Thread: Tokyo to Takayama

If you go to Hong Kong, and then overland through China to Vietnam, you will need a double entry China visa. For Qu (2) - I did that route going north last year, but no reason why you can't do it going south. On your itinerary it would make more sense going south. Visa length - either you will need to get a long visa - 60 days, or you will need to extend it when in China, or you will have to exit China (to HK) and then re-enter to start a...

Why not call the Mongolian embassy in Beijing so you can find out for certain? It was reportedly closed for the H1N1 influenza but the peak of that epidemic has passed. Ruth

Hey, Moderator person, can we move this to the top and stick it or make it part of a FAQ? thank you.

Bus is quicker than the train!

You will need a tour guide to enter any "religious sites", e.g. the Potala, Drepung (especially Drepung!!), Sera, Jokhang etc... some can be quite easy to go without any tour guide, but better not to go to the Drepung Monastery without one...

That'll teach me to go to work!! Missed all the fun.

Obviously there's no advantage to the average expat, other than the fact the site is in English (though that's no reason to pay the extra charge of over RMB100. However, for tourists who want to guarantee tickets, and don't want to mess around with the whole system upon arrival, an extra $13-20 probably isn't a big deal. If you aren't under a time crunch, I'd still think it best to buy tickets upon arrival, or...

Lucky you found a guy who managed to smuggle his in, OP. Must have been terrible walking around Chengdu for two whole days without a guide book. How did you survive? I feel for you.

You can walk around Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City is closed when you arrive. But you have time to have a dinner at Quanjude(Beijing Duck). Then you can walk round Chang'an street and take a taxi to Wangfujing. Then go to your hotel.

I have not been overwhelmed by the art gallery scene in Tokyo, although I haven't ever specifically looked for printmaking galleries.