patriciatbrogan

Hello,

I have 3 weeks' holiday over Christmas and I've looked at the idea of going to China for the whole trip but, as my passport allows me to have 15 days visa-free entry into China and so I can avoid the enormous hassle (never mind about expense) of getting a visa, I am now thinking of keeping my time in China to only 15 days (I assume the clock only starts on the day I arrive, not the day I leave my home country) and so I will have some days left and I am thinking of flying ex Shanghai (or wherever I am in China) to Osaka in Japan - I mean isn't that the food capital of Japan -and maybe visiting some other places in Japan too and then flying from Japan back to UK.

Does anyone foresee any issues of doing things this way? I assume, given that there are flights available between the 2 countries, I won't have any problems with doing this, but wanted to check as it's not something I've done before and I know that China can be a bit tricky at times.

shelemm

You can find tremendous food many places in Japan. If this is your first trip to Japan, I wouldn't worry about Osaka in particular. You just have to do some research first.

patriciatbrogan

This will be my third trip to Japan and Osaka took my fancy, also enjoyed Takayama previously.

mrwunrfl

Chinese certainly have no trouble finding flights to Japan, that is for sure. I think I would want to shop for a flight the same way that they do, but IDK.

There is the saying that Kyoto-jin spend their money on clothing and Osaka-jin spend their money on food. So, Osaka has that foodie rep. You can, of course, be well fed in many Japanese cities, especially if you are interested local or seasonal specialties.

Google sez: Tokyo has more than 137,000 restaurants and is considered a food capital of the world.

I posted this on another Japan thread:
The worst times to travel are around New Year's, from the end of December to January 4; Golden Week, from April 29 to May 5; and during the Obon Festival, about a week in mid-August.

The above was from frommers.

temppeternh

Buying air tickets in China is easy enough, and you'll get a better deal by buying there than by buying in advance by any means. You can ask at the airport on arrival, or get a sample price from your hotel/agency in the lobby, if there is one, but likely beat it at any agency you spot while going around town. In general avoid those recommended to you by expats. In most cases, even if you book through the hotel, which isn't recommended, your card won't be accepted (even if the hotel otherwise does accept foreign cards) and you'll need to pay cash. (In most cases the hotel is just going on-line to a Chinese booking site or just going round a corner you could go round yourself and adding a profit margin). In all cases you'll need a passport to make a booking (as you do for trains and long-distance buses, too, and which you should anyway carry with you at all times.) There's no difficulty in drawing enough cash from bank machines.

You'll get a cheaper price by flying out of neighbouring lower-traffic airports such as Hangzhou, easily reached from Shanghai.

You could also consider ferry from Shanghai to Osaka or Kobe. Although service is temporarily suspended due to some engineering issues at Shanghai port it may well be back up by the time you travel. The ship is comfortable, the prices are low, and it's a pleasant way to get between the two countries, although it does take 47 hours.

https://www.shinganjin.com/en/schedule/

In my experience of many visits to Japan, it takes commitment to find bad food, although it can be done. Any city will do you, and there are others with more to offer than Osaka. But make time for rural Japan, too.

mrwunrfl

>> you'll get a better deal by buying there than by buying in advance

Which would be a good idea unless you have to show proof of onward travel (out of the country) at immigration.

temppeternh

This is a good point, and it is indeed quite likely you'll have to do this at the point of entry. Check the fine print at the Embassy of China in Ireland website linked to previously about exact rules for your visa.

You have the option to buy the China to Japan leg in a form that is cancellable with no fee, and cancel it after entry. But you may well find you'll get a decent price by buying an open jaws or multi-city ticket to start with: London-Shanghai-Osaka-London, London-Shanghai Hangzhou-Osaka-London, or variations thereon.

mrwunrfl

>> cancellable with no fee
An FF award ticket would probably do that with miles and taxes refunded, depending on the FF program. Otherwise, a refundable fare, but that could get expensive. Or get an advance purchase fare that is good enough.

Google Flights shows a PVG->OSA fare of $71 on Spring Airlines on Oct 17. The Spring website has a $14 fare with 7kg carryon, or $22 with a checked bag, or $77 for larger carryon and larger checked bag. larger i mean heavier