My Japan trip is just few days away. I’m so excited and can’t wait any longer to see Japan. The last few weeks I’ve been pretty busy preparing for my Japan trip. In this post I want to outline the important things that I’ve done to prepare for my trip.

Ticket

I’m flying with Jet Star. They are the cheapest option to go to Japan. You can get a return ticket for just $600 when they are on sale. One caveat of flying with Jet Star is that you’re not going to get any meal, unless if you’re willing to pay $30 more. I opted not to pay the $30, going to stock up on instant ramen. :)

Visa

If you have Australian passport, you should not worry about visa, as you are allowed to enter Japan for holiday/business purpose without it. If you are not holding Australian passport, like me, you need to obtain it from Consulate-General of Japan [location]. To apply for a visa, you need to bring your passport, a recent photo of yourself, your ticket itinerary, your hotel bookings, bank statement and $30 for the application fee. It takes around 3 days for the application to complete.

Transportation

If you are going to different cities in Japan, I highly recommend you to get the JR Pass. The JR Pass is a pass ticket that is valid on most trains on the nationwide Japan Railways network, which includes urban train lines and bullet trains. It is also valid on JR bus lines and the JR Miyajima ferry. It is a very cost effective way to travel around Japan. You can purchase JR-Pass on most Japanese travel agency in Sydney. I got mine from Nipon Travel Agency [link] for $490. You need to provide your passport to buy the pass.

Accommodation

In Osaka I’ll be staying in Swissotel Nankai [link], which costs me around $290 per night. Just like everyone who’s visiting Japan, I’ll have the opportunity to experience Ryokan. Ryokan is a Japanese traditional style accommodation. I’ll be staying in Shimizu Ryokan – Kyoto [link], which costs me around $86 per night. Lastly, For Tokyo I’ll be staying in SunRoute Plaza Hotel – Sinjuku [link], which costs me around $225 per night. All of the hotels I booked online from expedia.com.au and hotel.com.au.

Currency

Im bringing roughly around 60,000 Yen to Japan. I find it best to exchange the money online through Travelex [link]. Submit your exchange online, pay them by BPay, and collect the money at the airport. It does not get any easier than that and the rates they offer is better than rates you find on the street.

Gadget

I will bring my trustworthy Canon Ixus 960 IS and my MSI Wind U100 to Japan. I’m so glad that I bought MSI Wind before the Japan trip. I’ve saved most of the tour guides to the MSI Wind, so that I can open them up again later and print them if necessary.  It will also serve to back up all the photos I’ll be taking in Japan. I can just go crazy in taking pictures without having to worry of running out of space in the SD card. I have also saved many podCasts, screenCasts, and movies to my Wind, just in case I get bored while in the train. Lastly, I’ll be able to blog my Japan trip, that is of course if I have the time to. :)

RWendi