Konnichiwa! It's been four months since me and my husband visited Tokyo, Japan. It's an unexpected trip because the flight tickets from Manila to Japan were really high. God really has planned this trip for us. 😃
We booked our flights in mid-October, just in time after Japan announced that they opened their borders for international tourist travelers. If you're a Filipino traveler, just take note that it's better to get a tourist visa first before booking your flight. I posted our experience on my previous blog post. You can check it here. So after that, we prepared our requirements for visa processing. Fortunately, our visas were approved. I allotted two months to finalize our itinerary.
» How To Get There? «
Major airlines operate directly and connecting to Tokyo, Japan. From the Philippines, you can choose between Cebu Pacific Air, Philippine Airlines, Japan Airlines, ANA, AirAsia and Jetstar. We chose the first one, Cebu Pacific Air.
» Travel Requirements «
Here are the requirements (as of December 13, 2022) that we prepared prior to our trip:
- Valid passport with valid visa
- Valid Government IDs
- VaxCert / BOQ Yellow Card (2 doses with 1 booster)
- Confirmed hotel booking
- Roundtrip Tickets
- Travel Insurance - We chose Pacific Cross for our trip.
- 3 QR codes (Quarantine, Immigration and Customs) from Visit Japan Web - Be sure to register on the website or via app. This will ensure for "Fast Track" procedures when entering to Japan.
» Where to Stay? «
We booked our hotel accommodation via Agoda. We stayed in Hotel Wing International Premium Shibuya. I posted our experience in my previous post. I do recommend this hotel because of its location. I prefer staying in Shibuya or Shinjuku area if staying in Tokyo.
» Japan Currency «
Japan uses the currency Japanese Yen (JPY). I highly suggest to avoid exchanging money at the airport because the fees are not competitive. For hassle-free transaction, we exchanged our money through Philippine bank. Take note that banks have difference policies. It's better to reserve it weeks before your flight. Based on others, it's okay to withdraw at ATMs inside the convenience stores. We didn't try it though.
» How We Stay Connected? «
On my previous travels, I often uses Globe roaming service. But this time, we opt for a pocket WiFi, Sakura Mobile. I will share my experience in my next blog post.
» Attractions «
Below are the places that we've been to:
Tokyo DisneySea (Bought tickets from KKDay at Php 7,204 for 2 pax)
Hachikō Memorial Statue (Shibuya) (Just across from Shibuya Crossing - No entrance fee)
Shibuya Sky (Bought tickets from Klook at Php 1,456 for 2 pax)
Gundam Factory Yokohama (Bought tickets at the gate counter (via walk-in). It costs us JPY 3,300 for 2 pax)
Akihabara (Go here if you're an Anime fan. Lots of anime stuffs!!!)
Asakusa (I think it's better to go here at night because it's not crowded but there's no entrance fee)
Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway (Bought a JR Tokyo Wide Pass from Klook at Php 7,484.40 for 2 pax. Bought Mt Fuji Sightseeing Bus tickets, which costs JPY 2,800 per pax and it includes unlimited bus ride, a roundtrip cable car ride and a boat ride. Unfortunately, we didn't ride a boat and we only opt for a bus ride and a cable car ride.)
Pokemon Center (No entrance fee)
Nintendo Center (No entrance fee but you need to get a timeslot pass from their staffs)
Tokyo Mega Illumination (Bought tickets from KKDay at Php 944 for 2 pax)
» Where to Eat? «
Below are the restaurants that we dined in:
Ichiran Ramen (Shibuya)
Vulcania Restaurant (Tokyo DisneySea)
Din Tai Fung (Shibuya Scramble Square)
Yakiniku Like (Akihabara branch & Shibuya branch)
Everybody Love Steak (Shinjuku)
Yoshinoya (Shibuya)
» Full Itinerary «
Below are our itinerary for our 6-day Tokyo, Japan trip:
December 13, 2023
2:00 pm - 7:20 pm - Flight from Manila (NAIA Terminal 3) to Tokyo (Narita International Airport Terminal 2)
8:30 pm - Ready for Narita Express train ride from airport to Shibuya station.
8:47 pm - Departure from airport to Shibuya station.
10:00 pm - Arrived in Shibuya Station.
10:30 pm - Arrived at our hotel.
11:21 pm - Late dinner at Ichiran Ramen.
December 14, 2023
9:00 am - Breakfast at McDonalds Shibuya
10:50 am - 7:00 pm - Tokyo DisneySea
DisneySea Electric Railway
Undersea Observatory (Turtle Talk)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Venetian Gondolas
Sinbad's Storybook Voyage
Jasmine's Flying Carpet
Mermaid Lagoon Theater
Toy Story Mania
12:00 pm - Lunch at Vulcania Restaurant (Tokyo DisneySea)
9:30 pm - Photo-ops with Hachiko
10:00 pm - Dinner at Ichiran Ramen
December 15, 2023
9:00 am - Breakfast at McDonalds Shibuya
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Shibuya Sky
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Lunch at Din Tai Fung (Shibuya Scramble Square)
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Gundam Factory Yokohama
4:45 pm - 6:30 pm - Akihabara
6:30 pm - Dinner at Yakiniku Like (Akihabara)
8:00 pm - Asakusa
December 16, 2023
9:00 am - Breakfast at McDonalds Shibuya
10:30 am - Pick-up Tokyo Wide Pass at JR Ueno Station
11:30 am - Bound to Mt Fuji
2:00 pm - Bought Sightseeing Ticket (comes with bus ticket, cable car ride, and boat ride)
3:00 pm - Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
6:30 pm - Bound to Shinjuku
8:30 pm - Dinner at Everybody Love Steak (Shinjuku)
December 17, 2023
Supposedly this day will be our trip to Gala Yuzawa Snow Resort but the trip was cancelled because of lack of snow so we opt this day as shopping day. We also included a side trip to Tokyo Mega Illumination in the evening and booked it last minute via KKDay.
10:00 am - Pokemon Center (Parco Mall)
11:00 am - Nintendo Center (Parco Mall)
2:30 pm - Late lunch at Yakiniku Like (Shibuya)
💖💖💖 Shopping day 💖💖💖
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Tokyo Mega Illumination
December 18, 2023
10:30 am - Brunch at Yoshinoya (Shibuya)
12:00 pm - Returned our rented pocket wifi device at the nearest post office
1:00 pm - Late checkout at hotel
8:35 pm - 12:45 am - Supposedly our flight from Tokyo to Manila but the airline notified me via email that it was moved to 10:05 pm.
10:05 pm - 2:15 am - Flight from Tokyo (Narita International Airport Terminal 2) to Manila (NAIA Terminal 3)
