Japan has never been in my travel list. I mean,it'll be the last country I'll visit after the rest. I've seen documentaries on TV but never had I had the interest to go there. Until I met Juan. See, Juan is a BIGGGGG fan of Manga comics, Gundam thingy which I will never understand what makes these characters sooooo interesting. I just find it boring.

We bought our flight tickets last year, 9 months before our departure. But our 'real' preparation took place only 3 months before our fly date. Yeap, you heard me, 3 months before. We thought, since we're visiting Japan, might as well we cross 3 prefectures in one go. Therefore, my blog post will be divided into a few series. Places of interest, transportation system and accomodation. The first one will be our first stop, Osaka.

Mind you that our trip is a backpacking trip that exclude shopping budget and it depends on the currency exchange too.

Our flight started from PNG-KL-KIX-KL-PNG. The flight from KL-KIX took about 6 hours 15 minutes. I was bored to death on board. I couldn't really sleep so I was just doing people watching :-)

PNG-KL-PNG RM267.60 for two

KL-KIX-KL RM1,630 for two

JR rail tickets RM1,070 x 2= RM2,140

*If you plan to travel from Osaka/Kyoto to Tokyo, then I'll suggest that you purchase the JR Rail Pass as Tokyo will use a lot of this pass. It saves you a lot and convenient. You can also opt for the Shinkansen bullet train or the local train to get to Tokyo. You may get it here

We arrived KIX airport late night and the last train to the city was about 11.40pm. So we had to sleep in the airport and catch the first train the next morning. We took the local train (brief stops a few small stations) from KIX - Tennoji - Temmabashi where our apartment was located. The ride took about an hour. You can also opt to take the express train (this train will not stop at any small stations) which will go directly to Osaka station before you changed train to your destination. Ask the station master or information counter if you're unsure.

Tips: Google the place you want to go, if the local does not speak English, show them the place you want to go and they'll show you the way.

Train ticket from KIX - Temmabashi 240 yen x 2. It can bought from the ticket machine in front of the airport as you step outside at 2nd floor (Arrival floor)

Visiting Japan means a lot of walking is involved. I advise you to have a good workout prior to your trip. Because different companies run the metro, subway and train system, you have to walk for a distance when it comes to changing trains. It doesn't work like the Singapore MRT system.

You do not need to apply for visa to Japan. It's a arrival on visa system where they will issue you a stamped visa upon your arrival at the immigration counter. From 1st July 2013, the Government of Japan has decided to abolish the requirement of short-term visa for Malaysian Nationals who hold ordinary biometric passports with embedded microchip that is compliant with ICAO standards (issued since February 2010) who wish to enter Japan for short-term stay. Each arrival on visa can be used up to 3 months of stay.