Tokyo.Sapporo.Obihiro. 11D10N Free & Easy. Budget breakdown & foreword

自从在2011年S&B去了一趟日本旅行后，就一直对日本念念不忘。。美食，风景，天气，虽然是和这次一样是4月底去的，但很幸运有看到美丽的樱花。。 话说当年我们俩还是一对新恋人。。也算是“蜜月旅行”吧（不是结婚那种啦！）．所以这一次能旧地重游也算是非常有意义啦！ 

虽然上一次我们俩都不是第一次游日本，但是还是觉得一切都好新奇！对我们来说，都是第一次自己排行程　（之前我都是跟家人，所以没骨气的都是跟团），所以就玩得特别开心啦．．撇掉那些 tourist traps, 寻找自己的隐藏版美食和attractions！ 

对那些不懂日语的人，自助旅游其实并不难。好多地方都会有中英日文，我们还碰到了到日本打工的台南，马来西亚的朋友等等，大家都非常亲切，帮了我们很多忙。多谢各位！其实很多日本朋友都会说中英文啦。。所以真的很简单。。 虽然小妹我学过基本的日语而已，其实也真的很好用，尤其是看菜单的时候，不过通常都是比手画脚和点指兵兵就混过去了。。^.^ 

而事隔两年，终于在去年底，SCOOT promo to Tokyo　的引诱下，买了东京的来回机票。也因为之前去过了京都和大阪，我就决定这次带Ｂ去北海道～　（第一次去北海道也是跟团，不过那地方真的太美了！像童话故事一样！）　起初花了好久去　convince Ｂ说要去北海道。。对那个 city kid 来说，北海道好像是个鸟不生　蛋的地方，好像只有山有水，没有ＷｉＦｉ！　（你看，知错了吧）所以唯一能骗到他的方法就是show他旅游节目啊，部落格的介绍之类的。。当然是以“美食”为主！

 之后，他也就半信半疑的答应了。。 那就是我们苦等５个月的东京北海道１１日之旅的开始！ 只要一有空就就和坐在我后面的日本达人兼同事聊一聊，不然，就会search一下　”Ｈｏｋｋａｉｄｏ“　的资料。却发现　“呃。。资料好少噢！＂　除了TripAdvisor，　就几乎没有什么有用的。　结果就开始ｓｅａｒｃｈ　”北海道”试试看，咦。。真的有好多有用的东西啊！大多数都是台湾的朋友写的游记之类的，写得非常详细，又有趣！比价，心得，统统有！ 所以我也决定了，要用尽量用中文来写，好像比较容易形容＼（︿＿︿）（︿＿︿）／　

虽然会花多一点的时间啦，因为比较习惯打英文。写中文的话，好像也没什么新加坡人会看呃。。＊烦恼＊　随便啦，写了这篇再说吧！ 接下来会写一下这次旅行的预算哦。每次出国都会烦恼到底要带多少钱才够，尤其日本那么好买的地方，又怕回来要吃草，所以希望把预算写下来可以给大家做参考。 

首先，先大概说一下我们的行程以及交通方式。 我们从新加坡搭凌晨 0050 的 Scoot 班级飞往台北让后转接到日本羽田机场（Narita Airport），３个小时后从羽田乘搭　１小时４５分钟国内航班（Jetstar）至札幌千代机场。 搭地铁到薄野　（Susukino），大约４５分钟。　在札幌住在 Watermark Hotel ，第４天租 Mazda 的车到带广（Obihiro），住了一晚豪华的温泉旅馆　－关月苑。隔日乘搭国内航班　（Airdo）到东京成田机场。Airport Limousine 送我们到 Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku 的门口，非常方便。住了个４晚后，乘Airport Limousine 到羽田机场搭Scoot 1230 回国的班机。

Air Ticket (per pax) 

Singapore --> Tokyo Narita ---> Singapore (Scoot) - SGD 550
Tokyo Narita --> Sapporo Chitose Airport (Jetstar) - SGD 90/JPY 6,240*
Obihiro Airport -->  Haneda Airport (Air Do) - SGD 140/JPY 10,970*

 * For domestic flight, u can only book up to 2 months in advance. Book as early as possible, i booked on the 1st day of the 2 months frame, and i got really good discounted ticket. However, if you are taking ANA/JAL/SQ or other major airlines, they have promotion for domestic flight ticket under the same airline. 

Please see here for more information: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2365.html

Car Rental (2D1N) Mazda (Basic) - SGD 220/JPY 16,380 

The reason why its so expensive its because we chose to return the car at another city/location. Thus there is a surcharge of JPY 5,000. Do note that not all car rental companies accept return at another location. 

Mazda Car Rental: www.timescar-rental.com/  (Pick up at Susukino Times Station, Return at Obihiro Airport)
Toyota Car Rental: rent.toyota.co.jp/en/
Tocoo: www2.tocoo.jp/

Before driving in Japan, please make sure you obtain a International Driving License from AAS. Charge is SGD 22 and valid for one year. If you fail to produce your IDP, the rental company may refuse to rent the car on the spot.

Toll for highway was about JPY 3,900.

Transport (Basic Day to Day transport by JR or Subway - 5 days in Tokyo) - JPY 5,000

Assuming per day make 3 to 4 trips on subway or JR. One typical trip would cost about JPY 210. For ease of travelling, purchase a PASMO or SUICA, works like our EZlink and can be topped up (min. JPY 1,000 per top up).

To better plan your trip, you may use hyperdia. It will calculate the timing, fare amount & no. of transfers.

A day pass would not make much sense because most of the passes only work on certain subway lines and there will be times u will have to make changes across a few lines.

Transport (Airport Transfer )

Airport Limousine

JPY 1,200 from Haneda Airport to/fro Shinjuku area (Sunroute Shinjuku Entrance)
JPY 3,000 from Narita Airport to/fro Shinjuku (Sunroute Shinjuku Entrance)

Meal 

Very subjective. If you want to eat cheap, your choices range from chain fast food restaurant like Yoshinoya,     our new found Chikarameshi & Sukiya to Sushi Go Round shops found everywhere on the streets. Sushi from these places ranges from JPY80 to JPY 250 for the premium ones.

Do note that cheap does not mean bad food. B is in love w the JPY 330 beef bowl from Chikarameshi（東京チカラめし)

Go to basements of shopping malls to get cheap deals on Bento lunch boxes and sashimi! There are lotsa of sampling too!

Medium budget travellers can go for yummy Ramen shops & Japanese curry. Our favourite being Ichiran （一蘭）ramen & C&C curry house. Pricing about JPY800 - JPY 1000 for a comforting meal.

If you like to indulge, the sky is the limit. I would say a JPY2,500 - JPY 5,000 for a sushi set at Tsukiji Market　（筑地市场）. Its worth the money, as long as you are willing to queue up to hours for it, especially the famous ones like Sushi Dai (寿司大).

Accomodation (per night)

Watermark Hotel - JPY 7,245 (www.japantravelleronline.com)

Very well located in Tanuki Koji　（狸小路６）, famous shopping district in Susukino. 5 mins to underground linkway to Susukino subway. 5 mins to 24 hours Donki. Famous ramen Ippudo （一风堂）is just downstairs, along with alot of souvenirs shops．Good value for money. A good alternative will be Richmond Hotel.

Kangetsuen (観月苑) - JPY 20,250 (www.japantravelleronline.com)

This was a last minute decision. I have originally booked a western hotel in Obihiro town for SGD 90, however, 2 weeks before departure i have decided to splurge on this hotspring (Onsen) resort for almost 3 times the original hotel since we are going all the way to Obihiro, whats more the price is including a Kaiseki set dinner & buffet breakfast. The meal was extravagant and the buffet breakfast even comes with an awesome view. Its just too amazing and its worth every penny. Room is huge for 2 - 5 pax.

Its a once in a life time experience, and its cheaper than Daiichi Resort (1st on trip advisor), therefore less touristy. You feel like a distinguished guest there.

Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku - JPY 10,650 (Weekday), JPY 12,650 (weekends)

#1 Shinjuku Hotel on TA. Value for money. 1 min to Shinjuku Subway Station (one of the exits) and 5 mins to main JR station and other lines. 5 mins walk to Takashimaya. Room is not too small, clean and the entire feel is like a 4 star hotel. Best part about staying here is, airport limousine can pick up and drop you off at entrance of the hotel. Very convenient as you dont need to drag your heavy luggage to the bus stop at Shinjuku station.

Will definitely,without a doubt, stay there again.

Overall, i am very happy with the places we stayed during this trip.

Note that for some hotels, it is more worth it to book through 3rd party websites rather than direct from hotel website as they may offer early bird discounts. After comparing i find that japantraveller.com offers good discounts. Only down side is that your credit card will be charged first, however, during cancellation or amendments, the refund was processed rather quickly back into my CC account ( 2 - 3 days). No cancellation charge until travel dates.

不好意思，写review好像还是英文比较顺呀。>,<

再次谢谢以下的日本达人，给了我许多灵感来编排行程　（和必买的药妆，把钱都丢在哪儿了我．．T_T, 不过还是谢啦）：

http://uniquevera.pixnet.net/blog　（日本药妆失心疯）
http://kimi-tourguide.blogspot.sg/ (日本导游的介绍）
http://www.best-of-sapporo-japan.com/　（美食介绍）
http://choyce.pixnet.net/blog　
http://dajy0713.pixnet.net/blog　（游记）

当然还有， 食尚玩家＆Woman 爱旅行（让我决定去带广）。

好啦！接下来会有药妆篇，美食篇，行程表，自驾心得哦！希望对大家有帮助．

Day 8: Takashimaya, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Kabukicho

Today is a rest and relax day!

We woke up slightly later to catch up w some rest after watching tv late e night before.

it was raining by the time we leave the hotel, luckily i brought a brolly w me. It costs 100Yen to rent the umbrella from hotel.

Lucky for us there is an underpass near our hotel that leads us straight to Takashimaya Timesquare, Shinjuku.

Greeted by Kinokuniya when we enter from basement
tea leaves
some yummy looking food.
as you may know, theres plenty of food options in their basement supermarkets. if you want to have a variety, this will be a good place. Prices are not cheap though, but alot of stalls offer samples for trying. awesome isnt it :)

best thing is, even if you dont buy, they will still politely say thank you, please come again. :)

kaiseki ryōri bento costs 30SGD~

miscellaneous tempura!
how abt a tempura bento then? 10+SGD

fresh fruits everywhere that looks like plastic.

melon tt cost as much as the kaiseki bento
samples! lol

Snapper @@
so hard to resist the temptation of the food~we almost got stuck there and missed the primary purpose of coming to takashimaya.

finally we made our way up to Katsukura.

Katsukura
Takashimaya Times Square
14th floor, 5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

this is famous tonkotsu (fried pork cutlet) place in japan.

it was pass lunch time already. but there is still a short q. we waited for about 15 mins to be seated.

Theres english wording below the japanese menu. nice.

but they also have a full English menu

B took a Katsu Zen set , while i wanted to try something special and ordered a crab cream croquette w pork fillet (1820Yen)
free refill of barley rice, soup & veggie~
appetizer.
sauce
u are supposed to pour in the sauce from the pot and grind it together with the sesame. very fragrant and its not too salty, goes really well w the cutlet.

super crispy cutlet but not oily. oishiiiii...bread crumbs are not thick. meat is tender, not dry.

they are v generous with their cabbage servings.
fillet & crab cream croquette.
juicy & tender meat....

the taste of the crab cream croquetter nv leaves my mind again. it is so so orgasmic. omg. i m so glad i order this. so creamy~

the meal was so good honestly i think the price is justifiable, i think we paid 50 - 60SGD for this meal altogether. and its one of the best meal i have in japan and so unforgettable till 7 months later (today).

=/ i m hungry now

and so after a good meal we went shopping at Tokyu hands first, before heading to basement to get dessert!

facial blotters. lol. bought this as souvenir for a gf.

colorful cakey~

in the end we settled for the melon flavor donut in green (bottom, centre) & the Baumkuchen below.
Its a kind of multi layer cake. quite yummy.

Headed to Shibuya for shopping after that, it was STILL raining. roar.

Note to all, the stuff here are so so so freaking expensive! Every pair of shoes i saw easily cost 100SGD. i wonder how do the girls can afford!

In the end i bought a pair of fringe bootie for 35bucks, cos its on sale & it says made in china. -_-

o well, so for those on a tight budget, here is not a recommended shopping spot for u! i recommend to go Harajuku, not tt much cheaper either, but alot of things are on sale!

Disney store in Shibuya
Halloween stitch. lol. and then we eat again to fill up our disappointment from shopping.
and we went to Pepperlunch! haha. indeed, their pepperlunch is v different from ours.

everytime i have pepper lunch at wheelock, e sizzle will die off when its served so i cannot cook it the way i want to.

the meat is awesome, tasted like so high quality meat.

we shared ONE. haha. and the waiter didnt give us a weird look but continue serving us w his best attitude. again, i m bowled over by their good service.

Finally, we decided to dedicate some time to Shinjuku on our final stay in Japan :(((

We headed back to Shinjuku station, spend sometime shopping and just as we were about to go back to hotel to rest, this shop caught our attention:

i remember theres a shop in 313 selling something similiar but i have never tried before, so we decided to try.

bought the macha with red bean flavour, i m a sucker for macha flava. hahaha.

makes a very good dessert!

and so with that, we went back to hotel for some rest & packing before we continue the night.

a few hours later, we went to explore kabukicho, in search for some dinner. IT WAS STILL RAINING.

we decided to give Tsukiji Gindaco a try because we have been seeing the branches all ard tokyo, shdnt be too bad rite?

we were drenched and cold and not sure if its because of the same reason, we tot the okonomiyaki & takopachi tasted v good!

my favourite mentaiko takopachi!
warm & fluffy. for a lack of a better way to describe it.

the meal was very comforting, cost us about SGD 10 for both. I will take some time to try the stall at Ion orchard soon :)

sorry to disappoint you, but that was hardly our dinner!

we found this restaurant along the main street of kabukicho selling burnt ramen. :)

what? of cos we shared one. :P

dont ask me why is it call Painful ramen, we find it quite amusing too.

free toppings!

look at the mountain of beansprouts~ the bowl of noodles is GINORMOUS!

the noodles is abit different from what i usually eat, its much thicker, like our yellow noodles used to cook prawn noodles in singapore. imagine mee rebus in pork broth.

its nice, but nothing to shout about, i still prefer the traditional kinda ramen.

ended our last night w something... not so japanese :P