CHOIIIIIII

HKG will be 3rd week of Sept, so I was thinking if HKG tak jadi due to disaster or flu etc, then perhaps forgo the air ticket and buy another flight elsewhere (since AL was approved), such as Osaka or Tokyo. But from what I hear, most of the major attractions in HKG are not affected and everything is kinda back to normal

Yah, as long as they won't jack up the price. Maybe there'll be less tourists also due to the disaster #shorterqueue

You were there?! Woah, careful. Which part of Hong Kong? Sorry, OOT again in the Japan forum

So you've been to Tokyo? Perhaps it would be a better idea for you to tell us where you've been before so that the suggestions doesn't clash. Can only give suggestions for Tokyo so,

-> 4. Yes it will be a rushed trip but you can make limited stops rather than try to cramp all together. That will be more comfortable for your parents too.
-> 5. 100K yen per pair for all 7 days? It's a little tight but do-able.

You can do this simple calculation: 50k yen per pax/ 7 days.
- Per day spending: 7k yen including your transport around the place.
- Assuming you put aside 1.5k yen for transport per day, that's 5,500yen balance for food.
- Put aside another 500yen for misc fee: Meal @ 5,000yen per day.
- So play around with 5,000yen for your meals throughout the day. Per meal averagely you can afford to spend at 1,500yen. If you splurged your lunch and say, spent 2,500 yen, then your dinner budget has to be reduced.

Like you said not keen on shopping so perhaps that'll save you some money. But on the safe side, I'll suggest that you bring an additional 50k-100k yen as emergency cash/ backup in case overspend (you'll never know!).

1. Most of us here rarely change currency in Tokyo. In cases of emergency, you'll just have to go in any shop that offers the service without regard to the exchange rate.

2. You can check out HIS Travel http://www.his.com.my/pocket-wi-fi-rental/
Pocket WIFI rental at RM15 per day, very good rate. But usually pocket WIFI is used when there's more than 2 ppl for the trip so save cost.

But if you wish to get a SIM, try this instead. It's half of Celcom's rate: https://hello1010.my/country/asia/japan.html
Colleagues used their SIM and none of them encountered any issue.


You have 3 days in Tokyo right? Winter is cold and everything closes early, usually around 4pm -4.30pm similarly to autumn when I went. While you don't enjoy Tsukiji you'll still be going to bring your parents and partner to enjoy sushi? One of the days, you can do this like what I did:

Water Taxi from Asakusa -> get off at Hamarikyu Garden (enjoy the garden) -> walk to Tsukiji -> walk to Imperial Palace -> walk to Tokyo Station.

All the attractions above are quite near to each other, give or take 10-15min walk.
Try the water taxi, it's really nice. You get to cruise along the Sumida River and enjoy sight seeing. It will be a pleasant experience for your parents.

Info: http://www.gotokyo.org/en/tourists/info/access/access5.html
You can buy the tickets at the counter. Just check the timing and make sure you're at the counter 15-20min before departure time to purchase the tickets.

There's more to see in Tokyo Station - there are souvenir shops, Pokemon store, Kit Kat shop etc. Also make sure you take a look at the station from outside. It's beautiful, even more so at night.

In February - you may be able to see the Ume (plum) flower blossom. This will be a nice experience because Ume is said to be most delicate flower and it symbolizes protection and health.

Other places I will recommend:
- Ginza & Odaiba (it's closer when you get to Odaiba from Ginza); go to Ginza on a weekend and it's a pedestrian's heaven from 12 noon as the main street is closed off for only pedestrians to walk.

- Hakone: Yes but I'm not sure about February. Since it's winter, it may be too foggy to see Mt. Fuji. But, it may snow in Hakone and you'll see a different side to the place. I did a one-day short trip to Hakone, it's expensive and we only managed to do 3 things there... however if you plan it well and everyone could get up early for the train ride, it'll be good.

- Tokyo Tower - Sengakuji - Nakano - Ueno : you can do it in this order, or mix it around depending on where is nearer to you. Tokyo Tower - to be honest, it's nothing much on the inside except for some restaurants, souvenir shops, observatory and One Piece Tower.

If you want Observatory, i'd recommend the Metropolitan Government Building where it's FOC. But still, Tokyo Tower is iconic as it represents Tokyo. There's a temple nearby Tokyo Tower and it's the Zojoji. You can actually see the tower from the temple, and also a nice spot to take photos.

Sengakuji - you can opt not to go. I visited it since I was already in the area. It's of historical value and if you watch 47 Ronin, the story is adapted from the actual history. You can also read about it so that the visit is more meaningful.

Lastly, Nakano is a shopping area and while you're not into shopping, do consider your parents and the rest a good trip has a combination of itinerary for everyone. It's a really nice place with a lot of eateries. Nakano Broadway has a lot of shops with figurines, toys, books etc. If it doesn't interest you, perhaps just one round at the place and you can leave. The street is more interesting.

Ueno is famous for its park but since the day ends early, see how it fits into your schedule. If its almost night time when you arrived, make your way to Ameyoko Street for some street shopping/ eatery.

Since you're in Asakusa, if your mum are into kitchenwares, you can consider going to Tokyo Kappabashi shopping street - it's the place where they sell everything related to kitchen - be it knives, pots, pans, deco, fridges, utensils etc. It's nearby Asakusa, approximately 10-15min walk from Sensoji.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3020.html

Sunsets and sunrise you can always Google: http://www.sunrise-and-sunset.com/en/sun/j...o/2017/february

Famous because it's free and apparently the view is quite good. I haven't personally been there, nor have I paid for observatory. When I go for hike in Takao san, there's a natural beautiful view that I can see from the peak. For me, that's really more than enough.

But take note of their closing time. If I'm not mistaken it's around 5pm or so.

How far is it?

No problem, hope these info help you in shaping your itinerary better.

Ah Shibuya? Then it's the usual iconic places: Shibuya Scramble, Hachiko, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku (Takeshita Dori) etc.
Something that will probably interest your parents - the Aoyama Tea House. It's very pleasant and nice, so bring them there if you're around the area.
http://www.afm-teahouse.com/

See if you can squeeze in Ginza to the day's trip because it seemed pretty hectic as it is. If you can't, then better not. Ginza is best to go on a weekend noon onwards (till 5pm) for pedestrian's heaven. Landmark: Uniqlo.

This is what I mean: http://makunouchi-japan.com/lifestyle/taki...estrian-heaven/

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Sep 5 2017, 11:48 AM

1 and 1/2 day isn't much! See what interests you best and do those. I'd recommend to visit 1-2 main temples and shopping + sightseeing for the rest. Since there isn't much time, I don't recommend Imperial Palace, because it's best to stroll around the palace when you're not rushed.

I'd advice against souvenir shopping in Tokyo, use most the time to yourself. You can buy souvenirs at the airport - from Shiroi Koibito to Pocky sticks and KitKat before flying back.

There are many restaurants in Tsukiji but generally they're open till 2+pm.
loll you're the one more into tea Japanese whiskey get Yamazaki.

1. As RegentCid said, it's not necessary to pre-book. However, if you're worried about it - can always pre-book in advanced if that gives you a peace of mind. By Romancecar, it takes easily about 1-1.5 hours to get to Hakone. Suggest you take the earlier train.

2. To be honest, I think max you'll finish is around 6+pm. In winter it gets dark very fast so you won't be able to stay long unless you're planning to have dinner around the area or lepak in nearby cafe/ restaurant in Hakonemachi (Hakone town).

Take note of the Cruise timetable. It ends early, so please don't miss it. Queue up at least 15-20min before departure time.
http://www.hakone-kankosen.co.jp/foreign/e...heet/index.html

After you've taken the cruise, it's likely you'll get down with most of the crowd at Motohakone-ko. Over there, there's a Shrine and town to visit. That's usually the last destination (following the flow of majority tourists) and you can take a bus to the station from there.

3. Show your pass.

Winter it gets dark early, and take note that on NY eve a lot of places will be closed. Friends and I went to Takashimaya on NY Eve around 5pm and everything in the food section of the store was selling fast (cakes, noodles, bentou etc). Go to temple on New Year's morning. Yes there'll be huge crowd but it's also interesting to observe the Japanese celebration.

On 2nd January, get your money ready for fukubukuro (福袋) as you'll splurge on shopping. 福袋 only happens on 2nd January and you'll see a lot of great promotion, offers and attractive sales. For major brands like Starbucks, Apple etc they usually sell the 福袋 tickets 6 months ahead (or they draw lots, whichever way) so it's hard to get the 福袋 from these stores.

SIM Card - consider getting it here instead of in Tokyo.
I recommend this: https://hello1010.my/country/asia/japan.html

Nice place.

They're closed on Sunday, open from 9am-5pm on the other days. Close on PH.

Any queries such as how to get there, facilities etc you can always send them a mail - you'll see an email when you scroll down the page.
http://www.kakeyu.or.jp/toiawse.html

Well, going to a foreign place with little to no knowledge of the place or means to communicate - could sometimes be an interesting adventure

Besides, it also depends on whether you have anything else planned for the trip. You can consider going for the the event, but with a backup plan. In case it's not interesting or ends quickly (eg you got delayed), then leave after taking photos and move on to your next destination.

Take note that it's not common for Japan to have fireworks for NY celebration. They usually pray in the temple and ring the bell come midnight, as well as disposing past year's omamori (charm) and get a new one.

For NY, there will usually be special arrangement to have trains past midnight, but take note of the timing. And if the temple is not within walking distance, expect a very crowded train going to and back the temple.

Convenient stores rarely close. Don't worry, they will be open.

You mean portable WIFI? The 2 commonly used ones are:

Travel Recommends (RM18/day)
H.I.S. (RM15/day)

Sometimes Travel Recommends have promotion and it could easily go down to RM11/day rental. TR you can collect and drop off at airport. H.I.S. you'll need to pick up from their office in Bukit Bintang area and pass to them (or courier back).

If your group plans to split up on certain days, you can consider getting SIM card instead for the convenience. You can get it at: https://hello1010.my/country/asia/japan.html

I bought the RM67 SIM 7 days with 3GB unlimited - it was very good. Connection was fast and I have no problem using it throughout my trip last week.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Sep 17 2017, 01:02 PM

Just some sharing on my last trip to Tokyo. Basically if it's Tokyo itself, there aren't a lot to share coz a lot of people are familiar with it probably just some add-on.

In my last 2 trips, I didn't manage to go Ikebukuro because we were more focused on other areas. But having been to Ikebukuro, I really like the area. This time followed tour because it's work-related (not gonna elaborate), and as such we travelled mostly via bus. Rode shinkansen for the first time, and it was an enjoyable ride.

Anyway, stayed in Ikebukuro Metropolitan Hotel and it was really pleasant. This is the first time I stayed in Hotel in Japan, as the rest of the time it was via AirBnB. Had a pleasant flight via ANA but even if it's 1130pm, we still wanted to explore the street. Before the trip I checked for stuffs we can do at night.

1. Our Hotel room (Ikebukuro Metropolitan Hotel) : twin bed and it's spacious. While AirBnB was nice, Hotel gives you comfort, space and amenities <3
We learnt something new: Hotels generally don't have a lot of Double Bed; most of them are Twins. Even local married couples mostly sleep in twin beds rather than a double bed.

2. Recommended ramen shop: MUTEKIYA!!! It's 24 hours! You'll have Ichiran nearby as well, but a little further from where we stay. Mutekiya is a small shop, with seats facing the wall/ window or kitchen. I think the place could fit about 20 people in 1 time? So wait a little and you'll get your seat.



3. Kabukicho's Godzilla : I'm sure it's no stranger to see this in Kabukicho but what I didn't know was - there's a mini 'performance'. Stay on the street where the Godzilla is visible on Sunday at 2.59pm and you'll see a surprise. Well don't wanna spoil it! I'm not sure if they have it on a Saturday, as I was there on Sunday and was lucky to catch it



4. Kairakuen Garden : We went upnorth from Tokyo (since it's work-related) and stopped by at one of the popular garden - the Kairakuen Garden. The place houses several hundreds of Ume flowers. Reason for ume - because back in the old days during war, soldiers seek refuge in this garden and eat the Ume flower as food. Next time, go during spring and you'll see hundreds of the ume blossom. We only see greens hahaha. I really want to be back during spring. It was still a pleasant stroll nonetheless



5. Ryujin Great Suspension Bridge (竜神大吊橋) : This is only of the highlight of the trip. It was a great experience, everyone was ready to jump out of the bus seeing this from afar. While it's not the tallest/ highest suspension bridge in Japan, it's the tallest in the prefecture. The bridge is 446m long and you can see the mountains, dam and a river. You can also bungee jump from the bridge.



I think this place deserves 2 photos (haha). It's really beautiful and you need to pay 300yen (adult) to cross it. Open from 830am to 5pm.



6. Lastly we stopped by Yamagata. We stayed in the Metropolitan Hotel in Yamagata and the layout is similar to Ikebukuro Hotel's. Yamagata is famous for cherries. Unfortunately it was the end of season and we didn't manage to get any. But managed to drop by Kajo Park nearby our accommodation. It used to be one of the fort built during the Tokugawa shogunate (if i heard it correctly from the guide). It's a nice stroll for your appreciate history and nature. Small place, but they have a mini museum.



I will conclude that following tour isn't all that bad. While it was rushed and you couldn't do things you want - the positive side - by taking the bus, I get to see views I don't normally see while taking the train.

One example, view of Odaiba from the highway - it's amazing ^___^



This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Sep 17 2017, 02:07 PM

Go for it! Japan is convenient and accommodating when it comes to toddler/ babies. Yes do some research, and best to go places where nearby you can have toilet facilities to change diapers etc.

Thanks for the recommendation, will look it up next time!

Yeah, totally understand. And it's awkward for parents when their kids are restless. 7 hours ain't short, it's already mid-distance flight
My suggestion is to splurge a little on flight and go for comfort, in hope the kids are more comfortable and will rest. There's also cartoons to watch

Eh yalah, that's the one. So meaning every hour got ah? Chehhhh

Awesome! ANA is the best their service is ichiban and air stewardess (even the counter staffs) are very courteous.

Also enjoyed my flight via JAL. Only MAS was a little cramped -___-

Agree with chinti, bring your cash and change in the airport.

Also, are you saying all the money changer in Ipoh don't have yen? This is a little outrageous situation

If you don't have any yen (at all) on hand, I suggest you change some through friends. At least have a couple thousand yen on hand if possible. Imagine if the money changer is closed in the airport (prepare for any emergency!), how are you gonna travel to your Hotel/ accommodation?

Oh yes, they're really the best and the air stewardess are pretty. The guys are good looking too (they're not onboard, just at the counter).

Change some Yen now, it's weak at the moment due to the torpedoes

WAHHH didn't know got 50% off for 2nd ticket. Too bad not UOB card holder, still, thanks for sharing the info!
Actually I find that ANA and JAL price is about the same. ANA's flight to Tokyo is around RM1,700+ averagely, and it's the same with JAL.

Hahaha go Disney Sea instead of Disneyland!

RM1,536 is good. Ehhh I'm also planning to go in May next year off peak season and don't have to himpit with the Sakura-viewing tourists.

Considering other flights. I checked ANA it's RM1,700+ so don't think I'll be flying with them. Wahhhhh so you've been to BOTH, and planning to go again?! daebakkkkk (Korean meaning 'the best') hahahahahaahahahaha

Yes, YEN is very good price now. Time to keep some! Gonna change abit to keep, although my friend is gonna nag me saying no point (he helps me buy in MV coz he works there lol).

38.15?!