OK, so this blog is Cheap Travel Japan, and my goal is to help people get the best “Japan” experience they can without going broke. Cherry blossoms really are beautiful, and it’s an ephemeral beauty at that magnifying it. If you really want to see them you don’t actually have to come to Japan. If…
If you are visiting Japan staying at a love hotel instead of a traditional or business hotel can be a fun and economical way to spend a night (or afternoon) in Japan. I’ll start out with describing some of the reasons NOT to stay at a love hotel, then move on to the positives and…
OK, OK,so the title of the post is not exactly comic genious… but that’s not why you’re here anyway. The news was just released that the E.T. ride at Universal Studios Japan will be discontinued on May 10th. USJ explained the move saying that there are a growing number of kids who are unfamiliar with…
Shumbun no Hi is the Japanese national holiday that takes place on either March 20th or March 21st or so every year in Japan. It is most commonly known in English as Vernal Equinox although I’ve also heard it referred to as Spring Day. Post offices and other such official services will be closed. Schools…
The Japan Weather Association has updated its forecast for cherry blossom viewing dates with a nice new map and more detailed information. Even if you don’t know the kanji or Chinese characters for the place you’ll be, check out the convenient curvy lines that show the divisions. The time is near, so if you are…
I just got a warning from the United States Embassy for foreigners in Japan to be careful when drinking in Roppongi bars. There have been recent incidents of foreigners having their drinks spiked, then waking up without without their money or with exuberant credit card charges. Although Japan is still a relatively safe country for…
A lot of older information about traveling in Japan will tell you that credit cards are hard to use here. While it’s true that a few small businesses and supermarkets work on a cash basis, most of the shops tourists visit will accept Visa and Mastercard. Credit cards other than Visa and Mastercard are mush…
Another reason it may be in your best interest to stop by a Japanese travel agency before coming to Japan is to check out domestic airfare deals. It’s kind of hard to give specifics here because the airlines often change what they offer, but you should be able to find deals for round trip domestic…
If you are going to be in Japan on March 21 and March 22, you will have the chance to not only enjoy the beginning of the Cherry Blossom Viewing Season in Japan, but also to see the “Bajo Yumikurabe”, also known as “Yabusame” when done in a religious context. That is, you will get…
Note if you are looking for 2010’s, it is here: Sakura Cherry Blossom 2010 Blooming Calendar The Japan Weather Association has finally released its forecast for the blooming of this year’s cherry blossoms, called sakura in Japanese. Also, here is a page with a detailed cherry blossom forecast in English based on the Japan Weather…
If you are willing to take it slow and take a long cheap trip on Japan Rail local lines then the seishun 18 kippu that I wrote about in a previous post should fit the bill for you. However if you live abroad and are only visiting Japan for less than 90 days, you can…
If you are coming to visit Japan, there are two ways to ride the rails cheaply, one is the Japan Rail Pass which must be bought outside of Japan and gives you free use of Japan Railways managed trains and buses. The other is the seishun 18 kippu which is used by many people in…