❤ freetime...: JAPAN 2011 My Trip Report

Friday, March 2, 2012

JAPAN 2011 My Trip Report

Posted by shonitay at 3/02/2012 10:06:00 PM

We're back from our long awaited trip... This trip was basically tailored with one idea on our minds:
"Japan is expensive and we'll only be able to save up enough to go there ONCE"

and oh boy how WRONG we were.. its DOable! Everyone CAN/MUST go to Japan and experience the wonderful country and people and culture and food... So, just to note, this trip arrangement is ideal if you plan to go to Japan only ONCE. and if you need my advice/share my itinerary with you, do let me know.. :)

So after saving for about 2 years, we finally took the plunge and bought our flight tickets to Japan on 11 March 2011! The date seemed like a familiar right? yeah, it's the day Japan was strucked with the Great East Japan Earthquake 8.9 magnitude ok! and to clarify further of our gung-ho-ness, we bought the ticket AFTER the news of the eathquake just because the price of the ticket was cheap (during pre-earthquake time)! We also told ourselves, Japan is a great country and the people there is strong! Earthquake and Tsunami is like monsoon season in Malaysia!

Little did we expect that the situation would lead to nucklear leakage... and so on... we PANICKED! and decided to pull out and tried to change tickets! Part of me was scared of dying unknowingly due to nucklear exposure and another part of me insists of not letting go of our dreams just like that...

i read many touching stories how Japan people keep strong, how the whole nation worked together to overcome the difficult period and HOW THE WORLD CAME TOGETHER (incl Korea & China OK!) for Japan... This... made me decide that we should keep our tickets and pray that by November it would be declared safe to travel to Japan.. I knew, the tourism industry in Japan needs me (albeit just a smallcat) to play a part to help build up the economy of Japan. And so WE WENT TO JAPAN and made our dreams came true!!!!!

Highlight of the 14 days 14 nights spent in the Land of the Rising Sun:

Day 1: Asakusa Temple