Japan - May 2019

OK, if you are planning your trip to Japan there will be many a post dedicated to getting a Japan Rail Pass and how amazing they are. They come in 7, 14 and 21 day passes and provide you with unlimited travel on the trains across Japan. I am going to give you some helpful advice (and possibly some money saving advice too!) The passes are not cheap, and a considerable waste of money if you base a large portion of your travel in one or two cities (as we did with Tokyo and Osaka) If you are planning on city hopping your way from Tokyo to Okinawa, then yes, the rail pass will be the best thing you invest in, but.. Know Your Travel Costs BEFORE You Go! Google maps is your one stop shop for train fares. Plug in one station to another and it will show you what train line, what platform, what times and most importantly, HOW MUCH the trip will cost you. I did the maths. A lot of Maths, and with our itinerary it didn't add up. Here are the costs of a Japan Rail Pass 7 days $381 ...

Shinjuku station is a curious beast, with so many exits and entrances it would be pretty easy to get disorientated. One thing to note is that the signage in there is amazing. Look online for a map. It will save your life. This map is great (even though it is upside down with South pointing up) but it gives you a pretty good idea just how many trains come in and go out from Shinjuku Station. (View the original here: Shinjuku Station ) We went into the station via the South Entrance every time, so we knew which way we needed to walk to catch our trains leaving from their platforms. Coming off was more of a hit and miss, we just followed people from the platform to the main station area and found somewhere to stand while we looked around for an obvious exit. Don't stress too much, there are signs everywhere pointing to various exits. As long as you know where you are heading it shouldn't be too much of a problem. For example the West Exit and the Central West exit are the ...