Yup gonna transit for 1 hour in thailand.. this is the first time i take thai airways so nt sure if its better than the other budget airlines? I've only taken airasia last 2 years and scoot last year to japan.. both budget airlines..

for 4days? may i know where u rent the car from? Ive searched through google the first came out was tocoo (just searched). im thinking to do 1 day trip from sapporo to furano and come back afternoon.. do u think its a bit too rush? cause the next day morning we will be returning to singapore already..

I rent car from this website

http://www.jalan.net/rentacar

Go register their member , I got a discount voucher (they gv out frequently) , I got mine discount of 2k yen if I remember correctly....

No idea on your itinerary as I first time going hokkaido too, I be staying at Sapporo from 10 to 14 April, plan to go otaru and niseko if we got time , no fixed plan as we driving whole trip , tend to be mmuch flexible

Thanks for sharing! No worries.. I'll see if i can drive..

Can i ask a stupid question? I've never drive outside malaysia before, can malaysia driving license be used in Japan or do we need to apply something?

Thanks again!

Last time I drive at Korea, I need to apply for international license which is the requirement stated in the car rental wbsite

I belip japan car renting should be the same too.... havent really do a research on this yet.....

Edited

Ok I found this guideline it may help u,

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2024.html

Yes, We need apply international driving license

This post has been edited by huaweie5830: Feb 12 2017, 12:36 PM

Thanks a lot! After asking the stupid question i went online to search also. haha i was thinking if i need to apply IDL then got to apply early cause i'm going australia later - then remember australia dont need IDL. LOL.

Sorry for the hassle. THanks agian !

idl is jus act as translated ver of our licence

our newer license hv eng label,
mean virtually every english speaking countries recognize our license

Aus needs IDL if you're on travel Visa. Student visa only requires a translation sheet from the embassy. Correct me if i'm wrong.

I've rented cars twice from AU when on holiday with only my malaysian license, no IDP.

Japan needs international license. you can easily get it from JPJ, pay RM150 valid for one year. Google up on the process.

BTW, i read some news saying the Fukushima radiation getting worse? Am going to Tokyo coming April, abit worried.

Where did you read the news?

And where are you going in Japan?

I did saw news regarding it when I'm at Japan 2 weeks ago, about abnormally inside reactor wall ( something like that ). Since cant understand Japanese so not too sure about further details.
Not sure if radiation increased or not but dont think should worry if you're at Tokyo. I however still skip seafood if possible ( when at Malaysia ), and specifically skip those attractive Hokkaido crab or Sushi/sashimi while I'm at Japan

Does it mean i need to be careful with sushi when i go there?

going around next month to tokyo. is car renting really needed? plan to just use their transit system

Tokyo, Greater Tokyo, Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto that side) don't bother renting car, just use public transport.

Hokkaido -- Spring Summer Autumn rent car definitely better if budget allows. Winter it's a bit 50-50 cos it can be dangerous on the roads.

thanks!

btw, im buying some tickets for my trip in japan and they require a japanese name. can i just use apps like this "http://apps.nolanlawson.com/japanese-name-converter/" to get my name (as per IC) in kanji?

Not sure if I'm over-reacted but I try not to have seafood for few years now, most likely provoked by pharmacist friend as he told some scary stories over consumption of fish after the 'incident'

I'm going hokkaido in March, one of the mainpoint is to eat their seafood! Can i not skip this? Sigh

Actually I serious think we should go japan and try all their food asap

Not talking bad but actually I like japan very much since my last trip there (before few months before the earthquake) , the truth is the radiation and containmination can only be getting worst, not better, so grab Ur chance and enjoy very last bit of it while we still can .....

Do you have any news articles to back up your claim? How can radiation and contamination be getting worse and not better over time?

If you search for articles saying Japan is safe and seafood isn't affected by radiation and safe to eat, you will find them.

If you search for articles saying the irradiated water has spread all over the world and cause mutations in fish and sealife, you will find them too.

Psychologists have a concept called "confirmation bias" i.e. people tend to find and remember/believe stories, articles & information that suits their own beliefs.

For me, it's simple. I visit Japan two weeks a year (max); Japanese people eat 25times as much so-called irradiated food and get exposed to 25times as much radiation, but I don't see any widespread occurrences of mutated babies or drop in birth rate attributed to the radiation. So why should I be worried?