Yeah, communication will be tough. Though I have a few friends around Tokyo I'm hoping to see at some point. I've been learning basic Japanese, so in the worst case scenario I can at least order food. I was surprised to find that airfare to Tokyo has lessened quite a bit in the last few years. I looked a while back and most tickets throughout the year from NYC were no less than $1800. I managed to get a direct, round-trip flight through Delta for $900. I was also surprised to find some nice hotels to stay at, I've only spent $400 on accommodation for the entire trip. Really quite something, when you can find a nice place for $45 a night and then a nicer one (towards the end of the trip) for $70 a night. Most places where I grew in Tennessee costing that would mean meth addicts and bed bugs
Still figuring out the trip to Kyoto. The Shinkansen trains seem to be quite expensive – a round trip nearing $200. Not sure if I can afford that... wondering if I should just find some places closer to Tokyo that I can take a normal train to that are similar. Lots of research for this trip... I'm finding planning is key to make it affordable and worthwhile.
Of course most of my trip will be spent taking photos, eating food, drinking, and visiting some friends that run fashion boutiques in Harajuku and Shibuya. Trying to make it a visual research trip, since lately I've been feeling a little creatively tapped out with my graphic design work.