I took my GF to Japan in February this year. Airfare + Hotel + Transport + Food (RM80 per person per day), 8N9D.

Combined bill for the 2 of us was ~RM6800. And we were staying at decent hotels.

Went to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Mt.Koya.

LOL, I stayed at this hotel also in Kyoto. Only RM200 a night.

For those who have been to Japan recently, you can now apply for 3 year multiple entry visa. Just need to fill up a form with your reason.

Better to stay in Toyoko Inn Haneda Kuko. There's a free shuttle bus from International Terminal, last one is at 12.20 am

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00042/index.html

At 8480 yen / RM325 per room for a double room with queen size, it's quite reasonable by Japanese standards.

The next morning you can take the normal train to central Tokyo, only about 300 yen.

This post has been edited by lowyatter: Oct 29 2012, 01:51 PM

1.) The closest station to Toyoko Inn Haneda Kuko is Otorii, on the Keihin Kyuko line.

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00042/index.html

You can use Hyperdia to see the cost.

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html...ed&sum_target=7

OTORII
[15 Min]
Keikyu Airport Exp.
¥190

SHINAGAWA
[10 Min]
JR Yamanote Line(Inner loop)
¥160

TOKYO (or SHINJUKU or wherever you are going)

I travel to Tokyo quite frequently and this is my preferred way. At only 350JPY/RM14 you save a lot on transportation.
Travelling with luggage is no problem. I had a 20kg suitcase this trip and was still ok.

2.) Don't worry about Tokyo, it's safe, and it's a long way from Fukushima. Don't listen to those ignorant people who warn you not to go if you want to get pregnant etc etc, they are just scaremongering.

3.) A good place to stay is near Tokyo station itself. Kanda is a good location, just 1 stop from Tokyo station and very accessible. Tsukiji is also good, allows you to walk to the Fish Market. Ginza also has several affordable hotels despite the location.

I previously stayed in the following 2 hotels. Dormy Inn was excellent, but quite expensive, and Hatchobori station was more inconvenient than expected. Flexstay Kanda is quite cheap and location is good, only 5 min from Kanda station.

http://www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/dorm...hatchobori.html

http://www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/flex..._kanda_inn.html

This post has been edited by lowyatter: Oct 30 2012, 10:15 AM

Try Hello Kitty shop in Haneda:

1 box HK Chocolate Mochi : 500Y
1 box HK Danish biscuits in nice HK tin : ~600Y

Quite a lot of biscuits in the tin so can give to whole department.

This post has been edited by lowyatter: Nov 7 2012, 11:35 AM

Unfortunately, AirasiaX does not fly to Hokkaido.

However, Airasia Japan DOES fly to Sapporo, but its from Narita, not Haneda, so you'll have to arrange Haneda>Narita transport.

Just booked my tickets for my Japan trip over Hari Raya.

Cathay Pacific : RM1800 all in return.

By comparison, MAS was RM2700.

One pax, economy. Flying to Haneda and leaving from Narita (I would have preferred to fly from Haneda as well but the cheap tickets don't really give you a choice)

If you leave on Wed/Thur the tickets can be as low as RM1400.

AAX is also around RM2500-RM3000 return.

This post has been edited by lowyatter: May 30 2013, 10:35 AM

This is just a short trip (5 days) so not planning on seeing that much. I've also been to Tokyo quite a few times before, so won't be spending much time in Tokyo itself.

Definitely seeing:
Nikko and Kamakura

Maybe seeing:
Hakone +Fuji-Q Highland + Fuji Five Lakes

You've seen most of the major sites, why not try Nagano region? Matsumoto, Takayama, Shirakawago and Kamikochi are all very interesting and worth seeing.

If you're travelling around Nagano, then renting a car is quite affordable assuming you are travelling with other people.

Nissan Latio cost around 7000JPY per day. Pick up from Nagano.

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

Police in Japan do this quite often, and they are legally allowed to ask anyone to produce their passport.

That's why you always carry your passport around when in Japan.

Damn KPC buggers but what can you do? They're usually quite polite about it however.

The cheapest I have flown is AirasiaX during winter. RM800 return.

For full fare airlines, Cathay Pacific prices can be as low as RM1400 return if you leave midweek.

Your flight ticket will be the biggest determinator. And what determines your flight ticket is when you are travelling.

Fly in winter for the cheapest tickets (Also you'll get to see snow)

This was the budget I set for my winter trip to Kyoto with my wife, and we managed to stay within it. Bear in mind that when we did this trip the yen was at 27 to the ringgit, now it's 33

1.) Airfare:

- KL (LCCT) to Kansai International Airport (KIX) return
- reserved Seats (not Hot Seats)
- 25kg luggage allowance going, 50kg coming back
- travel insurance
- no meals (we'll smuggle in some KFC or McDonalds)
- all taxes included

RM1,518.00 for the 2 of us (RM759.00 per person)


2.) Accomodation:

- 4 nights in Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa (RM200 a night, booked via Hotelclub.com, accessible only with Citibank PremierMiles Visa. Agoda.com and Hotels.com give similar, but slightly more expensive prices)
- 1 night in Nara Komachi Guesthouse (RM265) via Agoda.com
- 2 nights in Osaka Chisun Hotel Shinsaibashi (RM175 a night) via Agoda.com
- 1 night in Mt. Koya Shojoshinin (RM900 a night for 2 people. This one is expensive, but you could safely cut it out of your itinerary if you're on a budget. The price does include dinner and breakfast though)

RM2,496.00 for 8 nights. You could reduce this to approx RM1,800.00 if you spend an extra day in Kyoto / Osaka instead of going to Mt. Koya.

3.) Food

- A typical meal in a cheap restaurant will cost 600-1000 JPY per person (RM24 - RM40). We are budgeting RM80 per person per day, so that ends up at:

RM1,440.00 for 2 persons for 9 days.

4.) Travel

- Train from KIX to Kyoto with JR West Kansai Pass 2000JPY (RM80) per person
- Kyoto Bus Pass 500JPY (RM20) per person per day
- Train from Kyoto to Nara on JR, 690JPY (RM28) per person
- Train from Nara to Osaka, 540JPY (RM22) per person
- Osaka One Day Pass 800JPY (RM32) per person per day
- Mt. Koya Heritage pass, 2780JPY (RM111) per person
- Train from Osaka to KIX, 890JPY (RM36) per person

RM802.00 for all travel expenses.

5.) Grand Total:
Airfare : 1518
Accomodation : 2496
Food : 1440
Travel : 802
Total : RM6,256.00

This post has been edited by lowyatter: Jun 6 2013, 07:58 AM

Actually 8N9D, quite long.