Osaka and Tokyo

Hi there!

Here are some answers:

1. For Okinawa you'll have to take a flight. From Osaka you should look in to low cost budget airlines such as Peach or Jetstar, both of whome open low cost routes to Okinawa from October.

2. I think I'd stay in Osaka for the first few nights to get used to the area :) maybe after that get the plane to Okinawa and back. If does depend on how long your flight is however - if you are on a short trip to Japan then travelling immediately up to Tokyo shouldn't be a big problem.

3. The return trip from Osaka to Tokyo by JR bullet train costs around the same as a 7 day Japan Rail Pass. with a 7 day pass you can freely travel on any JR lines around Japan. You can also make good use of the JR Pass in Tokyo (here's a map of JR lines in Tokyo for reference). I'd recommend a 7 day pass in your case as you really gain a huge amount of flexibility and it is only ¥400 ($5USD) extra compared to a standard return ticket.

4. As far as allocating time for these, I think you'll need at least 3 days of sightseeing to get the most out of your list. You could easily spend 5 days to be honest here! All locations are easily accessible within Tokyo either using the JR lines, or the Metro, so you should have no problems I think.

Hotels in Tokyo

Accomodation is always a tricky thing to recommend as it depends on so many factors! My main survival tips for Tokyo Hotel selecting though are:

• Pick the right area - I really like the arty and cafe influenced Nakameguro, Aoyama and Daikanyama areas, but if you fancy a more 'downtown' location then Ginza or Shinjuku is hard to beat. For nightlife lovers, Shibuya is top of the list.
• Check Tripadvisor a lot :)
• For no-frills but clean budget hotels, check out the Toyoko Inn and Tokyu Stay chains.

Hope this helps!