Everyone knows that Japan is a very expensive country for tourist. However, it is not necessary so all the time. Tokyo Metro Card for tourist for instance. You can save up to 30% off with the 2 day Tourist Metro Card and 15% off for the 1 day card. This is a special edition card that can only be purchase at the Narita Airport. So, the minute you hit Narita Airport, the first priority is to get one or many of these cards. For a 2 day card, it cost ¥980 and this card is valid for 2 days starting from the first time you use it. And the card is only valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. There is also a version for children and so if you are traveling in a family, there is one for everyone and you safe on child fares. Now, the only thing to note is that this ticket is only valid on the Metro line, there are also the JR train line and Toei line, which the card does not apply. Metro can take you to most of the spots in Tokyo, but some are only accessible through Toei or JR Train.

There are loads of products to help you in your health improvement, but not all products are effective. Trustsource.org is a platform of which these products are being reviewed and rated by consumers who have used them before. Who better to rate these products than the users themselves. Apart from quit smoking products, the site also rate hair loss products (provillus), products to deal with your hot flashes (menopause) and cellulite cream. Customers can write a review and give their opinion, especially on why they love it or hate it and the customers can also rate the product. Readers on the other hand can also rate the reviews given to either if they are helpful or not helpful, this will help to stem out low quality reviews, leaving the best on the front page. On the stop smoking page, there are also guides on how to stop smoking, so providing consumers a total solution. The same goes for cellulite menopause and hair loss guide. Some of the products featured provide fee trail, of which consumers can request for the free trail and then later return to the trustsource.org site and provide review and rating. All in all, check out trustsource.org for your specific needs and find out which products work best. This will help to avoid much hassle and money.

In less than 20 days, we will be in the land of the rising sun (Japan). As we have outline our itinerary, and where to go, there are still much details to be planned. I have discovered Yahoo’s trip planner and found it to be useful. It allows me to plan my trip in details and later print out to bring along with me. It also allows others to view and comment on it. I have 20 days left to have all the details planned out, and there are no much time. It is fun to plan for a backpacking trip like this, figuring out in details what to do and when to do it. There are also a high degree of ambiguity which is a bummer, but something that we have to deal with, its just life. We refer extensively to the latest 3rd edition (2005) of “Rough Guide to Japan” travel book, but I find that the book to be a little outdated, some links and information’s are not valid anymore. The web has still the best resources, especially when it comes to transport and opening schedules, latest pricings and people comments on hotels, places of interest, etc. Initially, I refrained from buying a guide book, but the information on the web are a little too scattered, and the guide book just aligns them together and provide a structured path. Our major worry on this trip was not having enough money to spend. Even saving up to the original goal, I still felt that our funds are still not enough for a comfortable trip. This is why, planning to the up most details will help to ease the worry a little, currently there are no room for surprises, and I think will need a couple of K more for a comfortable trip. Japan is just so expensive, but need to be experienced in this lifetime.

Tokyo Hakone 2007 @ Yahoo Trip Planner – its a living document, it grows everyday.

Monkeys going nuts!

in our recent visit to KL for Gwen’s Concert, we put up at my brother inlaw’s home. Their two little boys have grown and the little one is getting cuter by the day. Not to mention, he is also tembam and very geram, so comel…