Japan Trip Blog 2016
Date: 17 January - 29 January 2016
Places Visited: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
Budget: 2.8K all in.
It was a simple yes that began this adventure to the land of the rising sun. I agreed because I had started working full-time as a Marketing Executive and had some savings to spare. Besides that the aspect of visiting the Japan has been one of my goals in life which I have never thought I'll achieve that easily because whenever you think of Japan, one of the words that come in mind has to be "expensive", "好贵啊".
It was also that simple yes that brought me to a place with four seasons. I visited Japan in January which is during winter, in one of the months where temperature is around 10° to 12° highest and lowest was in the negatives.
We had to get winter items but we had no idea where to start. For starters I had Google what to get when you're visiting a place that has mild winter and the results were disappointing. Like nobody told me how many long john's you'd need, nobody told me that Heat-Tech from Uniqlo ain't that helpful in keeping warm after all, or how many layers you need to wear to keep warm? (I think this would be another post for me to cover!)
Next up: Japan Trip Planning: Air Tickets & Accommodation
Air Tickets
Also since we're mostly youngsters with no extra money to spare, we went on a moderate budget for this trip. One of the places that we spent the most was our air tickets. We booked SIA air tickets when it was on promotion so it was about $593 per person.
For accommodation wise, it was all booked using Airbnb and we had good memories staying in both the traditional and modern accommodation. I had to book like 4 accommodation for this trip and had some good experience with Airbnb. So here is some tips for you!
Tip 1 for Airbnb: Make use of the friend referral! It's like free marketing for Airbnb and discount for you!
Like for us, I created accounts for me and my mum on Airbnb and made use of the friend referral to get additional discounts for our bookings.
Tip 2 for Airbnb: Lookout for the Amenities section, if they are equipped with a washer (so you don't have to bring as much clothing) or if there is any lifts in building (you won't want to lug your heavy luggage up and down the stairs)
Grabbed from Airbnb.com from a random listing
Look out for what your Airbnb accommodation can offer you because many of our Airbnb accommodation comes with free wifi egg which is super useful but they do seems to be slightly slower than the one I rented from Changi Recommends. A perfect example was our last accommodation in Tokyo, which is the traditional Japanese house, where you might have to climb a flight of stairs to get to your bedroom. I didn't check carefully and suffered. It was the last 3 days in Japan and you can expect our luggage to be heavy. We had to climb the stairs with our luggage in tow. Not the good kind of exercise you need!
Tip 3 for Airbnb: Entire Apartment? Private Room? Shared Room?
Grabbed from Airbnb.com from a random listing
Tip 4 for Airbnb: Read and peruse the review section of each listing carefully. If your gut instincts says no then don't do it!
Grabbed from Airbnb.com from a random listing.
The only scare I had on this trip was my booking with my first accommodation in Tokyo. I selected it because it was cheap and near to this place called Hatsudai which is 1 stop away from Shinjuku. I read the reviews, he received some good and some bad like:
"Owner was not responsive"
"I was given the wrong address and couldn't contact him until I met him on the streets"
This should have rang bells in my head but I was sold by the price. Then it happened. 4 days before our flight to Tokyo, the owner flaked out on us, asking me if I can find another place because his listing was "suddenly" unsuitable for staying. I admit he was nice enough to inform us like 4 days before? But that does not change the fact that he flaked out on us! #AirbnbHorrorStories
Luckily Airbnb stepped in and it was fast. I called their number on the app which I think it leads to the HQ on 14 January. We talked to our case manager Violeta said she will cancel the reservation and offered to provide some listing available for booking, she followed up with an email in a few minutes and gave us discount code to book another listing. Thank the gods and the Airbnb Team for being so effective!
Tip 5 for Airbnb (Tokyo Only): Try and book those listings that are near to the subway, that is on the main lines which is the Tokyo Metro and Toei Metro to save you some trouble from tapping in and out.
Grabbed from Mapallovertheworld.com
We're so used to the Singaporean MRT lines, where you can hop and switch from red line to purple line easily but you will not be able to do so in Japan. Some subway will require you to walk a sizeable distance to get to another line.
Switching between private mrt line to the main ones is not a good suggestion because firstly it takes more time than you'd expect to walk from one station to another, extra money from your Icoca card or Pasmo card, and you might get lost in transit with your luggage in tow (Trust me, I've been there done that and you do not want to experience it).
Back to Japan Trip Planning: Travelling in Japan
- - Download this app called "NAVITIME" on App Store
- - Make sure to bookmark this helpful website called Subway Umka for Tokyo Metro to find out exactly which line and station are you on to plan routes.*Note that this only works for stations on the main lines*
- - Make sure to bookmark Hyperdia and un-check the following options to find the best route for you to travel if you're using the JRPass. *This is available on Google play for android users but it is not free!*
- - Airplane
- - Airport Shutter Bus
- - Nozomi/Mizuho/Hayabusa (SHINKANSEN)
- - Private Rail Way
- - Google Maps which is pretty easy to navigate and is self-explanatory
- - arukumachikyoto for Bus Transport in Kyoto
Subway Pass
I have mentioned the subway a lot in Tip 5 for Airbnb but it also applies for hotel and whatever that you are booking. But why specifically the subway? Well you can buy this 3 Day pass for subway in Tokyo in the airport, this will help you save money and with this you can reach most touristy places you want to go via subway.
For the 3 day pass, it was about ¥1500 which amounts to about ¥500 per day which you probably will max out if you're visiting at least 2 places in a day.
Credit: Picture from timeout.jp
In my opinion, it is simply much easier to navigate the metro lines because you won't have to worry about whether or not if it will stop and skip certain station, or if it will terminate at some station like the JR.
JRPass
Anyway let's do some math. According to Hyperdia, a one way trip from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station, which is about 2 hours would have cost you ¥ 14,110 for a normal reserved seat.
We travelled from Kyoto to Nara to and fro on the JR, which is about ¥ 1420.
Then from Kyoto to Osaka, it would have set you back ¥ 920 on the JR.
From Osaka back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen with a view of the Fuji? ¥ 15,020.
Total amount was about ¥ 31,470 and currency conversion by January standard which was about 1SGD to 81JPY, it would have set you back about $388SGD if you were to book all these separately. This amount does not include the miscellaneous transport we did on the JR in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo.
Considering that you can use the JR for unlimited time for a week and if you're planning a day trip to some small cities such as Nara or any places you can fit. This pass will be worth it. Nothing feels better than walking past the gates and casually waving the pass for transport on the JR.
Unless you can go without a confirmation that there is a seat for you and your luggage.
Kyoto 1 day City Bus Pass
Worth to note that the buses in Kyoto City vicinity have this flat fee of ¥ 200, no matter how long or how short your journey is. Thus if you're like us who go for quantity over quality,then get the bus pass. However the bus stops in Kyoto can be confusing, so use the Google maps and the Arukumachikyoto combination to find out which bus and bus stop you need to take.
Back to Japan Trip Planning: Expenses in Japan
Anyway here is a breakdown of what I've spent on airfare and accommodation for the trip. I spent only SGD $300+ for a place to sleep and call home for 12 days in Japan and I really think that I've saved a bunch of money thanks to Airbnb.
Airplane tickets : $593.20
Airbnb for Tokyo for 1 person: $98
Airbnb for Kyoto for 1 person : $104
Airbnb for Osaka for 1 person : $60
Airbnb for Tokyo for 1 person: $62
Wifi Egg : $104
Japan Rail Pass : $347
Japan Rail Pass : $347
I did not track my expenses when I'm on the road. Sorry! My wifi egg was about $8 per day, so I'm paying about $2 each day for good stable wifi. I bought about SGD $1.8k for my everyday livelihood there. I even had spare change back after buying tons of omiyage and beauty products.
Byebye!
