Tokyo Travel Forum

Hi, a friend and I are only 15 years old, but we are planning to have a unique vacation visit to Tokyo, Japan since it has always interested us. But we have a few questions that hopefully you guys can answer. We obviously know we'll have to wait a few years but we just wanted to get a rough estimate of how long.

1. What is the minimum age limit for checking into a hotel in Tokyo?

2. What is the minimum age limit for booking flights internationally?

3. Can someone point me in the right direction for learning information about obtaining pass ports?

I think thats all for now, I might add more questions as they come. Thanks in advance to anyone that can help!

I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but the major one is the passport, isn't it?

I believe that under 18 you have to have your parent's permission to get a passport in the USA.

Have a look at the US webpage about passports:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

You will need parental consent (from both parents) until you are at least 16, and most probably until you are 17.

OK, besides the passports, which I agree, you'll have to get parents consent to get one. The answer to all of your questions is parents consent. There really is no reason if you have the means to wait until you are 18, you can go right now. Have you talked to your parents about your plans? Are they in agreement that it would be OK for you to go? Planning such a trip, even for an adult requires a lot of planning and fore thought.
Apply for your passports, again with consent
Flights, again with consent, your parent would probably have to pay via credit card with the flights in your names of course but flights are not really that big a deal, young kids fly all the time by themselves.
Checking into a hotel, again, not that big a deal. I would suggest reservations in advance via credit card through parents. Your parent should also send a letter stating that you are traveling alone with their consent to the hotel(s). This will prevent any questions and problems that can be avoided.
Your three questions are relatively easy. In my opinion, your biggest problem is planning and paying for the trip. Tokyo is quite expensive. Very in fact. Hotels can cost you a lot, on the average it'll be around 150$ per night and more. Food can be expensive as well. on the average it's going to be about 100$ a day for food. You're young and you can eat a lot more junk food, maybe, and that'll help cut down on the cost, but you'll really need to look around for the cheaper places to eat, they are there but not always easy to find, especially for a visitor. Transportation to get around. Trains/subways are the easiest and cheapest. Stay away from the taxi's and you should do OK in this area. Fnu and entertainment, site seeing. Not sure what you would want to do but again this is Tokyo and it's not cheap. So that covers at least the basic, Food, Hotel, transpo, and fun. Figure out what you can live on for a day, that will give you an idea how many days you can afford to spend in Tokyo. Oh and don't forget to include money for airport departure taxes, and any other costs for things enroute to and from. If you make any stops to and from Tokyo such as Hong Kong or LA etc...Figuring out your budget is not easy but this will give you a starting point. Another piece of advice, keep in mind that you are a guest in another country, different laws and penalties. Even adults have a difficult time remembering this and they end up getting in trouble. Foreign jails and prisons are not a good place to end up. In Japan, the majority of crimes are committed by foreigners.
If you have any other question let me know. I think it's great that you are so young and are interested in the world, you should be, it's a great place out there. Don't get discouraged about the planning. To me it's fun planning, part of the adventure and excitement.
Good luck