Holiday Travel to Yokosuka

[Angie]

Its October, and the holidays are just around the corner! With that said, I am planning a 2+ week trip to Japan to see my man for Christmas. He is planning to take some time off, but we are still waiting for the dates, etc. I have been watching the flights go up and down in price, and they came down significantly this week for the time frame I want to visit. I am not sure if I should continue to hold off on purchasing my tickets until the dates are known, or take a risk and purchase now.

When are the holiday dates usually released? I have heard October, but I am sure there is no guarantees as to when...but just kind of getting a general idea. 

If he is approved for leave, is that easily revoked? 

This will be my first time traveling outside of the country, and I am doing it by myself. There is definitely a sense of major excitement looking forward to seeing him for the first time in 9 months, but there is also a sense of fear for the unknown. Any other insight you want to pass along to me, I am all ears and greatly appreciate anything and everything!

[NavyMomx2]

Hi Angie

Having been a part of the military for more than 25 years, my advice would be to wait on purchasing the ticket until you are sure of the dates of your sailor's leave. Anything could change. From what I can tell, there are no set times when the dates are released. If your guy is aboard the USS George Washington, the dates may not be available because of the variance in when the ship will be in port.

You should plan to fly into Tokyo. Have your guy meet you there if possible. There is a bus available from Narita Airport to Yokosuka but your guy will have too make the reservations to ensure a space. I visited my daughter in Yokosuka and it was an awesome trip. I took a direct flight from DC to Tokyo and she was at the airport when I arrived. Had a great time and I'm certain you'll totally enjoy it as well. Have a blast!

Navy Mom x2

[Angie]

Thank you so much, this is wonderful!

Thankfully, he is not on the USS George Washington, he is currently in dry dock. From my understanding, they are scheduled to be in dry dock until mid-December or early January. Great to know about the bus, had no idea! He hasn't been there long enough to learn all of the ropes yet, he arrived in Japan and a week later they were off for a 5 month deployment and he is just now getting settled on base.

How long is the bus ride from Narita? If I could fly in there, it is much cheaper than Haneda. 

[NavyMomx2]

The bus ride from Narita is an hour or so.  I would definitely fly into Narita.  There is also a train but the bus takes you right to the base so that's what I would do.  Much easier if your guy can meet you there but there is a booth at the airport - can't remember what it says but it's easily identifiable as related to the base, the Navy or both.  I didn't pay much attention because my daughter was there to meet me.  Getting through customs took a bit of time because there were a lot of people to go through but otherwise the process was easy.  It actually felt good to stand for a bit after the long plane ride! 

Anyway - I'd wait until you know when your guy is able to take leave.  Like I said, it can definitely change.  When my daughter was planning a trip home, her leave had to be changed 3 times - can't remember why for the first change but the second change was due to the earthquake/tsunami.  So she was supposed to come home in december and never got home until the end of April or beginning of May.  With the military, nothing is guaranteed!  Just keep that in mind.  And have a super trip!

 

[Angie]

The bus tip is perfection, thank you! I am hoping he will be able to meet me at the airport, too. It would make me feel a lot more comfortable, but also great to know there is other ways around just in case he isn't able too. 

I am waiting patiently, well, let's be honest, trying to wait patiently. :) I am so anxious to see him! I have definitely learned that nothing is guaranteed in the Navy, but hoping things stay pretty locked once he has dates. I can't believe it took your daughter nearly 4 months to finally get home, that's a bit nerve racking. Glad she eventually made it home, though! 

This will be my first vacation in the 2 years I have been in my career, so that is another thing I am looking forward too! Thank you again for all the wonderful pointers, I truly appreciate it!

[Donna2d]

HI Angie:

We too are planning a visit to see our Sailor (son) right around the end of the year. He is stationed on the USS Cowpens and has known their "stand-down" dates for a few weeks now, but has not been given his specific dates. I know EXACTLY what you mean about the airfares. It's already expensive, but to sit and watch the fares go up and down & not being able to reserve is frustrating!! It will be our first visit to Japan and we are filled with mixed emotions...as I'm sure you are too. I have ordered a two books from Amazon...1. Tokyo touristy book and 2. Getting around on the trains. Once I get them and look through them I'll let you know what I think of them. What ship is your Sailor on? Best of luck to you Angie!!

 

Donna

[Angie]

These airfares can get out of control. For the holidays, I have seen them go from $1100 all the way to $2010. Crazy! I am really hoping he has dates soon, I just can't wait to get there and be in his arms again. 

You bought a very important one for sure...that train system. Living in LA, we don't have a good train system so I am not going to be a natural at that one. Please let me know if you get any helpful hints, I will definitely put them to good use. :)

Once you get back, you will have to let me know how your trip was! I am sure your son will be so excited to see you, especially for the holidays! This is such a special time of year, and even though I am leaving my family for the first time...I know it will be special and we can start our own traditions. 

[Rosiemo]

Hi Angie,

Good luck with your travel plans.  I think typically they get leave for the holidays but I agree with Navy Mom x2 anything can happen.  I was in Yokosuka a couple weeks ago visiting my son and his family.  It was a great time although I did not see to much of my son.  He was busy w/ preparation for Inserv Inspections and he was CPO selectee duties. 

Also,your guy could rent a car from on the base and they give him all the toll tickets with the rental.  Evidently, that is fairly reasonable compared to having to pay the tolls all the way to Narita and back.  This is what my daughter-in-law did when she picked me up and took me to the airport.  Not sure what airline your flying but I would not recommend Air Canada.  The lines to check in were horrendous and took over an hour.  And I had to do it twice (long story).  Air Canada- not good.

I exchanged some of my dollars to yen at the airport.  I was able to use dollars at the base (on occassion) and yen off base.  I found the Japanese people to be very polite and for friendly.  It is a fascinating country.  Not only that the base is interesting too.  It's huge. 

Hope this helps a little.  Good luck with nailing down flight times.  Keep us posted on how things go.  It will be a great trip!

[Donna2d]

Angie: We got an email from our Son yesterday so now we have specific dates to nail down our airfare. The fares have increased about 30-40% since we started looking about 2 months ago. Our Son lives in an apartment and has bought a cheap little car since he got there so we are very lucky not to have to pay for lodging and transprtation from the airport. My biggest concern is the loooong flight! I have serious back problems and a little ol 4 hour flight kills me! I've looked at pics of the plane online and even though it's an airbus, the economy seats look just the same. I'm gonna do it.....have to see my son....but I'm not looking forward to the flight. Looks like we will be flying Air Singapore. Most of the flights we looked at were through them. We will be leaving around the 28th of Dec. and returning around the 14th of Jan. Do you have a passport? If not, you need to get that going right away, it takes a while. We had to renew ours and mailed them out this past Monday. I think they said it took 4-6 weeks, but it's the government ya know :). Have you heard anything about needing any immunizations for travel to Japan? Better run...stay in touch!

Proud Navy Mom,

Donna

 

 

[Angie]

Oh wonderful, hopefully that means dates are being released and he will know soon!He called me this morning, well, in all honesty he woke me by calling me. My days can never be bad when they start like that!

The fares seems to be staying semi-steady for me right now and hope they don't spike. I work for a studio in Los Angeles, so I can hop an overnight flight out of LAX into Narita on Malaysia Airlines for about $1100 which seems the be lowest I can find for my entire stay. Unfortunately, I have to be back in the office by January 3rd, so I have a tight window of opportunity. Hoping he gets the week of Christmas, or at least part of that week. He is supposed to be moving in with a friend in the upcoming weeks, so it looks like we will be able to save on the cost of hotel as well! Got to love that!!! 

Where will you be flying out of? It is a long flight, my sailor told me to take the opportunity to sleep and that it helps, not only with the duration but also with jet lag. My flight looks to be about 12 hours there and 10 hours on the way back. I would definitely recommend getting up and moving as often as you can on a plane! 

I do have my passport, got it 2 weeks after he left. :) I am the only person (family and friends) that has a passport, and I can honestly say its burning a hole. I am so ready to use it and depart to see him! As far as immunizations, I haven't heard of any needed for Japan. I briefly looked it up online a few months ago, but didn't see any red flags. If you find out otherwise, I'd love to know!

Can't wait to hear about your travels!!! I can only imagine how excited you are to see your son!

[davesmom]

Hi Donna2d, So glad to hear that you received your son's leave date!  My son is on the Cowpens, too, and hopefully that means he will be hearing about his leave soon!!  How exciting that you get to visit him there!!

[Angie]

This is all so very helpful,Rosiemo,  and am grateful for all the amazing tips I am getting! I am like a sponge, taking it all in. 

Note to self, don't book Air Canada. Appreciate the heads up. I am looking at a Malaysia Air flight, have you heard anything about that airlines?

Is it better to exchange here in the states prior to leaving? There is a currency exchange at the mall near work, and I was thinking about going there the week I leave just to have some yen on me when I arrive. It sounds like he wants to avoid the base as much as possible while I am there, which is a little disappointing, I'll admit. I was hoping he would take me on just for a few hours, I am curious to know what its like there. 

Good to know about the car, I know his buddy has a car in Japan and offered to drive if he isn't working when I get in. If not, its good to know that he can rent one, or I will have him look into the bus option too! He seems to be comfortable with the train system too, which is a good thing. 

I have heard great things about the people in Japan and them being super friendly. That just makes me even more excited for my first time traveling internationally! Any insight on what site seeing I should try and do while I am there? 

[Anti M]

Number one: The Great Buddha in Kamakura.   I always found it awesome, and it is an important world cultural site.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3100.html

Tokyo and Yokohama are short train rides away. Just be aware many places such as the Imperial Palace will be closed over the New Year holiday.  You can hit a guide book for the "major" sights.  I always liked the temple at Akusakusa, and we took a river boat ride which was interesting.

You can't book MWR tours through the base, but he can.  This would be a good way to go on tours at a reasonable price.  If he can get you on a Hakone or Nikko day trip, jump on it.  Much easier than by train.

http://mwryokosuka.wordpress.com/

http://mwryokosuka.wordpress.com/information-tours-ticketing/

http://www.hakonenavi.jp/english/introduction/sightseeing.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Around Yokosuka there is plenty for history buffs.  Mikasa Park, and the grave of William Adams (ever see the Shogum mini-series?  Him).  There is a lovely little Shinto shrine downtown.  Don't miss the food section in the basement of Saikaya, mind blowing and lots of free samples.  If you see street food carts, don't be afraid to try them, the noodles on a cold day are excellent.  It is the season of baked yams too.  

http://wikitravel.org/en/Yokosuka

Also, Fleet and Family Services has many DIY walking tours and printed maps.  These are part of the Intercultural Intro, but you can pick them up anytime the office is open.

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/Yokosuka/FleetAndFamilyReadiness/SupportSe...

There is a great sukiyaki place near Yokosuka-Chuo station, you cook it yourself at your table.  Fun and delicious.  Not inexpensive, but once is a must, and they are used to Americans there.  

(This is not the same place, there are several):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj_rhx4qh1A

Find a conveyor belt sushi place, you pay by the plate.  A must do at least once.  I don't like raw fish, and there are still many choices of sushi for me.  Scrambled egg, cooked shrimp, and so on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZqk47wEkKc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMThGjU5TGA

And everyone should try MOSburger, some of the tastiest fries ever.  The patties aren't beef, I think they're soy.  But I love the teriyaki MOS burger and in winter you can get corn soup.  And mocha shakes! (I had one two doors down from my second apartment).

http://www.travbuddy.com/Mos-Burger-v309618

http://www.travbuddy.com/Mos-Burger-v309618

(MOS = Mountain Ocean Sky)

Other foods to try if you get the chance:  Korean BBQ, Chinese food (really it is different than in the US), curry rice (if you like curry) and okonomiyaki (oh-ko-no-mee-ya-kee) a type of pancake with meat and veggies and noodles cooked in it.  And tempura!  Don't forget to try tempura!

http://www.japanbases.com/forums/aft/8912.aspx

http://www.gw.navy.mil/core/japan/shopping/yokosukashoppingrestaura...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELWP-QK5_8Y