I was in Japan for 10 days last month but out of the 10 days, 6 days were taken up being a tour guide for my twinnie and her husband. It was one of the best trips I had - great food, great company and great country. Here's a summary of what we did - 4 planned days covering Central Tokyo, Old Tokyo, 1 day for Mt. Fuji, and 1 day free & easy. We eventually decided not to visit Mt. Fuji via Hakone due to various reasons. But if you would like to visit Hakone, read about it here.
Here's what we did:
Here's what we did:
Day 0
Arrived at Haneda Airport - Check into Capsule Hotel
Day 1
(Central Tokyo : Shibuya & Shinjuku)
Check into Olympic Inn Kanda Hotel - Took train to Harajuku : Visited Yoyogi Park & Meiji Shrine - Walk down Takeshita Street and Omote-sando - Walk to Shibuya : people watch at the Shibuya Street Crossing - dinner at Shibuya
Day 2
(Central Tokyo : Minato & Chau, Ginza)
Visited Tsukuji Fish Market - Breakfast at the Tsukuji Outer Market - stroll down the glittering street of Ginza - Visited the electronic city of Akihabara
Day 3
(Old Tokyo : Sumida, Taito - Ueno & Asakusa)
Walk to Amiyokocho Market - Had a hanami party under the sakura trees in Ueno Park - Took train to Asakusa : visit Sensoji Temple and walk the Nakamise, Kappabashi, Denkama and Asakubashi Shopping Arcade - Walk to Tokyo Sky Tree and Tokyo Solamachi
Day 4
(Central Tokyo : Imperial Palace & Shinjuku)
Walk to Tokyo station - Breakfast at Ramen Street (lower ground) - Stroll down Manurochi and mingle with corporate people - Had a hanami party under the sakuras at Tokyo Imperial Palace gardens - Took train to Shinjuku : Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - got lost in the narrow alleys of Shinjuku
Day 5
(Original plan : Visit Hakone - Mt. Fuji)
(Free & Easy)
(Free & Easy)
Walk to Ameyokocho Market for round 2 of shopping - Stroll in Ueno Park and thrifted at the Uneo Park flea market - Walk to Nezu for amazing ice-cream - Took train to Ginza - stroll up the streets of Ginza
Day 6
(Free & Easy)
Amazing view of Tokyo at the top of Tokyo Tower - took train to Harajuku - Wandered the streets of Omote-sando - Walk to Shibuya - Dinner and final night at Tokyo
Amazing view of Tokyo at the top of Tokyo Tower - took train to Harajuku - Wandered the streets of Omote-sando - Walk to Shibuya - Dinner and final night at Tokyo
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My last 2 days after my sister have left were spent at Kamata (outskirts of Tokyo, near the Haneda Airport) and Kawasaki (a large city, south of Tokyo. If you have the time, I would suggest visiting Kawasaki. Pretty interesting shopping arcades, plenty of people to watch and different vibe from Tokyo. You can take a day trip down from Tokyo.
Cost :
I do not have my records with me but I believe Rockstar and I spend about RM7000 for 10 days in Tokyo for 2 pax inclusive of everything. Breakdown below
Transportation, Food, Shopping, Souvenirs, etc - RM3000 for 2 pax
Flight : RM1700 for 2 pax
Hotels : RM2300 for 10 days
* Will update when I can on a more detailed account.
Trains & Passes :
- Do not get confuse by the Tokyo train lines maze. There are basically 3 main lines : JR Line (covers major area), Tokyo Toei Line (6 lines) & Tokyo Metro (9 lines); and a few private lines. All lines intersect each other. You can switch trains between the lines but bear in mind that cost varies. If you got a JR pass (only for tourist), you can only travel on JR lines.
- JR Pass. DO NOT get one if you only planned to stay in Tokyo. A JR pass cost RM1200+ for a 7 days pass. I spend about RM300+for the 10 days I was there. Of cos I did walk quite a bit too. Get one only if you planned to travel around Japan, eg. Osaka, Kyoto or further.
- If you do not have a JR pass, my suggestion would be to get a Suica card (a reload card) which can be reloaded at any stations. Then, you will not have to worry about buying train tickets all the time. Ensure that your card is empty when you return them. If not, there will be charges incurred on top of the deposit refund.
- Download 'Japan Trains' or goggle www.hyperdia.com to check on fares and exact train times (a life-saver for me)
Cost :
I do not have my records with me but I believe Rockstar and I spend about RM7000 for 10 days in Tokyo for 2 pax inclusive of everything. Breakdown below
Transportation, Food, Shopping, Souvenirs, etc - RM3000 for 2 pax
Flight : RM1700 for 2 pax
Hotels : RM2300 for 10 days
* Will update when I can on a more detailed account.
Trains & Passes :
- Do not get confuse by the Tokyo train lines maze. There are basically 3 main lines : JR Line (covers major area), Tokyo Toei Line (6 lines) & Tokyo Metro (9 lines); and a few private lines. All lines intersect each other. You can switch trains between the lines but bear in mind that cost varies. If you got a JR pass (only for tourist), you can only travel on JR lines.
- JR Pass. DO NOT get one if you only planned to stay in Tokyo. A JR pass cost RM1200+ for a 7 days pass. I spend about RM300+for the 10 days I was there. Of cos I did walk quite a bit too. Get one only if you planned to travel around Japan, eg. Osaka, Kyoto or further.
- If you do not have a JR pass, my suggestion would be to get a Suica card (a reload card) which can be reloaded at any stations. Then, you will not have to worry about buying train tickets all the time. Ensure that your card is empty when you return them. If not, there will be charges incurred on top of the deposit refund.
- Download 'Japan Trains' or goggle www.hyperdia.com to check on fares and exact train times (a life-saver for me)
__________________________________________
If you need more info or have questions about Japan, drop me an email at estherchew17@gmail.com or try to check my other posts on Japan to know more. I'll try to update this post as soon as I can.
See ya! :)
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