tokyo

[beckiebloomwood]

^Ahh Thanks sis! Pero I've read somewhere na merong bus na 8-hour ride from Osaka to Tokyo na mga 5,000 yen lang. Kaso hassle lang yata matulog sa bus.

[simplykristine08]

ah ganun ba. hindi ko alam eh. ang alam ko lang kasi plane and shinkansen

[greyzie]

i've tried the overnight buses but from where i am (toyama prefecture) to tokyo and osaka:

check this site:
http://willerexpress.com/

ok naman siya, naka-sleep din kahit paano but syempre not as comfortable as a bed
i highly recommend this specially sa tight ang schedule kasi night travel (you`ll save pa a day for hotel/hostel).

[beckiebloomwood]

^Thanks sis! much much cheaper alternative nga iyan than plane and shinkansen. Meron ka din bang alam na cheap na hostel in tokyo with good location? 

[greyzie]

^we stayed here: http://www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/ninja/
within walking distance from JR and Metro. they have branches also in Asakusa.
it`s a backpackers hostel kaya don`t expect much. malinis naman at maayos yun bed and bathroom.

meron pa isa, medyo pricey but good feedbacks http://www.sakura-hotel-ikebukuro.com.

hope this helps and happy prep!

[beckiebloomwood]

^Thanks so much Sis!

If you can share your itinerary with me, that would be really great! We're planning to go 6-7 days. Siguro 2 days sa Osaka and the rest sa Tokyo na. Or ano pa ba ibang place na malapit lang na ok puntahan?

[greyzie]

^no problem, sis! you can also pm me your email address and i`ll send the itinerary i made before for tokyo & osaka-kyoto.

[beckiebloomwood]

^Thanks sis! Pm sent

[helpfulgoddess]

my favorite part was the harajuku-omotesando area.  meiji-jingu is just a block from takeshita-dori in harajuku so i've got culture meeting eclectic fashion! 

i've just got a thrill at meiji-jingu seeing a very peaceful shrine and getting to see at least 3 weddings!  its love.

[kalilagirl]

Thanks to all who gave feedback to my queries. Thanks din kay sis Greyzie for the info she emailed me. Laking tulong, I don't have to surf so much. There's so much on the net, nakakalula ang info.

We were able to finally get our visa last week. We will be leaving by the end of October, so medyo natataranta ako making our itinerary. If maloka ako, I'll probably buy a guidebook nalang. Hahaha. 

Btw, we got our visa through Friendship Tours located in Dusit Thani hotel in Makati (andoon din ang Universal Tours). We first went to Reli Tours (in Southmall) & the girl there was helpful naman & friendly. Their fee is 2,000. But at the advise of our friend, they told us to go to Friendship instead. Singil nila for our tourist visa was only 1,200/person. Contact namin doon is Nelle & the old Japanese guy (forgot his name).

They also gave us advice on what kind of tourist visa was easier to apply for. Sabi nila na it's more difficult to apply for a visa na magvi-visit ng friend/relative compared to the ordinary tourist visa. Kasi nga mas madaming docs to submit & mas kinikilatis nila talaga yung docs. With the tourist visa, all you have to show is proof that you can afford the trip to Japan. Sa Reli, hindi nila sinabi samin yon. We submitted our docs on a Monday, that Thursday, nakuha na namin yung visa namin. 

[islandkiss]

i miss tokyo!
i especially loved harajuku place on sundays... outrageous fashionistas

[luckypal]

Thanks to all who gave feedback to my queries. Thanks din kay sis Greyzie for the info she emailed me. Laking tulong, I don't have to surf so much. There's so much on the net, nakakalula ang info.

We were able to finally get our visa last week. We will be leaving by the end of October, so medyo natataranta ako making our itinerary. If maloka ako, I'll probably buy a guidebook nalang. LOL. 

Btw, we got our visa through Friendship Tours located in Dusit Thani hotel in Makati (andoon din ang Universal Tours). We first went to Reli Tours (in Southmall) & the girl there was helpful naman & friendly. Their fee is 2,000. But at the advise of our friend, they told us to go to Friendship instead. Singil nila for our tourist visa was only 1,200/person. Contact namin doon is Nelle & the old Japanese guy (forgot his name).

They also gave us advice on what kind of tourist visa was easier to apply for. Sabi nila na it's more difficult to apply for a visa na magvi-visit ng friend/relative compared to the ordinary tourist visa. Kasi nga mas madaming docs to submit & mas kinikilatis nila talaga yung docs. With the tourist visa, all you have to show is proof that you can afford the trip to Japan. Sa Reli, hindi nila sinabi samin yon. We submitted our docs on a Monday, that Thursday, nakuha na namin yung visa namin.

hi sis, did you book flights and hotels with the tourist agency or just visa assistance?

[kalilagirl]

hi luckypal, tourist assistance lang. we did inquire about tickets to Japan, but even accdg to them, cheaper talaga if you get online, esp if there's a promo. what i did was find out what airlines go to japan fr here. Delta, PAL & Cathay--among the three, Cathay is the cheapest. $459/adult lang incl of taxes/surcharges (not travel tax though). PAL would be around $500+ and Delta (with their Mastercard promo or ongoing promo) would be $493 or $505.

we'll be staying at our friend's house condo, so no booking for hotels needed. a friend told me though that The B hotels are quite reasonable.  hahaha, haba na ng reply ko!

[pepurpink]

^ enjoy ur trip sis. i might go to japan next yr. sana talaga! i'll try  yung Friendship Tours for visa assistance. mas mura nga compared to other agencies. i got mine for 2k dati.

[luckypal]

^^ thanks sis kalilagirl

enjoy your trip! inggit ako! hahaha

[helpfulgoddess]

Btw, we got our visa through Friendship Tours located in Dusit Thani hotel in Makati (andoon din ang Universal Tours). We first went to Reli Tours (in Southmall) & the girl there was helpful naman & friendly. Their fee is 2,000. But at the advise of our friend, they told us to go to Friendship instead. Singil nila for our tourist visa was only 1,200/person. Contact namin doon is Nelle & the old Japanese guy (forgot his name).

ok yan ah! and they assist you with it pa.  mas ok pala tourist visa?  did you book with a tour or did you have your own itinerary?  does the embassy prefer that you go with a booked tour rather than explore by yourself?

[kalilagirl]

^@helpfulgoddess: we made our own itinerary. they have a sample form online and what we made was quite simple--we just something like days 1-3: yokohama sightseeing; days 4-6 tokyo sightseeing; day 7 disneyland. we didn't book a tour with the agency. on the application form, we just put the airline we were planning on taking (take note of the flight number bec they ask for it) and the hotel our friend mentioned. BUT they DO NOT check if you have a flight or hotel booking.

i don't know what they favor--if you're on a group tour or doing a diy trip; but the girl at the agency said that for tourist visa applications, they check out the docs you submit, to see if you are capable on going on that trip.

[kalilagirl]

I'd like to share a site I found, the Tokyo Metropolitan Govt offers guided tours for foreigners (some are free guided tours, some have a minimal fee):   
http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/guideservice/guideservice/index.html

But this is only for those 20 years old & above. No kids allowed.

[betty]

wow that is nice

[belle_in_pink]

i especially loved harajuku place on sundays... outrageous fashionistas

The Tokyo experience is not complete without seeing these girls.   I went to a Japanese school and believe me when I say na they dress up just for those days!  And to have their neoprint taken!

I would definitely love to go back to Tokyo in the next few months.  I wonder how much it has changed since I was there.