Japan 2013: ひさしぶりですね!*

I've been to a couple of beautiful places here and abroad but I must say, Japan will always be on top of my favorite places list. I've always been fascinated with the country (and its culture, of course) ever since I was a kid so I made it a point for it to be my first international trip destination back in 2009. Ever since then, I've always wanted to come back. If only I could afford to visit every year, I definitely would. Oh and if they didn't have crazy strict working ethics, I'd probably move there. It's simply my happy place.

Obligatory plane photo. Nope, we didn't agree on wearing stripes.

So this year, we finally decided to go back in celebration of Nee-chan's graduation. The dates for our trip were supposed to be the blooming peak of the sakura trees but it rained the weekend before our trip so the pink blossoms weren't as abundant as before. :( Sucks but sakura or no sakura, the visit was still worth it.

At KIX station

Our flight got a bit delayed so we left Manila around 4:00 PM and arrived in Kansai International Airport (KIX) past 9:00 PM. Our check-in time at the hotel was 10:00 PM and it's an hour away from KIX by train (which is still the fastest and cheapest way to go around Japan) so we obviously couldn't make it on time.

Look, it's a Harry Potter train!

Now Japan is famous for its crazy railway system. If it wasn't for Nee-chan, I'd totally be lost even though I can read Hiragana/Katakana. Good thing, she still knows her way around. I, on the other hand, already got a little disoriented on my first train ride back in Japan. Aside from Japan, I've been to Singapore and South Korea which also have organized public transportation systems. I've been to SG and SK twice and on each visit, I've always used one rechargeable smart card for every form of transportation. It's simply convenient and really worth your money as you get discounted fares. You just tap and go! However, Japan's railway system is so big, they have one card for each railway company. So if you'll be using multiple lines during your trip, you're better off buying one-way tickets.

Sachanubi** Moment #1:
So I inserted my one-way ticket into the machine then went ahead with luggage in tow when I noticed everyone was holding their tickets except me. I quickly glanced back at the ticket machine and I must have looked like I lost my ticket because before I knew it, I was being escorted to the ticketing office by a Japanese lady who kindly explained to a ticket officer what happened even before I told her. In no time, I got my ticket back! All thanks to the kindness of the Japanese people around me. They acted so fast, I didn't even have time to ask help from my family! Right then and there, I knew it was nice to be back. :)

Hotel Universal Port
(Photos taken from their website)

While Nee-chan was responsible for our itinerary (almost everything basically), I was responsible for anything that required early booking so I took care of the hotel and bus ticket reservations. I'm a cheapskate when it comes to accommodation so I researched early and found great deals. Tip: A lot of hotels offer early booking discounts as early as 40 days before your trip so make sure to book early! I settled for Hotel Universal Port which is right in Universal City and is one of the official hotels authorized by Universal Studios Japan. I got us a Deluxe Room (good for 2-4 people) for only ¥11,700/night from it's steep regular price of ¥18,000/night. That's ¥6,300 or Php 3,000 off!

Once we got off Universal City station, we were greeted by a strong gust of wind. Who said the average temperature during spring was 15-18°C?? That definitely felt like single digit temperature! Cold as we are, we still needed to find our hotel. I spotted Hotel Keihan and Hotel Kintetsu right away which were also some of my hotel choices. After figuring out where we are, we managed to find our way to our hotel which is right across the street.

Our hotel is so pretty!

As we made our way to our hotel, we knew we were in for a treat. They have a huge aquarium that stretched as long as the reception area. Amazing! The hotel definitely exceeded my expectations. I'm so used to staying in backpacker hostels or cheap hotels during trips so it was a pleasant surprise to be pampered for a change.

Me checking-in while Nee-chan used the tablet on the counter for free WiFi.

Even though we arrived late, checking into the hotel was easy breezy. I didn't even need Nee-chan's Nihonggo skills because the receptionist was fluent in English. She even told me that our friend dropped by earlier and was waiting for us at the lobby. Oops. After getting our hotel keys, USJ discount card and some helpful flyers, we were ready to go.

The amazing Japanese toilet.

So Nee-chan met up with Rach (her sis from Portia) and we went up to our room to drop off our luggage. As we got to the elevators, we were amazed by their glowing baby jellyfish tank display. Pretty hypnotizing but we had things to do. After dropping our luggage off and gushing about our amazing hotel room (and automatic toilet which I absolutely miss and love!), we headed off into the cold windy night to grab some dinner.

Lawson saves the day!

I was looking forward to a McDonald's dinner - yes, so touristy I know, but we have this travel tradition thingy where we eat our first meal at McDonald's everywhere we go (except Vietnam because they don't have McDonald's, only Jollibee) - but they were already closed when we arrived. :( I can't blame them though. It's almost 11:00 PM! We tried other restaurants at City Walk but all their closing times were at 10:00 PM, just like the park. So we had no choice but to find refuge in Lawson. Yes, they have Lawson in Japan. No, not the IT company where some of my friends work, but the convenience store. Haha

I can seriously live on onigiri and Van Houten Cocoa alone.

All is good though because we bought onigiri (and Nissin cup noodles)! Yaaaay!! And Van Houten Cocoa too! OMG WHY DON'T WE HAVE IT HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES :(((( *le sigh* Anyway, we headed back to the hotel after buying dinner. We chatted with Rach a bit (and had a couple of photo ops) before saying goodbye so she won't miss the train's last trip.

Matching PJ's ftw!

Then it's time to finally settle down and have dinner. It was only then that I noticed the hotel provided everything we need: sleepwear, bedroom slippers, headbands, toothbrushes, glasses, bubble bath soap, wash towel (my favorite), thermos, Japanese cable TV, and free WiFi. See, EVERYTHING!!! If this is what we get for booking a cozy hotel room, then we should do this more often! Definitely recommended for family trips.

After quickly changing into all the free stuff we got, it was time for dinner. I may have forgotten how one-way train tickets work but I sure didn't forget how to properly peel off the onigiri packaging. Ugh I'm salivating right now as I type this. I was so full after finishing one onigiri, half a cup of Nissin noodles, and a carton of Van Houten Cocoa but I wanted more! Good thing, it was so cold outside that I didn't run back to Lawson. Hehe

After dinner, it was finally time to call it a day. I probably had the best sleep ever thanks to our lovely hotel. After sending mom a message on FB, instagramming things and washing up, we were ready to hit the sack. USJ tomorrow! Can't wait! :D


* Hisashiburi desu ne (ひさしぶりですね) is something you say to someone you haven't seen for a long time. It roughly translates to "Long time, no see" or "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

**Sachanubi is a term that resulted from our last Japan trip. I was asking Nee-chan the Japanese word for something when she replied with "sachanubi." I kept wondering for a while before I realized she was saying "Such a noob/newbie." I guess I turned Japanese for a moment there, eh?

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Traveling party: Daddy, Karly, Nee-chan (organizer), and Sera
Travel date: April 9, 2013 [Day 0]
Photo credits: Karl