Dec 7, 2015
International vs Domestic Travel in Japan
I was thinking about my new post, A Reason for Living Abroad that Nobody Mentions, that just went live on my blog (Trekking with Becky) today, and I realized that so many expats in Japan don't know just how much cheaper it is to travel to nearby countries than it is to travel domestically.
Since I moved to Japan in 2010, I've been to 7 new countries: China (including Hong Kong and Macau); Malaysia; South Korea; Singapore; Taiwan; Thailand; and Vietnam. Next year, I'm going to see other parts of China, Malaysia and Thailand, and I'm going to see Cambodia and the Philippines. :D I also got to see Hawaii for a few days when one of my good friends got married back in April 2012.
As I mentioned in the original post, I never thought I'd actually see any of these places, nor have I had an inkling to see any of them. Whenever I tell my family about an upcoming trip, at least one person asks me why I'm going there instead of seeing more of Japan.
Of course, nearby cities and towns are cheaper, but when it comes to places farther away, it's cheaper to go abroad!
Since I live in Kurashiki, my nearest airport is Okayama. It has daily flights to Shanghai and Seoul that depart early enough in the morning and return in the evening, so if you want to go farther, connecting in Shanghai or Seoul isn't a problem. Anyway, let me give you a couple of examples of how going abroad is cheaper than travelling domestically.
1) The first time I went to South Korea, I had three consecutive days off work, which was incredibly rare. I wanted to go to Okinawa and at that time, it would have cost me nearly TWICE AS MUCH for the flights alone!
2) I finally made it to Hokkaido this summer, and even though I booked my flight as early as possible to get the cheapest fare, the return plane fares and accommodations to Thailand and Vietnam were about ¥23,000 cheaper!
3) Airfare to Akita or Aomori is not much less than return airfare to CANADA! It's absolutely ridiculous! The Shinkansen that far from Okayama would take quite a bit longer than flying.
For more reasons to travel abroad while based in Japan and for more tips, check out the original post - http://www.trekkingwithbecky.com/reason-living-abroad-nobody-mentions/
It would be such a shame not to see other nearby countries while you're here! They're SO CLOSE and totally affordable!
As always, give me a shout if you have any questions, and have a great day! :D
Trekking with Becky - www.trekkingwithbecky.com
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I'm half-Japanese originally from Canada, and I've been living in Japan since Sept. 2010.
I keep a blog about living in Japan and travel - Trekking with Becky - www.trekkingwithbecky.com
2 Comments
KamaT
on Dec 8
It always blows me away how expensive domestic travel is in Japan. I suppose it doesn't help that we're usually taking holidays at the same time, so we can all be held to ransom over prices. During Golden Week one year, we were thinking to go to either Kyushu or Taiwan (from Tokyo). Not only was it really hard to find a place to stay at our intended destination in Kyushu, it was ultimately cheaper to leave the country altogether and go to Taiwan. So that's what we did. Do you think the introduction of budget airlines in Japan has made the difference in costs that you expected?
trekkingbecky
on Dec 8
Yes, I think the introduction of budget airlines has made a difference. :D The only reason why I was able to go to Okinawa for GW this year is because of the great deal I got on JetStar flights from Osaka. Getting to Kansai isn't cheap, but it was worth it to finally make it to Okinawa.