My friend is also going for a  visit, i will try to get details from him and let you know.

Hi,

There are plenty of sites that come up with just a search for "Japan hotels". I myself used japanhotel.net last time, but functionally most sites are about same though, and all budgets are catered for. Just make sure you occasionally stay at a ryokan (Japanese style inn) for the true experience. Be aware that English is not often spoken at those places.

One hotel chain I can recommend, if you're in a city with them, is called Super Hotel. In exchange for having next to no service or extras (they operate very low-staff), you can book a room that's clean, comfy (has Internet) and extremely well situated for a very good price. For example, in Osaka, you could stay at the Namba/Nipponbashi one, which is a 5-minute walk away from the center, and pay 6090yen per person (single room each) or share a bigger room the 3 of you and pay only 3080yen per person! (That's about 35CHF.) Take a look at their website for reservations. Perfect for a balance of quality and budget.

For travel, you probably might want to get a JR unlimited travelpass. It lets you travel freely with all trains owned by JR (this means everything except some local ones), with one or two little exceptions. Flying is not worth it unless going to Okinawa, otherwise the bullet trains are more practical. Traveling in Japan is very expensive, so even if the price for the pass seems steep, it will end up saving you a lot of money. Unfortunately, this one can't be bought in Japan. It has to be bought before your trip, and you have to go to a travel agent for it, it's the only way to buy one.

The nice thing about Japan is that it doesn't matter where you go, you will always find very nice, interesting places. Around Osaka, start with seeing Kyoto (ancient capital), Nara (even more ancient capital). Kobe, Hiroshima are very nice as well. And this is just the start.

If you want to ask anything else, just let me know. I really love traveling in Japan

- Jouni

What you would probably need to buy is a JR Pass. JR is the main train network in Japan, and the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto is around 2h40 (you can take most lines except the fastest one, Nozomi if i remember correctly), and Osaka would be not much longer.

The price of the pass for one week cost roughly the same that a return ticket Tokyo-Osaka, so it's really worth taking the JR Pass. You must buy it before going there, and there is an agency selling it in rue de Lausanne, in Geneva.

BTW, why are you going in Osaka? There are of course a few interresting things, but 2 weeks isn't so long, and I think you should rather spend a few days in Tokyo and Kyoto area, + Okinawa if you got time (I didn't had any to try).

I would also suggest you to take one day to go to Nara from Kyoto, and if you've some time, and if the weather is good you can go around the mont fuji area, i don't really remember the name but it's like 40 minutes south of tokyo, there is a 1 day trip where you take many various way of transportation and can enjoy the area.

Ah, someone answered while i was typing that, guess it's less useful now :)

On the contrary, this just confirms that the information we have both shared is very useful!

Cheap accomodation (hostels):

http://www.hostelworld.com/countries/japanhostels.html

Train timetable:

http://www.hyperdia.com/#

(If you click on search details, you'll be able to select only the JR trains and unselect the NOZOMI which you're not allowed to ride with the aforementioned JR pass)

The official Japanese travel website:

http://www.japantravelinfo.com/top/index.php

Food, food, food (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka:

http://www.bento.com/tokyofood.html

(Check the basement of the really big stores - sellers will be happy to give you samples of their goods)

From a blog: top things to do in Kyoto:

http://travelblog.viator.com/top-things-to-do-in-kyoto-a-5-day-itinerary/

And a few Message boards about Japan - (always a good way to learn a few useful tips):

http://www.japanforum.com/forum/japan-travel-advice/

http://forum.secret-japan.com/portal.php

http://make.pingmag.jp/

(The last one is more a collection of archives)

One advice: don't travel too much - there are plenty of things to see in Tokyo / Kyoto. Check out is kind of early (10 AM) and check in relatively late (3-4 PM); It's not fun to be in between hotels with heavy luggage.

Be careful when you cross a street: they drive on the left side.

Cheers

Hello. I am from Japan so mazbe I can help you.

I used to live in Osaka, Yokohama and nagoya. if you need any

local info. just contact me. happy to help you.

satomi

Thanks Guys!

I will go through all the material you sent me!

Satomi, as soon as we have a better ideas of our plans I ll get in touch with you :)

I liked Nara, Kyoto, Tokyo (Asakusa, seaside, etc...), Matsushima, Miyajima, Yamadera, Sendai, Himeji (the castle) and Hiroshima (visit the Peace Museum), as well as Aomori where my boyfriend comes from. They have nice apples there and seafood. I could travel once a lot with the JR Pass. The second time, we didn't travel so much. You will like the quality of life and the nature in Japan. Visit Japanese gardens...

Hi Anna, i saw your thread a while ago and wanted to send u the following info but never get to it till today.

I strongly recommend to visit to the Mt. Shosha which is located in my home city of Himeji, one hour train ride from Osaka. In the mt. Shosha, there are several temples. The movie " The Last Samurai" was shot in one of the temples. Not many tourists, especially foreigners, know of this place - therefore, it is not crowded like other temples in Kyoto. It is a beautiful place. I go there several times when I go back to Japan every year.

Here are the links to the info.

www.japan-guide.com/e/e3503.html
www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spn/himeji/mtshosha.html

If you decide to include this into your agenda, i will give you some pix and the detail info on how to get there.

Yoshi

Try the Villa Fontaine chain for reasonable prices. They are usually centrally located and close to the metro. They are between 80 and 120 CHF for a single room and very comfortable. Mainly in the Tokyo region, but also in Kyoto. There you will find a semi-traditional hotel with futon, mats etc:

www.hvf.jp/eng/

And buy the train pass!

Have fun