I travelled to
Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe in 4days. I wished I could have stayed longer. But
there is always a next time.
How did I start planning for this trip?
Ofcourse, it all started with a Cebu Pacific promo flight.
Flight
I took the Cebu
Pacific flight from Manila to Osaka and vice versa. Roundtrip ticket costs Php5,300 only with 15kgs baggage on the return flight. Anyone who has travelled frequently
to Japan would know that this is really a great deal.
Accommodation
Searching for an
accommodation in Japan can be really stressful. Japan is known as an expensive
destination, and sure it is!
As I am travelling
solo, staying in a hotel, even 3-star hotels, is not an option for me. It is
not practical since I’ll be out the whole day, and I just needed a decent
and safe place to crash for the night.
So what is my option?
Stay in a guesthouse!
Thanks to the reviews
I’ve read in tripadvisor, agoda.com and booking.com, I found these guesthouse where
I stayed during my 4night stay in
Japan. Trust me, always make sure to stay in a place that is close to a metro/train station. It can save you a lot of time and energy.
J. Hoppers Guesthouse
Osaka
Location: 3-minute walk from JR Fukushima Station
Price: 2,500JPY (approx. Php930)
Kyoto Hana Hostel
Location: 5-minute walk from JR Kyoto Station
Price: 2,500JPY (approx. Php930)
Drop Inn Osaka
Location: 5-minute walk from JR Osaka Station
Price: 3,900JPY (approx. Php1500)
Day 0 - Travel from Manila to Osaka
The flight left NAIA Terminal 3 at 3:20pm and arrived at Kansai International Airport a little past 8:00pm (7:00pm Manila time, Japan ahead by 1 hour).
From the disembarkation area, we took a short train ride to the Main Terminal, to the Immigration Area. It took more than an hour to pass the Immigration counter.
Upon passing through the exit doors after the custom counter, I went up to the 2nd flr of the terminal to the JR Ticketing Office. I bought the ICOCA prepaid card for 5,000JPY (Initial cost is 2,000JPY with 500JPY deposit & 1,500JPY consumable, and I topped up another 3,000JPY) or approximately Php1,850.
I took the 10:28PM train from Kansai Airport directly to JR Fukushima Station (approx. 70mins) via JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service.
Day 1 - Universal Studios Japan
At 9:00AM, I was already at JR Fukushima Station waiting for the train to Universal City, which is only 10mins via train. Universal Studios Japan (USJ) opened at 9:30AM today. Be sure to check the operating hours ahead to maximize your stay.
Even on a Thursday (considering it is a weekday), there was a long queue in the ticket booth when I arrived. 1-day ticket costs 7,200JPY (approx. Php2,700) per person. I bought my ticket first, before I took a customary shot at the Universal Studios globe.
I immediately find my way to the 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (HP)'. Honestly, I had no idea what it is all about. I am not a fan of HP and I did not watch nor read any HP movie or book. Haha! I was just curious how does the area look like.
I first tried the 'HP and the Forbidden Journey in 4K3D' ride. The thrilling ride is about 5 minutes traveling through the massive castle gates and entering Hogwarts. The ride is full of thrills and is exciting, but I did not understand the story as it is in Japanese. Anyhow, I still enjoyed the ride and it was worth it.
Here are the other rides/attractions I tried/visited:
1. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The Ride 4K3D. The experience is almost the same with the HP ride, and the story is in Japanese. At any rate, I had fun.
2. WaterWorld - I started to line up at 12:00PM for the 1:15PM show. Less than 5 minutes after the show started, I left the auditorium because the story is the same with what was shown in Universal Studios Singapore, and it is in Japanese as well.
I was not able to enjoy as many rides/attractions as I would like to because of the very long lines and I also hesitated to try other 3D rides because the stories are in Japanese. I just took photos around USJ.
Here are my snapshots at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
At around 1:00pm, I was already famished and my footsteps found its way at the Amity Village. I ordered this combo meal (photo below) at Boardwalk Snacks for 1,100JPY (approx. Php405). Its worth the price!
After lunch, I decided to take more photos around USJ.
I left USJ at around 5:00PM. I took the train from Universal City to Osaka Station. I decided its now time I look for a Starbucks store where I can buy a tumbler (I collect SB tumbler of cities & countries I've been).
After 2 unsuccessful attempts at 2 SB stores, finally I was able to buy at the 3rd store I visited. It's at the 9th flr. of Lucua Shopping Mall, just outside the JR Osaka Station.
After a quick dinner at Yoshinoya, I decided to call it a day. I was so tired from all the walking I did at USJ. It was so sunny then, take a look at my sun burn (photo below) and just imagine how hot was it.
