Hello everyone!! I’m heading to Japan with my boyfriend on Mother’s Day this year, and I will be there for 15 days. This is my first trip on a plane, let alone in another country haha. Safe to say I’m definitely a bit nervous, hence why I came to this subreddit!
I already have our itinerary planned out, we’re starting in Tokyo and heading south and then back up to Tokyo, hitting the major cities on the way. So I’m all covered on that front. I was curious about a few things that the seasoned travelers here might be able to help me with! I’ll be making a bullet list so it’s more digestible.
•is $4,000 enough spending money? It would only be used for food, trains and souvenirs, most likely a lot of my boyfriends things too since he wasn’t able to save much for the trip.
•Are there any cheaper hotel booking options? I’ve been using Booking.com but I’m just seeing if any of you know of any cheaper options? Preferably hotels that will fit an adult couple comfortably and can be booked ahead of time so I can plan ahead. Also what area would be best to book hotels? Near the train stations?
•Since I’m 20 I plan on clubbing/drinking a bit while we’re in Tokyo, any areas I should avoid? Any you guys recommend? Is there a better city to enjoy the nightlife in?
•Are there any concerns I should have as a young woman traveling here? Anything I look up says that Japan is super safe which is awesome! But I still have some concerns.
•Would it be worth it to get a rental car to travel to southern Japan with from Tokyo? Or should we take the trains? We’d have to learn Japanese traffic laws which may be tricky but I think it may be cheaper in the long run.
•Do you guys think it’s necessary to learn more than basic phrases in Japanese before going there? I know the basics, “hello, thank you, please, goodbye” but should I learn more? I bought my boyfriend the Meta glasses so we think that will help a lot with translation especially with signage but wanted to see what you guys thought!
•Where should I exchange currency? I have to exchange USD for yen, I don’t know where I should do that. Is there a place at the airport for it?
•I’ve had a bit of trouble understanding where cities are based on prefectures. I’m just not used to that layout. Any tips on understanding it better?
•If you guys have any other tips for a girl that hasn’t even left her surrounding states before please let me know! Any airport tips, and general travel tips would also be appreciated. I’m so overwhelmed trying to figure out all this stuff by myself so I appreciate any help you guys have to offer! Thanks in advance!
by ComfortableZone6419