Anyone know why there is no direct flight between KL to Sapporo from August onwards for AirAsia?

Is it because the schedule hasn`t been released or they stop the direct flight to Sapporo?

This post has been edited by SkyHermit: Jun 5 2019, 01:48 PM

Is there any cheap hotels near the airport to bunk for the night? Going there in Nov but my plane lands in Japan at about 12am and my Airbnb place is all the way in Shibuya.

Hi friends, I will be going to Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo this coming mid November for 17 days. I have been doing some homework over the internet reading reviews and etc but could not decide where to best stay in Osaka and Kyoto. Do you mind to help me recommend some hotels or area to focus on? I read "Minami" in Osaka is a good place to stay due its proximity to Dotonbori and other shopping/nightlife scenes. I am also planning to visit Nara while I am in Osaka but I have some doubts as I'm not too sure if these areas suggested are convenient for me to travel to Nara via Train/Mrt.

Not forgetting, I will be bringing my family with me, a total of 4 of us, all adults.

Tentative
Osaka (5 days 4 nights) 1 night will be wasted as I will reaching at around 9.20pm.
Kyoto (3 days 2 nights)
Tokyo (9 days 8 nights) Plan to travel to either Hakone or Chureito Temple for a day. Which is better?

Thanks all for your advises in advance!

This post has been edited by [LinkZ]: Jun 5 2019, 10:22 PM

best place to stay in kyoto really depends
u can google "best place to stay in kyoto" and decide yourself, there is a few area to choose from...depends which one u priortise
i chose to stay near kyoto station area for ease of transportation instead

for osaka, most tourist will stay in namba area so that they're near most station and most tourist attraction such as dotonbori, shinsaibasi, nipponbashi and kuromon market

for nara, u can try do it from kyoto actually
fushimi inari >> uji >> nara...it's all within the same JR line

17 days is a nice amount of time and I think you can definitely spend some amount of those visiting other areas by smart usage of a 7 days JR pass.
I personally feel that you are short changing Kyoto (especially during autumn) so cut out maybe a day each from Osaka/Tokyo and add that to the Kyoto portion.

I have never been to Hakone but I love Chureito, you can easily spend a couple of days at Fuji 5 Lakes which puts you near the pagoda.
Worthwhile to get up early and go to Chureito in the morning and hike up to catch a glimpse of Fuji on a clear day

富士山 by Eugene Fanyfied, on Flickr

Nara can be accessed from Kyoto or Osaka easily so no fuss there.

Places I recommend as day trips with your JR pass from Osaka:
1. Himeji & Kobe
2. Okayama & Kurashiki

Places I recommend as day trips with your JR pass from Tokyo:
1. Nikko

If you're wanting an onsen experience, go to Kinosaki Onsen and spend a night there. Easily accessible with your JR pass from either Osaka/Kyoto.

As for accomodation areas, stay around the Namba area in Osaka or near the Midosuji subway line.
For Kyoto, stay at Kyoto Station if you're making frequent day trips or stay near the Shijo/Kawaramachi area for easy access to Gion/Higashiyama etc.

Like I said, 17 days is good amount and with a bit of detailed planning, you might even be able to go to Hiroshima & Kanazawa if you're up for it.

This post has been edited by Monya Meow Meow: Jun 6 2019, 10:36 AM

want to ask a few question
1. regarding airbnb, are all legal airbnb in japan require passport check in or only some? and why is the license number some are different than others?

2. USJ i know cannot bring outside food inside but can bring water?

Kyoto- somewhere near the station would be nice. Kyoto Station prox. is good choice, since u can go everywhere as well taking shinkansen to Tokyo.
somewhere near shijo kawaramachi has really good night enviroment (close to Gion area, Pontocho Street, Nishiki Market) but not really ideal to travel, cept few area like Fushimi Inari, Kuramayama

Osaka- no idea, but bout Namba area, most ppl choose this place mainly for morning flight back. I chose that place mainly for that reason. if u like shopping, tat area would be ideal. if u want to use it as travel hub, its not really a good place.

Tokyo- no comment, but as mentioned by Monya, Nikko is a nice place.

The last Airbnb I stayed at Kawaguchiko last Nov did not require us to produce our passports during check-in. Not sure if it has changed this year or not.

look like bus is more convenient than JR, direct from Fukuoka airport to Kokura
anyone experience first day in Kokura? can share the transport?

i ask because of all the rooms i viewed in airbnb
the license number differ from each other..some are like special economic area XXX-XXXX....thn some are like M24508769
the accommodation i booked in kyoto require passport check in, did it online
but the one i booked in osaka did not mention anything about it at all

What's your budget like? See if this is within your range? Hotel Koryu: http://www.booking.com/Share-63Wk7j

I enjoyed my stay there. You sleep on the futon; the room has TV and all the basic facilities, with attached bathroom which makes it convenient. Best of all, there's onsen in the Hotel you also get shuttle van which can pickup from Kawaguchiko station (check the timing and how to contact them). As for Kawaguchiko, you can refer to my trip Part III and Part IV here as reference: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=89083518

Own bottle water can bring....I eat ais cream also can in....they will check ur carry bag...very friendly...no worries

This post has been edited by Bkboy: Jun 7 2019, 01:31 PM

Double check your dates? Flying to Sapporo Shin-Chitose, only Tuesdays, Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays got direct flights, while flying back to KL, only Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Just checked AirAsia December 2019 schedules.

But price, no promo (yet) ... last sale in May, the price was RM399 to, and RM430 return (without luggage & meal), for non-peak periods.

You are right. There are direct flight between CTS and KL for December (October onward) but no direct flight between Sapporo and KL in August and September 2019. Even the Airasia staff doesnt know why

Since I will be flying every month for work trip but cant find direct flight for August and September.

This post has been edited by SkyHermit: Jun 7 2019, 04:04 PM

Could be seasonal demand. Singapore Airlines and I think Scoot do SIN-CTS direct flights only a few months a year for the winter ski season, but all other months tarak. Could be the same for AA too?

You could be right about the seasonal demand but I think August is a summer holiday in Japan and the famous Lavender in Hokkaido is also available viewing for July and August only so I do not see any reason why Airasia decides not to have flights in August

If you don't mind walking maybe you can start at Kuromon Ichiba market first then walk up to Dotonburi and finally Shinsaibashi shopping district. I based this on looking at the maps only, have yet to go to Osaka (going this November)

You could take a subway to Shinsaibashi station and start walking down to Dotonbori from there. Maybe aim to reach the Ebisu bridge by evening so that you can see all the neon signboards lit up (you'll have to do some research to find out what time they turn on the lights). Lots of things to eat around Dotonbori too so you can have dinner there.

last time i stayed at Denden town area. visit Shinsekai, then return Denden Town, walk along to Kuromon Market, then to Dotonbori.
we din head to Shinsaibashi as we are goin somewhere else.
but we did it in one of a day at Shinsaibashi walk toward to Denden town via Dotonbori. u can start as Shinsaibashi if u wan at Shinsaibashi station, then walk all the way to Shinsekai.
there is Ebisucho sta, which is nearby Shinsekai. (Ebisucho has been my main sta. as my lodging is nearby that sta.)

Yup. The shopping street itself already got a lot to see. Then you will get distracted by all the other things along all the lorong-lorong also. I didn't see all of Shinsaibashi myself - I came from the Denden Town side and by the time I finished exploring Dotonbori I was tired already.