旅行

Well, I have been living in Japan for 7 weeks now. =) So, I will start to write and summarise the things about Japan, in terms of places I have visited and going to visit. This week or last week rather, I have decided to limit my travelling and spend more time with Japanese instead. Why? I have realised that despite the enjoyment of sightseeing, travelling has never been my priority. I will be satisfied with visiting several historical sites and bautiful sceneries. I said several means several, i.e. 20% of Japan. I do not think it is wise to visit all over Japan considering the huge cost incurred for every visit. Everything is expensive here, 10000 yen (around 100USD) is of little value. Go out on weekend and you will spend that amount if you don’t watch your budget.

So, where have I been?

1. Kyoto

Since I was there for 3 days only, I have not been able to see much. I only know that the eating places below kyoto station is nice and relatively cheap. The set meal range is below 1000 yen. Very reasonable. There are many castles and shrines in Kyoto. To visit them is pretty easy. The places are linked by a bus. Thus, it is pretty convenient to just buy a 1-day bus and visit several castles. As the 1-day pass, I think errrrr how much? Gosh, I don’t keep record. I think it is around 650 yen. It is a good price since 1 ride costs 220 yen flat rate.  The map for kyoto tourist spots are available on the station with the bus passing through it. In short, the travelling in Kyoto is quite accessible and considering the city is average in size, pretty easy to cover the city. If you ask me how many days to spend in Kyoto, I would say 3 days is maximum otherwise you will get totally bored!

2. Tokyo

I spent a lot of weekends in Tokyo, not only because it is pretty near from myself, but the lack of attraction in Yokohama could be one of the major reason. There are quite a number of attractions here, but if you ask me to rate it, I can say it is so so. Tokyo is best for shopping, but for everything else, it falls under average and above.

There are several things to watch out for in Tokyo. One of them is the train lines. Gosh. I get mad when I saw it for the first time. It is like ants nests, not a pleasing sights. Nevertheless, it is one of each kind. It is amazing how Tokyo could accomodate 12 million people. Once again 12 Million. It is 3 times the size of Singapore. It is not counting neighbouring satellite cities, e.g. Yokohama which has 3.5 million people. My life here so far has been amazing. Yeah, it is not easy, but it is just so much to see and it is overwhelming.

Ok, back to the train. It is best to make a well-planned visit because any mistakes made will be pretty costly. Let me elaborate on the train cost here. 1-2 stations away will cost 130 yen. 2-5 stations will cost 160 and every additional stations will just add the cost. Every transfer will incur the same cost again. Not to mention that 120 yen is the cheapest train fare, some train stations will start the fare at 170 yen, some even 200+ yen. So, if you take 3 trains exchange, it could easily cost you 500 yen for 1-way.

So, where are the places to visit? Disneyland is OK, it is definitely designed for children/ family rides, so unless you bring you children or small nephew/ niece, you will be better off going to DisneySea instead. DisneySea is designed for couple. So, it is also a bit sad if you are single.

Some traditional place to visit would be Asakusa dan Ueno. Well, Asakusa is good to try traditional Japanese snacks and tempura. As for Ueno, errr you can check it on the Lonely Planet

Shopping-wise: Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya. In Shinjuku, the prices are high due to the brands. In Harajuku and Shibuya, the products are catered to youths thus the lower price.

Other place to visit would be Odaiba. I think the place is so so. It is just to look at the rainbow bridge and some building architectures. Thus, if you don’t fancy architectural design, the trip may not be as satisfying.

How about food? Well, I think there are only 2 kind of eateries here. Either below 2000 yen and totally above it. You can find 1000 yen food easily. For restaurants, if it serves sashimi, it will cost 5000 yen.

3. Yokohama

Errrr, actually I will write about this later.

I think that is all.

I need to sleep now.