Ghost Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 So I'm planning on going to both Singapore and Japan in mid September with a mate. It'll be my first proper "trip" so I'm looking forward to it. Didn't want to hijack the Tokyo thread here on VT, so just wanted to know if people had suggestions on things to do and places to see in both countries. I'll be in Singapore for about 5 days, meeting up with another uni mate, and then in Japan for the next two and a half weeks. Just wanted advice on things to do and things not to do. Cheers all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 who did you book with / how much if you dont mind me asking, id love to do that trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Five days is a bit too much time for Singapore, frankly there's little to do here. I'd go to the Sands (the casino/resort) and have a walk around the old colonial district (imo the history of the area is fascinating, even if it dates back to only 1819 at most). Apart from that there's not much, the zoo is fun but overrated imo. I guess you could take the train or bus and do a day's trip around the island and it would feel fairly novel, but don't expect anything mind-blowing. Oh, and beer is expensive 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I spent 3 days in Singapore and it was probably just about the right length of time, It's a lovely city, just not a great deal to do. I went to Sentosa one day and the other days I just walked around the city... did the touristy stuff like a Singapore Sling in Raffles etc. It's a good place to go out in the evening in, albeit a bit pricey. Just take advantage of the 'happy hours' in various bars to keep the beer prices down! Clark Quay has a lot of bars/restaurants. I remember a Cuban bar where they served great mojitos. I think they were $28 Singapore Dollars (about £14) but very nice. If you are looking for something a bit more 'adult' then Orchard Towers at night is an experience! Ipanema was the main club there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 We went looking for Geisha girls in Japan. Mission **** impossible. Ended up getting a lap dance off some girl from Essex down Roponghi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobler Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I'm planning a trip to Japan in July too. Managed to gather pieces of info off people but so far I don't really have much of a clue where to start. So like the original poster has requested, any advice would be great. I've heard that I should buy a jr rail pass beforehand to save a fortune on train fares and should be able to get around anywhere with it. Is that true? I'll probably keep it relatively simple by going from Tokyo>Kyoto>Osaka. Sorry to hijack Ghost but I guess any info for both of us is valuable. As for Singapore, I went around six years ago and like many have said, about three days is enough but it's a brilliant city. Sentosa is a decent day out but it's sort of a plasticy beach and a bit tacky, in my opinion, however the cable car trip is fun. Singapore zoo is great and the night safari is a laugh too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 The JR pass is only valid on certain trains ..., the fast bullet but not the super fast bullet If I recall but it was 4 years ago when I was there so I could be wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 The bullet train is amazing. Arrives on time to the second. Also at max speed 200mph ? It feels so smooth I had a beer on my table and there wasn't even a ripple on the surface of the drink. I've flown both BA and Virgin to Tokyo and I would recommend Virgin out of the two. Probably cheaper? Definitely better IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 who did you book with / how much if you dont mind me asking, id love to do that trip I booked each part of my trip separately. Didn't use an agent. Not sure if that was the best way of doing it, but whatever Flights are costing me around $200 for the two legs (Melb->Sing & Sing->Tokyo), then around $600 (Tokyo->Melb). Aussie dollar obviously. Flying JetStar and Air Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks for the tips. Also... Oh, and beer is expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Sorry to hijack Ghost but I guess any info for both of us is valuable. No worries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Noticed down the tube today theres a heavy ad campaign for beach holidays to one of Japan's islands to the south. Can't recall the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Okinawa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Could be Okinawa . Looked stunning Taiwan has some amazing beaches too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Well Singapore has some really underrated beaches as well... I'm kidding, the beaches are godawful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted May 31, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted May 31, 2013 Japan is an excellent choice for a holiday destination, if you want to see and experience something different. Tokyo has its appeal as a mega city, but to me Kyoto was more awesome. In Kyoto locals, especially school children who make trips to Kyoto in the spring, still look at us europeans as something different. In a weird way, I liked it. Some sort of positive racism, I don't know. But it just felt good, they were curious. What to do in Kyoto then? I suppose if you go there, you are interested in Japanese history, which is very impressive. An obvious choice to visit are temples and shrines, most memorable temples to me were the Golden Pavilion and Kiyomizu Temple. The absolute highlight of the trip was the visit to the Nijo Castle, home of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the most powerful man in Japan. Would definitely recommend this place with its' creaky floors. I stayed at the Hotel Okura, which is right in the center of things. Awesome location. I really liked walking around in the Shijo-Kawaramachi shopping area with a huge amount of small shops. The atmosphere there was amazing. People are nice and friendly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Anyone been to Tokyo Disneyland Looking at taking the kids in October ... Of course I could go to the one in America but that would be too easy and I imagine the Japanese one will be bonkers , in the nice bonkers way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 (edited) Anyone been to Tokyo Disneyland Looking at taking the kids in October ... Of course I could go to the one in America but that would be too easy and I imagine the Japanese one will be bonkers , in the nice bonkers way I didn't go to Disneyland, but I went to DisneySea, its sister sea-themed theme park. Loved it Anyway, if you're in Singapore, the "largest aquarium in the world" is well worth a visit. Educational and very inspiring if you're a nature/science enthusiast. Universal Studios Singapore is right next to it as well. Edited June 29, 2013 by legov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmkayVilla Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Ghost, I agree with legov, 5 days is a ton of time to be in Singapore, it is a very very tiny island. I lived there for 16 years and dreaded it and was glad to move out. I do like to visit but not for that long, 3 days is enough, you can get around the city very easily with public transport or taxi. It's so freaking clean you could lick the floor....well maybe not. Food is incredibly inexpensive however booze is incredibly expensive lol. If you are into photography it is a lovely place to go, if you are into partying it does have a huge scene but again it is pricey, if you like to try new foods then you cannot argue that Singapore has the widest and probably best food in the World...yes bold statement but that's the general consensus from a lot of people who visit there! Have fun no matter what but....make sure you do not mess around with the cops or the law, they are really really stingy with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Food is incredibly inexpensive however booze is incredibly expensive lol. Cheap food is almost always shit food in Singapore, in my humble opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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