Here is the itinerary for my travel to Japan from 21st until 29th October 2016.

My second visit to Japan was longer and more extensive than my first in 1995. In 1995, my educational excursion to Tokyo and Yokohama was an eye-opener, more so because it was my very first trip outside of Malaysia. That trip surely inspired me to travel the world even more.

20-odd years have past. My tour to Japan in October 2016 did more than just to rekindle memories of 1995. This time around, I managed to cover more cities in a somewhat compact travel itinerary.

In a group of four, we landed in Osaka. Two nights in Osaka allowed us a day trip to Kyoto. But that did not do justice to this ancient city. I need to plan a trip solely to Kyoto in the future.

From Osaka, the Shinkansen whisked us away to Hiroshima for a one-night affair with this city. We then took the next Shinkansen leg to Tokyo. We spent a couple of days in this ultra-modern city.

The longest leg of our trip to Japan took us from Tokyo to Sapporo on Hokkaido Island. A combination of the fast bullet train and the slower local train brought us safely to this city, famous for its winter chills. Needless to say we had to put on extra thick coat to enable us to enjoy this laid-back city. We flew home from Sapporo.

Osaka Castle

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka

Old and new in Gion, Kyoto

Gion, Kyoto

There are several factors that I would always consider when I look for accommodations during my travels. Of course room price per night is important but I would not necessarily go for the cheapest accommodation available in a city for my stay. There are several other factors that contribute towards my decision to make a booking at a particular hostel or hotel. More often than not, I would rely on booking.com to help me make an informed decision. The factors in descending order are:

1. Price per night for en-suite room (RM150 per pax per night, give and take) 
2. Distance from the city's main train/bus station (walking distance is good)
3. Rating and review by previous lodgers (6/10 rating is the minimum)
4. Distance from the train/bus station if not near the city centre (again, walking distance is good)
5. Distance from main city attractions (walking distance is good, to save on transport cost in the city)

Here is the list of all hotels and hostels that I stayed in during my Europe & Scandinavia Tour in 2014, with the room rates during my tour at that time as a guide:

Amsterdam
BUDGET HOTEL BEN ensuite (RM200.61/Pax/Night)
*Bed bugs! Otherwise it is conveniently located in the centre of Amsterdam, hence the price.

Stockholm
COLONIAL HOTEL shared (RM143.36/P/N)
*As the name suggests. Quite a distance to walk from the main train station.

Oslo
P-HOTELS OSLO ensuite (RM182.12/P/N)
*Oslo is expensive but this hotel is worth every single ringgit. Quite central.

Copenhagen
CABINN CITY ensuite (RM164.15/P/N)
*Modern but the room is too small. Walking distance from the main train station.

Hamburg
CENTRO HAMBURG CENTRO BASIC ensuite (RM105.81/P/N)
*Right smack in front of the main train station! 

Prague
CITY INN ensuite (RM115.46/P/N)
*Cheap since it is in: Prague. The breakfast was awesome!

Vienna
HOTEL CRYSTON ensuite (RM116.13/P/N)
*Vienna is BIG so this hotel is a bit outskirt but still near a train station, so cheaper.

Lausanne
IBIS LAUSANNE CENTRE ensuite (RM168.01/P/N)
*Lausanne is hilly so be prepared to walk up the hills if you do not plan to use the public transport.

Paris
LUNA-PARK HOTEL ensuite (RM112.16/P/N)
*DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL! 

Manchester
CITY LINK APARTMENT (RM187.81/P/N)
*Near the main train station and the city centre.

London
EQUITY POINT LONDON ensuite (RM173.44/P/N)
*Too small for that price, but it is LONDON!

Ibis Lausanne Centre

Cabinn City, Copenhagen

Colonial Hotel, Stockholm

 

Centro Hamburg Centro Basic

The latest travel plans will be uploaded soon. They are from my previous trips to these places:

Hong Kong - Macau (October 2015)

Japan: Osaka - Kyoto - Hiroshima -     Tokyo - Sapporo (October 2016)

Australia: Melbourne - Sydney -           Blue Mountains (March 2017)

After a long hiatus, here is the second part of my Europe & Scandinavia Grand Tour 2014 itinerary.


All in all, these are the cities that I visited throughout the whole 21-day tour, in their order of appearance:

1. Amsterdam (3rd visit)
2. Utrecht (2nd visit)
3. Stockholm
4. Oslo
5. Copenhagen
6. Hamburg
7. Berlin (2nd visit)
8. Prague
9. Vienna
10. Lausanne
11. Geneva
12. Paris (3rd visit)
13. Manchester (the city of my alma mater)
14. Liverpool
15. London (the umpteenth time)
16. Brussels (2nd visit)

A short excursion to Budapest was given a miss due to the tight schedule in Vienna. Budapest deserves better. It is to be featured in my Eastern Europe tour in the future.

Due to my fascination with this continent, I planned another Europe grand tour, this time covering new cities and countries. To top it off, Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark have also featured into the list. Here is the first part of the 21-day grand tour itinerary for your consumption.