Monday, January 25, 2010

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.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

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
Tokyo

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.
Hong Kong

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.
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Monday, January 18, 2010

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.
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Thursday, January 14, 2010

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:
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