Operation "Get Sajaki To Japan"

[sajaki]

So, I want to visit Tokyo at some point in the future. Now that I have a job Im going to start saving.

Obvious questions:

What's the best time of year to go,
On top of Travel expences (£2k for 1 week cheapest I've found, though might go for shorter stay) how much should I realistically bring for spending money (at all those stores!!!!11!!111)
Any cultural things I should be aware of so not to make an idiot of myself/insult anyone?
as it's obviously going to be a while before I can afford to go, Language basics. Anyone?

Cheers!!

[japan:cool]

Ooh now, lots of things.

Cheapest time of year is around May or September/October. A flight at these times with the cheapest airlines will cost around £600.

Hotel-wise, a budget of around £40 will get you a typical business hotel with a small, but comfortable single room, and when I say small, I mean small. The whole room will be about the width of a king-sized bed. This is normal in Japan. You can get rooms for a lot cheaper than that at hostels, depending on what you're happy to put up with.

Spending money, it just depends on what you want to buy, but the cheapest way of taking money is just to withdraw it from ATMs (cash machines). I personally would budget around £600 a week, including hotel, travel around Tokyo and shopping, but not including flights.

There are LOTS of cultural things you should be aware of. Things like:
Do not walk while eating, drinking or smoking.
Do not stick your chopsticks vertically in rice.
Do not talk on your mobile while on a train.
Do not open doors on taxis. The driver will open it for you automatically.
When buying something, place your money on the tray at the till, do not hand it to the checkout person.
Do not tip.
If you are lost, it is perfectly ok to ask a policeman the way (although you may not be able to understand each other, see below...)
Foreign debit cards will not work in most Japanese shops and cash machines. Carry cash, or look for an international ATM.
Many shops are located on upper floors of buildings and do not have shop fronts. You get to them by entering a lift.

And lots, lots more.

Language-wise, most Japanese people do NOT speak English. I strongly suggest you go with a Japanese speaker or with a tour guide. Although many hotel staff and some staff at very big stores speak English (e.g. Yodobashi Camera or Mandarake), most do not. If you really want to enjoy Japan, you need to be able to communicate in Japanese, otherwise there are lots of things you won't be able to do.

Japan is, IMHO, very inaccessible if you don't speak Japanese.

And if you do speak Japanese, for Heaven's sakes don't talk like an anime character.

You can, of course, join us when we arrange our Shizuoka Hobby Show group trip next year...