Just got back from Japan (Kyoto & Osaka) and it was a tiring trip but very very enjoyable and memorable. I'm waiting to plan my next trip there again

Here are a few things I noticed/experienced:

1) Personal opinion:

Food wise, Osaka is better than Kyoto. This is based on some restaurants we visited based on recommendations online and also random walk-in when we were walking around.

The convenience store food like sandwiches and their desserts were really yummy. Also, Family Mart and Lawson's fried chicken

2) Osaka is a shopping heaven. It's absolutely crazy and there are SO MANY people around at the shopping streets and there are so many pharmacies/shops - Tenjinbashi, Shinsaibashi, Ebisubashi, Namba Walk. Literally shop till you drop!

3) Kyoto is an absolutely amazing place to relax and unwind. So many lovely streets in the Higashiyama district and you can really wander around. Arashiyama is another lovely example, though I hated the crowd there.

4) Gotta be careful when using google maps taking the trains as there are many types of trains; Express, Limited express, Rapid express, Semi-express, Sub express.

There was one instance where Google Maps asked us to take Limited Express to Nara (can't remember the location) and we tapped ICOCA when we entered the station and when we wanted to enter the train, the conductor told us we need to get tickets so we had to buy tickets. We found out some Limited Express trains require an extra surcharge.

Also there are other times where we did not even need to purchase tickets for the limited express trains and we sat at some "Elegant Saloon 8000 series carriage" which we thought was reserved but it wasn't.

We actually had a harder time using the bus than the train. Like we were supposed to take bus number 5 and there is some extra japanese kanji at the side of it. We checked that it was going to the right direction (For example Bus no.5 heading towards direction of Kyoto Eki mae) but it was the wrong bus maybe because of the different kanji next to the number?

Luckily a very nice old man saw us struggling and handed us a map with all the bus routes, it was so much easier with it.

5) Hardly any dustbins in the streets of Osaka and Kyoto. In the end, have to pass back the rubbish back to the shops. Sometimes you see them at the vending machines.

6) Every time you pay cash for something you'll get back a lot of coins. Yeah you guys were right. We always had to try to get rid of those coins when making purchases.

7) The red maple leaves were incredibly and unbelievable red during the peak season in Kyoto. We were soooo amazed by it. Not only that, trees with yellow leaves were like golden yellow and they were so beautiful.

8) Japanese people are mostly polite. However, there were 2 encounters which weren't pleasant at the train station - the 2 person at the ticket office were impatient and unfriendly. I would just take this as an isolated case.

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Nov 30 2019, 04:31 PM

All those famous temples have a lot of maple trees with those red leaves - Kiyomizudera, Tofukuji, Kinkakuji, Tenryuji and especially Eikando temple. Some parts of the Kyoto Botanical Gardens have lovely leaves as well.

Got a lot of pictures which I'm still editing, hopefully can share some pictures soon..

I just got back from Osaka/Kyoto and planning for the next trip already Has anyone done this route before?

14-15 nights trip:
Osaka** - Kanazawa - Shirakawago - Nagano - Tokyo

** Land at Osaka and spend 1 night in Osaka for eating and shopping galore. Luggage forwarding service for the big luggages to Kanazawa. To bring small bag for overnight clothing/etc.

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Dec 17 2019, 04:44 PM

Rough sketch of my Japan 2021 Autumn trip. Is this doable?

Not sure of the costs for the inter City transport and luggage forwarding service..

Land at Osaka-Kanazawa-toyoma-shirakawago-kawaguchiko-tokyo

Where's the best place to view Mount Fuji?



This post has been edited by -kytz-: Dec 26 2019, 03:44 PM

Can easily take the Airport Express train (just tap with ICOCA or any IC card) or take the Nankai express train (reserved tickets--need to purchase tickets).

I feel Namba is way more happening due to the various shopping streets and Dotonbori eating street.

Have to consider the daily 2 hours traveling time (to and fro) between Osaka and Kyoto which is no joke. Plus also the short day light duration...

It would cost minimum 1600Y or RM60 per person for the traveling expenses (to and fro) and would it be much cheaper for you to stay in Osaka assuming the reasoning for the daily travel between the two cities is due to the more costly hotels in Kyoto?

Thanks. Thinking of allocating like 2 nights for Kawaguchiko and might rent a car to drive around..

Considering to land at either Tokyo, Nagoya or Kansai depending on the costs, duration of the travel (train) and how I plan the itinerary

Too bad that Hokuriku pass is only for 7 days, might get the 14 days JR pass but gotta calculate the traveling costs to see if it's worth it or not..

Thanks for the suggestion. My itinerary still in the planning stage actually so I can add/subtract places.

But I'm planning for like 14-15 nights this time round

P/s: I do really enjoy planning as it's kind of therapeutic and stress relieving

Yeah it's enough. However, be careful when using Google maps to travel to Nara, it asked me to use the limited express where u actually need to purchase a separate ticket costing ¥560 from Osaka on top of the ICOCA. I think you can use the regular trains that don't require the extra fee..

However there was another instance where I took limited express which does not require a separate fee..

Also in Japan there are various trains with similar names so have to be careful. I honestly thought semi express and sub express were the same trains and got on the wrong trains. It was my first time in Japan so I had some issues with the transportation



This post has been edited by -kytz-: Jan 2 2020, 09:19 AM

The 3 day Kansai Thru Pass costs ¥5300 and you have to see if it's worth it or not. To check the costs of individual train rides between the cities, you can use Google maps.

Edit: I think the pass covers train rides within the city as well?

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Jan 2 2020, 11:38 AM

For Kyoto, safest bet is last week of November.

Always check past autumn colour reports!

Come on, the haruka ticket is only ¥1600 if you have ICOCA. It's only RM60 which I would gladly throw AWAY.

How can it be convenient when you need to take 2 trains and you're carrying heavy luggage and not to mention the extra 1hr 20min hours of traveling time

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Jan 23 2020, 12:39 PM

I personally took the 2 day OAP and I think i did cover the cost of it because it covers transportation except a few lines (notably the Keihan line).

Did not manage to even go to Shinsekai and to visit the tsutenkaku tower due to time constraint because it was my first time in Japan, I spent too much time at each location.

I think if you are disciplined enough to have a fixed amount of time to spend at each place then you can easily visit a lot of places with the pass.

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Feb 5 2020, 10:09 AM

Are you willing to self quarantine after u come back from Japan?

Most importantly, do you live with your parents?