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08-Jun-2004 08:32
Zedd_at_LP

last reply
19-Jan-2010 21:52
mandja

103 replies , 108,179 views

Pages 1 2 3 4 ... 7

North-East Asia branch Frequently Asked Questions thread

This branch covers China (inc. Hong Kong and *Macau*), Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan and Tibet.

Other information about the region can be found under Lonely Planet Destinations.

Inside this thread we hope you'll find the answers to all your questions, if not, feel free to share anything you feel is missing!

Travel buddies, travel companions or trek partners
If you're seeking any of the above, then please post on our Travel Companions branch, not on the destination branches. Such topics posted on this branch will normally be moved by the moderators to the Travel Companions branch without notice. If you also have a travel question then please post that as a separate topic on the appropriate tr... more »

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15-Jul-2008 17:03
chiefnugt

last reply
06-Feb-2010 21:31
PinkAspic

17 replies , 2,105 views

Pages 1 2

Asia guidebooks now available by chapter in Pick & Mix

Over the years many of you have told us you'd like to take just the parts of our books you really need. We thought about how best to do this, and last year launched Pick & Mix, which enables you to buy, download and print individual chapters from Lonely Planet guides in digital (PDF) format.

Last week, we added our guides to North East Asia to Pick & Mix. That means the entire range of Asia guides is now available by chapter. So you can check it out for yourself, the first chapter of each guide is free to download. You can see Pick & Mix here.

This is still a new thing for us, and I'd appreciate any suggestions or feedback.

Tom Hall
Product Manager, Pick & Mix

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14-Feb-2009 03:26
mrcjonesy

last reply
04-Feb-2010 06:28
everbrite

451 replies , 67,500 views location: Tibet

Pages 1 2 3 4 ... 31

PERMIT SITUATION UPDATE

OK.......just spent yesterday trying to get to bottom of the permit situation for the next few weeks. Here is what I have found out.

1. Some Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai are closed to foreigners until the end of March (I could not get confirmation of which areas...sorry!)

2. Lhasa and central Tibet (Namtso, Shigatse, EBC etc) IS open (with permits) at the moment.

3. American and European travellers are being denied Chinese visa's in Nepal. and the rumour is that this will remain until the end of March. (this means there may be NO WAY to enter Tibet from Nepal until the end of March) This news comes from friends in Kathmandu. It is tough to officially confirm this news as this decision comes from the Chinese Department of Foreign Affairs.....not from the Tourism Bureau who is low on the totem pole!

4. As usual there are a few independent travellers (usual... more »

10-Feb-2010 06:47
vonage

last reply
10-Feb-2010 06:53
vonage

0 replies , 9 views

Tokyo + Hakone + Kyoto - Need Help!

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I are heading to Japan close to the end of April this year and we've been able to take care of planning the 1st half of our trip, however, the 2nd half has been a toss-up.


So far my itin is:

April 27 - May 3 Tokyo. (all taken care of already)

May 3 - 8 : we wanted to go to Hakone/Mt. Fuji area, Kyoto and possibly somewhere else if we have time. Our flight back is on the 8th so that day is a write-off either way...

Any suggestions to what we should do and how many days we should stay in specific areas? Also, would it be necessary to purchase a JR Pass for the 2nd half of the trip, etc?


Looking forward to responses. Thanks in advance!

Edited by: vonage

10-Feb-2010 06:46
travellingbuddies

last reply
10-Feb-2010 06:46
travellingbuddies

0 replies , 6 views location: Tibet

Seeking travel companions for April tour

We're two friends seeking travelling companions to join us on a tour in Tibet in April. Our tour is now booked, so we're looking for fellow travellers to make it more fun and (of course) more cost-effective....

We'll be getting the train from Beijing, arriving in Lhasa on 9 April. We start our tour on 11 April and arrive in Kathmandu on 19 April - Friendship Highway, essentially. If you might like to join us, please get in touch and we'll give you more details.

Email: travellingbuddies@gmail.com

10-Feb-2010 04:50
noirblood

last reply
10-Feb-2010 06:24
noirblood

0 replies , 16 views location: Japan

Questions on Capsule Hotels and Ryokans

Hello,

I'll be in Japan March 28 - April 10 and have a couple of questions.

We'd like to stay in a capsule hotel on the last night of our trip in Tokyo. I have heard that these places are not always friendly to foreigners and that there are a large number of rules that may not seem obvious to a newcomer.

1. Does anyone have a recommendation for a capsule hotel in Tokyo with good access to trains?

2. Any tips on rules or etiquette I should know before I go?

I also am looking to stay in a ryokan or two on my trip. I am going to be in Nara and Miyajima for one night each. Any advice on ryokans with a good traditional experience that are not exorbitantly priced (prefer under $300 a night, under $200 even better) would be appreciated.

Thanks!

-Owen

Edited by: noirblood

10-Feb-2010 02:54
amoreou

last reply
10-Feb-2010 03:44
amoreou

0 replies , 18 views location: China

CHINA DOUBLE entry VISA with one ADDITONAL entry

Hi, i will be travelling to Bejing in about 6 weeks time from UK and am looking to figure out how i can make economic use of Visa's.

i will be entering China through Russia, THen will go to Japan and bck to China. Then i would like to go to Hong Kong and bcak into China before leaving for Vietnam...

i am wondering if there is a way of getting a double entry visa then adding another entry to it.....

a double costs £45 and a multiple costs £90

or alternatively would i save money getting a double then another single in Hong Kong?

thanks in advance

Edited by: amoreou

10-Feb-2010 02:44
cresti

last reply
10-Feb-2010 02:44
cresti

0 replies , 8 views location: Taiwan

Preference Question: Sichuan or Taiwan? (Cross-posted)

Hi Travelfolks,

I will travel to Yunnan this summer and have an extra week or 2 available afterwards... I will probably be flying through Taipei, as the flight I'm interested is with China Airlines and has a short layover in Taipei. Would you extend that extra time to visit the Sichuan province or extend the layover in Taipei and spend some time in Taiwan? I was wondering which area you find more interesting / beautiful and why.

I'm passionate about scenery, national parks, architecture, hiking, cuisine, culture... not much or a beach person.

I really appreciate your suggestions.

Also, what is your experience with China Airlines? Are they good/on time/reliable?

Thank you so much.

10-Feb-2010 02:43
cresti

last reply
10-Feb-2010 02:43
cresti

0 replies , 10 views location: China

Preference Question: Sichuan or Taiwan? (Cross-posted)

Hi Travelfolks,

I will travel to Yunnan this summer and have an extra week or 2 available afterwards... I will probably be flying through Taipei, as the flight I'm interested is with China Airlines and has a short layover in Taipei. Would you extend that extra time to visit the Sichuan province or extend the layover in Taipei and spend some time in Taiwan? I was wondering which area you find more interesting / beautiful and why.

I'm passionate about scenery, national parks, architecture, hiking, cuisine, culture... not much or a beach person.

I really appreciate your suggestions.

Also, what is your experience with China Airlines? Are they good/on time/reliable?

Thank you so much.

10-Feb-2010 01:50
Josh69

last reply
10-Feb-2010 01:50
Josh69

0 replies , 28 views

Beijing Flight Paranoia

I've got a trip planned to Beijing during Spring Festival.

What would you rate the chances of a domestic flight out of Beijing airport being cancelled or significantly delayed due to weather/fog/snow?

I'm also guessing that Chinese domestic airlines don't have the same instrument landing equipment as say Cathay Pacific and can't auto-land in zero visibility.... domestic flights in China seem to get cancelled a whole lot more than Cathay/Dragonair flights out of the same airports....

10-Feb-2010 01:41
dmelanogaster

last reply
10-Feb-2010 07:48
jeskah

3 replies , 28 views location: Japan

Kyoto or Hakone/Nikko/and-or Kamakura?

hello,

We'll be in Japan for just a week. Really just six full days.
Flying in and out of Tokyo. Should we do 2 (or 3) day trips to Hakone, Nikko, and/or Kamakura, or skip those and go to Kyoto and stay overnight?

(I guess a one-day Kyoto trip is not enough time to see much?)

I understand that three full days in Tokyo is not much, but given my family (me, my husband, and our 17-year-old son who are not much for museums or shopping), I think the 3 full Tokyo days would be enough, plus late evenings after our day trips - and we're better off "on the move", getting on trains to different towns, walking around, exploring scenery, etc.

My feeling (based upon intuition/ignorance - first trip to Japan) is that maybe we should do several shorter day trips, as above, and skip Kyoto "for another time" -- is that incorrect? is Kyoto much more thrilling and un-missable than Nikko? Ha... more »

10-Feb-2010 00:33
travellingedwards

last reply
10-Feb-2010 03:31
everbrite

1 replies , 20 views location: Mongolia

Open Travel around Mongolia(OTAM)

Has anyone travelled with OTAM in Mongolia? I have looked at their webite and thought it seemed great and a reasonable price. We are interested in the South Gobi and Western Mongolia trips.If you have done tours withem-was it as god as it sounds?

09-Feb-2010 23:04
crg86

last reply
10-Feb-2010 07:37
jeskah

2 replies , 23 views location: Japan

Solo in Japan

Hey hey,

I'll be in Japan in April and flying solo. I'm curious if it's really hard to get by without speaking Japanese. I speak a few words and can read everything but kanji, I know this isn't much, and I haven't used this in years. But is it really something to worry about?

09-Feb-2010 23:00
al9k

last reply
09-Feb-2010 23:00
al9k

0 replies , 12 views location: Japan

West Kansai Area pass - does it cover subway in Kyoto?

And well, I suppose a one-day pass is valid for a whole day, not from, say 4 p.m one day to 4 p.m the next day?
And can I purchase the West Kansai Area pass in advance (together with the rail pass), so I don't need to bother about it in the Kansai airport?

09-Feb-2010 22:23
ozwonders

last reply
10-Feb-2010 03:38
everbrite

2 replies , 36 views location: Japan

Ideas for stopover outside of Narita?

We have 36 h stopover (from early morning to next day's evening) in NRT. We've seen Narita and loved it. This time we would love to check out another traditional, perhaps older Japanese town or village outside of Narita. Tokyo would warrant a visit of its own so we intend to bypass it this time.

We are a family of five (kids between 7 - 14). While in Kyoto last time, we stayed in Budget Inn and liked it a lot (we got their family room on top floor). This time I'm looking for something similar or a modest ryokan. It'd be good to have a train or bus connection from the airport to the town.

Ideas / recommendations on where to stay?

09-Feb-2010 20:39
shlen

last reply
09-Feb-2010 21:36
tahyan

1 replies , 23 views location: Japan

first trip to japan- need some help

We're a couple who plan a trip to Japan for the first time.
We begin in Tokyo and end in Osaka
we are interested to visit the usual sites: Tokyo, Kyoto, Miyajima, Takayama, Nara, Himeji Castle ( we heard that the site is under construction - Do you think we should take it off?)
,Nikko,Fuji & Lake Ashi.

We will appreciate if you can please combine all the sites to one trip in the right order ? and suggest how many days we should give for each site ?
do you think we can make it?or is it too much ?
what is the best way to get from one site to another ?
is there any festival between the dats 25 to march till the 8 of April ?

09-Feb-2010 19:22
lottahultin

last reply
10-Feb-2010 06:49
travellingbuddies

1 replies , 19 views location: Tibet

Looking for travel company in Tibet in April

Hi!

Me and my boyfriend will travel in Yunnan, Sichuan and hopefully in Tibet in April this year.

Our plan is to fly from Kuala Lumpur, where we are working for the moment, to Hanoi, go by bus and train up to Shangri La and perhaps onwards to Xining or Chengdu and arrange a Tibet tour from there. Our plan is flexible but we will probably be in Tibet mid April. We have not yet decided where to go in Tibet. Suggestions are welcome :)

The more the merrier... and cheaper :)

Look forward to hearing from you. /Lotta,

email: lotta.hultin@gmail.com

09-Feb-2010 18:26
rietepetit

last reply
10-Feb-2010 01:06
ninasarita

1 replies , 23 views

the public hodiday in october is our arrival in Beijing : problems finding

We will arrive on 30/9 in Beijing exactly when the october holiday is on are going to start. What does this mean in reality : all musea, temples, shops are closed? All buses , trains to go on daytrips are full...????Should I by all means try to change my arrival(which I doubt is possible) to september so that I will be elsewhere is it not a real problem....

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