Although not a hardcore anime fan, I enjoy reading manga and watching anime. I am transported into their world when reading comics like Doraemon or more recent manga like OPM. I often imagined myself walking along the streets together with Nobita, or resting along the grassy patch (beside a canal) that Saitama walks past on his way back from the supermarket.
More often than not, I dreamt of sitting by the ledge of a traditional Japanese ryokan, enjoying the cool breeze and beautiful scenery. At that moment, life seemed so tranquil and peaceful… then I woke up.
But reality isn’t bad either. My parents have been planning a trip to Japan for 2 years. In March 2024, We will be spending 10 days travelling from Tokyo, Hakone to Osaka in March this year. I was delighted when I learnt of this trip and downloaded Duolingo a month before the trip to learn a bit more about their language. The subway maps look complicated, so being able to read Kanji and Hiragana will be useful during the trip.
Together with my parents and sister, we researched some Japanese places of interest using YouTube, TikTok, TripAdvisor, Google Review, etc. Each of us came up with our own top 3 to 5 items that we wished to do during this trip.
Dad wanted to meet his friends, Mom wanted to visit the theme parks, my sister (Shinrei) wanted to see the trendy shopping areas, and I wanted to visit famous landmarks.
In the process of doing research, here are 3 key things I feel are most crucial for travellers to Japan, namely “Accommodation”, “Transport” & “Data”.
Accommodation
Even though the yen has weakened against the Singapore dollar, accommodation is still relatively expensive if you are looking at hotels. My parents decided on Airbnb where for the same price, we got a better location, bigger space and a friendly host! We stayed at 3 different Airbnbs, namely, a Studio apartment in Tokyo, a Villa (Ryokan style) in Hakone, & 1BR condo in Osaka. We loved each one and recommend all of them!
Transport
Getting around Japan is very convenient if you take trains and buses. Sure taxis are available but it's costly. So, save some money by taking express trains from the airport instead. Japan’s incredible network of subway lines is so efficient and covers everywhere you want to go. Since you will be taking many subways, get hold of a Suica card upon arrival. Either Narita or Hanada Airport will sell them. It's the equivalent of Singapore's EZlink card. Instead of queuing to buy tickets each time, tap and go. Instead of the “Welcome Suica”, choose the normal Suica card (local Japanese use this) so that whatever money you put into the card can be refunded when your holiday is over.
Data
Even though there are plenty of free wifi hotspots around Japan, there will be zones where you either cannot find a signal or that the wifi is all encrypted. In the next few posts, I will share how I used various apps to help navigate around, so having data is crucial. If your phone has eSim, buy this before the trip and activate it upon arrival. If your phone does not have eSim, then you can buy a tourist travel sim at the airport or major stores in Tokyo. The telco companies at Narita airport charge 5,500 yen for a “5GB for 8 days” sim card. Eventually, we got my mom a SIM card “5Gb for 10 days” (from Bic camera in Shinjuku) costing only 1250 Yen.
With the essential info out of the way, it's time to get into the fun stuff! The subsequent blog posts will feature Tokyo, Hakone, and Osaka, where I will share more details on the sights and sounds at each “leg”. I will verify if some of these places live up to their hype. So, stay tuned!
Howie Chia
06 Mar 2024
TLDR
I am finally going to visit Japan in March 2023. Helped plan the itinerary and will be posting about my trips to Tokyo, Hakone & Osaka!
Comments