Japan Thread 4

[ataypool]

^^14 months lang naman ang baby mo so a carrier is advisable instead of a stroller and at that age hindi pa sumpungin kaya okay pa kayo. Tokyo is busy even on weekdays and after the peak hours especially on major train stations which usually have the attractions on walking distance. Always take the first or the last car of the train which has more space than the ones in the middle. Travel light too pero hirap iwasan kasi madami kang makikitang bilhin.

[patchi2012]

^true, mahirap mag travel ng light lalo na if you have a baby plus madami ka pang makikitang bilihin. I have a baby carrier. Kahit na may stroller dinadala ko pa din. I guess an umbrella stroller is good choice. Medyo mabigat na din kase sya to carry pag medyo matagal.

[glyzza026]

Next trip namin Japan Feb next year. Keri lang kaya ang weather non lalo na with my 5 y/o kid. Yon lang kasi bakasyon ng hubby ko from work.

[vanity fair]

Can somebody refer a van rental with driver in Osaka.  Thanks!

[cheezecake]

ok ba pumunta sa osaka this june?

[huit]

Next trip namin Japan Feb next year. Keri lang kaya ang weather non lalo na with my 5 y/o kid. Yon lang kasi bakasyon ng hubby ko from work.

Malamig pa yan kasi winter pa ang February. Mga 3 patong ng clothes siguro.

[glyzza026]

^Thanks for the info. Ngayon pa lang magprepare na ko ng winter clothes.

[shygirlme]

^Feb kami nagpunta non super lamig around 9 to 11 deg.

[anniegurl]

Early feb din kami this year nag osaka. Its super cold. Sometimes its 3^. You can buy winter clothes and heat tech in japan na lang sincd super mura pag winter. Bought heat tech from uniqlo for ?500

[cosmochick]

mga sis, ok lang ba to go to japan in June? rainy season sya but we have 9 day holiday kasi and we would like to spend it in Japan.

[anniegurl]

Was in japan last june, ok naman pero weather is alittle erratic its hot tapos umuulan. Will be in tokyo this june. Weird kasi sa japan summer nila is june pero rainy season din

[kachich]

^Wet summer/East Asian monsoon for East Asian countries as they call it. Hopefully you still enjoy your stay

[luckypal]

Hi everyone,

just wondering where's the best place to buy yen? do you buy from a bank or money changer? Also, how much money would you recommend for a 14 day trip in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka for food, attractions, and transportation? TIA!

[shygirlme]

^for the 2 trips to Japan, Czarina kami bumibili ng Yen, pero nung last trip, sa Metrobank kami bumili since sa Main branch lang pwede bumili ss Czarina.

I think 30k is safe for pocket money if ganyan katagal.

[anniegurl]

I suggest to bring dollars too in case of emergency. For shopping naman use your credit card na lang. i always use my bpi credit card if i shop abroad

[projectgora]

Hi everyone,

just wondering where's the best place to buy yen? do you buy from a bank or money changer? Also, how much money would you recommend for a 14 day trip in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka for food, attractions, and transportation? TIA!

Hi Sis,
You can try Czarinas They now have an online reservation system for currency exchange. Just go to their website and indicate the amount required. They'll set up an appointment for you in their main office at Makati. I have tried this personally and it was great. It was my first time in a long time to buy foreign currency because I usually withdraw money from my debit card.

If I will choose which method I prefer, I still like to use my debit card. The transaction fees are not that high and it was very convenient. Gusto ko lang talaga i try ang Czarinas ulit. hehe.

Re. pocket money for 14 days - are you going to purchase a JR pass? If yes, kasya na siguro ang 30K if most of your expenses will be paid in PH like JR pass and accommodation.

Hope this helps!

[ataypool]

Re credit cards - something weird that I never thought would happen to me in Japan of all places. Technologically advanced yes, but they are still mainly a cash society. Nagbabayad ako sa isang outlet shop near Kobe with my credit card, 5 members of the staff attempted to swipe my card and my sister's, hindi gumagana. Alam naman namin may laman pero siyempre nahihiya ka ano iisipin nila na bibili tapos wala naman laman card. Buti na lang may dala akong cash. Ayaw talaga namin maniwala na hindi gagana so sa next shop we went to after 10 minutes, we used the same cards to pay, gumana naman, we looked at the way the staff swiped the card and compared it to those 5 (wala lang common sense nagsama sama sa isang lugar). Nabigla na lang ako na international brand yet 5 of their staff hindi marunong gumamit ng card machine sa pag-swipe ng international card, mukhang sanay sa local.

[luckypal]

Thanks so much, shygirlme, anniegurl and projectgora I will do the currency exchange at Czarina plus bring my debit and credit card.

I'm not going to buy a JR Rail Pass... just getting a Pasmo card from Osaka.

[anniegurl]

Any van rentals suggestion in tokyo with driver?

[Maxim04]

Hi mga sis! Currency exchange is higher in japan mismo. We exchanged few before going there but when we saw the exchange rate sa may asakusa, sa crossing ng kaminarimon meron dun foreign exchange, hindi sila taga sa rates. its even higher compared sa napapaltan namin. We used USD. 1USD is 111 yen. They dont exchange peso nga lang. this was march 2017. 

Next trip namin Japan Feb next year. Keri lang kaya ang weather non lalo na with my 5 y/o kid. Yon lang kasi bakasyon ng hubby ko from work.

malamig sis. I personally used 3 layers of clothes. Heatech is a must. U buy in japan nalang kc cheaper sa uniqlo dun compared sa pinas. Yung turtle necks at leggings nila super effective. I even wear stockings pa nga para less pagod during lakaran. D mo mapapansin but we had 20,000 + steps per day. I brought 2 shoes lang, one was worn na during the byahe and one pair of boots in my luggage, yun lang. nangaligkig ako sa lamig dun lalo sa odaiba, actual temp was 1 degree but feels like negative ayon sa app. Hahaha!