3 days to trip~ News of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake widespread on social media while i was at work. really hope this will be the last bad news, for all the Japanese trying to pick themselves up and for our upcoming trip. to be honest, i don exactly know what to expect in Tokyo right now. I just hope the trip will go smoothly. ** On a lighter note..

i went to get the JR Pass today! Got this from Creative Tours (which shares the same shop front as JAL at Hong Leong Building)

The lady who served me was really friendly, her name is Mei Ling.

She brief me through the usage of the JR pass slowly and pass me tonnes of maps & flyers for Tokyo, Osaka & Kyoto. Not forgetting the handy guide with a list of emergency contact numbers.

There was this other guy who came looking for her to settle some passport clearance thingy, but even though we are done with my transaction, she didnt leave me to attend the guy until i finsih packing my bag to leave. She even give me a slight bow in true japanese spirit!

Best of all, if you pay by cash, she will give a 5% rebate. I didnt make use of this though, and paid by credit card, even if so, she gave me a discount of 3%. =)

2 JR pass cost me $830 dollars. Current exchange rate is about 1 SGD = 67.3 Yen.

I read somewhere before that the JR pass cost $440 after the rebate, guess we make a good deal from the depreciating yen rate.

Some tips for JR Pass:

1. When purchased, they will issue u a JR Voucher which u will need to exchange it at JR office. 2. The JR Voucher is NOT JR pass. 3. Once exchanged, it will not be refundable even if you don't use it 4. JR voucher can be refunded with a penalty of 15% & it needs to be refunded within a year from date of issue. 5. It is not transferable. 6. Bring along your passport when u travel as sometimes the guy at the control station will require u to show both passport n JR pass, although usually JR pass is sufficient. 7. Once lost, the JR voucher will not be reissued.