I would not tell you where I went in one post but I will take you on the journey of my trip in Japan.

The moment I touchdown from Osaka, I immediately took a train to another station nearby to catch my first ever experience taking the Shinkansen aka Bullet train towards Tokyo.  In total, the journey is about 2,118 km travel towards Tokyo.

AMAZED is the word I would like to used to describe the cleanliness and the comfortableness of the train that I took on the above picture.  Be surprise when you get to know that the train I took is just a normal train, it cant be compared to any other train that took before in my life. That is before I took the Shinkansen. Not to exaggerate, but it truly is clean and the staff there is very respectful and courteous to a foreign like me even when they dont understand what I am trying to say. The staff remained calm and try understand the situation that I am in with my dis-coordinated sign language. Kudos to the staff there.

Definitely the best experience I had in a train, the stability of the Shinkansen cruising at the speed of 320 km/h is superb.  It is definitely a once in a life time try, if you intend to go Japan, it will be such a waste to not to try the train. They have a designated smoking area in the train which I failed to take a picture of it. The total time taken to travel from Osaka to Tokyo is approximately 3 hours 40 mins plus.  Some would say it is better to take a plane there as it would be a faster alternative, but what would be the fun in doing that.  As I thought the journey or process of getting there that makes it fun as I get to experience new things and see how the travel system in Japan works. Without a doubt, Japan bullet train is great and I had an awesome experience riding it.  the catch for the train is that it is expensive in my point of view, but the quality was not lagging. The price of the ticket from Osaka towards Tokyo is about $160 Singapore dollars for a one-way ticket. But as a traveler, DONT let money hinder the experience you are looking for.

I would like to start the blog with a light touch of where I went at the end of last year.  It was my first ever solo trip to Japan and I can say that I was not prepared even though at that point of time I did not think much about it. My solo trip lasted for 15 days where I traveled to a few places and commute via train rather then staying at a particular location.

Before the trip, I had some preparations done so as not to shoot myself on the leg when I am there.  

things to take note before going to Japan:

1) To buy the JR pass so as not waste money on transport.  Believe me when I say you can literally travel anywhere in trains. the catch for these deals is that JR pass can only be bought before coming in Japan and it is used for tourist only for a limited period of time.

2) Be clear of your intent, to go there for sightseeing and stay in luxurious hotel or to be a bag packer like me. As the amount of money to bring differs by a lot. If your intention is to go on a luxurious trip, then the subsequent pointers will not be related.

3) As a bag packer, I brought the minimum thing that I can think off which is necessary , but I did bring extra stuff like a personal tent as a precaution or contingency if I am unable to get an accommodations.  

4) Bringing minimum sum of money for daily meals and transport. (I brought about $800 Singapore dollar) which was not enough  apparently and had to withdraw another $200 Singapore dollars.  

5) Accommodation should be prepared, Unlike me, I did not prepare any accommodations and just follow the flow of my trip. I recommend for future bag packers to use AIRBnB. It usually is much cheaper then capsule hotel or any other cheap hotel in Japan. This app will allow you to meet travelers who have booked the same place as you and every travelers know that meeting others like them is the most fulfilling part of any trip. MEETING NEW PEOPLE. 

6) Learn some common words that is used frequently so that you will not be lost completely. ( for those who learns Japanese, this should be a plus point for you) for beginners, Learn how to ask for :

• Directions 
• Greetings
• Amount (money, things, especially when you are buying something in villages)
• transport
• smoking areas (for smokers)
• tourist attraction areas

7)  Have a vague idea of places that you want to go, do not need to into details and specific timings but to just have an idea of the place of interest. Surprisingly, when you are in Japan, there are so many things to explore and the places you want to visit will be expanded naturally. 

So there you have it. My intro on the Blog #myjapantravels I hope you like the information that i gave you. If you have any queries do hit me up, I will be glad to help.