And so we thou dost once again made thee reservations for the Land of the Rising Sun (is there a country that is the “Land of the Rising Moon” ??) “Did you say ‘we’???”..Yes I said “we”.. “We who???”…well, by we, I refer to my girlfriend, Cally, and I. “oh…*grunt*..carry on then…” Well, thank you, imaginary wordpress inquisitor. The Dates: Nov 27th->Dec11(->Beginning of January (the time at which jet lag should be no more)). Like me, cally is also interested this most fascinating culture of Japanese, and so we leave only a few days after she finishes up first quarter of school. This will be her first time overseas, and are
Cally, aka callycat
both incredibly anxious to set off on our 8:59am plane to 日本国. We don’t have the entire trip planned out yet, but we know we’re staying in tokyo for a few days until our 7-day JRPass starts.
JR Pass
A JR Pass is one of the many awesomnesses (what? that’s not a word?) that Japan has to offer the daring foreign traveler. It allow you to cheaply travel virtually anywhere in Japan for a specified amount of time via *ahem*:
“All JR Group Railways-Shinkansen”bullet trains” (except any reserved or non-reserved seat on “NOZOMI” trains), limited express trains, express trains, and rapid or local trains. (With some exceptions)” and busses and a miyajima-based ferry.
These trains/busses cover almost anyplace in Japan you would probably want to go to. You can buy a consecutive 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day railpass. To obtain a JR Pass, you need to:
- Get an Exchange Order (essentially a receipt showing that you’ve paid in your country for the JR Pass) inside the country you’re traveling from. For myself in Chicago, I purchased the exchange order from JTB Chicago, located at the Mitsuwa Market in Arlington Heights (www.jtbusa.com.) You must tell them the start date you want to use the railpass and whether you want the 7, 14, or 21-day railpass (about $290, $460, and $580, respectively; cheaper for children.) It usually doesn’t take long to process the exchange order, but risks are risky. So do it asap, once you know when you want the railpass to start. Once you purchase it, you can’t change the dates.
- Once you have the exchange order, you take it with you to Japan, and there’s an office inside the airport in which you provide them with a polite smile and your exchange order, fill out a littledocument, show passport, etc., and they then give you your official JR Pass! *warning: You cannot use an exchange order to use the trains. You must exchange it for the official JR Pass at the office* Once you have the JR Pass, you can start using it as soon as your specified date begins.
This is what a railpass might look like unless you spill coffee on it or feed it to your dog.
- To use the JR Pass, first be sure that the train you plain on taking isn’t one of the few exceptions that are listed on www.japanrailpass.net ‘s website. Then, simply go to the train station and flash your JR Pass to the security attendants standing by the gate. It’s as simple as that…unless you want to reserve a seat, in which case you go the ticket window, show them your rail pass, and say “Seki o yoyaku shitai desu.” and if you want non smoking, add “kin en seki wo onegai shimasu” The benefit of reserving a seat is so you can be assured of a spot for yourself, plus you can be sure to get a non-smoking car.
- Sit back and enjooyyyy the ride!
And so ends the Official “Dan’s Guide to Most Likely Using the Japan Rail Pass Successfully” I welcome to entertain any questions by e-mail at piatti@gmail.com.
JapdaneseCast
So I’m in the process of setting up my podcast which will accompany this blog. It’s a lot of work, but I have high hopes (*cue for R.Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”.) In the meantime, if you or someone you know would like to have an excerpt of original music that you or them composed/performed, please e-mail it to me, and I will play it as an interlude on one of the podcasts. I think it’s important for people to hear new music that you don’t necessarily see in stores or online retailers. SUBMIT ONE, SUBMIT ALL!
$$$
Still looking for extra ways to save up more money for the trip. One thing I learned from last trip is that you definitely don’t want to feel financial restrained when traveling amidst such awesomeness like Japan.
Ode to a friend
I’d like to publicly wish my great friend, Renee, top-notch karma as she starts her english teaching 
experience in France. For those of you who aren’t familiar with teaching english abroad, many claim it is a very demanding job, and not for the unmotivated. It sounds very rewarding, though, as Renee has expressed, except when one discovers rats in the apartment in which they reside in. In a future Japdanese Podcast, I hope to host a discussion with Renee and a few other current foreign english teachers, talking about the experiences teaching abroad and the ups, downs, and sideways’ that are involved with the job.
Until next time!
-D
