Continued...
Our first day in Tokyo was mainly spent enjoying our much needed nap in our Shinjuku Kuyakusyomae Capsule Hotel and visiting the Shibuya Crossing at night. The Shibuya Crossing is...... not as fantastic as I imagined it to be. But we might have went at the wrong time. It was a Monday night and there wasn't much night life then.
Btw I must say that the capsule hotel has been the best decision ever. Contrary to popular belief, it is very spacious and comfortable (I could fit my backpack and daypack into my capsule and still have sufficient space to sleep). More importantly, the shower rooms and amenities are aweeeesomeeeeee.
Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel
1 Chome-2-5 Kabukichō
Shinjuku-ku, Tōkyō-to, Japan
http://capsuleinn.com/shinjuku/en/
¥2500($30.65)/night (for online booking only)
Day 15:
It was an all-out day with a morning visit to the acclaimed Tsukiji Fish Market and the rest of the afternoon at DisneySea. Woke up at 6.30am just for the fish market but the inner market was only available to public from 9am onwards, so we had an early breakfast at the Tsukiji Kaisen-don Oedo restaurant while waiting to enter. For only ¥1800($22.10), I had salmon sashimi, ikura fish roe, scallops, a small crab pincer and tamago slices in my bowl; all fresh from the Tsukiji Fish Market itself. I've never been able to eat raw seafood without soy sauce before but this was an exception!
At DisneySea, I really liked how it isn't just a carbon copy of DisneyLand. It's like a land of neglected cartoon characters, featuring Toy Story, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones, etc. The Tower of Terror was slightly disappointing although it was still my favourite. (I'm a sucker for extreme thrill)
Day 16:
This entire day was dedicated to shopping and hunting for Tokyo banans and bai se lian ren but unfortunately we didn't find no Tokyo bananas or bai se lian ren, just a lot of matcha and strawberry Kit Kats. (It annoys me how they're now available in Singapore. Why the hell did I lug them all the way from Japan then?!) But I was contented that I found a pair of Sony extra bass earpieces for a decent price of ¥3650($44.75) from BIC Camera while it's sold at $59 locally. There are BIC Camera stores everywhere in Tokyo so just look out for 'em for cheap technological gadgets. Also, we took a walk down Asakusa street where all the overpriced touristy shit are. At the end of the street is the Senso-ji Temple. Nic and I prayed for our fortune there and the funniest part was when Nic's fortune paper read, "The one you are waiting for will come soon, but late."
Nagoya has been very quiet so far. We wandered through the park surrounding the Nagoya Castle because we didn't feel that it was worth ¥600($7.36) to enter the castle then because of the construction works. For that workout around the entire park, we rewarded ourselves with some of Nagoya's famous misokatsu at Cafe de Metro, Kanayama. Nearby was a pachinko arena which we stumbled across and decided to give a try. The staff there were astounded by our interest in the game. It's like Japan's version of the slot machine, the kind that only old and bored people indulge in. The game was so confusing but the staff and people around us helped us with it. Daren struck the jackpot without even knowing, but lost his luck slowly after. My luck wasn't that fantastic either. Well, that was ¥1000($12.26) down the drain.
Day 18:
Last day in Japan was spent roaming around the shops of Nagoya Station. Caught the meitetsu back to the airport and well, that was the end of it :-(
Kyoto was mesmerizing with its Sakuras in full bloom (also my favourite city of all). Osaka gave me a little bit of everything - from first experiences to friends - and for that, I left a part of my heart there too. Nara was a quaint little town, just the way I liked it. Tokyo was a pity because we barely got to explore it before we had to leave for Nagoya to catch our flight. (I'll be back for you Harajuku and Mt Fuji!)
We started off like a bunch of wandering sheeps, foreign to a new environment and not knowing where to go. "Sumimasen, ... wa doko desuka?" has been our saving grace. But then again, not all who wander are lost eh? ;-)
Breakdown of total costs:
Flight tickets (two-way) = ~$360 incl 20kg add-on luggage (AirAsia)
Accommodation + living expenses + Disneysea tickets + baseball match tickets + museum entrance fees + Sony MDR-XB50 extra bass earpieces in electric blue + a pair of jeans + shitload of souvenirs = ~$1600
Total expenditure = ~$1960
Who says you can't travel cheap? You just need to know where to find the ¥250($3.06) beef rice bowls and the right accommodation that can give you a good night's rest without burning your wallet all the same!
Useful apps to download:
- Learn Japanese
- Triposo (Japan)
- MapsWithMe
They all function offline so that's the best part.
Aaaaaand, this is the end of my Japan post. Hope the info helped! :-)
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