Japan 1/10 - Things to Do for Japan Trip

Helloooo everyone! I'm on a happy mood to share my previous trip to all of you. Since this is my dream trip that I already been dreaming since long time ago and actually I supposed to go in 2014 but had to cancelled it even though I bought ticket already at that time hiks and finally this time I am able to go!! Yeayy!!

I went to Japan, and the thing that adding it become so special is spring timeee...double Yeayy!!! Haha I'm too excited to go..I grew up with comic books (read : manga) since little kid and manga is Japanese comics so yeahh..I also tried to learn Japanese when I was in Junior High School even though only for a while and actually I start to learning again this year through a cool apps.

Lovely Churreito Pagoda in Spring although couldn't spotted Mt. Fuji as background

For this trip I spent so much time to browse as much as I can to gather information, to arrange exact itinerary, how to go here and there in order to have great holiday, haha sorry I’ve been exaggerated but I feel very happy. We went to Japan, Sat 16 – Sun 24 April 2016 (9D/8N) but actually we were in Japan for 8D/7N.

Here are some website and things that very useful in my trip to Japan :

1. Willer Express, need to bought outside Japan, so make sure to buy the ticket before you arrive in Japan if you will use this bus.
2. Hyperdia, to check timetable and route that you are going to take while in Japan, I use this a lot to help me find good way to commute around Japan, about which stop you should be alight or off etc.
3. Google Maps, always have always use in every trip I have, soooo useful ever!! :)
4. Tokyo Subway Pass, I bought the 72-hour for my trip that I am gonna use it start from 21 onward
5. Japan Guide, whenever I type a place that I want to visit in Google, this website always appear in the first page so I always click this website and amazed with that because they have so many information there and they always put reference and relevance item on the right side, which I need that and it's really great, helpful and very useful
6. Highway Bus, we decided to book our bus for Mountain Fuji day trip (Kawaguchiko) before our departure to Japan, just in case if fully booked because yep it's happened with us few days or a week before we go, we actually want to go from Shinjuku and it turns out already fulled so we change into Shibuya, thankfully Shinjuku and Shibuya are in the same line (JR Yamanote) so we could still use Discount Ticket : One-Way Monorail and JR Yamanote Line and still on our budget :)
7. Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway Map, this one is a must have item to help you during prepare your itinerary to Japan, found it in Google and I just love this version.
8. AirAsia, I wouldn't have this trip without this flight haha and I had so many flight using this airline, I subscribed their newsletter to get promo information in advance.
9. To get our accommodation, I always use these website to compare one and each other, especially price : hostelworld, agoda, booking (point plus for booking.com is no need to pay anything first when you booked your hostel and no cancellation fee charged in period of time)
10. TripAdvisor, to find some tips, review for nearly everything that you need to know while traveling.
11. Of course, Google help me a lot to find those point 1 - 10 haha, I love Google! and some of you might also find my blog through Google, right? :)

Day 1 – Saturday, 16 April 2016

At night I kinda struggle with my stuff, because we only buy baggage for flight back home, stuffed 7kg into my trolley backpack was pretty exhausting, at beginning it was over than 8kg so I got to reduce the stuff. I also decided to buy new trolley backpack (cabin size) so since we will move into few places so I think bring backpack with you all the time would be exhausting so I bought the trolley one, so it would be much easier to carry on everywhere by pulling in. Went to the CGK airport, Terminal 3 for AirAsia in the early morning, since we have connection flights in Kuala Lumpur so we did transit to Kuala Lumpur (KLIA 2), arrive around 11.30 AM.

KLIA 2, replacing LCCT :)

Food Court at KLIA 2

Hainan Rice Set, about RM 20

We had lunch at Chicken Rice, Food Court, since we have connection flights so no need for you to get out or go to immigration to have stamped in your passport, but you can just stay inside and waiting for your next flight, just follow the direction, and if you have any luggage, no need to be worried and just get your luggage at your final destination. We ate Hainan Rice Set around 20 RM, you can use free wifi at KLIA2. Our next flight to Haneda with AirAsia X is at 2.30 PM, since the flight will take pretty long time, so we decided to buy meal for dinner, we bought Burger King around 20 RM, it’s pretty expensive to buy meal at airport, as usual. Kuala Lumpur to Haneda took about 7 hours, I kinda don’t like the idea to fly more than 3 hours, haha :p anyway you need to fill Embarkation Card for Foreigner to Japan, you will get it in the airplane, fill it and give it to immigration officer.

Fave view <333

at Quiet Zone *smirk*

Embarkation Card for Foreigner to Japan, just fill it during your flight

We reached Haneda International Airport around 10.30 PM and we spent our first night at Haneda. Actually we bought ticket for Narita Airport but got re-route by AirAsia and it's a good thing because Haneda is more closer to downtown so if you booked ticket to Japan, make sure to book for Haneda Airport :) It feels so excited when we arrived at Haneda. The airport is very nice, the wifi connection is really fast. Immigration was so full at that night, well, it ran out smoothly in immigration. When you go out from immigration, the exit door were so unique since it feels like secret door, haha..that's just my feeling. Going out and on the right side you would see Tourist Information Center, go there, you can buy Tokyo Subway Pass like we did and we choose the 72 hours unlimited for Toei and Tokyo Metro subway line, 1,500¥. This pass only sold for overseas visitors, so make sure to buy one of this at Haneda Airport because they only sell in few places like airport etc.

Haneda International Airport

3rd Floor for Departure

Magic Toilet in Japan, you'll find this in so many places haha

Tourist Information Center,Tokyo Subway-right, Free Wifi & Maps-left

Tokyo Subway Pass 72-hour, ¥1,500

I found out myself are confusing at first about which pass should I buy and how to commute around Japan, but after I made my itinerary consider with my hostel/guest house location, which subway station to stop, our route so finally I could pick what's the best way to commute around Japan. And also make sure you ask for Free Wifi ID Pass/Card at Tourist Information Center, they will check your passport and give you user and password that you can use to have free wifi in some area by installing an apps called Japan Wi-Fi which lot of place that free wifi especially in subway station. Get the maps too especially the subway map and don't get too excited so you just take whatever, please take the English version or whichever language that suit you. I took few maps and at the end I sorted out and find the suitable one for me :) the one that I found useful along my trip is the green one.

Free Wi-Fi ID Pass/Card for FREE

the one that I always carried everywhere while in Tokyo, so helpful

I use it a lot, so looks shabby already, this is the green one

still green one, completed with highlighted subway station for sightseeing places

So, the right side to buy Tokyo Subway Pass and the left side to ask Free Wifi  user and password. And since we were to excited we also go to find out where to buy Discount Ticket : One-Way Monorail and JR Yamanote Line ¥500 directly, and the monorail station is on the opposite of Tourist Information Center and there was a vending machine to buy that ticket. We bought it directly and that was so stupid. Please take note, this discount ticket only valid for the day that you bought it, we arrived on 16th April at night and actually we will stay over night and will go in the morning which is 17th, and due to we bought at night 16th April so the ticket already not valid in the morning since it's different date. Hiks..we loss ¥500 and buy another new ticket. But it's okay, I'm learning and would like to share with you guys. And since Japan is 2 hours ahead from Jakarta so we actually got little time to sleep, we decided to get the first monorail around 5 AM because we need to be in Shibuya at 6.30 AM to get our bus to Kawaguchi.

Monorail Vending Machine to buy Discount Ticket

see the bottom, valid date T_T

We also looked for Lawson immediately to buy Ghibli Museum ticket, ¥1,000 at Loppi Machine, all in Japanese but no worries, ask the shopkeeper to help you or use your feeling and just touch things that you think is right haha :p (we did that), and too bad sold out already, Ghibli Museum has quota per day and limited time to visiting, need to be there as per schedule. In Haneda, you might want to explore a little bit by going to 4th and 5th floor, they have place like traditional shop with nice decoration that you might interesting to take a look even though closed already at night and full with people that already took spot to sleep. We prefer to and get a spot to sleep on the bench near the Monorail.

Loppi Machine to buy Ghibli Museum at Lawson

Strolling around Haneda Airport :)

What is your wish? Hope to be come true this year!

I hope my blog will be useful for you and thank you so much for reading my blog, highly appreciate that, hope you will have a great time in Japan, like I did! This country is really recommended to be on your list for traveling, so see you on my next post :) check out my gallery on instagram @tritamj to see more and please do follow if you like it :D