I've wanted to visit Japan since 2017, since I read about their great cultures such as punctuality, discipline, honest, well-behaved and hard work so, I want to experience these myself.
I discovered that most of Malaysian travel agents prefer to bring their customers to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Because of that, I searched information about the three cities and I found out, none of them attracted my attention. I looked for several years until before Allah swt opened my heart last year to search about traditional village. Then, I discovered shirakawa-go. It is a unique farmhouse style. It's situated far away from Tokyo.
Meanwhile, when searching shirakawa-go, I found out other attractions surrounding the village such as Kamikochi, Takayama, Hida Furukawa, Toyama, Takoika, Kanazawa and Tateyama Alpine Route. Among all destination, the Alpine Route is the most appealing to me. This is because of the snow corridor. It is an extremely rare and wonderful scene. The picture below shows the scene.
I looked up additional information about the Alpine Route and realized that we can see the snow corridor from April until June. After June, the snow will melt. As a result, I chose to visit there in May.
I chose to fly there by Vietnam Airline because they offer a reasonable price that include 23 kg checked luggage. The fee is RM760. Meanwhile, I have to return by AirAsia (RM618 + RM149.51 for extra carry-on) because of the Vietnam Airline needs to transit in Hanoi, making the route longer and I will arrive in KLIA at 6.25 pm. It is too late to catch a connecting flight from kuala lumpur to kota Bharu. The latest flight on that day is 8.00 pm.
Because of the hotels are expensive, I decided to book early so that I could compare prices and get a better deal. I reserved five months in advance.
Most of travelers make a day trip to Mount Fuji from Tokyo. I won't do that because of Mount Fuji is far from Tokyo. The travel takes two hours and half. Besides, there are also a lot of attractions in the nearby area. So, I chose to stay there two night. I found a hotel in Fujikawaguchiko at price Rm395.21 for two nights.
In Tokyo, I chose to stay in Asakusa because I found a cheaper room and it is not too far from the main city like Tokyo and Shinjuku. I paid RM135.71 per night for the room.
In Takayama, I chose to stay near bus station since, it's convenient for me to move. I paid RM 306.69 for two nights.
I chose to spend three days in Toyama since it is centrally located between Kanazawa, Takoika, shirakawa-go and Kurokobe Tateyaman Alpine Route. I paid RM308.22 for two nights. I chose a hotel in the city centre.
In Osaka, I stayed in Namba. Because of the traditional Japanese room, I got the lowest room rate. I paid RM 156.49 for three nights.
Before I travel, I need to learn about many different cultures. Some of them include:
1. we cannot eat while walking
2. We cannot answer the phone and eat when we are on public transports
3. Tipping are considered disrespectful
4. Do not make noise on public transports
5. There aren't any dustbin in Japan. You have to keep your waste in your bag and throw it in your house's or hotel's dustbin
6. Do not interrupt while people talking
Even though, there are a lot of passes offer for tourists like subway pass, mount Fuji pass, Osaka amazing pass, JR pass and so on, I didn't buy any passes. I had searched, made calculation and considered several factors, they are not given any profitable to me. I only used Suica Card. It is a prepaid IC card used for transportation and payment in Japan. It can be used on trains, subways, buses, and even purchases at various stores and vending machines. It is a rechargeable card. It can be reloaded easily at ticket machines or mobile apps.
SIM card and smart phone are important when travelling abroad especially when we have communication barriers with locals. I really need them to use translation apps and also Google maps. Even if I am on a bus or a train, I still require them, even if they have announced the name of the destination. That is because, my ears cannot catch up with announcements made in other languages because my pronunciation is not the same as theirs. For example, the word of "Dobutsuen-mae". I pronounce it as /dɒbutsʊən/ /mɜː/ but, the locals pronounce it differently. So, I need to look at Google maps to get further confirmation. As a result, I bought a SIM card from Shopee. It's cost RM78.
On May 13, at 10 pm, I flew from Kuala Lumpur and arrived at Hanoi Airport. My flight from Hanoi to Tokyo was delayed for almost an hour. Because of this, I arrived at Narita Airport around 8.35 am (may 14). It was scheduled to be 7.55 am. After completing all the airport procedure, I looked up a machine that sold Suica Cards. I need the card because it is easy for me to take public transport which is, I do not need to prepare modest change to pay the fare. After finding the machine, I added ¥1000 to get started. Then, I took the Keisei Line Subway to Tokyo city. That is the cheapest way to get from Narita Airport to the city centre. It cost ¥1052. Then, I continued my journey by taking Ginza Line (¥178) and Oedo Line (¥139) to get to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, to take an express bus to Mount Fuji. I arrived there at 12.15 pm. The earliest bus ticket they had was for 14.15 pm. So, I had to wait for two hours. The bus ticket fare is RM64.86 . While, I was waiting for the bus, I looked for a bus ticket to Takayama. There was no night bus to takayama, thus I had to purchase a night bus ticket to Toyama online because tickets to toyama are not sold at the Terminal bus. The ticket bus fare is ¥6000.
If you don't like hiking and prefer to enjoy Mount Fuji at more leisurely pace, I suggest you to head to the Fuji five lake (Fujigoko) or Hokane. I chose Fujigoko and spend two days there. I stayed at a hotel near Kawaguchiko Station. I arrived there in late evening so, I just spent my first day near my hotel and the city centre, gathering information for my tomorrow trip. I found out where to get a bus to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival and also Oshino Hakkai.
May 15, I got up at 3 am for subuh prayer. Then I slept for a while because of the earliest bus to the Shibazakura Festival leaves at 8.35 am. After waking up for the second time, I ate breakfast. It was still early, so I decided to go to Kawaguchiko Lake. It's about 1 km from my hotel. The scenes from there are shown below.
Even though, I visited many countries during spring, I never had the opportunity to attend any flower festival because I didn't arrive at the appropriate periods. When I find out that there will be a flower festivals near Mount Fuji when I am there, I won't pass up the opportunity. Meanwhile, The festival organizer has made it easy for tourists to get there. They set up a separate counter at kawaguchiko station to handle transportation to the event and we can get the ticket here. The round-trip bus ticket is RM82.41, include an entrance fee. When I arrived, I was surprised to see so many tourists from different nations. I also met a Malaysian who said she had been to Japan four times. She traveled alone. The pictures below shown the scene there. If you want to see a clear scene, you can click this link : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pc8KwqZnn_w
After that, I headed to Oshino Hakkai. It is a small traditional village surrounded with eight ponds. It also features typical thatched-roof farmhouses. We can visit here without paying any admission fees. It is situated not far from the city however, we have to take a bus from Kawaguchiko Station to arrive here. The fare is ¥620. The picture below shown the scene there. For the clear scene, you can click this link : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mWDwWVEXnb0
After spending time at Oshino Hakkai, I went to Fuji-Q Highland. I took a bus from Oshino Hakkai and arrived directly here. I spent ¥580 for the bus fare. Here, there are a variety of ticket options available. You can select between purchasing a ticket for unlimited rides or receiving free tickets. If you choose the free ticket, you can enter freely. Whenever, you want to play a game, you only have to pay for it. There are many interesting games here but, the most interesting thing for me is that I met several characters from Naruto. Scenery there are shown below. For clear imagination, you can click this link : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/b0TJkDZ-ywY . After I finished wondering there, I took the bus back to my hotel and paid ¥210 for the ride.
After that, I continued my journey to Odaiba. It is a well-known shopping and entertainment district on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. It originated a small island. More than a century later, the small islands were connected together by vast landfills and began to develop and transform the island into a futuristic city. There are a lot of interesting places to spend here likes theme park, museums, shopping malls and hot springs but I only went DiverCity Tokyo Plaza because of that day was raining. I was in no mood to go around there. I found a halal restaurant here. It is an Indian restaurant. Even though I don't like Indian meal, but I have to.
Gundam Robot is a trademark here. I cannot enter the Gundam Base Tokyo since it fully booked. I just saw the Big Gundam Robot in front of the mall.
May 18, I arrived at toyama station at 6.20am. Then, I headed to the ticket bus counter. He stated that the earliest bus to takayama is at 9.20 am. It was quite late, and I didn't want to wait for long because I had somewhere to go. So, I decided to take the high-speed train instead. The earliest time they had was 7.10 am. I paid RM101.37 for the ticket fare and went to the platform, to wait for the train. The journey from there to takayama took an hour.
When I arrived at Takayama Station, I headed to County Hotel Takayama. It is situated in front of the Nohi Bus Station. When I arrived at the hotel, the hotel staff didn't allow me to check in early so, I stored my stuff there. Then, I went to the bus station. I planned to go to Hida Fukurawa first but, after I speaking with an England man who wanted to go to Hida Folk Village, I changed my mind. I also opted to go there. Actually, it wasn't on my lists. I went to the counter and paid ¥1000 for a round trip ticket.
Hida Folk Village is an open-air museum that exhibit over 30 traditional houses. The houses were built during the Edo period and moved from their original places to create the museum in 1971. The environment here is very calm likes we were in a village. This Museum charge ¥700 for the entrance fee. Some of pictures there are shown below. You can see the scenery there by clicking this link https://youtu.be/UHtPRi3kyBs
On May 19, I went to Kamikochi. It is a stunning alpine valley situated amid Japan's highest mountain range. It is only open to the public from mid April until mid November. It offers tourists to enjoy leisurely strolls along several pathways, take in the fantastic views and calm atmosphere, and enjoy coffee, snacks or meal at nearby eateries. We can enjoy the peace and coolness of the surrounding by staying at any of the accommodation available here too. The journey from Takayama to Kamikochi takes two hours. There is no direct bus from takayama. So, at 7 am, I boarded a bus from Takayama Station to Hirayu Onsen. Then, I have to catch another bus to Kamikochi at 8 am. I paid rm172.29 for a round trip ticket. I began my exploration from Taisho Pond Bus Stop and continued the journey until I reached at Kamikochi Bus Terminal, where I ran out of energy. It was already evening and I had to take a bus to go back. There are a lot of beautiful and amazing views throughout this tour. The most attract my attention is the crystal-clear water. For clear imagination, you can click this link https://youtube.com/shorts/rbx2VwUB0cI
After finishing my meal, I headed to Toyama Station to look information needed for my next trip. I intended to travel to Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. I found out, I have to take a local train to Tateyama Station and I do not need to reserve the train ticket and also the entrance fee of the Alpine Route in advance. I have to buy on the same day. The earliest train to go there is at 5.15 am.
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is known as "The Roof of Japan". It has two entrances. One of them starts at Tateyama Station which is located in Toyama Prefecture while, the another one begins at Ogizawa Station in Nagano prefecture. When we want to travel there, we have to take variety mode of transportation from Tateyama Station to Ogizawa Station or vice versa. The journey is approximately 90 km long and you will be impressed by the variety of scenery that can be seen in different seasons. You can visit there on April 15 to November 30. It is closed on December to April 14 because of heavy snow.
If you came here during the autumn, you will the colour different created by nature which includes green foliage at the mountain's base, the red leaves in the middle, and the white snow at the peak.
Meanwhile, summer is the ideal time for sightseeing, climbing and walking. However, the sunshine can be quite strong in the mountain so, we have to wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen to protect our skin. Even though, we may see a lot of beautiful landscape during this season, I don't enjoy traveling in hot weather.
Even though, I chose to travel in spring (May), it's not the ideal season too. It has pros and cons. When I was there, Midagahara, Murodo and Daikanbo were still covered in snow. I can only see a few flora. The advantages are that I can see snow corridor and snow tunnel. They are truly lovely, wonderful and amazing for me. I never see them. Another reason is that, I dislike traveling during the winter because my body cannot handle chilly weather. When I came in the spring, the weather was pleasant and I had the opportunity to touch and play with snow which is I've never had a the opportunity to do so.
On May 21, I woke up early because I wanted to take the first train to Tateyama Station. The first train is on 5.15 am. I arrived at Toyama Station at 4.35 am. I believe I arrived early actually, there were many tourists from many countries waiting in line to board the train. I paid ¥1420 for a train ticket plus ¥400 for the fast lane. The train started its journey on time. The journey took an hour and I arrived at 6.10 am. However, the ticket desk for the Alpine Route opened at 6.40 am. I have to wait until the counter is open. When the counter was open, I purchased a round-trip ticket from Tateyama Station to Kurobeko. It is cost RM492.60.
Actually, I tried to reserve a bus ticket from Toyama to Osaka six days in advance, but they were all fully booked so, I had to take a bus from Kanazawa to Osaka. As a result, I had to pack my belongings early morning on May 22 and brought them to Takaoka Station. I rode Ainokaze Train and paid ¥390 for the train ticket. When I arrived at Takaoka Station, I kept my stuff at a coin locker and paid ¥600. I exited from the station and went to Yamachosuji Street, saw some historic buildings, standing along of the street. After wandering for a few minutes, I returned Takaoka Station.
Even though I have traveled to several countries throughout the spring but I never has a chance to see tulip flower. When I noticed that Tonami Tulip Gallery allows visitors to see the tulip flowers indoor around the year, I was eager to go. The gallery is 12 km from Takaoka city so, I will have to take a local train and get out at Tonami Station. I paid ¥240 for the train ticket. When I arrived at the station, I had to walk about 2 km. When I got there, I was shocked. I tough it is a large gallery as I imagine. However, I satisfied when I saw the tulips. They have a variety colours. I also saw an instructor showing students how to plan tulip flowers. The admission fee is ¥310. You can see the view there by clicking this link https://youtube.com/shorts/yaJAL2EXbIU
I continued my journey by taking the local train went back to Takaoka city. When I arrived at the station, I took my stuff and rode Ainokaze Train to Kanazawa (¥840). I kept my stuff in a coin loker at Kanazawa Station and paid ¥600.
The first place I visited in Kanazawa was Kanazawa Palace. The area there is very large and I didn't exploring it all the area because the weather was cloudy and very cold. I can't cope with the weather. Then, I continued my journey to Higashi Chaya District. It was where geisha entertained the wealthy nobility and rich merchants. Nowadays, the Chaya has evolved into an exclusive type of restaurant where guests are entertained by geisha who perform song and dance. Certain chaya has been turned into cafes, restaurants and stores that sell gold leaf products. There are a lot of tourists visited here during my visit. When it was late evening, I returned to Kanazawa Station.
My bus to Osaka was on 11.20 pm. I wandered around the station. It is a large station. It has many restaurants, supermarket, hotel, convenience store and so on. Even though the weather was very cold but, the entire building was still on air conditioning. My body cannot cope with it. Everywhere was cold. I loafed and sit under a bench. Suddenly, a Japanese men reprimanded me. I remember, he was the man I met in kamikochi. We had a conversation. He told me, he has born in Kanazawa and currently lives in Osaka. He traveled along by car. He came to Kanazawa to visit his relatives. He just had soju and wandered before he returning to the hotel. Meanwhile me, When the time came, I waited at the right platform. The bus arrived early and boarded on schedule. That is Japan, always on time. I'm very respect with their attitude. When I boarded the bus, I noticed there were plenty of seat available, allowing me to rest and sleep comfortably.
I arrived at Osaka Station at 6.40 am (May 23). Then, I headed to Park Inn Hotel by subways (¥240). It is situated near Dobutsuen-Mae Station. Actually, I didn't book any hotel on that day. I had planned to spend that time in Toyama but because of I wanted to attend the Osaka Expo, so I added an extra day in Osaka. I tried to book this hotel, but it was fully booked so, I tried to walk in. When I arrived there, the owner told me, his hotel was full. So, I tried to get another nearby. I was lucky, I got Hotel Sunplaza. I charged ¥10100 per night. I was lucky that the staff gave permission to me to check in early.
The first place I visited in Osaka was The Osaka Museum House and Living. I took the subway to go there (¥240) and got off at Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome Station. Before I arrived there, I thought it is an open museum. When I arrived there, I was surprised to see that the museum is situated on the ninth and tenth floor of Sumai Joho Centre Building. This museum focus on how Osaka's lifestyles changed from the Edo period to the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras. Furthermore, we can experience an entire day by changing the sound and lighting to create the times of morning, afternoon, evening and night. The entrance fee is ¥600. However, if you want to see the exhibition, you have to pay ¥600 + ¥800. We can rent kimonos here too. It costs ¥1000. It's about RM 24. For me, this is the cheapest rate I found in Japan. If I compare this price to the one in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, it remains low. You can see the scene there by clicking this link https://youtube.com/shorts/sJLDLrxbUPY
I continued my journey by taking the subway to Namba (¥240). It is a city well-known for entertainment and also offers a lot of dining and shopping complexes. This city is easily accessible because it is served by three train companies, three subway lines and a highway bus terminal. Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi and Amerikamura are hot spots of Osaka which are located within Namba. Because of them, Namba is always crowed with tourists. In Dotonbori, I was attracted by a lot of amazing statues. You can see the statues by clicking this link https://youtu.be/FdGVN59_f-I
My last location was the Bamboo Grove. It is another iconic landmark. Many visitors come here to take pictures. This path is very crowded especially during weekends. If you want to take a great photo, I recommend to visit in early morning. It's free of charge.
When I got through the gate, I was surprised to see a lot of pavilions with magnificent, elegant, and stunning design. They're really amazing. The expo area is also very huge. I began my exploring by ascending to the top floor of the "Grand Ring". It is a huge, massive, circular, wooden and elevated ring-shaped pedestrian walkway. The structure was designed by sou Fujimoto. It's acknowledged as the world largest wooden architectural structure by Guinness world record. From there, I can walk around and stroll the panoramic view of the venue. After completing the circle, I went down to explore the pavilions.
I was curios does Malaysia have a pavilion? I wandered and strolled around. Finally, I found the Malaysia pavilion. It's very fantastic structure. The pavilion's surface made of bamboo. Actually, I saw this pavilion when walking and strolling on the top floor of the Grand Ring. I was attracted by its design from afar. When I saw the pavilion from a distance, I was shocked, that it was owned by Malaysians. I visited the pavilion. It has exhibitions about Malaysia traditional food, traditional clothing and miniatures of Kuala Lumpur. We can watch videos about Malaysians who have served to Malaysia, Malaysia nowadays and Malaysians' dreams for future. Besides, We can also see Malaysian cultural performance. I was proud to see so many people around the world waiting in several lines to enter the pavilion. The visitors can try Malaysia cuisine by visiting our restaurant on ground floor too. You can watch the videos at Malaysia Pavilion by click these link : https://youtu.be/Mrx2TE4kkj4 , https://youtu.be/ZxydwYI0RMQ , https://youtube.com/shorts/-0q_0C4IWak
Then, I continued my exploration by visiting to other pavilions like Saudi Arabia, commons-D, Qatar, Vietnam, and others. I wish I could have visited all of the pavilions but I didn't have enough time. There are so many visitors, I had to wait in a long line to visit any pavilions. So, that was a waste my time. I had to go back at night. You can watch the video at the expo by clicking this link https://youtu.be/QfCoDcdZvfA
1. For me, Japan is the safest country because of its high morale values. I appreciate their morals. Because of this, many female travelers are confident enough to come here alone
2. I think, the Japanese dislike laughing loudly
3. I don't like Tokyo. For me, Tokyo made me fatigued, both physically and mentally
4. Before I went to Japan, I thought Japanese are very lousy in English because many Malaysian said so. When I was there, Japanese not as bad as we thought. Even though they are not fluent, we can understand what they are saying. Meanwhile, Japanese who cannot speak English never bother us. They use translation applications to explain something to us. For me, Japanese are better in English compare to Korean and Chinese
5. The Japanese are very disciplined and well-mannered person. I'm very respect them
6. When I was there, I was never scammed by any Japanese
7. I asked Japaneses to take my picture with my smart phone several times because of I believe them
8. Person who drive a vehicle is particularly concerned about pedestrian safety
