I have just returned from Japan yesterday evening in one piece, although limping due to a pulled ligament in my knee from all the stair-climbing in the subway stations.

Japan is very seductive and addictive. Belum pergi belum tahu, sudah pergi lagi mahu.

Initially, after booking our flight tickets and hotel through Expedia, I was very apprehensive about the trip, especially because of the different train operators and lines which are very confusing. I had thought of seeking advice through this thread, but was wary of RegentCid’s admonishments - “Do your Homework! No spoon-feeding!”. So, I read through ALL the 5 versions of the Japan threads (starting from this one, V5, and working backwards). Then, I checked out all the places in our itinerary through Hyperdia, printed out the schedules/stations which are relevant as well as print out the Google maps for the routes where we need to walk. So, RegentCid, I did my homework and I’m really grateful to you for being such a strict sensei because it really helped to make our trip easier.

All in, it cost slightly over RM18,000 for our family of four. This includes:
- Return air tickets from Penang to Narita via Cathay Pacific transiting through Hongkong
- 6 nights in Chisun Hotel in Ueno (2 rooms, a bit small but comfy and clean, won’t hesitate to stay there again if we go to Tokyo)
- 4 Keisei Skyliner (return) + 3-day subway pass combo tickets (¥5,400 each). We maximised use of the subway pass for the first 3 days
- 2 tickets to Disneysea (bought from JTB before our departure) for my children
- 4 tickets to Ghibli museum
- 3 tickets to Sanrio Puroland
- 1 return Willer bus ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto (for my son)
- 1-day Kyoto bus pass
- Pasmo cards (used after the third day when the subway pass has expired)
- entrance fees to museums etc.
- 63 (yes, you read right) packets of Kitkat (different flavours). What to do, my children want 5 flavours each for some of their friends
- 6 packets of Tokyo Banana
- 6 packets of Shiroi Koibito
- umpteen Hello Kitty stuff (for daughter)
- loads and loads of other stuff (souvenirs, jeans, shoes etc.)

We had to buy a new 28-inch luggage bag there to carry all our shopping stuff back.

Now resting my leg and waiting for cheap tickets before going to Japan again.

Places we visited:

1st day - Harajuku (Takeshita-dori, Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park, Kiddyland, Oriental Bazaar, Omote-sando), Shibuya (Hachiko, Shibuya crossing, Tokyu Hands, Loft, Parco). Ate Ichiran ramen in Shibuya, waited for more than half-an-hour in the queue and the ramen was worth the wait. The broth was really full of flavour.

2nd day - My children went to Disneysea while my spouse and I wandered around Ameyoko area (visited Takeya and Don Quijote) as well as went to Asakusa (Nakamise shopping street)

3rd day - Tsukiji Fish Market, Ginza, Imperial Palace, Akihabara (Tokyo Animation Centre), Shinjuku (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Centre, Kabukicho, Golden Gai). At night, my son took the Willer night bus to Kyoto for a day visit.

4th day - Sanrio Puroland. On the way back, stopped at Shinjuku for dinner.

5th day - Jiyugaoka (we had the most amazing baked cheese tart here. We saw a long line of people queuing up outside the shop, and being the kiasu people we are, we joined the queue. Each person is only allowed to buy a maximum of 12 cheese tarts.), Shimokitazawa, Ghibli Museum, Roppongi (Mori Museum).

6th day - Around Ueno (Tokyo National Museum, Yanaka Ginza), Ryogoku (Edo-Tokyo Museum), Odaiba (Rainbow Bridge, Venus Fort, Toyota Megaweb).

7th day - Flight back via Hongkong at 9am from Narita.

This post has been edited by jernih: Dec 7 2014, 03:08 PM

Bukan orang kaya. Like you said, most visitors to Japan are wowed by the shopping. Everything we see, must buy!

Also, just finished all the unpacking. Latest stock-check, correction, 70 packets of Kitkat.

We paid different prices for different flavours, mostly around ¥250 per pack on the average. The most expensive was ¥295. However, we noticed later that some packets had 10 pieces, some 12 and some 13, depending on the flavour. Since the price is around RM18 to RM21 per packet in Malaysia, we didn't bother to check the number of pieces and just grabbed whatever new flavour that we haven't bought yet.

All in, we bought six flavours - the ubiquitous green tea, strawberry, raspberry, dark chocolate and two baked varieties, i.e. baked chocolate and baked pumpkin/melon (not sure because we don't understand the Japanese words. Picture shows a melon, but it's a special Halloween edition with carved pumpkin theme).

So, Human Nature, if you're still in Japan, better go and buy more!