So, I have chosen Japan as the “final destination” for my graduation trip. I’ll be travelling together with my NTU hall mate, Joel (FYI we are both straight). After booking the air tickets, I started digging into countless of blogs/posts and finally came out with my very own 15 days itinerary.

Osaka ->> Kyoto ->> Hiroshima ->> Tokyo ->> Kyoto ->> Osaka

We bought our 7-day JR pass, USJ entrance pass and a 3-day Kansai Thru pass in Singapore. There are several agents in Singapore selling these tickets/passes, which you can find the list here and we bought ours with JTB. We booked all of the accommodations through Airbnb, except for 2 nights in Kyoto we stayed in First Cabin Capsule Hotel. Okay CUT THE CRAP , let’s begin the journey to the land of the rising sun.

Day 0 – Day 4 : OSAKA (23rd June – 27th June)

We left Singapore at 2300, laid over at KLIA for 7 hours and reached Osaka at 1540 the next day. After collected our wifi egg, which we reserved with Global Advanced Comm (do it earlier for cheaper price) and also bought our Kansai One pass (something like our ezlink card and it comes with special discounts which we never use through the entire trip), we headed to our Airbnb place. It is located quite near to the Namba area and the station is called Tamade (他妈的), okay kidding, its kanji name is 玉出.

Our Airbnb host is from US and he is kind enough to show us around the neighborhood and recommended us a few places to makan. After unloaded our stuff, we headed out for dinner at 松屋 (Matsuya, one of Japan’s major restaurant chain) which located very near to our place. I can’t remember exactly what we ordered but it was nice and the service in Japan is really goodddddd.

Tip: Ordering food in Japan can be different from Singapore, most of their restaurants use ticket vending machine. So you choose the food you want and pay for it, then collect the small ticket. Find a seat inside the restaurant, the staff will come and collect the ticket from you and TADANG ~~ your food will be served.

we headed to Dotonburi area after dinner, totally wow-ed by this shopping+makan paradise. The streets are full of shops that sell clothes, accessories, etc.. , whereas restaurants are located at all the filter lanes, well I guess Japanese like it systematic.

Day 2 – Nara

We headed to Nara using our 3-day Kansai Thru Pass. Walking up the Nobori-oji Street from Nara station, you will first smell the deer (its shit I supposed), then you will start seeing people selling biscuit for feeding, and lastly you will see the Nara’s famous deers.

Tip: The deer might start tackling/ biting/ chasing you for food, so do not show your biscuit around. Besides that, you will see plenty of “chocolates” around, beware of where you are stepping.

Isui-en Garden ->> Todai-ji Temple ->> Nigatsu-do Hall ->> Wakakusa-yama (this is the place selling all the souvenirs and food) ->> Kasuga-Taisha Shrine ->> Kofuku-ji Temple

We walked around at Nara by following this guide. It is good to spend a day at Nara. It depends on how fast you walk and whether you are planning to visit each and every temple/shrine or not. Most of them requires you to pay entrance fee of approx. 500 yen (6.30 sgd). Personally, I think The Great Buddha in Todai-ji Temple is worth the visit. You may try to squeeze through the hole on a huge supporting post (you will see a queue line behind the Great Buddha). They believe those who are able to squeeze through it, will be blessed with enlightenment.

We headed back to Osaka before dinner time (around 5pm) and decided to explore Dotonburi further. We had our dinner at Mizuno Okonomiyaki, which serves Osaka-styled okonomiyaki and it is OISHIIII.

Day 3 – Kobe Bryant

Sorry for the title, but he is actually named after this place. We had our breakfast at Kuromon market, where you can find a lot of seafood and sashimi. The bluefin tuna here is a must try, it is expensive but definitely worth it. You will soon realize the tuna you have had in Singapore is nothing.

We reached Kobe around 12 noon because we took the normal train which is slower, it stopped at every single station. Both of us were really hungry, so we decided to settle our lunch first. We had kobe beef for our lunch (SEXXXXX), it is so juicy and really melts in your mouth. After having the mighty beef at Steakland , we walked to Kitano-cho, an area with all the western-styled mansions. TBH, I think you can skip this place, as the museum’s entrance fee is quite expensive and there is nothing much to see. We headed to chinatown afterwards, which is another place that I think you can give it a miss. Before heading back to Osaka, we went to the Sake Breweries Area. Unfortunately, most of the free sake museum tour has ended, we only got to try the sake flavored ice cream.

Tip: If you are travelling to a further station, remember to check the timing and which train to board using Hyperdia. (there are normal, rapid, express and rapid express, the last two are much faster)

Day 4 – Universal Studio Japan

A little confession here: I have never been any Universal Studio yet, DON’T JUDGE ME PLEASE.

USJ often open before their official opening time (0830 for weekends and 0900 for weekday). With the tickets we bought in Singapore before hand, we entered the park hustle free.

First stop: HARRY POTTER WORLD !!!

So our first stop is the famous Harry Potter World, which we queued for almost 3 hours for the 3D ride in the castle (which lasted for less than 10 minutes). Later on, in the Ollivander’s wand shop, I was “chosen” for the demo and I actually bought the wand LOL ! (totally fan mode on). We had our butterbeer and lunch at Three Broomsticks (which is quite expensive). After roaming around the Harry Potter World, we headed out for other rides.

Tip: You may need to get the timed-entry ticket to enter Harry Potter World, please check here. If you don’t like to queue, I suggest you to get express ticket as we queued around 1~2 hours for most of the rides

If you like roller coaster, you should try the Hollywood Dream and the Flying Dinosaur (personally I prefered the flying dinosaur). One downside about this park is that everything is narrated in Japanese (can you imagine Harry Potter speaking to you in Japanese, that is just weird). We were quite lucky as it only started raining around 6pm, so we left the park early and headed to Kyoto.

Tip: There are lockers at most of the train stations, so you can check out early and store your bag(s) at the station. (which is what we did for that day)

The train from Osaka to Kyoto is pretty fast (by rapid express), we reached Kyoto around 9pm and it was raining there. Luckily the capsule hotel is very near to the station and we brought our own rain jacket (June-July is raining season in Japan).

Day 5 – Day 6: KYOTO (28th June – 29th June)

Day 5 – Arashiyama

Monkey park ->> Togetsukyo Bridge ->> Tenryuji Temple ->> Bamboo Groves ->> Saga-torimoto preserved area (we had our lunch here) ->> Daikakuji Temple

Arashiyama is definitely worth the visit, the scenery and the peaceful feeling is perfecto. We fell in love with this place right after we exited the train station, you can literally smell the nature and the weather is very cooling.

Tip: Be prepared to walk a lot at Arashiyama, you may choose to rent a bicycle as well. I suggest you to visit here early in the morning, especially for bamboo groves area, to avoid all the tourists and have the whole place to yourself

We headed back to city area around 2pm and went to the Marayuma Park. Had our dinner early at Ijuzu, and got to try Kyoto-styled sushi. It is really special and different from the sushi we usually had. It is served with cured fish, which adds extra flavor to the sushi. Very oishi-desu and it is MUST try !

We went Hanamikoji Dori afterwards, and we were lucky enough to spot a Geisha !

Day 6 – Fushimi-Inari Shrine

This is actually the first shrine that we entered for FREE. I recommend you to come here early in the morning and hike your way up. You can have the whole place to yourself, take a lot of nice photos without tourists walking into your frame and enjoy the fresh air and serenity.

Day 6 – Day 7: HIROSHIMA (29th June – 30th June)

Before taking the Shinkansen (Japan bullet-train) to Hiroshima, we settled our lunch at Nishiki Market (ended up having ramen at Ippudo). It took around 3 hours to travel from Kyoto to Hiroshima by bullet train. We were welcomed by a sea of red at Hiroshima station, locals are wearing their home team’s baseball jersey and headed to the stadium for the baseball match.

Our airbnb place is just 10 mins walk away from the station. We rested awhile before taking bus to the downtown area. Majority of shops in Hiroshima close around 8pm. We went to an Irish bar and witnessed how locals celebrate their hometeam’s victory, it was literally “kanpai” everywhere (which means cheers or 干杯).

Tip: Taking bus in Japan is different from Singapore, you will board the bus from the back and alight at the front. If you are not paying using your ICOCA (aka ezlink card), please remember to collect ticket from this small machine which will be on your left when you board the bus, then make payment accordingly when alighting (just show your ticket to the driver).

Day 7 – Miyajima

Next day morning, we headed to Miyajima Island by the ferry service and visited the famous Itsukushima Shrine and Senjokaku Hall. There are plenty of shops on the island selling seafood, especially oysters. We stayed on the island for 2 hours and went straight to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after that.

You will find the Genbaku Dome (A-bomb dome) in the peace memorial park. Walking down the park and reading the stories about the victims/survivors, from the dome to the Memorial Cenotaph, I can’t stop myself thinking about war and how cruel it is.

We took the shuttle bus (free if you have JR pass), “meiperu-pu” back to the Hiroshima Station. After we collected our bags from the locker, we headed to Tokyo by Shinkansen.

Tip: For JR pass holders, please double check before you board the shinkansen as you are NOT ALLOWED to board ‘Nozomi’ and ‘Mizuho’. We accidentally board one but the staff was kind enough to let us off by asking us to alight at next stop and change to other shinkansen services. (You might get fine for the full fare, as it is stated on the JR pass booklet)

It is a 6-hour bullet train ride from Hiroshima to Tokyo. We reached Tokyo around 6++/7pm, and settled down at our Airbnb place, which is very near to the Tokyo tower (Hamamatsucho station).

Day 8 – Day 11: TOKYO (1st July- 4th July)

Day 8 – Shibuya ->> Yoyogi Park ->> Harajuku ->> Shinjuku ->> Kabukicho ->> Nonbei Yokocho

Our first day in Tokyo started with the famous Shibuya Crossing and we walked all the way from there to Yoyogi Park. I actually played a few matches of basketball game with the locals at the park. Unfortunately, Joel was chilling at the side and didn’t take any photos. I love the idea of having such a huge and beautiful park in the midst of the bustling city. The Meiji Shrine is located within the Yoyogi park itself as well.

We continued our journey to Takeshita Dori (Harajuku). You will find a huge number of young Japanese at this area, and yes, most of them dressed up in a rather unique way. Joel and I didn’t shop much at Harajuku or Shibuya area, hence we managed to cover this two places rather fast (the only thing we bought is food LOL). If you want to shop, you might need to spend more time here.

The next stop is Shinjuku area. We were there early and decided to make our way to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office first, where you can go up to the observatory deck for free.

Headed to Kabukicho (red-light district) next, Joel and I walking around this area, where we were approached by a lot of the pimps there (I guess because they saw two potential guests). They asked questions like “要做爱吗？”(do you wanna have sex?), “blowjob?” and “sex?”, some of them even showed us “brochure” with naked girls, but we rejected them politely. I guess it was a good experience, but kinda scary at the same time.

Tip: Most of them are friendly, beware of the South Africans there though. There are a few cases reported that they offerred cheap price for alcohols and hostesses to the tourists, and then spiked their drinks and robbed all their belongings.

The night was still young, so Joel and I actually googled where to go next and Nonbei-yokocho piqued our interest. It is located near to the Shibuya station but quite difficult to find (feel free to ask the local, they are more than willing to help). Nonbei-yokocho, also known as narrow alley, is a small street filled with tiny bars (7-10 seats ONLY). It was peak hour when we arrived but we were lucky enough a bar that was left with just two empty seats.



Despite not understanding any single word on the menu, we still went into this small bar. There were a group of four (two Columbian, two local, they studied in the UK together) and one local businessman in the bar. We were really fortunate as they helped us with the ordering, the uncle beside me treated us to some local dishes to go along with the sake. We learned how to drink sake using masu (square wooden cup) with a small pinch of salt at the side. The local girls shared with us the interior of love hotel (rotating bed with mirrors all around you WHUT ?!). The lady boss explained to us about praying at the temple. The locals usually use 5 yen coins, pronounce as “go-yen”, which also means connection. So they believe if you use 5 yen coins to pray, it is like making a connection with God. Before we leave, the lady boss gave each of us a 5 yen coin to symbolize our connection that night.I puked later on that night because I drank too much sake, thanks to Joel.

After all, these are the most memorable things we take away. If you are in Tokyo, you should definitely check out this place.

Day 9 – Sensoji Temple ->> Akihabara ->> XXX

Second day in Tokyo, we went to Asakusa to visit the famous Sensoji temple. It was really crowded with both locals and tourists, coming here to pray.

We spent around 2 hours at Sensoji and explored the nearby areas. Upon checking google map, Joel and I decided to walk to Akihabara instead of taking train.

We walked for 30 mins (if I remembered it correctly) and finally reached Akihabara. You can easily find all the popular Japanese manga’s products (YES ONEEE PIECEE) and electronics stores here. You will get to see all the otaku cosplaying and girls dressed up as maid (or maybe just kawaii style to them). Joel and I never tried any maid cafe as it is quite expensive. I dropped my phone here and the screen cracked, luckily I brought a spare phone with me (farewell my xiaomi).

Tip: If you are not a pro at UFO machine (crane machine), you may consider buying those toys/plushies at Akihabara instead. We spent quite a lot on UFO machine and didn’t win anything 😦

We headed home early as our Airbnb host brought us to visit a fetish club, Department-H. (You can find more info here if you can read and understand Japanese) This club only opens on every first Saturday of the month and if you manage to get the flyer, you can enter the club at a discounted price.

This fetish club is really mind-blowing. When you are queuing to get in, everyone seems pretty normal BUT after you get in, all of them will change into their exotic costume (you get a discount if you wear costume). You get to see people cross-dressing, there will be a fondling station (you just lie down and get “fondled” by people), BDSM, REALLY sexy costumes, and many more things you can’t even think of or imagine. There are series of “performances” and it ended around 3/4 am in the morning. I am not posting any photos here, but if you are interested you may DM me)

It is really an eye-opening experience, totally mindf**ked!

Tip: First train service in Tokyo starts around 5 a.m and the last train service ends at 1 a.m.

Day 10 – Shimokitazawa ->> Roppongi

Shimokitazawa is a less crowded and more western-styled area, you can find plenty of secondhand clothes shop here. After walking around the streets, we randomly choose a cafe to chill and rest (a lot of cafe here). We roamed around here for 3 hours++ before heading to Roppongi.

Roppongi area is basically like our CBD area and it is also where all the rich people stays at. The only good reason for you to come here is probably the Mori Tower’s sky deck, which has an open-air roof and it gives you the tokyo city view.

Tip: Go Roppongi around sunset timing, where you get to see the sunset + nightlights after that

Day 11 – Tsukiji ->> Lake Kawaguchiko

Nope.. we didn’t wake up early in the morning for the tuna auction. We had our breakfast at Sushi Zanmai. They served really fresh sashimi and the itamae (sushi chef) will prepare it right in front of you (provided you sit at the bar area). After that, we walked over to the fish market (the inner market open up at 10am to let the visitors in). Be extra careful when you are walking in the fish market as there will be carts and trucks moving around (this is probably the only place in Japan you actually get honked at).

It took around 1hour++/2hours to get from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko station by train. If the weather is good, you will be able to see Mt. Fuji on your way there.

Joel and I simply walked around the lake, we went duck paddling together (LOL, I guess we were being judge as the rest were all couples) and onsen as well. I suggest you to stay here for at least 1 or 2 nights, to explore more places such as fifth station, Fuji-Q and enjoy the magnificent view.

Day 12 – Day 14 : Kyoto (5th July – 7th July)

We headed back to Kyoto by Shinkansen. Our Airbnb place is a slight distance away from the city area, but it is accessible by bus.

Tip: Buses in Kyoto charge standard price at 230 yen (they called it flat fare zone). Buses in Japan have a machine to breakdown big notes for you, so don’t need to worry if you don’t have any small change with you.

We just walked around the downtown area and bought some beer, and chilled by the Kamo river. We witnessed a fire along the restaurants beside the river but the Japanese firefighters were very efficient. They reached within 10 mins, when Joel and I still figuring out why there was smoke coming out from the restaurant.

Day 13 – Ginkakuji ->> Philosopher Path ->> Kiyomizudera Temple

Ginkakuji also known as Silver Pavilion, which I think it is worth the entrance fee. The whole area consists of a pavilion, a dry sand garden, a moss garden and a small hill. After staying here for 40 mins, we headed to Kiyomizudera Temple through the Philosopher path. (it is a really long walk)

After walking (and also stopping to rest) for around 1 hour, we finally reached the Kiyomizudera Temple (which will be closed from 2017 till 2020 for renovation). It is a rather large temple and you could easily spend 1 hour here. The famous love stones are here as well, which you can try to walk in between with your eyes closed. If you succeed, that will be a sign saying that you will find love.

Later at night, Joel and I went to a public bath (onsen) near our staying place. You should try to find public bath near your accommodation, it is usually where the locals will go to clean themselves up and relax after work.

Day 14 – Kinkakuji

We went to Kinkakuji early in the morning to skip the crowd, however there were two tour groups already there when we arrived. We only spent around 30 mins in the temple as it is quite small and really crowded.

We took train to Osaka afterwards. After unloaded our stuff, we went straight to Osaka Castle. The Osaka Castle park is really huge ( it covers 2km square), so you need to walk quite a distance to get to the castle.

Day 15 – Rinku Premium Outlet

Rinku Premium Outlet is located right next to Kansai Airport, we wanted to spend all our remaining cash here. This premium outlet provides a wide range of stores but not all of them offer great discounts. Overall, it is a great place to spend your last few hours and remaining yen.

We headed to the airport after our lunch to catch our 1640 flight. 15 days flew past really quick, we will definitely come back to Japan (maybe for sakura blossom or autumn leaves) in the near future.

1) Getting around in Japan:

Japan offers a wide range of daily pass/ region pass, you may need to compare the prices and purchase the one that suits your itinerary more. Personally I think JR pass is definitely worth it if you are intending to travel to other region via shinkansen. Most of the buses and train services announce/display the next station in English. Their subway/MRT fare is quite expensive, 2-4 stops will cost you around 2 sgd (165 yen). Walking might a good alternative (you will get to see more stuff as well) !

For mobile application, we only used Hyperdia and Google Maps to get around. I bookmarked all the food places that we might want to try on Google Maps, it made things easier when you need to decide on what to eat.

2) Food and beverage:

Restaurants in Japan can easily cost you around 10~20 sgd, and even more for sushi/sashimi/premium beef. There are cheaper options such as Matsuya (松屋), Yoshinoya and of course the convenience stores. You can get quality food with a decent portion at around 400-800 yen. We bought our breakfast s mainly from convenience stores, and we only spent more on two meals, Kobe beef (40++ sgd per person) and Sushi Zanmai (40++ sgd per person). For beverages, the price is pretty standard and there are vending machines and convenience stores everywhere.

3) Language:

If your Chinese is good, it will be much easier to understand the food menu and getting around. Most of their menus/signs contain kanji (汉字), so you can more or less guess the meaning. Besides that, most of the shops around the tourist spots hireds China workers or they provide English/Chinese menu. Not all Japanese can speak or understand English, but most of them are really helpful (in fact all of them). You just need to use your body language and charades skills.

4) Money:

Most of the stores accept master/visa card, please remember to activate your card’s magnetic stripe before hand. Alternatively, you can also withdraw money from ATM at all the 7-11 stores across Japan (check here for instructions).

Breakdown of cost:

AirAsia both way tickets = 360 sgd + 100 sgd (for extra leg room) Wifi egg = 4985 yen = 62 sgd JR pass 7-day = 360 sgd Kansai Thru Pass 3-day = 74 sgd USJ entrance fee = 90 sgd Airbnb for 12 nights = 272.5 sgd averagely Kyoto capsule hotel for 2 nights = 5800 yen = 73 sgd

Total 1393 sgd for accommodation + passes + wifi egg, I spent 1300 sgd in total for food (we bought quite a lot of beer and mineral water) and shopping (bought a pair of adidas shoe, one adidas bag and one anello bag). 2700 sgd for 15 days, totally worth it 😉

Thanks for spending your time reading this long post ! Feel free to bookmark/share/like it !

** photos are all taken and edited by me **