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I planed my trip to go the far south first then make my way to the West, East and North. So, I went directly to Fukuoka after Osaka. With my JR Pass I can jump on to any Shinkansen (except the Nosomi train and the Green Cars). Trick for Shinkansen is... Book Your Seat. Go to any Shinkansen ticket counters and show them JR Pass and tell them you want to reserve the seat, even a few minutes before the train leave, you can still do it. Please use the word "Reserve or Reservation" coz I tried my times using the word "Booking" it's never worked. There are non-reserve seats on Shinkansen but they always full (depends of the time as well).
The seating on the train is quite comfy, a lot of leg room and you can recline the chair quite far. Much much better than some the seats on the airplane. It also release very tiny amout of Carbon, 10 times less than the airplane. I felt so green traveling on it hehehe :) There're food and drinks selling on the train as well, so don't be scared of getting hungry. The train from Shin-Osaka to Fukuoka (Hakata) only takes 2.5 hours. On the train, there will be a staff to come and check your ticket, show them your JR Pass, if you reserved the seat also show them the reserve ticket.
If you want to take pictures of the scenery out side the train, be warned the train is very fast, you'll need 1/400 of the second or faster shutter speed to have a decent sharp image. :)
After arriving at Fukuoka Station, the first thing I saw was this longgg line of people line up to buy something... Well, that sojmething must be good I thought and joined the line. hehehe Turned out it's the shop selling Croisant. Name of the shop is "il Forno del Mignon"
There are 3 kinds of them "Plain (on the far left), Choco (in the middle), and ??? (the right). I bought two each for a pre-dinner snack hehe. After the first bite, I realised why there're so many poeple line up for it. Of all the three, I like Choco the most.
It's time to find my hotel. I stayed in "Hotel Com's Fukuoka" (you can book it thru http://b2b.hotelclub.net/) The problem about this hotel is... I couldn't find the map or direction how to get there. I did my research by looked thru http://diddlefinger.com/ and printed out the section where the hotel might be. The most difficult thing is.... there's NO street number on any buildings!! It's hard to find street names too, as at the intersection, There's no street name there. There're signs but they tell which direction goes which area sighhhhhh. I ending up asking the people around and they pointed me to this hotel safely. And don't bother calling the hotel, they're no help. So, I present you Fukuoka Details map!! Hope it helps you for your trip.
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The hotel I'm staying is quite nice for AUD $78.2 a night. Only 7 minutes walk from the station and very close to the sight seeing places.
After checking in I wasted no time asking at the couter "Where is the best Ramen in Fukuoka" They told me to go to this "Canal City" a big shopping mall close to Naka river. Then off I went to find the best Ramen. Along the way my nose started to smell something very yummy. I've quickly following that smell and found a stall selling Yakitori just oposit the Canal City, well that could be a nice entree' I thought, so I picked up a few... sticks. :) They are very very yummy. Tried to stop at number 3 but went on for another one. hehehe
The Canal City is quite big and weird design mixing together. And as the name sugguested, it's got a little man make canal inside.
I walked around a bit and there are a lot of shops and restaurants and I was drooling along the way. They almost have the guy with a mop to follow me drying my saliva (ewwww hehehe). And there it was.... Ichi-Ran.
To be continued....
I started my day with $10 breakfast buffet at the hotel. It's very average, not much to praise and not much to complain either, just sufficient. I left the hotel without one thing.... Asking them for a map!! Coz I thought my map in the travel book might be sufficient, and I was WRONG. Every hotels I stayed got very details map to giveaway for FREE, so, do ask one. As I walked out the hotel, there's field where a lot of kids playing baseball.
As a Japanese comic books fan, I've always known that Baseball is hugeeee in Japan. To see this, it just made me realized, I'm in Japan!
I left Juso catching the local train (which not included in JR Pass) back to Osaka Station. When you buy the ticket it's quite challenging. At most JR stations the ticket machine got English, but this local station got only Japanese. Be fear not, the quickest way is to ask at the Counter (they don't sell ticket there) whether how much it's going to cost to the station that you want, then go the machine, put the money in accordingly and press the touch screen for that amount, Bingo! You can also see the fare from the map chart above the ticket machine it'll tell you how much exactly to the stations that you want, however, some station don't have that map in English... So, ask the counter seems to be the quickest choice sometimes.
Osaka in the sun light is very different. More people, a lot more...
Osaka station is huggggeeeeee. There are so many Entrances/Exits. If you're there for the first time, try to calm yourself a bit. :) Firstly as I checked out from my hotel already, I'll need to put my luggage in the locker so I can travel lite. The lockers make things very convenient for travelers. Most of the big stations will have lockers in many places.
It operates by 100 Yen Coin only, so, make sure you have your change before you put your things in. There are 3 sizes for lockers, 300 Yen for Small one, 400 Yen for Medium one (I can put my luggage in, and 600 Yen for the big one. I'm not sure whether there's time limit on the locker coz I've never used it for more than 24 hours. :P
After put my things in the locker then off I went to Osaka Castle. Catching the train from Osaka station go to the Osaka Circle section, and again, the best way is to ask the staffs at the entrance. And since you have to show them your JR Pass to get in anyway, why not ask. hehehe.
At Osaka Castle station, you have to walk around 10-15 minutes to the castle. Osaka Castle is the symbol of Osaka, however, the original castle was destroyed during wars and was restored in Maeji period. My friend recommended me not to go inside as it'll be all brand new. And as I will go to Himeji Castle which will be a lot more interesting, so, I stayed outside the castle. But if you guys have times, go inside wouldn't hurt. :)
After finished with the castle, I came back to Osaka station to find some lunch. I heard that in Osaka is very well known for their Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza) and Takoyaki (Octopus Ball), so, I picked this restaurant near by the station.
It's got no English name, I don't know what it's called... but it's fantastic!!
I ordered the Combination Okonomiyaki, and it's by far is the BEST Okonomiyaki I had in my ENTIRE LIFE!!! I wanted to cry coz it's sooooo Oishi!!! Osaka's got their trademark in Okonomiyaki by putting in the SOBA (thin egg noodle) in it.
After lunch then it's time for Shinkansen! (The bullet train). Again, back at Osaka Station to catch a train to Shin Osaka, where Shinkansen is waiting for me. However, there's one big problem.... I forgot where my locker is.... The damn station is so big and got so many exits, these got me walking around the station for 20 minutes!!! So, you guys, please take pictures around the area that you left you things in the locker to make your life easier.
Now I'm heading to Fukuoka, will continue soon.
I've arrived at Kansai Airport quite late at night. But there's still train service to go to Osaka, Shin-Osaka and Kyoto. If you bought a JR Pass, there's ticket office that opened til 9.00 pm so you can exchange your ticket to the JR Pass.
After I've got the JR Pass then, off I went to the train. For those who're new to Japan, the mobile phones need to be in SILENT MODE. Talking on the phone on the train is considered inappropriate. And you will see a lot of people on the train do the Texting hehehe.
There're LED screens on every car telling you where is the next stop so, you can prepare to get off the train correctly. You can also check at the ticket counter what time the train will arrive at the destination, the train in Japan is quite on time, most of the time.
Getting off at Osaka station, I was shocked to see how many people at the station and the size of it. It's a little overwhelmed for me. But as my stomach is so empty, I think it might be a good idea to find something to eat before I check in to the hotel. Not far from the station (5 minutes walk) There's this little street that got many restaurants.
By the time I got there it's around 23:00, which most good restaurants were closed. So, I was left with not many choices but I picked, "Eat-Man". Which opened 24 hours. The restaurant looked cozy, however, Japan's got one of the highest rates of smoker population in the world allow people to smoke in the restaurant. Those smoke ruined my mood for food a bit. Here he came the waiter who hardly speak English. Most of the order is "Point and Choose". And I got my food like below.
Of all the food, I do like the Yakitori very much. Over all they are ok for 24 hours restaurant.
Stomach was full and it's time to sleep. I checked in to the hotel that I booked, Plaza Hotel Osaka, close to Jyo So Station. However, as it was late and dark, I choose to call a taxi to get me there. Luckily I have printed out everything, including the map. So, again, just point at the map and they took me to the hotel.
I was warned by many friends that hotels in Japan will have a small room, and they're right. But I don't really care much, coz I would spent a lot of time outside anyway. The room was very clean, the bath towel was bright and white and with only AUD $72 a night, I'm very happy for that. :)
To go travel in Japan, there are many things that you need to prepare. Each person would be different in preparation, "Some one" can really manage the Micro Planning of their trips, so they do everything by second. :P But my is pretty simple (I guess).
1. Air Ticket
There are many airlines offering the flights to Japan. Jetstar seems to be very cheap. I've got my Sydney-Osaka Return about $500 inc tax!! Jetstar also fly to Nagoya. If you want to stop over in Thailand, Thai Airways got the deal where buy ticket to go to Japan but can stop over in Thailand for free. Plan your trip and thinking about how many days you can afford to stay in Japan.
2. Guide Book
Firstly buy a guide book, "Lonely planet" or the one I bought "Eyewitness Travel". Read them roughly and mark the places where you want to visit and then Start Mapping them to the routes.
3. Pin down the cities you want to visit
Put down the date and city you want to be on that date so you can plan your accommodation.
4. Book your accommodation
As you already know what city you want to be on that day, so now you can book your accommodation accordingly. I booked my at http://b2b.hotelclub.net/. They 7have variety kind of hotels and ryokans rated from very cheap AUD $67 for a hotel in Tokyo til 5 stars hotel. However, some area like Buppu or Miyajima Island might be hard to find from this website, I'll tell you later from my blog.
Tip: Try to find the hotel that's close to the JR Train station. As you are not going to be familiar with the area yet, it'll be a safer choice. If you can, email the hotel for direction from the Train Station. ASK THEM WHAT EXIT from the station, coz some station like Osaka, got million exits. You can also check the map by area from here: http://diddlefinger.com/ It'll show up the map of the area in English and Japanese.
5. Get your JR Pass
Depends on how many places and how far you want to go, but from my trip, as I need to travel a lot across the country, JR Pass is the life saver.
You can only buy the Japan Rail Pass outside Japan! So, make sure you buy it before you leave your country. You buy the ticket as it showed from the picture above, then at any main stations in Japan you can exchange this ticket with the JR Pass. It comes with 7 Days, 14 Days and 21 Days. Also comes with the Green type which allow you to sit on a more luxury seats on the green car, but it heaps more expensive. More details here: http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html
Tip: After you buy the ticket from the agent, please ask for the Railway Timetable, so you can plan your trip easier.
However, if you only stay in on are like, Tokyo and the area close by within Central Honshu you might be only need the JR East Pass which can be purchased in Japan. For West area, there's also JR West Rail pass.
6. Prepare your luggage
Please observer the seasonality of Japan before you go and have the appropriate clothes accordingly. Bath towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, Razor, Shampoo, soap or even comb are NOT necessary, as they come standard with every hotels and Ryokan (traditional hotel). So, save you space in your bag. :)
If you do travel around and change places a lot like me, I would recommend you to bring enough cloth for each day, as you might not have time to do the laundry. And Bring your COMFY SHOES. I've warned you.
7. CASH
Bring enough Cash!!! It's hard to find ATM that you can withdraw your money internationally. So, at least AUD $1000 for 10 days if you medium spender (not including the Accommodation cost).
I'll be back with Osaka part 1 soon.
Cheers,
Gun
I went to Japan from 13/06/2008 - 24/06/2008 due to a very very cheap air ticket from Jetstar ($480 Syd-Osaka returned with Tax and fuel surcharge included).
I planed a very very ambitious schedule to cover as many areas in Japan as possible. Started off in Osaka then straight to Fukuoka, Beppu, Mount Aso, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Himeji Castle, Kyoto, Tokyo and Nikko. Many good friends of mine were not positive with this hectic schedule but I tried it anyway. :)
I'll blog my whole trip day by day and will give you guys tips that I learned from my experience.
Hope these can help you.
Cheers,
Gun
Some people hate using flash due to the horrible harsh look on the subjects. But using flash can be such a joy and give great results.
When to use flash?
1. When there's not enough light to lid the subject.
2. To "Fill", in harsh day light condition, eliminating shadows.
3. To stop motion on the fast movement subjects.
4. Want some creativity artificial light.
How to use flash to get good results.
A. When you have only Pop up flash (SLR)
1. To fill-in for daylight the pop up flash can do the work just fine. Unless you are very far from the subjects. Fill in flash will eliminate the nasty shadows and make the pictures look more flattering. Make sure you set the Flash to TTL (Through the lens)
2. At night or indoor: This is the difficult part. There are 2 hidden techniques that you could use to improve your shots.
2.1 Using the Foil. That's right, go right to your kitchen and grab a piece of foil. Use it as a bouncer attached it to the bottom of the flash. And have it block the front part of the flash. So, the light will be be re-directed up to the ceiling.
2.2 Using the Film case. Pick the white film case only, cut it in the middle (the Longer side) and stick your flash in Horizontally. It should defuse your pop up flash nicely.
to be continued.......
Shooting Sydney Mardi Gras Parade is not easy as it looks. You'll facing with low light, changing type of lights, Moving Subjects and all the crazy staffs that love to block your view.
So, this is my tips for preparation.
1. Get there Early. It's important that you are in the position 5:30pm the latest!! (The parade start around 7:45pm)
2. Location location location. I love to be at Oxford Street. If you can, pick the side where they have The Columbian Bar, Stone wall.
3. Pack up your gear with "Fast" in mind. Speed light and diffuser is very crucial. Forget about Tripod as you will not have any space to put it. For lens I would recommend 50mm F1.4-F1.8. Tamron 28-75 F2.8 is quite handy too.
4. Spare Battery and Spare SD/CF cards are a must. I shoot raw so, 5 GB in total will give me no worries about having to go thru pictures and delete them to free some space and lose the opportunity to shoot.
5. Also put water in your bag, as this will be a very long shoot. And it's hard for you to go anywhere as a LOT of people is behind you.
Shooting Tips.
1. It's the tradition that Mardi Gras will start with big bikes. All the lesbians and Bears will ride their bikes past you and sometimes they stop. If they're riding past you, you can either do Panning, or using Flash. If you are new with Panning, by all mean use flash and aim for the closest Bike. Put on diffuser helps, also tilt the flash up about 60 degree. Do not aim for the further one as your flash will be able to reach them. I'd say 2-3 metre from you. The setting for aperture will need to be under F3.0, better around F2.0 and ISO 400-800.
2. Now the walking part of the parade begins. The front part after the bike usually very bright as they'll have their own spot lights to shine on the show boys and girls. I think it's better to switch off the flash and shoot without flash. For those show girls/boys who are close to the lights you can even getaway with Shutter speed of 1/200 - 1/250 of a sec. which will be enough to freeze the movement. For those that do not have their lights then, turn on the flash again and pick only the ones that are in 2-3 metre range. Aperture under F2.0 and ISO800.
3. It helps if you reach out your hands and screaming and waving to attract people in the parade. They'll come very close to you even give you hugs or kisses. They'll pose for you nicely too.
4. You have to experiment a little bit before you get it right. Do not worry about the first 10-20 pics. But you have to learn it fast. Do not panic and experiment which setting will be the best combination.
5. And the last tip from me. Please keep things clean do not leave the junks or garbage behind. :)
Happy Mardi Gras,
Gun
