[FONT="Book Antiqua"][COLOR="Magenta"]Hello!
I had the fabulous opportunity to go to Japan this summer, and I thought I'd throw in a few travel tips/suggestions. Just in case any anime fans were considering a trip.
First off, Japan is a beautiful place to visit. I, unfortunately visited in the beginning of the rainy season. Try to avoid that. It's just humid and a bit drizzly, nothing to really ruin a trip. But you might want to stick with the dry weather. Be prepared for a long plane ride. It takes about 10 hours from the west coast to Honshu, so bring stuff to do.
You don't really have to worrying, because Japan has (of course) a great public transportation system. Subways, buses, or street cars are generally reasonable. Taxi cars can be a bit expensive, though.
A lot of people like to know a bit Japanese before they go. I know no Japanese, but my brother, who lives there, knows a bit. You really don't need to know that much. I never had a problem communicating when my brother wasn't around. But if you go out to eat, try to stick with a place with a picture menu. Then, at least, you can point to what you want.
If you don't want to eat out, they have grocery stores and convenience stores with prepared food. Seven Elven is taking over Asia, I'm convinced. they have everything, from sandwiches to sushi. So no need to worry if you don't like Japaneses food.
Manga is really cheap over there, if you wanted to buy some. But it will be in Japanese. (Obvious, I know) It costs about $3.50 per manga. You can get translated manga at the bigger book stores, but they're just like the ones we have here, and cost about the same.
It's really fun to watch anime on T.V., even if you can't understand it. You can kinda get it anyway.
And don't go to just one city in Japan if you get the opportunity to go. Bullet train tickets are fairly reasonable as far as train tickets go. I was fortunate enough to go to Fukuoka in Kyushu and Hiroshima in Honshu. Boat rides are somewhat reasonable, if you wanted to visit South Korea. (which is nice, but not as nice as Japan in my opinion)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip to Japan, if you are going. And if you read all of this, thank you![/COLOR][/FONT]