How to travel to Japan as a tourist. Travel to japan for cherry blossom. Prices in Japanese restaurants

There is an opinion that Japan dear country and only well-to-do citizens can afford a tour to Japan. Let's try to dispel this myth and turn to the facts from the world of prices.

Food in Japan
A cup of coffee in a Japanese cafeteria will cost you 60 rubles (180 yen), a sandwich for this coffee (a McDonald's hamburger) - 30 rubles (80 yen). If your preference is for strong drinks, then a can of beer will cost your wallet 93 rubles (280 yen), and a bottle of whiskey 350 rubles (1050 yen). Dinner for one person in an inexpensive Japanese restaurant of the "conveyor" type will cost 236 rubles (710 yen). If you prefer more expensive cuisine V national traditions Japan, then dinner at the Izakaya Diner Bar will cost your wallet 700 rubles (2,000 yen).

Japan transport
If your trip to Japan involves transfers and excursions to various cultural centers Japan, then you can make them both on railway transport (ticket JR PASS for 7 days costs 12,000 rubles) or by car (travel by bus Tokyo - Kyoto will cost 1,080 rubles (5,000 yen)), so, and using the flight to domestic airlines Japan (the flight will cost about 3,600 rubles (11,000 yen) for one leg of the journey).
Japan Hotels
If you are not embarrassed by the neighborhood with young people, then accommodation in a hotel for students will cost 1000 rubles / day (3000 yen). A Japanese-style hotel "Ryokan" will cost 1670 rubles / day (5000 yen).

Tipping in Japan
Tipping is not accepted in Japan. Even if you persistently offer money as a tip, no one in Japan will take it - not a hotel servant, not even a taxi driver. They will refuse you as politely as possible, proudly declaring that he (she) receives an appropriate and quite decent salary for his work. So leave all your worries about tips. Pay by invoice. This will be quite enough for your wallet to lose a lot of weight. But on the other hand, any of your any reasonable desire will be satisfied by representatives of the Japanese service without unnecessary altercation. In hotels and restaurants, the so-called Service charge (5-10%) will be automatically added to the bill.
As can be seen from this brief digression in the price area of ​​Japan, the land of the rising sun is not so unaffordable. At the same time, a tour to Japan will certainly be remembered by you for a lifetime and will be remembered as one of best trips outside of our boundless homeland.

Visa to Japan
Tourist visa for citizens Russian Federation allows you to stay in Japan for up to 15 days. A prerequisite for obtaining a Japanese tourist visa is a hotel booking for the entire stay. The term for issuing a visa at the embassy is from 4 days to a month. A transit Japanese visa allows citizens of the Russian Federation to stay in Tokyo and its environs for up to 72 hours. Obtaining a transit Japanese visa is possible only if the tourist flies through Japan to a 3rd country where there is no direct non-stop flight from Moscow. For example, Australia New Zealand, numerous countries and islands in pacific ocean(including Malaysia, Indonesia, Tahiti, Northern Mariana Islands, Fiji, etc.). Mandatory condition for registration transit visa is the presence of an air ticket with a fixed date of departure from Tokyo and a visa of the 3rd country. Wherein connecting flights should be as close as possible to each other in time. The term for issuing a visa at the embassy is 4 days. Also, a visa can be opened upon arrival at the Narita airport.

Opening hours of institutions, shops and museums in Japan
Huge department stores, 10-15 floors, are open every day from 10.00 to 21.00 or 22:00. Private shops, as well as shops at hotels, work according to their own schedule. There is also a chain of convenience stores that are open 24/7 but offer a limited range of products. Most museums are open to visitors from 9 am to 5 pm daily, except for national holidays. Post office is open at weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. Bank services can be used on weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm.

Electricity in Japan
Mains voltage - 100 volts / 60 Hz.

Telephone in Japan
Japan has a different standard. cellular communication 3 G, for your phone to work in Japan, you need a device that supports 3 G format, in most phones manufactured in Japan Lately this feature is provided.

Japanese Relationships and Etiquette
The rules of etiquette are especially important in Japan and serve as a "social lubricant" in this overpopulated country. In recent decades, these rules have partially lost their strictness, but even a spirited Japanese will not break some of them. The norms of behavior are often determined by the situation and position of the interlocutors. A foreigner will be forgiven for any mistake, however good manners will earn you respect. It is best to keep a close eye on the situation, avoid loud or categorical statements and follow the example of others.

I'll tell you how much the trip to Japan cost me. I collected all the expenses in one place so that you can estimate how much it costs to go to Japan on your own.

While we were preparing for a trip to Japan, moaning was heard from everywhere that this is a very expensive country. Go broke - my friends told me. So far, according to the sensations, all the high cost of the country rests on the flight. It is possible that this opinion will be erroneous. In this note, I will collect all my expenses for the trip. Let's see how much it costs to go to Japan on your own.

Travel dates: 2 – 14 .
Number of days in Japan: 12 + 1 day in China.
Prices in rubles.

1. : 33 292 ₽.
2. : 10 753 ₽.
3. : 5 977 ₽.
4. : For free.
5. : 1 072 ₽.
6. Lonely Planet guide: 1 400 ₽.
7. : 16 345 ₽.
8. Purchase of water and coffee: 2 865 ₽.
9. Electric trains from Osaka to Nara and Kyoto: 3,875 ₽.
10. in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo: 3,445 ₽.
11. Entrance to temples, zoo and aquarium: 2,150 ₽.
12. and a monorail ride at the zoo: 375 ₽.
13. Luggage storage: 400 ₽.
14. Shopping and souvenirs: 13 458 ₽.

Total: 95 500 ₽.

Important note: On the trip, we felt completely at ease. We bought food mostly in supermarkets and did not deny ourselves anything. We wanted sushi with red caviar for breakfast - we take it. Liked the ready lunch with meat and pasta - no problem.

How could you save

1. Air tickets - 6 000 ₽.
   I took tickets for a specific flight, so I had to spend more. Were on other dates for 27 thousand rubles with a change in Singapore, and not in Beijing.
2. Housing - 0 ₽.
   Housing was taken very well. It turned out cheap, because we traveled with a large group and rented entire apartments.
3. Intercity buses - 0 ₽.
   Tickets were taken well in advance and at minimal prices. It was even cheaper to leave only with hand luggage. Without luggage.
4. Visa - 0 ₽.
5. Insurance - 0 ₽.
   Perhaps, if you look more carefully, you would find cheaper offers. They took the most profitable at that time.
6. Guide - 1 400 ₽.
   By experience, there was enough knowledge from the Internet. A travel guide is a useful but optional item when traveling in Japan if you are well prepared for the trip.
7. Meals - 5 000 ₽.
   Most often bought ready meals in supermarkets. They rarely sat in cafes and markets. I think that it would be possible to shrink by five thousand if they cooked at home, since the kitchens were everywhere.
   
8. Water and coffee - 1500 ₽.
   Near the house in Osaka there was an excellent coffee shop where they prepared very tasty coffee. In fact, it was also very expensive. Plus, there are soda machines everywhere in Japan. It is convenient to lower a trifle there, which we did.
9. Trains - 1 875 ₽.
   I took some tickets for two, so you can throw off about the same amount to get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bspending for one.
10. Metro - 1 445 ₽.
    The figure of savings is hypothetical. It's hard to calculate exactly. We could have bought special metro passes, but we didn’t, and they are really more profitable than one-time trips.
11. Entrance to temples, zoo and aquarium - 0 ₽.
    Tourists will be able to see the sights a little cheaper, but you need international map.
12. Reindeer food and a monorail ride at the zoo - 0 ₽.
    It would be possible not to spend money on this item at all, but 375 rubles are worth these emotions.
13. Luggage storage - 0 ₽.
14. Shopping and souvenirs - 13 458 ₽.
    If you want to fly to Japan cheaper, you will have to give up souvenirs and purchases. This is the most obvious way to save money. I could not get!

It feels like it's quite realistic to save about 30 thousand rubles. In this case, a trip to Japan for 2 weeks will cost about 65-70 thousand rubles.

Self-guided trip to Japan during cherry blossom season.
I have a separate article with a photo on my site -.

Quite spontaneously decided to go to Japan.
I was relaxed about the trip - I almost didn’t prepare, I read the DK guide a little and looked at the pictures in it, choosing approximately the points where I want to go.
There is enough time to get acquainted with Japan for the first time: 10 days, but then it will be clear: I will come here once a year or once a decade.

First impressions of Japan

My impressions for the first day of my stay in Tokyo: the country is essentially no different from any other country in the Asia-Pacific region.
- Issues are resolved on the spot as in Thailand.
— Restaurants and cafes operate in the same mode as in Hong Kong.
- A set of products in stores like in Malaysia.
— People on the streets like in Singapore.

That is, arriving at the airport Narita(Tokyo), I completely relaxed: everything is familiar and understandable. Put on sunglasses on his nose, rented Pocket WiFi having provided himself with mobile Internet both on the street and in the subway (more on this here:) and began to slowly move towards a hotel booked for one night from Moscow in the area. One of the goals of the trip to Japan was to get acquainted with real Japanese cuisine.

Hotel in Tokyo

I can recommend the hotel to those who want to stay close to Tokyo fish market: APA Hotel Tsukiji Eki Minami.
Single occupancy is quite comfortable.
Comment: In most hotels where I stayed, the Internet was through the wire. Not WiFi.
It didn't bother me as it was. Mobile Internet And ethernet to usb adapter for macbook.

How to travel around Japan without knowing the language

I walk around Tokyo calmly, slowly, with my hands in my trousers. The state of being in a foreign and incomprehensible country is not like that. It's like he's been here before.
Therefore, advice to those who will go to Japan for the first time: relax, everything is simple here. The truth is more expensive than in the same Thailand, but then excuse me - this is Tokyo for you, not Pattaya.

You can't smoke outside in Japan: a bit annoying ban on smoking on the streets. Or rather, not even a ban - a recommendation, well, the Japanese follow these recommendations as obedient citizens, and I, as a guest on a visit, also accepted the rules of the game: it’s impossible, it’s impossible. Eat special places in the open air, as a rule, fenced with a hedge of plants, where there are ashtrays - you can smoke there

Japanese visa

I obtained a visa to Japan on my own at the Consulate of Japan in the area of ​​Prospekt Mira in Moscow.
The main thing you need to get it: set of documents from the inviting Japanese side . I had a private invitation.
What is required from the invitee: to provide correspondence, telephone bills for international calls or joint photos with the one who invites. I didn’t have any photos together, so I just took some photo from the autumn Forum Slaughterhouse, where 4 drunken men stand against the background of the Vinsky Forum banner, including me in a Circassian hat. The consulate said:

• How can it be: a woman invites you, but where is she in this photo? To which I replied:
• Here her husband is standing next to me, and she just walked away at that moment ...

It worked, although they thought for about 40 minutes - to accept documents or send me ....
I wrote more about how I got a Japanese visa in a separate article.

27.06.18 56 894 30

How to organize a trip to Japan

In April 2018, my husband and I went on vacation to Japan.

Marina Safonova

went to Japan

We spent two weeks there, visited Tokyo, Kyoto, the ancient capital of Nara, the mountain resort of Hakone and the ancient Buddhist monastery on Mount Koya-san.

I used to think that organizing a trip to Japan is very difficult: it is not clear how everything works there, where to go, except for Tokyo, how much it costs and how to get a visa. How to move around the country is also unclear: foreign tourists need international law to drive a car in Japan. And there is left-hand traffic, serious fines, toll roads and parking lots.

It turned out that Japan is great for independent travel. Everyone speaks English, it's easy to get a visa, the transport works perfectly.

Japanese English is very different from our usual pronunciation. In Japanese, there is no “l” sound, and it is customary to break a pair of consonants with a vowel sound. The word fork is pronounced as "foku", bus - "bass", beer - "biru".

There is an opinion that going to Japan is expensive. Yes, it's more expensive than package tour on the sea. But the most expensive expense is an air ticket: 30-40 thousand rubles in both directions. In second place is travel across the country. Housing in Japan costs about the same as in Europe, and you can safely save on food: everything is tasty and cheap. Tickets to museums and temples are also inexpensive: 200-500 R. Visa for citizens of the Russian Federation is free.

If you decide to go, here's what to do before you go.

Select travel time

I don't recommend going to Japan. May holidays. At the end of April - beginning of May there is "Golden Week" - "golden week", when National holidays go 6 days in a row. At this time, the whole country has a weekend and everyone goes to travel. Train tickets are sold out, housing is becoming more expensive, and there are crowds in temples, parks and museums.

Summer isn't the best either. best time for the trip. It rains in Japan in June, and then tropical heat until September. It's good to go in May right after the "golden week": at this time, domestic tourism is reduced, because everyone returns to work. There are fewer tourists, prices are lower everywhere. If I planned the trip again, I would go in mid-May.

If you want to look at cherry blossoms, then plan a trip for the end of March - the beginning of April, but keep in mind that at this time there is also a tourist rush in the country. In Japan, there is a cherry blossom forecast by region, you can see how the cherry blossoms bloomed in 2018, and plan your next trip around the same dates. Momiji is the red maple leaf season in October and early November in Japan. Momiji also has a calendar.

Buy tickets

Airfare is the biggest expense when planning a trip to Japan. Focus on 35-40 thousand rubles for a direct flight Moscow - Tokyo.

Direct flights to Tokyo are available only from Moscow with Aeroflot and Japan Airlines. We flew "Japan Airlines": on this route, the company flies the coolest of the Boeings - the Dreamliner. The plane is huge comfortable chairs, tasty food, electrochromic window dimming, movies, music and games in the screen built into the seat.

Tickets with transfers can be found for about 3000-5000 R cheaper than direct ones. But it is difficult to fly with a transfer due to long flight and change of time zones, while the difference in price is small.

Book your accommodation

In Tokyo, choose areas near major subway stations. Ginza, Ueno, Tokyo Station, Asakusa, Shinjuku, Shibuya are great - it will be easy to travel around the city from there. In Kyoto, it is ideal to live near the Sanjo subway station.

Apart from conventional hotels, hostels and apartments on Airbnb.com in Japan you can stay in ryokans, love hotels and capsule hotels. I'll tell you about each option.

Ordinary hotels and hostels Japan is the same as the rest of the world. It is convenient for tourists to stay in chain hotels like APA Hotels: there are many of them in all major cities. The room costs 4500-5500 R for two per night. The rooms are small, but they have everything you need. Business hotels are aimed at employees who come on a business trip and do not spend much time in the room. It suits tourists too.

Usually, in all Japanese hotels, check-in is strictly from 15:00. For early check-in you have to pay half the price. Sometimes there are hotels with check-in after 13:00, such as the Shinjuku Prince Hotel in Tokyo. We stayed there on the day of arrival for this reason only: our plane landed at 8 am and we did not want to wait 6 hours at all.

Apartment on Airbnb a lot, but they cost more expensive than hotels, especially if you rent an entire house. If you rent an apartment in an old neighborhood, get ready that the house will also be old: with small rooms and a miniature bathroom.

In a capsule hotel guests live alone in a small capsule room in which you can only sit or lie down. The bathroom and toilet are shared, rooms with capsules are usually divided into male and female. Things can be deposited at the reception. Inside the capsule there is a clock, an alarm clock, a light setting. Some have a TV built into the wall. Upon check-in, a guest set is issued: a Japanese yukata robe, a towel, a disposable toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb.

A night in a capsule hotel costs 1500-2500 R.

A separate type of housing - the so-called love hotels, or "love hotels". Initially, they were intended for dates, but now they are also popular among tourists. Love hotels are usually spacious, with huge beds and unusually designed rooms. The room costs from 6000 R per night, and how more interesting interior, the higher the price.

There are also traditional Japanese hotels - ryokans. You need to sleep in them on special futon mattresses, which are spread on the floor. From the furniture in the room there are small tables, at which they also sit on the floor. Showers and toilets are usually shared. Ryokans often have an onsen, a hot spring bath.

When you check into the ryokan, you will be asked to take off your shoes and will be given special Japanese slippers that look like flip flops. Even guests are usually dressed in a special home dressing gown - yukata.

Ryokan is the most unusual type of accommodation for tourists in Japan and the most expensive. A night in a simple ryokan costs 8-10 thousand rubles. If you want a ryokan with beautiful view, hot springs and a traditional Japanese dinner, then prices will be higher: 20-30 thousand rubles.

Make a program

I love organizing trips myself. Before my vacation, I studied the section about Japan on the Vinsky Forum and the site japan-guide.com. This is enough to make almost any itinerary in Japan, especially if you are traveling for the first time and want to see the main sights.

The Japan Guide project has excellent routes in all cities: for example, walking routes in Tokyo, in Kyoto, and there is also a whole trip plan "The best of Japan in 14 days."

Everyone who comes to Japan for the first time is usually recommended to go to Kyoto in addition to Tokyo. Compared to Russia, Tokyo is like Moscow, and Kyoto is like St. Petersburg. In the past, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, but now the city is famous for its temples, cultural attractions and geishas. If you're traveling for two weeks, split them roughly equally between Tokyo and Kyoto.

From Tokyo, you can take a day trip to the cities of Nikko, Kamakura, mountain resort Hakone. One day is worth spending entirely in the Disney amusement park, in Tokyo there are two of them: Disneyland and Disney Sea.

From Kyoto, you can take the train to Nara - this is another ancient capital Japan, now it is known for its tame deer park. From Kyoto, you can also take a 15-minute train ride to Osaka, the third largest city in the country. Tourist places there is little, but you can see the five-story samurai castle and the Universal amusement park, comparable in scope to Disneyland.

Our experience. For 12 days we traveled along the route Tokyo - Hakone - Kyoto - Nara - a monastery on Mount Koya - Tokyo. All transfers, hotels, train schedules and attractions were entered into a Google spreadsheet. The table changed many times, including during the trip itself. You can download our plan template and plan your trip based on it.

detailed plan travel will come in handy for a visa. The mandatory set of documents for a Japanese tourist visa includes a program of stay. It must be filled out according to the template: register every day, indicate the contact phone number, address of the place of residence and the program - what you plan to do. We wrote simply Sightseeing everywhere.

Get a visa

Previously, it was difficult for citizens of the Russian Federation to obtain a Japanese visa: a mandatory invitation from a citizen of Japan was required. Invitations were made through agencies, it was expensive.

Now the invitations have been canceled, and the visa has become free. In my experience, getting a Japanese visa requires the usual set of documents:

You do not need to register at the embassy to submit documents. It is enough just to arrive at 9:30 at Grokholsky lane, house 27 with all the documents. There are 10-20 people in the queue, it moves quickly. Embassy staff pick up your documents and tell you right on the spot whether you will be issued a visa or not. Sometimes clarifying questions are asked. We weren't asked anything.

You can apply for a visa by a simple power of attorney written in free form. My friend lives in Nizhny Novgorod. He sent a package of documents for a Japanese visa by mail to his aunt in Podolsk. Aunt came with these documents to the embassy and gave them for processing, showing a power of attorney, and then took the passport with the visa ready.

Make a visa 4 working days. We applied on Monday and collected our passports on Thursday.

It is important to fill out the program of stay in detail and indicate there the contacts of all hotels or apartments on Airbnb. By the time you submit the documents, you should already have reservations for the entire accommodation.

If you make an account statement at Tinkoff Bank, embassy staff may find fault with electronic printing. If possible, ask the bank in advance to prepare an extract with a real seal for you. If you are submitting a certificate of employment, then an extract is not required. We submitted two certificates from work, we were not asked for additional documents.

Buy a JR Pass

The main mode of transport in Japan is railways. Russian driver license do not operate in Japan, there are few parking lots in the country, a lot of toll roads and left-hand traffic. All tourists travel by train.

There are many different railway companies in the country, the largest is called Japan Railways. Travel is not cheap. A ticket for the Shinkansen high-speed train from Tokyo to Kyoto costs 13,910 ¥ (7800 R) one way:

To save money, you need a JR Pass. It was invented in Japan specifically for foreign tourists. "JR Pass" allows a certain time (usually a week or two) to move unlimitedly on all routes of the "Japan Railways" carrier. This and speed shinkansen trains, and some inter-city express trains, and electric trains to Nikko, Nara, Arashiyama, and other attractions around the main cities.

JR Pass is expensive. We paid 32,940 R for two weekly passes - 16,470 R per person. The travel card paid off for the first three days of the trip. In my experience, JR Pass is definitely worth buying.

You need to buy this pass in advance. In Japan, this is no longer possible. I ordered it on the japan-rail-pass.com website two months before the trip. After payment, you will be sent a voucher, already in Japan, this voucher will need to be "activated" - exchanged for "JR Pass".

"Jar-pass" is a nominal document. Upon activation, your name, surname and passport details will be written on it. In Tokyo, at the Shinjuku station, we went to the Japan Railroad information desk. We were shown the rules for using the pass and clarified several times whether we really want to activate it from today's date. Then they had to fill out a short questionnaire. In exchange for vouchers, we were given beautiful travel cards with our passport details on the back.

When we first went through the control with the JR Pass, they put stamps on the pass. Then we just had to show it to the employee at the station every time we passed through the turnstiles.

Schedule transfers for booking tickets

In Japan, everyone book trains in advance. If you buy a JR Pass and plan to travel around the country, I advise you to pre-select the Shinkansen on the Hyperdia website that fit your schedule. Make a list of when and what time you want to book your seats on the train. Print and take with you.

When you activate JR Pass, ask an employee to reserve tickets for you on this list. This is done in one minute. Then tickets can be changed without any problems.

You can ride without reserved seats. In trains, all cars are divided into reserved (they are more expensive) and ordinary. In ordinary ones, you can sit anywhere if there are empty seats. If you plan to move on weekdays, and not on holidays or weekends, then, of course, you can relax and not book anything. We ended up on six Japanese weekends in a row, so we booked the shinkansen a week in advance. Then they made an exchange once: without problems and without a queue, in 2 minutes.

What you need to know about money

The currency of Japan is the yen. 100 yen = 57 R. It is most convenient to travel with dollars: in cash or on a card. We took with us, made the main dollar account and paid from it. Another part of the money was taken in cash dollars. There are many exchangers in Japan, the rate is acceptable everywhere, there are even automatic exchangers, it is safe to change money.

Japan is a country of cash. Most residents everywhere pay with banknotes and coins. There are hotels that do not accept cards, especially in small towns, but in Tokyo and Kyoto we paid by card almost everywhere without any problems. To buy subway tickets, pay for a bus, buy water from vending machines, you need cash, and most often small coins. After a couple of days, we carried a huge amount of coins with us.

How to pay. In Japan, there is a special ritual of paying for anything. When paying at the checkout, money or a card must be placed in a special tray that stands in front of the seller. But the seller will definitely return the change, check and card to you from hand to hand with words of gratitude and a slight bow.

Probably for the same reason, payment through Apple Pay is not popular in Japan. In two weeks, I have never seen anyone pay by phone, and I myself have not tried it.

Tax free. In Japan, taxi-free for foreigners is conveniently organized. An 8% discount is made right upon purchase if you have your passport with you. Taxi-free is almost everywhere, even in grocery store"Seven-leven". There is no need to stand in any queue at the airport, such as in Italy. Prices in stores are usually indicated without VAT, so at the checkout the total amount may turn out to be 8% more than you planned.

Tips. In Japan, it is not customary to leave a tip - they simply will not be accepted. In some tourist restaurants service is included in the bill, but this is rare. It is understood that the service is always of the highest standard and does not require additional payment from the client.

You have to pay in cafes and restaurants at the exit. Ask the waiter to bring the bill, take it and go to the cashier. The box office is usually at the exit.

Order a WiFi router

In Japan, there is public Wi-Fi almost everywhere. In museums and other attractions, it is usually free, and it is safe to use it. If you want to save money, use open networks and skip this step.

If you don’t want to connect to a new Wi-Fi every time, rent a router for the duration of your trip. Wi-Fi will definitely come in handy to build travel routes.

The Google Maps app is great for getting directions around Japan, including the subway in Tokyo, buses in Kyoto, and long-distance transfers

You can rent a router right at the airport: at the exit from Narita Airport there are dozens of information stands of companies that provide Pocket Wi-Fi service.

I ordered a router in advance on the same site japan-rail-pass.com, where I issued the travel pass. 12 days of rent cost 4348 R - this is 362 R per day. An envelope with a router, charger, and return policy was waiting for me at the post office at Narita Airport. The router was already charged. All 12 days we did not even think about where to find Wi-Fi.

To return the router, you need to put it in a mail envelope, seal it and drop it into a red mailbox. We did it on the way back, at the same Narita airport. The mail envelope for the return was originally bundled with the router.

Send luggage within Japan

In Japan, it is customary not to travel with suitcases, but to send them from one hotel to another. For this, there is a convenient delivery service "Kuroneko Ta-ko-bin". All hotels in Japan work with it. If you are planning to move from one city to another, it is convenient to send suitcases by delivery, and not to carry them with you.

If you live in hotels, using Kuroneko is simple: come to the reception with your suitcases and ask to be sent to another hotel. , it will be a little more difficult: the owners of the apartments will not meet or send suitcases, but you can use any Kuroneko delivery point, there are many of them.

Suitcases are usually delivered within a day. If you send your suitcase this morning, you can pick it up the next morning. For two standard suitcases we paid 2500-3000 R.

We have used this service twice. For the first time, we sent suitcases from a hotel in Tokyo to the Kuroneko office in Kyoto, next to the station, and we ourselves went to spend the night with backpacks in the mountain resort of Hakone.

How to get from Narita Airport

From the airport to Tokyo can be reached by train, bus and taxi - like everywhere else.

Flights from Moscow to Tokyo usually arrive at Narita Airport. It is located quite far from the city, in the neighboring Chiba Prefecture. We tried two ways: the Narita Express train and the train "Kisei Skyliner". I'll tell you about them.

Narita Express- N'Ex. Expensive and fast, goes to central station the Tokyo Station subway, passing several other major stations, including Shinjuku. Our first hotel was just on Shinjuku, so we bought tickets at the airport for Narita Express. The train was moving slowly, it turned out that on that particular day there were some interruptions on the line. According to the schedule, we were supposed to get there in an hour, but the train was about an hour and a half: we managed to sleep. Tickets are expensive, we paid 3000 R for two:

It makes sense to take Narita Express tickets if you want to activate your JR Pass on the very first day. This express ticket is also included.

"Kisei Skyliner"- a private company express that we took from Tokyo back to Narita. Departs from Ueno station, goes non-stop, so we got there in half an hour. It costs 2470 yen (1400 R) for one ticket.

The cheapest way to get from Narita Airport is by bus: 1000 yen, 60 minutes on the way - and you are at Tokyo Station. For other ways to get from the airport, I recommend reading the discussion on the Vinsky Forum.

What else you need to know

Traveling in Japan is safe, convenient and fun. There are many tourists, and all navigation is specially made so that everything is clear to everyone. If you get lost, they will definitely tell you where to go and what to do.

It's the same with food: if you don't know what you want to eat, just look at the cafe window. Most establishments put on display the most believable plastic models of their dishes with prices. Many menus have photos, so there are usually no problems with language.

If you know English language at a basic level, you will have access to all navigation on the streets, in transport and in other public places. It is difficult to get lost: there are a huge number of signs everywhere. Sometimes in Tokyo it was even clearer to me where to go than in the transition in Moscow.

Remember

1. Do not fly on the May holidays.
2. Buy tickets well in advance.
3. Visit Tokyo and Kyoto.
4. To save money, stay in chain hotels.
5. Be sure to buy a JR Pass.
6. Take dollars or a dollar card with you.

To arrive safely in the country rising sun, and even inexpensive, you will have to calculate everything in advance and take into account all the nuances and subtleties of the planned enterprise.

To do this, you need to draw up a phased plan and follow its points. Let's sketch together a rough plan of action and calculate at least approximately how much money we need for all this.

Action plan

1. Visa
2. Ticket price
3. The cost of the hotel and food
4. Price for transport
5. Attractions and entertainment
6. Total amount

Visa

So, before you figure out how to get to Japan faster and cheaper, you need to take care of the availability of a visa and decide on the costs of obtaining it. It should be said right away that this procedure is not easy and you will have to solve a lot of various bureaucratic issues.

In addition to the fact that you will need to collect a considerable list of documents, you also need to take care of your own trustee or guarantor on the other side. It is with its help that it is easiest to ensure oneself both staying inside the country and leaving it.

The visa issue is optimally resolved immediately with an intermediary company, it will also serve as a guarantor and help with solving documentary difficulties. You will be left with a trifle: pay for services, take care of booking a ticket and a place to stay.

Services will be about 10-12 thousand rubles. Of course, the total cost of the trip will increase a little, but in time you will win enough and save your nerves and certainly get the desired visa.

Flight ticket price

Most of our fellow citizens mistakenly believe that it is more profitable to fly to Japan from Russian capital. Although today the situation is not at all like that.

The cheapest flight from Russia to Tokyo today is possible from the city of Vladivostok and will amount to about 16 thousand rubles. When from Moscow - 25 thousand, and from St. Petersburg and at all 27. It turns out much more profitable to get to Japan not at all from the capital of the Russian Federation.

In general, there are only two main ways to get to Japan on your own, either by air, that is, by plane or trust South Korean ferries.

But again, they also need to be reached, since not in every Russian city there are those. And most importantly, it will not be faster and cheaper than an airplane. So it's better to choose an easier way and trust the usual airport.

Hotel and food cost

With regards to housing, the choice in Japan is great, from cheap capsule hotels and ending with elite ryokans, the prices are certainly different. But do not give up on 1-2-bed capsule hotels, the service and comfort in them will be high, and the cost will be much lower.

For comparison, a 2-star hotel and a single room in it will cost you 3-3.5 thousand rubles per day, when a capsule can be rented at half the price.

Transport price

It all depends on the type of transport you plan to use on a daily basis. For example, renting a car will cost you about 6 thousand Japanese. Taxi is also not a cheap pleasure from 600 Japanese yen, plus idle for 2 minutes another 200 ¥, every 280 meters another 280 ¥, and at night you will have to pay over these rates another 30%.

• Metro for 1 day in the capital will cost 1000 ¥.
• Trains depending on the distance and the number of days, so the ticket can cost: for 7 days - 28300¥.
• 14 days - ¥45100; and accordingly on the 21st day - 57700¥.

The price of one trip by bus is approximately 220-420 ¥;. Thus, here already your personal preferences and benefits will depend only on personal preferences. Moreover, these prices are relevant not only for Tokyo, but for almost all of Japan.

Attractions and entertainment

The land of the rising sun is diverse and has many places to visit and leisure. Moreover, in Japan, each city has its own wealth of modernity and history. But to understand the cost of such places, we will simplify this task and consider only the sights of the capital, Tokyo.

There's a mass in the city interesting places for which you don't have to pay at all. Eg, Imperial Palace, Thunder Gate, some temples and historical parks.

Of the most attractive paid places in the capital, we advise you to visit: Ueno Zoo, where only adults pay for a visit, and children enter for free; the Nezu Museum, which will cost 1000 Japanese; Shinjuku Goen Imperial Park - only 200.

As you can see, visiting Japan is worth even for the sake of places where you have never been in your life, to touch the origins of this country and see a lot of new things. Tokyo is probably the best place for this. And the tickets are not that expensive either.

Let us now try to sum up the general results and identify those important points which we have reviewed:

1. First of all, we found out that it is cheap to get to Tokyo, it is optimally profitable and fast only if you fly by plane. At the same time, the cost will be an order of magnitude lower if this is not done from the Russian capital.

2. You can simplify your task in advance if you take care of your own Japanese visa first of all.

3. Housing in Japan, it is better to book in advance, that is, even before the trip.

Well, as a starting point, the most affordable point should be considered the city of Vladivostok. Good luck on your journey and profitable decisions!