So, I got a passport for the first time and I'm seeing if I can make a trip to Japan happen.  I know a few people either live there or have a visited, so I'm looking for advice.  If someone wants to be very helpful I can be more direct in PM, but there is a lot of general things too.  Do you need to contact the Japanese embassy for a visa before going?  Is a credit card with a chip necessary?  As far as money goes, is AirBnB the best way to save money, and any tips on saving money on flights?  Any recommendations for places to go?

You can travel to Japan for 90 days without getting any kind of special visa - just go with your passport and you're good.  Chip isn't necessary in cards, and you'll find that Japan is still very much a cash based society.  They're starting to take cards at more places, but still vastly fewer places accept them than pretty much anywhere else in the first world.  I've never tried AirBnB in Japan, so I can't really answer that.  When I need accommodation or am making reservations for friends, I normally go with a chain called Toyoko Inn that's all over - they're business hotels with small, clean, cheap rooms. (http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/index.html)  For flights anymore I just go to flights.google.com and check a couple times a day for the dates I want.  Prices can vary drastically and I was watching flights with layovers running $1300-ish for months before I found ONE DAY (was back up the next day) a DIRECT flight for under $800.  It pays to be vigilant. 

As far as places to go, that depends entirely on what your interests are.  I usually take people who've never been to Tokyo for a few days, Nikko, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, and sometimes Hiroshima for a 9-10 day trip. 

Feel free to PM if you want more specifics or whatever!

Guess Adam never figured out why I couldn't send messages, since I'm guessing you never got anything.  So, I'm also wondering if anyone has recommendations on what to visit, and any notes of places that are more accommodating for tourists.  Also, with the site and all any recommendations on stores for soundtracks (I'm assuming I'll spend a bit of time in Akihabara) and then what kind of taxes/duties you pay on buying things there.  I'm also looking into finding a concert to go to, but so far it doesn't even seem like I can buy tickets online.

I remember hearing Super Potato is the ultimate place for soundtracks and all things video games?

I just came back from a 2.5 week trip to Japan. Here's my quick advice:

-If you go in the summer: Carry a small towel at all times. Also carry lots of water, drink up, and buy more at vending machines.

-Get a Suica card for the trains.

-You can get used and new game music CDs all over. I found them at Book Off, Tsutaya, Sofmap, Super Potato, Yodobashi Camera, BIC Camera, and Manga Souko.

-If you're into amiibo, you will find them at most of the above stores as well, but Yodobashi, BIC, and Sofmap are your best bets since they're huge. If you go to Akihabara, keep in mind that there are 10 different Sofmap stores in a two block radius, and you need to find the right ones for game music and games (these are not in the same store).

So, just got back from my trip and did a lot of hunting in Tokyo, and I've got my own advice if anyone else goes and wants to find soundtracks.

1.  You might find something in Akihabara, but you probably need to be lucky.  I found a number of places selling soundtracks there, but finding something worthwhile didn't really happen there.  I got the Contra Hardcorps and Lagrange Point Returns new at retail price there in a smaller shop on the strip, and I bought a couple used games but with it being "the place" also means it's kind of picked clean or way overpriced.

2.  Tsutaya is a waste of time.  I know Ryu has special releases through Tsutaya, Toranoana and Animate (both of which I popped in but didn't look around too much) but going into multiple Tsutaya stores some didn't have any music, while the bigger stores did... but it seemed like it was all rental.  I found one with a bin of music they were selling (none that was vgm), and maybe they had new releases for sale but yeah total waste of time.

3.  Book Off / Hard Off is awesome.  So, generally I don't think you find earthshattering deals, but the prices are usually good enough to warrant picking something up.  I probably went to most of the stores in Tokyo.  My best shopping day was in Ikebukuro (not just at the Book Off there).  I would definitely be checking in there all the time if I lived in Tokyo.  The one by Hikifune station, Shibuya and Shinjuku were all also worthwhile.

4.  Mandarake wasn't mentioned but is definitely worth checking out.  Even moreso than the one in Akihabara, the Mandarake in Nakano takes up a lot of a mall there and covers pretty much everything.  I ended up not getting it, but they had the soundtrack for Yuke! Yuke! Troublemakers for 8000 yen (I think sealed, but also a sample copy).  They also had Konami GM Hits Factory II and a few other vintage albums.

5. Super Potato in Ikebukuro was better as well for soundtracks, but both have high prices on games.

6. Department stores like the aforementioned BIC Camera and Sofmap only seemed to have popular new release titles at retail price.

I feel like I only scratched the surface visiting, and wish I had had a contact out there to show me around to some places I might not discover on my own, but still I had a good time just finally getting to go.

Glad you found a bunch of stuff!  I did get a message from you and replied, but maybe that never went through.  Some of my comments on your comments:

2. Tsutaya IS primarily a rental place - if I remember correctly the ones that sell used stuff as well are Tsutaya/Book Ace.  The Shibuya Tsutaya is the only one I can think of that sells games and music (in the basement - it's the place right across the big crazy crossing thing).  It might only have new soundtracks, though, even though they have used games.

4. Mandarake is, in fact, super awesome - my favorite is the one in Shibuya because it has so much PERSONALITY.  You go down two floors into the basement of this building through a stairway designed to look like a cave and find yourself in a dark, weird wonderland of nerd stuff.  Still a decent CD selection too.

5. I did not know there was a Super Potato in Ikebukuro!  The one in Tokyo has an awful soundtrack selection compared to even a year ago, so I'll have to check that out next time I'm there.

Yea, I did get the message but not in time to respond before leaving.  I kept myself off email while on vacation, but I do appreciate the info you had given before.  I really kind of did the trip last minute... my vacation days had been picked but I hadn't made plans, and rather than a repeat of last year where I didn't go anywhere I set things up without a ton of planning and hoped for the best.

So what is the overall cost? Thinking of going next year and want to start planning now. I had planned to go in a few months but my job crushed that plan.

Well, if you're diligent like Joe said and can snag a deal maybe you can get a flight for under a grand, otherwise normally it's in the 1300~1400 range.  On the plane back someone told me about the couchsurfing website, and maybe it's worth checking out for experience and to save on cost, next tier up might be a hostel or capsule hotel, but I stayed in a nice albeit small hotel with breakfast included for about $130 a night (which isn't too bad when you consider NYC is like $300 a night in Manhattan for a similarly sized room but no breakfast).  Figure in about $5~10 a day for subway riding depending how much you do.  You can get a very filling meal for $10 or less, though you might want to splurge some to get really good sushi   If you're outside Tokyo costs might be cheaper, but I can only speak to my experience.

To figure out the costs, you simply need to make your own calculations, because everyone is so different. My first time in Japan was three months and I used about 4000 euros (the EUR/JPY exchange rate was the same as now, but 4000 euros was more than 5000 US then, now it's 4500 US).

That included flights (750€), one month in language school in Tokyo (800€), three-week JR Rail Pass (500€?), all food and accommodation (though I only paid for maybe 10 nights, otherwise I volunteered via WWOOF or stayed at a family I got acquainted with). I don't drink, smoke or buy anything. I went to one VGM concert and one non-VGM music festival.

On the other hand, my friend needs 3000-4000€ for a two-week trip, because he buys so much stuff and packs two suitcases full of it when he returns home.

www.japan-guide.com is the best site for detailed travel info in Japan, I used to browse it hours on end every night for weeks or months before my first trip.