Matt Does Japan

After researching rented mobile phones in Japan, I was very disappointed with the high prices ($120+ for the time I’d be there, with only ~60 minutes). Japan also has stopped allowing visitors (non-citizen, non-permanent-resident) to buy pre-paid SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards for use in a borrowed or rented WCDMA phone. Of course, […]

I’m finally getting around to writing my itinerary. Since the country is so linear, it tends not to matter what order I do things in, as long as I’m on my way to somewhere new when I stop (i.e., since I’m going to Abashiri, on the Sea of Okhotsk, either way, it doesn’t matter […]

During lunch today, I went to the local ANA office to buy an exchange order for a Japan Rail Pass. There are six types of rail pass offered: either “green” or “ordinary”, with 7-, 14-, and 21-day durations. The “green” passes are just an upgrade in seating accomodation on the trains. I […]