Japan Becomes Cheaper

Summer vacation is approaching but the wallet is empty…. People are saying that currently, it is more difficult than the foreign exchange crisis days. One can only be depressed. But it’s still vacation time, and you want to travel. So it’s only normal that you be fully alert when you find something cheap. It is worth considering a thrifty and economic knapsack trip touring Japan via train and boat.

The rail pass (unlimited use for five days) for “Youth 18,” which includes a 7-night 8-day trip to Japan on a budget of 399,000 won, has received tremendous popularity during the foreign exchange crisis. This discounted boarding pass, which is 40 percent cheaper than the JR pass exclusively for foreigners, are only offered during vacation time (valid only between July 20 and September 10).

The schedule for the 7-night 8-day trip Japan Package (rail pass+ ferry boarding pass+ hotel expense for one night) that makes use of the “Youth 18” train pass is as follows. The Busan port and Shimonoseki, as well as Shimonoseki and Osaka, each make a round trip on a late night passenger boat which saves lodging expenses (four days). In addition, two nights are spent on a night train, leaving only one night to be spent in a hotel in Tokyo (breakfast included).

With this schedule, eight cities can be visited including Tokyo, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Fukuoka. By traveling between Osaka and Shimonoseki, one can tour the Seto Inland Sea and climb Mt. Fuji in Tokyo. A previous traveler on this package remarked that even without being able to speak Japanese, there are no problems as more than 10 people travel together. The diverse age group ranging from teenagers to those in their 70s owes to this fact.

This summer, a schedule to climb Mt. Fuji (3776m above the sea level) near Tokyo has been added to this package. The schedule to climb Mt. Fuji usually departs from the resting area in Gogome around 5 p.m. and reaches the high plains of Hachigome around 8 p.m. where one has a chance to sleep a night before reaching the top and viewing the sunrise.

You can travel from Korea to Japan by plane as well. In that case, you can shorten or extend your entire trip by a day or two. “Youth 18” package by plane costs: Tokyo+ Osaka+ Fukuoka (six days) 699,000 won; Tokyo+ Alpen-route (the Japanese Alps)+Toyama (six days); Tokyo+ Hokkaido+ Aomori (seven days) 849,000 won. For information and reservation contact Japan Travel Center (02-7744-114•www.jtc.co.kr)

Seung-Ha Cho summer@donga.com