FrostPixie
Daydreamin'
- 23 Jun 2007
- 181
- 0
I have the opportunity to go to Japan in the summer and I am trying to research ahead, but most of the information I can find online (books seem to be no good unless you are going to Tokyo or Kyoto ) seems to be geared towards Americans. So I have a few questions.
1. What are the best airlines to use to fly from the UK to Japan? Should I go I will be travelling from Newcastle International Airport (hopefully) to Kansai International Airport, and I realise that there are no flights directly to KIX from anywhere in England (at least not under £1,000). KLM and Air France seem to be the cheapest, with Emirates close behind but I know that cheapest doesn't mean best. And if anyone knows the baggage allowance of any recommended airlines, it would be great
.
I'm not really interested in flights from London airports, or southern airports in general. Or Scottish ones. The tickets for some airlines seem to be cheaper from Heathrow/Gatwick and the flight times a few hours shorter but by the time I buy train tickets and get down there it's going to cost the same and take the same amount of time.
2. What is the best UK place to change currencies? I understand that they tend to vary from place to place, mainly from my mother's stories about how she got her pounds changed into Euros comission-free when some travel agents/bureau de change was charging five percent or something.
3. How common are international payphones in Japan? Are they easy to find or am I best off just sending a postcard and racing it home? I won't be staying long enough to invest in a mobile phone and I'm not expecting mine to work that well. Apparantly I can get a service added on to my tariff so that I can call home cheaper, but I'm not sure if it will be included in my monthly minutes or not. So...how much does it cost (per minute) to call the UK from Japan?
4. Should I go, I will be staying in Osaka. Izumi to be specific. Is there anyone here who could tell me a little bit about this area? I have heard that people in Osaka tend to be ruder than others, but I'm English, I know rude, lol. I spend most of my time in a city where people would rather shove you out of the way than step around you (I had one person practically try to kick my suitcase out of the way when there was enough room for at least two people to get past. Don't ask me why thousands of people find this city so 'charming', it's anything but). Are there any shops that are worth taking a look at or restaurants/cafés that are worth dining in?
Any books/travel guides that anybody can recommend would be greatly appreciated. I get the general feeling that publishers seem to think that foreigners are only interested in Tokyo and Kyoto.
4. Also...gifts. I will be staying with a host family, so naturally I will be bringing gifts with me. I have read up on what sort of gifts to bring, but I'm still worried incase I bring something that will offend someone. Bringing the alcoholic beverage my region (hometown...not the rude town
) is famous for will probably offend since I have heard that it is disgusting. Not that it stops people from drinking it. I am also worried about bringing food incase I bring something that the family can't/doesn't eat. And to be fair, all we have that is typically English is fish and chips and bangers and mash 
.
Is there anything that I absolutely should not bring? Because information seems to be on what you could bring, not what not to bring.
I was thinking of bringing postcards/photographs with me because both towns I reside in are known for buildings more than objects/delicacies. Some of the buildings are quite beautiful, too. This is on top of a gift, of course.
5. And one last thing. Looking at temperatures it will be fairly warm when I stay by English standards, anyway), so I must ask about clothes. I know I shouldn't really change my clothes for somewhere when I'm on holiday, but I was wondering what types of clothing to avoid. I can't really wear long-sleeved (or even short-sleeved at that) tops in the summer because of a glandular problem and not wanting to look like a Lost extra. The Japanese seem fairly conservative (in way of dress...excluding the youth) so I was wondering if tank-tops or camis were alright to wear (probably with a bolero/shrug/other removable item over the top) or if I should stick to the cap-sleeved variety. I'm blonde-haired, blue-eyed, so I know what my appearance will probably say regardless of what I wear, I just want to avoid adding to that image.
It is a great opportunity that I have been presented with but regardless of that, I don't want to rush into it blindly, especially since I will be travelling alone not only to another country but to a culture that is far different from my own. I really will appreciate any answers people can give to my questions, no matter how silly some of them may appear.
And apologies for the long post.
1. What are the best airlines to use to fly from the UK to Japan? Should I go I will be travelling from Newcastle International Airport (hopefully) to Kansai International Airport, and I realise that there are no flights directly to KIX from anywhere in England (at least not under £1,000). KLM and Air France seem to be the cheapest, with Emirates close behind but I know that cheapest doesn't mean best. And if anyone knows the baggage allowance of any recommended airlines, it would be great
.I'm not really interested in flights from London airports, or southern airports in general. Or Scottish ones. The tickets for some airlines seem to be cheaper from Heathrow/Gatwick and the flight times a few hours shorter but by the time I buy train tickets and get down there it's going to cost the same and take the same amount of time.
2. What is the best UK place to change currencies? I understand that they tend to vary from place to place, mainly from my mother's stories about how she got her pounds changed into Euros comission-free when some travel agents/bureau de change was charging five percent or something.
3. How common are international payphones in Japan? Are they easy to find or am I best off just sending a postcard and racing it home? I won't be staying long enough to invest in a mobile phone and I'm not expecting mine to work that well. Apparantly I can get a service added on to my tariff so that I can call home cheaper, but I'm not sure if it will be included in my monthly minutes or not. So...how much does it cost (per minute) to call the UK from Japan?
4. Should I go, I will be staying in Osaka. Izumi to be specific. Is there anyone here who could tell me a little bit about this area? I have heard that people in Osaka tend to be ruder than others, but I'm English, I know rude, lol. I spend most of my time in a city where people would rather shove you out of the way than step around you (I had one person practically try to kick my suitcase out of the way when there was enough room for at least two people to get past. Don't ask me why thousands of people find this city so 'charming', it's anything but). Are there any shops that are worth taking a look at or restaurants/cafés that are worth dining in?
Any books/travel guides that anybody can recommend would be greatly appreciated. I get the general feeling that publishers seem to think that foreigners are only interested in Tokyo and Kyoto.
4. Also...gifts. I will be staying with a host family, so naturally I will be bringing gifts with me. I have read up on what sort of gifts to bring, but I'm still worried incase I bring something that will offend someone. Bringing the alcoholic beverage my region (hometown...not the rude town
) is famous for will probably offend since I have heard that it is disgusting. Not that it stops people from drinking it. I am also worried about bringing food incase I bring something that the family can't/doesn't eat. And to be fair, all we have that is typically English is fish and chips and bangers and mash .Is there anything that I absolutely should not bring? Because information seems to be on what you could bring, not what not to bring.
I was thinking of bringing postcards/photographs with me because both towns I reside in are known for buildings more than objects/delicacies. Some of the buildings are quite beautiful, too. This is on top of a gift, of course.
5. And one last thing. Looking at temperatures it will be fairly warm when I stay by English standards, anyway), so I must ask about clothes. I know I shouldn't really change my clothes for somewhere when I'm on holiday, but I was wondering what types of clothing to avoid. I can't really wear long-sleeved (or even short-sleeved at that) tops in the summer because of a glandular problem and not wanting to look like a Lost extra. The Japanese seem fairly conservative (in way of dress...excluding the youth) so I was wondering if tank-tops or camis were alright to wear (probably with a bolero/shrug/other removable item over the top) or if I should stick to the cap-sleeved variety. I'm blonde-haired, blue-eyed, so I know what my appearance will probably say regardless of what I wear, I just want to avoid adding to that image
.It is a great opportunity that I have been presented with but regardless of that, I don't want to rush into it blindly, especially since I will be travelling alone not only to another country but to a culture that is far different from my own. I really will appreciate any answers people can give to my questions, no matter how silly some of them may appear.
And apologies for the long post.
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