google 'ryokan' - small room with mat & pillows. can be a couple of hundred rm.

Was in Japan last December, pls see stories/pics HERE.

Thanks.



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This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Feb 18 2012, 10:14 AM

Hi, bro, thanks, been around here long time, never posted.

If you plan to just stay in Tokyo for a few days, then no need JR Pass. But if you make a return trip Tokyo-Kyoto with the bullet trains, it's about same price as a 7-day Pass (which costs a bit > RM1k). Yes, trains are very expensive. If you plan to do Hiroshima as well (which is a really worthy visit, to the A-Bomb Peace Park), then JR Pass is the best.

Sorry no more dedicated GPSr nowadays. I just use my smartphone/tablet's GPS for orientation. Obsession with GPS can spoil trip enjoyment.

My Galaxy Tab 7.0 live on a shinkansen, normally used with Google Maps.


For rooms try Toyoko Inn.
Their budget hotels are close to train stations in virtually every major location, so very handy for travelers. Good prices, when check-in at first hotel, get a membership card for further discounts.

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Added on February 18, 2012, 10:54 amPlenty of time. Try to squeeze in Hiroshima (for the awesome A-Bomb Peace Park), then do boat ride to magical Miyajima Island, with quick stopover at wooden Himeji Castle (along Osaka-Hiroshima line). Get JR pass for trains.

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Feb 18 2012, 10:54 AM

Thanks for intro, bro, but ... To Travel Is To Live!

You mean THIS STORY? Thanks.

Yes, Haneda is huge, but beautiful and easy to use. AirAsia X lands at the International Terminal. Best is take the Tokyo Monorail to JR Hamamatsucho Station to access the Green Line which can take you anywhere in Tokyo. All valid for JR Pass.

With such diverse destinations you need a JR Pass for unlimited train travel. With such a pass, it doesn't matter where you land - HND or KIX. Just choose the best fare and timing. One Tokyo/Kyoto return bullet train fare already costs almost as much as a 7-day JR Pass, which provides (almost) unlimited travel all over Japan.

Google JR Pass for complete info, so maybe it can cover your Kyoto/Osaka transport. It's good for JR lines, and in Tokyo, the Green Line is okay. Note that Hiroshima-Tokyo train ticket is already 18550yen one-way, and a 7-day JR Pass is only 28,300yen. To check train schedule & prices, goto http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/ -- see how much saving you get by using JR Pass compared to buying tickets separately over there.

When applying for JP visa, yes, there's a form for your itinerary.

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Added on February 18, 2012, 4:43 pmThanks, mmyy. The Norway trip was decided within 3 weeks when Qatar Airways launched their KUL-DXB-OSL service. They offered return tix of just RM1200 all in, to Oslo, so I quickly grabbed a pair and worked out the itinerary myself. We knew we had to to do the famous Bergen Railway, the awesome fjords, the World Heritage Site at Bergen, and of course go to Arctic Tromso to chase the Aurora Borealis. Norway is expensive (makes Japan look cheap ), so we did our best to save costs. I never keep track of expenses of my trips, since to me, it takes away the pleasure of traveling. So I'm not sure how much we actually spent, but you can google relevant info for a feel.


This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Feb 18 2012, 04:43 PM

In virtually any trip, travel + accommodation costs are the killers. Control these two, and you should be okay. For e.g., sure Japan is pricey. But if you pay only RM650 for KUL/KIX airfare return on D7, say, and stay at hostels or budget hotels at RM120/nite, plus another RM1k for JR Pass for unlimited trains, you are almost there already.

Interesting, bro stimix. Last Nov, my friendly moneychanger at TTDI sold JPY at 39.40 for THIS TRIP. I plan to do Japan again this December, flying into Osaka now, and going south, retracing my trip in '06 (documented HERE), but this time with 3 big kids in tow.

Go see the Snow Monkeys of Nagano also.



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Very nice set of pics! We were there in Hokkaido too 06-09 Dec 2011. Just the week before you, I think. We took the train from Tokyo to Hokkaido, stopping in Nikko on the way up, and in Nagano on the way back. Very memorable.

Our Hokkaido scenes ...

Hakodate.


Sapporo.


Otaru.


Kushiro.


For complete set of slideshows pls click HERE.

Thanks!

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Travelling as a couple, our fave is TOYOKO INN. Get membership card when checking in for more discounts and benefits - see HERE.

More pics of our JP trip last December ...

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Nikko is Nippon


Long Utsunomiya-Hakodate Train Journey & A Big Christmas Tree


Sapporo to Nagano, and the Snow Monkeys


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Use this website to check train schedules, fares, distances, etc: http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/

You going to Nikko? Good choice! Nikko is Nippon, the slogan says.

Seen my Nikko pics? We only spent 1/2-day there, unfortunately: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd7ou8i_Ly8

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Added on March 5, 2012, 5:22 pmYes, I agree, this is best way. Connection at Utsunomiya is excellent.

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Mar 5 2012, 05:22 PM

Good point. I was using JR Pass so never bothered Tobu. For JR tix, use jorudan website to check prices to compare with Tobu's package deal.

I love the touch of the yen notes ...

Go to Japan Travel Bureau at Amoda Bldg in Jalan Imbi, KL. Excellent service. Just next to Lowyat.

A 7-day Pass costs 28,300. Go to http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/ and check the individual fares, and do the math.

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Added on March 7, 2012, 12:27 pmCannot compare, a shinkansen is a shinkansen.



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Added on March 7, 2012, 12:28 pmWow! Don't let him go to Norway!

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Mar 7 2012, 12:28 PM

yup, @ utsunomiya.