Yes, a lot of people did that, it much make sense if your stay is in kyoto.

Go to arashiyama as early as possible, best around 8am, only joggers there. Because after 10am, tourists will start flocking into asrashiyama, so you wont be able to take nice pictures. As for Kinkakuji and Ryoanji, I am not sure that it will be as many people as arashiyama in the afternoon.

Yeah, I'm hoping tips are coming back as well

This post has been edited by look416: Sep 25 2016, 06:11 PM

Both are the famous tourist spot, so i think same applies for both place. Unless you are more into philosophy thingy, arashiyama is better in that sense, since you can capture being surrounded by bamboos, not humans, or photobombs

税別 equals exclusive of tax
税込 means inclusive of tax

Iphones not sure ,never buy from there.

Tourist can enjoy VAT exemption, except consumables.
Note: when you buy items, your cosmetics and other items will be sealed. This is to proof that you didnt consume the item before you leave Japan. If you sowhathappen to break the seal, then you will have to pay the tax at the airport. You still can try your luck though since their do random checking.

Not sure on different station, but no difference between buying single and return ticket. so you can just buy your single ticket back to KIX once you reach there.




This post has been edited by look416: Sep 26 2016, 05:22 PM

Its the same thing. Haruka tickets starts from 1.1k yen, then you just add on 2k yen for the icoca card itself, which consists of 1.5k yen credit and 500 yen deposit, which can be claimed back once you return the ICOCA card.
Just think it like addon, but the addon is no difference with buying them separately.


Note:
You are not purchasing the ticket through online payment. For haruka case, you are just plainly reserve the ticket. I think the only main point about the reservation is to make sure supply of ICOCA card is sufficient there.
You still have to go to their office in KIX once you arrived to make your payment and get the ticket with ICOCA card.
Better just go there and buy the ticket itself better.

You can choose either buy single or return ticket, but return ticket only valid for 14 days.
All you need to do is just tell the receptionist the station you are going and the station that you will be taking on your departure day. They will do the calculation and give you the ticket.
Same here, single and return ticket price is the SAME, so no difference between buying single ticket and return ticket. The only difference is that you have to go to certain station to buy haruka ticket if you bought only the single ticket, but you are not bound to 14 days validity period.

All their service counter are listed under the website itself, you can buy the ticket anytime from these counter, but passport have to be presented when buying.

This is their website.
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/icoca-haruka/

if you are staying in Namba, the nearest way will be the nankai railway, rapi:t train from Shinimamiya, Tengachaya and Namba station.
Fee is around 1.4k yen, but now you can get for 1.1k yen for limited express train, as they have this kankou tokuwari ticket bundle promotion.

Note again: Limited express tickets are selling on top of normal train ticket, which means that you buy normal train ticket then top up another fee to enjoy limited express train.
in this kankou tokuwari ticket bundle, they included both for you.

As I mentioned in my previous posts, the website shows all the haruka stops. For Osaka, it will only stop at two station which is shinosaka and tennoji.　
If you are going to JR Namba from Shin osaka, there is no need to take haruka train. Just take the subway will do.
Go for midosuji line, going towards tennoji direction. Exit at tennoji station, then use your google map to walk until JR namba station. Walking will be taking around 7 minutes.
大阪市営地下鉄御堂筋線(普通) [天王寺行き]

Dont waste your time and money traveling here and there since you only have 10 days in Japan. Spend the time better on exploring all the attractions in both Osaka and Kyoto area first. Just follow what RaptoR mentioned.
Buy everything using your ICOCA card, only if you planned to go to Himeji or Kobe then buy the Kansai Thru Pass, aka KTP.

Haruka Train, aka limited express train, will pass by only few places, which are Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara. So, for Osaka, it has only two stations that it will stop by, which tennoji station and shin osaka station.

If you would like to have more stops, then you should go for Kansai-Airport Rapid Service(For Kyobashi).
Since your final station is JR Namba, then you should skip Haruka train and take this because this train will stop at JR Namba station straight
save your time in turning here and there.

For a moment, you made me thought I looked at wrong trains

This post has been edited by look416: Sep 28 2016, 12:12 AM

Is it some kind of train trip plan, where you just stop station by station to enjoy foods/views nearby the train station?

Nice for you to have time explore the whole arashiyama. For me, just taking the torokko train and hozugawa boat riding, takes my whole morning gone, which end up didnt have much time in exploring most out for arashiyama.

Tips:
There is this tsukemen festival currently in Tokyo for the whole october. Ten ramen shops for each week, totaling 40 shops for the whole festival. It in shinjuku there. Anyone nearby can go there and enjoy the ramen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_1eregR7vw

haruka ticket is only for the train boarding. once you are inside, there will be people check on your ticket, then you just tell him/her that you want to add on for reserve ticket.

So you can just find reserved seat and sit there waiting people approach you and sell you the ticket.

This post has been edited by look416: Oct 12 2016, 02:38 AM

yes, you can use suica for any metro or railway in Japan

It should be icoca card. Pitapa is a postpaid card which is unlikely available for foreign tourist, you will pretty much have no hassle in going through the trains and subway since most ic cards are compatible with each other. There might be some inconvenience in shopping using the cards though like it has mentioned above

Used it in my last trip. Coverage is good, except Arashiyama suffer a bit signal degradation, but considerable since its mountainous area. Other than that, unlimited full speed, which i can do anything. Done a speed test which the speed is always between 5 mbps to 30 mbps depends on the location.

You can directly return the device and claim back the deposit at the counter of KLIA2, unless you are doing flight transfering directly to Johor once you reach KLIA2.

Just call the customer service line of the flight company that you are going with and ask them to check on the price. Usually, it will the price of that day flight - the price you have paid + some handling fees

Just pujuk her to go for autumn leaves instead of cherry blossoms lor.
BTW, if you want to go for cherry blossoms, you should be aiming for 5-18th of April for full blossoms. It will be getting earlier and earlier to full blossoms due to global warming.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9241878

this is quite good, except the bath tub will flood out, but its cheap, if divided by 6, its around 50 per pax.
very strategic location I would say, since its in center of america village.

You also have free pocket wifi, though most likely it will be restricted speed, since the last people using the router might finish up the quota ady. Better get your own pocket wifi.