrcheez wrote: »

This being Bargain Alerts, anyone know if "made in Japan" items are cheaper in Japan, like Canon cameras/lenses, or Nintendo stuff?

I'm aware of the 8%-off tax that tourists can claim back when departing, but just curious if electronics like that are cheaper there.

Depends. Brand new electronics/software can be extremely expensive, but second-hand stuff can be quite good. You can get some nice bargains in shops called Hard-Off (hehehe).



Unmistakable in the yellow and blue, and quite ubiquitous. I'm not overly familiar with Tokyo, I was based in the Kansai region, but I would be shocked if there wasn't at least one in or around Akihabara.

Bhangraman

Bhangraman wrote: »

Thanks for the tips! I updated my map with all your suggestions Hope they still have the Kit-kat sandwich...

No kit kat sandwich
"This is MASUKO responsible for customer service.

I feel bad that I couldn't live up to your expectations.
Our Kit Kat Sandwich product has been discontinued at all stores."

TheIrishGrover

Bhangraman wrote: »

No kit kat sandwich
"This is MASUKO responsible for customer service.

I feel bad that I couldn't live up to your expectations.
Our Kit Kat Sandwich product has been discontinued at all stores."