As a one-year postgrad student, having a thigh course schedule, and tons of papers to be done is extremely demanding. At the same time, I also need to explore this nation more since I only have a year. It feels very tight and rushed! Therefore, in the middle of my stuck moment of thinking of what to write, I take time to arrange the itinerary for my trip. I consider it as a rather aggressive trip (since some of those are day trips only, in order to cut the accommodation budget), so it seems hard to find people that can meet my ends. Moreover, arranging trips to several places on very limited days is another challenge to be dealt with by some consensus to other people. So, having a solo trip must be a great option!
FYI, until this writing is published, Japan still close its border for the visitors. I am really sorry for this :( I do also expect the border will be open soon. It's so sad to see many tourist attractions are close and many places are super quiet :( But you can use this article one day when you're here in Japan :')
Here are several steps to arrange your decent solo trip, and things you have to prepare for your convenient trip to Japan.
Remember, here are the tips for you who have already stayed in Japan, so I will not discuss them while I was still in my country :)
Use JR East Pass to save a lot of money!
Japan has 47 prefectures and those are classified into 8 regions: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Some of these regions are covered by the JR Pass for unlimited trips (within the designated area) on certain consecutive days. Tourists, foreign residents in Japan, foreign students, foreign visitors with temporary visits are also eligible to use this pass. But please, do pay attention to the eligibility for each pass. Those have different routes and different eligibility as well. You can refer to this site, it serves some language as well including English :)
The benefit of using this pass is, you can access all of the JR accommodation (shinkansen, limited express train, express train, local train) freely for a round trip (from Tokyo (or other places that are covered) to your destination, and vice versa).
FYI, JR stands for “Japan Railways” which is a state company for the railways in Japan. In Indonesia, it is more like KAI. However, not every train in Japan is by the JR. There are more other private lines, such as Yurikamome, Keio, Namboku, Tozai, and many more. Those are not covered by the JR East Pass, and busses as well. So you still have to spend a little amount of money if you use those lines and busses. However, since most of the lines are managed by the JR (including the shinkansen), you do not need to be worried of spend large amounts of money.
Another advantage of using this JR East Pass is, you can easily reserve your seat for your Shinkansen by using the seat reservation vending machine which is available in most of every station that is passed by the Shinkansen or serves the JR. I have made the video here on how to do that. So, for example, you have set on your itinerary to go to Museum X at 15.30, but you have finished your previous agenda faster than you have set before, and you also feel really tired so you have to finish all of your destination places as soon as possible, then you can re-book your reservation seat using the vending machine as easy as that!
Decide where to go
Please pay attention to the places that are covered by your chosen JR East Pass. After that, decide where to go! :) You can use Google Maps to check the distance from one place to another, and how long it should take, then adjust with your time availability. For Google Maps, it is 80% accurate for the time schedule of any kind of train, even for the busses. However, there are several recent updates that are not accommodated by Google Maps, especially for the busses (katakana for the bus: バス). Besides Google Maps, I also often use Hyperdia. This one is also a nice app but not as detailed as google maps. But it shows more options modes of transportation for your trip.
Here are several websites to check what to visit in several places and what to do there: https://livejapan.com/ , https://matcha-jp.com/ , and other official websites. I frequently use those as my reference!
One piece of advice from me: I know Japan is an extremely beautiful land, and it seems like the rushing blood within us wants us to visit every place. Therefore, our wisdom and sincere heart are extremely needed here :)) Our temptation needs to easily be satisfied. And human is never satisfied. The more you explore, the more craving you are. So know your limits and make it feasible :) *I know I may sound a little bit philosophical here hahahaha
Create a table/matrix that is understood by yourself
Here I give you an example of my itinerary table. I hope it is useful for you as well :) I have made some revisions from the previous table, due to its consistency and to what extent it is understandable. So here's the final and the most convenient one for me :)
As you can see, I also put the column for the coin locker, in which to let me know where to drop and take my luggage. Talking about the coin locker, most of the stations have it and you can utilize them! The price range is around 300 yen to 600 yen. For the locker for cabin luggage size, you can rent it for 500 yen. Some of those are using cash money (coins) and IC cards (Suica or Pasmo).
In the table, I also write down what time to leave the place. It disciplines me to stay on track with the schedule :) And the prices of the dishes as well, I note them down, so I can calculate in advance for how much money I have to spend on the food, and whether it's worth it or not.
Use Booking.com
I am not endorsed by the app hahaha but I use this app to book some accommodations. Because it's very convenient, I recommend you to use it as well particularly if you can not speak Japanese. But if you can speak Japanese, you can use Rakuten. It's famous here. Booking.com offers various prices and is really user-friendly. The reviews are also undoubtedly helpful in helping you decide on your book. Moreover, most of the accommodations are allows you to pay at the property, so you do not have to pay in advance. But still, some of the properties ask you to insert your card number as a guarantee. Yet, again, the option is all yours whether you want to pay at that time or pay later when you do the check-in. Even though you insert your card number, you can pay cash as well. Moreover, you can also communicate with the hotel staff easily using English via the chatting feature in the app, for instance, to confirm your check-in time or to order some dinner/breakfast from the hotel. I think it’s due to the system in Booking.com translating it from English and to Japanese and vice versa. Therefore, I do recommend you to use this app!
Try so hard to be disciplined for the itinerary. Earlier is good, but never be late!
The time you have made to arrange your itinerary needs to be obliged. You can make some improvisation, but not too much, especially when you have a solo trip and it's your first time to visit the place. But if you are brave to take some risk, then enjoy the improvisation :) However, I suggest to you still on track with your itinerary, especially if you are aggressively want to visit some prefectures in several days only.
Use comfortable outfit
In Japan, all you rely on is your feet and your body! You will have to walk for thousands of steps, either in flat or uphill and downhill topography. Ensure to wear comfortable shoes that are not hurting your own feet, and are suitable to be worn in seasons that you are heading to. If it’s your first time visiting icy places, please wear flat sole boots! Do not wear sneakers or high sole boots to prevent from getting slipped in hardened snow. And yes, be mindful while walking on the hardened snow. Snow can harden by either melting and re-freezing slowly as the sun rises and sets, or by compaction. It's really dangerous hahahaa!
Use some warmers if you go to the snowy places
Here are some product recommendations for you to be used :)
a. Handwarmer but it sticks to your clothes
b. Also hand warmer but it does not stick to your clothes. I prefer this one. I use to insert it inside my gloves :)
Note down some useful Japanese phrases, prepare your best translation application, and for Muslim friends do not forget to memorize Kanji for non-halal dishes
I often use google translate and apple translate from English to Japanese.
However, here I give you some of my useful Japanese phrases (of course beside sumimasen and arigatou gozaimatsu ehehehe) and non-halal ingredients in Japanese characters:
Shop • Dore ga osusume desuka? - Which do you recommend? • Fukuro onegaishimasu - plastic please • Genkin/suica de onegaishimasu - I'd like to pay by cash/suica • Ikutsu - how? • Ikura desuka - how much the price • Kyanseru dekimasu ka? : can I cancel it? • Dore: which one
Food • Denshi renji onegaishimatsu: microwave please? • Reezooko: fridge • Amai: sweet • Karai: spicy
Photo hunting • Sashin o totte moraemasuka? - can u take a pic of me? • Sono sashin o totte moo iidesuka? : can I take that picture? • Mochiron desu: of course! • Watashi no tsukatte kuremasenka?: would u like to help me? • Tanoshi: happy Hotel • Kore azukatte moratte ii desuka? - can I save my luggage here? • Kara ~ made : from ~ until • Donokurai kakarimasuka kara ... made ... ? - how long does it take from ... to ..
• Kagi: key Place • Osakini doozo : after you • ~ wa doko desuka?: where is ~? • Ki o tsukette ne: be careful • Kochira : this way • Ue: up / above うえ • Shita: down / below した • Naka: inside / in なか • Yoko: beside / next to よこ • Mae: in front まえ • Ushiro: behind うしろ • Hidari: left • Migi: right • (~ no ue: on top of the ~ ) • Kippu: ticket • Koko suwatte ii desuka? : can I sit here?
Kanji for pork: 豚 the hiragana of pork: ぶた (buta)
Kanji for chicken: 鶏 (tori) , the katakana for chicken チキン (chikin)
 |
| source: adapted from Halal Japan |
Do not forget to bring your tumblr and umbrella
Dry air in Japan is easily driven you thirsty. Of course, you want to stay hydrated :)
Umbrella also needed somehow!
Bring an eye-level tripod and Bluetooth shutter
For perfect documentation, you do not want to forget this stuff, do you? :)
Here are some pictures that I have shot by using an eye-level tripod. And you can check on my Instagram for more :)
Okay! Those are all my tips for your perfect solo trip to Japan! Hopefully, it's useful for your unforgettable solo trip! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me via Instagram or write your comments below :)
I am happy to see your picture of your solo trip :))
Stay safe and have a nice trip!!
Komentar
Posting Komentar