jrail and other concerns?

Question

ok, it's kinda late,
, I'm travelling tomorrow and was wondering if :
1. jrail pass will be good all around (like narita express)
2. should I rent a cell phone (their charge explanations are beyond me)
3. any recommends for the possibly longest plane-ride of my life.>? (flying w/ANA)

Answer 1

I'll add my 2 cents re your long flight. I always try to get up and walk around. Every time I get up I try to stay up for about 30 min. Walk from the front of the plane to the back, go to the toilet, look out the window, walk to the front again, stand around a little more, look out the window again, sit down. There are lots of people that stand up and mill around, it's not like a short domestic flight where you're supposed to stay in your seat. I mean, they do turn on the seatbelt sign sometimes, but apart from that. . . .
I always tell myself that I'll accomplish something on the flight, but I never do (I am scared of flying, that's one reason). I do crossword puzzles, sudoku, play a little handheld game. . .mindless stuff like that. They show movies, but I usually only will like one out of three. They also feed you a couple times and give you a snack, so that diverts you as well.
Sometimes I can sleep, sometimes I can't. You're lucky if you can. If you're flying business class you might be able to.
Good luck, your flight will be over before you know it!!

Answer 2

I think the Narita Express question is rather complicated. A simple pass doesn't get you everything, of course!!

Look on here;
http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en004.html
and you'll find out (eventually, it's unnecessarily complicated!) that the Narita Express is a Limited Express, and as such you will only get a ride at no extra charge if you travel on the ordinary cars. On the left of the page there are links to more details too ... if you have TIME to look at them!

I believe you need to book NEX seats in advance - but there's a vending machine at Narita, here's more details..
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/reservation.html
I don't know how that would work with a rail pass though ...
: (

I don't know about the phones, but I recommend taking some sort of music player on the plane (if they'll let you!) and a book. You can't do a LOT of reading on planes, but it's useful if there's nothing you want to watch at times! And the radio stations on planes are extremely limited - although I admit I've never travelled with ANA, but they can't be much better or worse than BA or Virgin!

Answer 3

JR pass is well worth it if you are planning on making at least 2 shinkansen trips (i.e. Tokyo - Kyoto - Tokyo) and you get to ride the slightly quicker, much more comfortable narita express for free. If you're just going to stay around tokyo, not worth it.

Sorry don't know about renting cell phones, I know people who have done it and had no problems. I guess it depends how much you need to stay in contact with people. I survived living in Japan for almost 2 years without a cell phone, just used pay phones.

I'm used to flying long haul now, For some reason I am never able to read or sleep on a plane. I just drink beer slowly and watch films. I never seem to end up drunk when I arrive at my destination. Its helpful to get up and walk around the plane for a few minutes every hour or so. Most people are sleeping so you can often go and hang out with the crew if they're not busy. If you're flying ANA, the service should be top notch. Enjoy it.

Answer 4

1. I believe that you can't use the pass for the Narita Express.
2. Don't rent a cell phone unless you are planning to make lots of phone calls. It may be a little too late but you can rent cell phones from ANA FREE. (See the link)
3. Stay up and ask many questions at yahoo! answer. Get exhausted, drink lots of water, circulate your feet at the ankles as much as possible and fall asleep on the airplane. Then drink, exercise and sleep.

Answer 5

Yes, your rail pass is good for the Narita express as it is a JR line. It's good for all JR lines so there are some private lines, Tokyo subway etc. that are not included. Just about anywhere a private line goes that a tourist would be interested in, there is a JR way to get there. You are covered for the basic fare, but not for your berth if you catch a sleeeper train.

You might not want to start using your rail pass to get in from the airport depending on how long it is for and how long you are in the country. Really it might be cheaper to buy a pre-paid cell phone at convience store than to rent one. You are with ANA so your flight should be good.

Answer 6

Your JR Rail pass is inclusive of the day you activate it. The expiration date will be printed on the pass, you will not miss it.
If you have a need to be contacted or make phone calls often, I say sure go ahead and get a rental phone. If you have a 3G phone, and only need to make a call in case of emergencies, then maybe the roaming charges will be worth the cost. Be ready to sit for hours. There is no real clear way to deal with flying long hauls. I used to stay up all night long prior to departure, and that way I could sleep on the airplane. This helped in passing the time. ANA has individual video monitors on all seats, so you can choose to watch movies at your leisure. This means more to us who live in Japan, because somtimes there are movies on the plane not yet released in Japan. On the way back to the USA, the flights leave around 1700, if you time everything you can stay up all night, go to the airport and then sleep all the way back to the USA.