Hello world!

I finally have the guts to write in my blog again, since I feel like there is something special to share with you all and with my friends who have been asking about this. And it is nonetheless about my very first trip to Japan, which I (and my sister) managed by myself. Yaaayy, one destination checked on my bucket lists!

Back then I wasn't a big fan of Japanese products such as Anime, Ghibli, Harajuku Style or even AKB48, but when I saw pictures of Cherry Blossom flowers spreading in my instagram feed last year. I feel like I have to go to there before I die and what makes me even more curious about Japan is the existence of Harry Potter Wizarding World in Universal Studios Japan (Yes I'm a Potterheads). So when my sister asked me to go to there, who can say No? Big big thanks to her :*

So, I'm gonna share with you some tips and my itinerary while in Japan. Basically, everything you need to know to arrange your itinerary and accommodation is only one click away from your browser, you just have to choose which style of travelling you're most comfortable of. Don't worry  if you are a first-timer overseas traveller, because I too my friend, also a first-timer to travel without the help of travel agent.

Without further ado, here you go...

Decide which Season you want to go 
As you may have known, there are 4 Seasons in Japan which are Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

• Spring is definitely the best time to see Cherry blossom flowers. The full bloom usually started in the beginning of April until End of May, depends on the regions. If you want to see the full bloom in Tokyo, my suggestion is come by the first week until the second week of April. Oh and by the way it sometimes raining during Spring. Be sure to check the weather forecast first.
• Summer in Japan is the time for Japanese people to enjoy their holiday. I suppose it is not really the best time to travel, since it will be very crowded and in my opinion enjoying Summer is nothing better than in our home, Indonesia where there are beaches everywhere. Summer in Japan begins within May until beginning of August.
• Autumn is the time to enjoy the Cherry blossom's leaves fall with not so cold weather. Autumn begins in mid August until November. Prepare for the wind blows.
• Winter is best time to go skiing, snowboard, and Onsen (japanese hot spring) by the Fujiyama mountain. It begins in end of November until March.

So, which season is your favorite? Be sure to check the weather forecast first as it may varies on each regions :)


Book your flight
There have been so many affordable ticket flights offered by various airlines, started from IDR 3,5 millions - 7 millions return from Jakarta. Mine was Garuda Indonesia which costs around IDR 5,8 millions return and the flight is directly from Jakarta to Tokyo Haneda. There are also cheaper flights offered by ANA, Cathay, or AirAsia but usually you have to transit in Hongkong (Cathay) or KL (AirAsia) first before continuing to Japan.




Book Hotels or Airbnb
Nowadays choices to stay is not only limited to hotels, thanks to Airbnb we can have the experience as locals by renting their house or apartment. Me and my sister were staying in apartments and booked the room via Airbnb. My suggestion is, book the apartment or hotel located nearest to the train station. The apartment rates in Tokyo (Shinjuku or Shibuya area) and Osaka is started from IDR 800k per night. FYI, Japanese apartment is quite compact for 2 - 3 persons only, the size is more like studio size apartment in Jakarta. However, although it's not that spacious, they really took care of every details in their room :)

Here's some snaps of our room in Osaka





Prepare your Visa
Applying Japan Visa is not that complicated anymore for us Indonesian. It's even easier for those who have e-passport, which need no further fee charged unlike the usual passport and you only have to submit some documents. Since I'm still using the usual passport, I arranged my visa in a travel agent in Jakarta and charged around IDR 400.000 for regular working days (6 to 7 days). I only have to provide some documents such as copy of 3 months transactions in Banking Account, Employment Letter (Surat Keterangan Kerja), copy of flight ticket, address of your hotel or Airbnb and the passport. Oh and also your latest photo with white background :)



But wait, before you go here's some additional tips which may be useful for you...

For you who wants to travel within cities,
It is best to purchase JR Pass (Japan Rail Pass) which is provided only for tourists, even the citizen of Japan are very envy to us. JR Pass can be used to take trains from almost all over Japan, whether it is the famous Shinkansen bullet train or the inter-city monorail. It is a lot cheaper if you want to visit more than one cities in Japan, rather than buying the tickets separately. There are several package of Japan Rail Pass depends on how long you will stay.
You can check them out here: http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html

Some important notes to use JR Pass:
1. Japan Rail pass ticket cannot be bought in Japan, so you have to purchase it here. I bought the ticket in authorized travel agent named HIS Travel in Jakarta: http://his-travel.co.id/
2. The temporary ticket issued by the travel agent must be exchanged with the JR Pass once you arrived in the airport, so that you can use it directly :)

3. If you plan to take the Shinkansen train, you'll have to book the seat first. Don't worry there will be no further charge for this. How to book the seat? Just go to the Ticketing Information in train station and the clerk will help you. For details check: http://www.jrpass.com/blogs/reserving-seats-boarding-the-bullet-train

4. Not all types of trains and not all JR routes are included in JR Pass, be sure to check the routes and trains included in their website first. Basically, the type of Shinkansen included is Shinkansen Hikari (From Tokyo to Osaka), while Shinkansen Nozomi is excluded.


For you who always stays up-to-date in social media
It is best to rent a pocket wi-fi in Japan, since buying SIM card in Japan is quite strictly regulated. You can rent the wi-fi once you arrived in Japan or you can rent it from HIS Travel too.

For you who wants to go to theme parks
There are so many famous theme parks in Japan, such as Disneyland, Disneysea, Universal Studios, Edo Wonderland, Sanrio, and Fuji-Q Highland. To not wasting time for queuing the ticket, be sure to purchase the ticket before you off to Japan. Again and again, HIS Travel has them too, except for Universal Studios express pass :)

Last but not least, prepare the itinerary, and list of places you want to visit. It is the most exciting part when arranging your own trip. Don't forget to take notes of the address and opening hours, also the transportation. Be sure to check Hyperdia.com, it provides various routes and transportation type in Japan.



I'll post the itinerary on next post...


Sayonaraaa~