Yup... felt the earthquake this morning as well... woke me up from my sleep. Then because of the earthquake, the shinkansen was interrupted and my ride to Kyoto got delayed by an hour and the ride is extended by 2 hours because they cannot go at full speed for half the journey.

Nonetheless, I'm here in Kyoto for my summer holiday! Hopefully it doesn't rain tomorrow!!!

Yeah~ hot and humid is the perfect description. haha... Feels just like home.

I hope no typhoon also cause it really makes it damn hard to get to work in the morning!

I think the weather that time already starts to cool but not cold yet... you're looking at end of summer transition in Tokyo.
What is worth getting depends on the size of your wallet.

Got back from Kyoto... the weather there is so damn hot and humid!!! I think I contributed a lot to the vending machine businesses there.


Kinkakuji Temple.

Haha... yup. Spent so much just buying cold drinks from the vending machines.

Hmmm... anyone interested to have our gathering on the 30th Aug then? Perhaps we can all go to that event and at the same time will be able to meet up with the group that is coming? Fire can organize right?

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Added on August 15, 2009, 8:11 amThe one that caught your attention first...

This post has been edited by PsyCHZZZ: Aug 15 2009, 08:11 AM

I think Akiba will have a wider selection and higher changes of looking for better bargains as compared to Shinjuku.

Long term investment bro. Congrats

Relax bro ... don't stress out too much ... after really karoshi then no good man.
To get to Kyoto from Tokyo - the fastest, most convenient way is to take the Nozomi Shinkansen which takes you direct.
It cost you about 13,720 JPY one-way and 2 hours traveling time. Unfortunately, the Nozomi is not covered in the RailPass.
Other transports that is under 10k that I can think of is by bus; but that'll take you 6-7 hours so unless you can plan your time to take the night bus - then it might be a waste of time for you.

Halal food in Japan - hope Fire and Tanoshi can help address that. Also, I think there are some links on the first post in this thread (under FAQ).

My advice is to get a nice but fairly affordable accommodation in Tokyo. Since you'll be out sightseeing and walking about; I'm sure you'll want to get back to a nice place to relax for the night. Not crammed up in some internet cafe or capsule. Since you're coming with a friend; then the cost will be lower if you're sharing rooms.

Tanoshi is just teasing... I guess.

The Regional pass as the name applies only cover certain region. And thus, your intention earlier of going to Kyoto from Tokyo will not be possible with any of the Regional Pass as none of them will cover the traveling distance from Tokyo to Kyoto. It is possible however if you want to explore north of Tokyo area eg. Nikko / Sendai. Then the JR East Pass will cover it.

What hotel you search la until 21,000 JPY? (I'm assuming per night rate?) On average, I think most budget hotels with your own private rooms will set you back between 4-6k / night. You can try searching Sakura Hotel or equivalent. Anyway, as long as you're staying within the 23 ward of Tokyo; then it's fine... public transportation is very accessible so you just need to budget it like additional 30-40 min of traveling even if you stay a bit further away.

Most of them avoid durians like most of us avoid natto... urgh~

There used to be a trader selling 'chou tofu' occasionally in SS2 Pasar Malam ... I remember smelling it from a block away!!!

LOL ... great description... my colleagues even have it battered with raw eggs but I guess that's how they get big and strong and how their old folks can still do marathons even after their prime. No need for all those protein supplement.

It's good if you can bring around a guidebook or a printout of the place you want to go. Also, when you arrive in Tokyo, look for the Station's office and they'll usually have this Guide for Tourists in English with all the more popular spots and a map in it. This applies to all major tourists area. Using that guide, you can then simply point and ask if you're lost.

As tatsuyachiba said, most younger generation Japanese can speak English or at least understand basic English. Everyone in my office can speak english(I'm the only gaikokujin here). So, try using simple english, word-by-word and you'll just get the message across.

Cool~ you'll most likely be able to catch the hanami down south in Kyoto/Osaka as mid March is just the start of cherry blossoms in Tokyo and you might not experience the full bloom.

In Kyoto, buy the 1-day bus pass (500 JPY) and it'll cover all your transports to all the famous places in Kyoto. There's a really useful map as well for tourists, so make sure you visit the Tourist Information center in Kyoto Station once you arrived.

You'll want to visit this street called "Potoncho" at night where it's famous for small bars and eateries and since it's spring, you'll probably be able to catch the cherry blossoms trees along the river.

You can try searching this site - http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ or if any of you guys can read Japanese or is hardworking enough to translate; the Japanese version of the rakuten site seems to have more options.

Within the city itself, there's also a lot of JR operated railways so it'll cover them as well and in Tokyo, the JR Yamanote loop is fully covered and will take you to all the famous places eg Akihabara, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ikebukuro, Tokyo etc...

If you guys plan to go down to Kyoto, Nagoya, Mt. Fuji and Tokyo; then it's worth getting the Rail Pass.

Happy 52nd Merdeka Day to all~ too bad no holiday in Japan and it's probably going to be a wet morning with the typhoon and all... :/

LOL ... speak for yourself yah~

Cheapest lodging will either be capsule hotels or hostel style. You can search on rakuten or asiarooms or japanican for the rates and ratings.

Not sure if you've been to these sites but they offer great insights to the tourist attraction spots in Nagoya.
http://japan-guide.com/e/e2155.html
http://wikitravel.org/en/Nagoya
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/central-honshu/nagoya

Is there a reason why you want to look for 'Malaysian like' food in Japan??? Why not try out Japanese food when you're in Japan?

Budget varies from person to person; but the general day to day stuffs -
food - 1k-2k daily
local trains - 500-1k daily
most tourist spots will have entrance fees so find out how much they cost beforehand.

Definitely possible to buy a kimono as a souvenir. Unfortunately, I've not bought one before or shop for one... perhaps other forumers here can help you out. One thing I do know is that in Asakusa; I remember seeing them on sale in some of the shops leading to the Asakusa Temple.

First and foremost; that is one of the best planned out itenerary I've seen.
Kudos~ Great details and you definitely did all the research necessary.

Here are some personal comments on your itinerary;

Day 1:
If you have not planned it already, just a reminder to get a SUICA card when you arrive at the airport. Although you've calculated all the necessary amount for the tickets; it's much easier to use the SUICA than to buy tickets everytime.

Day 2:
It's easier to stick to using the Yurikamome line in Odaiba cause it's not subway like the Rinkai line where some stations is buried deep underground where you gotta go down a few floors. Also, you'll find it pleasantly walkable from TelekomCenter to Daiba where you'll pass by the Oedo Onsen so don't need to take the train.

Day 3:
Hehe... I'm also probably going to TGS on Sunday.

Day 4:
Looks good.

Day 5:
Frankly, Akihabara in the morning is quite dead... so, here's a suggestion - go check out JR Tokyo Station in the morning (as per your plan at 8am) and experience the morning rush!!! hehe... You can then walk from Tokyo Station to visit the Imperial Palace and the Imperial East Garden (opens at 9am) before going back to Akihabara (JR Yamanote Line - just 2 stations away) say around 11am or close to noon. Then I believe your day plan for Akihabara should be fine.

Day 6:
Yoyogi-koen has many entrances; so ... if you take the train to Yoyogi... you can enter the park; walk around the surrounding area and finally exit at Harajuku. That'll save you 1 train ride and you'll get to cover the park. Also, in between Yoyogi and Harajuku is the Meiji Shrine so you can cover that as well.

Check in to love hotel

Day 7:
Seems like you're purposely going to Ikebukuro just for Nasi Lemak at Malaychan ... if you're interested; you should go check out Sunshine City - Namja Town which is in Ikebukuro.

Day 8:
Perhaps you want to spend a day in Yokohama area if you're interested.

Day 9:
Time to burn the wallet even more eh? LOL ...

Anyway, it looks like a great plan and hope you'll enjoy your trip here.

train delay - happens occasionally but they resume pretty fast as well
getting lost - hehehe... part of the experience right.
bad weather - zannen deshita!
lost your belongings - choi~~~~
waiting for meals - quite normal but it'll always be "omatase itashi mashita"

Hi alankw88,

First of all, Japan is now reporting the infection again (they stopped for a few months a while back). You can get the latest info from their official site - http://idsc.nih.go.jp/disease/swine_influenza/index.html but it's in Japanese so you can use Google to translate.

I believe the latest updates this week was 1,330 Influenza A group infection reported in the last 1 week (http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/1330-influenza-a-group-infections-reported-in-1-week-in-japan). The number of confirmed death stands at 10 people (if I'm not mistaken).

While I would say that it's safe to travel to Japan (and they have a very good system in place where they'll treat all Influenza A as the new flu hence not taking any risk) but since your wife is pregnant and is more susceptible - this is a risk you'll have to decide.

Also, Sept in Hokkaido means that the temp will be going down as autumn approaches... so, it's easier for the virus to survive longer in the wild and hence might increase the rate of infections (as we have seen in Australia during the winter period).