at my coldest days
even with short pants and windbreaker as a layer is enough
and i'm the type that is very scared of cold, body fat % very low kind

the days i felt the coldest is the day i went USJ
my ticket is B and the crowd doesn't seem like B....if the crowd i saw is B(no timed entry to harry potter), i wonder what C and D will look like

looks very crowded to me
but no timed entry to harry potter area throughout the day


your day 6
if you're travelling from nara toward kyoto from there
take the JR train and stop by inari station(fushimi inari)
u could have merge day 6 and day 11 together

when i was there, i saw quite alot of people holding express pass(not sure which kind though)
managed to ride most of it except the minions(too long) and those extreme roller coaster ride


This post has been edited by MR_alien: Oct 14 2019, 11:16 AM

oh and back to your sagano train case, since u have the train 5 ticket
if you're travelling from kameoka to arashiyama...it's at the most rear train
so when reach arashiyama and want to disembark, u need to walk all the way to train 3 to disembark(it's a small station)

spend more time in kyoto, more things to see in kyoto than osaka
osaka is only mostly namba area and dotonbori
else everything is outside like USJ, kobe


u shouldn't have returned the card


the last station is just beside the JR station
u just need to walk back to the bamboo forest


just take the limousine bus, less hassle
there is a 10.20PM bus which i'm very certain u can make it

to those who wanted to know how fast is the immigration process in KIX airport(apart from disembark from plane and taking the train to main terminal)
the whole process is just 2 minutes, it's that fast
and when leaving japan(KIX airport), they use machine for all people(local and tourist)...same like the ones we malaysian use when leaving malaysia

nope
1. the pass itself is not cheap
2. i got no time to pick it up
3. cannot fully utilize the pass(go to so many places)

u need to spend more days in kyoto, like 4 days...there are alot more things to visit in kyoto than osaka


not just not far
once u arrived at JR arashiyama station, the sagano station is just beside actually(based on google maps)

on the side note, wanna ask something...for those who know japan kit kat well
why the same flavour have packet and box version
the packet version is only sold like 2XX-3XX yen while the box type is fixed 800 yen for all?
any difference between them?

yes..same flavour...can refer pic below
i saw apple flavour got box and packet as well
some place sold packet, some place sold only box
each place i go, they have their own unique kit kat flavour...can't buy it all




nara itself is very big
and plenty of shopping street in between that u can walk
it will took half of your day
when i'm on my fushimi inari >> uji >> nara day trip
i had to forego uji because scared can't make it and i was right...i left nara at 4.30PM at the end of the day

here are some tips for those who're travelling to kansai region

1. the immigration process only took 2-5 mins from the moment u queue, they have so many machine on standby
2. going out of japan are all using self check out machine like in KLIA2 for malaysian...but apply to all local and tourist
3. each place like kyoto, osaka, nara, kobe has their own confectionery(biscuit, cake..etc) so be sure to grab them if u see something u like...u can't get them if you left there....kit kat included
4. the seat availability for the sagano romantic train in their website is innacurate...it changes from time to time
5. if you're taking the bus from golden pavilion back to kyoto station, u can actually disembark at a bus stop in front of the kyoto university and visit the imperial palace and walk down toward kawaramachi(saves u a train ride to gion-shijo station from kyoto station)
6. visit fushimi inari by 7.30AM, it takes 1 hour to reach the top and 1 hour to go down....the moment you're half way down..you'll alot of people going up
7. the train in kansai region is more straight forward as compared to tokyo which is complicated
8. kobe is a huge area, i personally prefer u guys overnight if u wanna explore the whole place....it takes around 50mins to go there from namba station and back
i personally go kitano area, walk back down to chinatown...did not manage to visit harbourland
9. there are more family mart and lawson in kansai region than 7-11 unlike tokyo
10. u will never ever see a KFC in kansai region(at least i don't have yet) as compared to tokyo

This post has been edited by MR_alien: Oct 15 2019, 03:47 PM

did not buy any pass at all since i can't even pick it up
and i don't travel more than 3 bus ride each day to make it break even
so i just use pasmo all the way

many places
there are multiple tori gates spot along the way up...got old and new
the one below when you're walking up is the most famous...especially the split

at the split...there will be a sign where it tells to to "use the right one only"
so the left one is completely empty...available for photo opportunities

actually they both led to the same place
but they want to maintain left = down, right = up
so they put a banner on top that say "use the right one only"
so if u go early enough, many will use the left one to take picture since it's empty

no
i did not went there early because i need to take the train ride to reach there 1st
it's beautiful though

your day 1
the moment u reach KIX, take the train or bus to osaka and drop your luggage, it's already almost noon
it's quite wasteful to go kobe
it's around 45-50 mins per way there
and kobe itself is huge, alot of place to explore

why need reservation?...so good?
why not try "京都祇園う(木桶)鰻魚飯 Uokeya U" at gion?


5000 yen for 100 gram..this is the one sold at kuromon market..the cheapest kobe beef u can get


yes, been drinking tap water in japan since like ever
they don't even provide bottled water for that reason

the one i just typed is also michelin star(one star)


i bought a unagi bento box from the supermarket at kuromon market @ 8PM for 200 yen only

ya, most of the bento boxes and bread are all sold already
thn i saw got 1 bento box left that has unagi inside..thn i saw the sticker write 200 yen...i straight grab it

i think after 6/7PM, they start slash price already

i don't think it differs through season
all supermarket or the one under takashiyama will start slash price around 5-6PM because they close very early
it depends how late the shop closes really

when i was in tokyo, the food hall under the odakyu department store at shinjuku station closed at 6PM
so around 5PM, they start to slash price already and tons of japanese workers go there to grab their dinner
by 6PM, the gate is closed

at the sticker in front, it said the unagi is made 8AM
it's 12 hours...and i left it until next morning to microwave to eat...so i don't think is fresh anymore
but for 200 yen...its darn cheap

travelling to japan can be cheap if u know what to do or where to buy to settle your bfast

This post has been edited by MR_alien: Oct 17 2019, 09:35 PM

u want a quick, cheap hot meal?
find ramen store that is standing only

why is your day 1 got osaka aquarium which is at a totally different place?(near USJ)
day 2 have to becareful, if u want to cover it all...u might go back osaka pretty late at night...kobe is pretty big
day 3 kiyomizudera thn gion area all the way to kawaramachi (https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950_higashiyama_half.html)
day 4 can include golden pavilion in there
day 5 u can stop by fushimi inari 1st before going to nara if you're from kyoto


yes, can use e-ticket display from handphone
i saw many just use their handphone
but i choose to print out using a paper because my phone is a battery drainer
and since i bought buy 1 free 1...each order is 2 ticket...not convenient
just open your express ticket for the person to scan when u reach each express lane

This post has been edited by MR_alien: Oct 19 2019, 01:17 PM

never been to osaka aquarium but as i know that area only have USJ around
maybe more experience ones can advice u but really don't know go where if u slot it like that