I just applied my VISA on last Wednesday, and going to collect later afternoon.

If you travel in group on tour agency, the tour agency can settle easily for you. If you travel on your own, such as free and easy by Air Asia, you need to submit all the item 1 to 7. For bank statement, either savings or FD will do.

Source: not the first time traveling to Japan ^^

Anyone just got back from Tokyo? Is the weather now like Genting or hotter? Leaving to Tokyo next week

Sure Eric, PM me after June once I back from the trip and do a complete itinerary compilation.

My coming trip will cover Tokyo, Hakone, Osaka and Kyoto in 10 nights. Itinerary includes recommended hotel with rate (near station), transportation, travel pass and attraction

Anyway, anyone know where can get the best rate for Yen now? Visited 3 exchangers in Kepong area, all running out of stocks So far the rate I got is between 38.8 to 39.0 (although no stocks)

Taking AA.

15/05 - Jusco Kepong 38.8 - no stock
15/05 - Kepong Village 39.0 - no stock
15/05 - Sunway Pyramid 39.0 - no stock (cause I sapu the remaining already , still not enough)

Just back from the holiday trip and share some tips here.

Tips: Planning
We went to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hakone. The best reference will be based on the travel pass you are going to get. For example, Tokyo Metro pass, Osaka pass, Kyoto bus pass and Hakone pass. Travel pass can give you an idea where to visit and usually they cover all the attractions.

Tips: Hakone Pass
Hakone is a good place to enjoy Onsen and the view of Mount Fuji. We used the pass to have round trip from Shinjuku to Hakone through Odawara. Of course, the pass also covers all Hakone attractions and transportation there. If you plan to visit Doraemon museum and probably biggest 100 yen shop by Daiso, get their customer servicing staff to write you a memo when you purchase the pass, so that you can get down at Mukogaoka-yuen station and Machida station on the way back from Hakone, travelling along the Odakyu train line.

Tips: Travel on Air Asia X
After custom clearing and baggage claim, it will be probably after 11pm. If you don't want to risk or rush to Tokyo city, you can book a night of hotel near Kamata area. There is one JR station nearby and you can take your sweet time the next day morning to go to Tokyo city, while enjoy hunting the local breakfast there. The bus fare is only 270 yen per person, worse you can have Keikyu train to be backup, or super bad luck, you can take a cab and Kamata is not that far from Haneda airport.

Tips: Willer Express bus pass
We found it is the most affordable way to travel back and forth to Osaka from Tokyo. The 3 days pass is highly recommended and it does not need to be used in consecutively 3 days. We used that for our night bus traveling and be sure to choose the "Relax - Comfortable seats with extra space" (this is the most high-end seat type if using bus pass). Very comfort and you can charge your electronic devices too!

Tips: Budget Meals
We tried the Udon noodles at Sanko (Rakugama) and rice at Sukiya as what being recommended in the first page. Nothing much for Sukiya, but the Udon at Sanko (Rakugama) is really nice. Top up 200 yen for the boneless chicken don is really worth. Mcdonalds always have free coffee where we were there. They have this 100 yen menu, and we tried the crispy chicken burger and it is not bad.



Tips: On saving
Plan your traveling routes well, and it can save a lot of your time and money too. Get the pass if possible. Little saving such as put your luggage at hotel, overnight also no problem, can save 500 yen per piece if you put it at station. Meal discount voucher if there is, like the Udon at Sanko has 30 yen discount. If you plan to go Haneda airport by Limousine bus from Tokyo, buy the package that comes with Tokyo metro pass, save 200 yen if you buy Tokyo metro pass alone, and etc. One part we could not save is when we were in Kyoto visiting all the temples, the admission fee is not cheap, and there is no travel pass for that. Well, they really have many temples For the Imperial Palace English guided tour, book your slot in advance, and it is free!

Our trip was 10 days 9 nights, and the total damage is RM 10K for two persons. It covers the flight, meals, accommodation and transportation. For the accommodation, we had 7 nights at hotel and 2 nights on bus. All our hotel rooms near train station and have private bath room. The total spending could even lower if we did not spend a luxury night at Hakone, around RM 2K a night (big Ryokan with private Onsen, haha! This is like reward for me and my wife) and around RM 1.3K on souvenirs. My wife is in her 5 months pregnant, so the trip must guarantee a certain comfort level

Last tip for data roaming, our Nexus phone and S2 with both Digi and Maxis line did not work in Japan, if you want to get the data sim card, click on my signature if you travel on this month, June, haha!

And now, more foods...



This post has been edited by engtat: Jun 2 2012, 11:55 AM

For example, if you go to Osaka, get the Osaka travel pass. However, if you only travel within Tokyo, just get the Tokyo Metro pass, is enough for you to travel around using subway.

Our Ryokan is called Green Plaza Hakone, and we went for this special room, Japanese room with private open-air bath, haha!

This post has been edited by engtat: Jun 2 2012, 12:05 PM