Cheap Japan? An oxymoron? (1 Viewer)

I am planning family visit to Japan in Feb and am hopping to spend a few days in Eastern Hokkaido. Given that sleeping in the hire car may result in hypothermia can anyone recommend cheap places to stay.

I am planning on taking the ferry from Nagoya and hiring a car in Kushiro, what is the best way to get between the two? has anyone tried the overnight bus and how does it compare cost wise with the train or driving?

With thanks

Ian

One of my favourite birding experiences (though i went a bit later, in early April).
The only "cheap" option IMHO are the youth hostels - they approached UK prices, i think i paid £15 dorm bed only in the one near to Karuizawa (Honshu), i was the only person there - that was about 7 years ago though. There might even be independent backpacker hostels, which are usually cheaper still, though vary in quality from v v good to terrible in each country. At least there's Trip Advisor to check first these days.
Minshuku were £30 - £50 pppn. The one at Washi no Yado is a fantastic experience for the Blakistons & not too pricey, the chap at Furen Lake B&B can book it for you. He also has a friend who has a B&B nearby which is half the price [of his]...
Went from the car hire at Kushiro Airport to the ferry at Tomakomai via the last train, which saved on an overnight.
I bought a Shinkansen pass, only available in the UK, which was v cheap compared to Japanese prices, you can get a plane pass also which may be practical with a family?
There are the odd "local" overnight trains where you don't have to buy a berth - i caught one on Kyushu to the Japanese Murrelet site but it you can't really lie down anywhere. Incredibly slow too which is agonising if u wanna get there and find a park bench!
B interested to hear your experiences (eg overnight buses), as i'm really keen to get back there.
Strongly suggest you join "Kantori", the Ennglish-speaking Yahoo group about Japanese birding, it's very helpful, informative and polite... but what would you expect lol?
Sure you'll have a fantastic trip.

Edit - flights on net advertised Manchester - Sapporo for £393. Somehow i doubt it though.....

The UK Pound had dropped by about 45% against the Japanese ¥ in the last 2 years or so. It definitely isn't a cheap place to visit.

The 2 famous birding places mentioned above are still pretty cheap although obviously not as cheap as 2 or 3 years ago if you're thinking in GBP.

I live in Hokkaido and have done for over 10 years. The best value places to stay are business hotels, there are plenty even in east Hokkaido. Route-Inn, Tokyu and Grandia are 3 well known chains. They cost about ¥4000 a night including breakfast and free internet. There are some in Shari and Kushiro which are handy for the main birding sites and also near airports/stations. A quick google will lead to booking sites like this.

I'd rather get hypothermia/frostbite than stay in a Japanese Yourh Hostel, but maybe that's just me.

The overnight bus will be cheaper than the train. You could pick up a car on arrival at Kushiro. I don't know what time the ferry docks but if it is in the morning I'd rent a car from Tomakomai.

Added a thread in the Companions for Birding trips section if anyone is interested

Ian

I did Hokkaido relatively cheaply in 2004 by catching the ferry from Oarai to Tomakomai, hitching to Sapporo and the overnight bus to Nemuro (getting off at Lake Furen) via Kushiro.

The ferry is great for combining birding, traveling and a night's accommodation - but cabins are pricier (which you may need for kids or a non-birding wife. the cheapest is the tatami room with the truck drivers but you just get a blanket and space on the floor.

Agree about the youth hostels - When I came back to Hokkaido last year I stayed in one on the Shiretoko peninsula which had blood smears from popped bedbugs on the walls and a toilet you could smell down the corridor - most un-Japanese. However I did see 6 Asiatic Brown Bears in a morning within one kilometre of the spot!

£395 to Sapporo sounds like an amazingly good price - but Japan is dropping prices to encourage tourists this year to restore confidence after the Fukushima disaster.

Cheers
Mike