Preflight Preparations

Thinking back on it all now, my journey to Japan didn't begin when I left Pullman, but when I started planning my trip: passport, transportation, currency, and vacancy. All of this I started working on in February 2007, about two months before the big day.

With air travel restrictions increasing everyday, I had heard that it would take longer for one to get their passport processed - even if you had it expedited. Luckily, I've had mine for a few years now and was all set. My biggest worry about this trip was my airfare and how much it would cost. I first shopped around with major airlines online, such as Northwest, United, and Continental. After a month of searching and still nothing that I could afford, my sister in Japan suggested that I look into JALPak International. It was fairly easy and cheap! I was able to get a round trip ticket for $800 after taxes and I was even able to fly directly from the local air strip, Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport.

A week after I purchased my ticket, my sister sent me an email letting me know that I should buy a rail pass in the States since it'll be cheaper if I do. In Japan, the best way to get anywhere is by train, subway, or bus, and one of the best known companies is Japan Rail. The JR Pass is probably the best thing any foreign visitor to Japan could possess, as it allows you to travel across Japan without the confusion of buying the right train ticket when it turns out there are 4 different trains you can catch to the same location. O_o After getting your Pass, all you simply need to do is show it to the attendant at the window instead of passing through the ticket gates. Just remember though, buy your Exchange Order before you leave and make sure you get the stamp in your passport! Without it, your Exchange Order is useless even before you get to use it! And in my case, make sure you know where a JR Office is before you need to take a train anywhere. I ended up traveling an hour before getting to a JR Office to get my Pass. >_<

My the last piece was the currency. I found you can travel with USD, but you would have to exchange it at an exchange office or bank when you first arrive. In my case, I didn't feel like doing that, so I ordered an exchange of currency through my bank. It was fairly easy and the money was debited directly from my bank account. I ended up going with cash and traveler's cheques, which both had their positives and negatives. The cheques worked great since I could carry a large amount on me and not have it readily stolen, but it was a hassle to get to a bank to change it into cash. The cash worked well also, but what I wasn't prepared for was the amount of coin currency I would get. Japanese yen comes in 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1 coins. By my third day I was bogged down with coins that I had to keep a separate bag for it all! Yen is very interesting money. The current exchange is close to even, $1 ~ 118 yen or so. The 50 and 5 yen coins have holes in the middle and according to my sister, the preferred coin when making an offering at a temple or shrine.

Lastly, one must know where they're going to be staying when traveling. I already knew that I would have a place to stay at my sister's apartment, which had three bedrooms and one bath. The rooms consisted of one Western style room with hardwood floors and a closet with folding doors and two Japanese style rooms with tatami mats and sliding closet doors. I enjoyed staying in the Japanese style room because the tatami mats were actually comfortable to walk on. I also slept on a futon, which in my opinion is a much improved sleeping bag! I wasn't sure if I would get much sleep on a futon, but mine was surprising soft due to the stiff foam mat and the plushy mattress. Besides my sister's place, I stayed in three other places, a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), a business hotel, and a youth hostel. I will go into more detail about these types of places when I come to the city where I stayed in one.

With all these details in mind, I was ready to fly!