As Promised

As I promised in my post before last, I'll start doing weekly posts on what I'm doing and where I'm going on my trip. I can't guarantee that it'll be on the same day every week, because my work schedule differs every week and most of the time I can't be bothered to write.
So today I'm just going to recap my plan :).

At the moment I am looking at a flight with Air China from London Gatwick to Tokyo via Beijing for about £545.00. I want to find out what kind of layover time I'll have, because if I can I'll go and explore some of Beijing. I'd love to film it, but I'm also terrified of being arrested for it!!

So by the 1st of June 2011 I should be landing in Tokyo, probably jet-lagged, grouchy and confused. I think I'll be losing a day flying out, so that'll take some getting used to.
For the first week, I'll be trying to get to grips with Japan in Tokyo. I think this is when I'm going to do more of the touristy stuff there is to do in the city.
A week later I'll be catching a night bus over to Nara city for a week there. I'm really excited about seeing the huge park, the tame deer and the daibutsu!!
Of course after a week there it is time to move on again, heading only a short way over to Kyoto. I haven't actually done a huge amount of reading up on Kyoto yet, but I know it was the old Imperial capital and is full of history.
Another short journey takes me only a few miles to Osaka, Japan's second city. Lots to do here, both modern and historical. Should be good.
After touring around that area of Japan, I have a slightly longer journey over to Kobe. Voted the world's best place to live, I'd like to see for myself. Who knows, I might even settle there one day.
The tour now brings me further south to Hiroshima, the city famous for being hit by an atomic bomb in 1945. Of course I want to visit the Peace Park in Hiroshima, but as I'm there for a week, I'll be doing a lot more as well.
And now I head down to Fukuoka, the closest city to mainland Asia. Smaller in comparison to other places, it stills looks very interesting, and I think there is a castle there too (forgive me if I'm wrong, I'm not lookiung this up as I write).
After Fukuoka for a week, I'm jetting all the way back up to Tokyo for a final week, this time to "live" Tokyo, rather than to see it. I'll be heading off the beaten track much more, and possibly heading out to the island of Niijima during this week too.

Now many of you may be thinking that a week in each place is a lot of time to see the attractions! However, this is after all a sort of holiday, so I'm going to be taking things slowly, relaxing more and having more fun. I'll be able to see past the tourist board and to what the city is really all about, I hope anyway.

I should be ending my trip mid-August, and then almost immediately starting university. I cannot wait for either, but I have a little way to go yet.

Until next time,
~GA

General

This is not a Japan related blog. Quite the opposite.

So today I had to work until 8pm to service the needs of the busy january sales shoppers. God I hate them so much. Anyway, towards the end of the shift, I got a message from a friend, quite unexpectedly, asking to meet after work. So we did and just drove around in the foggy darkness of a dirty English town. It was nice. Over the past few days I haven't thought of Japan as much. Either my mind has been elsewhere or I've simply been too busy at the shop to think about it. So I've had a good day really, though very tired. My next post will be Japan related, I promise.


'Til next time
~GA

Back on topic

I feel that over the last few weeks, since I've been planning my videos and whatnot, I have gone hugely off topic with this blog. It was supposed to start as an outline of my trip. So now I'm going to get back on track, and start posting a weekly part of my plan, in as much detail as I can get. It'll be good to see the difference between my plan and what I do.
~GA

Short n sweet

A short and sweet message to my followers, wishin you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Bring on 2011, should be sweet!
~GA

New video

Today I posted a new video for all of you to see. Use the above link to view it. Unfortunately it is just a repost of my first video, but I edited it, added titles and music and took off the crappy sound from the original. My apologies to any viewers in Germany, as copyright under Sony BMG Entertainment means it is blocked in your country. Everyone else, enjoy :).


'Til next time
~GA

Coming Soon!

Hey folks, a quick update that I have several videos in planning, to be filmed through January. So please keep an eye out on my YouTube channel (that's at www.youtube.com/user/GaijinAbroad) in the New Year for the first of my many videos!

Later!
~GA

Nothingness

I have nothing really to write at the moment, but I want to right. Today I have done very little, and even less that is productive. Didn't get up until 12.15pm. Went to town and did very little there. Went to the pub. Then I came home and did nothing productive. It's now 23.44, meaning I have essentially wasted another 12 hours by doing nothing. I think I need a new hobby, one away from Japan or any form of internet. Suggestions?

Skype

In an attempt to spread into every major internet based social thing, I now have a skype dedicated to this whole thing.
Username is Gaijin.Abroad, feel free to add me and we'll chat.

Until next time,
~GA

Youtube2

As you should know, I'm going to be doing some videos on my trip for youtube. And I'm also thinking now, seeing as I have a camera and I want to get this thing rolling, I might do some pre-trip videos. And thus begins GaijinAbroad's Pre-Trip Series!! Part 1 is already uploaded onto youtube, albeit unedited and untitled as what it is. So aside from a general vlog I might do, I want to do some trips to related places in the New Year. So first off, I'm going on a trip to Picadilly, London, to the Japan Center, on Regent Street.

Secondly, I'm having some trouble figuring what I can and can't put in my videos with regard to music. I don't know how the whole copyright, buy on itunes etc. stuff works. So if anyone knows, hit me up and help me out!!

Until next time,
~GA

The Snow is Gone (B.B. king Xmas remix)

Okay no this post isnt a remix of any song. More just that finally all the snow is gone. It's not that I dont like the snow, just that the UK is completely incapable of functioning at all when it snows, even if it's only a little bit. All transport shuts down, the shops empty of essential food and businesses before workless. This is the 3rd year in a row now that the snow has stopped the country. Aah do something about it! Here, we'll all give you a year to figure out something.


'Til next time
~GA

Clean living

I think my time time in Japan will be my moat healthy. I don't smoke or do drugs, but As my friends know, I drink an eat crap. But when I'm away I'm going to be avoiding junk food like McDonald's and Burger King. I don't want to travel 6000 miles just to eat what I can have at home. And as the drinking age in Japan is 20, I won't be drinking either. Shock horror!! That and the fact that I'll be active everyday all day, not wasting any time sitting around, I'll be super healthy!
My body is going to tale a beating come September and university.


Until next time
~GA

New Video Cameraaaaa!

Yes, so I got my new video camera today, a blue Sony DCRSX33EL.CEH, along with a case and an 8gb memory card. HOWEVER, it's for Christmas, and I'm not allowed it until then :(. Still, after Christmas I'll post a test video of myself to check it's youtube quality!!

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Camcorders/buy-SONY-DCRSX33EL.CEH-Camcorder/619175

Until next time,
~GA

All work and no play makes GA a dull boy

Having had my plans last week ruined by the snow, I decides it was time to have some fun and spend some money. So I had a work Christmas party over the weekend which was good, then went to visit a friend at the University of Kent in Canterbury. About time I did something fun.

Until next time
~GA

New Competition

The Japan National Tourist Organisation is running yet another competition through seejapan.co.uk. Again it is a pair of London-Tokyo economy tickets with JAL. For more information and to enter, here's a link: http://www.visitjapan2010.co.uk/great-japan-prizes/
You can also win flat screen TVs, Casio watches and vouchers for SO restaurant.

'Til next time
~GA

Niijima is back on the agenda

So after watching all of the StreetEnglishTV shows on youtube, one came up that I am definitely interested in: Niijima. I think I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I've looked into it a bit more and I'm coming round to the idea.
The boat to the island is only Y8000 (about £60), and accomodation is from Y5000 (about £38). So for a chance to go to a pacific tropical island that is part of Tokyo is too tempting to resist!

So what I reckon I'll do is spend just one night, but as much of the 2 days as I can out there during my 2nd week from Tokyo (the last week I'm in Japan). Considering my original plan months ago was to start off in Okinawa, this is a much cheaper and easier alternative.

til next time
~GA

Boycott the JR Pass!

Okay, don't fully boycott it, it is good for certain things. However, if you are undertaking a trip like I am, and are on a tight budget like I am, there is a better alternative. The bus!!

The Willer Express Bus Pass can be used on night and day journeys between most major cities, including Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kobe, Kyoto-Osaka and Tokyo.

For only Y14,000 the bus pass can be used for 5 non-consecutive days of your choice!! This bus pass ought to last me the whole trip for my major travels, so it is a great deal!

Til next time
~GA

Youtube!

I have a youtube channel!!

Now obviously there aren't any videos posted on it as of yet, because, well, I'm not in Japan yet. But I'll be sure to let you all know when there is.

New book

Just a continuation from my last post. My new book on yakuza had arrived from the States bribing the total to 22 books and 4 iPhone apps aha.


Until next time, sayonara さよなら！d(^_^o)

Books!

I meant to make this post a while ago, but never got round to it. Also, sorry about any typos, I'm currently nursing a large burn on my left hand, so typing is difficult and painful at best.

But onto this post. I wanted to make a list of all the books about, in, of and related to Japan. So here they are:

Guide Books:
Live & Work in Japan by Erica Simmons
A Gaijin's Guide to Japan by Ben Stevens
Eyewitness Travel Japan
Japan: Reports from an Enigmatic Land by Gerd Anhalt
Insight Guides Japan
The Lonely Planet Guide Japan
Japan Through the Looking Glass by Alan Mcfarlane

Linguistics & Dictionaries
Japanese for Dummies
BBC Get By in Japanese
Eyewitness Travel 15-Minute Japanese
Oxford Pocket Kenyusha Japanese Dictionary

Fiction
Shogun by James Clavell
The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami (ねじまき鳥クロニクル
Nejimaki-dori kuronikuru)

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (ノルウェイの森
Noruwei no mori) [to be read]

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa

History

Samurai Battles by Michael Sharpe

Samurai Armies 1467-1649 by Stephen Turnbull (Osprey series)

Samurai 1550-1600 by Anthony J Bryant

Philosophy
Hagakure: The Book of Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunemoto (translated by William Scott Wilson)
Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinsu of Taira Shigesuke by Thomas Cleary

Other

The Japanese Tattoo by Sandi Fellman

Autobiographical

Toyko Vice by Jake Adelstein

So that's a total of 22 books, plus a few on a wish list and one on order.

If anyone wants some information or recommendations from this list, feel free to ask.

Tokyo Side Trips

As you can see by my earlier posts, I'll be spending two weeks in Tokyo. However, I don't want to spend all of that time IN Tokyo. I think I'd go mad, so I want to head out to the surrounding prefectures too, get some space and relaxation. Thus I will be starting a series of posts about where I plan to visit outside. Please, if you have been to anywhere I mention, or know of somewhere else that is good, please please please comment on the post with some details. I'd love your help. So here's my places so far.

Niijima
So I found out about the island of Niijima from the afore mentioned StreetEnglishTV (Japan Travel Guide: Niijima Tokyo Surfing Island! 新島★). Niijima is a small volcanic island 163 kilometresfrom Tokyo Metropolis (wikipedia!) (about a three hour ferry ride), BUT it is still part of Tokyo Prefecture! What the hell?! Anyway, it looks like a warm tropical type island, and a really nice place to stay for a night or two to chill out away from the city. Gotta go there if I can afford to!


Kamakura
A prefecture south of Tokyo, it seems a lot more countryside-y, especially compared to Tokyo. I'm thinking a simple day trip will suffice for this one, and the main reason I want to go is the Kotoku-in, a Buddist temple with a 13m tall, 93 ton bronze Buddha!! You can go inside!! 


Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
I can't go to Japan without at least trying to see Mt. Fuji. And this, I want to spend a night or two in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty (or so I'm told. Please remember everything I say here so far is 2nd hand information. I haven't been yet!!)  If I remember right the Lonely PLanet Guide has some good 3 day trips for this.

Cancellations!

Right, that title may be a bit over-dramatic and make it sound like I'm cancelling the trip. But far from it.
It's just, as I think I have mentioned before, I will be taking Hakone , Nagano and Shikoku out of my plans. This is largely to save some money, but then I might end up there anyway, who knows!

I've also reversed the way I'm doing the trip. So now, it'll be something like this:
1. Tokyo
2. Nagoya
3. Nara
4. Kyoto
5. Osaka
6. Kobe
7. Hiroshima
8. Fukuoka
9. Tokyo (again).

So a total of nine weeks and eight cities. Though of course I will be branching out of the cities as well, to places such as: Hakone, Niijima (doubtful), Kamakura etc.

Yuuchubu

Now anyone who is interested in Japan will realise that there are a huge amount of videos on youtube about said country. Some are absolutely awful, made by people (mostly in the US), who have never been, or will ever go to, Japan. Generally you'll notice that these people often claim and believe that they are Japanese :/.
BUT! There are also some amazing guides and youtubers out there, so I'll be sharing a few of the ones I have found, starting with these two:
StreetEnglishTV and TokyoStreet TV. Two channels from the same man, Chris Gen, a 30 year old man living in Tokyo. He's a quarter Japanese, and either Canadian and American, I can;t be sure. Anyway, here's a link for his channels:
http://www.youtube.com/user/StreetEnglishTV
http://www.youtube.com/user/ToykoStreetTV.

So check those out, lots of good information, and often things that are off the beaten-track of Japan guides.

Rain Rain Go Away

I'm writing this post on a cold, wet November morning, and my mind cannot help but cast ahead to my trip. When I began my planning, summer seemed a good idea for several reasons. And at the time, my reading on Japan was not that large. So here I was thinking to go in Summer would be good, saving luggage space because I'd be warm and dry.
Then my reading continued, and it dawned on me. Far from being the hot and dry summer months that we have here in England (with any luck), no, Summer in Japan is the rainy season, or tsuyu. 
It's going to be hot and wet, as perfectly explained in Good Morning Vietnam:

I've seen videos on youtube and travel documentaries, and I can only come to one suitable conclusion about the rain in Japan. I am going to drown.

Until next time, さよなら
203 days, 21 hours 44 minutes and 25 seconds.

A mixed update

I'm on my way to work, sitting in a cold station listening to some blues I can't remember the name of. So time for an update!
Now that I've taken off three weeks of my trip, I'm saving around £1000 which isn't bad. I have no idea how that maths works out, bt oh well.
Also I'm looking at getting a more expensive flight with virgin or ba, because they offer flexible dates to return.

It's all bout money!
I'm noticing a trend now, which may be the same with a lot of wary travellers. Money is everyhing. So I'm taking my brothers advice and caring a little less! Once I get out there, I'll just go with it. :).


Until next time, sayonara さよなら！d(^_^o)

Location:Station Approach,,United Kingdom

Cut down

Unfortunately I'm having to consider cutting out some places from my trip. The first to go will most likely be Shikoku, and if I have to decrease further than Nagoya and Nagano will be next.
This isn't because I want to, but simply because I may not be able to afford to go for the whole three months. Dam Japan being one of the most expensive countries in Asia

Win a trip to Tokyo!

Now unfortunately this isn't me offering me the competition. The Independent is currently running a competition to win a 5 star trip for 2 to Tokyo for 5 days. And all you have to do is watch a podcast and name one place visited! Obviously I have already entered the competition, and so should you. I don't have the link on hand, so just go on the Independent website and look it up there.


Again I can't tell you how long until I leave as I'm on my phone. Until next time, sayonara さよなら！d(^_^o)

New phone thingy!!

Okay, so this is literally 2 minutes after that last post I made about fears. Just wanted to spread the news to fellow iPhone users of this little app I found for £1.79. It let's you manage and update all your blogs with one tool. It's called BlogPress, so just look it up in AppStore.


Again I can't tell you how long until I leave as I'm on my phone. Until next time, sayonara さよなら！d(^_^o)

Location:In bed

New fears and worries

Okay, so over the last few days I've been thinking an planning a lot more. Which has brought on many new things to worry about or be afraid of. So far, this is then:
1. Not having enough money to go
2. Running out of money during the trip.
3. Getting totally lost somewhere big and busy like asakusa or Tokyo station (the busiest in the world). This last one is uoutube's fault, particularly Chris Gen's of StreetenglishTV, TokyoStreetTV and JapanTravelTV. I'll post a link for it later.
4. Hating Japan. Doytbful, but
You never know!!
5. Getting the wrong train and ending up on the other side of the flurry from where I want to be.
6. Starvation/malnutrition atthe hands of cheap convenience foods.

At th moment, that's all I can think of. Hopefully more planning will help solve this problem.

So bye bye for now. I can't tell you how long it is at the moment til I leave, so I'll guess ataround 228 days maybe?? Xxx

Flights!

Money money money

Okay, so I want to raise £4000 to take away with me for my trip.
So far I only have £1,350.
Which means I have to save an additional £3,650 in the next  8 months.
So that's £456.25 a month. It's going to be a very long, boring and cheap year!!
I also take charitable donations XD.

Some costs I've already found:
Airfare: £520 (Return London - Tokyo) + £210 (Tokyo - Fukuoka)
JR Pass (Japan Rail Pass) - £2000 +/-
Accomodation (£15 a night average) - £1,350.
Total = £4,363

So at least I know I can afford my accommodation!!

Final part of this post:
Way back in April '10, my dad made me a deal: If I get a place at university for September 2011, he would pay for my airfare to Japan.
Now, I got my place at university, however, there has never again been any mention of this little deal.
Until Sunday morning!
I was essentially worrying about how much it would all be, and that I couldn't afford it. Then he remembered. So come January sales (yes, they apply to airlines too), I will be booking my flights to Japan. Then I HAVE to go.

Until tomorrow, ja mata!

The Basics

Okay, so once I leave at the end of May, this is where I'll be going, and for how long. I'll post a much more in depth plan later, and of course feel free to use it for your own travelling, be it the whole thing or just a week!

Leave England at the end of May, for Toyko, Japan.
From there I'm going to the following:
Tokyo (1 week)
Fukuoka (1 week)
Hiroshima (1 week)
Shikoku (1 week)
Kobe (1 week
Osaka (1 week)
Kyoto (1 week)
Nara (1 week)
Nagoya (1 week)
Nagano (1 week)
Fujigoko (1 week)
Toyko (1 week)

And then finally at the end of August I will return to England to prepare for University. Studying Japanese Studies, of course!