Japan Travel in general

I’ve written several blog posts about Japan travel, e.g. this one on general too. So, many would find this post odd, but I want to write it both as further practical tips (after more travel and internet search experience) for those who plan their own self travel/tour of Japan, and also I want say something on Japan travel, and in general, about my blog re carefree living too. Anyway, the tips below are from my many days of online search and experience in planning self travel to Japan which may be of help to anyone planning the same…

• But why Japan! – I get much pressure from some very good close friends who either hate Japan because of the historical atrocities and/or strongly discourage Japan travel due to radiation related tissues.  My blog is named Carefree Living and I only write, blog and share on related ideas, never on politics – politics is a taboo area which I will not touch here. Anyway, I travel to Japan just like another any other places of interest and for enjoyment (full-stop). As usual, taking necessary precautions as much as I can.  Others have their principles and reasons (which I fully acknowledge, understand and respect) to either choose or exclude any place. Having said that, I do agree that radiation related issues such as on food in/from Japan can be of considerable concern.  I think most of all and as always, it’s better be safe than sorry. Also, I hope the following sites might offer some information for your information and consideration, BUT I donot vouch nor do I qualify to say, or even know if they are honest true facts or not –
  • below are 2 Japan radiation maps, from Safecast (Safecast claims to be a global project working to empower people with data, primarily by mapping radiation levels and building a sensor network, enabling people to both contribute and freely use the data collected. ); and from jciv (Institute for Information Design Japan has been collecting measurements from over 20 official sources, and compiles them an hourly updated consistent Japan Radiation Map – featuring more than 4,500 locations, to provide a visual comprehensive overview.
  • here is the ‘in’famous US FDA’s Import Alert 99-33 link which contains US FDA’s up to date news including updated amendments (different from the many circulations amongst Whatsapp groups which often quote things out of date as if they’re current latest news).
  • as usual nowadays, you can find heaps of information, ‘authoritative’ papers on either side of the argument.  So again, please judge for yourself, don’t take the above as the simple truth, same as the so many things now in nowadays’ information-explosion arenas.
• Direct Flights – Nowadays from Hong Kong, there are many direct flights from HK Express, HK airline, e.g.  to places which were not connected directly from Hong Kong before – these include Hiroshima, Kagoshima, Ishigaki, Takamatsu, … typically 3 times a week. So there are now plenty of choices and ways to do open-jaw travels and reducing back-tracking.  And these low-cost budget airlines do offer very attractive prices too, even cheaper than Cathay fanfares. E.g. I found  many budget airlines to be efficient and punctual too and their seat comfortability standard to be on par with regular airlines, also see my blog post on airline safety including budget airlines.
• Internet – with my reliance on instant and ad hoc info on locations, maps, transport options, eateries, etc, I just could not go without it while travelling. Cheapest is to get a wifi egg (router) or Japan SIM card before you leave Hong Kong, many companies offer them and can be picked up from HK Airport before you go inside Custom area, e.g. Klook, Bengsang, and many others.  For SIM cards, of course you can buy from Groupon, etc online, or you can visit the many street stalls in Apliu Street, Shamshuipo (Hong Kong), or the one at the junction of Spring Garden/Cross Street in Wanchai (Hong Kong).  You can also get the same upon arrival, but according to late 2016 prices, I found them to be about 3 times more expensive (even you get the cheapest form from a vending machine in Kansai Airport, e.g. than getting one in Hong Kong.
• Rail Passes or Rental Car Self Drive – a car is of course most handy form of travel especially if you’re visiting rural places and natural sights which would otherwise take considerably longer to get there.  But if you’re budget minded like me, especially if you travel alone or in a small group less than 4, you may consider using the many (dozens) of rail passes. If you get 4 or more in your group (when it would become economical compared to train passes), and especially if you like freedom (from rigid train schedules), renting a car is the way to go which you’d enjoy more.
• Rail Passes – Japan rail passes are plenty and usually works out considerably cheaper than doing the same trips by single fares.  I found that if the distances you travel are far (say Osaka to Takayama), then it should work out much more cheaper, but you may still need to consider if you are energetic enough to make best use of them jumping around as many sights within the no. of days covered by the pass if the area covered is smaller – like the Kansai Wide Area Pass.  Apart from the all encompassing JR Pass – the most well known and versatile of course, which covers all Japan JR rail route but most expensive too, there are many special visit passes (according to the places, e.g the Koyasan Heritage Pass, etc) and many area-based (like to Kansai area pass, the Kyushu Pass, etc) too.   The area based passes often work out much cheaper than the JR Pass and entirely sufficient for the particular area you’re visiting, may be plus a couple of single fares for side trips outside the designated area. Do search online with the places you intend to travel and typically you may find a pass suitable for you.  This informative site is very helpful too.
• Car rental in Japan – may be Japan is a “fair” and “rigid” place, after many searches and comparisons, I found that the car rental prices irrespective of which company – Tocoo, Toyota, Nissan, Rentalcars, Budget, Hertz, Orix, Times, ….. (member prices for the global ones), the final price for the same car type comes to roughly the same (less than 5% difference). Some sites tempt you to book with them by showing prices considerably lower than others, but note that they often exclude the taxes (8%), the additional comprehensive insurance cover (about 1100 yen per day), the ETC card rental, and the one-way drop off fee. The one-way drop off fee is substantial and ranges from around 11,000 yen for around 250 km distance (e.g. Fukuoka to Kagoshima) to 23,000 (and some charges up to around 35,000) yens for 500 km and above (e.g. Hiroshima to Kagoshima). But I think that one-way rental is worth considering to mainly save your precious time and energy, as well as fuel and toll charges.  So if company A might be cheaper in basic rental,  it’d likely be more expensive in the other items. My experience is that it’s a waste of precious time to search through many sites for the cheapest offer, just go straight to whichever you like or have good experience with. I found that Rentalcars which claims to compare many rental companies to give you the best deals is negotiable, he called me from UK and offer some discounts which eventually made a little difference from the rest.
• Expressway Tolls – attached to car rental is of course toll expenses, and Japan expressway tolls are not cheap, e.g. Hiroshima to Kagoshima would cost you 11,500 yens just for tolls, areas near Tokyo would typically be more expensive too. This site helps you to calculate the exact tolls, but it’s in Japanese. Perhaps this one is good enough just for an estimate – for both tolls and distances.

Sources:  Safecast – Japan Radiation Monitoring:  https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/safecast/

PART 1: THE SAFECAST PROJECT UPDATE, MARCH 2015:  http://safecast.org/tilemap/?y=1.9&x=-163.1&z=3&l=0&m=0

Institute for Information Design Japan:  http://pub.iidj.net/

Radiation effects from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_effects_from_the_Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

The US bans some of the agricultural products from Japan due to radiation contamination from Fukushima and does FDA undermine the potential dangers of low radiation? – See more at: http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/US-bans-Japan-agricultural-products-due-to-radiation-Fukushima-potential-dangers-of-low-radiation.php#sthash.YlqCxWAm.dpuf

Radiation effects from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_effects_from_the_Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

Radiation From Fukushima From Beachapedia :  http://www.beachapedia.org/Radiation_From_Fukushima

Japan Radiation – Are You Still at Risk From Fukushima? :  https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/eastern-asia/japan/how-dangerous-is-the-radiation-in-japan