My Japan Travel Snaps (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto)

[Pinoy]

Spent 11D/10N in Japan recently, covering Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Summary of my itinerary as follows, for those who might be interested:

Day 1: Arrived in Tokyo at 7.30am. Took the Narita Express to Shinjuku. After checking in at Rose Garden Hotel Shinjuku, walked around in Shinjuku.
Day 2: Full day at Hakone. It rained non-stop the whole day, from Tokyo to Hakone and back.
Day 3: Visited Asakusa. Took the Tokyo River Cruise to Odaiba. Walk around in Odaiba.
Day 4: Visited Imperial Palace/Garden, Yasukuni Shrine, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku & Shibuya
Day 5: Tokyo Disneyland
Day 6: Tokyo Disney Sea.
Day 7: Took Shinkansen to Osaka. Checked in at Hotel Villa Fontaine Shinsaibashi. Visited Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquarium)
Day 8: Full day at Universal Studios. Ended up in Dotonbori later on while looking for ramen. :bsmilie:
Day 9: Went to Kyoto. Visited Kinkaku-ji, Ryoanji Temple and Gion
Day 10: Visited Osaka Castle. Went back to Kyoto to visit Kiyomizudera.
Day 11: Took 11am return flight to Singapore.

Gears wise, I brought along Canon 40D and 4 lenses (Sigma 30mm f1.4, EFS 10-22, EF 24-70 and EF 70-200 f4). Ended up shooting mostly using 10-22, 24-70, 70-200 and 30mm (in order of usage). I also had with me a tripod which I ended up seldomly using coz it's not allowed in the 2 Disney Parks and some places in Kyoto.

Combined with a Panasonic TZ15 -- which my daughter used primarily -- we took close to 7k pictures. If my 40D didn't die on me in Kiyomizudera, would've shot more. Not bad I guess considering it's a family trip.

Anyway, off to the pictures. I haven't processed a lot so will just update accordingly (will not be following any sequence).

1. Osaka-jo, more popularly known as Osaka Castle

2. Busy Shinjuku

3. Kinkaku-ji Temple

4. Walt & his most famous creation

:Later,

 

[Pinoy]

5. Our just landed bird at Narita. If you are taking the A380, pick the window seat at the upper deck. It has a nifty/handy stow away area that you'd appreciate.

6. Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios (We did this, in winter and it's freaking cold! LOL).

7. Mickey at DisneySea

8. Uncle Carl

9. Beginning of a new day. Somewhere near or within Japan airspace.

:Later,

 

[KY1977]

Great! :thumbsup: More pls.

 

[jaychuah]

wow! this looks great! You followed a tour group or you travel on your own? May i know around how much is needed for such trip in Japan?

 

[DinoSG]

nice..yeah more pls..

 

[MachIII]

Hi,

A few months ago, from the planning stage till now a successful trip. Great to know that you and your family enjoyed the trip.

By the way, i see some hdr photos in the lot. Great pictures here. :thumbsup:

 

[Pinoy]

Thanks all.

wow! this looks great! You followed a tour group or you travel on your own? May i know around how much is needed for such trip in Japan?

Like my other trips, this is DIY.

Just to give you an idea of the costs:
- N'EX + Suica: 3,500 Yen. Basically, 1 way train trip from Narita Airport to Tokyo via Narita Express and a Suica card (like EZLink) that comes pre-loaded with 1,500 Yen (and 500 Yen deposit).
- Multi-City ticket with Singapore Airlines: S$685 (Sin-Tokyo-Osaka-Sin). You can get cheaper tickets through other airlines.. but in our case, we wanted to try out the A380.
- 2 Days Disney Passport: 10,000 Yen
- Universal Studios Japan: 5,800 Yen (you'll have to fork out an additional 3,700 Yen for the Universal Express Pass)
- Tokyo-Osaka via Shinkansen: 10,000 Yen (Puratto Kodama Economy Plan)
- 2 Days Hakone Freepass: 5,000 Yen (you'll have to pay up 870 yen per way if you want to upgrade to the Romance Car)
- Hotel in Tokyo: 10,000 Yen per night (you can get something cheaper. I picked Rose Garden coz it's near Shinjuku and it accepts 2 adults and 1 child)
- Hotel in Osaka: 8,200 Yen per night (again, you can get something cheaper. I picked Villa Fontaine Shinsaibashi because of its convenient location, it accepts 2 Adults & 1 Child and it comes with complimentary breakfast)

Meals will cost you about 300+ yen for a bento set from a convenience store (7-11, Lawson's etc). Some ramen shops has offerings at this price point too.

Hope the above helps. Japan is such a nice place. Hope to get back there soon.

:Later,

 

[tiger74]

Very beautiful shots. My wife and I are also planning to visit Japan next year. I bet she wants it more after looking at your photos :bsmilie:
Oh btw.. is it allowed to take picture from a flying plane?
Thanks :heart:

 

[rickygck]

Very beautiful shots. My wife and I are also planning to visit Japan next year. I bet she wants it more after looking at your photos :bsmilie:
Oh btw.. is it allowed to take picture from a flying plane?
Thanks :heart:

of course.

 

[Pinoy]

By the way, i see some hdr photos in the lot. Great pictures here.

Thanks. Yeah, #1 and #3 are HDR.

10. Bokeh-licious Harajuku

11. Some sight on our way to Tokyo from Narita, on board the Narita Express Train.

12. Universal Monsters Live Rock & Roll

13. In Gion, why did the dog...

14. Lots of bikes in Tokyo... if only I know somebody or somewhere where I can borrow one..

:Later,

 

[Pinoy]

15. Wanna light up? You have to be 20 and above to be able to get a pack from the vending machine though...

16. Posh and sprawling Tokyo Disneyland Hotel will greet you at JR Maihama Station. I wanted to stay here even for a night but the cost broke my heart... cheapest I could find was S$700+ for a night's stay IIRC.

17. Watch out! One big sight when you ride the Jurassic Park. Shot using my Panasonic TZ15 PnS coz as per staff's advise: You'll get wet.

18. What is that?

:Later,

 

[icemangrafx]

Nice shots... Like your scenic views thru your lens...

Regards,
Jay

 

[Shuin]

Nice series! I wish I could visit there next year too!

 

[Pinoy]

19. Swarm of baby (?) jellyfish in Kaiyukan

20. Towering buildings in Nishi-Shinjuku.

21. One of the buildings in Osaka Castle grounds

22. Christmas light up in Shinjuku

:Later,

 

[Charlietan]

awesome pictures :thumbsup: Making me feel like going to Japan, more pictures please!

 

[Pinoy]

Making me feel like going to Japan

You should. Thanks.

23. Kiyomizudera. This is the exact spot where my Canon 40D gave me an Err99:

24. Pretty. Wearing a traditional japanese dress, she stood out among the crowd in Kiyomizudera.

25. Don't play play. A ninja costumed cutie that wowed the crowd in Kiyomizudera.

26. Close encounter with a whale shark.

:Later,

 

[pinholecam]

Nice shots.
Make me feel like grabbing a ticket for CNY

Most of the shots were HDR?
How about #2 (HDR as well?), curious b'cause of the moving subjects.

 

[Pinoy]

Nice shots.
Make me feel like grabbing a ticket for CNY

Most of the shots were HDR?
How about #2 (HDR as well?), curious b'cause of the moving subjects.

Thanks. Grab a ticket now coz I read planet ticket prices are gonna rise soon.

Some images are in HDR but not #2. I intentionally used a slower shutter speed for that (1/20, handheld) so I can capture some movements.

:Later,

 

[solasido]

:thumbsup:

Wow, very nice pics! More please....

Maraming salamat for sharing, including the itinerary and cost involved

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Glad that u and ur family enjoyed the trip!!

You also track down all the expenses and cost for your whole trip.
Ur pocket must burn a big hole....:sweat:


but anyway the most important is enjoy
the trip.

Good job!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Ur family must be pround of you!!!
Btw nice pixs too!!!