http://ourtravels.org Follow our travels and learn tips to save money! Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:05:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en While attending the baseball game in Osaka Japan at the Kyocera Osaka Dome a cool thing went on.  During the break between the top and bottom of the 7th inning Victory jet's were released. What's a Victory Jet you ask? A victory jet is basically a balloon that you blow up ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/30/orix-buffaloes-victory-jets-baseball-game-in-osaka-japan/ I visited the Tsukuba Expo and Planetairum at the end of September 2008. The cost to enter the combined exhibit is 700 Yen, which works out to approximately $7.00. Tsukuba Expo The Expo consists of two floors and an outdoor arena. The first floor is a hands on science ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/30/tsukuba-expo-and-planetarium-center/ We stayed at the Hotel Grande Shinonome in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan at the end of September 2008. We stayed here during a conference that Lindsay was attending at the Tsukuba Internation Congress Center. Here is a review of our stay at the Hotel Grande Shinonome. Location The Hotel Grande Shinonome is located ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/28/hotel-grande-shinonome-tsukuba-a-review/ As I mentioned in my last post the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) is a must have traveling in Japan. In this post I'll discuss how you must go about getting, activating and using the pass. You know the stuff that you'll probably want to know before leaving. Buying the ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/27/a-how-to-guide-to-the-japan-rail-pass-jr-pass/ We stayed at the Shangrila Tsuruoka Hotel in Kamakura at the start of October 2008. We found the hotel by simply wandering the main street in Kamakura. Definitely, not the best way to find a cheap hotel in a touristy location. However, it's a very good way to ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/24/shangrila-tsuruoka-hotel-kamakura-a-review/ In my last post about the Kyoto Imperial Palace I discussed how to get access to the Palace. Since that time we've gone on the tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace takes about 60 minutes and tours through the outside of each building ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/22/kyoto-imperial-palace-kyoto-japan/ Let me just say that the Japan Rail Pass or JR Pass is a must have when traveling in Japan.  The added convenience, amount saved and amount of time saved is definitely worth it. Cost The JR pass will save you money. Plain and simple.  The normal return ticket from Tokyo to ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/20/jr-pass-a-must-have-when-traveling-in-japan/ We were lucky (unlucky?) enough to be traveling on a long weekend in Japan.  Here are some tips that you should take into consideration... Or another way to put it... Learn from our mistakes!   lol.  Let's just say not having a reservation ended up allowing us to see the Osaka ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/20/traveling-on-a-long-weekend-in-japan/ If you're headed to Hakone Yumoto in Japan after a hard day of viewing Mt. Fuji be sure to make one of your stops at either an Onsen or the Yunessun. An Onsen is the Japanese version of a Hot Tub but only sorta. The idea behind an Onsen is ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/17/i-say-you-yunessun-and-relax-in-hakone-japan/ We stayed at the Genvia Hotel in Kyoto Japan at the start of October 2008.  We throughly enjoyed our stay at the Hotel.  The staff was nice and attentive a later checkout at noon and a large soft king bed made this a great say.  Overall, it was definitely the ... http://ourtravels.org/2008/10/17/hotel-genvia-kyoto-japan-a-review/