*NEW* Japan Travel Thread

[Mr Melanzane]

Thinking of trip to Japan end mid-April for 2 weeks. Is it worth getting down to Fukuoka? Thought of winding down on train and taking in Osaka, Kyoto on the way.
Am I likely to find a ticket less than 650-ish euro (now) nearer the date, say 6wks-2mths before?

 

[SeanathonHuff]



Thinking of trip to Japan end mid-April for 2 weeks. Is it worth getting down to Fukuoka? Thought of winding down on train and taking in Osaka, Kyoto on the way.
Am I likely to find a ticket less than 650-ish euro (now) nearer the date, say 6wks-2mths before?

While I can't speak for the value of Fukuoka personally, you will likely be able to package something together under €650 round-trip (even if that means resorting to traditional rail for a portion of the trip). Depending on demand, round trips between Tokyo & Osaka are ~$300 via bullet train; because Fukuoka is a less popular destination about twice as far from Tokyo as Osaka, I don't see the price of a round trip via bullet train exceeding $600 all too often (which is <<< €500). With respect to ticket prices through time, prices on Hyperdia (http://tinyurl.com/7c6pmu6) seem fairly constant irrespective of time until departure. I'd consider a 'JR Pass' (discussed in my original post) if you would like to look into it.

Whether or not you mean stop and see Osaka and Kyoto (travelling from Tokyo, I assume?) or just pass through, either itinerary can be built around taking a Shinkansen to those cities before: 1. Briefly connecting to another nearby station which connects to Fukuoka via traditional rail, 2. Boarding a Shinkansen in Kyoto Station or Shin-Osaka station that takes you to Fukuoka directly (I'm not sure if you'd be able to remain on your train between Tokyo & Fukuoka because they are serviced by different Shinkansen 'lines'). Other options include taking traditional rail the entire way (or flight from the Kansai region to Fukuoka).

Please be aware that the Shinkansen station within Osaka is "Shin-Osaka Station," not the more central and useful "Osaka Station." If you're hoping to see the city after arriving at "Shin-Osaka," you'll likely have to take a connector train to districts south of the river (where most hotels are located anyways).

 

[Mr Melanzane]

Thanks for detail reply.
Actually, I intended to get a JR pass for the train travel; the 650euro figure was referring to the flight, which I failed to mention. My mistake. Apologies. Probably aim to fly out of Milan/Rome to ideally Haneda, but Narita OK

 

[Fang66]

Excellent thread SH. Only have one point/tip to add, when buying a subway ticket there is no need to figure out the correct fare, you just buy the cheapest ticket (usually ¥120, you then put it through the fare adjust machine near the ticket gate at your destination.

 

[SeanathonHuff]



Thanks for detail reply.
Actually, I intended to get a JR pass for the train travel; the 650euro figure was referring to the flight, which I failed to mention. My mistake. Apologies.  Probably aim to fly out of Milan/Rome to ideally Haneda, but Narita OK

Flights to Japan (at least from America) seem cheapest about 8 months to 1 year outside of your trip. Some would suggest there are some 'windows' of purchasing tickets within 2 months, but waiting for those involves a degree of uncertainty and still won't return the price to its much earlier baseline. For an April trip, you're looking at €700 if you booked your economy class tickets today (leaving from Italy). I think it's fair to say the prices will increase to €800 or €900 much closer to the trip.

Within Japan, flights are relatively cheap (Japan is approximately the size of California) and airports are fairly efficient (no excessive security, though I still prefer train). If you were asking about round trip flights from the Kansai region to Fukuoka, that would be pretty safely less than €300.

Excellent thread SH. Only have one point/tip to add, when buying a subway ticket there is no need to figure out the correct fare, you just buy the cheapest ticket (usually ¥120, you then put it through the fare adjust machine near the ticket gate at your destination.

This really is a viable option and potentially more convenient option if you're fine with going to an 'extra' machine (the fare adjustment machine) at the end of your trip. I've reached out to people about being able to edit the original post once again, I'll be sure to include this tip if I can work that out.