I'm thinking of doing this in May for ten days. I don't really want to do more than that because I will be using up too much annual leave and I'd be concerned about homesickness. Whilst I'm very fond and familiar with solo travelling (in fact I refuse to holiday with other people) I've never been further than the US east coast for a week.
I'm thinking of basing myself in Tokyo. It looks like a very vibrant, fun place to be and I can use the train to do daytrips to some other places. It looks like I can get direct flights for around £1k (13 hours from UK) and possibly a nice enough hotel in Central Tokyo for around £500. I'm really not bothered about the accommodation as long as it's safe, clean, I don't have to share a room / bathroom and it's ideal location wise. Worth noting I am used to walking around 10/15 miles per day whilst travelling. Here are my questions:
- Is it really safe for a solo female? Going to Asia alone is going to be pretty intimidating
- I don't speak a word of Japanese although I'm going to download an app to at least try to learn a few basics. Are there English signs / help etc there?
- Do the prices I've put above seem about right?
- How bad is the jetlag likely to be? Is 10 days realistic?
- I'll want to bring a half empty suitcase to bring back souvenirs, especially their greeting cards and paper! What other cool things should I be bringing back?
- How easy is their transport system and is it better to book day trips in advance? What is the best way to get to and from the airport?
I don't have any specific thing I'm interested in, just to generally explore their museums and parks, soak up a completely different culture and eat lots of food etc. I won't be interested in theme parks as I wouldn't go to one by myself. Absolutely any tips or advice would be welcome!
Thank you 😊