Thailand or Japan for a holiday

I went to Japan a five years ago and would really recommend it. Exchange rates are still a bit fubar now however.. When I went it was 244 to the pound now its 124 =x
 
So for those that went to Japan where did you go and how much where you spending?

When I look at hotel prices a budget hotel room in Japan will be like at minimum if lucky 50 quid whereas in Thailand you are talking about 10-15 quid for 3 star hotel lol.

Obviously the only big costs are hotel and food and drink..Thailand is cheaper on all these 3 fronts?

I reckon 2 dyas costs in Japan will be like 1 week in Thailand?

As for whre to go in Japan?

Tokoy, OSaka, Kyoto? ANywhere else without expensive long distance travelling? You can buy like a railcard?

ALso any best time to visit. They get cold winters and autumn right.

Thailand is warm all year just got rainy season.
 
Japan will be considerably more expensive, but you know that already. The Tokyo Inns dotted around are very reasonable, and you could always stay in a capsule ;) As for where to visit, Tokyo is a must for so many reasons (yoyogi park, akihabara ...) and Kyoto gets my vote for temples (although if you can streth to miyajima, go there - it doesn't get more traditional and beautiful). Kobe's good, Osaka too. Japan is all good :)

Travel wise get the bullet train!
 
HOw about going alone to Japan though, safety and boredom, ease of travel etc..

I know Thailand is ok for lone travellers.

ALso, Japan best to go in spring or fall so it seems, though Im sure it looks pretty in snow but id rather travel in warm and summer is rainy season and humid and hot
 
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Not been to either, but would much rather goto Japan.. Can't imagine it being any more expensive than England either.
 
compboyo said:
When I look at hotel prices a budget hotel room in Japan will be like at minimum if lucky 50 quid whereas in Thailand you are talking about 10-15 quid for 3 star hotel lol.
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Business hotels in Japan are pretty cheap, you can easily get rooms for £20/£25 a night. They will be very small though but generally very clean and well equipped. Check skyscanner.
Price wise I found it no different to any city in the UK really.

compboyo said:
Tokoy, OSaka, Kyoto? ANywhere else without expensive long distance travelling? You can buy like a railcard?
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I went for 2 weeks and stayed in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Hakata but also visited Kobe, Kyoto and various other places. I had a two week JR railpass though, which at £350 for 2 weeks might seem expensive is an absolute bargain. Unlimited use of the bullet trains and all other local trains, plus the ferry to Miyajima.

If you do go to Japan i'd recommend going to at least Tokyo and Kyoto to experience the full range of culture. As said Miyajima is very very nice too. The Japanese people are unbelievably friendly.

Never been to Thailand so cant offer any advice.
 
compboyo said:
So for those that went to Japan where did you go and how much where you spending?
In total, my trip to Japan for 3 weeks cost ~£1500, £550 flights, £300 for train pass, accom ~£300-400, £250 for living. Then there was other things like buying geeky **** ontop of that.

When I look at hotel prices a budget hotel room in Japan will be like at minimum if lucky 50 quid whereas in Thailand you are talking about 10-15 quid for 3 star hotel lol.
Shop around, if you're not looking on STA and http://www.hostelworld.com/ I'd recommend those two sites

Obviously the only big costs are hotel and food and drink..Thailand is cheaper on all these 3 fronts?
Depends on how you want to live, I stayed in places like Juyoh Hotel, which back when I was there was £15\night, you can find nice accomodation, read private rooms in hotels for not a lot. Drinking is relatively expensive in bars, but if you're with mates and in hostels, or hostels in general, I found that going down to the 7/11 and getting a couple of Chu-hi's and chatting with people there quite enjoyable, food ~£6-12 for dinner, if you like traditional food

I reckon 2 dyas costs in Japan will be like 1 week in Thailand?
I lived on ~£10-20 a day, eating a good breakfast (curry pan, 1l of cafe au lait, and something else from super market), water\soda throughout the day, pack of smokes, dinner at a resturant (usually ramen, curry, or a beef bowl place)

As for whre to go in Japan?
Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuaka, Sapporo

Tokoy, OSaka, Kyoto? ANywhere else without expensive long distance travelling? You can buy like a railcard?
Japan rail pass - it looks like a lot of money, but for one trip to Tokyo from Kyoto on the Shinkansen it cost my friends £80 when we was out there in '03.

ALso any best time to visit. They get cold winters and autumn right.
Spring

Thailand is warm all year just got rainy season.
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See above. :)
 
compboyo said:
HOw about going alone to Japan though, safety and boredom, ease of travel etc..
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Safety wise there's nothing to worry about and there's so much to do and see. You might find it a little daunting on your own, particularly as nobody speaks english - expect no help but lots of polite smiles and bowing at train stations. Once you get the hang of underground its a doddle tho and actually makes more sense than ours.
 
You won't get any trouble, unless you cause it - I had the cops called on me, because I didn't realise this capsule hotel had a late stay charge (I went out and got mashed the previous night) and the guy got very irrate at me - I tried explaining in as basic English as I could whilst hungover, and apologizing prefusely in Japanese, but luckily a couple of Japanese guys came along saw me in distress and asked the guy at the desk what was going on and paid up for me, it was something like 500Y I believe... So funny in hindsight :)

Apart from that I've never had any issues, and I've been staggering through the streets of Tokyo at 3am.

You'll never get bored, people in bars (after they've had a few) will try and practice their English on you, it's all about if you're good at striking up conversation with people really.

And you'll never be bored if you're interested in the country, you'll be content with just being there, and love exploring the cities :)
 
I would add Hiroshima to the Kyoto (+ Nara), Osaka and Tokyo (+ Nikko). You can get there easily enough on the Shinkansen from Kyoto. As Warbie says Miyajima is a nice place to visit as well. The Tokyo underground and light rail system looks like a nightmare when you look at the maps but is actually really, really easy to use and people tend to be very helpful in my experience.

You can eat out pretty well for ~£17 for two (including a litre of beer each), at least you could Spring last year. Best times to visit are supposed to be the Spring (for the blossom) or the Autumn. If you go to the Japanese Tourist Board See Japan website then you can fill in a simple form and they'll send you a pack of info on visiting Japan.

I would also say that Tokyo felt one of the safest cities I've been in on a crowded Saturday night (and I hate being in large crowds as it brings on my claustrophobia). Roll on next year when I'm going again.

P.s. department stores have basement food halls which are great for bentos and especially good for cake!
 
Yes but you cant predict when an earthquake will occur. It just happens. ANyway it seems main cities are usually safe its just the coast that is dodgy if there was any chance of anything
 
Hehe, I'd definately say Japan over Thailand. Even before I became interested in some of the asian media; I'd always wanted to go from seeing things like the gadgets programmes when I've been a kid.
Japan is definately near the top of my list of places I'd like to go before I hit 30 and would be getting to the point of likely having other bigger commitments.

Just wish I had the money! Not sure I'd want to go by myself though :)
 
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