Japan Trip...
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hi all, I'm planning to go Japan next January.. so far I have no friends could provide me some valuable information about Japan trip as they all haven't been to Japan lor.. so I really need some advice from u guys here.. thx thx.. I'm not sure where to go, Tokyo only or also other cities like Yokohama and Osaka.. I read from a blog posting in malaysia airlines' blog :http://www.malaysiaairlinesblog.com/?p=20
I'm excited with the trip when I saw the bullet train.. but just not sure the bullet train in Japan is very convenient and could reach most of the major cities? thx for advice.. if possible can just give me the itenaries of the Japan trip hehe.. appreciate that..
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tokyo? i advise u don't go there.. u walk in the street and suddenly people jump off building.. its true!
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Originally posted by youyayu:
tokyo? i advise u don't go there.. u walk in the street and suddenly people jump off building.. its true!
I sense sour grapes...Anyway to TS, its good that u find out where u want to go before deciding on the trip there. Most of the japanese does not speak english, especially ppl from rural area. However those in the airport do speak alittle tot. And the trains there is very complicated, therefore its also best that u do some homework on this before travel. To me what I see the trains is separated by 2 types, government own or private own. Government own (JR line) has english subtitles that help foreigner to read the sign board easier where private owned (subaway) usually do not have english subtittles. Some of the 2 lines are interconnected. As for bullet train, I have sat on the JR one before, but not sure for the private one. By the way, JR is almost the same as SBS in sg.
And please change the intended amount of yen before u reached there cos apparently some of the places do not have money changers...
Ok these are some of the points I remember, will post more if I can still remember. I do recall short ninja is staying in japan tot, hope he will see this and give u some advice.
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Japan can be separated into different places of interest. To me, its the shopping( technology, fashion etc), sight seeing(temples, mountains etc) and food. I do not think one can finish touring japan in just 7 days, cos of wide range of stuff it offers.
Lets start with tokyo, for beginner who like disneyland, u will have to spend there at least 1 day.
Next, I bet alot of singapore will go to places like harajuku, shibuya, ginza and shinjuku. Those are alot of things worth to go shopping for. As for anime lovers and electronic lovers, I dont think I need to introduce akibahara...u will regret if u do not go there.
Then we is mt fuji. For those who do not like to sight seeing, u can skip this. Basically its only the mountain that is worth the trip and there is also a theme park near the mountain....heard it has broke some world record or something, but I never did check it out.
Hotel is basically around >80sgd and the closer to tourist attraction, the more expensive it gets. Can reach 100 bucks a day too! U can stay in those min shu, but u must know japanese in order to do that, or else u will have problem in communicating. I did stay in hostel before and it cost ard 40sgd a day. If u interested can pm me, i can give u the website.
Ok i think that is all for now. Actually there is alot of information from forumer that travel to japan. I think tamago has done a thread on it before. Maybe u can do a search on it. Good luck~!
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now is a bad time to buy japanese yen..
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i have helped a few people planned for their japan itineraries before. if it is your first time, Tokyo is a must visit. North-south-east-west of Tokyo, there are many sights. To the south we have Yokohama, Kamakura. To the west we have Mt Fuji and Hikone. To the north we have Nikko. To the east is Narita (where the airport is). To fully explore Tokyo, a week is best set aside to experience the best of it. I will recommend that you visit Tokyo in end-March to catch the Sakura.
The other area is the Kansai area which consist of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji. You can give yourself 5 days to visit all these places. Best time to visit is during the autumn leaves period in mid-November. If you have more time to spare, can set aside another 2 days for Miyajima/Hiroshima.
Please be warned that shinkansen is expensive. Unless you get the JR Pass. It depends on what you want from the trip. To see as much as possible but experience less. Or to experience as much as possible.
I do not normally share my blog with strangers. But you can google search 'vincent travel' to get some info.
cheers -
If you wanna do shopping, or buy stuff for a special girl, or simply has money to burn, you should go to the Ginza district. It's like Orchard Road, but way better in terms of variety.
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Ginza district is way better then Orchard road. More variety of goods more unique brands, not crowded FW or FT (whatever u call them) and more pretty babes :p
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Originally posted by Beachboy136:
Ginza district is way better then Orchard road. More variety of goods more unique brands, not crowded FW or FT (whatever u call them) and more pretty babes :p
For ur info, there is alot of chinese mama-san. Its just that u cannot identify them -
Ooo is it? I never knew
. But still don't let that put you off Ginza. It's a must-go. Or if you're into anime/manga, try Akihabara. -
Originally posted by youyayu:
tokyo? i advise u don't go there.. u walk in the street and suddenly people jump off building.. its true!
crazy or what??? i go to Japan a few times a year and have never seen anyone jumping off a building! -
Originally posted by Jamesmedguy:
hi all, I'm planning to go Japan next January.. so far I have no friends could provide me some valuable information about Japan trip as they all haven't been to Japan lor.. so I really need some advice from u guys here.. thx thx.. I'm not sure where to go, Tokyo only or also other cities like Yokohama and Osaka.. I read from a blog posting in malaysia airlines' blog :http://www.malaysiaairlinesblog.com/?p=20
I'm excited with the trip when I saw the bullet train.. but just not sure the bullet train in Japan is very convenient and could reach most of the major cities? thx for advice.. if possible can just give me the itenaries of the Japan trip hehe.. appreciate that..
you may want to share a little bit more on:
1. going on DIY tour or follow package?
2. how many days?
3. what do you intend to do? visit other cities via Shinkansen, or just stay in one city?
4. how are you planning the hotel stay?
Japan is not as difficult as some folks put it out to be. Aside from the language you just need to understand the rail system. Transport is really not too expensive, the JR and the Tokyo Metro provide excellent routes. Further away, as someone else had already, purchase the JR pass. This is probably the cheapest way to travel all over Japan, one price and you can take unlimited rides with unlimited distance (I think one exception is the Nozomi express - which is not covered with this pass).
Normal meal ranges from 600 yen to 1000 yen. This will get you some very good udon, soba or rice set.
If you can provide more details about where you want to go to, what you want to do and how long you planning to stay, I think more advice can be given.
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a few times a year ?! :(
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Originally posted by SpeedStar:
Japan can be separated into different places of interest. To me, its the shopping( technology, fashion etc), sight seeing(temples, mountains etc) and food. I do not think one can finish touring japan in just 7 days, cos of wide range of stuff it offers.
Lets start with tokyo, for beginner who like disneyland, u will have to spend there at least 1 day.
Next, I bet alot of singapore will go to places like harajuku, shibuya, ginza and shinjuku. Those are alot of things worth to go shopping for. As for anime lovers and electronic lovers, I dont think I need to introduce akibahara...u will regret if u do not go there.
Then we is mt fuji. For those who do not like to sight seeing, u can skip this. Basically its only the mountain that is worth the trip and there is also a theme park near the mountain....heard it has broke some world record or something, but I never did check it out.
Hotel is basically around >80sgd and the closer to tourist attraction, the more expensive it gets. Can reach 100 bucks a day too! U can stay in those min shu, but u must know japanese in order to do that, or else u will have problem in communicating. I did stay in hostel before and it cost ard 40sgd a day. If u interested can pm me, i can give u the website.
Ok i think that is all for now. Actually there is alot of information from forumer that travel to japan. I think tamago has done a thread on it before. Maybe u can do a search on it. Good luck~!
Erm, correct me if i'm wrong, but i think that average hotel rooms are at least 100sgd per night.
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Ramen is very nice....S'pore ones can't make it....
If u want, prepare alot of 100yen coins...who knows u might need it at night to slot them in at ur hotel room n DIY....some hotels dun need to use coins...buy cards n key in the numbers can liao...that's abt 1000yen...
LOL
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Originally posted by crimsontactics:
Erm, correct me if i'm wrong, but i think that average hotel rooms are at least 100sgd per night.
got some 6000yen to 7500yen per night one... -
Then i think those are rather good bargains.
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Honestly, if you want to have budget accomodation, you should try the lodges/minshuku managed by Taiwanese people. They charge usually 3000 to 3300 per night. But it's cheaper if more people share a room. There're different places to visit for different interests: Nature and Farms: 1. Visit Nikko of course. (take Utsunomiya line if you have no pass and switch to Nikko line at Utsunomiya; and you can get the famous gyoza there too) 2. Visit Nara. (from Osaka, take Yamatoji line down to Nara; it takes 40 minutes) 3. Ibaraki prefecture: you can take tsukuba express from Akihabara and drop at Moriya to switch to Kantou railway which has quite a scenic farm scenery (I went to Shimotsuma because of the movie Shimotsuma Monogatari) History and Culture: 1. Kyoto (needless to say how to go about; you can take the bus system which has a flat rate of 120 yen I think) 2. Hiroshima (JR rail pass; it's 1.5 hours away from Osaka and you can go to the A-bomb dome via the tram i.e. the Hiroden) Anime/Manga/Electronics: 1. Akihabara (needless to say) 2. Nakano (perhaps cheaper ones there?) Most of Japan have Books Off which offers 2nd hand manga books usually at perhaps 115 yen? That is if you know Japanese. Seeing the beach: 1. Yokohama 2. Enoshima (it's nice to see the South China Sea; i took a budget route taking Shonan Shinjuku line down from Shinjuku to Ofuna before switching to Shonan Monorail) 3. Kujukuri beach (take to Chiba station via Sobu rapid line then change to Sotobo line before taking to Togane line) Shopping: 1. Osaka (they are half price of Tokyo) 2. Harajuku/Shibuya/Shinjuku (prices are a little steep) 3. Ginza (for branded goods lovers) I was in the Kanto area for 3 weeks and Kansai/Chugoku area for 1 week.
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dont make appointment in train stations, you will have a hard time looking for your appointment
wins from pacinko can change to cash
walk a few more steps for your meals, hotel food is very expensive, you can find some noodle push-cart stall in alley or road in middle of the night
no need to give tips
people there are very polite so be polite too
Public Transport system is very efficient and on-time
now many ah tiong yakusa
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Why not just go on a tour guide tour