Advice from anyone whos been to Japan/China please.

skyline_kid

skyline_kid

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Hi guys and girls, after just splitting up from my GF, i fancy getting away for a couple of weeks. Always wanted to go to Japan as i just love the look of the culture and i found this deal on a cruise.

Looks really good value to me but will be going on my own with just my camera for company so just wanted any recommendations from anyone whos done this kind of thing. Really wanna do it but never done this sort of thing before so need a bit of pursuading :bonk:

Chris.
 
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Personally I'd avoid the cruise - unless you're after some female company of a certain age - and head for Japan on my own.

I visited a year or so ago. Flew into Osaka (Kansai) and spent a week in Kyoto. Fascinating place with scores of temples. It was the ancient capital of the country and a seat of learning/culture therefore the Yanks didn't flatten it during WWII.

My only regret was that I was on a business trip and didn't have the time to spend exploring a bit more.

Some shots in my Flickr photostream.

Best time to go is for the spring blossom in early April and you've missed that now but its still a place worth visiting.

Ohhh......and just came back from China a couple of weeks back. Preferred Japan.
 
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Got to say it does look like good value. However.........go back to the site, search around, and check the small print. I have yet to come across a holiday company that does not publish a price per person and somewhere adds "based on 2 people sharing". So if you want to go alone then it's double.

If it does turn out to be this price then it looks like a good trip. If you've never travelled to somewhere like this before then it's a good way to start. Travelling alone can be daunting and even scary unless you're up to it. I'm sure the cruise organisers will offer some group trips which will make things easier. It may come as a shock but the Japanese don't speak much English, and it's not as easy to get around as one would imagine. The same can be said for China, but I never expected much English in the first place. Hong Kong is different though. It's dead easy there.
 
Never been to Japan, but I have heard from a colleague that the language can be quite a barrier.

As for China, brilliant place, massively different to the UK culturally, and definitely worth a visit. Major cities like Beijing and Shanghai you shouldn't have a problem finding people that speak English, and even though the £ isn't too strong at the moment you can still pick up tour guides quite cheaply.

Just beware the 'university students' who want to show your their art collections - they won't let you leave unless you buy something, and it tends to be very overpriced! A trap I didn't fall in to thanks to the Lonely Planet.
 
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stretchy25 said:
Just beware the 'university students' who want to show your their art collections - they won't let you leave unless you buy something, and it tends to be very overpriced! A trap I didn't fall in to thanks to the Lonely Planet.
Click to expand...

......and their friendly conversations can run to some time, talking about the meaning of life and everything, before they get round to asking you to come and see their gallery.
 
I've been to Tokyo a couple of times, loved it both times. The language barrier really wasn't a big deal, particularly as so many of them seem to speak pretty good English. The only real lesson I learned about language was to ask the girls and not guys for directions. The blokes seemed to be a LOT more discriminatory.
Not the cheapest place to go to, but that's mainly accomodation. The food is roughly the same cost as England, as long as you actually like noodles/rice and their normal food. More to the point, it's generally to a high standard.

Lots to see, and places like Tokyo are an amazing combination of high rise ultra modern, slummy (yet still clean) in areas, then mixed in with awesome parks and quaint little shrines where you'd least expect them. Simply the most varied country I've been to. Assume you'll need a lot of memory cards.

In short, can't recommend the country enough, easily the best country I've been to in the world.
 
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