Some queries

Hi all,

I have currently make a 30 day trip to Japan this coming June but all I have done is gotten a flight to and from Narita. Am planning to get a JR pass and am planning to just walk around wherever my finger lands on the map. I have done only 1 trip to Japan 10 yrs ago but it was limited to metro areas of Tokyo and Osaka. What I want to achieve with this trip is to roam around the streets of "outer" Japan and experience how daily life is like over there.

However, I got a few queries which I hope I can get some help from everyone here.

1. Is it feasible to make shinkansen bookings on the day of departure? Do they also run night/evening routes as I would like to have the option of napping/sleeping on the long transit.

2. Is it feasible to just turn up at a youth hostel or ryokan this time of the year and be able to get a room for 1 on the spot? ie, without prior reservations.

3. Where would be a nice perfecture/region to go to for nice scenic rotenburo?

4. I know I cannot visit the entire country in such a short timeframe. Which region should I start with as a "beginner" backpacking visitor? My japanese is also quite hopeless at the moment.

I know my trip plan is basically "No-plan", but I want to keep it as unplan as I can since I am doing this alone. Is it possible to achieve?

Hi
Sure it is possible to do
your trip. I believe it will be rather hot that time of year for you.
I would have good guide book etc and read up about hotels
etc around major train staions and help desks there that can help book a room for you. Most book a room for that
night onwards.
I like the area around Nara
very much myself and Nikko
is also good. It depends on your interests what you wish to see. Kyoto is a must for shrines temples etc and Hiroshima for A bomb museum which is a must if going to Japan.
In my 4 trips to Japan I went once with no pre booking and had some problems finding hotel rooms so now I prefer to book rooms ahead of trips.
Trying to find a place in late afternoon on a hot summers day is not a great idea. Shinkansens run from
around 6 am to 9 pm?. Someone will correct me. I prefew to travel on shinkansens after rush hour (after 9 am) to avoid crowds at stations comming and going.
The weather is going to hot I belive then as I usually go at the end of Sep into Oct and
it is warm enough then.
Most kids and people carry small towels to wipe hands and face to avoid sweat and water to drink of course.
Good luck
Kiwi

Is it feasible to make shinkansen bookings on the day of departure?

Yes. In fact, you do not need to book any seat at all, as most shinkansen trains have non reserved seating. However, if you travel during the peak season, you might run into the risk of not finding a seat.

Do they also run night/evening routes as I would like to have the option of napping/sleeping on the long transit.

Shinkansen run only between 6am and midnight. There are a few night trains, though:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2356.html

For budget travelers, night buses are a more practical option than nigth trains:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2366.html

Is it feasible to just turn up at a youth hostel or ryokan this time of the year and be able to get a room for 1 on the spot? ie, without prior reservations.

It is unusual and risky.

Where would be a nice perfecture/region to go to for nice scenic rotenburo?

Okuhida. I just visited it. It has more rotemburo than any other region of Japan. In the middle of the Northern Alps. Some of them are exceptional, such as the little known Suimeikan,

Another onsen town known for good rotemburo is Kurokawa on Kyushu. It also has one of Japan's most attractive onsen towns.

I know I cannot visit the entire country in such a short timeframe. Which region should I start with as a "beginner" backpacking visitor?

There are many many options. I recommend to start your research here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html

Uji, why is it unusual and risky not to book upfront? Except for the two nights at arrival and the last night before leaving, I never book ahead. I always managed to find a minshuku, business hotel or hostel for at most 8500 (and many times less than that, average 5500-6000). Both my two trips where in July, peak season, and I think that June is not as crowded so the OP (and myself - I will come next week) do not have to worry.