Hi guys!

This post is about 4 month's late but oh, well. At least, I am active again and I am about to share with you about my one week trip in Japan last fall/autumn and how I only spent RM3,500 all-in.

But first, let me explain who I went to Japan with because this one is a bit complicated. So you know how the Husband has this set of friends that call themselves the 'Thunder Buddies'? Their wives and girlfriends are called WAGs. So Nina, Daniel Syaukani's wife, studies and lives in Tokyo. Sara Halysa, Arif Lee's girlfriend felt like visiting her which we have always promised to do. A few weeks before we bought the tickets, Sara was like, "Hey, I'm going with my friend, Farah!" (who is actually Arif's friend), whom I am not sure if I ever met her before, and I just went along with it.

So ta-da!

From left: Me, Farah, Nina and Sara.

Alright. So budgeting was done by Sara and Farah and I followed je because I go with the flow. And I know you guys just wanna know how much was the flight, right?

FLIGHT

Kuala Lumpur to Osaka (Malaysia Airlines)

Osaka to Tokyo (Jetstar) + 40kg luggage to be shared among us three

Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines)

Total: RM1,800

ACCOMMODATION

This is kind of where we cheated. In Kyoto, we stayed at The Lower East Nine Hostel in an all female dorm for three nights. IT WAS AMAZING! In the bathroom, there was one stall with a bathtub. So I went in the hot tub for every shower. It was so good for my aching body.

The rest of the nights? We stayed in Nina's house in Tokyo so it was FREE! Thank you, Nina, we love you! 

Total: 11,400 yen = RM425

OTHER TRAVELING EXPENSES

Before we went, Sara and Farah found this Wi-Fi Router Rental that gave us UNLIMITED INTERNET IN JAPAN!! They are rockstars! It was only RM169 which was about RM57 per person.

In Osaka, we bought the Kansai Thru Pass 3 days which cost us RM183 because Sara bought from Klook.

We rented a car in Tokyo to go to Hakone, so Sara calculated it at 5,400 yen per person (including toll and petrol) which was RM200.

For the life of me, I cannot remember how much we spent on trains in Tokyo. Narita - Tokyo, 3 days in Tokyo and Tokyo - Narita. That was a blur but Farah said Skyliner was RM221.40 for three people  one way and our daily train rides for three days was about RM129.70 for three people. So total but for one person is roughly RM200 because I'm sure we were missing somethings in there. Lol.

Total: RM640

FOOD

Ahhhh. Everyone's favourite topic. To be honest, we were not so thrifty on food because we enjoy food and frankly, it takes very little to make us full so we kind of don't need to control our hunger. Also, Sara is a great cook! She made pasta and rice and all sorts of food and groceries cost us like RM15 per person? And also, our hostel served breakfast.

But all in all, I think it's a safe bet to say you'd spend around 500 yen per meal. We were there for 7 days, so for 14 meals (lunch and dinner only), it's about RM300.

Total: RM300

TOTAL - RM3,165

AND I STILL HAD RM300++ to spare! But let's be honest here. I finished it all on shopping. LALALALALAlalalalalala~

So there you have it. I hope you too will be inspired to travel.

تغرب عن الأوطان في طلب العلى *** وسافر ففي الأسفار خمس فوائد

Leave your country in search of loftiness

And travel! For in travel there are 5 benefits,

تفرج هم واكتساب معيشة *** وعلم وآداب وصحبة ماجد

Relief of adversity and earning of livelihood

And knowledge and etiquettes and noble companionship

فإن قيل في الأسفار ذل ومحنة *** وقطع الفيافي وارتكاب الشدائد

If it is said that travelling brings humiliation and difficulty

And long journeys across deserts and toil and trouble,

فموت الفتى خير له من قيامه *** بدار هوان بين واش وحاسد

Then death is better for a person than him remaining

In a humiliating land between traitors and enviers

by Imam al-Shafi‘i