This is a quite late post, I intend to write veeeerry late post however technically it's not even one year after (the time I write this), so it's not that veeeerry late. So, basically this Japan trip was my first time solo travel, my first furthest country to go. Bought the air ticket like 8 months before. Before buying, I once hoped that I can spend my birthday in Japan, strangely, my wish came true! The date of the ticket I bought is 30 Oct - 8 Nov 2016, which means I will really spend my birthday in Japan. Be careful of what you wish folks! 😂 So, after arriving, the very one thing that welcomed me was cold breeze. Wow. So this is how autumn feels like. Since this is my very first time on going to Japan, I was really blank about how to use the train, how to buy the train ticket, etc etc. So all experiences was very new to me, that is why I feel really excited all the time. I spent like literally 9 days 8 nights in there. 3 nights in Tokyo, another 3 in Osaka, and the last 2 nights in Kyoto. I travelled from Tokyo to Osaka using Shinkansen, the fastest one (Nozomi), which ticket is nearly IDR 2mio. Luckily, the air ticket I bought is a multicity ticket, so on the returning, I fly from Osaka to Jakarta (although this required a transit in Tokyo), so I don't need to commute back to Tokyo using Shinkansen, which was really safe a lot of money. So for all of you who wants to travel to Japan, make sure your air ticket is multicity, you'll cut your cost a lot (because you usually will put Tokyo and Osaka in your itinerary, right?). The first city I experienced is Tokyo. What a very modern city, especially the transportation system. How I wish Jakarta will someday be like this. When the first time I get off the train, I was kinda lost, and there was a very kind man (a salary man, mid age), who noticed a lost tourist and luckily he speaks English so he was the one who offers help (this is a rare thing from Japanese ー to be the one who start it). He helped me through the train gate. My impression of Tokyo's subway system is, what a very complicated and tricky system: too much exit in big station, I always lost everytime I exit from that station (Ikebukuro), too long to walk for a transit station, I even felt like, is the station really connected to transit? This happened when I was about to transit from Tokyo Metro subway to Toei Oedo subway, in which the transit required you to exit completely from one station (like literally exitting from the station building), walk around the street to find another station, and I got lost on the street :) so I never make it to connect to the next station. Compared to Tokyo, Osaka subway is way easier to understand. I love Tokyo, but at that first time I went to Japan, I love Osaka even more (I used to love it already before, since that city is the hometown of my idol, Kanjani8). Things are cheaper, foods are delicious, tourist objects are more interesting, train systems are easier. And strangely I did feel like at home in this town. I was alone but I didn't feel scary of being alone. I commuted easily from train station to my hostel (compared with Tokyo, I always lost everytime I commute from Ikebukuro station to my hostel, even until the very last day of my stay). The very last city I visited was Kyoto. This town indeed has a historic sense in it, since this is the old capital of Japan (once, the capital of Japan was Kyoto, before it moved to the east, to Tokyo ー Tokyo literally means East Capital). The transportation system is a lot less complicated, the subway line is only two, one from east to west (Tozai Line) and another from north to south (Karasuma Line). The rest is JR rail, private rail, and bus. However, you will likely take the bus to commute to everywhere since the bus stop is much nearer to the tourist spot, compare to station. Since I prefer to commute with train rather than with bus, I found Kyoto was quite boring and slow. Well, this is my preference only though. Speaking of solo traveling, I did not feel like doing it in Tokyo, since I always had a friend to meet. I began to feel that way when I was in Osaka, no one of my friends I met in there. I admit, I speak Japanese (not very fluent but enough to make the Japanese think I was living in Japan), so things are rather smooth for me. I prefer to hear Japanese instruction rather than English because I cannot understand their English, very hard to interpret their pronounciation 😅. For any of you who cannot speak Japanese, just please don't try to ask anything in Japanese because they will surely reply you with Japanese too. If you use English, please use it as simple as possible along with some body gesture, it's easier for them to understand rather than if you speak English with complete grammar, especially if you speak to random people on the street. If you speak to an officer whether in station or airport, they usually can help you better with English. Japan is a safe country, no one will bother you when you're in the middle of something, for example stop for a while to look at the map, or even what you wear and what you do as long as it's not against the rule. Backpacking to Japan is not impossible, and so is solo traveling for a female. For a muslim, please be careful on what you eat, always ask first whether the food contains pork or alcohol. From my experience, even an onigiri can contain alcohol (I read the ingredient of almost any food I buy, and almost all of it contain the kanji for alcohol 酒). Almost all bentos contain it too. Another kanji that you have to be aware is the kanji for pork (豚). As long as your food's ingredient do not contain those two kanji, you're safe to go. Don't forget, always read Bismillah first 😁. However, for a food in foodstall, I did not ask whether it contained pork or alcohol. As long as I know no pork in it, I'll eat it, depending on Bismillah only 😁. That's all for now. This is tumblr so when I choose to post it as text, I cannot put a picture in it (or, am I doing wrong?). Well, the picture is in my facebook, or instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sari_hasna/). You might notice from my instagram, that I already have a picture of Sakura. Indeed, I went to Japan again this April, that is why in the begining I said this post is kinda very latepost. I will write my Spring in Japan later. Just a little reference: www.japan-guide.com www.tokyometro.jp/en/ www.osaka-info.jp/en/ www.arukumachikyoto.jp/?lang=en www.tourist-information-center.jp/kansai/en/ www.hyperdia.com/en/ Arrange your itinerary by yourself is also not impossible! さあ、日本へ行きましょうね〜
