Anyway Happy New Year 2016 everyone and seeking some advice / tips!!

Last minute decided to take advantage of "cheap" (s$4xx) flight ticket to Japan, 1st-8th Feb (Yes, overflow into CNY )

Agenda: Nozawa Onsen for ski, then Jigokudani Monkey Park, then Tokyo -- agenda here is to rest & relax and just fill in the gaps of places which I haven't visited in previous trips.

1st Feb
Arrive NRT 2.55pm
JR East Pass ¥44,000 @ 2 pax
5.16pm-8.38pm N-Ex to Tokyo, Shinkansen to Iiyama then Nozawa Onsen Liner to Nozawa Onsen
--> dinner ekiben from Tokyo station ¥2,700
Check in at Fureai no Yado Yasuragi ¥12,000

2nd Feb
1.5 Days Ski+Gear Rental @ shirakaba8 ¥23,200
1.5 Days Ski Lift Pass ¥15,600
Fureai no Yado Yasuragi ¥12,000
Meals ¥6.000

3rd Feb
Morning: Ski
Afternoon: Jigokudani Monkey Park Tour ¥11.600
Fureai no Yado Yasuragi ¥12,000
Meals ¥6.000

(Are the Transport arrangements above the most efficient / effective liao? In particular I worry about jigokudani monkey park. Tour seems expensive, not sure if there are efficient ways to get there by bus?)

4th Feb - 8th Feb
Travel to Tokyo ¥1,200 + ¥400
AirBnB ~$120 / night
Transport ~¥1.200 / day
Meals ~¥6.000 / day

Haven't planned Tokyo itinerary - around 4 days available. Any tips/comments?

Places I've visited in Tokyo:



Ramblings:
- I am staying in AirBnB near Tsukiji Market
- This trip my budget isn't very high, so prefer not to do any 'pricey' stuff.
- I need to re-visit scramble crossing cos the last time I went I didn't get a good photo, plus I didn't see Hachiko
- I haven't been to Ginza. Maybe should spend 6th or 7th Feb afternoon window shopping.
- Tokyo water bus on the Sumida river seems interesting, go Asakusa eat melon pan then take the ferry down to hamarikyu gardens, relax a bit (winter time, might be cold)?
- Tokyo Tower?!?
- Maybe it's about time I explore Tokyo surroundings. Day trip to Kawaguchiko seems the obvious one, but transport is pricey @ ¥7,280 return. Maybe Kamakura instead?

8th Feb
6.25pm flight from NRT

This post has been edited by deodorant: Jan 2 2016, 10:34 AM

Obviously these two.

Jialat

http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-daily-snow-weather-reports

Seems that temperatures are up up up and snowfall is down down down this year. Hokkaido only around half of last year snowfall and Honshu even worse, some places around one quarter only.

Hope my 1st week of Feb trip still got decent snow lol.

You didn't get RC point. He said first timer don't even bother going to Osaka/Kyoto, just stay in Tokyo.

I also agree. Next Feb I'm going Tokyo for 4th time and there are still a lot of places I haven't visit and a lot of things I haven't see. For 7 days 3 cities u can only super rush and touch n go only.

Guys/gals, how to deal with luggage on final day when flight is in the evening?

6.25pm depart Narita.

Since my AirBnB gonna be 2 stops away from tokyo station, my thought is check out in the morning, go tokyo station, put bag in luggage coin locker, then go soapland do a half day worth of whatever, then back to tokyo pick up bag and go to Narita in the afternoon.

Sounds good?

Kamsiah Will add those options to list and sampai time only decide which one to use. Nearby the airbnb got a few konbini but from google street view can't see if got black cat sticker or not.

So I requested late check in 9pm to an inn via booking.com as an intermediary

And the inn's response is:

"ko" (one word)

Is this the Japanese way of saying no?

This post has been edited by deodorant: Jan 5 2016, 02:33 PM

Yeah I'm thinking it's a typo too. It's annoying to reconfirm cos it's via some retarded "request late check in" function on booking.com (the intermediary) rather than email or other direct communication with the inn, but I'll put in another request just in case. Sankyuu!


June still ok but July-August are HOT. Hot hot hot, even worse than Malaysia.

http://www.jwa.or.jp/news/2016/01/post-000597.html

My jap sucks cos I dunno kanji, but it seems they're forecasting early early Feb already possibly first bloom liao. That is like a full month earlier than previous years; this year's sakura hunters going to be burned badly it seems.

http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/politics/article/20160106000065/1



Kyoto plum tree blossom riao?

This post has been edited by deodorant: Jan 6 2016, 09:40 PM

My Japanese is sucks, learn ~1 year during uni time only. Hiragana katakana 問題はありません but kanji all KO cos I am banana leoeoeleoleoelool

Last Hokkaido trip I experienced non reserved train from Hakodate to Sapporo. Lucky I got a seat but damn a lot 女子高生 standing in the aisle pack almost like MRT. Worst is cos I going CTS so get down one stop early need to squeeze past all of them with my luggage ...

RegentCid sacwoc Samurai you gotch go Odawara plum festival before? Looks quite interesting but I'm wondering if it would be wise to prioritize that over other more 'traditional' Tokyo day trips like Nikko, kamakura, kawaguchiko etc (I never been to any outlying area from Tokyo lol).

Thinking Odawara castle, then lunch, then plum festival, then go matsuda if the early blooming Sakura varieties are already out.

This post has been edited by deodorant: Jan 8 2016, 12:03 PM

staticxtreme when? I'm planning nozawa onsen 2-4 feb. I booked those refundable accommodation though so see how closer to time whether to go or not.

You haven't seen this year's snowfall stats. As of end-Dec, cumulative snowfall this season is 103cm. Last season was 437cm.

Last 7 days only 6cm of snow

This post has been edited by deodorant: Jan 8 2016, 02:24 PM

Thanks you sifu

Now to hope that the early blooming sakura varieties bloom in early Feb

ForlornBrat this kind of never do homework question you surely kena fucuk by RC.

Go Hyperdia or Japan guide and see what is the price of train to/from Tokyo / Kyoto / Osaka.

Then google JR Pass and see what's the price.

Then u will know the answer.

Samurai Why all the photo so small?

kingofrave89 please clarify what you mean by "and Fuji" if you want better advice. Do you mean you want to climb Mount Fuji? Or do you mean the Fuji five lakes area? Or do you mean go Hakone or some other onsen / relax area with a view of mt fuji?

michlove Virgin trip in Hokkaido?

Sapporo if you want to do window shopping or normal shopping got Pole Town (underground shopping area from odori to susukino station) and tanukikoji.

But most interesting shopping place for me in Sapporo is Mitsukoshi, the depachika two floors, super super nice. Dunno issit correct season or not but buy shine Muscat grape, super sweet plus juicy plus gotch some flowery aroma that other grape don't have.

If go pole town look for kinotoya bake, the cheese tart super gooding.