Check first page of the thread i think got pocket wifi for rent. Can pickup from airport. U can go tourist centre in Sapporo station to inquire the local tours

Tokyo and Kansai area generally has the same weather and therefore has the same blooming time. This year I arrived in Osaka 6th April and the petals were already starting to fall.

Consider cheap if got 4 people.

Bus from Matsumoto to Takayama already 2500 yen 1 way. Oh, and train is much slower than car in Nagano region because of all the mountains, no direct routes a lot of the time.

This post has been edited by lowyatter: May 31 2013, 09:05 AM

wa... so early fall d? i plan to go next year also same timing leh... shit!
But, it depends right?
i see. no choice lo. My last decision is focus Kansai only. tokyo next time bah..

Yes, this year was especially early blooming (by about 2 weeks) due to unusually hot weather

regarding the sim card, can i buy one at the airport when i arrive? i've checked a few websites where you can buy the sim card and they can deliver it to the airport or your hostel.

problem is, they deliver it to the post office of the airport which is at terminal 1 when i am landing at terminal 2. i am afraid by the time i reach the other terminal the post office would have been closed. i can consider delivering it to my hostel but not sure whether the owners are keen to keep it for me or is there any risk involved.

hope to shed some light there. thanks!

i stayed at hotel during my last visit and the staffs are happy to keep the letter containing the stuffs. should be the same for the hostel, Japanese are usually very helpful and honest in this regards. don't risk collecting at airport unless you fly to narita which usually at afternoon of overnight flight, if flying to haneda sure many shop closed by the time you reach - same for every other flight from all over the world, international flight are all scheduled either late night or early moaning. they usually operate until 7/8pm and restaurants open maybe until 12pm.

or you're talking about other airports?

oh good to know that. maybe can consider posting to my hostel yes i am flying to narita but i will arrive in terminal 2 where as the collection place is at terminal 1. i only have 1 hour time so it's quite risky (arrival at 7, post office closes at 8)

lol, clearing customs need at least 1 hour to be safe as you might encounter heavy traffics, and possible delay of baggage. your flight might delay, too! there's no guarantee for a good weather. t's possible of losing your way when you trying to locate the post office. heck, maybe walking towards the custom will take longer time than usual if the flight happen to park far away, and i've read that narita airport is so big that the plan might take a long time to taxi to the parking lot. 1 hour is way too risky unless estimated that you arrive at 5pm or earlier.

just post to the hostel, they're more reliable than malaysians.

Hi, I'll staying in Shijuku and plan to visit Hakone..I see frm the map and its quite far...How long to take to travel to Hakone by JR? I think i need to spent whole day there including return to my hotel..

From Shinjuku, about 2 hrs. If take Romancer limited express is faster. for JR, you have to go Shinagawa (20 mins), take Shinkansen to Odawara. 30 mins only.
Whether is 1 day or 2 days, it is better for you to buy the Hakone Free Pass for this trip. Worth and easy.

Anyone can recommend me an onsen ryokan in osaka/kyoto/kobe/nagoya? or maybe just a ryokan.
During my last visit i only stayed in the capsule ryokan, which is for the budget purposes. I would like to try the real exp in a ryokan (esp. onsen type) , which some of that included jap meal & trying kimono suit. Anyone can share?

http://www.motonago.com/en/top.html
Stayed at Gion during my stay in 2011 -abt RM600 each pax, a butler tatami bed+bbf+kaiseki dinner. A butler will be assigned to you upon check-in. Experience the japanese bath in a truly traditional environment, if you like their culture Kyoto is the best choice! .
In Osaka, a homestay is more suitable, you can rent a room around Nijo station, normally occupied/own by a young couple who speaks English, so sharing information is easy.

i booked this ryokan for my osaka stay

http://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Hotel_Review...ki.html#REVIEWS

havent tried it yet though but it looks really nice and cheap

i checked on this ryokan, is it convenient? I will stay 5-7 days in Kyoto & Osaka. will spare 1 n half day at nagoya and another 1 day at kobe. Looking for an onset ryokan to try on.

For Osaka, im thinking to stay around Namba or Umeda for better access to other places like kobe, wakayama, yoshinoyama or kyoto.. But that area dun have ryokan. Maybe i will stay in hotel ba.. for a better spot of osaka city night view.

Is it recommended to overnight at Arima Onsen, Kobe? or Nagoya?

Hi bro, thanks for your reply.

Where to buy Hakone Free Pass ? How much does it cost?

Btw, I'm going on beginning Dec..does it open on winter ?

At Shinjuku station, at West Exit. 5,000 yen for 2 day pass. Yes, of course it's open. Hakone in winter is damn nice! My last visit although is late autumn/begin of winter (1 Dec), it snowing, what a best scene!

Winter at Hakone can see Mt Fuji with white top

I landed in Narita last Friday morning. After going through immigration, me and my hubby went to get limousine bus tickets.

We got approached by a policeman, dressed in a suit. A very friendly and polite guy. He informed us of the emergency numbers in Japan and then proceeded to ask to see our passports. He asked permission to write down our passport details. During the whole time, he also made sure we did not miss our bus.

He was a very nice guy, and we had a friendly conversation. Made the whole process comfortable.

Why would the policeman stop you at all ???