Picture courtesy of Nanoda

I bought a 2 week pass at JTB in AMODA building around Jalan Imbi, Bukit Bintang, KL. In 2007, yen was not as strong as nowadays. 100 yen was equivalent to MYR3.10, and it came about MYR1,300 for the Japan Rail Pass. Now, it is around MYR2,300 in the year 2010. Add up another MYR1,000 to your budget. – -^

JTB Inc., (Malaysia) SDN. BHD. N, E, W, K
Unit 16.05-16.07, Level 16, Amoda 22, Jalan IMBI, Kuala Lumpur 55100
Tel : 03-2142-7711
FAX: 03-2142-5344

Check out other Japan Rail Pass sales outlet in Malaysia here.

Benefit of having Japan Rail Pass

Unlimited ride for all JR Group railways’ Shinkansen “bullet trains” (except any reserved or non-reserved seat on “NOZOMI” trains), limited express trains, express trains and rapid or local trains. (With some exceptions). You can make seat reservations on those trains with reserved seats without additional payment.

Also valid for local lines of JR bus companies and some of JR highway bus services. This pass is also valid for the JR Miyajima ferry.

Disadvantage of having Japan Rail Pass

The Japan Rail Pass is not valid for any seats, reserved or non-reserved, on “NOZOMI” trains on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen

Note:

Picture courtesy of Japantravellight

You must purchase the Exchange Order in your country within 3 months before you travel to Japan.

Go to major train station and change the Exchange Order to Japan Rail Pass. You must specifiy the date on the Pass before you want to start using it. It can be any date within one month from the date the Pass is received.

The usage is on consecutive days.

Must you purchase Japan Rail Pass?

Hikari Bullet Train Schedule at Tokyo Station.

Hikari Bullet Train.

Nowadays, you can actually skip the bullet train if you’re on shoestring budget and opt for the cheaper highway bus service.

After seeing it with my own eyes, today, AirAsia started their virgin flight to Tokyo via Haneda Airport. Booking starts from 23rd until 26th September flying from December 2010 until July 2011. There goes my chance to dream about lying on bed of fallen leaves in autumn ala Sandra Bullock in ‘While you were sleeping’. Doushio?

Although my spirit was dampened a bit by that choice of dates but my mind was not. That means the possibility of going to Japan with shoestring budget does exist, right?

The website was a bit unsteady earlier this morning when some of my friends reported of missing prices for certain dates. I thought it must be probably due to too many people hogging the system at the same time; bottleneck. Not until late at night that I was able to get my hands on to the website.

NOTE: AirAsia only flys 3 times per week from Kuala Lumpur to Haneda, Tokyo. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Flight starts at 1215 from Kuala Lumpur and reaching Haneda, Tokyo at 2030.

After playing with some of the dates in the website, the cheapest ticket I could get inclusive of airport tax and fees is around RM990 ~ 27,00yen ~ 320USD.

Click on the link http://www.tokyo-subway.net/japan/ and you will see the site as above. Then, press English or if you are eloquent in Japanese, you can click on the left button.

Say you know the name of the station so click at the ‘Select by station names’ button.

Key in the name of the station. You need to press the alphabet with mouse. Here, I keyed in Shinjuku Station as the leaving from station. Select the appropriate station name. My choice is the first one. After that, press next.

Repeat the same process for ‘going to’ station. Press next button, once done.

Sort result based on your preferences: Travel time/ Fare/ No. of transfers

I chose travel time.  Total travel time: 16 minutes. Fare: 190 yen. No of transfers: 2

There are a few different routes suggested too.

Based on AirAsia‘s website today, the booking from Kuala Lumpur to Haneda, Tokyo will start on 23rd September 2010 . Get your gears ready everyone!

This one is a long time coming. ^__^ At least for me.

After launching the successful route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Incheon, South Korea; now AirAsia is ready to embrace their wings on Japan. I am particularly excited about the whole establishment!! Well done AirAsia!

Last Wednesday, after a tip off from a japanese-tourist-wannabe friend about AirAsia signing off the agreement to fly to a much smaller Haneda Airport in Tokyo; I just went berserk at dawn. How could AirAsia able to keep their promise to make the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Haneda as cheap as taking a taxi from Narita Airport to Tokyo? Isn’t that pretty ridiculously amazing?! If I wasn’t sitting in the breathlessly quiet office at that moment, I would just jump billionth times. I would.

I know how many Malaysians have waited for this. To be able to fly cheaply to Japan. At this moment 100 yen is almost equivalent to RM3.60 and a subway station ticket in Tokyo drops at 160 yen. Yikes!! Gonna hurt the wallet for sure but tell you what, after visiting Japan in 2007 I could not emphasize more than this: Just visit Japan. It’s a country worth visiting.

Can’t believe it? So do I. ^^ It looks promising because AirAsia has already updated Tokyo-Haneda (HND) as one of the destinations. Just pray that it will be rolled out by end of September 2010.

Gawk at AirAsia’s website until they start the route officially here. Don’t forget to subscribe to their promotional newsletter. It saves you more time than continuously waiting and staring at the burning red site, I hope..hehehe.