Travel to Kyoto, Japan.

Country/Town Visited: Kyoto, Japan
Date of stay: May 2008
Where you stayed: Guest House Kyoto Costa del Sol
Tour or pre planned: 5 week backpacking tour of Japan. Kyoto selected as first destination to witness ancient Aoi Matsuri (“Hollyhock Festival”) 

Japan
Japan has a reputation for being an expensive city to visit, but there is no doubt it is a feasible destination even for the most frugal of travellers. The American convenience store chain 7-eleven is very popular here, where you can purchase decent Japanese food at cheap prices – don’t expect the labels to be in English, however, so bring your adventurous spirit when it comes to sampling the convenience store cuisine! Guesthouses and hostels are common and, although perhaps not entirely on par with the standard of what you would expect in Europe or North America, serve as a completely liveable and affordable accommodation. Western style hotels are in abundance, but these are a lot more expensive than traditional guesthouses and hostels. The cheaper accommodation usually has shared toilet facilities and tatami mats with small roll out cushions as beds. Initially your back may not thank you after the first few nights spent on a tatami mat, however after a while your body gets used to it. Accommodation usually must be paid in cash upon arrival, so I would advise using sites such as www.hostelworld.com to find and secure accommodation prior to travel, and bring plenty of yen with you to pay in cash when you check in.

Travelling throughout Japan is also cheap for foreigners. The Japanese Rail (JR) offers a Japan Rail Pass at a discount for all foreigners travelling in Japan. Please note that this rail pass must be purchased in your residing country prior to travelling to Japan. The JR Rail Pass is good on all JR railways, including the shinkansen (bullet train), JR ferries, buses and commuter rail. The JR Rail Pass is only valid on lines run by Japanese Rail, so some undergrounds and metro routes are not included in the offer.  Rates for the JR adult economy rail pass are currently £222 for 7 days, £354 for 14 days or £453 for 21 days (www.jrpass.com). Although this may sound expensive, one can traverse all over the country, from the northern tip of Hokkaidō to the southern island of Kumamoto and everywhere in between by using this pass. It is definitely value for money and strongly recommended for anyone travelling around Japan.

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