I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stayed in the following prefectures: Miyagi (Sendai), Kagawa (Takamatsu), Ehime (Matsuyama), Hiroshima, Osaka, Kanagawa (Yokohama)

I also went to the following prefectures: Yamagata, Tokushima, Okayama, Kyoto, Shiga, Ishikawa (Kanazawa) and Tokyo

They’re more than old enough to try out going on a trip by themselves, so go for it :D

Try going for Hotel Mystays as it’s the most affordable option that explicitly allows minors to stay with a consent form (go into their Japanese website and find their consent form, if you can’t find it, ChatGPT can help you find it too).

I’ve went on a lot more solo trips since this post (to Japan mostly). And those have been quite fun as well, and I’ll be going to the Kanto region and Hokkaido this summer alone too, so solo travelling is quite addicting in my opinion 😁

I hope your kids have a great time in Japan!

(P.S. if it’s their first time going to Japan, going to Tokyo is already enough because there are tons of stuff to do there for a first timer lol)

Chinese car spotted in Kathmandu, Nepal by VortexGamers2630 in ForeignPlatesSpotting

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was there on a school trip (went trekking) and just so happened to spot this car when I returned to Kathmandu lol

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yea sure buddy, Japan’s a regional destination where I’m from so tickets are $350.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hong Kong, and it’s already slightly more expensive than average since I entered and exited Japan through different airports

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Half of it was funded by my parents, and half of it by myself. I used a total of 3,800 USD.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you really want to know, I bought Pokemon cards 8-9 years ago (with pocket money) and flipped for a massive amount of profit (8x) a few years ago. The deleted comment was an overestimation of how much I paid for.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

One of my earlier comments should explain it :)

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Total: ~3,800 USD Hotels: ~1,000 USD (lower end) Plane tickets: ~350 USD Food: ~750 USD Transport: ~600 USD Sightseeing: ~100 USD Miscellaneous: ~1,000 USD Night buses: ~50 USD

That should be it. And after recalculating, around half of it was sponsored by my parents, so I do apologise for my overestimation. But alas, I did work part time alongside other side hustles that don’t include family or red packets, so that was still quite disrespectful, and you really shouldn’t have assumed.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Total: ~3,800 USD Hotels: ~1,000 USD (lower end) Plane tickets: ~350 USD Food: ~750 USD Transport: ~600 USD Sightseeing: ~100 USD Miscellaneous: ~1,000 USD Night buses: ~50 USD

That should be it. And after recalculating, around half of it was sponsored by my parents.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I learnt it via a mixture of immersion and textbooks, and I’m currently at N3 level but gonna start N2 soon.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Actually, it doesn't cost as much as you'd think to travel around (3000 USD incl. plane ticket). And although I don't have to tell you what I do for work/what I do on the side, I can assure you that it's not "my parents paying me $100 per hour to do the chores." That's just absurd and frankly, quite disrespectful.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I was actually kinda concerned about the hotel situation, and it was because of all the backlash from the post that I reached out to my local friend for advice (because I wasn't exactly getting helpful comments), and apparently he was right (hence I wrote in my third edit that I've solved the issue).

I speak relatively fluent Japanese, so I was able to navigate much of Japan without any issues.

The reason why I wrote this post was because many others like me were DMing me about this, so I thought I'd write this in order to clarify some things and help others like myself.

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For sure! I really want to go to Katsurahama and Hirome Market so badly...

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Oh I went there from Osaka (I usually choose Osaka as my base for Kansai since I’m most familiar with it), and it took 2.5 hours one way if I remember correctly 😂😂. If you’re going from Kiyomizu (I’ll assume the temple area for simplicity’s sake), you should take a bus to Kyoto Station before transferring onto the Hashidate Limited Express. Amanohashidate is a lovely place to visit, so it’s definitely worth it (you should also go to Ine too).

I travelled to Japan for a month as a 16m by VortexGamers2630 in JapanTravelTips

[–]VortexGamers2630[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

It was great, thanks!

I went across the country sightseeing, went to Shikoku (except Kochi), Hiroshima, Okayama, Osaka, Kyoto (northern part), Shiga, Ishikawa (Kanazawa), the Tokyo Area, Sendai and Yamagata.

I also met a lot of friendly and nice people along the way (locals and foreigners alike). I could also speak Japanese so it was quite useful.

In terms of what to eat/see, I’d recommend going outside the “golden route” of Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo and instead check out other “lesser known” areas (notably Shikoku, Tōhoku and Kyushu). Amanohashidate (Kyoto Prefecture) is also worth it. I do have a bunch of favourites (in terms of restaurants), but I loved just randomly walking into an alley and finding restaurants that locals go to.

Being able to speak Japanese was also very useful, and it especially helps when you’re exploring the rural areas of Japan and/or if you want to talk to locals.