BON APPETIT & BON VOYAGE

Kon' nichiwa Japan!
I've just returned from my 10 days trip to Japan and cross off another bucket list. YAY!

Here I am giving you a quick snapshot of my budget itinerary and hope you find it helpful. Here is a link I find super useful, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

*If you are mileage plan member, this maybe insightful. *
I am an Alaska Airline credit card holder and have always love their $99 companion fare which I often used to travel to Hawaii. Hawaii is a very popular destinations for all tourists around the world, particularly Japanese as it is the closest USA destinations and Hawaii is beyond paradise. With that being said, there are so many flights flying in and out from various city of Japan. Since I'm already saving a few hundreds dollars using companions fare for my BF and I, we decided to do a 2nd leg trip flying to Japan. Needless to say, RT flights from Hawaii to Japan was $600 including tax!

8 days is not enough to see Japan as we want to visit the city of Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo!
Departing from Honolulu International Airport to Osaka (23 hrs with 2 hrs layover in Taipei.

LETS GO!!!!

Day 1 - OSAKA
Arrive Osaka at 8am - Osaka also known as Japan Kitchen.
Daytime- Visit Osaka Castle. Have fresh sushi at Kuromon Market (open 10am, Kuromon market open much later compared to other city markets, highly recommend for Chu-Toro)

Nighttime -Check out Dotonburi, a long strip of malls offer tons of local and international food selections. Must try Ichiran Ramen and Takoyaki

Tips: Take a photo with the Glico Man.

Day 2 KYOTO
Osaka to Kyoto - Kyoto is a beautiful city that offers a rare link between the modern life in the city and its very ancient past filled with temples and shrines. Highly recommend to Stay at a Traditional Ryokan feature Tatami Set.

Kyoto has different regions. Here is the link. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html
This link will help you to plan better and maximize time by visiting regions to regions.

Depart from Osaka Train Station - 30 min ride on the Shinkasen aka Bullet Train.Arrive at Kyoto Station, proceed to Ryokan to drop suitcase and we are ready to explore Central Kyoto and Eastern Kyoto!!

First stop, Kiyiomizudera Temple! Right infront the temple, is the famous Higashiyama area featuring traditional Japanese houses, narrow alley ways and well manicured Japanese Garden. If you keep walking, you will Walk to Gion District, famed for Geisha and you might luckily spot Geishas at the Yasaka Shrine, continue to walk down Hanamikoji Street.

Eat: Gion Tsujiri Honten but do expect a little wait. This dessert place has everything made of Matcha including the jelly and whip cream.

When the sun is setting, walk to Pontocho and have traditional Kyoto dinner. Pontocho is a very small narrow alley offers various of upscale dining, such as Kaiseki but it can be pricey. So we opt out, and had Kobe beef aka Wagyu beef instead.

Day 3: KYOTO
Check out from hotel. Went to the Kyoto station to buy tickets to Tokyo and placed our suitcase at the station locker. Our plan was to explore Southern Kyoto.
Take a train from Kyoto Station less than $2.00 to see the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha. Wonder around and then walk to Tofukuji Temple.

If, If we had time to spare. We wanted to check out Arashiyama bamboo forest which is in Western Kyoto and Kinkakuji in Northen Kyoto.

Day 4- TOKYO - Shinjuku and Ginza
Arrive Tokyo. Check in hotel at Shinjuku. Explore - Western Tokyo
Many places open around 11am and close at midnight so we had to check out Tsukiji Fish Market and get fresh seafood at the outer market. Take a short walk to Ginza to check out Imperial Palace. Went back to hotel for a nice evening nap.

7pm: Catch a train to Shibuya. Check out Uobei Sushi for bullet train sushi chain and take a photo/video at Shibuya crossing. Indulged in the hustle bustle of Shibuya and don't forget the Shibuya last train is midnight.

Day 5 - TOKYO - Harajuku
Explore Harajuku. Famous for street fashions. Take a trip down Takeshita Street and check out Meiji Shrine.
Eat- Afuri Ramen ( Dipping Noddle). During at night, explore Harajuku and get the famous Harajuku Gyoza.

Day 6 - TOKYO Asakusa and Odaiba
Check out the oldest temple in Tokyo the Asakusa Temple! Then walk to Ameyoko in Ueno, it used to be a black market during WW2. Ameyoko shopping offer the best prices for shopping such as green teas, chocolate covered chips and many more!Evening: Check out Roppongi Hill. An up and coming youngster town. Take a bite at Izakaya spots and drinks like a local.

Day 7 - TOKYO - Ueno
Planning to go see Fuji Mount and hotspring. But we eneed up going to Tsukiji Fish Market as we were craving for sushi and then doing some last minute shopping in Shinjuku. Day 8 - Check out Tokyo National Museum. I got really lucky when we visit, the museum feature special exhibition- The thousand years old of The Hidden Buddha of Rakuyaji Temple in Shiga during Heian Period.

Day 9 -TOKYO-USA
Depart from Narita Aiport to HonoluluTokyo is really small, so you can pretty much plan your day how you feel.

Example: Tokyo National Musuem is in Ueno which I could cramp in day 6, but it was closed on Monday so i went back on my last day when I had time.
There are tons of beautiful park such as Yoyogi Park but we are not into Botanical park. If you have extra day to spare, many will go to Tokyo Disneyland.

It really depends what you prefer. These are a snapshot of mine. Here is a link Ive used for all my reaseach and it is easy and straight forward. Hope this help.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

I cannot wait to share my Paris experience with you all. There are so much to share so I will break it down into three sections.

Sections:
1) Tips on flights, accommodations, travel apps etc.
2) Pre-trip planing
3) Third one will be the actual travels, places we get to visit, and the unexpected scenes.

Lets go!

SECTION 1.

Most of you have found some reads, stumble on links or even score a better deals than mine, I would love to hear about your experience in getting cheap travel but here are mine!

These are my personal tips, there are no validations, proves or research whatsoever, take it or leave it.

1) Book your flights on Mon &Tues, leave on Tues, Wed and Sat.I have been sitting in front the laptop for weeks everyday (except Fri-Sun, don't waste your time on weekend, the prices will make you real mad!), and I find airfare prices fluctuates a lot.

I book my airfare after 10pm, there are no validations or proves but thats when i got the cheapest on most of my travels, try it yourself.

2) I know that I want to visit Paris & Italy sometimes in late March/early April ( Milan, Rome, Venice, Florence, Siena, Monte Carlo and I rank these city by my top choices)
Prior to booking, I was planning to take a train from last destination in Italy to Paris (about 8 hrs train, 100Euro for the fare)

1st search SEA- CDG RT and the cost was around $950.
2nd search PDX- CDG also around $950
3rd search YVR- CDG, around $600
4th search YVR-CDG, MONTECARLO-YVR $1500
5th seatch YVR-CDG, FLORENCE-YVR $495

So Yes, I skip Monte Carlo on my list.

3) Travel time frame, off seasons are good time to go because airfare & accommodations are cheaper and less touristy but I want to visit when it is a little nicer to walk. I prefer early April but the airfare tickets are in the $700 from YVR! And the last week on March was $500.

My favorite apps
A) Hopper, this app will give you an estimate at what week/day airfare are the cheapest. This is best use for someone who is very flexible, wants to travel sometimes in next month to XYZ, but not so recommended for those traveling at specific dates.
If you download the app, lets say you want to go LA, it will tell you memorial weekend is not desirable and the cheapest it can find you is 2nd week of May for RT $115. (I've seen lower)

B) Cheap 3 X, this app is based on your geography and it will tell you at which airport fly in and fly out (closest to your first airport choice) offer the best rate. Like flying into Fort Lauderdale vs Miami, or Long Beach vs LAX and vice versa.

4) BOOK IN ADVANCE! I CANNOT EMPHASIS HOW IMPORTANT TO BOOK 6 MONTHS IN ADVANCE! THERE ARE NO EXPLANATIONS NEEDED FOR THIS, THE FURTHER OUT THE BETTER, if not wait for the last minute deals, airline cut prices when they can't fill planes for an upcoming weekend

5) This needs drumroll..... GOOGLE FLIGHTS & STUDENT UNIVERSE you rock my passport! Google flights save me hundred on dollars, it gives me suggestions on travel destinations, recently help my friend to buy a RT airfare from SEA-HK for $550. Student universe are prime website for students who study abroad and airline works with schools offering low prices, yes, they do need valid student ID. If you are student, make sure you check out this website.

https://www.studentuniverse.com/

6) This is my personal secret. Not always 100% while searching, but it works!
Ex: If you fly from SEA-KUL(Kuala Lumpur), there are layover in TPE or HK. Make your search into multi-city destinations, and stop in HK, TPE, spend 2 or 3 days as you like, the prices are either the same or cheaper!

I tacked on my TPE trip back to Kuala Lumpur in 2013 via EVA airline, and Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur via Cathay Pacific in 2015!
For my next visit back home, I am planning to take Ana Airline because they have a layover in NRT, Japan!

Out of all, these are all time consuming!!!
If travel is your passion, and you need to be on budget, you gotta put in the time and effort. Just sayin'

ACCOMDATIONS:
I book all my accommodation from Expedia. They are indeed the greatest by far in giving you a COMBO prices.

Once I found the Paris airfare on google flight, I called Expedia, and booked it through them and they offer suggestion to stay in Paris and nearby locations and were able to give me combo deals for 20% cheaper anywhere else.

You should get an idea of hotels and locations you want to stay, and be ready when they give you suggestions.

EX: I know I want to stay in Saint Germain des pres district in Paris and I listed 10 hotels that I like within my star & price range. I got a 4stars hotel for under $120 a night and it was showing $150 on other websites, and it only went higher and higher after the following week.

*****This one below requires lots of work but if you want to stay nice and save!

There are groupon.fr & groupon.it exist and clearly I can't read.
So I google translate everything, this is so fun *shooked my head*, you can find hotels by the Lourve, 4-5stars with bed and breakfast for 2 for $169, and even better one. Why didn't I book it in Paris? because they don't have any offers within the time frame I am traveling or not the districts I want. ( Oh, my biggest factor in booking hotel in any cities has to be close by to a Metro station)

I did use this method for my Florence hotel which includes breakfast, and Florence is a small city where you can walk everywhere.

TOUR
Depart from Paris - Florence
$80 pp each day includes tour, buses, accommodations. It is a hop on and hop off, some tourists get on Rome, and some leave the tour in Venice. It takes you to all the famous & touristy sites. Affordable, easy and save you from all the planning.

http://www.taketours.com

At this point of my trip, it was already 2 months of researching, 6 months prior to my travel date.

$550 airfare (including tax) pp
$360 3 nights 4 stars hotel in Paris for 2
$400 5 days tour from Paris to Florence for 2
$500 4 nights 4 stars hotel in Florence for 2
$50 Expedia travel insurance pp ( I cancelled my Paris trip last September and they refund me all of it)

Grand Total: $1500 per person for 2 weeks including flights, accommodations, tours and taxes!

SECTION 2.
NOW IS THE LONG 6 MONTHS OF WAITING PERIOD.

My favorite and one stop for all website I recommend, TRIP ADVISOR. If there is only one travel website I have to pick, it is going to be Trip Advisor. In fact, all the picture you are about to see are from reviews, ratings and suggestions from all travelers around the world!

I have such an AMAZING time because of all of you who takes the time to share your experience both good & bad on TA!

SECTION 3.THE TIME HAS ARRIVED!

DAY 1...

YVR-CDG Direct flight 2pm, 9hours flight. 9 hours ahead.

Day 1
8am- arrived at CDG, Paris
9am- it was the same day of Brussels attack so airport securities are tight, everywhere we go including cafes and department store require bag check. It is safe okay, just tight security.
10am- Get an RER train to city center, 35min train ride. 10 euro. very easy just follow the sign or follow the crowd.
11am- gets into city center and get a taxi to hotel, 6EURO.
1130am- leave the baggage at hotel and take metro to MONMARTE. Wants to see Sacre Coeur and visit #1 Baguette winner 2015. We were super hungry and got lost for 30min, and when we found it, it was close. I remembered Michael said to me before travel " feed me and i'll be good". His face was not pleasant... so we went to the closest bakery.

While in Sacre Couer, watch out for scams! There are top 10 scams in Paris and we encounter one on our first day, it was the friendship bracelet scam, don't let them catch your attention and just walk away. There are scams everywhere in the world, especially touristy area. Just be alert!

http://travelscams.org/europe/common-tourist-scams-france/

1pm: Take Metro to Madeline and we are going to LADUREE. I was debating to do Lauderee or Angelina Paris.

After High Tea, shopping continues at Rue Saint Honore.

7pm: Catch a taxi back to hotel and get ready for the romantic dinner cruise.

I found this on TA and the reviews almost seems too good to be true.
It includes 2 hours long cruise with dinner. Michael and I don't always splurge on expensive dining and we have been saving for this trip so we thought this cruise is a perfect way to end our first night in Paris. The night view along the Seine especially Eiffel tower at night was spectacular, very romantic experience.
Highly recommend!

http://www.calife.com (Book 2 months ahead, a little more ahead during peak seasons)

DAY 2.......

Jet lagged and woke up at 3am, so we walked 2 miles to our first activity!
I signed up for 3 hours biking tour with fat tire Paris via Expedia. This save you time and fare from Metro to Metro. I highly recommend because you get to see Paris monuments in a guided group setting, the tour guide is very helpful and he gives some brief summary about each monuments and you have plenty of opportunity to take pictures. Instead of taking Metro to each destinations, you can bike from each places.
And if the monument intrigued you from the outside, you can take a picture and come back the next day! You might already recognized some of these pictures from Instagrams.

While we are heading to the meet up point for the bike tour, we walked past Eric Kayser Boulanger!
http://www.maison-kayser.com/en/

YAY! We made it to the meeting point. Just right outside Metro, and you see people start checking in.

Here are some pictures from the Bike Tour.

The bike ended around 230pm.... We sat at nearby coffee shop for countless shots of espresso because the jet lag kickin'. That was rough. Next, we take the metro to Saint Germain and walk to the love lock bridge via Rue Bonaparte. If you take this road, you can't get more french than this. It is the cutest Rue I've taken. And they have another Laduree, so I got some macarons again.

Then we reached to our next destinations. Pont des Arts
aka Love lock bridge. The bridge was taken down so here you will see a sad padlock that Michael brought from the states. Then there is a new section where you can still hang your locks, just a few bridges down by the tip of Ill de la cite, so we bought another lock for it.

After that, we went shopping at ZARA! Got lost heading to Notre Dame and we found ourselves at Les Marais!

NOTRE DAME, SHAKESPEAR&CO,

RUE DE LA HUCHETTE!

NEXT STOP, RUE DE LA HUCHETTE

We woke up at 3am, walked from 7am-9pm, we drank countless espresso, and walked miles in Paris. Our body hates us, and we cannot wait to get back to hotel. My plan was to take metro, but at this point, we have to catch a cab.

DAY 3...

We see most on my checklist, so today are the museums I really want to see, this is not Michael's favorite day but today he was the camera man for me. HAHAHA. Below are pictures taken at Grand Palais, next to it was JArdin du Palais, and
Cafe Kitsune.

Oh i also found my name street RUE VIVIENNE right oustide Grand Palais.

Next, we walked to the Opera House & Galerie Lafayette.

NEXT, GALERIES LAFAYETTE. If you want to do tax free shopping, this department store has an office on the bottom floor that allows you to get tax refund on the spot.

10% Cash, or Credit Card (2 weeks) 12%.