Our Impromptu Trip to Japan, Tokyo
Ladies& gentleman,
The Plan
As mentioned above, we only had limited times and have to work with constraints. I was preparing for my mid terms so Ernest was the main planner. Thankfully he got things under control even as I was giving him my opinions and feedback. Below is our plan in concise manner.
There was no particular reasons why we chose these places to stay when we booked them. We just took the leap of faith.
There are several things to do before flying, after purchasing on tickets.
1. To have a general planned itinerary and decide on accommodations.
2. To buy SIM Card & Disneysea Tickets in SG
3. To install applications which will assists the trip to Japan.
Point 1 will be covered throughout this post.
As for point 2, the SIM card was purchased via HappySimCard, contacts can be found if you do a search through HardwareZone. It was the cheapest available in SG. Of course, you can purchase it after you have settled down in Japan, but to purchase it in SG allows us to use whichever app we required without any other consideration.
Make sure you purchase your Disneysea/ Disneyland Tickets on Carousell. I bought mine at $53/ adult for a one day pass, which is so much cheaper as compared to elsewhere! The only cons will be to request your hotel to print it out for you, at extra cost.
As for point 3, I have concluded that the only applications I needed are Google Translate and Google Map. Make sure you installed your Japanese Language in your phone before flying off! It helps a lot when I was shopping around in Tokyo, as I would type my request in English and Google will do it's job. The Japanese will then read off my phone screen and if any further communications are needed, they can always use the voice function.
Dawn is back in Blogger.
I have been always here but work and school has hindered my progress with a blog post ever since my last post. ):
Anyways, I will first hop to this guide for Japan, Tokyo.
It's my 2nd time in Japan. My first trip in Japan was proudly sponsored by Japan Government, more details of the collaboration of first trip can be found here (no details of itinerary).
Back to Our Japan Trip, this trip was a pretty impromptu one. I have been saving links for Tokyo so you can see my big huge urge to fly there. There were several uncertainties that we had to confirm before we (my boyfriend and I) could book our tickets so... we only booked it one week 9 days before our trip :D
Yeah, I know what's on your mind. So let me answer& hopefully able to guide you in the following paragraphs.
Air Ticket
Japan wasn't our must go destination. We were not settling on anything because it was impromptu. We know that we had that amount of time and anywhere that fits the bill- we will take it.
We managed to look through Skyscanner & Zuji and decided that Japan was the best option.
Why? Simply because JAL seats were going at SGD $1,312.20, to and fro for 2 pax; ($656.10/pax) incl taxes etc.
What we had on our option lists (prices for to& fro):
Malaysia Airline --> Japan $361
Scoot --> Taipei $262 + 235
Thai Lion Air --> BKK $137
We consolidated the options and chose JAL. I could have taken MAS but .. we took JAL (it wasn't something that I could negotiate, really).
That saying, we thought that the prices for air ticket purchased on 14Jun16 for a 23Jun16 trip was just surprising good! It was pure luck that prices weren't sky rocket high.
The Plan
As mentioned above, we only had limited times and have to work with constraints. I was preparing for my mid terms so Ernest was the main planner. Thankfully he got things under control even as I was giving him my opinions and feedback. Below is our plan in concise manner.
There was no particular reasons why we chose these places to stay when we booked them. We just took the leap of faith.
There are several things to do before flying, after purchasing on tickets.
1. To have a general planned itinerary and decide on accommodations.
2. To buy SIM Card & Disneysea Tickets in SG
3. To install applications which will assists the trip to Japan.
Point 1 will be covered throughout this post.
As for point 2, the SIM card was purchased via HappySimCard, contacts can be found if you do a search through HardwareZone. It was the cheapest available in SG. Of course, you can purchase it after you have settled down in Japan, but to purchase it in SG allows us to use whichever app we required without any other consideration.
Make sure you purchase your Disneysea/ Disneyland Tickets on Carousell. I bought mine at $53/ adult for a one day pass, which is so much cheaper as compared to elsewhere! The only cons will be to request your hotel to print it out for you, at extra cost.
As for point 3, I have concluded that the only applications I needed are Google Translate and Google Map. Make sure you installed your Japanese Language in your phone before flying off! It helps a lot when I was shopping around in Tokyo, as I would type my request in English and Google will do it's job. The Japanese will then read off my phone screen and if any further communications are needed, they can always use the voice function.
Accommodation
Hotels in Japan starts from $130 approximately. Airbnb starts from as low as $20. Well, I wanted Airbnb while the sane adviser thought hotel was more spacious so we settled on 3 nights in Airbnb and 3 nights in hotel.
We ended up booking Airbnb, Kita-ku/ Akabane @ SGD$156 for 3 nights and Hotel Francs @ ¥24,600/ SGD $329 for 3 nights.
Review on Airbnb:
Our airbnb was approximate 4 bus stations away from Akabane Metro Station. A trip will cost ¥230/ SGD $3, so that means an expenditure of SGD $6 minimally. Though so, we preferred our
Airbnb as compared to Hotel Francs.
Akabane Metro Station was a good neighborhood which has supermarket at walk-able distances. There were a lot of food around to nom and try. It was just a few metro station away to other tourists areas.
If you have yet to sign up for any Airbnb account, here's SGD $40 for you to start upon!
We ended up booking Airbnb, Kita-ku/ Akabane @ SGD$156 for 3 nights and Hotel Francs @ ¥24,600/ SGD $329 for 3 nights.
Review on Airbnb:
Our
room was considered big for a room in Japan. The area was sufficient for our
luggage and bags to be placed on the floor and both of us to sit around. The
bed was comfy, really comfy. The toilets and bathing/washing up areas are split
up. It's shared among with others. No complaints with the rest, except for the
bathing areas. There weren't any hangers for me to put away/ hang my clothes so
I got my kind boyfriend to coordinate with me: to take away my dirty clothes
and to come back with my clean clothes after aprx 15 minutes. Ernest, on the
other hand, was army trained and all good for him (I have absolutely no idea
how he did it). There were also hair dryer and washing machines provided.
The
best thing about this Airbnb is their kitchen! I know several other airbnb with
stoves, microwave and fridges for their occupants but we shouldn't take this
for granted! It felt like home because there was dining table, forks/ knifes/
spoons/plates/bowls readily available. It was so convenient because we were
able to buy cakes and food back home and nom it in the midnight. Remember to
wash your dishes after you're done because nobody owes you a living, thou you
are paying to stay there.
Our airbnb was approximate 4 bus stations away from Akabane Metro Station. A trip will cost ¥230/ SGD $3, so that means an expenditure of SGD $6 minimally. Though so, we preferred our
Airbnb as compared to Hotel Francs.
Akabane Metro Station was a good neighborhood which has supermarket at walk-able distances. There were a lot of food around to nom and try. It was just a few metro station away to other tourists areas.
If you have yet to sign up for any Airbnb account, here's SGD $40 for you to start upon!
Review on Hotel Francs:
This hotel is located at Chiba. The one big reason why we booked this hotel was for it's transportation available to Narita Airport for 1000 yen/ adult. We anticipated that, with my shopaholic habits, we would require a proper transportation (one that doesn't require several hops from station to station) back to airport. Also, we needed a hotel that will allow us to reach Tokyo Disneysea early!
The area of our room was smaller as compared to our Airbnb, such that we could only have 1 luggage open at one time. Oh! The washroom had bathtub! There's not much raves about this hotel, except that it's near a outlet store (5 minutes walk). Well, I think it's not a bad choice, considering the price we paid.
Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrived @ Tokyo's Narita Airport > Access Narita Bus to Tokyo Station > Head to Akabane > Airbnb > (Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro)
Tokyo's Narita Airport:
To travel out of Narita Airport will cost a bomb if you didn't research well enough. We chose to take the bus route available (Acess Narita/ Tokyo Shuttle) at the Bus Station @ 1000 yen/ adult. To read more about these, you may refer to here and here. You can head to the Tourist Information Counter @ the airport to check with them the bus arrival time or refer to this website. You need to walk to Bus Station 2 or 19 to take the bus!
Day 2:
Tsukiji Fish Market > Sensoji Temple > Ueno Ameyoko > Shinjuku > Airbnb
Tsukiji Fish Market:
If you're visiting Tokyo the first time, there might be really excited for Tsukiji Fish Market. That's fine, totally, but you really don't have to wake up at 4am for the auction. Really, you don't. Watch this video to know what you're heading for and read this to understand the dilemma you might face if you still wants to.
This place might be famous of their Fish Market, but don't skip their Tamago! The best I have lived to eat. Oh, for the ever famous Ramen Shop? We tried but it didn't suit our tastes. It had the yellow mian's aftertaste, if you understand what I mean ):
Remember that in Japan, 500 yen coin costs aprx $7.50. I walked into the market, saw a oyster and just paid for it with 500 yen without a second thought, realizing that I have overpaid after a few steps after. There are a lot of stores selling similar items/ seafood so walk around if you're not rushing. Same goes for sashimi stores!
Read this for a summary of must noms in the Tsukiji Fish Market.
Sensoji Temple:
Personally, I think this is a must go. I was looking forward to see how the Goddess of Mercy might differ in Japan. (Pardon my silly thoughts). It wasn't much different. There were several groups of people that got mesmerized with the smoke and smell of the burning incense sticks, which was driving me nuts. We prayed with our hands instead of incense sticks, but remember to wash your hands and feet at a washing/ cleansing point dedicated for this purpose.
Ueno Ameyoko:
Okay. If there's only one place that you should you head for snacks shopping, it's here. I'm not even kidding guys. Don't even bother heading to airport to get your snacks (unless you can't get it here). No other description. I even forced Ernest to head back to this area when we were at Chiba on our 4th day. I couldn't force myself to pay for those overpriced snacks out of this area.
Oh! If you don't mind out of season sports wear, you should also head over because there's so many stores that sells discounted items from Adidas/ Nike/ etc.
Find Niki no Kashi 二木の菓子 for snacks as they sell almost half price cheaper! They have other locations available here but I went to the one at Ueno Station. Like I have mentioned, get your snacks here and claim your tax-free directly from the shop.
Day 3:
Shinjuku Station > Day Trip to Mt Fuji & Peach Buffet > Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office > Shinjuku > Airbnb
Day Trip to Mt Fuji & Peach Buffet:
Ernest and myself love peaches (who doesn't!) so I decided to hunt around for peaches buffet! I stumbled upon this website which features a lot of local trips all around Japan!
We paid a total of 21,800JPY for both of us and it includes transportation from Shinjuku Washington Hotel to the other several sites, including: Mt Fuji 5th Station, Miharashi-tei, Lake Kawaguchi, Kawaguchi-kohan Station (Ropeway Cable Car to Fujimidai Station), Kawaguchi-kohan Station, Misaka Farm (for peach buffet), Chateau Katsunuma (for wine purchase) & finally back to Shinjuku.
This is really an fruitful & eventful day. The most satisfying one too. The peaches were great, lunch wasn't that fantastic, but it's alright. If you ever go on the trip, just be warned that you have to follow the flow because the tour will be explained only in Japanese, but main events such as lunch or next destination will be communicated in English. Oh! Bring extra coat for Mt Fuji 5th station because the wind were literally blowing me away. It was super cold up on 5th station thou Tokyo was hot.
Purchase the fruit jellies from Misaka Farm because it's the cheapest of them all. Don't be afraid to purchase the wine from Chateau Katsunuma because it's really good!! Love the tour, love that particular day. <3
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office:
There was a queue to head upon the 45th floor to get the magnificent view of Tokyo. So what can you view from up there? Read here for the details. :D
Day 4:
Check out from Airbnb > Check in @ Hotel Francs (Chiba) > Self Exploration > Harajuku > Ueno Ameyoko
Okay I have to admit, we didn't planned from this day onward. We failed for the self exploration part at Chiba. There were too little tourist attractions/ malls. We headed back to Tokyo (extra expenditures here for the travel). Decided to head for Harajuku! Hohoho. The place where we got Pablo & Calbee instant chips! Calbee was too salty for our taste. Also, head for Lobster Roll!! By the time we walked to the Lobster Roll area, it was already sold out. Ernest is still so very upset till date.
Day 5:
DISNEYSEA.
Before flying, make sure you purchase your Disneysea/ Disneyland Tickets on Carousell. I bought mine at $53/ adult for a one day pass, which is so much cheaper as compared to elsewhere! The only cons is, you have to get your hotel to print it out for you. Though so, the hassle is worth it!! Also, check out the Tokyo Disneysea Crowd Forecast here to make sure you don't have to squeeze with the crowd. Their locals love their Disney so you won't be squeezing with tourists but also locals too!
Follow this website closely. We read through that blog and followed it. We saved so much time!
Do consider spending more and buy the food in there! We went for Sailing Day Buffet for lunch and it was great! The popcorn bucket were so pretty, Ernest told me that if I really want those, just go ahead and purchase them. He didn't bear to stop me from purchasing those loveeeees.
Day 6:
Pack Up > Outlet Store > Narita Airport > Back Home
Mehhhh. We woke up late on this day because there were really nothing on the plan, other than leaving Chiba at 3pm with our arranged transportation from Hotel Francs for Narita Airport.
Outlet Store:
The outlet store, 5 minutes away from us, had a large number of brands which aren't exactly a lot cheaper but we got a pair of New Balance each.
Narita Airport:
Head for the sashimi restaurant here, which states traditional sushi store! Fantastic taste, just the right way we wanted to end our trip.
We checked in our luggage and that's the moment I realized, you can literally tear your tax-free packages apart and pack them in a more organised way. The tax-free receipts stapled onto your wallet will be removed by you, and you will have to put them into a box before you get your passport stamped into the departure hall.
As mentioned above, the snacks at the departure hall were more expensive but we had to grab some last minute stuffs and requests for our friends/ relatives here.
Oh! If you haven't, sign up for your air-frov account here to get SGD$10 credit! You can help other requester to purchase items when you're travelling or you can request for travelers to purchase items for you from overseas!
In case you guys are wondering why there isn't any pictures here, I promise to upload them on a later date! This post is meant to be concise information for quick tips reference. As usual, I will edit the post as accordingly if I happen to remember more but for now, bye guys!
Oh! I'm currently planning for my trip to Taiwan so, it might take a while!
& thank you for your support! (:
This hotel is located at Chiba. The one big reason why we booked this hotel was for it's transportation available to Narita Airport for 1000 yen/ adult. We anticipated that, with my shopaholic habits, we would require a proper transportation (one that doesn't require several hops from station to station) back to airport. Also, we needed a hotel that will allow us to reach Tokyo Disneysea early!
The area of our room was smaller as compared to our Airbnb, such that we could only have 1 luggage open at one time. Oh! The washroom had bathtub! There's not much raves about this hotel, except that it's near a outlet store (5 minutes walk). Well, I think it's not a bad choice, considering the price we paid.
Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrived @ Tokyo's Narita Airport > Access Narita Bus to Tokyo Station > Head to Akabane > Airbnb > (Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro)
Tokyo's Narita Airport:
To travel out of Narita Airport will cost a bomb if you didn't research well enough. We chose to take the bus route available (Acess Narita/ Tokyo Shuttle) at the Bus Station @ 1000 yen/ adult. To read more about these, you may refer to here and here. You can head to the Tourist Information Counter @ the airport to check with them the bus arrival time or refer to this website. You need to walk to Bus Station 2 or 19 to take the bus!
Day 2:
Tsukiji Fish Market > Sensoji Temple > Ueno Ameyoko > Shinjuku > Airbnb
Tsukiji Fish Market:
If you're visiting Tokyo the first time, there might be really excited for Tsukiji Fish Market. That's fine, totally, but you really don't have to wake up at 4am for the auction. Really, you don't. Watch this video to know what you're heading for and read this to understand the dilemma you might face if you still wants to.
This place might be famous of their Fish Market, but don't skip their Tamago! The best I have lived to eat. Oh, for the ever famous Ramen Shop? We tried but it didn't suit our tastes. It had the yellow mian's aftertaste, if you understand what I mean ):
Remember that in Japan, 500 yen coin costs aprx $7.50. I walked into the market, saw a oyster and just paid for it with 500 yen without a second thought, realizing that I have overpaid after a few steps after. There are a lot of stores selling similar items/ seafood so walk around if you're not rushing. Same goes for sashimi stores!
Read this for a summary of must noms in the Tsukiji Fish Market.
Sensoji Temple:
Personally, I think this is a must go. I was looking forward to see how the Goddess of Mercy might differ in Japan. (Pardon my silly thoughts). It wasn't much different. There were several groups of people that got mesmerized with the smoke and smell of the burning incense sticks, which was driving me nuts. We prayed with our hands instead of incense sticks, but remember to wash your hands and feet at a washing/ cleansing point dedicated for this purpose.
Also, taking a picture at the main entrance will do, I honestly think it's not very nice to capture any holy places or figures in a photo.
Don't skip the fortune telling. It's famous for it's accurate telling. There's instructions available in English& Chinese. If there's no particular questions you have, you might consider to ask how will you be for this year, maybe? If it's a good lot, you can keep it. If it's bad, there's a place for you to tie the bad lots and keep it at the temple.
Remember it's just a paper at the end of the day. If it's bad, work harder in life. If it's good, don't be complacent! (:
Don't skip the fortune telling. It's famous for it's accurate telling. There's instructions available in English& Chinese. If there's no particular questions you have, you might consider to ask how will you be for this year, maybe? If it's a good lot, you can keep it. If it's bad, there's a place for you to tie the bad lots and keep it at the temple.
Remember it's just a paper at the end of the day. If it's bad, work harder in life. If it's good, don't be complacent! (:
Ueno Ameyoko:
Okay. If there's only one place that you should you head for snacks shopping, it's here. I'm not even kidding guys. Don't even bother heading to airport to get your snacks (unless you can't get it here). No other description. I even forced Ernest to head back to this area when we were at Chiba on our 4th day. I couldn't force myself to pay for those overpriced snacks out of this area.
Oh! If you don't mind out of season sports wear, you should also head over because there's so many stores that sells discounted items from Adidas/ Nike/ etc.
Find Niki no Kashi 二木の菓子 for snacks as they sell almost half price cheaper! They have other locations available here but I went to the one at Ueno Station. Like I have mentioned, get your snacks here and claim your tax-free directly from the shop.
Day 3:
Shinjuku Station > Day Trip to Mt Fuji & Peach Buffet > Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office > Shinjuku > Airbnb
Day Trip to Mt Fuji & Peach Buffet:
Ernest and myself love peaches (who doesn't!) so I decided to hunt around for peaches buffet! I stumbled upon this website which features a lot of local trips all around Japan!
We paid a total of 21,800JPY for both of us and it includes transportation from Shinjuku Washington Hotel to the other several sites, including: Mt Fuji 5th Station, Miharashi-tei, Lake Kawaguchi, Kawaguchi-kohan Station (Ropeway Cable Car to Fujimidai Station), Kawaguchi-kohan Station, Misaka Farm (for peach buffet), Chateau Katsunuma (for wine purchase) & finally back to Shinjuku.
This is really an fruitful & eventful day. The most satisfying one too. The peaches were great, lunch wasn't that fantastic, but it's alright. If you ever go on the trip, just be warned that you have to follow the flow because the tour will be explained only in Japanese, but main events such as lunch or next destination will be communicated in English. Oh! Bring extra coat for Mt Fuji 5th station because the wind were literally blowing me away. It was super cold up on 5th station thou Tokyo was hot.
Purchase the fruit jellies from Misaka Farm because it's the cheapest of them all. Don't be afraid to purchase the wine from Chateau Katsunuma because it's really good!! Love the tour, love that particular day. <3
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office:
There was a queue to head upon the 45th floor to get the magnificent view of Tokyo. So what can you view from up there? Read here for the details. :D
Day 4:
Check out from Airbnb > Check in @ Hotel Francs (Chiba) > Self Exploration > Harajuku > Ueno Ameyoko
Okay I have to admit, we didn't planned from this day onward. We failed for the self exploration part at Chiba. There were too little tourist attractions/ malls. We headed back to Tokyo (extra expenditures here for the travel). Decided to head for Harajuku! Hohoho. The place where we got Pablo & Calbee instant chips! Calbee was too salty for our taste. Also, head for Lobster Roll!! By the time we walked to the Lobster Roll area, it was already sold out. Ernest is still so very upset till date.
Day 5:
DISNEYSEA.
Before flying, make sure you purchase your Disneysea/ Disneyland Tickets on Carousell. I bought mine at $53/ adult for a one day pass, which is so much cheaper as compared to elsewhere! The only cons is, you have to get your hotel to print it out for you. Though so, the hassle is worth it!! Also, check out the Tokyo Disneysea Crowd Forecast here to make sure you don't have to squeeze with the crowd. Their locals love their Disney so you won't be squeezing with tourists but also locals too!
Follow this website closely. We read through that blog and followed it. We saved so much time!
Do consider spending more and buy the food in there! We went for Sailing Day Buffet for lunch and it was great! The popcorn bucket were so pretty, Ernest told me that if I really want those, just go ahead and purchase them. He didn't bear to stop me from purchasing those loveeeees.
Day 6:
Pack Up > Outlet Store > Narita Airport > Back Home
Mehhhh. We woke up late on this day because there were really nothing on the plan, other than leaving Chiba at 3pm with our arranged transportation from Hotel Francs for Narita Airport.
Outlet Store:
The outlet store, 5 minutes away from us, had a large number of brands which aren't exactly a lot cheaper but we got a pair of New Balance each.
Narita Airport:
Head for the sashimi restaurant here, which states traditional sushi store! Fantastic taste, just the right way we wanted to end our trip.
We checked in our luggage and that's the moment I realized, you can literally tear your tax-free packages apart and pack them in a more organised way. The tax-free receipts stapled onto your wallet will be removed by you, and you will have to put them into a box before you get your passport stamped into the departure hall.
As mentioned above, the snacks at the departure hall were more expensive but we had to grab some last minute stuffs and requests for our friends/ relatives here.
Oh! If you haven't, sign up for your air-frov account here to get SGD$10 credit! You can help other requester to purchase items when you're travelling or you can request for travelers to purchase items for you from overseas!
In case you guys are wondering why there isn't any pictures here, I promise to upload them on a later date! This post is meant to be concise information for quick tips reference. As usual, I will edit the post as accordingly if I happen to remember more but for now, bye guys!
Oh! I'm currently planning for my trip to Taiwan so, it might take a while!
& thank you for your support! (:
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