I've updated on the $ part on Page 1 Post 1. Look at item #3 for a simple guideline.

Used it in Tokyo twice, Yamagata, Shanghai etc. No issue with Hello1010 sim and it's very stable since they're riding on Softbank's network. With 3GB for 1 week, I couldn't even finish the data (back to Hotel/ accomm we use WIFI).

Have not tried it for Hotspot.

No problem! But oh, one of my earlier post did mention I had problem activating the SIM back in my Map trip earlier this year. Was at the airport so I texted the Support via WIFI. Ended up I need my friend to help me activate the SIM using her phone. Then I can use ady it was compatible, just some activation issue. I use Samsung Note FE.

Sounds like you had a good trip! Glad to hear that did you enjoy Nikko? Not sure if you managed to get to Kinugawa and see the suspension bridge?

I think a lot of people gave their feedbacks. If you ask me, as long as your return date (on the day you're due to fly back to Malaysia from Japan) your passpost validity is no less than 6 months, it's still okay.

But if you're worried, might as well go renew it. Passport renewal is fast and efficient these days i went to UTC Sentul the last round at around 6.30pm and there was no one. I was served immediately and within 15-20min I got my new passport ady.

Awesome!!!Did you go to any onsen?

What about the gassho-zukuri (triangle roof houses) in Shirakawa Go? It needs to be booked early as well because if it's last minute it's usually full. Your itinerary seems fine to me

Not heard to Sukayu, but I know Tsurunoyu - the milky coloured onsen. It appears nice, i really want to visit that one. Mixed bath aye mesti #mukadapat

Btw how did you go around Tohoku? Drive or go with public transport?

Kamikochi? Not sure but ShirakawaGo is nearby Takayama. So your order of Takayama > ShirakawaGo is fine. Noticed you're planning to stay a night in ShirakawaGo, which prompted me to ask if you've booked the accommodation there haha because it's always fully booked especially winter.

I've not taken the route you planned so it's hard to comment. But one thing for sure, allow more time buffer for travelling because you may need to find the bus stop/ station, walk etc. In fact, there may be a change in timetable sometimes and we're not aware of it. So be sure to double check the bus schedule over there.

That's fine too. If that's the case, consider looking up for Day Trip package that brings you from Takayama to ShirakawaGo and back. That way it will be more convenient and you save time travelling/ waiting for buses etc. Just a recommendation.

Romancecar is a top up to the Hakone Freepass; you get to ride the Romancecar which is faster and more comfortable to travel in compared to the normal express train from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto station.

You can get the Hakone Freepass from Klook if you want to purchase in advance:
https://www.klook.com/activity/821-hakone-t...T8aAsozEALw_wcB

Imo the price is pretty much the same in MYR or yen. The conversation rate is quite near. If you want to save on the trip to buy from Shinjuku in advance, consider Klook.

Hahahaha wifi dongle from hosts are a hit and miss. If you're lucky, you'll enjoy high-speed and no issue with surfing the net. However there were cases whereby the internet data is limited and the groups before may have finished the data so your speed will be super slow. If you don't want to risk it, will suggest renting your own unit. Otherwise you can go for the airbnb host's wifi dongle and if it doesn't work, get a sim card in Japan (which will be a little pricey).

What flight is it? If it's ANA, it's damn good deal ...if AA, it's okay, average price. Arriving at 10pm, you'll now have to plan your stay and transport to accommodation well.

I see Haven't step foot in kansai yet thus no idea.

Don't worry, getting them for average price is good enough. Nowadays flights are so expensive ...yep since you've bought it, don't think about the price anymore and concentrate on the itinerary. Happy planning!

Seems like we'll be in Tokyo around similar period who knows, maybe actually bump into you.

Your itinerary isn't too packed and it's do-able. Nicely planned. In terms of Mt Fuji - it's a bit of a waste if you do day trip. Are you looking at Hakone or Fuji 5 Lakes? It's 2 different area. One of the highlight in out of city trip is the onsen. You can consider doing 2D1N stay at either Hakone or Kawaguchiko and enjoy onsen in the hotel/ ryokan.

Instead of Tsukiji, consider visiting Toyosu since the fish market had moved there. But as one of my friend puts it - Toyosu is 'clean and structural, like a cold, systematic government bureau'. Btw since you're in Tokyo in December, will recommend the Tokyo Midtown Illumination: https://tokyocheapo.com/events/midtown-christmas/

Hi all, saw this poster at Japan Foundation's FB page. Very suitable for anyone interested to start learning Japanese, especially if you're travelling to Japan early next year or something give it a shot, FOC too.

https://www.facebook.com/theJapanFoundation...?type=3&theater

If you're putting onsen as a priority, I find Hakone no Mori pretty good. Wanted to stay there but due to having an elderly in the group and getting to the place appears a little complicated, I end up dropping the idea. You can book through Booking.com, but this is their official site: https://www.hakonenomori-okada.jp/en/e-home.html

Additionally, it's not easy to find dinner in Hakone as restaurants tend to close early. Will recommend that you consider including dinner in your stay.

Refer to Page 1 Post #1. There's info regarding late arrival.

Good price! But July very the hot

Wahhhh so much travelling in 2019! Green with envy

It's not to bad to enjoy summer haha. On the good side there are festivals, fireworks and fruits in season

Yes peak is July & August. June is where it's entering into summer. Still hot. I was in Tokyo this May and the sun is glaring.

Japan's summer can be quite severe. In major cities packed with tourists, some common problems will be heat stroke and lack of water (resulting in strictly no shower from x time to y time in some Hostels or 2-3 star Hotel with shared bathroom -> based on a friend's past experience). When the weather's hot - I'll just gladly look for indoor activities to escape the heat, like the time in HK barely got out of my Hotel for 5min and was so tempted to go back in hahaha.

Probably those who had been to Tokyo in July can share their experience. Friend was in Kyoto 2 years ago in July and she said no more, never again.

I was in Tokyo in September and it was still really hot. Imo the sun is blazing hot over there. In Malaysia we barely move around with public transportation or do long walks outdoor for sight seeing. We drive from Point A to B and find the nearest parking. Then we hide in shopping malls to escape the heat.

But if you're in Japan during summer it's a different story... have to remember need to bear with the heat as you look for the Hotel/ AirBnB upon arrival, tough out the crowd in the heat, sight seeing done under the hot sun (for temples, outdoor activities etc). And places with A/C will be more crowded than usual too.

As long as the expectation is managed among those travelling, that's okay. Otherwise friends who tagged along not knowing how bad the heat is going to hit them, will be complaining from Day 1 to Day 7; that's the last thing anyone ever need.

Beautiful photos its definitely one of the joy travelling outdoor / during autumn!

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Dec 3 2018, 02:54 PM

It's the prior. Meaning, 23kg per piece x 2pcs luggage for check-in.

That's why they are top notch

Nice, you've got enough time to cover Fuji 5 Lakes.

As for the empty days - depends on what you want to do. Consider Asakusa, Ueno, Tokyo Tower, Ginza, Akihabara etc which is not in your list. Suggest you do up more research and see what interests you.

And i believe the Hotel has a T&C that says they have the right to change your room without your notification in the event it's running at full occupancy. So since you're paying for 1pax, don't be too surprised when you arrive to find that they've changed it to Single Bed. Manage your expectation if you're not being honest about having 2 guests staying in the room for 1 unless the Hotel states they're selling by room, regardless of number of pax.

Back from my trip to Tokyo and here's some update/ info of what I experienced/ encountered:

1. Narita immigration was a little different than how it was when I last pass through. In May i landed in Haneda. So anyway in order to speed up the queue, they have you take your photo and thumb print in a mini 'kiosk' assisted by staffs who speaks Chinese/ English for the foreigner line. After that you'll queue to get your passport stamped.

2. Weather is generally fine although it's December. It only rained on the last 2 days I was in Tokyo and they were more like drizzles.

3. Bought return ticket to fly with Cathay.

KUL > HK via Cathay Dragon / transit in HK for 2 hours / HK > TKY via Cathay Pacific
Same thing for departure from Tokyo.

However upon arrival to the airport and trying to drop baggage at Cathay's counter, we were informed that the flight was overbooked. Cathay offered to transfer us to MAS for direct flight to Tokyo, arriving 3 hours earlier compared to us taking Cathay. Accepted and flew to TKY with MAS.

On return, it was Cathay Pac >> transit >> Cathay Dragon. The trip with CP was good, everything was fine. However Cathay Dragon was a little disappointing. While i understand it's 'budget' airline, there was very poor ventilation. A lot of passengers were fanning themselves in the aircraft and it was really suffocating. One of the cabin crew constantly climbed up to help push the luggage inside for the overhead compartment and her super short skirt is really an uncomfortable sight for families.

4. Visited the Edo-Tokyo Outdoor Museum and it was really a great place. Recommend it for people who likes taking photos with beautiful architectures



5. For Japanese learners, one good place to buy reference books will be Bonjinsha book store - located in Hirakawacho, Chiyoda. It's about 2-3 stations away from the Imperial Palace. It's located on the 8th floor of an office building (i was actually worried Google brought me to Bonjinsha's office instead of bookstore haha). Purchase of ￥5,000 and above entitle you for tax return on the spot - but only if you pay in cash. By credit card you're not entitled for any tax return. They close at 5pm so make sure you're not there too late.

It made me think that there may be tax return for books but not all stores offer them. I was at Libro bookstore and purchased >￥5,000 of books but there's no tax return. So check with the stores beforehand if you plan to buy books.

6. Finally saw Tokyo Station Square!!! The last time I went, there were construction sites all over the entrance of Tokyo station but now I see grass and vast space at the entrance. It's beautiful



7. If you're going to Ghibli Museum and you purchased the tickets online, make sure to print it. If you forgot to print them like me or my cousin, you can print in Lawson/ Family Mart. However it's DIY so you'll have to follow the instructions stated at the photocopy machine. Use the QR code reader to scan and download the App, upload document onto the app, connect the app with the printer and then print. Sound simple enough but it took us almost 1 hour to try and operate/ get it done hahahaha but eventually it was a success. What an experience haha.

8. Not a fan of the new Toyosu Fishmarket. Felt like I walked in to a government office - very 'clean' and structural. Queue was super long in every single restaurant due to lack of restaurants but large number of patrons. Make sure to get to the Skyroof - it was beautiful though take the lift to 5th floor, and you'll have to take the stairs to 6th floor - ideal place to take photos.



9. New flavours of Kit Kat that i saw : Ume wine (plum wine), Peach, Tokyo Banana, errr something with Kinoko powder (soy bean powder).
Not new but the ones you don't see in Malaysia (kit kat): Rum & Raisin, Grapes, Melon, Strawberry (it's a special edition if i recall correctly), Red Bean etc.

10. Booked Green Hotel in Gora, but went to the Green Hotel in Hakone!!!! Both are under the same group - just different in terms of location. Google brought us to the one Hakone and I didn't realize. Luckily the Hotel staffs were kind enough to use their shuttle van and drove us to the Hotel in Gora. It's also because we have an elderly with us (past 5pm) and they're free at that time. Couldn't thank them enough for their kindness. Sadly the onsen in Gora cannot see Mt Fuji, but the one in Hakone can (the accommodation is also pricier)

11. Used Big Pay for the first time, and i swiped it in Japan. There's no minimum spend - my first usage was in Daily Yamazaki (convenience store) at less than ￥500 and there's no issue in swiping. Enjoyed good exchange rate with 0 transaction fee/ charges. Very convenient and easy to use ...with the exception rugi when I pay Hotel in Hakone. The exchange rate for that day was slightly higher than my cash (the rate i changed for cash). But due to the high amount payable for 9 pax, used card anyway as we do not have that much cash.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Dec 26 2018, 02:50 PM