If you're coming to Japan to visit (which I think anyone should do before they decide to move here and teach -- it's good to know what to expect before you commit) the best way to see the country is to buy a Japan Rail Pass. They can't be bought in Japan, so you have to purchase one in your home country before you arrive. It may seem expensive when you're buying it in your own country, but it's dirt cheap compared to the train tickets you buy in Japan. You will honestly pay off the entire ticket with only three or four rides. Traveling by Shinkansen costs a fortune without the JR Rail Pass. You really need it if you're going to see more than one city in Japan.

I went to Japan for two weeks last March. I planned to travel and visit friends, but also to see if it would be somewhere I'd want to live and earn money to pay off my student loans. My cousin surprised me by setting up a job interview for me and I was hired to teach ESL in Tokyo for a one-year contract. During my time in Japan, I spent time in Tokyo visiting my cousin and some other friends. I also went to Hiroshima to visit a friend, and visited Kobe, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto alone for a short time. I don't recommend doing what I did, going to all these places in only two weeks, but I could only get two weeks off work at the time. If you can, try to take at least a month and really get to see more and get used to everything.

When you enter Japan with your rail pass voucher you bought in your home country, you show the voucher at a special office, and they'll give you the Rail Pass and get it validated. The prices vary, but usually it's Y44,200 (around 420 dollars)for two weeks. A single ticket Tokyo-Kyoto would cost about Y13000 (120 dollars) one way so you can see how travel adds up.

You can use it on the express trains to the Tokyo and Osaka airports, you save the time and effort of buying single tickets at machines you can't really read, you can walk through all the barriers serviced by Japan Rail. You can also get around in Tokyo with Japan Rail instead of the subway, and it is even valid on some ships that are operated by JR (Myajima is accessible by JR). There are passes now for West Japan only, for single days, and so on. I could only afford a one-week pass, so basically I spent the first week in Tokyo with family and friends and the last week traveling around alone. It was really neat, and the trains are really clean, prompt, and have great scenery. I found this video of Japan trail travel and really enjoyed the video and the song, "Perfect Bird" by Hexstatic.

You get JR Rail passes from travel agents in your home country, and their prices vary, so check for up-to-date information. Also, buy the pass at least ten days before you leave for Japan. Otherwise you'll have to "rush" the process, which costs extra. I suggest you buy the album "The Lemon of Pink" by The Books and listen to it on the JR Shinkansen trains while you travel. That's what I did.