About a month ago, I went on a trip to Japan. A destination I have been dreaming to go ever since my junior college days. My mother travels to Japan on a yearly basis because of her work and I always wanted to join her. However, due to conflicting schedules (exams and her trips always coincide) so I never had the chance to go. I was deciding where should I go for graduation trip —it was either New Zealand, Korea or Japan—. New Zealand was way out of my budget and I have been to Korea too many times thus, I settled for Japan. Another reason was mainly because of Universal Studios Japan (think Wizarding World of Harry Potter). And I didn't regret my choice.
I decided to blog about it because it was such a gooooood memory for me and maybe it would be helpful for others in the future (ccch ccch ccch talking like I'm a big shot). I went to 6 different places in a span of 15 days. I started in Tokyo and ended in Osaka. I decide not to talk about repetitive things that others have posted but things and places that I had a really good time at or simply, it was interesting.
Tokyo has long been a city that attracts a steady stream of admirers due to its architecture, culture, social quirks and food, from sushi, salaryman, shinkansen, sumos and skyscrapers. In this post I'm going to talk about the basic guide of Tokyo e.g. Transport, Accommodation etc.
1. Flights
There are numerous flights flying into Japan from Singapore from full fledged flights to low cost carriers (budget airlines) like Jetstar and Scoot. Budget airlines have promotions all the time so sign up for their newsletter! Full fledged flights do occasionally have promotions too like tickets at around $600-$700 for Singapore Airlines. My friend got her tickets from Malaysia Airline for below $500 and with 30KG baggage!
Choose a flight that you feel comfortable with or most convenient.
2. Narita Express/ N'EX
There are two airports that you can arrive in Japan —Narita or Haneda—. Narita is further away from the city centre compared to Haneda. My plane arrived at Narita and my hotel was located at JR Meguro Station, which I'll talk in more details in the later part of the post. I wanted to take the airport limousine (it is not a limousine, just a bus) but since my hotel wasn't really a regional hotel, they didn't stop there and the nearest hotel was pretty far away. I decided to take Narita Express or N'EX. This train travels to majority of the city centres in Tokyo including Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Yokohoma (cite).
The stations N'EX train stops at are highlighted in red. The line towards and away Narita Airport do share the same track and platform so you got to make sure you check the signs on the train to ensure that you are going to Tokyo and not Narita.
One way ticket are priced as follows
Validity period: 14 days
Purchasing of tickets can be done at JR EAST Travel Service Centers or JR Ticket Offices at Narita (link). At the same time you can purchase your Shinkansen tickets to your other destinations such as Kyoto or Osaka. I didn't get the JR pass so I got a reserved seat and Shinkansen (Nozomi) ticket to Kyoto
I had to make a transfer at Shinagawa Station as Meguro wasn't one of the designated station. Shinagawa station is one of the major stations in Tokyo where there are almost 14 platforms for different trains going to different places. So imagine the confusion I had when I tried to search for the Yamanote line (platform 13 and 14), where should I get the tickets for the train and the lift to the platform. We found the lift but couldn't find where we can get tickets so we just took the train to Meguro and do any fare adjustments if we had to pay. In the end, the station guy just took our tickets away and let us exit. So much for the headache!
3. Hotels
It was my first time to Japan/ Tokyo so I don't think I'm the best person to advice you where to stay so let me direct you to Asia Travel blog where the writer talks about Best Area to Stay in Tokyo as well as her reviews.4. Trains
If you think trains in Japan are like Singapore or Korea that are operated by one company, you are dead wrong.
More information - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html
About 70 percent of Japan's railway network is owned and operated by the Japan Railways (JR), while the remaining 30 percent belongs to dozens of other private railway companies, especially in and around metropolitan areas. —Japan-Guide.comWhen you want to change lines, you have to walk a fair distance and sometimes you have to tap out and tap in again.
Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass)
Usually those who travel to several cities in Japan will get this JR Pass but I didn't. I did the math and asked forums to see if it was worth it, and the conclusion given was no. JR pass means you are restricted to only JR lines and if you were to use a different train line (metro), you got to pay. My itinerary was Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka with day trips to Mt Fuji & Hakone (I did tour), Nara and Kobe. The most expensive ticket was my Shinkansen ride to Kyoto - ¥13,710 (~SGD$150). I didn't want to fork out SGD$300 for one week. But if you were to travel from e.g. Tokyo to Kyoto back to Tokyo, then I guess JR Pass is worth it.IC Card - Passmo/ Suica Card
Before my trip, I was given a Passmo card by my brother who kept it from his previous trips to Japan. Although there were no discounts given whatsoever, I felt this was the most convenient. It works exactly like an EZ Link card. You pay a deposit and top up your card (minimum ¥1000) and you can travel on the different trains and buses. You can even use it to pay for your items at vending machines or at stores. When your trip is over, you can return the card and get your deposit back. Or keep it to use it for your next trip.More information - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html
Tokunai Pass
This is simply the Yamanote All Day Pass. The Yamanote line, a loop line, is the most prominent line in Tokyo, connecting major city centre from Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku etc. Basically most attractions in Tokyo can be found on this line. It gives you unlimited use of the Yamanote line for the whole day for ¥730 a day.
I planned my itinerary according to the areas so I could walk/explore the attractions by foot. E.g. Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya together so I did not have to keep taking trains.
Do your research and plan your itinerary well.
5. Data Plan
I can not live without Google Maps when travelling or even in Singapore!! Initially I wanted to get a WIFI egg but I found out there were sim card options provided by eConnect Japan and immediately opted for that choice. From 100MB/day for 7, 14, 30 days, 1GB to 3GB. What I loooove about this is that they give you options on where you can collect 1. Airport (only available at Narita and Kansai), 2. Pick up at residence or 3. Deliver to hotel. eConnect provides wifi rental as well. The sim card/ wifi device will come together with instructions so you can set it up with ease.
Thank you for helping me not get lost in Japan.
Hopefully this post is some kind of help to those travelling to Japan and it will help my (failing) memory when I return to Japan.
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