TOKYO DAY 2!

Hellooo World! Day 2 right up next!

As usual, waking up after a jet lagged flight is pretty tiring. Anyway, in Japan, there are sort of advantages and disadvantages of moving off early. If you move off too early, you get to squeeze in the rush hour crowd. Man, you have not seen the rush hour crowd! Its totally crazy and when we say a can of sardines, yes it is exactly what it is. Street shops do not open as early as 10 am in the morning depending on which district you are situated at. Shopping malls on the other hand, some of them are open pretty early. Traveling early, however, saves you a lot of time on exploring during the day and makes walking around much much easier especially when visitors like us do not know the place well and need certain landmarks to serve as checkpoints. Still, I managed to wake up early, but chose not to travel early and to explore the surroundings a little more as during Day 2, I will be heading down to OSAKA (WOO!) and will be back in Tokyo (Same Hostel) for the second quarter of the trip. Why the hassle? Because the cheaper fares are to land in Tokyo only.

As you can see when its non rush hour, there isn't any people at all. Partially the fact that this was not the main subway station around the area. There are subways and railways. The difference is that some subways are owned by different transport companies. Railways on the other hand are mostly owned by JR Rail which is the known transport company in Japan. Subways branch out to rural parts of the district while main railways connect subways and have their own route as well. Its pretty complicated. Just take a look at the subway-railway map below. Phew!

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JAPAN DAY 1 !

Hi guys, as promised, here is the Japan trip that I am so very proud of. For all the Japan lovers out there, I know this itinerary isn't enough to fulfill, but I can say that for 9 days worth of traveling, it can be considered a real treat.

So Day 1 is when I prepared myself at the Changi International Airport (Singapore) and boarded Cathay Pacific en route to Hong Kong. I took a transit flight because at that point of time, it had an offer and it was really cheap. The transit wasn't really much of a hassle but the long transit waiting queues at Hong Kong International Airport was a bit of a nuisance.

Airline Company: Cathay Pacific

Price: SGD580

Route: Singapore - Hong Kong - Japan (2 way)

Total Time taken to reach Japan: 7 hours

In flight entertainment: 8.5/10

Service: 9.5/10

The airfare was so irresistibly cheap that I had to pounce on the chance to get one. It can't get any better than this, or can it? Anyway, if you would like to check out any airfare deals, this is the link

http://www.zuji.com/

Upon reaching Narita Airport (Japan), I must say that it is actually pretty small, taking into consideration that most flights in and out of Japan resides in Narita Airport. Still, it is very accessible and they have different kinds of transportation means provided for you from the airport to the city area. The cheapest mode of transport there is taking the city bus. It costs about 3,000 Yen. Still expensive but well, Japan has a very high standard of living hence it is already reasonable for a comparably cheap fare. Did I mention also that by boarding the taxi you already have to pay heftily. Altogether from the airport to the city area it may cost more than 15,000 Yen.

http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/guide/index.html

You can approach the airport counter for more information on the modes of transport to the city area though I highly recommend taking the bus. Communication with the information counter would not be a problem as they speak reasonably good English. It would be a bonus for you to speak basic Japanese!

Regardless, I still took a limo bus down to Akihabara Station, where my hostel is located. It is always good to stop at railway stations because they serve as a good checkpoint wherever you go. Oh, please check the timings of the limo bus services because they come in intervals. However missing the earlier bus would not make much of a difference because they come in quick intervals. Though it may take awhile to navigate the place especially if you are the first time there. For the bus down to my hostel, it took about 1 hour 10 minutes depending on the roads. Lodging wise, hostels are the cheapest you can get in Japan. For backpackers like me, getting a place to stay with basic amenities is the main necessity. Moreover, we are all here to travel, not to explore the different luxuries of hotels, unless you are a hotel reviewer of course.

Anne Hostel Asakusabashi

Location: 10 minutes walk from Akihabara Station, 5 minutes walk from Asakusabashi Station

Name of hostel: Anne Hostel Asakusabashi

Price per night: 2,4000 to 3,200 Yen, depending on what rooms you get. For me, I took the 4 bed male dorm which costed 2,400 Yen per night.

Comfort: 9/10

Amenities: 8/10 (Comfort of the bathroom just outside your bedroom)

To check out the full detailed list of what they have to offer, please check out here

I went to Japan during the month of May/June which I don't know about you guys, can get pretty cold at night. Please remember to check the temperatures of the month that you are planning to visit. It will really help to wear extra everytime you travel. As for Day 1, because I took an afternoon flight, it resulted in arriving at Japan at 8 pm in which I ended Day 1 prematurely. Everything in Tokyo closes pretty early and what you can see after 9-10 pm is probably just the 24 hour convenience store. You can take your time to walk the area after your check in so that you can navigate around the next day easily. Do take note that some of the hostels have locked doors after a certain time, though it would not be a problem as you can give the owner a call if you miss the curfew.

Next post: Day 2!

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