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!

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...

The most frightening and exciting done I’ve done in my entire life is solo travelling around Europe . A close second would be visiting a Japanese Onsen . Have you ever tried the heated pools of Ace Water Spa? The Japanese Onsen is something like that. You’ll just be doing the entire experience in your birthday suit. I do have a healthy self-image of my imperfect body, but I have this apprehension of showing my body to the Japanese women who have flawless fair skin. I mean getting naked in front of a whole bunch of strangers?!?!?! The pools of Ace Water Spa I spent part of my nights researching about the etiquette and procedure in Jakotsuyu Japanese Onsen . This onsen is located in Asakusa area, just near my hostel. None of my roommates have tried an onsen. I asked the reception but all they said is that “it is like a spa”.  I didn’t have any idea what to do so I Googled and found these websites: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292_how.html http://www.onse...

I am not a lover of all types of Japanese food but I LOVE sashimi! I would be completely satisfied with a good dose of salmon sashimi in buffets – I could skip the other dishes. For the katsudon and tempura dishes, nah, am not a fan.   My standard Yakimix plate In Japan, the servers will greet you with "Irasshaimase!!!" – but not in the annoying intonation as done in Yakimix ( Hey, I love Yakimix! I just find the greeting annoying). Main Meals I noticed that most of the “vending machine restaurants” have a small seating capacity for diners. Based on the layout of the chairs and table, the diners do not go here to hang out. You just eat. It is actually quite depressing: it is just you and your yummy food. Good thing the taste makes up for the lack of ambience.   Everyone minds their own noodle eating business You can have a complete really filling and delicious meal for JPY 300-500.  Their noodles are hand-pulled too! I hope you can be qu...

I decided to stay in Asakusa after reading various reports in the ever reliable Tripadvisor. I exhausted my brain cells trying to figure out what area to stay in Tokyo. I concluded that the complicated subway map is proof enough that I get to any part of Tokyo as long as I stay near a station. Asakusa was the choice. It offers cheaper dorm rooms compared to those located near and around Tokyo. The streets give off the Old-ish Tokyo Vibe. There are old buildings or trying-hard to be old buildings. The tall tower is the Tokyo Skytree Asakusa is the home of Sensō-ji Temple. Hence the crowd. For the four days that I was here, the crowds always looked like this. Better visit this early in the morning (7 to 8-ish AM).   Kaminarimon (Kaminari Gate)

Tokyo Imperial Palace is the sorta equivalent of our own Malacanang palace. This is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. The Imperial Palace lies on the former site of the Edo Castle. If you are an avid fan of Rurouni Kenshin (aka Samurai X), you’ll probably be familiar with Aoshi Shinamori and Misao. Both served as defenders of the Edo Castle.   Aoshi and Misao. I used to have a poster of Aoshi-sama in my wall. From my home base in Asakusa, I navigated my way to Tokyo Station. I decided to get the Asakusa+Ginza Line day combination ticket with cost me ¥ 1,000. Although it was just Day 3, my Preloaded Pasmo card of ¥ 2,000 which I bought in Day 1 was already below ¥ 500. Even though I have a planned route, I still make some mistakes in getting off at the wrong station - sayang sa pamasahe. Mas type ko ride-all-you-can; no other charges if I make mistakes. The moat around the palace I think I got better reading the crazy metro map. And I was able to u...

Odaiba is a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. This island is huge, sif you plan to go here, pick out those places that you’d be interested to see. I almost skipped this island because the hostel considers Odaiba as an “overrated" tourist spot. But I decided to proceed because... the life size Gundam was there.  Going to Odaiba, you have ride the Yurikamome rail. The fare is quite expensive compared to the other metro lines. How to go to Odaiba from Asakusa: From Asakusa station (Asakusa Line A18 and Ginza Line G19), proceed to Shimabashi Station (A10, G08). Navigate your way to Yurikamome Line. You’ll find signs, or you’ll find someone to ask. Yurikamome Railway Area Map Buy a ticket. I had a preloaded Pasmo card which can be used in this line. But considering my history in hopping off the wrong train station, I decided to buy a one day open ticket. I can ride all I want and my itinerary would be flexible with this. Not all machines sell the one day ticket,...

I was soooo tired when I arrived in my hostel in Tokyo. I left my luggage and used the common room’s computer to send an email to my parents that I arrived in Japan alive. My stomach started to grumble. Time to find breakfast. I headed outside and explored Asakusa. (I’ll talk about Asakusa in a separate post).   Uh oh. The crowds. There are lots of restaurants and fast food chains around Asakusa. I was in search of something authentic, so I chose a place where the menu is almost not translated . The food pics look good. There was a greeter/ PR person at the door. I have a good background in reading Katakana and Hiragana because I was an Otaku in my teenage years . Well... I thought I had a good background...but my skills did not help me here. Someone assisted me in operating the vending machine. I inserted the bill in the slot, then pressed my desired order. A meal ticket came out and the staff handed this to the cook. After some time, the staff told me to ...

I made a decision to book a non-buget (read: Not Cebupacific) airline for my trip to Japan. I was quite hesitant to book at non-refundable fare from a budget airline because of the Japan visa . The budget airlines have the nicer airport. The not so budget-airlines have the old NAIA Terminal 1. Time to fly out of NAIA Terminal 1 again. NAIA Terminal 1 Lobby This was my longest encounter with an IO: Immigration Officer: Mam, kayo lang po magtatravel? Me: Yes Immigration Officer: Wala po kayong kasama? Me: Wala (isang tanong, isang sagot mode) Immigration Officer: Bakit po di nyo kasama friends nyo? Me: Kasi ako lang may budget at time IO: Ok mam. *stamps passport* Minsan, kelangan ng yabang factor. Korek? Okey. Hokey. My excited and grumbling tummy was sated by a dose of Bo’s Coffee (Php 165) and an overpriced Puttanesca serving (Php 140). NAIA Terminal restrooms are not that bad. Not world-class, but clean and decent enough. NAIA Termi...