Itinerary : Japan Solo Backpacking Trip (May 2017)

Assalamualaikum & Salam Ramadhan semua.

Lama sangat dah labah-labah bersarang kat blog ni. Berapa generasi agaknya diorang dah beranak-pinak dan bermaharajalela kat sini. Last entri 8 bulan yang sudah (Bandung ). Harap2 lepas ni dapat la lebih istiqomah meng-update blog. Terima kasih yang masih sudi melawat blog ni dari masa ke semasa, yang follow instagram dan yang email/PM/DM bertanya pasal travel-related stuffs.

Anyway, mungkin ada yang tak perasan, saya dah upload itinerary penuh Europe Backpacking Trip setahun yang lepas. Masih ramai yang email mintak forwardkan. Memang tak mampu Sang Kancil nak balas semua email2 tu. Sedaya upaya saya balas jugak tapi belek2 email ada jugak yang terlepas. Link untuk itinerary ada kat sebelah kiri blog ni. Kalau tak jumpa jugak, klik >>> SINI.

Setelah 6 bulan tak travel, rasa gersang dia tu lain macam sikit. Lepas pulang dari Iran autum trip November 2016, Kancil terus berhibernasi. Fokus kerja, study, kertas kerja, kajian dan benda2 alah yg sebagainya. Bila dibelek gambar2 travel lama memang menggamit perasaan. Geng #kakijalan dan #genhikers masing-masing busy dengan study, exam dan lain-lain perihal hidup. Nak jumpa pun susah inikan pulak nak travel sama-sama. Rindu korang weiiii ! Harap2 jadikla plan reunion trip kita nanti. Mohon pembaca budiman sekalian doa sama2 yek. Kami amin kan berjemaah.

Entah kenapa dalam banyak2 sudut muka bumi, Jepun jugak yang dirindui bagai pungguk dan rembulan. Kalau la tak kerana kos, setiap musim nak jejak tanah Jepun. First visit masa tahun 2014 memang tak puas. 6 hari cover 8 bandar mengadaptasikan konsep cecah lantai. Asalkan sampai. Ye lah masa tu baru berjinak2 dalam dunia travel. Kuantiti lebih penting dari kualiti. Sebab2 nya saya ada cerita dalam entri prelude Japan. Semak balik kalau korang dah lupa. Anyway, no regrets. Kalau lah kami tak buat macam tu lagi sasau agaknya. Since banyak tempat dah cover, trip kali ni bley la cover tempat2 lain.

Ingat entri ni nak short and sweet je. Panjang pulak ko membebel Kancil. Anyway, kali ni nekad, walaupun berseorangan, tetap akan digagahi jugak ekspedisi mejelalah bumi matahari terbit. Start planning mid april. Serba-serbi last minute. Mujur la dpt tiket yg tak berapa mahal walau hakikatnya klau plan awal boleh dapat lagi murah. Tapi saya bukan dalam situasi ada kebebasan nak plan trip awal2 masa tu. Waktu ni pulak memang waktu genting. Work load tahap maksima, tak cukup manpower kat tempat kerja, kena finalise case report, log book dan macam2 hal lah. Ada masa terluang sikit saya buat research. Yang penting tiket dah secure. Lepas tu accomodation, JR Pass dan last sekali, itinerary.

Kali ni sebab sorang, takdelah kiasu sangat bab nak siapkan itinerary macam Europe trip dulu. Draft dah ada, kalau rasa tak sesuai dengan waktu, keadaan dan kos saya tukar accordingly. So ni lah hasilnya. Disebabkan terbawa-bawa perangai masyarakat jepun yang terlalu menepati waktu, saya pun terikut mencatat setiap detail perjalanan. Mohon jangan pening dengan itinerary ni. Saya ambil JR Pass sebab nak cover area yang besar. Train schedule macam biasa guna Hyperdia, dan kali ni saya guna pocket wifi sebagai peneman supaya tak kebosanan dan yang lebih penting, tak sesat, dapat check hyperdia bila diperlukan dan buat research sambil decide itinerary en route. Gittew ! Penat dah membebel.

Maklumat lanjut:

Japan Guide >> JAPANGUIDE
Train/bus schedule >> HYPERDIA
JR Pass >> JR PASS
Pocket wifi >> TRAVELRECOMMENDS

Tempat2 yang dijelajahi

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14/05/17 (Sunday):

0805       : KLIA - Kansai international airport : KL-KIX (D7 536)

1510       : Landed in Kansai International airport, collect JR Pass at JR ticket office (second floor, just outside the airport - follow the signboard to train station)

1644       : Kansai airport -> Shin-Osaka (Ltd. Exp. Haruka 40 bound for Kyoto,  51 min)

1735       : Arrived at Shin-Osaka

1746       : Ltd. Exp Thunderbird 37, bound for Kanazawa (149 min)

2015       : Arrived at Kanazawa station. Walk to Good Neighbors Hostel (350m) and checked in.

15/05/17 (Monday):

0613       : Shinkansen Hakutaka 552 for Toyama (18 min)

0636       : Arrived at Toyama station. Walked to Dentetsu Toyama station (just next to Toyama station) and purchased train ticket to Tateyama (1200 Yen single journey, not covered by JR Pass).

0710       : Toyama Chiho Railway for Tateyama station (68 min).

0830       : Arrived at Tateyama station. Purchased return ticket to Murodo (4310 Yen which includes cable car to Bijodairo and highland bus to Murodo). Cable car from Tateyama to Bijodairo takes roughly 7 minutes.

0850       : Highland bus Bijodairo-Murodo (50 minutes)

** Tateyama cable car from Tateyama to Bijodaira : 720 Yen one way, 7 minutes

** Highland bus from Bijodaira -> Murodo: 1710 Yen one way, 50 minutes

0940       : Arrived at Murodo station & visited Snow corridor

Yuki no otani (Snow Corridor)

1040       : Bus to Bijodairo station

1130       : Arrived at Bijodairo station and took cable car back to Tateyama station

1200       : Arrived at Tateyama station. Bought train ticket to Dentetsu Toyama station (1200 Yen)

1230       : Toyama Chiho Railway for Toyama (68 min)

1336       : Arrived at Dentetsu Toyama station. Walked to adjacent Toyama station.

1358       : Shinkansen Hakutaka 561 for Kanazawa (22 min)

1420       : Arrived at Kanazawa station, purchased bus ticket at adjacent bus ticket counter (1850 Yen)

1440       : Kanazawa -> Shirakawa-Go by bus.

1550       : Arrived at Shirakawago station. Purchased bus ticket to Takayama (2470 Yen). Explored Shirakawa-Go.

Shirakawa-Go from Shiroyama Viewpoint.

Traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses

1730       : Departed from Shirakawago station

1840       : Arrived in Takayama, check in hotel (K’s House Takayama Oasis Quality Hostel, 230m)

1930       : Dinner at Indian-Nepali Restaurant just next to hostel. Separate halal & vegetarian menu available. Visited the Old Town of Takayama by foot.

2030       : Back to hotel & rest

16/05/17 (Tuesday):

0445       : Woke up & checked out. Walked to the Old Town by foot to take photo, then walked to Takayama train station.

Takayama Old Town

Nakabashi bridge

0646       : Takayama -> Nagoya (Ltd. Exp Wide View Hida 2, 147 min)

0913       : Arrived at Nagoya station

0926       : Shinkansen Hikari 512 to Shin-Yokohama (85 min)

1051       : Arrived at Shin-Yokohama, transfer to JR Line

1115       : JR Yokohama Line Rapid for Hachioji (39 min)

1205       : Arrived at Hachioji station (later than scheduled, missed direct train to Otsuki – Ltd. Exp. Kaiji 105 at 1202)

1218       : JR Chuo Special Rapid Service bound for Tokyo (to get off at Takao station)

1228       : Arrived at Takao station

1237       : JR Chuo Line for Kobuchizawa

1314       : Arrived at Otsuki station. Bought train ticket to Kawaguchiko station (1140 Yen - not covered by JR Pass)

1349       : Fujikyu Railway for Kawaguchiko  

1444       : Arrived at Kawaguchiko station. Walked to Hostel & Information Samurise (400m), checked in and rest.

1600       : Walked to lake Kawaguchi. Dinner at Alladin Indo Restaurant then walked around the lake.

1730       : Back to hostel and rest

17/05/2017 (Wednesday)

0730       : Purchased bus ticket to Shibazakura festival (2000 Yen – return bus fare + entrance to Shibazakura). Ticket counter opens at 0730 at bus stop no 7, not at the ticket counter inside Kawaguchiko station.

0750       : Bus to Lake Motosu (Shibazakura Festival).

0840       : Arrived at Lake Motosu. Explored Shibazakura festival.

  

1000       : Bus to Kawaguchiko station

1030       : Arrived at Kawaguchiko station. Enquired regarding bus to Shiraito Falls at Tourist Information Centre. The next bus to Shiraito Falls was at 1108 at bus stop no 4 (towards Shinfuji/Fujinomiya),

* Not all bus towards Shinfuji/Fujinomiya stop at Shiraito Falls.  Only 3-4 buses in a day.

1108       : Bus to Shiraito Falls

1235       : Arrived at Shiraito-no-taki station. Walked to Shiraito Falls (400-500 meters)

1440       : Took bus back to Kawaguchiko Station (* this is the last bus from Shinfuji/Fujinomiya station that stops at Shiraito-no-taki station en route to Kawaguchiko station).

1552       : Arrived at Kawaguchiko station. Walked to Oishi Park (6.3km). *can take Fujikyo bus. I chose to walk.

1745       : Arrived at Oishi Park

1812       : Take Retro bus to Kawaguchiko station (the last bus of the day). Got off near Alladin Indo Restaurant. Dinner at Alladin Indo restaurant.

1930       : Back to hotel and rest

18/05/2017 (Thursday)

0500       : Woke up, check out hostel, and walked to Kawaguchiko station

0548       : Otsuki station -> Hachioji (Fujikyu Railway, 1140 Yen)

0741       : Arrived at Hachioji station, changed to JR Yokohama line for Higashi-Kanazawa

0749       : JR Yokohama line for Higashi-Kanazawa. Arrived at Shin-Yokohama @ 0839 (50 min).

0852       : Shinkansen Hikari 505 from Shin-Yokohama to Kyoto (149 min)

1111       : Arrived at Kyoto station. Changed to Ltd Exp Kinosaki 5 for Fukuchiyama

1125       : Kyoto -> Fukuchiyama by Ltd Exp Kinosaki 5 (75 min)

1240       : Arrived at Fukuchiyama station. Bought train ticket to Amanohashidate (1420 Yen, not covered by JR Pass).

1255       : Ltd Exp tango Relay 3 to Amanohashidate (36 min)

1331       : Arrived at Amanohashidate station. Walked to Amanohashidate View Land just behind the train station. Entrance fee 850 Yen including return ticket for chair lift (or monorail).

1445       : Back to train station (1420 Yen for ticket to Kyoto)

1456       : Ltd. Exp.Hashidate 6 to Kyoto (131 min)

1707       : Arrived at Kyoto station. Took bus no £206 at D2 bus stop (230 Yen per bus ride). Got off at Gojozaka station.

1730       : Arrived at Gojozaka station, walked to Santiago guest House (150m), checked in hostel

1800       : Walked to Hanami-koji street in Gion (Geisha spotting).

1900       : Back in Kyoto station. Took train to Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line). Arrived at Saga-Arashiyama station and walked to Kimono forest (750m). Explored Kimono Forest.

2100       : Back to Saga-Arashiyama station

2109       : Train to Kyoto station

2125       : Arrived at Kyoto station. Took bus #206 (230 Yen), got off at Gojozaka station and walked to hostel. Rest.

19/05/2017 (Friday)

0500       : Woke up, checked out. Took bus to Kyoto station (#206, 230 Yen)

0655       : Kyoto station -> Saga-Arashiyama

0711       : Arrived at Saga-Arashiyama station. Walked to Bamboo Forest. Explored Bamboo Forest.

0830       : Back to Saga-Arashiyama. Train to Kyoto station. In Kyoto station, change line to JR Nara line.

0915       : Arrived at Inari station. Explore Fushimi Inari Shrine.

1200       : Back at Inari station. Took train back to Kyoto station

1225       : Arrived at Kyoto station. Walked to bus stop B2/B3 to catch bus to Kinkaku-ji (#101, #102, #204 or #205)   

1240       : Bus #205 to Kinkaku-ji (230 Yen, 40min)

1320       : Arrived at Kinkaku-ji station. Walked to Kinkaku-ji. (admission fee 400 Yen).

The Golden Pavilion

1500       : Back to Kinkaku-ji station. Bus to Kyoto station.

1600       : Arrive at Kyoto station. Walked to Kyoto Tower. Prayer room at 3F.

 1620      : Bus #206 to Gojozaka station. Explore Higashiyama shopping street. Then took bus back to Kyoto station.

1930       : Kyoto tower Observation deck (770 Yen, 700 Yen with online coupon).

2030       : Train to Kansai Airport (Ltd Exp Haruka 59, 89 min)

2159       : Arrived at Kansai airport. Spend the night n airport

20/05/2017 (Saturday)

1100 : KIX -KL

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Moga perkongsian ini sedikit sebanyak membantu kalian semua untuk plan trip ke Japan nanti. InshaAllah ada kelapangan saya buat review pasal JR Pass dan pocket wifi. Selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa dan selamat hari raya. Till we meet again.

Assalamualaikum !