Last year I started planning for a trip away somewhere. I wasn’t 100% sure and was looking at Ireland and the UK as there are museums over there that I would like to see. The journey started adding up as it would not be a cheap journey at all. After my Singapore trip last June, I decided that maybe I should try Japan instead. The more I looked at the idea and after watching a TV series about Shinkansen journeys through the country, I was sure it was something I wanted to do.
The planning started as I wanted around 3 weeks and I was looking at flight prices. At the beginning I wanted to start at Fukuoka, head to Hiroshima then Osaka and then to Tokyo. It meant I would only be at several locations for around 2 days and always on the move. The plan changed to starting in Osaka instead and the plan worked out better. The flights were around the same price as I was booking one way from Brisbane. Then the dates became really good as it worked out with a show I was going to see before flying out. I was going to watch Ice Skating in Brisbane by the one and only Torvil and Dean, then leaving on my trip the next day. Since I was already up there, I may as well leave from Brisbane.
Eventually the plan ended up being Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo. I was to stay in Singapore for a week at the end. The flight prices changed and I couldn’t do what I wanted so I worked out the flights that would be cheaper as one way to Brisbane from Singapore ended up being $1500 on a weekend in July. I opted for several days earlier and the flights were cheaper and they didnt seem to move lower at all. The weird thing was I needed Qantas points to fly from Tokyo Hanada airport to Singapore. Something I couldn’t work out, but I sorted out the journey to how I wanted it..
The planning for what to do was more than fun and ended up with me watching reels on Facebook, Youtube and Istagram with a pun in Nagoya that seems famous on Tiktok for their antics, which I am hopefully going to visit. I have a huge list on my phone notes as I come across what I would like to see. There are museums like the Fukui dinosaur museum that I want to see. I have worked out how to get there and with what train. Other museums include several train museums like in Nagoya and Kyoto, also I have to visit the anime and manga stuff in the country too. I have seen posts like for Teamlab and other things that I have decided that its not really my thing and they book out really fast.
The bookings of journeys is going to be interesting and down to the wire as some of the train trips are only released the month before. Some of the touristy ones are popular, one in particular you cannot book a single seat, but with the addition of a child fare you can. Of course, I cant not go on the famous Shinkansen aka bullet train. The best part I have come across and will be a huge game, is the collecting of Eki or train stamps at each train station. I have worked out that I will need a transport card and have gotten one in most places I have visited overseas and locally. That way the only stress I have will be about if I am going in the right direction on the train, but I arrive early for a reason. I arrive with enough time to make sure I am on the right platform, and have enough time to change platforms if there are changes. I had that in Brussels.
I was going to use Klook to book some of the locations and trains, but opted for direct bookings as that might be better for me. So far I have booked some time at Himeji castle, a performance in Gion in Kyoto and a backstreets tour in Osaka. I will do my usual aimless wandering and be checking out temples. There might even be early morning trips due to crowds. I even opted for a hotel chain in Japan that gives you money back for each night you stay and seems alright. Its close to each location I am wanting to stay in.
The warning for comfy shoes I have taken seriously as the shoes I had kept on causing blisters on my toes. I ended up with zippered boots as they are easy to remove especially at the airport, and I will be taking them off in Japan too. The boots I have tested for the last couple of months and they have worked out really well. I will do some walking as I have some temple areas that look great with city views like in Kyoto.
I havnt planned on getting a portable wifi for the trip yet and that will be something to sort out when I arrive. Hopefully there will be no connection issues to the phone networks like the weird one in New Zealand last year. I have everything printed off just in case. Prepare for the best and plan for the worse case scenario.
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