Has anyone visited their sailor in Yokosuka?

[abc815]

i apologize if this has been discussed before.  i just joined this site, so bear with me :)  i am planning on visiting japan sometime this year to visit my bf on the gw...and also to see how i'll like japan before permanently moving there next year.  any words of advice?  i have not visited another country before and have no idea what to expect!  so far, my checklist consists of my passport and luggage.  any words of advice?  such as where to find good deals on flights and hotels?  thanks everyone in advance:)

[Lisa in AZ]

How exciting for you! I did visit my son over the Christmas holiday, and loved Japan! Here’s what I can tell you I learned – it’s a long trip – you’ll arrive tired and still have a long train trip to get to Yokosuka (about 3 hours) Try not to be cranky . I managed to stick to one small carry-on and one suitcase on rollers – made the train much easier. The trains can be VERY crowded . . . I mean smashed all together, so be prepared for that, but everyone is very polite and very quiet. There seems to be no eating or drinking on the trains . . . and I never heard a cell phone ring. The food is different, but lots of variety and on base, every American food you’ll need and want. I guess since you aren’t married yet, you won’t be able to stay on base, and I stayed in my son’s apartment, so I have no advice regarding hotels. Sorry. And I simply shopped all the online sites for booking tickets to find the best deal for me – it’s a hunt with lots of choices. I did pick my connection based on best airport for the time of year. I went through SFO in December, so no problem with bad weather. And, you might want to ask about, or google, squat potties. That is a very interesting type of potty that I ran into a couple of times! I was very glad I knew about it! I carried tissue with me and hand sanitizer. Other than that, really really good walking shoes – your BF most likely doesn’t have a car, so there is a LOT of walking.

[abc815]

hi lisa in AZ. thanks for the info! and i've heard about these toilets in the ground...not looking forward to it at all! haha. hopefully, i won't have to deal with them at all if i can help it. if i get to visit my sailor sooner than later, we already have plans to stay at his friend's house...if i end up visiting later, my sailor will have his own place by then as he is an e4 over 4 (whatever that means). :) do you have a rough estimate of how much spending money i should bring? i hear the us dollar doesn't go as far over there. i wouldn't be buying anything luxurious, probably only hello kitty knick knacks here and there :). i know that my sailor will pay for a lot, but i am more comfortable bringing my own spending money. thanks!

[sam4124]

Hi there. I just came home from visiting my fiancee in yoko. My fiancee found my ticket for 800 round trip on expedia a month in advance so that was really nice. You have to have a return flight to enter Japan so they know you are leaving lol. so we bought mine and then later had to change the date and that was a 100 dollar charge- you pay that at the airport when you are leaving. i was there for about 3 months until they went on deployment. we had planned on getting married in japan but getting paper work through takes forever and if you live there he will have to stay an extra year and go on an extra deployment ( because his spouse is with him). while you are there -if you will be there a while- get skype!! When i was there i stayed home and had to find things to do while he was at work so skype was amazing. i way over pakced and bought a travelers pouch and all kinds of things i didnt need. pack what you would take on vacation anywhere.does he have a house in town? my biggest hurdle was the food, luckily he was able to go shopping and get everything we needed on base. You wont be able to get on base without a 3 day pass, even then you cant go into the commisary, so make a good shopping list :) everything you need you can buy there for the same prices ( for the most part) that you get here. OH the trains.. my fiance rented a car and picked me up from the airport which was amazing. we have a car there but if you rent one you dont have to pay for the tolls ( there are a lot of tolls ) so it would be like 100 to take a car but if you rent it you dont have to pay the tolls.
passport
boarding pass with return flight
luggage
birth control!
pillow/blanket/sleeping aid for the plane

the plane ride was a little over 13 hours, so you want to be comfortable. the rest is optional, i wished i had house slippers because you dont wear shoes in the house and most houses have hard wood floors.
have a great time, i will be there again for the same amount of time when this deployment is over so if you need anything, i can help. Have a great time! there is so much to see and do.

[abc815]

great info! you're so lucky you got to visit your sailor! we are waiting for the next time they're in port for more than a few days and then i'm off! one question regarding your list of things to bring...birth control? haha. :)

[marti]

hi my name is marti, where in the world did you find a round trip ticket for 800 dollars when i checked it was almost 3000 dollars . I cant afford that and i would really like to go see my grandson who is going to japan.

[Jane(Steph's mom)]

I went to visit my daughter in March. She met me at our hotel in Tokyo. I took an express bus. The people at the airport are very nice. Before you exit the airport there are 3 big desks. One for money exchange, one for busses and one for the JR train line. Have your bf suggest what you should do or have him meet you at the airport and you can travel together. The biggest challenge was money. Everything is so expensive. I found after I got there, that my money card from my bank would not work. Before I left, I deposited alot of money in my daughter's account so we used that. You can exchange money at the airport and I would recommend that. You can use VISA everywhere but having cash is helpful. The food is kind of bland. I don't like sushi and found the food didn't have much flavor. We ate at Indian restaurants to get flavor or you can pick up a sandwich, believe it or not, from 7-11s that are on every corner. The base has a good food court with American food. I stayed at her house about 3 train stops away from Yoku so don't know what to say about hotels in Yoku. If you have time to yourself, have your boyfriend point you in the direction on the train to Kamakura. It's a very easy train stop not far from Yoku and it's a very cool city with shrines and lots of shopping. You won't get lost. Yokohama is another larger city with lots of shopping and restaurants. There's a nice Royal Park hotel that my daughter goes to for R&R when she wants to get away. Have fun.

[Lynda (Sarah's Mom)]

ABC815, I went to Yokosuka last November and enjoyed the week I spent with my daughter but I did find it very difficult to get around with the communcation differences. People tried to be helpful but it was hard. You mostly get around using the train system or taxies and of course taxies can be very expensive. The country is beautiful and if I had a choice I would not want to live there, but that is only my train of thought considering I'm over 50 and don't care to try to learn a new language, etc. Good luck to you.

[abc815]

hi, does anyone know where i can purchase travel insurance that covers cancellation due to a change in militiary assignment? i've called numerous places and everyone is saying no! :( help!

[Stace Pagel]

I believe Japan Airlines is flying people and cargo free until April 15th.  I found this out, as I am looking for a consignee (someone to sign for and distribute) 4 cubic meters of cargo for the Cub Scouts of America.  if you know of anyone, let me know.