Moving Forward!

It's been a long time since I last posted, but plans are certainly moving forward! Plane tickets from the US to Tokyo, then from Shanghai back to the US have been purchased. I also reserved my ferry trip from Kobe to Tianjin, but I don't actually pick up that ticket til I arrive in Kobe. The JR RailPass arrived a few days ago, along with my China visa.

I'm currently looking around for a backpack and a good pair of shoes that I'll be comfortable walking around in for long periods of time. I'm trying to resist buying a pair of Teva's because they'll make me look like such a tourist, but I think getting shoes with excellent ventilation would be a good idea for the summer heat in both Japan and China. As far as a backpack goes, I'm looking at getting a smaller pack and packing light (maybe 40-50 liters?). It's currently proving a bit hard to find something in that range, especially something that will fit someone as tall as myself.

Japan planning is going pretty well. I know that I want to visit Tokyo, so I'll be spending 5 or so days there. I've had Nikko recommended to me as a good day trip from Tokyo. Kyoto also sounds amazing due to it's numerous temples and gardens. I think I also want to visit Hiroshima for the Peace Park and nearby Miyajima, though that would probably only be two or three days. Eventually I want to end up in Kobe to catch the ferry to Tianjin. Planning for China is slow going, but I may have to oust Xi'an from the list of destinations, as I'll only have a little over ten days in China and I want to be able to spend enough time in Shanghai to see all that Expo has to offer.

Places To Visit In China

For the past while I've been researching places that I want to visit in China. As I've said before, I definitely want to go to Beijing and Hong Kong (which my hands keep trying to type "Honk Ong"), but wasn't sure where else to go. I'm thinking in the two weeks or so I'll spend in China I'll visit four or five different cities/areas, and I want to try to make it a mix of different cultures. Here are a couple of ideas:

Tianjin: A port city that isn't too touristy, but still might make for an interesting day trip while in Beijing as the train is (fairly) cheap at 59 RMB.

Guangzhou: Guangzhou is really close to Hong Kong and has trains that go there several times daily. Not a ton to see here (compared to other large cities, that is!), but it could still be an interesting stop.

Xian: A sleeper train ride away from Beijing, this is definitely a place to visit to see Northwestern China. The terracotta army is close by, along with several other cool places to see in the city (the Bell Tower being one I definitely want to see :). The city wall would be fun to walk, as well.

Shanghai: Shanghai is another port city and is the center of commerce in China. The only downside to visiting here is that I would be visiting in June which is the rainiest month of the year there.

More to come!

Visa

In order for a foreigner to enter China (possibly just certain foreigners, but definitely those from the US), they must acquire a Chinese visa. After doing a quick search, it looks like this will run me $130 for a double entry visa (plus around $60 in shipping and handling fees). I'll probably need a double entry visa because I want to stop in Hong Kong. If Hong Kong is my last stop before heading home, I'll only need a single entry visa. Oddly, for US citizens it is no more expensive to purchase a double entry visa than it is to purchase a single entry visa, so it really doesn't matter much. From MyChinaVisa (domain names beginning with "My" always feel sketchy to me...) it will take a little over a week to get here, and I need to get it sometime within 90 days before I go, as it does have an expiration date.

I'm still thinking about where else in China I want to visit other than Beijing and Hong Kong. Any recommendations?

Don't Forget

China Visa

Travelers insurance/Travelers checks?

Stuff To See In Japan

I meant for the next post to be more about places to see in China, but it looks like I'll be putting that off for a while again!

Found a post of a few people's favorite places in Japan. It looks like Odaiba will be a must while in Tokyo.

Supposedly there's a place called 8bit Cafe in Shinjuku (in Tokyo). They have a bunch of old games, though I'm not sure if they're necessarily home to any new 8bit music.

Hostels

From what I have read so far, it looks like staying primarily in hostels for the trip will be the best idea. There are several sites dedicated to booking hostels worldwide:

HostelWorld - The Japan-Guide website forwards their hostel search to this website.

Hostelling International - Recommended to me by the international studies advisor at my university.

Japan

Kyoto

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Backpackers-Hostel-K-s-House-Kyoto/Kyoto/5536 - Close to the JR train station.

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/IchiEnSou/Kyoto/26623 - Highly recommended.

Tokyo

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Sakura-Hostel-Asakusa/Tokyo/15725

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Ryokan-Kamogawa-Asakusa/Tokyo/12576

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Aizuya-Inn/Tokyo/19147

China

Beijing

Both very close to the Forbidden City:

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Sitting-On-The-City-Walls-Courtyard-House/Beijing/24225 - I think this is Beijing City Walls, which is a hostel I mentioned in my last post.

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Peking-International-Youth-Hostel/Beijing/20189

Hong Kong

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Maple-Leaf-Guesthouse/Hong-Kong/23495

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/Hakkas-Guesthouse/Hong-Kong/29102

Other Thoughts

I had a chance to talk to the international studies advisor at my university today. He pointed me towards a local travel agent he recommends and gave me a couple of things to think about. I'm glad I got to talk to him, he told me a couple stories about his traveling experiences and gave me a bit more confidence about this whole trip.

If I can afford it, I think I would like to stop in Hong Kong as my last stop. Flights from China to Hong Kong are considered international, so it's cheaper to get a flight to Shenzhen or Zhuhai (right across from Hong Kong), and then make my way from there.

While in Japan, Tokyo and Kyoto seem like the obvious cities to visit (though the advisor I talked to today also highly recommended Hokkaido, saying it was like Wisconsin, haha). In China, I definitely want to go to Beijing, though I'm not sure where else I want to go after that. There are so many places to see! Next post will probably be about that.

Travel Guides and Japan Thoughts

I've decided to dedicate tonight to looking for travel guides! So far here is what I have:

Japan
Just In Tokyo - Free, but slightly old (2002).

Japan Guide - Highly recommended web-based guide book.

Rough Guide to Japan - Highest rated guide on Amazon. Lots of people prefer it to...

Lonely Planet: Japan - Used to be good, but has been lessening in quality over the past few years.

Japan by Rail - It looks like I'll be traveling with the JapanRail pass, so this could be very useful.

China

China Survival Guide - Not so much in the way of sights and reviews, but lots of hints and tips on cultural stuff.

Lonely Planet: China - Looks like a pretty good book, though it is big and supposedly illegal due to the fact that it doesn't show Taiwan as a part of China?? I think ripping out the front map and the cover may solve this. Worth the risk?

ChinaTravelGuide and WikiTravel: China - Both wikis dedicated to China travel information.

Itinerary

Since JR passes last for 7 days, I think it makes sense to only stay in Japan for around 7-9 days or so. I figure I'll start out in Tokyo, stay for a couple days, then start using the rail pass to go to any areas north of there I want to see, then make my way to Kyoto and the surrounding area. After that I'll head to China.

Flight Plan

I just started thinking about this, but so far I've been thinking I'll be getting a round trip pass from the states to Tokyo (for the whole month), then a ticket from Tokyo to Beijing (for the last two thirds of the month). I wonder if it would be cheaper to just get one-way tickets from US->Tokyo, Kyoto->Beijing, (last China destination)->US... I'm thinking that one way tickets are more expensive, though. Definitely something to check out.

Other Thoughts

While looking around for information on hotels and places to stay in Japan, I found this account of a night stay at a capsule hotel, which I'll definitely have to try out while there.

It looks like the end of May will be a great time to visit Japan. Hopefully the rainy season wont have started by then.

Beijing City Walls (actual site looks like its having some trouble with the GFWoC) has been recommended as a great hostel in Beijing.

When seeing the great wall, it seems like a good idea to see an unrestored part of it. It's less touristy that way.

Don't Forget

Pepto bismol/imodium.

Starting Out

I've always wanted to visit the Orient. I finally have found the means for a month-or-so long trip and I've decided to write about both the planning process and the trip itself. The itinerary is currently as empty as it is broad: Japan first for around a week, then on to China for three weeks or so. Currently I'm looking at the beginning of the summer, possibly leaving in late May. Supposedly this isn't the best time to go, but I don't really have any other options, as I have obligations in September. I'm currently talking with a couple of friends that have traveled to the Far East to see what they recommend. For now I think this will mainly be used as a place to jot down ideas and keep annotated links for myself (and others planning a similar trip :). Heading off to bed now.

Ideas and links:

• MetaFilter post on traveling in Japan cheaply.
• JapanRail passes are highly recommended.