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Maps and subways

8 Aug 2007
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I cant believe its almost here! I posted a few months back about my first trip to japan coming up and I leave next wednesday its finally here!!!!!! I am getting some things together and writing down addresses of stores i want to go to and I am just wondering is it really difficult to find places and do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of buying books tomorrow with maps to start looking at. I have read it is good to write it in 窶愿コ窶怒ナ津ェツ and then show it to japanese so they can understand what you are looking for. The whole time i have been planning the trip my biggest concern is the trains and subways getting from osaka to kyoto and then to tokyo. What should i expect as an american with an elementary level of japanese?
 
oh yeah I failed to mention that, it is next week! I will try and call today. thanks for that advice.

Have a great time. I was planning to go in April, but a "minor" problem called "being laid off" got in the way of that. :( Although I was unemployed at the time of my first trip to Japan, I did have two jobs previously and saved a ton of cash for the trip (and the airfare, etc. was already paid for).

Depending upon when I start working again, I figure I can go to Japan in about six months from when I started.
 
The train system employees are accustomed to lost gaijin however they will answer you with varying levels of patience depending on how busy it is and what time of day it is.
I generally tried to wait until no one was around until I bugged them with questions in my broken Japanese, but if you're in a rush you'll just have to point to a map and say 'sumimasen, koko ni ikitaidesu' or something.

IF you can, I highly recommend renting an internet capable phone because the route finder option is extremely helpful. I planned entire trips from my apartment using the route finder. You punch in the time you want to arrive at a place and the location of your departure, and it will tell you where you need to transfer, which trains to get on, the travelling time, all that good stuff.
 
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