Planning Stage
Since I’ve never been to Japan alone, I had to do my research. Even though I am sure I have at least a N2 level of Japanese proficiency, I was still nervous about the fact that not everyone in Kansai speaks the Kanto region dialect, which is the standardized Japanese I’ve studied for 4 years with.
For transportation arrangements, I was not going to drive in Japan. There are many reasons to choose to skip driving in Japan. First, there isn’t going to be a lot of parking spaces available; and once they are, they cost money to park. Second, the streets are extremely narrow; I am comfortable with my driving skills, but it’s always best to be diligent and avoid foreign accidents at all costs. Third, Japan drives on the left, and even though I have spent 16 days there, I still can’t adjust my mind that every driver in Japan drives on the wrong side.
That’s why for transportation, I relied exclusively on Japan’s highly developed train systems, be it subway or full on trains. You can always buy a ticket at the train station for every train ride you take, but it will waste a lot of time, plus, you might miss a connecting train. You can get a transportation IC card like Suica or ICOCA. Suica card is sold in the Kanto region, and ICOCA is sold in the Kansai region. They all function the same, and everywhere where an IC card is taken, both will work. All you have to do is to be mindful of the balance left and recharge when needed.
About JR Pass though. I’ve had a friend named Victor, who passed away only a few months after I’ve known him. He was a nice guy, and when I decide to travel to Japan in 2018, he recommended the JR Pass, which is an all-encompassing rail pass that allows foreigners to travel to Japan through all different rail systems free of charge (well, you’ve already paid for it). As of 2023, JR Pass almost doubled its price, which made it especially useless to me.
Hear me out. Even though I plan to travel to Tokyo, I am sure that I will not be spending about 5,000 RMB, $700 USD, or 100,000 Japanese Yen on the subway system, which is about how much the JR pass costs for 2 weeks. With its ridiculous price increase, the JR Pass is completely, unequivocally, stupidly, useless to foreigners. It is only there to make life easier for people who don’t care about how much they spend and just wishes for an ease of mind. For me though, I ended up spending at around 25,000 Japanese Yen on the subway systems, which is 175 USD and 1,200 RMB. It is still rather expensive, don’t get me wrong, but it is infinitely better than the overpriced JR Pass.
There are also many different types of trains and train providers in Japan. The most well-known is the Shinkansen. It is used with area wide travel, for example, from Tokyo to Osaka, which basically is just from Kanto to Kansai. I didn’t travel outside of Kansai this time, so I did not ride the Shinkansen.
The next one is called Kintetsu, translated directly will be “Near-trail”. It is a train set for faster travel, and for short distances, you only need to pay a normal train ticket; but if you travel long distance with Kintetsu, 9 out of 10 times Kintetsu will be reserved seats, and you will have to pay for a "reserved seat ticket” on top of a normal train ticket. When it is “reserved seat” only, you will have to buy the ticket from either the vending machine, or you can just get on the train first and pay later when the ticket taker comes to you eventually. So don’t worry if you don’t have time to buy a ticket from the vending machine, just try your luck on the train and pay then. I will talk about it more later.
I would, however, recommend the digital wallet version of either Suica card or the ICOCA card. I don’t know about Android, but for iPhone or Apple Watch users, you can download the card onto your electronic device and touch your device on the IC Card Pad for ease of entrance. You don’t have to have your Apple Watch or iPhone switch to the payment app for it to work, all you have to do is touch the device onto the pad. As simple as that. However, you can only choose to have your Suica/ICOCA card on either your iPhone or your Watch, and can’t have it on both devices. It’s easier for you if you wear your Apple Watch on your right wrist, as the touching pad is on the right; or you can just keep it on your iPhone. Me, though, I am super extra. I want to be different. That’s why despite the fact that I wear my Apple Watch on my left wrist, I purposefully rotate my body in a very awkward manner so I can touch my left wrist on the pad when I enter the station. Yay me.
For hotels, though, since I will not follow a strict route and plan each day out completely, I will book the hotel one night before. This way, my travel itinerary is free and I can go to wherever place I’d like whenever. Japanese hotels also have baggage check services for customers, so my plan is to arrive to the next hotel, leave my suitcase there, and do sightseeing afterwards. It worked incredibly well.
For the basic structure of my Kansai travel, I’ve used a wonderful website japan-guide.com . It gives you a route based on popularity of the scenery and gives you a general structure of where you should go. Based on their website recommendations, here was my plan.
Osaka
Himeji
Kinosaki Onsen
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Nara
Ise
Kumano
Mount Koya
Osaka
Hakone
Shizuoka
Tokyo
Of course, even though I spent a full 16 days at Japan, things didn’t always go according to plan. I’ve adjusted the basic plan a few times here and there, and it made my trip so much more memorable.
One other reason why I chose to go to Osaka first instead of hitting Tokyo like I planned was because there was no direct flight from Dalian to Tokyo, and the only direct flight into Japan was offered by a cheap airline called “Spring Airlines” and I had to take it. I don’t want to waste my time waiting at another airport, it is all about the math really.
Here is my flight information:
Flight Number: 9C6987
Date: December 4th, 2023
Time: 12:50 — 15:50 (Local Time)
Price: 898 RMB
I also booked the hotel that I will stay at the day I arrive beforehand, so here is the hotel information:
Hotel Name: Vessel Inn Namba
Address: 2-2-18, Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka
I will talk more about the hotel and flight experience later on.
But now, that’s all I have planned for. I was planning to keep planning ahead for any unforeseen changes that might happen outside of the plan. Lol.
Here is a list of things that I recommend that you bring with you to Japan. I will skip some obvious stuff like passport:
Wallet for cash
At least 200,000 JPY for 2 weeks
Coin purse
Credit card
Backup debit card to withdraw cash
IC Card (Suica/ICOCA) downloaded onto your phone/watch
Smart phone with Google Maps installed
SIM card usable in Japan with data
Here is a list of things that is recommended for you to have in Japan, but you can definitely buy it there when you arrive:
Umbrella
Water bottle
Hand towel
Paper towel
Garbage bag
Hand soap