hello,
Just wanted to say hello to everyone and a Happy New year im new to this forum and I writing this in hopes the filmmaker of thejapanchannel videos would respond to thread or anyone who could answer my questions.
i am seriously planning a trip for japan, however before I do, I have a few friends who would love to travel with me but there a few things on my mind.
Questions such as
-Best time to travel to japan summer, fall, winter, spring? ?
-Best deals? travel packages?-where to look for them?
-Best places to visit while there? Fuji? tokyodome for a wrestling show?

my main question is if I had to go alone would I be able to "survive" without speaking the language and still have a good time?
or is it highly recommended to travel with a group or at least one person who is fluent in japanese?
Well I eagerly look forward to you response. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely Albert

Hello

When is the best time to come will depend on what you want to do and where you want to go here..
How long are you planning on being here?

If you cant speak Japanese you will be pretty limited where you will able to go and what you will be able to do...
I would strongly recommend traveling with someone who can speak Japanese!

I plan to go for 2 weeks and hopefully see the cherry blossoms. Been told that is an awesome sight to see. I dont know about that. If someone can verify that would be awesome.
truly my friends want to go check out the Sumos, japan wrestling events, martial arts display, topsecret japan racing company,
and just do some shopping for gifts. I definately want a kimono for my girlfriend.
Any info would definately be appreciated.

Just something else I realized, but do they have a service travel guide? im sure they do as they do in most countries.
Someone who could greet us as soon as we arrived, show us the popular tourist spots, could help us with checking in hotels, transportation, and crossing over the language barrier.
Any company or service of this nature that is highly recommended?

Cherry Blossoms usually bloom in April and they last about one week.. it varies when they bloom depending on the weather so it will be a bit of a gamble..

There are some volunteers in some cities who help tourists.. but Japan is not really geared for tourism (I have never seen a tour bus of foreigners, for example).

Martial arts displays... they usually only do "displays" at festivals and so on.. but you have a pretty good chance of seeing sumo in Tokyo..

Buying a kimono is very kind of you!
You might find a cheap one for $2,000 if you shop around

sumos are a must in schedule. Sucks they are no real tourist guides that could really help Pressure is on to find someone versed in japanese language and culture to help me and my friedns get around.
A kimono would be awesome for her. I just want to find a green one for her!