Some images on how the early section of the trails look like.

Waiting for the office to open so we can register ourselves for the climb.

Waiting for the office to open so we can register ourselves for the climb.

Few days in Tokyo and few days in Kyoto, really awesome place to visit. Since i'm too tired to write about it in length, ill just drop it down in point form.

For Tokyo:

• Sashimi, Ramen and street food are great! Since my favorite food is ramen, seems like every random ramen house beats the stuff i'm eating in Singapore.
• Harajuku and Shibuya is where the hot chicks are at. For Shibuya, go at night time, thats when the place is really busy. You don't need to go far for the spectacle, just outside of the Shibuya station near the busy crossing. Harajuku, go on sunday mornings. Thats when they are all dolled up and out to play. Some of them might not like having pictures taken unless you pay for that privilege....
• Go with minimal planning. Me and my boss just randomly walked around Shibuya to find a bar to have a few drinks. We ended up above a porn shop, through a stairwells no wider than my shoulder. It was fun meeting new local people.
• In Tokyo, check out the Park Hyatt Hotel. On the 52nd floor, there is restaurant called New York Grill. There is a cover charge if you don't live in the hotel, but it worth having a drink the bar area and enjoy the view. You might be lucky enough to catch some really cool live jazz music too. Photo of the bar and view at night.
• Avoid getting the cab if you can. Its pretty pricy to say the least. But also keep in mind that the last trains stops around 12:30am (i guess it depends on where you are hopping on the train). Cab surcharge of roughly 20% applies after midnight from what i have been told.
• You can also head towards Hamamatsucho station to get a better view of Tokyo. WTC building is right up there. Pictures here, here and here.
• Visit Asasuksa by either taking the train or take a cruise along Sumida river. That is where the Asahi HQ is and where the Senso-ji temple resides. Don't forget to try check out yourluck for the year.
• Check out an electronic dart bar if you have not been to one. My friend took me to this onein Ginza.
• If you have half a day to spare, take a short train ride to Ueno station, just 2 stops from Akihabara. Ueno has got a more traditional feel to it. Walk towards Shino-bazu pond and enjoy the many shrines along the way. Head back to Ueno township to check out the busy shops along and below the train line.

For Kyoto:

• Most of the attractions are around the city. Rent a bike. There are plenty of places to rent a bike, i got mine at the good people at J-cycle, for 800 yen a day. Starts at 10am to 7pm. Biking is pretty safe in Kyoto, just stay alert and do what the locals do, park where the locals park.
• I find that just cycling around the city without worrying too much of whether i am going the right direction, is actually really fun. You get to see alot more of Kyoto then just hitting the hot spots. Locals are very friendly and willing to help. If you dont speak much japanese like me, point on the map where you want to go, wait for 30 seconds of japanese, when the locals point, thats where you go.
• If you want to go for the Imperial palace, make sure you know when the tour starts. The last i checked, there is one at 2pm. 
• Gion district is nice to check out. And of course the temples along the east side of the city, mainly Kiyomizu-dera temple. Check out the philosopher's path for a nice ride through the center of town.
• Also not to be missed, with your JR pass, take a local train down to Inari station. Right on the exit, is the entrance to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, with thousands of Torii gates up the hill. Climb to at least half way to get a awesome view of Kyoto city.
• There are plenty of buses starting and ending at Kyoto station, which will get you to alot of tourist destinations. 220yen each way if not mistaken.

There you have it. Tokyo and Kyoto in a nutshell. Just a reminder, it is really hot in Japan during summer, so bring plenty of shorts to walk around.

I am going to drop down things that i did for my business/visit trip to Japan, for whoever is interested and for my own future reference. I was told i was only 3 years old when i was last there. So i'm basically a newbie.

Get your visa, if needed

I'm a Malaysian citizen. And because of that, i usually go through quite a bit of pain just to travel abroad. Check on the Embassy of Japan's web site to find out if your country is included in the visa exemption list. If not you'll need to get some documents together and apply for a visa. Once you have all the required documents (found in embassy's website), applying is simple and fast (pretty much the most efficient visa application i have ever done).

Get your travel insurance, seriously

Get yourself a worldwide travel insurance, especially if you travel heaps. I got mine for about SGD 150 [convert] per year through Citibank. Some credit cards already give you travel coverage as long as you buy your ticket with the said credit card, but best to check with your bank first. This gives you a peace of mind while you travel, and it should cover flight delays/cancellations, lost/delayed baggages, hotel bookings and what not.

Get some Japanese ¥

Japan is still a cash heavy country, at least for what a tourist wants to do. Head over to XE to check out the latest exchange rates. Always have some cash with you (ramen is about 800-1000yen, drinks about 100-150yen, beer is about 800yen. Do some rough calculations yourself.). I find that i use a lot of cash buying food, drinks and entry fees to temples. ATMs do work with your Plus+ cards and what not, but not all of them. You might have to ask around to find an ATM that actually works for you (possibly an ATM in a post office). 

Get a JR Rail Pass

This is an all-you-can-travel rail pass available only to foreigners. These passes, if not mistaken, can be for 7 days, 14 days or 30 days, AND, it is only valid for the JR line (one of the many companies running the rail way). I bought my 7 days pass for SGD 445 [convert]. So, i guess you have to decide if you really need this. If you are just going to be travelling around Tokyo, maybe you don't need it. If you are travelling further, like Tokyo to Kyoto, then absolutely. A one way trip to Kyoto, from what i heard cost about SGD 150-180 [convert]. You are unlikely to take taxis in Tokyo because it cost an arm and a leg, so stick to the rail line as best as you can. You can pretty much get to everywhere (at least the important spots) using the JR line (a good pdf map can be downloaded here). You can also get a SUICA prepaid card to make it easier to get on and off the trains. You should be able to get it from the train station itself. Putting more credits into your card should be straight forward. If all else fails, follow what the locals do. That always works. If you do get the JR Rail Pass (from certain travel agents / Embassy of Japan (??)), once you arrive in Japan, you will have to swap/redeem your pass from the booth (i think they only open at 1pm for the booth in Narita Airport). You will get more information on this when you buy your JR Rail Pass in your country. If you find that it is a mistake to get the JR Rail Pass, don't redeem it in Japan. When you get home, you can get a refund but with a 10% penalty.

Sidenote: JR Rail Pass allows you to take all Kodama and Hikari except Nozomi (abit like premium rides) trains. Look at the JR rail timetable shot above. Kodama is in yellow, Hikari in pink and Nozomi in blue. The timetable is not hard to read, and it shows in english as well.

From what my friend is telling me, the railway closes at around 12:30am (i think it varies where you are taking the train) and starts as early as 4:30a.m. Plan you night properly or you'll have to fork out about 20% surcharge (i was told) on taxi rides past midnight.

Book your stays

If you know exactly when you will be there, book your stays early. And if you are travelling on a lower budget, do it even earlier. I went through Agoda to book all my stays (besides the hotel i stayed in for business meeting). I was in Tokyo for 4 nights and 2 nights in Kyoto. While in Tokyo for work, i stayed in The Westin Tokyo (map) in Ebisu. Unless you have money to burn, go for it, its an awesome hotel with Sapporo brewery right across the street and not too far off from Ebisu station on the JR line. My own budget was around SGD 100-150 [convert], knowing that staying in Tokyo is expensive. I went for the Akihabara Washington Hotel (map) for SGD 151 a night, for 2 nights. This hotel has just been renovated so everything is nice, modern and clean. The other good thing is, it is right next to the main Akihabara Station. I'm talking about walking across the street to the station. For the 2 nights in Kyoto, i chose Citadines Kyoto Karasuma Gojo Hotel (map) for about SGD 160 a night. Both are slightly over my budget but i guess i wanted to be more comfortable/convenient in my first trip.

If you are travelling on a lower budget, i have been recommended to go for K House Backpackers Hostel. As you can see they have multiple hostels across the country. I have been told they have good, cheap and clean rooms with friendly english speaking staffs. I was too late to book myself in because they were fully booked for single bedroom (I'm not comfortable sharing a room with a total stranger unfortunately) for both in Tokyo and Kyoto locations.

You might also want to check on the hotel's allowed check-in and check-out time. I almost screwed myself over by checking in at 12midnight when they don't really check people in after 10pm.

Read up!

Not sure about you, but i was pretty excited to see Japan. I looked up a lot recommended sightseeing spots and things to look out for when in Japan. I also had some pointers coming from both my sisters who have been to Japan. It is always good to have at least some ideas on what to do, where to go while in Japan. And it doesn't hurt to have Plan A, B and C. One of the better books that i bought is shown below.

This book is really good (in my opinion) for people who wants to do a self guided walking tour. the best thing about it is the mini map showing you the route to take. I find that it is pretty good at showing points of interest. One thing that might be lacking is a bit more road details in these mini maps. I tend to end up guessing half the time. But it is not too bad considering most of these places have alot of local maps all over the area, showing you exactly where you are and the surrounding area. If worse come to worst, ask a local. Japanese are the most friendly and polite people i've known, even when you don't speak the language.

iPad + iPhone apps to the rescue

Before you go crazy and buy everything you find in the app store, ask yourself: Will you have a roaming phone? If so, are you willing to pay for roaming GPRS cost? I'm going to guess 90% of the people are going to say no. So in that case, don't bother buying apps that will only work with network connectivity. Yes there are Wifi hotspots around, but you don't have that everywhere you go. The simplest thing you can do is download the maps + JR lines + routes in PDF format into your device. In iPad's case, the JR line pdf turns out pretty good. Have a go at checking out some of the good applications around (including simple japanese phrases).

I personally did not use any apps while i was (am still here actually) travelling in Japan, purely because i couldn't get an iPad in Japan (long story) and iOS 4, even without multitasking, runs like a dog on my iPhone 3G. I'm doing this trip just with physical maps and a book. 

 

Alright that's about it. that should cover most of it. Might write another post on few places to check out in Japan later. I find it easier to decide whether a place is worth your time if you can watch a short video or some photos beforehand. 

/bow

 

p.s. Summer in Tokyo is stinking hot.

 

Since moving to Singapore more than 7 months ago, i find that there are only 4 things you do all the time over here. Sleep, Eat, Work and Shop. Besides those 4, there aren't much more you can do. Let's face it, its a small place.

So i got bored and started browsing around for short flights out of Singapore. Knowing that i have already missed my chance of getting a cheap flight out for Vesak Day long weekend end of May, i opted to snap up whatever i can for some trips in 2-3 months time.

I missed the snow season in San Francisco this year because i just moved. And i missed a snow trip to Japan because work came calling in March. So the next best thing for the next snow destination would be New Zealand (last i checked, its about 1400 SGD on Silkair to Christchurch. *Gulp*). Hopefully this is going to happen sometime in August, because those lonely snowboards are still hiding under my bed.

So in between, i spotted and bought myself a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, this coming July. Probably one good thing about living in Singapore is that all the Southeast asian countries are so close and cheap to travel around. There are plenty of options around. To name a few airlines (some budget and some not), AirAsia, JetStar, Tiger Air and Silkair (which is part of Singapore airline). Sometimes you can actually just buy a whole bunch of cheap tickets and decide if you want to rock up or not. Some tickets can be as cheap as 20USD one way. Others can go from few hundred to a thousand, so choose wisely on the pricey ones...

The last one i went to was to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. It was a fun short trip with some of my colleagues (short as in 1 full day). Some photos can be found below or from my flickr set.

I'm not sure who is going to be tagging along yet, but either way, it should be a awesome trip to go for. You can't really beat visiting a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Angkor Wat. While i'm at it, i might as well look for another trip to maybe Yangon (Myanmar), Bali (Indonesia) and Cebu (Philippines). That should fix my travel urge for the time being.

 

During the last long Easter weekend i was in Mumbai. For a day.

I guess i can no longer push back on travelling to India. After all, how can you say no when your boss is going to make sure you get there, by being in the same flight. Getting an Indian visa is straight forward enough from Singapore. I would have never guessed the first visa/stamp on my new passport would be of India's. 

My expectation for this trip was quite dim. I expected nothing less than a struggle to with an uncontrollable case of diarrhea and having a first hand look at poverty. The real poverty, not the 'I can't afford a Mc value meal' kind of poverty. I was repeatedly told to bring along a can of spray-on insect repellant, which in the end was helpful (mozzies galore).

Woke up at 4am Sunday, got ready, took a taxi and reached the airport by 6. Checked in through SIA's Business class queue and had the privilege to get into the SIA lounge. This was pretty much the closest i have been to experiencing flying business class (By having a tag on your hand luggage, with the sign "Business Class"). With the amount of travel that Steve does, i'm surprised they didn't roll out the red carpet for him. 

By obtaining the highest level reward program in Singapore Airline (PPS), air stewardess will know you by your name, regardless of whether you are travelling in first class, business class or economy class. He gets constantly asked if he needs anything. Water, pillow, blankets, magazines, newspapers etc etc. Pretty sick. I guess it helps if you travel on that route often enough and live in the same hotel as the whole airline crew. You are literally like family.

The hotel we stayed at was the ITC Maratha Mumbai, located just 5 minutes from the airport. I guess i was the culprit who wanted to stay away from the city. I wasn't that eager to venture around Mumbai to say the least. The hotel was exquisite, despite being told 5 stars hotel in India is generally about 3-4 stars in Singapore. I kinda disagree on this occasion. Security was tight. Bunkers outside the hotel, a check point before the gates and scanners before you step into the lobby. It certainly does feel strange when you have so many AK47's around you.

After spending a few hours testing out phones and carriers (which is the reason i was there in the first place), we headed off to get a drink in the rooftop bar called AER, on top of Four Seasons Hotel in town. It took a while to get there, despite skipping most part of the city and driving on the Sea Link. Four Seasons Hotel is sandwiched between some low buildings and huge patches of shacks which form the slums. Once in the gate, you can feel how grand the hotel is. The bar was mostly visited by wealthy locals (and trust me there are plenty) and expats. Despite having an awesome view of the city, it was hard to enjoy myself just to see so many others in the city struggling to make ends meet.

We had dinner at the Taj Tower, a pretty good restaurant with Mediterranean food. It is another spectacular hotel but it was a pity that some parts of the hotel are still off-limits after the bombing a while back. At this point in time, me and Steve have been on the road for close to 22 hours without sleep and he almost dozed off while having his dinner. Let's just say he was snoring on the way back to the hotel in the cab, more than an hour.

Mumbai, to me, is an interesting place. You can see the extremes of human living conditions. At one end you get to see one guy's 27(?) stories apartment building in progress (richest guy in India). On the other hand, more than half the population in mumbai are slum dwellers. According to this article:

Another interesting fact that the report has thrown up is the presence of slums in Mumbai—about 54% of the population comprises slum dwellers. “And the relevant dimension is the area they together occupy—just 6% of all land in Mumbai, explaining the horrific levels of congestion,’’ it said. 

Watched Slumdog Millionaire? Yea thats how it looks like in real life. People begging everywhere. As soon as the traffic light goes red, people swarm towards the windshield, knock on it and beg for money. Woman with their young child, gesturing for help to feed the kid (you can't give them anything either as everyone else will swarm your cab). And right on the walkway, toddlers playing by themselves on piles of rubbish without a care in the world. Their notion of having toys is having rubbish that looks like toys to play with. This is not an isolated incident at one traffic light, it is recurring at almost every traffic light. 

This part of Mumbai (and India in general) was what i wanted to avoid. It is depressing to see it in real life, no matter how much i prepared myself for it. Steve summed it up quite nicely on the flight back home...

It is tough out there. You can hardly find your way out of poverty that your best hope is reincarnation.

 

 

Life. Such is.