This page consists of a bunch of notes on travel. Some of these are generally useful, some of these are pretty personal.
JR Pass
The JR pass is a small holographed booklet that allows you to travel throughout Japan on virtually every JR train for free. It does NOT get you access into the metropolitan subway systems (ex Tokyo's subway) or on the Keisei Line trains. It also does not get you on the higher speed shinkansen lines.
In 2005, when I first went to Japan, my JR Pass ended up being $420 for a 2 week pass. I ended up using it only in Tokyo, but the ease in using it (you show your pass to the attendant, rather than trying to navigate the train system yourself) made up for its price. The second time I went, the price had gone up and the US Dollar had fallen, making it cost a little over $500. Shinkansen trips to Osaka/Kyoto and back and a Shinkansen trip to Nikko still put me out ahead.
Currently, the JR pass is 61200 JPY, or almost $720 for 14 days. It's hard to justify paying such an expense (US $50 per day) as you'd spend most of your times on trains. Even today, the most expensive trip on the Yamanote line is around 250JPY, which makes most round trips in Tokyo less than US $6.
Portuguese Consulate in NYC
The consulate is located on 590 5th avenue, 4th floor; 5th avenue between 47th & 48th street.
My contact there has been Anna Cruz, whose extension is Ex Two Two Six. The consulate's phone number is 212.221.3165.
International Drivers Permit
An IDP is basically a translation of your own license information into 10 different languages. It's accepted all over the world, but required in very few places. It's only ever good for a year, so it shouldn't be something you get too far ahead of time.
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