Cheap Exotic Vacations

Where can I find cheap package holidays to Japan?

I'm a student, but it's my dream to go to Japan. Can anyone direct me to any companies that offer good prices?? Geez, explaining where I live would help! I live in Northern Ireland, UK.

Public Comments

1. What country are you in? Necessary to know to be able to provide you with links.
2. You can't! It has limited direct flights so the prices are high, however we went via Frankfurt and flew with Lufthansa - saved a lot! Go in the Spring. we were there at Cherry Blossom time and it was beautiful. Their formal set piece gardens (in parks or temples) in every city are out of this world! It is a very expensive place. Our Tokyo hotel was floors 25-38 on top of an office block as land is so expensive! The bullet trains are superb. The suburbs of the cities go on for ever and they live like sardines! As I recall about the same area as the UK but only 30% of the land is habitable (lots of mountains!) and almost twice the UK population! So tiny houses and tiny cars! Clean, no crime, courteous, respect - very nice change from the UK! We loved the millions of coffee vending machines EVERYWHERE. Put in 100Yen coin and out comes a hot can of coffee! Virtually no English spoken or signs - impossible to travel on your own. A food tip. We hated their food! However all the train stations (travelling as a tourist it is best to stay in the hotels on/under/by the side of the stations) have multiple cafe's with very realistic "plastic meals" in the windows so you can chose by pointing at them or the numbers! We seemed to live on curried beef and rice! A fascinating and very technically advanced country - wait until you see their self cleaning/heated toilets and wet rooms! We had wanted to go for years - having been we would love to go again!
3. try comparing the prices in the sites in here, they offer the cheapest offers, so if you find it here it should be the cheapest www.fame5.com/cheap-travel-guides/24
4. there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely give you the best prices available. just go here: http://bookme.com/vacations.php and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it's very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.
5. Try japanjournies.co.uk They offer multiple packages at excellent prices. I recently went on one of their tours and enjoyed it immensely. Having worked out the costs, i couldn't have made the trip much cheaper doing it myself. Japan is an excellent place, i spent most of the time around Tokyo and plan on going back in the autumn. Don't worry too much about the language, learn the basics - greetings, numbers etc and you can wing the rest. Most resturants have picture menu's to point at, the train system is good, and there's usually a map in english as well as japanese in nearly all the stations.
6. http://www.japanjourneys.co.uk/ and the usual travelocity and expedia lastminute.com (I know one of the above now have them but) would be a start. I am also guessing that you need to decide of you want a package of N days, or want to go it alone.. just arrange the flights, and the do the accommodation at your own convenience. DO use the 'don't mind when I travel' matrix option that one of those offers (after the initial selection) Yes, Japan is expensive, more so now the exchange rate has changed from approx 200 yen/pound to some 130 odd. Great trains (but confusing that every line is owned by a different train company, with self pay machines in front of each line entrance, some common ownership by JR), helpful passengers who will come and volunteer to help if you stand looking confused. but its all push button touch screen and put your notes in, get change back. Food - if for some reason you don't like Far eastern Asian food, there are the MacDonald's and KFC's and starbucks of this world. Most restaurants offer plastic examples of the food with a price tag on it. Point and click so to speak, they love it.. Many young waitresses/ waiters actually speak good english and are happy to practise.. but by no means universal. its a very tidy place (you are expected to keep it that way, and take your rubbish home or return it to the shop where you bought it) If you buy repack meals at a small kiosk shop they heat it for you, they provide bins outside for you to put the packaging.. take it back there if you walk away with it. Lots of cash machines in Hotels/near hotels so take your debit card (Nationwide BS best known for no/minimal commission) and there are several in Airport and mainline station underneath it. Express train to Tokyo is about 2800 Yen, with a reserved seat (no choice!) from the machine and there is always a station helper available. Doing it yourself, try the various Hotel advertisers, Hotels.coms etc. and there is always google... Any idea how long you plan to go or when ? I see there is the eclipse coming up in June... http://www.eclipseofthecentury.com/ and if you have the time.. there is always China.. its not so far away, but you need a Visa (unlike Japan).