2 weeks in Japan. Advice Please

OK so i plan on being in japan for 16-17 days.

i am staying with friends. one is in tokyo and the other is in sapporo.

now for the plans before hand, i am waiting a full year in order to save for the ticket which should be 1300-1500 for Newark to Tokyo to sapporo back to tokyo and then to newark.

i am planning on getting a rail pass but that is my first question.

1. for how many days. and should i get different ones based on the tokyo and sapporo areas.(i plan on traveling alot)

since i plan on staying so long I need one large checked bag. And since its my first trip to japan i need another carryon bag for all my newly bought stuff. hehe

that is what im getting this month.

2. will there be any problems on the narita express or any other trains going from narita airport to tokyo and to a smaller city inside tokyo?

3. will i have trouble with two bags luggage once i go to sapporo and on the train in sapporo?

i plan on going to mount fuji, ghibli museum, and tokyo disney land.

4. any way i could buy them here and how long should i wait to buy?

5. i need a plug for my camera and ipod so which one is the best. please offer a name with details.

6. can i pack a 4 ounce bottle of lotion in my checked bag? i know i cant in my carryon. that is only 3.2 ounces.

any other advice is great. please be specific and thank you in advance.

i am waiting a full year in order to save for the ticket which should be 1300-1500 for Newark to Tokyo to sapporo back to tokyo and then to newark.

Let's hope the ticket prices remain stable. Will you be able to get the domestic flight included in your overall fare? Also consider discount flights and discount airlines, which may save some money.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

1. for how many days. and should i get different ones based on the tokyo and sapporo areas.(i plan on traveling alot)

Hard to say without knowing a more exact itinerary. You may not need one for Sapporo, and you may not need one at all if you don't at least head out to Kyoto and back during your stay.

2. will there be any problems on the narita express or any other trains going from narita airport to tokyo and to a smaller city inside tokyo?

No problem on the Narita Express, but you may have trouble with large bags on regular trains especially during rush hour. Of course that may be a non-issue depending on where your hotels are.

3. will i have trouble with two bags luggage once i go to sapporo and on the train in sapporo?

Same as above. Your bags are more of an issue when taking local trains and subways rather than to/from the airport.

i plan on going to mount fuji, ghibli museum, and tokyo disney land.

4. any way i could buy them here and how long should i wait to buy?

Tokyo Disney tickets (fixed date) can be bought up to 2 months in advance via their website:

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/online/en/index.html

Ghibli tickets are sold 1-3 months in advance depending on how you order them. See this page for more details:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3041.html

5. i need a plug for my camera and ipod so which one is the best. please offer a name with details.

The plugs that came with your camera and ipod will work in Japan.

6. can i pack a 4 ounce bottle of lotion in my checked bag?

Yes

thank you!

and i will not go to hotel i will stay with friends at their apartments.

thank you again for the help!

now for the plans before hand, i am waiting a full year in order to save for the ticket which should be 1300-1500 for Newark to Tokyo to sapporo back to tokyo and then to newark.

A return trip starts at 1100 with one stopover in Toronto or Vancouver. Since you plan on getting a JR Railpass, use that to get from Tokyo to Sapporo on the Shinkansen (Bullet train) rather than book another flight on a domestic flight in Japan.

Get a fourteen day JR Railpass for 45,100 YEN, it will cover all JR trains Japan-wide. (see:http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html) Make sure to check the details of each train before you ride though! Sometimes trains cross on to track that belong to different rail companies and extra fees can be involved.

I'm guessing you'll be staying Tokyo for the first couple of days. Just hold off on activating a 14day pass for a few days, so that the final day of the pass will coincide with you last day in Tokyo before you leave, then it will cover your trip back to Narita.

2. will there be any problems on the narita express or any other trains going from narita airport to tokyo and to a smaller city inside tokyo?

With your luggage? No. You're certainly not the first person to ever have large luggage to lug through Tokyo! It's fine. :) Most trains have luggage racks at the back front of each car for large suitcases and such. It's fine.

3. will i have trouble with two bags luggage once i go to sapporo and on the train in sapporo?

See above. :P The trains are made for travel!

i plan on going to mount fuji, ghibli museum, and tokyo disney land.

Make sure you or your friend in Japan books tickets for the Ghibli museum! You can book from one month in advance. :)

4. any way i could buy them here and how long should i wait to buy?
For Ghibli, Fujisan, and Disney land?
Ghibli is like I already said. Fuji you don't need to book anything; Just use your railpass. And for Disneyland you can just go when you want, just avoid Sundays as they are the busiest day of the week. :)

5. i need a plug for my camera and ipod so which one is the best. please offer a name with details.
A voltage converter? Just go on eBay. :P I got mine for $10 and it worked beautifully. And your iPod and Camera should be rechargeable by USB anyway, and that will work with any PC anywhere.

I can't help you with your last question though! I don't know the first thing about taking liquid on board foreign flights outside of Australia. XD
Gimmie a sec while I try to remember what the ounce to milliliter conversion is... ah! Half a cup. lol. Generally, though, most airlines won't allow you to bring a single container over 100ml (3.5 ounces) in carry-on OR checked. You can get around it by taking two smaller bottles, rather than a single large bottle.

Hope I was of some help!

I'm an idiot. lo.

Yes, you do need to pre-book Disneyland tickets. I forgot because a friend of mine had booked ours and I didn't get to go anyway. Sorry!


yllwsmrf: Are you sure about the rules about liquids in your baggage? I was under the impression the most airlines world wide had basically the same laws concerning the liquid volume per item...

That aside, I brought a bottle of umeshi back with me to Australia, and that was over a liter in my carry-on baggage.

and i will not go to hotel i will stay with friends at their apartments.

So you will be doing lots of daytrips then? A JR pass may be useful then depending on how far you're planning on venturing out.

FYI, train travel is very time consuming. Also consider staying over if you venture far from your base as the extra sightseeing time could be worth the extra cost.

Since you plan on getting a JR Railpass, use that to get from Tokyo to Sapporo on the Shinkansen (Bullet train) rather than book another flight on a domestic flight in Japan.

There is no shinkansen between Tokyo and Sapporo, and train travel between the two cities if very time consuming. Plane tickets are probably both cheaper and faster for this route.

Get a fourteen day JR Railpass for 45,100 YEN, it will cover all JR trains Japan-wide. (see:http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html) Make sure to check the details of each train before you ride though! Sometimes trains cross on to track that belong to different rail companies and extra fees can be involved.

Its too early to say whether a rail pass will pay off. Figure out your itinerary first, and then compare the price of the pass to purchasing regular tickets.

Most trains have luggage racks at the back front of each car for large suitcases and such. It's fine.

Shinkansen, and many limited express trains have limited luggage space, but regular trains do not have luggage space in their cars (besides the overhead racks for small bags). Large suitcases may very well pose a problem if you will be taking busy local trains with them. It won't be impossible but its good to be aware of, and avoid if possible.

A voltage converter? Just go on eBay.

You will not need a voltage converter. The US and Japan use essentially the same voltage and plugs. Only things like clocks, devices with heating elements, and sensitive equipment may not work.

Generally, though, most airlines won't allow you to bring a single container over 100ml (3.5 ounces) in carry-on OR checked. You can get around it by taking two smaller bottles, rather than a single large bottle.

Most airlines flying between the US and Japan do not have volume limits of liquids carried in checked luggage (beyond weight limits of course). You can bring a 5 gallon jug of tapioca pudding in your checked luggage for all they care.

Yes, you do need to pre-book Disneyland tickets. I forgot because a friend of mine had booked ours and I didn't get to go anyway. Sorry!

I agree. Pre-booking is a good idea. Disney actually has several ticket classes. The best bet are fixed date tickets which will get you in even if the park is sold out for the day. But it sounds like you guys had open date tickets and tried to go on a busy day.

yllwsmrf: Are you sure about the rules about liquids in your baggage? I was under the impression the most airlines world wide had basically the same laws concerning the liquid volume per item...

For carry-on baggage. Checked luggage doesn't have the same restrictions.

That aside, I brought a bottle of umeshi back with me to Australia, and that was over a liter in my carry-on baggage.

That's definitely against the rules. How did you manage to get through security? Or did you purchase it at duty-free?

THank you everyone for all your help!

I will keep everything in mind.

Also it was funny reading alot of your posts.

Good advice and a laugh. hehe

jazzi

I agree. Pre-booking is a good idea. Disney actually has several ticket classes. The best bet are fixed date tickets which will get you in even if the park is sold out for the day. But it sounds like you guys had open date tickets and tried to go on a busy day.

Actually, I was in Japan during the earthquake an accompanying tsunami. The tickets were cancelled.

And I bought it duty-free.

Personally, I think its ridiculous to have liquid restrictions when its perfectly fine to buy things duty-free blatantly violate that restriction.

There is no shinkansen between Tokyo and Sapporo, and train travel between the two cities if very time consuming. Plane tickets are probably both cheaper and faster for this route.
My mistake. I'm planning my own trip in my mind at the same time and mixed up the bullet train and Limited express in my mind... eh... And, yes, 9 hours or more. I suppose it depends on what the OP is planning and how much time she's willing to use on train, or money to use for a plane.

If time is not too much of an issue for one day, and she has a railpass, would you agree that taking train may be better? Or would you say that flying is better? I tend to travel on a shoestring, so I used my last railpass in trips that cost more than the pass was worth. XD

That's definitely against the rules. How did you manage to get through security? Or did you purchase it at duty-free?

He may have flown before the new rules took effect, which was in 2005-2007 depending on the country if I'm not mistaken.

He may have flown before the new rules took effect, which was in 2005-2007 depending on the country if I'm not mistaken.

SHE flew in March 2011 from Australia, in which the rules haven not changed for some time, and SHE bought the bottle duty-free.

Please read the forum, you missed my post completely. :P

Actually, I was in Japan during the earthquake an accompanying tsunami. The tickets were cancelled.

That's quite a different situation altogether! Hope your trip wasn't too affected by the earthquake. I was travelling Japan at that time too and it was quite an experience.

And I bought it duty-free.

That explains it then. Duty free is exempt for some of the restricions.

Personally, I think its ridiculous to have liquid restrictions when its perfectly fine to buy things duty-free blatantly violate that restriction.

The restriction is on liquid items that you brought with you, that could theoretically be dangerous substances. Items purchased at duty free come into your possession after you've gone through security. So they've already been checked and found not to be explosive devices or weapons.

If time is not too much of an issue for one day, and she has a railpass, would you agree that taking train may be better? Or would you say that flying is better?

Depends. If the railpass works out financially and she has the time then go for it. Personally, I'd fly as you maximize your sightseeing time that way (unless you enjoy train travel).

I tend to travel on a shoestring, so I used my last railpass in trips that cost more than the pass was worth.

That's a good plan to maximize the value of your pass. What a lot of people forget though is that travel time costs you sightseeing time, which also has value. Often I see people wasting hours in travel time to save a few thousand yen in fares/hotels. If you calculate the cost/hour of sightseeing time, you find that in many cases it doesn't end up being a good value for your money. But that's not the case for everyone's style of travel of course, its more of a personal travel style/philosophy.

@yllwsmrf

Thankfully I wasn't in Tokyo at the time. I actually didn't know anything had happened (bar the little tremor I felt while wandered around Umeda) until several hours after the fact when family started calling me crying "You're alive!". I was baffled until I got back to the hostel and turned on the TV...

I agree though. I spent months planning my trip and came to the conclusion that the 21 day pass was worth it for my plan. Though that plan changed after the quake (I entered the country at 8pm the night before it!)
Basically, I started in Osaka, went to Fukuoka, then to Hiroshima, to Koyasan, to Nara, then to Kyoto. After that I was supposed to go to Tokyo, but I decided against in the end and stayed in Kyoto for longer (with a short day trip to Tokyo to see a friend, as mad as it was to travel all that way and back for just a few short hours in Tokyo), then went back to Osaka again before leaving. I enjoyed it all despite the changes over the course of 32 days, and the change certainly gave me ample time to explore Kyoto. There would have been so much wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Oh! And, personally, I love the trains. I love seeing the landscape, all those little towns out the window as you pass by. :) So, in my case, I'd take the train over a plane any day. If time permits, of course...

If you have booked and prepaid for travel to regions affected by the earthquake and tsunami to be able to reorganize your trip with different suppliers.

For example, Japan Airlines is offering full refunds on unused domestic flights to airports in the region, as well as some hosting providers.

If your trip was to the areas south of Tokyo, to be able to continue without interruption, but if you decide to return home regardless of who may be subject to customary conditions and fees. Travel insurance does not include cancellation due to a change of mind.

However, check with your airline or the provider of most tour, you are agreeing to the unusual circumstances are causing hardship and require special treatment

Hello Im the OP operator. I will be staying mostly in tokyo like shibuya, shinjuku and roppongi. (hope i spelled it right).

I will be staying with a friend so there wont be any problems with hotels since i wont be staying at one.

its the same in sapporo.

i hate trains btw well the 16 hour ones at least. hehehe. so what does it mean duty free? like i buy at the airport after check in?

i cant use many products in japan for lotion since they use alot of bleaching or things similar in their formula.

so since im staying for over 2 weeks it makes since to bring something longer like clothes and stuff.

ill probly wash my clothes at some point. hehe

so any new advice on what i just left?

jazzi

For only 16 days, a large suitcase is overkill, especially since you can use a friends washing machine.
I use a rather small rolling bag, even for 3 weeks. Being a lady, I know you probably want to wear a different outfit every day. But who is going to know or care?
Do yourself a huge favor and reconsider bringing a large suitcase. You can survive with a large carry-on.
After you get home you will be surprised at all the stuff you didn't use.
I've toured Europe 6 times and entered Japan 20 times, so take my advice. TRAVEL LIGHT.