Adventure Accounting

Departure Day. Ugh.  My flight from Narita Airport was at 10:45 am. I wanted to be in the airport two hours before that. As early as 6:15, I checked out of Nishitetsu Inn Nihombashi and withstood the cold morning breeze of Tokyo. It was a windy walk going to Tokyo station. That was 20 solid minutes of walking. I boarded the posh-looking Narita Express (N’ex). This ride is also covered by the JR Railpass . There were lockers where you can leave your luggage and you’ll have to key in a passcode. I was feeling clingy to my stuff and I didn’t wanna figure out the whole passcode thing so I kept my luggage in front of me. Narita Express It was a one-hour ride going to the airport. I watched the Japan scene float by. Played some tunes in my Ipod. Anything to ignore my hunger pangs and to forget that I was leaving Japan. Be mindful of the stops. Some airlines depart at Narita Terminal 1 and some depart at Terminal 2. The names of the stops are shown on the screen...

I packed my last haul of Kyoto souvenirs in my luggage, bid a warm farewell to the staff of Gojo Guesthouse , hopped on a bus and waited for the next train that will bring me back to Tokyo. My apologies for the crappy pictures. My handy Canon S95 was killed by a deer inNara park and I had to resort to using my Nokia N8. My heavy luggage and heavy laptop bag I still had time to choose my bento box. A lot of locals seem to buy these often. So it is not just-for-tourist thing.     Lunch on the shinkansen Pocky Almond Crush. Yumyum!

Buses are the main transportation around Tokyo. You need to learn how to ride a Japanese bus. Riding the Japanese bus is quite intimidating at first. You are in a foreign land, with foreign characters. An English translation is not guaranteed. So it’d be best if you come ready. Buy the Kyoto Bus Pass. It is a pretty good deal for JPY 500 – you can ride the bus all you want for a day. You’ll just have to add a bit if you want to go outside the zones (no biggie). I bought mine from Gojo Guesthouse . You get the pass stamped in the bus with the date, and just have to show this to the driver when you get off the bus Each bus stop has a schedule that is precise. The bus closes its doors before the time so be at the bus stop before that. They have different schedules for weekends. Take pics of the schedules for your reference. The city center has a lot of buses. They have a map where you can find the bus locations. You may need to cross streets... properly (follow...

Fastfood Chains Yoshinoya dinner for ¥ 490. I got some combo meal: Rice, Miso soup, beef, salmon and some side. The beef was perfectly tender, the salmon was just so-so. There is something about the Japanese rice that somewhat makes the meal perfect. The drink is a complimentary cold green tea. You can order separate beverages if you want. Yoshinoya meal The store layout is very functional. The store has a somewhat depressing atmosphere like the vending machine restaurants in Tokyo . You go there to eat.  You don't really wanna hang out here McDo meals are relatively pricey (compared to the prices in Manila of course). But I like their fries better. I had two large fries for my meal. A fastfood meal is not complete without fries. Mos Burger. Mos Burger is a popular burger fastfood chain that originated in Japan. Maybe something like their vesion of Jollibee? I didn’t really feel the Japanese-touch in the burgers. Ask for the English menu when you order....

Japanese culture is shown again and again in anime. Eggs in soups, sitting on the floor barefoot/with socks, the chime of the school bell, and the tatami rooms. I wanted to try staying in a tatami. I was willing to pay the price of JPY 8,000 to 10,000 even for just one night just to try it.  Luckily, I didn’t have to because I found a tatami-style dorm in Kyoto: Gojo Guesthouse . I was quite apprehensive about the place because the website was very basic, but functional - not a lot of frills and whatnots that I usually see in dorm websites. The review in Tripadvisor was overall positive so I decided give it a try. I emailed my request, and I just had no confirm my arrival weeks before my arrival date. Didn’t have to pay any downpayment. If you cancel/change your reservation on the day before arrival, they require 50% of total charge. If you cancel/change your reservation on the arrival day, they charge 100% of the room rate. Pretty reasonable. Don't miss the ...

Time to use the Japan Rail Pass again. The trip from JR Kyoto to JR Nara station took almost an hour. I felt the fatigue creeping in my me that day so I played snoozefest with my alarm that morning. It was around 10am when I landed in JR Nara station. Train heading to Nara An officemate went to Nara the previous year and I was enchanted with the roaming wild deer in Nara Park. It would be fun to meet a Bambi in person. Bambi Nara Park is a 25-minute walk from JR Nara Station – says the tourist information person. You can also take public transportation going there but why rush? Walking is always part of the adventure. I made a stop in CoCo Curry House for some filling mid-morning “snack”. Passed bu Kōfuku-ji Temple. A bunch of Japanese schoolboys offered to take my picture. I forgot to change the settings back to "Vivid colors" mode.  I was giddy with excitement to see a deer.Weeeeee! One approached me cautiously.  Any...

So I walked and walked to figure out how to go to Kinkakuji from Arashiyama . I got lost and lost because I thought Daikakuji was the Japanese translation of the Golden Pavilion. That epic realization came when I was walking around the streets going to Daikakuji... which was 30 minutes of walking according to the tourist information booth. Booooo. With empty streets and no helpful Japanese people in sight, I had to rely on the bus routes in the handy Kyoto Bus Guide. I was out of the JPY 500 zone, so I was expecting some additional fee riding a bus, but I didn’t have a choice anyway. In that area, waiting for a bus took quite as long as 20-25 minutes - the bus schedules are still posted and still followed in the bus stops. I headed to the transfer point to ride any bus that's going to Kinkakuji. Kyoto transfer point. An elderly man sat beside me during the bus ride. He had limited English. He said he will show me the way to Kinkakuji since he was getting off th...

Kiyomizuderadid not fully satisfy my quench for autumn , it was too early to experience the full beauty of the autumn foliage. My other planned day in Kyoto initially included visiting Kinkakuji/ Golden Pavilion and some other Kyoto city sights, but I wanted to try something else. Somewhere to experience autumn again. One of my roommates suggested I go to Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a district outside the Kyoto city district. To get here, I just had to ask my roommate for directions – that’s why I love staying in dorms! How to go to Arashiyama (from Gojo Station): (Hankyu Line) Walk from Gojo guesthouse to Gojo station – I think this is just one or two blocks away. Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line: From Gojo Station(K10), Shijo Station (K9) - JPY 220 From Shijo Station, go to Hankyu Railway Karasuma Station. Hankyu Railway: From Karasuma Station, ride train going to Katsura - JPY 180 (until Arashiyama) Hankyu Railway: From Katsura , ride the line going to Arashiyama Fr...

I could’ve just included this in my previous entry , but I feel that Fushimi Inari Shrine deserves a separate blog posts. If you have a day in Kyoto, please don’t miss visiting Fushimi Inari. You can go and skip all the other temples and pavilion (well, maybe not all of them) but DO NOT MISS VISITING FUSHIMI INARI! Memorize that name now. Fushimi Inari is one station away from JR Kyoto Station, along the JR Nara line. I used my Japan Railpass to board the train. The train ride is less than 5 minutes; waiting for the train is longer. You won’t miss the shrine, it is just outside the train station. There’s a bright red-orange temple gate. Everyone wants their photo here. There is no entrance fee! This is completely free! XD Red? Orange? Red Orange? Nope, It is VERMILLION. There are thousands of these vermillion torii gates dedicated to Inari - the Shinto god of rice. Even locals go here regularly, I believe. You can write your wish (again) ...

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years. You’ve heard about that before? Probably because you also watched Rurouni Kenshin during your younger days :)  Kenshin decided to go to Kyoto to hunt and fight Shishio Makoto. He gives Kaoru an emotional hug as he bids her farewell. I chose a dorm which is 10-15 minutes away from Kiyomizudera temple. I started walking early, walking at 8:00 in the morning to beat the crowd, with plenty of time to wander around the streets of Kyoto. What I didn’t know was that it was a 10-15 minutes UPHILL walk going to the Kiyomizudera temple. 10 minutes UPHILL my friend, UPHILL. Prepare to huff and puff. The uphill path was lined by lots of quaint little shops – some were open and some were still closed. My breakfast was gone by the time I reached the entrance.   Shops and students The temple opens as early as 6:00AM and the crowds were already there at the entrance. These crowds were not foreign tour...

Arrival at the Airport Exchange your Japan Railpass Order. Since I arrived pretty early, I exchanged my pass on the lower ground level. I think there are other counters open during normal office hours.  Going to Khaosan Tokyo Kabuki : I was staying in the Asakusa area and the best way to get to my hostel is to take the Keisei train. Take the Keisei Limited EXPRESS – just a little bit more expensive but less stops. Choose convenience over money on this one! Navigating around It was quite easy to navigate around with my wheeled luggage. The lifts are working in the subway stations, although I believe these are primarily for the pregnant or elderly. The subway is PHENOMENAL. It seems like there is a subway option every two or three blocks. There are two subway systems in Tokyo (subway means underground).  The map is already too much for me to figure out. So I was undecided if I will buy transportation passes for my Tokyo leg. Most discussions discourage...

Transportation in Japan is expensive. I guess the biking in Anime series is the really practical choice of getting around. The buses and metro tickets are relatively expensive compared to Philippine and other developing Asian countries. The 7-day Japan Railpass costs like a trip to Hongkong. Scream now. Brutally expensive. But that is Japan. Besides, what is a Japan experience without trying the Shinkansen (bullet train)? Pricey piece of paper Time to hit Kyoto. First, I had to find my way from Asakusa to JR Tokyo station. Did that by just asking the staff of Khaosan Tokyo Kabuki . It was quite easy, even with my luggage in tow. The metro stations have working lifts and escalators. I entered the manned gate of the JR Tokyo station after showing them my valid JR Railpass. Tokyo Station was like an airport. I didn’t get to take a lot of pics as I was busy navigating my way to Toikaido Shinkansen tracks.     Find those tracks. There are English sign...

Japan is so expensive! A common reaction when I tell people I've done Japan for 10 days - without going broke . Oh yeah. Japan is pricey alright. But there are ways to trim down costs. Wanna save on accommodation? Stay in hostels!!! Some would cringe at the thought of sharing a room with a bunch of strangers. I've done it before and I had a blast! The price of hostels in Japan is almost the same as the hostels in Europe. The difference in price will depend on the location and the type of hostel you want (boutique hostel or basic hostel?). But both will fall around the $30 range. If you find something cheaper, great! Khaosan Tokyo Kabuki I wanted to stay in a capsule hotel but most of the staff there do not speak English and most cater to men business travellers. So, no capsule hotel for now.  I read that the best place to stay in Tokyo is around Shinjuku or Tokyo area. These are near the popular tourist attractions, and a great place to just feel the...