Links My Paragliding article and pics. An ongoing diary of my walks around Himeji. A bit on Kamakura, a town that I've grown to love.. I've done a lot of rock climbing in Japan. Some favorite areas include Seppiko, and a road trip to Jogasaki and Joyama that went through the resort city of Atami. I've also done lots of travel in Korea and in the United States.		Japan is a great country for traveling. The high cost has been greatly exaggerated; the reality is these days you can get around Japan for about as much as Europe. And, like European travel, how much you spend depends on your tastes. The best deal out there is the Japan Rail Pass. You can get them for regional travel in addition to the whole country pass. For around US$500 you can travel all the national rail lines for two weeks. (Note: There are some lines which are privately held; only in a few places, like Izu Penninsula, can you not get around by JR.) When my wife and I traveled around Europe we spent an average of $60 a night for lodging; these were budget hotels with few amenities. The only really positive thing was I got to see carefree young ladies undress in a Swiss youth hostel (my wife was sleeping). In Japan it is slightly more expensive; there are some youth hostels, but, unlike a lot of Western Europe, they aren't always in convenient locations. Enter the love hotel. Single folks are out of luck here (unless you find your own luck, so to speak). These hotels are for couples only. They take no reservations; it's strictly first come, first served (no pun intended). The prices depend on establishment, frills and location; however, in almost all hotels (I've never seen the exception) you must check in after 9 or 10 pm to stay all night (before that it's by the hour). A basic room can go for a few thousand yen; that's with a good, clean shower (and often a large, two person bath), a good bed, porno movies (they censor the goodies) and a couple of condoms. I've heard, though, that it's not easy to get in with luggage or backpacks, so leave those in a locker at the station and take the essentials. Other Eating in Japan isn't too bad either, if you aren't too picky. Stand up ramen noodle shops can fill you up for a couple hundred yen. All you can eat yakiniku (fried beef) or Shabu Shabu (meat you dip in boiling water; you must have good chopstick skills) will run 2,000 yen; usually all you can drink beer is a thousand yen more.