It's a timeline that requires you spend a lot of money and very little time doing actual sight-seeing. Is this your first time to Japan? Unless you have a specific place to visit in each area that you're mapping it out this way; otherwise I definitely do not recommend that you make your trip this way.

I'll suggest you spend your 8 days concentrated in Osaka/ Kyoto or at the most do Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya. Nothing more. Besides, why go to Nagoya? Where are you planning to visit/ do in Nagoya?

Ah... when you go around solo it's different vs when you have people with you, especially elderly. They may take more time to get ready, and longer to walk. Train stations can be confusing so imagine they follow you around as you get lost going up and down, left and right. Even young people get very tired trying to wake up each day, thus it's much worse for the elderly (especially when you've walked a lot the day before).

With 8 days, I really suggest you don't do Nagoya. I've been there and the interesting things to do are Kiso Valley and Nabana no Sato (lights). But I'm not sure if you'll want to purposely make a trip to Nagoya for this, coz the city itself is mostly shopping. It's a "port" so you can get branded items like LV, Gucci etc at a good price (better than Tokyo). Places like Sakae will have tall buildings with malls all around - H&M, Uniqlo, GU etc.

Osaka itself is big enough. Allocate 1/2 day at Aquarium, balance of the day you can spend in Dotonbori. You can even look up onsen in Kyoto/ Osaka for your family to enjoy and experience. It is part of the Japanese culture afterall

With 4 days you can do a lot of side trips. Maybe 2-3 days in Kyoto, 2-3 days in Osaka and balance you can consider doing day trip to Nara, Kobe, Himeji etc. One of my friend recommended Koyasan (Mt. Koya) for an overnight trip. He shared his experience of staying a night at the temple with dinner and breakfast prepared by monks there. They slept early and woke up even earlier. At 6am (if you manage to get up), you can see them pray and chant. You can read up here: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4905.html

With elderly along, I suggest you visit 2-3 places in a day. It should suffice. Also look up the Opening Hours and closing days when you're planning your trip. No point if you get up early and rush to the attraction, only to find it open at say, 11am.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jun 21 2018, 12:19 PM

Wait... i'm a little puzzled. You will be landing in Tokyo and leaving from Tokyo, but heading to Osaka/Kyoto to spend the week? Why not visit Tokyo instead? And next time just fly direct to Osaka and back...? Just wondering about this.

Or if you want to include tokyo in your visit, just fly to Tokyo, spend few days then get to Osaka/Kyoto and fly home from Osaka. Save the trip going back to Tokyo again.

That's odd. Booking.com is mostly inn/ ryokan, guesthouse, Hotels etc. So they even have airbnb style apartment? I don't recall much as all my apartment is via AirBnB. I only book Hotels with Booking.com.

When you see there were no keys at the mailbox, should have contacted the Host and inform him that it's not there. Take a photo of the empty mailbox. Share the same to Booking.com. Then you show them the receipt/ tax invoice of your stay at the Hotel/ accommodation on that day. This is proof that you had to pay extra for another stay.

If all of it are only "hearsay" or justification from both parties with no evidence, there's nothing Booking can do. Thus when there's trouble, always take action to contact all parties so that they are aware of the issue.

Sorry to hear of your experience. Do hope you'll have a more pleasant stay in Japan in future. I've used Booking.com multiple times and didn't encounter any issue - except - when I tried to request for a Tax Invoice for a previous stay (just 1 month ago). They will ask you to contact the Hotel directly though, and there was no reply from the Hotel.

July is the month of festival in Japan! That's why in Malaysia we also have Bon Odori.

Those flying, or currently in Japan, take a look at this list of events that you can attend. Everything seems so exciting and jolly so do enjoy!



Check it out here

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jul 2 2018, 11:25 AM

Yes, ideally you go from Nagoya. And yes, Vietnam Air is good. Comfortable with in-flight meals. To Nagoya, it usually transit in HCM and when you're flying back to KUL, transit in Hanoi. The only negative thing is that there's no in-flight entertainment.

Cheap??? For flying at which period?

The seat is comfy and pretty spacious (as I recall it). And in my opinion the legroom appears to be even more spacious than MAS. The food btw, is also better than our MAS however since Vietnamese usually have beef or fish, most of the time the menu consists of these two.

Cooking aside, laundry is not that expensive outside meaning, laundromat probably will cost you 100-200yen for washing and another 100-200yen for dry cleaning. Say, that's a total of 500yen @ around RM20 max given the exchange rate now. It's not worth choosing airbnb if it's giving too much hassle and uncertainty of cancellation over the RM20 of laundry.

Undoubtly, airbnb is convenient for family especially when there's children. When it's 2-3 people travelling together, Hotel may be a better choice depending on potential cost saving.

At the end of the day, it's subjectively based on individual preference. For me it's Hotel > airbnb if price is about the same.

When you need to take the bus, book online. If it's peak season, the tickets at counter may run out so better play it safe. And yes, you can reserve online:
https://japanbusonline.com/en/CourseSearch/11900040002

Optionally, you can try Sakura Hotel. The cheapest is at Nippori, a room for 2 people (tatami style, which i think your child can sleep in the middle) @ 7,100yen. I believe this meets your budget. Nippori is about 20min away from Shinjuku (station) by train. Just take note that if you stay far away from the main hub (also depending on your itinerary), you may end up spending more money and time taking trains/ transiting. Best to map your itinerary out and plan well, especially with a child along.

Sakura Hotel also have branches in Ikebukuro, Asakusa etc but the price is higher there (easily 1-2kyen higher).

Check it out here: https://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp/ (in English, no worries)
When you search, just choose "Private" and 2 pax.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jul 10 2018, 02:06 PM

Check out page #1 for more info and recommendations of itinerary.

Sakura Hotel is fine, an acquaintance stayed there before and commented it's good.

Bad things happen even when it's not your fault I guess that's the interesting part of travel. Shared this story with my sensei and he laughed saying it's interesting and a different experience. I conveyed this to my friend and she said, "Not so funny when you're the one missing the bus!" it was frustrating then, and it wasn't a "good" memory but it's not all that bad afterall. The next time we meet (friend in Adelaide), we'll probably laugh about it. That's the fun part about travelling. We will never see the "bad" things coming, nor the little pleasant surprises along the way.

Drop your pin on Google Map on places you want to visit and then check the transit. You'll find out whether the itinerary is ideal or too hectic. Suggest you do up your itinerary first and then check with forumers.

Hahahahaha your picture looked so bright, easily 5-6am or later?

I've used the Seishun 18 ticket but it wasn't for Osaka to Tokyo. I went from Nagoya to Takayama (Gifu prefecture). Not sure about reserved seats but we didn't book those. We just got on the Limited Express train and changed train twice. It's like you're getting on a regular train.

And seishun 18 is really value for money thus the trade off is your time. It's a long ride to your destination (compared to taking a bullet train) at a cheaper cost, stopping in most stations. It benefits people who are not in a rush to get to their destination. Not sure about the train to Osaka/ Tokyo, but mine was normal cushion. If you're worried then just go for reserved seats - pretty much solves your concern, no?

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jul 11 2018, 11:09 AM

Straight from airport? Bus. Google around, you'll find what you're looking for.

Yes there are local tour/ sightseeing buses. The Kawaguchiko station is the "hub" or place to get passes, tickets, board buses/ trains etc. There's also an information counter there.

You can refer to page 1, post #1 on this question, or do a basic search on Google.

Yes there's Direct Bus from Narita to Kawaguchiko:
http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/highway/detail/id/39/

You can also leave from Shinjuku via either train or bus, but what's the point of lugging your baggage around and get to Shinjuku then board the train/ bus from there, when you can save all hassle/ problem by boarding the bus directly at the airport and get to your destination? Unless you plan to store your luggage bag in Shinjuku locker, that changes the scenario.

Secondly, there's also option for you to send your luggage from airport to your Hotel directly without having the need to bring your luggage all the way to Kawaguchiko.

Japan is a country of convenience. There are many ways to travel and do things, depending on your budget and way of travelling. All you have to do is more research for planning. Planning makes a world of difference as you can then decide based on your options.

As for Metro pass - it's simple. Metro pass is only for subway lines operated under Tokyo Metro, for use within Tokyo city. You cannot use the pass for bus, or train line operated by other companies.

Metro pass information are on Page 1 Post #1 including links for you to read up on.
Page 1 Post #1 also has information on IC card such as SUICA/ PASMO that works like Touch n Go. Read them up.



P/S: Wow we've hit 100 pages already. That's fast!

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jul 16 2018, 10:15 AM

I'm sure there are different option of time departing from the airport (for the bus). Jam during the weekend? Then you can switch your plan and go to Kawaguchiko over a weekday instead? Anywhere you go over the weekend is definitely crowded and jam even in Malaysia

Option #2 : instead of storing in Shinjuku or sending your luggage, you can also store in Kawaguchiko station. There are lockers and baggage storage areas at the cost of 500yen for 1 day per luggage (but usually lockers INSIDE Kawaguchiko station is full, so worry not - many shops nearby and lockers situation outside the station for use).

Metro Pass: yes, they have 1 day, 3 days and 5 days option. But keep in mind if you buy this pass you can only take Metro Line subway. You cannot use the pass and ride a JR line subway or any other line not operated by Metro Line.

For example, imagine local KL where we have KTM and LRT. If you bought a 3 days LRT pass you can only use it to ride LRT, and cannot use it for KTM ride. Simple as that. Consider looking up the train/ transport system in Tokyo.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Jul 16 2018, 11:07 AM

Many recommendations actually, depending on what you're looking for. Personally I like staying in Asakusa and have stayed there often when I'm in Tokyo. It's convenient with many shops, friendly environment and you can get to Narita Airport directly from the train station. But I usually stay airBnB in Asakusa

Check out Booking.com or Agoda - I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.

Yes there was a big hoo-haa as a lot of accommodations (that were booked and paid for) was cancelled.

By the way this one - the price shown upon choosing flights - is before the discounted rate right? Meaning the final price/ cost is only reflected when proceed to pay with card?

Hmmmm then it's not really that cheap thought it's subject to further discount. If not, then I guess the period I want to travel is still expensive - peak season (New Year).

I look at the overall price. Still expensive so guess need to wait abit. Probably other destination will have a higher % discount.

Yes I opened through the link. Just wanted to confirm if the price shown via the link is final price, or like some banks - the discount is shown/ only appear when you hit the payment page. I tried up to that but didn't see any rebate. Thanks for the clarification.