How to fully utilize your Kansai Thru Pass 3 Day Pass

Some people commented that it is not worth buying KTP. However, you can save a lot by using the Kansai Thru Pass if you did your research.

It is never wise to use KTP if you plan to travel around Kyoto while staying at Kyoto. You have to travel across the prefecture to make it useful.

I used google map to plan my route as it will tell me how to get to the place using the rail and bus. However, I think physical map is quite useful but you have to know how to read a map well.

The thing about the Kansai Thru Pass is that you can leave as early as possible as the pass worked from 12:01am of the day till 11:59pm of the day. I start my journey quite early every day as I wanted to avoid the crowd at the tourist place.
 

To make sure that you fully utilize the pass, you have to spend an average of 1670Y per day.

If you follow my itinerary well, you can easily save up to 4560Y (Appx 50 USD).

I paid 5000 Yen for a 3 Days Kansai Thru Pass but I've actually spent at least 9560Yen in total! How awesome is that?

Here’s how I did it.

Day 1: Osaka-Arashiyama-Takao-Osaka (2340Yen)

Osaka- Arashiyama  

Shinsaibashi station – Umeda Stn                                                               230Y

Umeda Stn (Hankyu) – Interchange at Katsura Station – Arashiyama Stn 390Y
 

Arashiyama- Takao  

Arashiyama Randen Stn – Randentenjingawa Stn                                      200Y

Randentenjingawa Stn – Takao by Bus #8 at Platform A                            400Y

Takao-Osaka

Takao- Karasuma Stn by bus #8                                                                 500Y

Karasuma Stn –Tengachaya Stn                                                                390Y

Tengachaya Stn-Shinsaibashi Stn                                                              230Y

Subway around Osaka
 

If you travel from Arashiyama to Takao without KTP, you will need to pay extra for the bus fare as Takao is not included in the route of the 500Yen bus pass.

Day 2: Osaka-Koyasan-Osaka-Kyoto-Osaka (3680 Yen)

 

If you study the Kansai map, Kyoto is at the north of Osaka while Koyasan (Wakayama) is at the South of Osaka. It wasn’t as rush as I’ve expected but if you want to do this, you have to start the journey around 7am. Journey to Mount Koya will take approximately 2 hrs one way.
 

The best thing about travelling in Koyasan by using the KTP is that the cable car and bus fare is included in KTP. Hence, basically, you just need to pay for your food. If you are lazy, you can travel from one sight to another sight by bus. But, this is not necessary as Koyasan is quite small and it is very nice to walk around.

 

Osaka-Koyasan

Osaka-Nanba                                                                                                                    200Y

Nanba (platform 4) - change train at Hashimoto (platform 5) to Gokurakubashi Stn (platform 4)    850Y

Gokurakubashi Stn – Koyasan Stn                                                                                   380Y

Koyasan Stn – sights at Mount Koya by bus                                                         (200Y per trip)

Koyasan-Osaka 1430Y

(return the same way)

Osaka-Kyoto  

Shinsaibashi Stn-Kyobashi Stn                                                                                    230Y

Kyobashi Stn –Shichijo Stn                                                                                          390Y

Shichijo Stn- Hana Hostel by bus                                                                                 200Y

I used the Keihan Main Line instead of JR. What’s the point of paying extra anyway? 
P/S : JR Osaka-Kyoto cost 540Y one way
 

Mistake: KTP & Kyoto bus pass can only be used on the green color city bus! You can’t use it on Princess Line or whatsoever. I made this mistake and paid 200Y extra

 

I stayed at Hana Hostel Kyoto. I did ask the hostel staff if I can get to their hostel by using KTP. They recommended JR Line which cost 600Y for a one way ticket. But, I managed to find out that I can actually get to Kyoto via Keihan Main Line and use the local bus to the Kyoto Station.

You can actually take the city bus from Keihan Main Line Station to Kyoto Station using the city bus!

Day 3: Kyoto-Osaka-Kurama-Kibune-Osaka
 

Kyoto-Osaka

Shinsaibashi Stn-Kyobashi Stn                 230Y

Kyobashi Stn –Shichijo Stn                       390Y

Shichijo Stn- Hana Hostel by bus              200Y

Osaka-Kurama

Shinsaibashi Stn – Yodoyabashi Stn         200Y

Yodoyabashi Stn –Demachiyanagi Stn     460Y

Demachiyanagi Stn- Kurama Stn              410Y
 

I wanted to try out the hiking trail from Kurama-> Kibune but the local advise me not to as I was alone. You can either walk from Kurama Station to Kurama Jinja (Steep Slope and stairs) or take the cable car. I choose to walk as I will miss lots of place if I were to use the cable car. I walked up and took the cable car back to Kurama.
 

From Kurama, I took the train to Kibune Station   200Y

From Kibune, I took the bus to Kibune Jinja         160Y

Well, you can walk if you are not using KTP. It is around 1-2km from the bus station.

Kibune-Osaka

Kibune Jinja – Kibune guchi Eki               160Y

Kibuneguchi Eki – Demachiyanagi Stn     410Y

Demachiyanagi Stn –Yodoyabashi Stn     460Y

Yodoyabashi – Shinsaibashi Stn               200Y

Where to buy the pass?

You can get it at Kansai airport or Tourist Information Center. For more information, please click here.  

Kansai 10D9N Itinerary 关西十天行程

Hello readers!

Going to Kansai but don't know where to start?

You will be pleased to know that we are sharing our Kansai 10D9N itinerary!

We've covered 4 places namely Osaka, Kyoto, Mount Koya and Kurama. It might look simple but we have spent a lot of our time on our research. We can tell you what to do in Kansai if you have 10 days, where to go in Kansai and how we saved on our transportation.

If you love what you are reading, please help us to share our love around ;) 

Day 1

Arrive at Kansai International Airport (KIX). Got my Osaka Unlimited Pass & Kansai Thru Pass at the visitor counter.

Checked in at Osaka Hana Hostel.

The main idea was to travel around Osaka, using Osaka Unlimited Pass (OUP) on the first 2 days as I have to use the pass for 2 days consecutively. Due to time constrain, I only went to places with free admission:

Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

Cruise Ship Santa Maria

Tempozan Ferris Wheel

HEP 5 Ferries Wheel

Floating Garden Observatory

Tombori River Cruise

Day 2

Osaka Castle Museum

Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden

Osaka Museum of History
Shintennoji Temple
Tennoji Zoo
Natural Hot Spring Naniwa no Yu

Tsutenkaku Tower*

Additional place: Shinseikai and Shinsaibashi (Not included in OUP)

Day 3

Traveled out of the city for two interesting museum:

Instant Ramen Museum- you can make your own cup noodle for 300Y.

Asahi Beer Museum- you will be introduced to the whole beer process making and get 3 free drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages) at the end of the visit.

Explored Nanba Area

Day 4

Arashiyama & Takao

Tenjinbashisuji Walking Street

Day5

Mount Koya

Then traveled to Kyoto for the following 2 days.

Day 6

Fushimi Inari ,Tofukuji, Kiyomizudera Temple, Higashiyama Walking Tour, Gion

Day7

Philosopher Path Walking Tour, Nishiki Market,  Imohe Temple

Day 8

Back in Osaka

Kurama & Kibune

Day 9

Kuramon Market

Minoo Park

Shinseikai & Shinsaibashi area

Day 10
Back to Malaysia


*Didn't managed to go up as the queue was very long and the waiting time was 1 hour. You should make Tsutenkaku Tower the first thing to do in Osaka during weekends.

Details will be up soon!

Travelling Solo

I never thought of doing solo backpacking this year.
However, after listening to my friend's experience in Japan, I have the courage to do the exactly same trip as her.
The opportunity came as MAS was having promotion and I booked the ticket on the very last day!
The trip won't be a success without the help of ryn and my friend.

So, how was it?
It was great! *Except that nobody will be there to help you take picture*

My friends were telling me how great it is to have the courage to travel alone. It wasn't difficult until you finally do it. Frankly speaking, I met a more girls  who travelled alone compared to guys during my trip. I think girls nowadays do have more courage than guys ;)

One thing about travelling alone is you have the flexibility of changing plans all the time. I don't know what will I be doing the next day until late evening when I have time to do some research about it. Moreover, you will find it easier to listen to the advice of other travelers and make changes to your plan. Anyway, the only person you need to ask is yourself.

Another thing which I enjoy very much about travelling alone is the absolute freedom. I get to follow my rhythm, desires and my pace.  I think I'm already addicted to the feeling of it. <3

Trust your gut feelings all the time! If you feel like going to the park today, you should just do it. I learned a lot about trusting myself and my gut feelings. I always find something awesome by trusting my gut feelings.

However, it is always good to take safety measure especially when you are a girl.  It's good to check out hostel reviews and some feedback from Trip Advisor beforehand. Imagine arriving in the city at late night without pre-book accommodation, it is always wiser to have a few backup plans in hand. I have learned my lesson well in Vietnam last week. If you are planning to visit during the peak season, always book your accommodation earlier.

Remember, always keep a low profile. You won't want to attract unnecessary attention from pickpockets and etc. Safety should come first before anything else.

Tell us why do you like about travelling solo!


P/S: If you are still thinking if you should travel alone, just do it! You will be glad that you make the decision =)

Trip planning 101

I'm not sure if this is something to do with age. But, I can't handle tedious planning anymore. I hate reading the same information again and again (because everyone is writing about the same thing) while hoping that someone has a totally different experience. It's nice to have their advice in mind but I would prefer to write my version of stories.

I tried to plan for my first solo backpacking trip but it didn't work. I managed to find some information about Kansai and book my accommodation. I didn't know where I was going until I reach Japan. One thing about travelling during peak season is that always pre-book your hotel beforehand unless you have extra cash to spend.

Here's one you can do to avoid disappointment
#1 Read and have a brief idea on places which you can go

#2 Talk to travelers at your guesthouse.
This is very useful if you are visiting during spring or autumn. They will tell you where are the places worth going.

#3 Talk to the tourist information center.
I meant the official one but not the tour agency. It's always better to refer to Trip Advisor compared to the tour agency.

#4 Read up blogs from people who has similar interest as you.
As for most people, they might think that visiting a tropical fruit plantation or the Orang Utan sanctuary is interesting because they don't have it in their country. As for a Malaysian like me, I have seen all of these since young and I don't really bother going to these places.

#5 Check the weather
It is very important to have the correct outfit especially the weather can be quite different throughout the country or region.


What are your planning tips?

Blue Fire at Ijen Crater

Hey guys!

Sorry for lack in updates.  I just came back from Indonesia and I initially wanted to post this video on FB. Then, I realize that "Hey, why not blog about it and let everyone know about this?" According to Hendra (Indonesian), blue fire is a rare phenomena which only happens in Ijen Crater and Mexico.

Blue fire is resulted from the combustion of liquid sulphur with fire. The molten sulphur burns after it drips from the stone and ceramic pipes that have condensed the sulphuric gases from the volcano into liquid. This will then cool down and harden to yellow block so that it will be collected by the miners.

We realize that it is a very good opportunity to do the blue fire trip together with the sunrise trip. The only down side is we have to start the journey at 1am in the morning! We reach the base at around 1:40am and start hiking. You will definitely need a good pair of shoes and lots of clothes and the temperature is pretty low. You might need a walking stick to gain some support as the slope is pretty steep. To witness blue fire and sunrise, you will need to hire a local guide as it is pretty dangerous to hike in the dark. However, no guide is needed if you decide to hike during the day.

We were told that the entrance fee is Rp 27,000 but they made us pay Rp50,000 each. I'm not sure if this is a tourist scam or we have to pay extra because of the blue fire. By the way, we are already paying Rp200,000 extra per person in addition to the tour (Rp500,000). The tourist who joined 3D2N Bromo+Ijen tour paid only Rp650,000 (Transportation and hotel included). I definitely paid extra than the rest but it was worth it!

I didn't get to take good pictures as the sulphur smoke keep coming out from the lake. But here's a short video taken by using Canon Ixus 100.


More sunrise post will be coming up next! I promise!