Planes, trains and automobiles.

I'd sorted out my flight (kind of must!). Ill be honest. I have gone with Virgin. Yes, it wasn't the cheapest flight, but I flew with them when I went to Tobago. I know that they're comfortable and do provide a good service (and free drinks :-P ). 12 hours is a long time to spend in a confined space. I get air miles as well. That being said, I won't actually be travelling on a Virgin plane. I'm flying with All Nippon Airways which is a Japanese airline. I can't say I mind as I did a bit of research (basically looked at their website :-D ) and 1. you get get a choice of either a Japanese or Western meal and 2. the seats look cosy. I'm easily pleased. My rationale for being happy about the meal Id that it will gently guide me into Japanese cuisine. That is such a lame excuse, I know. To be honest, I think it's the snob side of  me. And the fact that I like to stick with what I know.

This was the countdown when in took the photo a few days ago, but you get the idea. :-) 

I initially thought that this was a dilemma then I thought that I was being a bit dramatic. I needed to sort out my means of transport while I was in Japan.

I want to have the freedom to travel wherever I want, but I know that that'll be quite costly. I don't want to be confined to just going from Osaka to Kyoto to Tokyo.
It probably seems like a waste of money to book a hotel and then decide to go somewhere else and pay more money. Nevertheless I like have the option as well as the peace of mind knowing that I still have accommodation.

That being said... JAPAN RAIL PASS!!!!

Rail pass which I exchange for a proper train ticket. :-) 

You can only buy this outside Japan, then you take it with you and exchange it. Make sure you check prices because a couple of website have different prices and some charge you for postage. Mine was free and it was FedEx'd to me from France less than a week after I bought it. Another word of warning: make sure you find an authentic website. If you go to reputable Japanese websites like Japan centre they have a link at the bottom of the page for Japan Rail Pass. Admittedly, I got my pass from Japan Rail Pass by Japan Experience because it was cheaper, but when I looked at this website today, it looks like the price has gone up by £17. So shop around and make sure you look at p&p as well. :-)