Golden Week

This is a bit of a late post since Golden Week was a few weeks ago, but here it is anyways :]

So, Golden Week is a week set aside for several Japanese National Holidays and many of the IES Abroad students used this time to explore other parts of Japan or different countries. During this time, I traveled with a few other IES Abroad students to the Kansai Region of Japan. We stayed in Osaka for the entire trip but visited Nara and Kyoto using the public train system.

Here are a few links and tips that might help you out while planning a trip during Golden Week:

- If you’re trying to find a place to stay, Airbnb is a website that caters to people who are looking for a cheap place to stay. The places listed are not quite like a hostel and not quite like a home stay, but they sometimes offer the same comforts as a hotel or home. Split between 4 people, the place I stayed at in Osaka was approximately $56 per person for 3nights/4days.

- If you’re unfamiliar with Japanese airlines it might be a bit confusing to book a flight. My group used Jetstar airlines and the tickets were fairly cheap, but there are many other airlines to choose from. The key is to book them as early as possible and personally print out your flight ticket. If you print your ticket at the airport, Jetstar will check the wait of all your bags. However, if you come prepared with your ticket, Jetstar does not check the wait of your bags (what you do with this information is up to your discretion).

- I would advise you to keep your group size small. You will most likely run into less problems when it comes to planning where you want to go, with less people.

- Just to put this out there for people who might not know : Osaka Castle, is not a castle on the inside, it’s a modern museum. I wouldn’t suggest paying for the ticket to enter the castle, just walk around and take pictures on the outside.

-The Kansai Region in particular, is a very touristy area. Be prepared to see more tourists than Japanese locals at popular sites.

-The price of transportation will take the biggest chunk out of your expenses, but don’t let it stop you from visiting all of the places you want to go to!