Our trip to Japan was filled with utter
delights because each day was allotted for discoveries. Everything in the
country is incredibly efficient (I haven’t seen toilets so innovative), but
there’s no air of snootiness. It's a must to experience this culture of
graciousness once in your life.
Applying for Visa
We went to Reli Tours in Mall of Asia to lodge
our applications. We have paid P950 and submitted:
- Completed
application form with a photo
- Original NSO Birth
Certificate – This has to be current. If you’re applying this year,
you have to ask NSO for a 2017 copy. When we applied last year, we
submitted 2014 copies which were rejected right away by Reli. They will
notice because the certificate has a barcode that reflects the year.
- BIR Form 2316 (Year
2015)
- Letter to Consul
explaining why my BIR Form isn’t updated – I don’t
have an updated form yet since I have just switched jobs.
- Bank Certificate – Having a huge amount doesn’t guarantee approval (read our Korean
embassy experience). You just have to make sure that the amount in
your bank is enough to realistically cover the duration of your
stay.
- Schedule of Stay – The embassy’s website has the template. It doesn’t have to be detailed. When I drafted this, I haven’t made hotel bookings yet. I just used Agoda to check hotels which we might book.
While these documents are not required, we
added our:
- Certificate of Employment
- Flight tickets
Our passports were returned in less than 7 days
with the visa.
Drafting the Itinerary
When we were younger, we liked cramming a lot
of places in a day. This changed when we realized how tired we were after each
trip. The last thing you want is to return from a vacation feeling like you
need another one. We decided to spend 10 days in Japan to see Osaka, Kyoto,
Nara, and Tokyo.
Apart from forums, my planning resources were Japan Guide (for walking itineraries
which you can tweak), a Facebook
group (the people here are accommodating when you have queries), Klook (my all-time favorite for pre-purchasing
attraction tickets), and Google Maps and Hyperdia
(for directions, train routes, and fare estimates).
I am satisfied with how things turned out
although I wish we could have stayed longer in Kyoto. When we return, we’ll just
focus on the Kansai region to further explore Kyoto and add Kobe to the list.
Where We Stayed
We have stayed in hotels, AirBnB flats, and a guesthouse. In Osaka, we stayed
in the Dotonbori area because we wanted to be close to the action.
When we headed
to Kyoto, we selected a guesthouse. It’s our first time and I am pleased to say
that Kessei Guesthouse doesn’t have the elements that would make a cringe-worthy
story. The house is charming and pristine! You just have to reconsider if
you’re not fond of walking because it’s about a kilometer from the house to the
main road.
Our flat in Ikebukuro, Tokyo is similarly
situated in a quiet area, but walking for a few minutes will bring you the
city’s bustling parts. There are plenty of restaurants and shopping places in
the area including Sunshine City which has a 100-yen shop, a Disney store, and
the Pokemon Mega Center. The flat is near the train station too. I was even surprised to see a tiny bookshelf in our flat filled with all of Haruki
Murakami’s works.
Is Japan’s Transportation Tricky?
We bought the ICOCA + Haruka Pass when we
arrived in Osaka. Sure, you can easily buy the unlimited Japan Rail Pass (JR
Pass) but make sure that it’ll be worth it. After working on our itinerary, I computed the fares covering our destinations and the
total amount didn't even reach half of the JR Pass’ cost.
ICOCA can be used in many regions including
Tokyo. The only difference is if you’re planning to refund the unused fare, you
may only do so in Osaka. Reloading is a breeze because the vending machine has
an English option.
Important: Japan has different types of trains and some of these skip
stations. We learned it the hard way when we missed our stop because we were on
an Express train. Here’s the classification I grabbed from Japan Guide:
Each type of train has a sign. The platforms also have signboards which you can check if the certain type of
train will stop at your destination. If it’s too late to check, just ride the
“Local” one. :)
Other people might have a different view but
for me, pocket WiFi is indispensable if it’s your first time in Japan. Google
Maps saved us many times. Our pocket WiFi’s from Klook. We picked it up from
Kansai Airport and returned it to Narita Airport. There’s a 20,000 yen deposit
and they only accept credit cards.
From Osaka to Tokyo, we opted to ride Willer’s overnight bus. Apart from
choosing from its many routes, you can also select the type of bus. I’ve seen
fancy ones with pink seats and bigger legroom. We booked the 10 p.m. trip and
by 6 a.m., we’re already in Tokyo. The trip is quite long because there are
stopovers, but it was a comfortable trip.
Don't worry about getting lost because the people are helpful. They are no doubt the nicest and most courteous we’ve met despite the
language barrier.
Food – The Best
Part!
Japanese cuisine has always been our favorite.
It was exciting to plan for the trip knowing I’d get to stuff my mouth with
authentic sushi, yakitori, okonomiyaki, and so on. Of all the Asian countries
we’ve been to, Japan has the priciest food but don’t let this dishearten you.
If you’re on a budget or if you're exhausted to come out at night and look for a restaurant, Family Mart and Lawson are your friends. They have the
freshest and most delectable bento boxes! For 600 to 800 yen, you’ll get a decent and
scrumptious meal.
Tip: Japan’s Disney and Universal Studios are not as strict when
it comes to bringing in of food. While we had lunch and dinner at these theme
parks, we bought snacks and sushi rolls from convenience stores.
No Japan trip is complete without visiting a kaiten sushi restaurant. Plates of
various sushi are displayed through a conveyor belt and each colored plate
corresponds to a certain amount. Everything is prepared in front of you. After an
hour, I was able to finish 14 plates. :)
Shopping
The country has the quirkiest finds. I enjoyed
shopping in Japan because the items were cheaper than their counterparts in
the Philippines. Some shops you shouldn’t miss:
GU – Despite my extensive notes, I
forgot to check the temperature! When we arrived, we didn’t know autumn would
be that cold. We headed to GU (Uniqlo’s cousin, I believe) which fortunately
had floors of knitwear, coats, thermals, and wool boots. Almost everything is
on sale and GU offers tax refunds.
Daiso – Japan is famous for its 100-yen shops. Don Quijote is famous
but I liked Daiso more. This is where we bought a lot of our pasalubongs – candies, noodles, 2017
planners, fluffy socks, and even collagen creams.
Kyoto’s
quaint shops – We took home traditional sweets and tea sets
from Kyoto. If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli’s works (like my friend who requested for a magnet), you may search
for the Ghibli shop tucked away in a corner near the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
Luxury
goods thrift stores – Many Japanese women are
fond of buying the latest “It Purse,” that’s why they find it easy to discard
last season’s purses. These are typically in mint condition and sold for a
heavily reduced price. You can get a basic LV Monogram Speedy 30 in “A” rank
for 35,000 yen. What’s more tempting is tourists can shop tax-free.
There are many thrift stores in Osaka and
Tokyo, but of all the shops we’ve entered, I fancied Daikokuya because of its
vast selection. While waiting for your purchase to be ready, don’t forget to
check out the “further discounted” racks. For example, everything in this photo is 20,000 yen
below. That black Epi leather sling is such a steal.
Royce Nama
stores – Royce is Sapporo’s pride and it’s justifiable because
these melt-in-your-mouth chocolates are indeed irresistible. I just can’t buy
them all the time in Manila because they can be expensive, but in Japan,
they’re sold for half the price!
We bought our “Godivas of Japan” at Narita International
Airport’s Duty Free while waiting for our flight. The shop also sells chilled
bags for your perusal.
How Much Did the Trip Cost?
I won’t go into details but for comparison,
many travel agencies offer a 5-day trip to Japan for P50,000. Most of these
packages only focus on a single region and do not have theme park visits
since tickets for these places can be costly.
For that same amount per person, we were able
to spend 10 days in Japan, visit Universal Studios, DisneySea, and Ueno Zoo, and explore
Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Tokyo. That
amount already covered our flights, accommodations, attraction tickets, transportation
expenses, and basic food. Let’s just finish here and not discuss what went into
shopping. :P
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