Japan Autumn Trip 2017 Wrapped Up

Day 10 - Tokyo

In the morning, we planned to visit Asakusa Sensoji Temple before we went to Haneda International Airport. From Gotanda Station, it actually has a direct Toei Asakusa Line for Asakusa which cost 270 yen one way. However, as we need to use our JR Pass and minimize the subway cost, we then took JR Yamanote Line towards Tokyo or Ueno and stopped at Ueno Station. 

Afterwards, we transferred to Toei Asakusa Line (the walk is quite far) and ride towards Asakusa Station (170 yen/person one way). Then from the station, we walk towards Sensoji Temple. We prayed first then tried the Omikuji. Omikuji (おみくじ) are Japanese fortune-telling paper strips that can be found at shrines and temples throughout the country. The fortune that one is granted can range from having a great blessing (大吉) to a great curse (大凶).

Afterwards, we took some pictures, shopped around Nakamise Street where it was pretty crowded with tourist and went back to our hotel using subway Toei Asakusa Line (270 yen one way). The train actually has several type, which eventually we took the Limited Express to Haneda International Airport, so at Sengakuji Station, we had to transfer to the next train. Afterwards, we were preparing all the things and baggages to go back to Haneda Airport International Terminal. We planned to had lunch at Haneda Airport, while I actually wanted to try Ippudo Ramen near our hotel. 

Our Trip in Japan has finished. See you again Japan, will surely come back there!

Our flight departed at 4.20pm Japan Time and would arrive in Hongkong International Airport at 9.10pm Hongkong Time. We then had our snacking time at Wendy's and McDonald before we went to the boarding area. Hongkong Airport is quite huge as well, so we need to use train to transfer. So better be prepared and spare some time to transfer to boarding gates. 

Once we arrived in Indonesia, it's funny how Felix lost his Lacoste cap with L symbol at the front on the plane when he was asleep. We did expect maybe the cap fell somewhere. But we are quite suspicious with....well, the passengers on the plane. Not gonna make an offense but it's all Indonesian people there... even if the cap fell down, it's supposed to be there, but there was totally none. Any idea? I guess you must be thinking the same as me. Unbelivable, but that's Indonesia. I really wish the one who took the cap will have to face the punishment later on - whoever it is. You see, he bought the cap in Japan using his own hard-earned money - besides it's not that long that he used it for his work. He cherished that hat as much as he cherished his own money and someone took it without even considering anything. Somehow and someday, I am sure the one who took the cap will pay the price for what he/she did. I am sure of it. 

Anyway, be careful when you are on plane, because there's no CCTV. 

So, here’s what I suggest for your Japan Trip next time:

1. Always look for hotel/hostel/airbnb with station that has escalator or lift if you are staying in Tokyo, because there were so many subway line and it’s possible that your subway station doesn’t have lift or escalator. 

2. You will need to walk a lot if you want to travel around Tokyo and your stamina has to be fit. It’s impossible not to walk around Tokyo because each and every attraction there requires you to walk. 

3. The Japanese people is quite friendly in Kyoto & Osaka more than in Tokyo. Even though there were some also in Tokyo but I always find nice people around Kyoto & Osaka. 

4. Make sure you had an idea where you are going, specially if you are travelling by yourself, at least prepare where you should be getting off and where you should go back because most of the station is quite far from each other, so be prepared with your itinerary. 

5. Mostly, I used Google maps for directions, food and also some train schedules. 

6. Always be punctual with your time, otherwise, you might miss your train. 

7. If you plan to have more cities to visit, I suggest to but a one way airplane ticket. For example, If you only plan to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, then buy the ticket Arrived at Tokyo and Departed from Osaka, or the other way round instead of round trip from Tokyo. Because this way, it will minimize your cost (no need JR Pass) and you will also have more time to enjoy the city. 

8. Another plan is, to visit Tokyo by itself and enjoying Mt Fuji, Nikko & Kamakura or Hitachi Seaside Park. And to visit Kansai area by itself (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Himeji) rather than having a trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. 

9. DO NOT BRING XTRA LARGE LUGGAGE because you will need to bring the luggage with you, so just bring a medium sized luggage, so that it’s easy for you to move around. 

10. In winter, pack your necessary clothes and do not bring clothes too much, specially if you are travelling by yourself. 

11. I suggest to use ANA Airlines instead of any other airlines, because it’s a direct flight, the food is exceptionally nice and you can bring 2 luggages maximum each is 23kg. 

12. If you believe in Japanese Culture, try to buy the lucky charm or Omamori. 

13. Always calculated first before deciding to use discount ticket or not, otherwise you would pay more. 

Cheers!

Japan Autumn Trip 2017 Part 4

Day 8 - Shirakawago

I woke up pretty early, wishing for the snow to fill up a in Shirakawago. I checked the live cam as well and it was all snowing. The snow is quite thick as well but we cannot predict the weather. Based on jnto weather prediction, it was predicted that all day will be sunny in Shirakawago. 

I finished doing the makeup at 7.45am and rushed to prepared myself and we are ready at 8.35am. In the meantime, I checked again for the live cam and it’s snowing and a bit cloudy. I panicked but what can we do? In whatever case, we should still go there. So, we rushed to the Takayama Nohi Bus Centre and booked the bus to Shirakawago. The round trip bus costs about 4.420 yen/person. The bus was there and we are really lucky as we only have 5 minutes before the bus departed. Thanks God. 

The weather turned out to be really fine. It was sunny and the snow is quite thick. I thought, maybe the live cam hasn’t been updated since I checked quite early. 

You can check the live cam here
http://ml.shirakawa-go.org/en/livecam/

And please check the weather condition 7 days from here https://www.jnto.go.jp/weather/eng/area_detail.php?sight_id=12

Both is very accurate. 

The journey took about 50 minutes, across the mountain with long tunnel ride. But it felt like going to Winterfell to meet Jon Snow. The weather was really good. The sky was so blue. The view was really magnificent. 

When we arrived at the bus station, I was told to just walk about 2-3 minutes and there will be bus stop for local bus to go to Shirakawago Observation Deck. We just need to queue up there, and pay when you get off the bus. The ride is about 10 minutes and cost 200 yen, it’s quite far by foot anyway, though you can just walk there. 

Up there, it was sooo beautiful. I thought we would freeze because of the cold weather, but thanks God for the perfectly fine weather and snowww!! I was prepared for the cold weather but what can we do? It was so hot till I took off my winter coat. I didn’t expect the snow would be so thick and never imagine myself entering the snow field, but here comes my most amazing experience ever. 

We are really happy to see snow and enjoying the beauty of Shirakawago. Afterwards, I felt my shoes started to get wet. 

We then took the same bus back after we are satisfied with the view then we went to gassho zukuri (a traditional house in Shirakawago) to see some of the beautiful view as well. Before continuing our photoshoot session, we grabbed some lunch near the Shirakawago food court and I ordered BBQ Pork on rice which turned out really good. Then we continued our photoshoot session. 

Shirakawago was really beautiful and you should really come here. We thought it’s possible to just enjoy Shirakawago for few hours, but we ended up using the whole day and it’s worth it. 

We then took 3.15pm bus to go back to Takayama Station. The uncle is a very nice guy. He would willingly take out all the luggages for us. I wish him the best. The journey back took about 50 minutes, the same way, but not it’s different because I am sleepy and my foot felt even colder. Once we reached Takayama Station, we went back to hotel to change our shoes and rushed to another photo session near Takayama Old Town. 

Afterwards, we went for dinner just few blocks from our hotel and decided to have Yakiniku and Sukiyaki. I ordered Salmon Sashimi as well. The restaurant name is called Shoya (日本海庄や 高山駅前店) which only opens from 4pm – 12am and you have a limited time to eat. We only get an hour for the table. Maybe because the restaurant is quite small but they served many customers. 

Afterwards, we played gashapon near one of the store around there. Soon afterwards, the four of us, Felix, Ce Lenny, Ko Indra & I were up for a challenge = to eat ice cream outside the Family Mart, on 0 degree celcius weather condition. I ate 2, but it was too cold so we moved to hotel lobby LOL.

The prewedding session wrapped up and tomorrow we are leaving Takayama. See you again Takayama. This is my fave city so far. 

Day 9 - Tokyo

The next morning, the first train from Takayama Station is at 6.46am to Nagoya. So, we woke up pretty early, bought some snacks for our breakfast and reserved seat to Shinagawa Station. It takes 4.5 hours to go back to Tokyo. And so, the journey began again. There were not many people take the limited express train to Nagoya. So most of seat are empty. We reached Nagoya Station at 9.13am exactly and only has 13 minutes to transfer to Shinkansen to Shinagawa Station. 

Super crazy. We build some teamwork, spilted up by four in each of the entrance, so that no one has to wait, asked the train staff where to get to the shinkansen station. We ran with our hearts and everyone is panicked when a shinkansen arrived. I told them it’s not ours because it’s Nozomi. JR Pass Holder is not allowed for Nozomi Shinkansen. So, we reached on time and everything is settled. 

I was so surprised on how their system is calculated that meticulously, even they would consider your transfer time, so that you could transfer train efficiently and your trip would not be affected much by the waiting time. Big respect, Japan. 

The shinkansen towards Tokyo from Nagoya is quite packed, there isn’t much space to put on your luggages. But whatever, just put there first, otherwise we cannot sit. The trip took about 1 hour 50 minutes to Shinagawa. So, I used this time to sleep. Once we reached Shinagawa Station, we move to JR Yamanote Line towards Osaki and ride 2 stops for Gotanda Station. We took the wrong exits, so it takes more walk to go to Hotel Mystays Gotanda Station. 

After we checked in, we went to Shinjuku Station for lunch and dropped Ce Lenny for her train to Narita Airport. It’s so sad that we have to part ways. Before that, we went to Kabukicho Area by walking (Shinjuku Station East Exit – the station was so big) and tried to find Gyukatsu Motomura 牛かつもと村, the famous Gyukatsu that everyone talks about. You even have to wait around 80 minutes to get in. At first, we don’t even know that the restaurant was there, because there is no signage in English. Eventually, we found the restaurant, which is located at B1 floor. It was located near Ichiran Ramen Shinjuku and Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. 

The surprising thing is that, no one was queuing and the eight of us just entered the restaurant. I bet they just opened? But it’s 12 pm in the afternoon. Or….maybe it’s not that famous anymore? Haha I dunno. We were forced to eat, otherwise you cannot sit down there and there’s no sharing. The food is quite nice. The meat feels like chicken meat, very tender and taste nice. 

After that, we strolled around Shinjuku first then move to Harajuku by JR Lines. It’s still autumn in Tokyo. The trees around Harajuku Station were still yellow. Then we stroll around Takeshita Street and Omotesando. I bought Hakuhodo there and tried the street snack around Takeshita Street. The only thing I didn’t try is Dominique Ansel Bakery and Luke Lobster. Even I dunno where they are located.

Afterwards, as there aren’t much we could buy there, we move to Shibuya from Omotesando subway station and shopped for another round of cosmetics and then went back to our hotel. The room was super huge and it fits for 3 people perfectly. It was raining hard in Tokyo, so we didn’t plan to go anywhere. I didn’t have the chance to try Steamer Coffee Company or Blue Bottle Coffee, but anyway, the coffee in Japan mostly taste amazing. 

Japan Autumn Trip 2017 Part 3

Day 6 - Kyoto

The next day, to fill up the photoshoot session, we decided to just skip Kobe and went around Gion Tanto. So we took bus from the bus stop right in front of our hotel to Gion Bus Stop. Kyoto has a flat rate for bus (230/adult and 120/child). We stopped right in front of Hanami Koji Street which is famous for spotting Maiko. We didn’t go there actually, instead, we walked towards Gion Tanto, a famous spot for cherry blossom in Spring and autumn colors during autumn. 

Before we arrived at the site, we rented Kimono from one of the shop. The Kimono was so tight and requires quite sometimes to change. So we only started the photo session at 1pm. The area was really pretty and perfect for a kimono day. The price of kimono rental is from 3.500 – 10.000 yen. If you need hairdo, it will cost 1.000 – 1.500 yen with additional accessories for 500 yen. 

The weather was cold. We thought the Kimono would make us feel even colder, but it’s not. It’s warm actually even though our neck was exposed. For me personally, wearing Kimono didn’t really suit me. But whatever, I just had this one photo looking quite okay. What do you think?

Then we ate around Gion Tanto for Ramen Muraji. Mom had Lemon Ramen which is quite famous. This restaurant had trip advisor recommendation. I had Tsukemen for the first time and the noodle is a bit hard. But combines perfectly with the hot broth.

Afterwards, we went to Kiyomizudera. It was a long walk uphill but it's very pretty. We get the sunset and the fall foliage of the red tree around there. Although the main hall is under construction until 2020, Kiyomizudera is still one of the places you should visit when you came to Kyoto. 

We also tried the Otowa Waterfall which is famous for its three stream lines. Its waters are divided into three separate streams, and visitors use cups attached to long poles to drink from them. Each stream's water is said to have a different benefit, namely to cause longevity, success at school and a fortunate love life. However, drinking from all three streams is considered greedy.

The weather got colder at night, so after several shops closed, we went back to  our hotel near Kujo Station by taking bus from Kiyomizu-michi Bus Stop (230 yen/one way) and went to Don Quijote store at Kyoto Avanti. It’s a huge store with so many products and souvenirs to bring back to your home country. I bought few snacks on me as well. Afterwards, we went to Family Mart to buy some food to eat. The food from Family Mart is delicious as well. At night we talked that tomorrow we should wake up early because the train to Takayama will depart at 8.43am from Nagoya Station. 

However, we noticed we haven’t gone to Fushimi Inari Taisha, the famous tori gate in Kyoto and that’s a MUST go place in Kyoto. So, we decided to wake up early at 6am to visit Fushimi Inari and be back to hotel around 9am. I checked the train schedule to Nagoya will leave at 10.32am from Kyoto Statio and reach Nagoya Station at 11.25am in morning. And if we want to go to Takayama, we just need to take the 11.43am limited express train to Takayama. 

So, everything settled. The original plan is to take early train to Takayama. Possibly reached there at 11.00am and just go straight to Shirakawago. But as we saw the weather is cloudy, it’s possible that we might not get a good view. Besides, I wanted to visit Shin Hotaka Ropeway as well (90 minutes bus ride from Takayama Station). It is famous for its double decker cable car and the 360 degree view of Mt. Hotaka. Besides, if you are lucky, you will get to see Snowman on the top of Mt. Hotaka. This ride is more famous to the locals there, and not so many people know about it. 

But this ride requires perfect or fine weather at least. Thus, it’s quite hard to predict the weather and I wish we could go there again the next time. 

Japan Autumn Trip 2017 Part 2

Day 4 - Osaka

Yesterday night, we tried the Izakaya Restaurant near our hotel. Actually we didn’t know it was an izakaya (Japanese style pub), its name is Kushiyaki Gen 串焼き and they served お通し (otōshi) or sometimes 突き出し (tsukidashi), this appetizer is given to each and every alcohol-imbibing customer, and sometimes even to those only sipping on soft drinks, regardless of whether you’re drinking at a chain pub or a family owned watering hole. The customer has no say whatsoever in what the snack will be, and even if it remains completely untouched it is added to the bill, costing on average 200-500 yen (US$2-5) per head. And so, we were charged 300 yen/person. It’s a bit weird to us, but as we looked for information on izakaya, we then knew what Otoshi means.

So, it’s the day to go to Kyoto. Felix & I already reserved for 8.40am shinkansen from Shinagawa. But it turns out we missed the shinkansen. It was really hectic, because we need to transfer 2 times to take the shinkansen. First, we need to go to Morishita Station and took Toei Oedo Line back to Daimon Station (we still use the 48hrs Tokyo Subway Discount Ticket). Then we need to go to Hamamatsucho Station to take JR Lines towards Shinagawa Station. The thing is, we took the wrong exit again. No lift. Actually there was and we’ve been there, it’s just that no one realized that. So, again, we took all the luggages up by stairs. Gosh, so much homework T_T (so we concluded, there must be one person who go up first to check). But once we are up, we were very lucky to spot Tokyo Tower from a far. Such a nice view.

Then, I had to hurry and return the reserved seat ticket and reserve seat for 9.40am Shinkansen to Kyoto. Then from Hamamatsucho Station, we went up by lift to JR Yamanote Line and showed the staff gate our JR Pass. We just need to ride 2 stops to Shinagawa Station. After arriving at Shinagawa Station, we had to transfer to Shinkansen Track, which is a bit far from the JR Track and yeah, as we are quite afraid to miss the train, we ran to find the Car 14 track – the last one. It’s quite epic LOL, because that’s our first time. So, please be prepare to walk quite far to reach your shinkansen car number.

At 12.11pm, we reached Kyoto Station and before leaving our luggage at the hotel, we had lunch at Kyoto Station. The food is quite pricy and doesn’t taste that good. But still, it’s edible and quite nice. Afterwards, we walked about 500 meter to Sakura Terrace The Atelier, a hostel kind of hotel. The shower room is located only at first floor and there is bathroom in each floor. After we put the luggage, the original schedule is that, we should hang around Kyoto today, but Felix suggested we should go to Osaka.

The trip to Osaka was almost one hour by JR trains and requires a long walk towards Osaka Castle Park. We had time when me took the wrong direction on Osaka Loop Line and so we had to change to the opposite direction.

From Morinomiya subway station, we took subway to Nippombashi Station for 230 yen/person one way.

Then at night we went to Shinsaibashi Suji Shopping Street for shopping, ate Ichiran at Dotonbori and went back to Kyoto.

Funny thing is that, the walk is really far, I would have fainted there actually because of those two Japanese guy who said they know the walk to JR-Namba Station.

We end up going here and there, though I should have believed Google Maps. Or even better, we should just take the subway to Osaka Station from Namba Station for 230 yen one way instead rather than walking that far to JR Namba. And so, we reached hotel at 12am, the weather was really cold and I would say, everyone was really tired that day, including me. Since it was night, we didn’t really notice the area, so instead of just crossing the street, we had to make a U turn to reach the hotel. So stupid right.

Japan Autumn Trip 2017 Part 1

Hello guys, I just came back from our private Japan Trip. We departed from Soekarno Hatta International Airport Terminal 2 on 30 November 2017. This time around, we planned to visit 5 cities in Japan for our autumn trip. However, we ended up with only a few cities to visit because there is not enough time, but we are still really glad and happy for having this trip. 

Day 1 - Layover for 6 hours at Hongkong International Airport

Our flight was midnight at 00.10 am for Hongkong. I was so ready for this trip and prepared to sleep peacefully. However, since it was an Economy class, the seat was a little bit upright and small, so I don't get a good sleep.

But after 4.5 hour, we arrived at Hongkong International Airport around 5.50am HK time in morning. Our plan for the six hours layover is to check the Tian Tan Buddha near Ngong Ping Village which is located just 15 minutes bus ride from Hongkong International Airport. The immigration is quiet long for Hongkong International Airport but we are leaving the immigration area around 7am, went to toilet and fix the makeup for 30 minutes, and tried to find the leave baggage area for another 30 minutes. If you want to leave the baggage, please do come to Terminal 2 Hongkong International Airport and it will cost HKD$ 12/hour/piece.

So after we finished the immigration, leave cabin baggage at the airport service, we took S1 bus just across the airport. The ride is about 15 minutes and will only cost HKD$ 3.5 (which is around Rp 6.500,-) for one way. It's much cheaper and faster rather than taking Airport Express.

At S1 Bus - The bus looks like one in Singapore but it's double decker bus

The good thing is that, I was also there witnessing some of the Korean stars who came for MAMA Awards. I don't know who was there, but there were so many people grouping around the exit area and can suddenly screams for I dunno who. 

We are very lucky to meet an Indonesian uncle who has lived in Hongkong for 15 years, so we asked where we should go for the cable car. The uncle told us to just walk 100 meter and you will find the opening gate. At the gate, we saw the cable car will open at 10.00am and we are there too early. So we decided to just go around Tung Chung mall area to have a dimsum breakfast. Before that, we checked the Starbucks area and Oh my God, the bread looks all delicious and was totally different compare to Jakarta. Here's what it looks like:

We went to Federal Palace restaurant who is the only dimsum restaurant open from the morning. It was 9am in the morning, so we ordered congee and some dimsum for us to eat. After that, as the clock keeps ticking, it was time for us to go back to Ngong Ping Cable Car area.

We took the purchasing ticket line and decided to ride the Crystal Cabin (round trip) for HKD$ 290/person. What's the different? There are two type of cabin, the Standard Cabin and Crystal Cabin.

The difference is only at the bottom of the cable car, if you choose the Crystal Cabin, you can see the view on your bottom. FYI, the difference is about HKD$ 80/person. 

The ride was about 25 minutes and it crossed the bay, high mountains and it was so cloudy. The temperature was also a bit cold, so prepare yourself. But the view was magnificent.

Finally we arrived at Ngong Ping Village. First is to take picture first, second is to find coffee! We are so sleepy, but still walk to the Tian Tan Buddha.

Unfortunately, as we are quite afraid if we could come back late to the airport, so we didn't climb up. 

We went back to Hongkong International Airport by taking S1 bus again and find lunch around the departure area. Then our flight was called and we went to be ready for another departure to Tokyo!!

How To Travel to Japan Without Tour Guide

Japan has been gaining much popularity with its tourism during the past few years. Due to easy travel access, Japan is a good choice to travel on your own without joining for tour arranged by travel agency. I am not saying which one is the best, but I mean, you could go to Japan even without tour. It's up to your choices whether you want to travel by yourself or with tour and that will also depends on your travel budget. Here's the what you have to know before travelling to Japan. I'll be sharing what I have done for the preparation and hopefully it can help you guys: 

I am not a fan of Japanese culture nor country, as you might have guessed since I have blogged several post with Korean dramas, mostly I would say, I am more interested with South Korea rather than Japan. But this time, since my parents would like to visit Japan, then it goes to me to do the research and all other things to plan before we had our holiday. Thus, I started to begin my searching from Japan maps. You have to know which are you would like to visit first, after that you could plan where you want to start the journey. 

Seasons
Japan has four seasons; Spring (March - May), Summer (June - August), Autumn (September - November) and Winter (December - February). The best time to go to Japan usually during Spring and Autumn when there is little rainfall, skies are clear, and temperatures are mild. What's more, the delicate cherry blossom of spring and vivid hues of autumn leaves are visually stunning. 

Airline Ticket
Indonesia Tourism Board has encouraged tourism with so many travel fair, specially during the January to March in the first half of the year and August to September during the second half of the year. This kind of travel fair is a MUST to go if you would like to get an affordable airline ticket price to go to Japan. Mostly, this travel fair is divided into several travel fair, and the most popular one is:

• Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair (GAFT) - direct flight

I’ve heard few stories, where you could get the cheapest price by going to GAFT. GAFT is usually held on March and August, two times a year at Jakarta Convention Centre (JCC). For each sessions, they had a range you could book the airplane ticket. For example, during GAFT on March 2017, they only open the trip until 31 March 2018, usually within the range of one year. Thus, it allows you to plan your budget and money.

The first thing you have to check which bank facilitates the airline booking and payment. For GAFT, usually Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) collaborates with Garuda with discount and installment payment method. For those who came earlier can queue for the cashback program – making your ticket price even cheaper. However, as what has been circulating, the queue is unbelievable, maybe you should camp around the night before because they had a limit per day, usually around 150 up to 200 person/day and the amount of cashback is also different for certain amount of people.
But don’t worry, as even if you do not get the cashback event, you could still win the discount as GAFT offers airplane ticket with discount up tp 75%, specially during happy hour (10.00 – 13.00 and 16.00 – 18.00) with payment using the affiliated bank credit card, of course. Most favorite destination for this travel fair is Japan. Garuda offers return ticket from Jakarta to Japan for
Rp 4jt – 6jt without any transfer (direct flight). For more information, you could search and look for more information on GAFT.

• Cathay Pacific Travel Fair - transit in Hongkong

Almost the same with Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair, Cathay also offers affordable ticket price around Rp 4jt – Rp 5jt with transit in Hongkong. The difference is that, the affiliate bank is not BNI, instead HSBC. It offers 0% installment for three months with minimum transaction of Rp 10jt. Besides, HSBC also offers cashback of Rp 1jt, but you have to queue in the morning (there are limited for certain amount of people) and must do the transaction within the same day. For more information, you could check on HSBC website for Cathay Pacific Travel Fair.

• Singapore Airlines Travel Fair - transit in Singapore

Same with other travel fair but the affiliate bank is Bank Central Asia (BCA) with 0% installment for 6 months and also offers cashback of Rp 1.5jt

• Japan Travel Fair (ANA, Japan Airlines) - direct flight

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the largest airline in Japan and the most prestigious one. It offers direct flight from Jakarta to Japan. Usually the normal price for return ticket is around Rp 10jt, while you could get discount price for return ticket only for Rp 4jt with BNI credit card. It also offers 0% installment for 12 months.

For Low Cost Carrier (LCC) airlines:

• Air Asia - transit in Kuala Lumpur 
• Jetstar - 2 times transit (Singapore & Taipei) before arriving in Osaka Kansai Airport
• Tiger Airways - 2 times transit (Singapore & Taipei) before arriving in Tokyo Narita Airport

Personally, I would say it is up to you which airlines you would like to choose. If you could, just pick the cheapest one. You could also book for open ticket, for example, arriving in Tokyo - Narita and departure from Osaka. There is no need to worry this airlines would arrive in which Airport since when you use Japan Rail Pass, everything is settled. I would discuss separately for Japan Rail Pass.

Please note that usually for one way ticket, the price would be higher rather than return ticket. Besides, you have to note that subway & trains only operate till midnight. So, if you arrived late at night, it is possible that you have to take taxi to go to the city (which is not cheap) or maybe to sleep near the Airport.

This time, I choose Cathay Pacific because we would like to transit in Hongkong for a while. Personally, I think each travel fair offers the same program. It’s just whether you are willing to queue or not. The most important thing is that, you should prepare option (date and time of your flight) to minimize time for booking the flight and possibly allows you to get the cashback. However, for GAFT, you could also get discount even if you don’t queue in the morning. Another thing, you could check on Traveloka whereby they would also offer the same price as on the travel fair. The negative thing is that, you have to pay in full and installment is not possible at all, though refundable option is available.

Transportation
It is recommended to use trains, bullet trains and also subway all around Japan because it is easy to access even if you would like to change from one city to another city. There are many type of pass which allow you to explore the city within one or two days with affordable transportation cost.

To explore Japan's wide are from city to city, you could use Japan Rail Pass which

Based on what I've researched, it takes around 170 to 280 yen each time you take subway, even if it's one station only, it will still cost you 170 yen (~ Rp 20.000,-) thus, by using pass, you could cut down the travelling costs. However, you have to note that you might need to calculate and compare the total price whether it can be covered with the pass or not. For checking the transportation cost and route, you could try using Google Maps or Hyperdia

Accomodation

Talking about accommodation in Japan is not easy. It depends on the lifestyle of each person. But I would say, if you are fine with hotel price in Singapore, then you would have no problem in Japan. In Tokyo the price usually range from 7,000 -  10,000 yen per night for nice budget hotel (standard: single bed with length of 120 cm and 10m2 wide for the room ~ well, quite small). The price will vary with the number of guest present. If you book your hotel, do make sure the size of the bed otherwise, you will suffer that night.

Osaka has a bigger room if you compared to Tokyo, with slightly cheaper price per night. Meanwhile, Kyoto has a seasonal price range because this city is the most favorite for tourist, either local or international. Thus, if you plan to visit Kyoto, it is recommended to book the hotel at least 3-4 months ahead, specially during cherry blossom and autumn leaves since it is a peak season in Kyoto itself.

There are certain choices you could try to check:

• Standard Western Hotel 
• Japanese Style Hotel
• Ryokan
• Airbnb (apartment rental – which is quite popular nowadays)
• Hostel/Guesthouse (shared bathroom & private bathroom by choice)

For budget hotel, you could try to check; Hotel Mystays, Daiwa Ryonet, Toyoko-Inn. Personally, I, myself tried to find hotel from searching platform; Booking.com and Agoda.com which will help you to find a good deal. Another tips, if you are alright with shared bathroom, try to check hostel. My fave one is Grids Nihombashi East Hotel & Hostel around Nihombashi Station. Try to check Sakura Terrace The Atelier also in Kyoto.

Internet Connection

The most important thing if you travel by yourself is to have internet connection to check the direction and schedule of trains. Usually, there are several travel agent company who offers wifi-rental for 500 yen per day (~ Rp 60,000) which can be used up to 3-4 people. You could ask to be dropped at hotel or airport.

Meanwhile, you could also buy the tourist SIM Card for Rp 350.000,- from Indonesia (you can check on Japan Travel Fair as there will be travel agent who will  offer the simcard). This simcard can be used for 8 days unlimited 4G.

Budget

Talking about budget, it is again back to your style of travelling. Usually, the regular price when you eat at the restaurant is around 1,000 – 2,000 yen one time. Thus, it is recommended to make a budget of 3,000 -  4,000 yen per day. However, for budget traveller, you can also choose convenience store meal which cost around 400 – 500 yen per meal and the taste can also be said good.

Regarding how much to spend for shopping, that itself will be based on your spending pattern. For me personally, I would save up and research first the price for Japan Cosmetic Products locally then compare it with the price there.

To take note, Japan is a cash-basis country, thus many restaurants and hotels do not accept credit cards. Some will accept American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB. However, please be prepared just in case. It is advisable to do the foreign exchange in your home country rather than in Japan because the rate fluctuation is kinda big.


Itinerary

It is extremely important to plan out your itinerary really well if you want to have a budgeted trip, otherwise, the transportation cost would be affected much and you will waste a lot of time. It will be different totally if you are flexible about your budget and time.

I would say, it's best to go in one direction instead of going back and forth. If you happen to get good airplane ticket, try to move from Tokyo to Osaka or the other way round, Osaka to Tokyo.
This time, since I am not searching good enough, my flight would be to arrive in Tokyo and depart from Tokyo also, which costs a huge amount of transport if I planned to go to Kyoto & Osaka as well. So, plan your itinerary well.

Will share about the budget & whole itinerary after the vacation :)

Stay tuned :D