Trip accounts 2017

Currency exchange rates at time of trip:

¥1=£0.00685

¥1=€0.00807
¥1=$0.00882
Prices are per person.

Transport:
• Flights: ¥66,585   £456.11   €537.34   $587.28 (bought 7 months in advance, we got them at an amazing price!).  Jorge and Will paid an extra £173 (¥25,255 €203.80 $222.75) each to fly their bikes.
• Car: ¥42,666   £292.26   €344.31  $376.31 (includes rental, tolls, petrol and parking for 2 weeks). Me and Manuel paid ⅔ of the rental and the full cost of the other expenses as we were the main users of the car.
• Shinkansen: ¥33,610   £230.23   €271.23   $296.44 (Tokyo to Fukuyama and Osaka to Tokyo).
• Ferry: ¥5800   £39.73   €46.81   $51.16 (includes 1 car with driver and another person).
• Public transport (train and subway): ¥1,905   £13.05   €15.37   $16.80.
• TOTAL = ¥150,566   £1031.38   €1215.07   $1328

Accommodation:
• Tokyo tax and onsen tax included. No tax paid in Osaka as accommodation price was below ¥10,000.
• We stayed in 2 hostels, 2 ryokans, 4 hotels and 1 temple lodging. Apart from the hostel in Osaka, all others were great.
• Apart from the hostels, all other accommodations provided breakfast. 
• Dinner was included in 4 of the days. In Shimanto we paid for the hotel Keiseki dinner at ¥1700 (£11.65, €13.72, $15) and in Kawayu Onsen we paid for the hotel dinner buffet at ¥3240 (£22.20, €26.15, $28.60). These prices were included in the 'food' part of the expenses.
• Cheapest accommodation was obviously For Leaves Inn Uehonmachi in Osaka, ¥2475 (£17, €20, $21.83) per night. It's not worth it!
• Most expensive accommodation was the temple lodging at Koyasan, Koyasan Onsen Fukuchi In, at ¥10,891 (£74.60, €87.90, $96) per night. Great experience but not for more than 1 night!
• TOTAL = ¥94,325   £646.13   €761.20   $832

Food:

• As usual not many alcoholic beverages.

• Cheapest meal was at the Japanese fast food joint in Tokyo on the day we arrived, ¥596 (£4, €4.8, $5.26).

• Most expensive meal was the 'all fish' dinner in Wakayama at ¥3500 (£24, €28.25, $30.87).
• TOTAL = ¥24517   £168   €197.85   $216.24

Wifi:

• Sakura mobile 3GB sim card at ¥4590. Me and Manuel shared the card and split the cost so ¥2295 (£15.72, €18.52, $20.24) each.
• 3GB was more than enough for 2 weeks for 2 persons.
• Almost all accommodations had wifi which we used at night. Wifi speed varied greatly.

Atractions/Activities:
• Onsen (Dogo Onsen and Iya Onsen Hotel): ¥1440   £9.86   €11.62   $12.70.
• Cooking course at Eat Osaka: ¥6500   £44.53   €52.46   $57.33.
• Museums: ¥1356   £9.29   €11 $12.
• Castles and villa: ¥800   £5.48   €6.46   $7.06.
• Tsurugisan chairlift: ¥1860   £12.74   €15   $16.40.
• Sandanbeki Caves: ¥1300   £9   €10.5   $11.5.
• Koyasan combo ticket: ¥1500   £10.28   €12.10   $13.23.
• Mikimoto Island: ¥1500   £10.28   €12.10   $13.23.
• TOTAL = ¥16,256   £111.35   €131.19   $143.38.

TOTAL:
Transport aside as it is the most expensive part of the trip, all other expenses come up to ¥137,393    £941.22    €1108.76    $1121.86.
Dividing these expenses for the 14 days we were in Japan, the daily expenses come up to: ¥9,813.80      £67.23     €79.20     $80.13.
Overall, all expenses together, but shopping spree aside, the total cost of the trip for me was: ¥287,959    £1972.60    €2323.83    $2449.86.
Japan provides a very good value for money!

The last leg

Day 15

Yep, time to return.

We sorted out breakfast at a coffee shop near the hostel and decided to go all out on the pastries. Gluten and sugar combo, I'm ready to fall in love with you again!

We headed to the airport and checked-in early. I'm happy we decided to go early because we got  a check-in desk trainee who took a while to check-in 4 people, 4 backpacks and 2 bike bags. Nevertheless, she did her job well and with the usual Japanese grace so we were patient.

Jorge and Will had noodles for the last time in Japan. Manuel craved for fries and went everywhere to find them. He came back empty handed. In the end, there was a burger place just around the corner from where we sat. I had a burger and he had fries. Fries were not worth the bother. Manuel waited forever for a portion of it and then they were sub-standard.

This time I flew much better. I refused to sleep as I was trying to trick the jet-leg. I watched 4 movies:

• La La Land. My initial reaction to this movie  was 'What the hell is this?'. I persevered and half way through the movie it actually got interesting. The end is unexpected. Partially because it is not your typical Hollywood ending, and partially because it manages to have two different endings at the same time, a good and a sad. Once you cope with the boring first part of the movie, you are then rewarded with a good story.

• Harmonium. A very emotional Japanese movie dwelling on betrayed friendship, family, regret and revenge. Winner of a Cannes Film Festival award. There's no action to it, it is a proper drama. It's worth watching.

• Fantastic beasts and where to find them. J. K. Rowlings, what more do I need to say?

• Hidden figures. Black empowerment and women empowerment. It's never out of fashion!

I decided to say goodbye to Japan with a Karen Millen dress. I soon regreted using a designer piece.
I poured coffee on the dress. There was a minute of panic and then I raced to the toilet. Airplane toilets are not just small and scary, they are not designed for hand washing items of clothing. Whilst one hand is engaged in getting the water to pour out of the tap, you are left with only one hand to wash. As anyone who has ever handwashed a piece of clothing before knows, you actually need two hands.
There I was, in  the smallest imaginable sink, using one single hand to hold the dress and wash it at the same time. Let's just say it is not an easy or eficient task.
I washed as much as I could, inundating the toilet floor at the  same time. I had to dress it again as I had no other clothes with me. I decided to put the blanket provided for sleeping underneath the dress to provide some insulation and my designer piece became a very unfashionable ensemble. At least I wasn't cold!
Back home I desperatelly tried to wash the dress, time and time again, with different speciality products. I learned that coffee stains are very hardy and nearly impossible to remove once they dry. All I can think is that it was the first time I wore the dress and that it cost me £200... Sad!
We arrived in London at 9pm, took a taxi home and to bed we went. I fell asleep thinking about our next trip. Japanese Alps, next time it's where we're going.