Summary of My 2024 Guangzhou & Tokyo Trip With China Southern Airlines [10D9N]

Summary of My 6D5N China Trip
Day 1: Kota Kinabalu → Guangzhou (post here)
Day 2: Guangzhou → Tokyo Haneda → Fujikawaguchiko (post here)
Day 3: Fujikawaguchiko (post here)
Day 4: Fujikawaguchiko (post here)
Day 5: Fujikawaguchiko → Tokyo (post here)
Day 6 - 8: Tokyo (post here)
Day 9: Tokyo → Haneda → Guangzhou (post here)
Day 10: Guangzhou → Kota Kinabalu

Internet Data
Normally, I will purchase the physical Sim card or like currently I will get e-Sim from Hello1010 but because I will be going to Japan right after coming back from my previous trip to China in October last year (both of my trips were within a month), hence I have decided to purchase the roaming package from CelcomDigi. I will always try to compare both packages from Hello1010 and CelcomDigi first, before proceed to purchase any Internet data from any of them.   

Total Damage for 3 Adults & 1 Infant

PARTICULARS FOR 3 ADULTS + 1 INFANT	AMOUNT
	JPY	RM
Air Fares China Southern Airlines   Accommodations Frida Hotel Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport  [1 Night] Fujikawaguchiko [3 Nights] Tokyo AirBnB [4 Nights] Guangzhou – Vanhome Serviced Apartment [1 Night]   Transportation Nissan Rent A Car ETC Fuel Taxi to Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro Limousine Bus to Haneda Tokyo Airport Food and beverages	-     - - - -     - 6,430 4,551 1,500 -   -	5,529     163 2,158 2,252 281     2,032 183 130 43 123   1,340
	TOTAL	14,234

My Travel Haul

When comes to Japan, it's really really hard to control myself when comes to shopping. No matter how many times I've been to Japan, I still found that there are so many things I want to buy. Snacks, face masks, beauty & skin products and souvenirs are most of the things I will purchase when visiting Japan. And my favourite to shop - Don Quijote, Daiso and Nakamise Shopping Street at Asakusa.  

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Transit & Explore Guangzhou Before Flying Back To Kota Kinabalu

<< Previous Post: Tokyo (5D4N Itinerary) After Fujikawaguchiko <<

After 8 days in Japan, it's time to bid "Sayonara" to my most favourite country. Really wish I could return to Japan every year but maybe it's wise to save money to go and visit other countries I've never been to as I've been to Japan more than 10 times. Because we're flying with China Southern Airlines, we have to transit in Guangzhou before flying back to Kota Kinabalu and this required us to book one night stay at Guangzhou as well. 

#1: Goodbye Tokyo! Goodbye Japan! Hope to see you again

#2: In-flight meal for Tokyo - Guangzhou route 

Pretty satisfied with their meal especially their cold soba, fresh fruits and delicious dessert 

OUR ACCOMMODATION IN GUANGZHOU

#3: Vanhome Serviced Apartment

#4: We booked deluxe twin room that come with two queen sized beds 

Vanhome Serviced Apartment

Date Stayed: 8 November - 9 November 2024 (1 Night)

Room Rate: RM281 for Deluxe Twin Room (Booked from Booking.com)

Nearest Station: 

Subway - Gongyuanqian Station under Guangzhou Metro Line 1 or 2 and exit from Exit D to reach Beijing Road Pedestrian Street

Bus - Multiple bus routes are available, such as Bus No. 3, 10, 66, etc., to Beijing Road Station. 

BEIJING ROAD PEDESTRIAN STREET

The location of our stay is unbeatable because it is situated right in the center of Beijing Road Pedestrian Street of Guangzhou. Stretching over 1,500m long, this pedestrian street offers wide array of options from local snacks and food to trendy clothes and gadgets. At here, we settled our dinner, enjoyed sweet and hearty desserts and bought some souvenirs to bring back home. 

#5: Beijing Road Pedestrian Street of Guangzhou

#6: Plenty of shopping malls and restaurants around

#7: One photo for the memory

#8: The Big Buddha Temple of Guangzhou 

#9: We had claypot rice for dinner and then continue with dessert.

On the next day, we had porridge and rice noodle roll for breakfast

It's time to go back home - for real. But before boarding, I got the opportunity to experience China Southern Lounge - thanks to my credit card for this privilege. It's less crowded than those lounges in klia and Changi airport. The best part, I can even take away some snacks, sandwiches and pastries.  

#10: China Southern Lounge at International Departure (Terminal 2)

Just when we thought our flight was pretty smooth one and will be ever to land accordingly to the scheduled arrival time, oh boy, something beyond our expectations had just happened. The weather in Kota Kinabalu was so horrible that the captains unable to land. So at the end, we're diverted to Bandar Seri Begawan (that's the Brunei's main airport) and waited for nearly 2 hours before we were given a green light to return to Kota Kinabalu. This is the first time I have experienced this throughout my travelling history. Have any of you experienced this before? 

#11: Diverted to Bandar Seri Bewagan (Brunei's main airport) due to the horrible weather in Kota Kinabalu

We landed safely at Kota Kinabalu International Airport around 10-11pm when the original scheduled of arrival time was supposed to be 6pm. 

I will be sharing my Japan's travel haul in the next upcoming post. 

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2024 Tokyo Trip (5D4N Itinerary) After Fujikawaguchiko

After spending 3 nights in Fujikawaguchiko, we then drove back to Tokyo and spent another 4 nights at this bustling and vibrant capital city of Japan. Hence for this post, I will do a compilation for all the places we went in Tokyo instead of doing separate post. For your information, this is my 7th trip to Tokyo and therefore, some of the places I've been over and over again. 

Here are my previous posts
Day 1: From Tokyo Haneda Airport to Fujikawaguchiko (click here)
Day 2: Second Day in Fujikawaguchiko (click here)
Day 3: Third Day in Fujikawaguchiko (click here)
Day 4: Fourth Day in Fujikawaguchiko Before Driving Back To Tokyo (click here)

Day 5: Tsukiji Outer Market + Ginza    

• Kick-off our day by heading to Tsukiji Outer Market for some street food such as Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) and strawberry Daifuku. We even dined-in at Sushi Zanmai 
• From Tsukiji, we walked to Ginza which takes about 20 minutes of walking. Shop till we drop at Uniqlo Flagship Store which spanning over 12 floors. The world's first Uniqlo Coffee is located on the 12th floor. 

#1: Strawberry daifuku 

#2: Food we had at Tsukiji Outer Market  

#3: 12-storey of Uniqlo Flagship Store and Gu at Ginza 

#4: Uniqlo Coffee Ginza on the 12th floor - the world's first Uniqlo Coffee

#5: Ginza 

Day 6: Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo + Shibuya + Tokyo Station 

• Taking bus from Shibuya Station to Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo 
• Going back to Shibuya to shopping and having lunch there
• Dropby Tokyo Station for phototaking and to get more omiyage (souvenirs) like Tokyo Banana and Calbee for my siblings and friends. 
  
  
  
  #6: Taking bus from Shibuya Station

#7: Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo in Nakameguro neighbourhood is the largest Starbucks in the world 

#8: Starbucks special edition mugs 
 

#9: Shopping around Shibuya and having lunch there 

#10: Finally got my first handbag from Blue Label Crestbridge 

#11: Tokyo Station. Love this shot took by my mom  

#12: Tokyo Gift Palette & Okashi Land 

Day 7: Asakusa + Akihabara + Ikebukuro

• Asakusa - my all time favourite place to buy souvenirs, arts and crafts. I got magnets, T-shirts, tote bags and etc here.  
• Hunting for my brothers' items at Akihabara. And this is the first time we had McD for this trip. 
• Ended our night at Ikebukuro before going back to our AirBnB.

#13: Sensoji Temple, Asakusa 

#14: Cute and adorable souvenirs at Nakamise Dori Street 

#15: Akihabara

#16: Our first McD for this trip 

#17: Ikebukuro 

Day 8: Sayonara Japan!

• On the last day of our trip, we took taxi to Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro to catch limousine bus to Haneda Airport. If we take taxi straight to the airport, it will definitely burn a huge hole on our wallet. It's advisable to pre-book in advance to secure your seat and you can book from Klook.

#18: Catching limousine bus from Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro to Tokyo Airport 

#19: Timetable of the limousine bus to Narita and Haneda Airport 

It's advisable to pre-book in advance to secure your seat and you can book from Klook.

OUR AIRBNB IN TOKYO

In Tokyo, we chosen to stay in AirBnB instead of hotel because I prefer to have facilities and amenities such as kitchen, living area and washing machine. And so we found this one nearby Shiinamachi Station. In terms of size, I love that it's pretty spacious and I like the separate bathroom and toilet.

However, the only thing I dislike about this AirBnB is the location where we have to walk nearly 15 minutes from the train station which it's kinda exhausted, especially after a long day at outside and you wish to reach your stay as soon as possible. 

AirBnB in Toshima City 

Date Stayed: 4 November - 8 November 2024 (4 nights) 

Room Rate: RM2,230 for 4 nights (Booked from AirBnB) 

Nearest Station: Shiinamachi Station, Seibu Ikebukuro line (South Exit)


By the way, our trip didn't end here cause we will be flying to Guangzhou for another long transit before flying back home sweet home to Kota Kinabalu. 

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Fourth & Final Day in Fujikawaguchiko

 << Previous Post: Third Day in Fujikawaguchiko <<

Most of my trips to Mount Fuji I will be staying only for a night but for this round, not just 1 night but we ended up with 3 nights at Fujikawaguchiko. Is it too many nights? Oh well, since we're travelling with an elderly and infant, 3 nights can consider to be just nice and perfect for us. 

After 3 nights stays in Fujikawaguchiko, it's time for us to bid goodbye. The check-out time of the accommodation we booked was 10am and frankly speaking, it's pretty normal here. This applies to some accommodation in Taiwan too. I don't know why some people are complaining about the check-out time in most of the hotels back in Malaysia when the check-out time is much more later, which is around 12pm. 

My husband said that it's still pretty early to head back to Tokyo, hence we decided to drive around Oishi Park and surrounding area for one final round. And also because we intend to try the soft serve ice-cream at Oishi Park cafe which we didn't manage to try out yesterday. 

#2: There are more than 10 different flavours of the soft serve ice-cream. Each for 500 yen

#3: We had the lavender & blue rose and kyoto grape flavour

Incredibly soft and instantly melts in the mouth

#4: View from the second floor of Oishi Park Cafe 

#5: We even dropby at Uniqlo Fujiyoshida but because it's during winter season, I didn't find anything I like as most of the clothes were significantly think and not suitable for hot weather 

Before driving back to Tokyo, we decided to dropby at Miyaki, a family-run noodle shop that specialise in making udon. It was full house by the time we arrived but immediately we got our table without have to wait any longer. And you don't have to worry if you don't speak or understand Japanese as they have English menu. The handcrafted udon is slightly chewy and the taste of the soup stock is so rich and flavourful. Even the prices are pretty reasonable too, with bowls ranging from 500 to 600 yen. 

#6: Miyaki Udon at Fujiyoshida. We ordered the signature tempura udon

#7: A family-run noodle shop. Small and packed but definitely worth to try their handcrafted udon 

After satisfied our hungry tummy, it's time for a long-drive back to Tokyo which takes nearly 2 hours. With that, my next upcoming post will talk and share more about Tokyo.

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Third Day in Fujikawaguchiko

 << Previous Post: Second Day in Fujikawaguchiko << 

It's our lucky day on our third day in Fujikawaguchiko when we woke up to a sunny and beautiful day. Without wasting any time, immediately we got ourselves ready to head out to Arakurayama Sengen Park for the iconic Chureito Pagoda. Believe it or not, I've been to Tokyo couple of times but this is my first time visiting the pagoda. 

#1: It's a good good day on our third day in Fujikawaguchiko.

  

#2: To reach the observation deck, one has to climb up the 398 steps

And for our case, it's even more challenging when we have to carry our baby which weighted nearly 11kg up the almost 400 steps 

#3: Chureito Pagoda, a five-storey red pagoda sits proudly in mesmerising Arakurayama Sengen Park 

#4: Arakurayama Sengen Park, one of the best spots for viewing Mount Fuji 

By the way, did you guys spot something unusual? If you look closely, you will notice that there is no snow on the peak of Mount Fuji. Yes, for the first time in recorded history breaking the longest period in 130 years, Mount Fuji remained snowless eventhough our trip was in November. Normally, the peak of Mount Fuji are dusted in snow by early of October, but the summit had remained bare. Initially, we thought we're pretty lucky to catch a full glimpse of Mount Fuji on a clear fine day but then, after seeing the iconic mountain was completely snowless, it's seems like something is missing and incomplete. Is this a sign that I need to return again for another trip in future just to witness Mount Fuji with snow on the peak? 

Talking about parking are, if you are driving just like us, there are plenty of parking at the foothills of Arakurayama Sengen Park and it's free of charge (FOC). Make sure to plan your trip wisely as the parking space is pretty limited. When we arrived around 7am plus, there were plenty of parking but when we left nearly reaching 9am, we noticed there's not many parking space left. 

From Arakurayama Sengen Park, we drove to Oishi Park which is known for another scenic spot to enjoy spectacular view of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko at once. Not just that, you can even get to experience variety of colourful flowers bloom on the promenade along the lake side throughout different season. In our case where we're traveled in early of November, Kochia, a fiery red coloured summer cypress spread beautifully all over Oishi Park and this creates a picturesque landscape that captivates all who visit.   

#5: Oishi Park, another scenic spot to enjoy spectacular view of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko at once

#6: Create another core memories together 

Not far away from Oishi Park, there is a Lake Bake Cafe that sell French-style loaves and pastries. Oh well, I happened to know this place from Instagram where from the post, it mentioned that one can get a awesome view of Mount Fuji and lake from the cafe but unfortunately during our visit, the cafe didn't allow anyone for dine-in. Only take-away is allowed and because we didn't want to waste our effort after joining the long queue, we decided to grab few freshly baked buns and enjoyed them by the lakeside. Luckily, the breads were pretty oishii and slightly regret for grabbing few only. Should grab more of those breads but then, we're kinda lazy to go back and joining the long queue over again.  

#7: Lake Bake Cafe, a French-styled bakery selling freshly baked loaves and pastries 

#8: The breads were pretty good. If you have the chance to visit this cafe, try to grab more

Lake Bake Cafe

Opening Hours: Friday to Tuesday (10am to 4pm). Closed on every Wednesday and Thursday

It's time for lunch time and my husband found this food truck selling ramen. Besides serving the typical Tonkutso, a pork-based brooth, they even have lobster and shrimp based brooth. By the way, do take note that they only accept cash and not any cards.  

#9: Food truck of Ramen Kaneyuki in Minamitsuru District 

#10: I ordered the Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen whereas my husband ordered the Lobster based broth 

To sum up our third day in Fujikawaguchiko, we kicked off with climbing up nearly 400 steps at Arakurayama Sengen Park for the Chureito Pagoda. Right after that, we spent nearly half of our day strolling along Oishi Park. And before heading back to our stay, we stopby at shopping centre in Fujiyoshida for another window shopping. A trip that pretty laid-back and relaxed one, without rushing too much. 

#11: Q-star, a shopping centre in Fujiyoshida

#12: And that's pretty sum up our third day in Fujikawaguchiko 

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