Shibuya is one of the most popular areas of Tokyo. It is the center of youth fashion and culture. It is also famous of its crowded and busiest pedestrian crossing, Shibuya Crossing.

One of the reasons I chose to stay here because it is lively and modern. What I also love about here is it's very accessible to the major train stations. If you will ride a Narita Express train from Narita International Airport (Terminal 2), it's just 2 stops away (Shibuya Station).

» Hotel Wing International Premium Shibuya «

Hotel Wing International Premium Shibuya is a 3-star business hotel located in Shibuya district. The hotel is just 500 meters away from Shibuya Crossing, which makes it accessible. The hotel participates "COOL CHOICE", a nation-wide campaign for sustainability.

» Booking Procedure «

You can book through its website https://www.hotelwing.co.jp/shibuya/en/. We booked through Agoda for a better hotel deal.

» Rooms «

The hotel has 9 floors and 186 rooms to choose from. We booked a standard double room for our 6 days stay.

Here are the list of the room types:

Deluxe Twin Room - 27 m² room size / 2 single beds (smoking and non-smoking)

Standard Twin Room - 21 m² / 2 single beds (smoking and non-smoking)

Deluxe Double Room - 16 m² / 1 double bed (smoking and non-smoking)

Standard Double Room - 15 m² / 1 double bed (smoking and non-smoking)

Standard Single Room - 15 m² / 1 single bed (smoking and non-smoking)

All rooms include:

Air-conditioning
Air purifier
Linens / pajamas / slippers
Complimentary High-speed WiFi / Internet / Telephone /
Flat screen TV
Shower / Bathtub / Japanese-style toilet
Bathroom toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body wash)
Towels
Clothes rack
Electric kettle

Here's the preview of our standard double room:

This was the view outside our room (just across Parco Mall Shibuya):

» Amenities / Services «

24-hour front desk. All of their receptionists are friendly and easy to communicate with. We arrived in late evening around 11:00 pm and we were accommodated well.

Fast check-in / check-out. After checking the system and settling the Japanese local tax of 100 yen per pax, they gave us the electronic keys of our room.

Affordable extension of hotel check-out. We requested for a late check-out of 1:00 pm so we can have a lunch first. It costs 1000 yen per hour.

Room cleaning. They will clean the room every 3 days during the stay.

No amenities in the rooms. As part of their sustainability campaign, they didn't provide amenities in the rooms BUT the guests are free to take some from the amenities corner in the lobby.

Weighing scale in the lobby. What I love about this hotel is they provided this for guests. It's good that before we check-out, we're aware on the weight of our luggages especially we did lots of shopping.

» My TripAdvisor Review «

» Info «

Hotel Classification: 3-star hotel

Website: https://www.hotelwing.co.jp/shibuya/en/

Address: 〒150-0042 4-3 Udagawacho, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150-0042 Japan

Contact Number: +81-3-3461-2773
Nearby Station: Shibuya Station (Exit A6a or Exit A6b)

Check-in from: 2:00 PM

Check-out until: 11:00 AM

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I booked our accommodation using our own money.

» Overall «

After our 6-day stay in Hotel Wing International Premium Shibuya, we're satisfied with our experience. The hotel is clean and nice. It's also accessible to transportation as well as shopping malls and restaurants. I definitely recommend this hotel.

Monday, February 27, 2023 No comments

Japan is one of my dream countries to travel. I love to see the beauty of it, which I only see in the magazine or internet.

Hence, this was my third visa application after my US visa application. I will only share my personal experience.

» Step 1. Determine your visa type. «

Here are the visa types available:

Tourist visa (single or multiple)
Visiting friends/relatives
Commercial visa (single or multiple)
Visa application with Certificate of Elligibility
Visa for family of Japanese w/ Long Term Visa Status in the Philippines
Attendees of Conferences/Events/Company Meetings
Transit visa
Invited by US Military
Foreign Passport Holder
Re-Entry Permit
Nikkeijin (Japanese Descendant)

Note: This guide is for single entry and for tourism purposes only (without guarantor).

» Step 2. Prepare the required documents. «

Here are the documents that me and my husband prepared:

Passport (with holder's signature)

Application Form (with passport-size photo attached)

Birth Certificate (issued by PSA within 1 year)

Marriage Certificate (issued by PSA within 1 year) ***if applicable

Itinerary in Japan

As employees, me and my husband will personally shoulder our expenses. Here are the additional requirements:

Bank certificate
Photocopy of Income Tax Return (BIR Form 2316)

» Step 3. Choose an accredited travel agency to process your visa application. «

The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines does not accept direct visa application. You need to submit your visa application through their accredited travel agencies listed on their website.

Here are the list:

Universal Holidays - Makati Branch
Discovery Tour, Inc - Makati Branch, Cebu Branch, and Davao Branch
Rajah Travel Corporation - Makati Branch and Manila Branch
Reli Tours & Travel Agency - Makati Branch, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Antel Branch, SM South Mall and Binondo Branch
Attic Tours - Roxas Blvd Manila, SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Southmall, SM Megamall, SM Clark, SM Cebu, SM Davao
Friendship Tours and Resorts Corporation - Makati Branch and Cebu Branch

For us, we opt for Friendship Tours and Resorts Corporation, which is located in 3/F Dusit Thani Manila, Makati City, Philippines. The Japan visa is free but the handling fee costs Php 1,200.

» Step 4. Wait for the RESULTS of your visa application. «

Me and my husband submitted our visa application on Thursday, November 10, 2022. We were advised that the processing time will take 7 business days.

Fortunately, it took us 3 business days. The travel agency submitted our visa application on Friday, November 11, 2022. We received a text message from them that our passports are ready to pick-up on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. I got our passports back on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. Voila! We were approved!

Note: This guide is based on my personal experience. This is not a sponsored post.

Wednesday, December 21, 2022 No comments

Thursday, November 17, 2022 No comments

Hello. It's been two months since we visited Kuala Lumpur. It's my Mom's birthday so we celebrated hers. I posted a blog entry on our short trip. You can find it here.

» ANSA Hotel Kuala Lumpur «

ANSA Hotel Kuala Lumpur is a 4-star hotel located in the heart of Bukit Bintang. It is managed by Berjaya Hotels and Resorts. It is perfectly situated along with the malls Fahrenheit 88, Pavilion Mall, Lot 10 as well as walking distance from Bukit Bintang MRT Station and KL Hop-On Hop-Off & Go KL City Bus.

» Booking Procedure «

We booked thru its website https://www.ansahotels.com/kualalumpur/. The hotel booking is also available in third-party hotel booking sites such as Agoda.com, Booking.com and so on.

Note: They accept debit/credit cards when booking online. But check also you card provider if possible.

» Rooms «

The hotel has 167 rooms to choose from and there are 10 room types:

Superior Room - 25 m² room size with queen-size bed
ANSA Superior Room - updated 25 m² room size with queen-size bed
Deluxe Room - 32 m² room size with king-size bed or a twin-size bed
ANSA Deluxe Room - 32 m² room size with king-size bed or a twin-size bed
Executive Room - 40 m² room size with king-size bed and 1 single bed
ANSA Executive Room - minimal aesthetics 40 m² room size with king-size bed
ANSA Executive Quadroom - updated 40 m² room size with king-size bed, 1 super king-sized sofa bed
Suite - 70 m² room size with king-size bed, a separate living room and a bath tub
ANSA Suite - updated 70 m² room size with super king-size bed, a separate living room and a bath tub
Tri-Executive Room - 70 m² room size with king-size bed and single bed.

All air-conditioned rooms include:

personal bath and shower
iron and ironing board
complimentary Wi-Fi access
32-inch flat screen TV
safe deposit box
telephone
coffee and tea facilities
personal care set
clothes rack

We stayed in Tri-Executive Room because we're family of 3 pax. The assigned room to us was nice. Here's the preview of our room:

» Facilities and Services «

24-hour front desk. All of their receptionist are friendly and easy to communicate with.

Fast check-in / check-out. The receptionist checked my passport as well my credit card. I filled out some forms and he handled the electronic key.

ANSA Walk. Outside the hotel, it is filled with international selection of services such from food to attractions such as Starbucks, 7-Eleven, KOI The, The Baker's Cottage, Rollney, Juicy, MH Din Money Changer, Soloist Hair Salon, Caring Pharmacy, Hurley, Eco Ring, Floversary, Museum of Illusions and Musee Platinum Tokyo.

» My TripAdvisor Review «

» Info «

Website: https://www.ansahotels.com/kualalumpur/

Address: No. 101, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

E-mail Address: reservation@ansahotels.com

Nearby: Pavilion Mall, Fahrenheit Mall, Bukit Bintang MRT Station

Check-in from: 3:00 PM

Check-out until: 12:00 PM

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I booked our accommodation using my own money.

» Overall «

We stayed here from September 2 (dawn) to September 3 (evening) of 2022. I booked our stay from September 1 to 4, 2022 with their promo Family City Break. The nightly stay is not too pricey and I think it's worth it. Imagine after going out from the hotel, you can conveniently access the major malls and restaurants. The location is really perfect. The hotel room is clean and comfortable, too. I do recommend this hotel.