SRS BLOG: July 2015

ZALORA FASHION FEVER WEEK

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Okay, this might seem like a very random post because it’s been such a long time since I visited Japan but I received an email a few days ago, an Indonesian reader of SRS Blog asked me if I can make an article about a guide to Japan, she enjoys reading my Japan travel diary and the fact she is going to Japan next month. So I decided to do this little guide to help her;

"16 Things You Need To Know Before Going To Japan"

1. Japan has 4 seasons, each season lasts around 3 months.

Spring : March - May

Summer : June - August

Autumn : September - November

Winter : December - February

Always make sure you know what season it will be when you arrive in Japan for the sake of your packing plan. In Spring or Summer, you can travel light but if you'll be visiting on Autumn or Winter, you need bring some sweaters and coats. Believe me or not when I visited Tokyo, it was Autumn so I brought 5 coats to save my life.

2. The Time-Zone for Japan is GMT + 9.

3. Japanese people still use a lot of coins, like 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen and 500 Yen. There are also 4 paper money which are 1.000 yen, 2.000 yen, 5.000 yen and 10.000 Yen.
You would definitely need to own cash and it’s not easy to find a money changer in Japan. You need to change your Rupiah into Yen when you’re still in Indonesia or you can change Rupiah into $ (Dollars) since it’s really hard to find money changer that can change your Rupiah into Yen when you’re already in Japan.
You can exchange your money at the airport (the easiest way to do it). Banks are hard to find, if you do, be prepared to wait for about 1 hour because they will check you, call your hotel, etc.

3. Overall, the price for your daily needs in Japan is relatively cheap. You can always get full just by spending 500 Yen to 1000 Yen (tax not included). In many restaurants or cafes, mineral water is offered for free, it can even be refilled (just like in Manado). In several public places, like park, the subway station, famous district (Shibuya, Harajuku), you can also find a water outlet with drinkable water. Bring along your tumblr so you can refill it when you find one.

4. Electronics in Japan are relatively cheaper than in Indonesia.

You can get new iPhone 6 64gb for 60.000 Yen and new Fujifilm cameras in affordable prices.

5. Most restaurants and cafes do not open before 11AM and close at 8PM. Some famous cafes only open after 3PM. Finding cafes that open in the morning might be quite a challenge for you.

6. Japanese people are not speaking English well, yep the most intimidating thing for travelers like us. But don’t worry, in some tourist spots, Japanese people can still speak English but once again don’t expect them to be very fluent. My advice is you gotta learn the basic like greetings or saying thank you in Japanese language. These are some of the most used phrases;

“Hai, Konnichiwa, Konbawa, Oyasuminasai, (Domo) Arigatou gozaimasu, Doitashimaste, Gomennasai, Itadakimasu, Sayonara, Sumimasen, Ohayou”

A reminder for Indonesian, don’t you ever say ring and bowl in Indonesian language when you’re in Japan. It refers to woman’s reproductive organ and man’s reproductive organ.

7. If you’re planning a short stay, better to rent a portable Wifi device at Haneda or Narita airport because you can't use their free Wifi (you need a Japanese citizen). With portable WiFi device, you can bring it along when you are going to the tourist spots and still have Internet connection to update your Path, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! The process to borrow it is easy.

8. When in Japan, do as the Japanese do, like you should bow instead of doing a handshake, removing your shoes when entering someone’s house, not throwing trash randomly on the street, the most important is you must not be late. Japanese people are very punctual. They might be early, but they are never late (unless something big happens).

9. The power socket that Japan uses is two thin pins, so make sure to buy it from Ace Hardware in Indonesia because it costs 500 Yen (around IDR 53.000) in Japan.

10. Never use taxi unless you want to spend a lot of extra money. Yes, Taxis are very expensive. Using trains and buses all the time might be the best option you can have. A JR Rail Pass is essential. The pass is valid on all JR rails which means you get to use the pass to go everywhere, even you can visit Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto from Tokyo.

11. Japanese snacks, chocolates, ice creams never fail to make your life happier. Family Mart and Lawson are everywhere. Hunt them all.

12. Never leave tips when you’re in Japan. They are obviously very offensive. You’ll get a lot of help from local people but they never expect anything in return, helping others is just their cultural, yes they are the most helpful people *standing applause*.

13. The best way to enjoy Japan is by walking, make sure you’re wearing your most comfortable shoes or sandals.

14. Local brands are actually reasonable there. European & American brands like H&M, Topshop, Forever 21, Zara. Uniqlo etc are cheaper than any Asian countries, I bought a long summer skirt for only 100 Yen (around IDR 13.000) at H&M, Harajuku.

15. Bring a power bank everywhere.

16. In Japan, everyone is so aware of not bothering each other that you always have the time to take OOTD pictures without people interfering.

SRS Blog 101 Travel Tips : No matter where you go for your holiday, it’s always better to have a plan in hand. Japan might seem like a small country but believe me it has so much to offer, so many absolutely fascinating places to see, so much unique experiences. You have to do some research in advance from hotel or guest house to stay, restaurants to eat, the internet plan, the transportations you’ll use, places / tourist spots you want to visit, how much money you need to bring, the traditions you need to learn and do, you need to make an itinerary and make the most of it.

The shoes and the plaid dress I wore here are from Japan, I bought them at HERE'S store at Gotemba Premium Outlets, like I told you before Local brands are quite reasonable, the slip ons costs around 13.000 Yen but I was very lucky that day because HERE'S had SALE and the slip ons only costs around 3.800 Yen. SCORE!!!

| What I Wore : MK Michel Klein slip ons / HERE'S dress / UWU School denim jacket / CASIO watch / VANS sunnies |

Anyway, as the newest Clozette Indonesia Ambassador since June 2015, I am going to post about Clozette news, contests, giveaways and events more often in this blog.

Have you ever heard about COTW or Clozzetter Of The Week?

You can be one of COTW and get MAP Vouchers just by registering yourself on www.clozette.co.id and upload your OOTD or Makeup of the day with this week's theme "Into The Blue"
Don't forget putting #ClozetteID and #COTW. The contest ends in July, 26th.