BLOG -- My Awesome Thing

So... I mentioned in my previous blog that something awesome happened to me recently. Now I can share what it is. Some may not view this as awesome, but I certainly do, and I'm very excited. Well... I'm going to Japan again! Wooot!!~~~ 

I've always had plans on going to Japan this year, but I wasn't completely sure if it was happening due to certain circumstances. But a couple weeks ago, one of my co-worker friends linked me to a pretty nice deal for a roundtrip flight to Japan. Hearing that such deals are limited, I took advantage of it right away.

I couldn't really blog about it last week because I was a bit rash and bought the flight tickets before my vacation request was approved... >__>'' I put through the request right after buying the tickets and I even spoke to my boss about it... but it didn't get officially approved until this past week.

I'll be leaving for Japan around late April and returning mid May -- so it's about 18 days. I already have plans to visit two areas (meaning I booked two hotels). Now I just have to figure out exactly what to do while I'm there.

I know for sure that there will be some places / foods I experienced from my last trip that I'll want to experience again (that dango from 7-11... the melon-filled melon bread... the takoyaki... mmmmm... <3). I was hoping to visit the Ghibli Museum this time, but... the admission tickets for those months are already sold out. :(

Of the new things I want to experience, this is what I just HAVE to experience (click on the link to see -- if you aren't too far in the series, DON'T scroll down or you may see a spoiler)! I'm talking about riding the Thousand Sunny. If I can experience that, I'll be so happy ~~~~ <3 Hahaha, I'm such a nerd... :)

Another thing I will try to experience is the cherry blossom-viewing. I am going while some areas are in bloom, though I want to see the petals falling more... hopefully I will be able to see both! ;)

Now, I have to decide on a couple things:

1. Do I want / need to purchase a JR Pass?
2. Do I want / need to rent a pocket WiFi?

A JR Pass is a pass you can buy that allows transit around Japan on most lines at no additional cost. It's worth getting if you plan on travelling to many different areas in a short period of time. The last time I went to Japan, I stayed in Tokyo for the whole time so I didn't need it. For comparison's sake, my total transportation expenses for that last trip ended up being 6,212 yen. A JR Pass, according to Wikipedia, costs 38,880 yen for 7 days. It's... quite pricey, in my opinion. Edit: I was looking at the wrong price. 38,880 yen is the price for the Green car. A standard JR Pass costs 29,110 yen for 7 days, which... actually makes it worth getting for my trip.

I'm only thinking about possibly getting one is because my trip to the first hotel will cost around 10,000-something yen... and then my trip to the second hotel will cost around 10,000-something yen. So already I will be spending over 20,000 yen for two days. I'm just wondering if I will be able to travel enough in between to make the pass worth it.

As for renting a pocket WiFi... well... I won't have my phone get hit with roaming charges again! But... accessing WiFi should still be okay, and it may be good to have that access at all times in case I get lost or I need to look up something... I just have to figure out how much it would cost to rent one and if that cost is worth it. 



And that's it for this blog!

If you have any suggestions of places I should check out or foods to eat in Japan, feel free to let me know. If I can fit it into my schedule (I will totally plan some kind of itinerary), I might check it out.

For anybody curious about my last time in Japan and hasn't read it, here is the first blog entry for it:
http://ironixgirl.blogspot.ca/2014/05/blog-my-trip-to-japan-prelude-plane.html


Thanks for reading! Take care and have an awesome week :)