GPANTRIP: Planning Transport

FLIGHTS:

I believe February next year would be a perfect time for us to go. It’s far enough away to allow us time to save money and organise holiday time etc. and the season in Japan in February is basically the end of winter. So it’s still cold, which is nice when travelling ( don’t want to get fucking hot ) and from tips of people who have been there Winter is the best season to be in Japan.

Apparently for February next year there are some good deals going for flights to Japan. The best money/airline quality deal I remember her telling me about is Malaysian Airlines however that needs to be booked and paid for by the end of this month with no option to change dates later on.

• Malaysian Airlines - Adult Return ticket to Tokyo February 2007 = $900   Flight via. Kuala Lumpur (Full payment by end of August)
  
• Cathay Pacific - Adult Return ticket to Tokyo February 2007 = $1300   Flight via. Hong Kong
  
• Qantas - Adult Return ticket to Tokyo February 2007 = $1172    Flight via. Sydney
  
• Thai - Adult Return ticket to Tokyo February 2007 = $1170   Flight via. Bangkok
  
• Singapore - Adult Return ticket to Tokyo February 2007 = $1230   Flight via. Singapore

Those are our options….these are the things to consider:

1. Other than Qantas, all of the airlines take about 8hrs to get to their hub (the via. city) and then 6 hrs to get from there to Tokyo. So in total for us the travel time is approx. 14hours and thats a long flight. We should consider our comfort on the flight and our first real experience! Mine was fucked up by a shitty airline (Olympic Airlines - fucking greek bastards)….i’m hoping to overwrite those memories lol.
2. We can stay pretty much as long as we want at any of the hubs (via. cities) on the way there or back for no extra charge…which one do we want to see the most?
   
3. Shopping is expensive in Japan so we probably won’t be buying much stuff…..however it is the exact opposite in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. If we do stop at one of these we can get a fuck load of cheap shit so we should probably stop there on the way back so we don’t have to take it with us through Japan.

TRAINS:

The price for the Japan Rail Pass is as follows:

To qualify for the Japan Rail Pass you must be a visitor to Japan, and you must purchase your pass before you enter the country. Visitors holding a working-holiday, student or business visa are not entitled to purchase a Japan Rail Pass. Select your pass according to your holiday itinerary. You will receive an Exchange Order before you depart Australia; this can be exchanged for your chosen pass within three months of issue. You may begin using the pass as soon as you have it validated in Japan, unless you specify that you want to start on a later date. Seat reservations cannot be made in advance before your departure from Australia. Once in Japan, you can easily make seat reservations for either Green Class (First Class) or Ordinary Class (Economy Class). An English-language information and booking service is available in Tokyo (Monday to Friday).

The exchange order must be exchanged for a Rail Pass within three (3) months of issue. Unused exchange orders are refundable within twelve (12) months of issue, subject to cancellation fees. Passes are not refundable if lost or stolen. * The Japan Rail Pass is not valid for Nozomi Super-express shinkansen bullet trains.

Type                Ordinary      Green
7-days Pass       A$333        A$445
14-day Pass       A$531        A$720
21-day Pass       A$679        A$936

*Child(6-11years old), half of adult fare.
*Additional credit card fees apply.