Travel to Japan - preparations, costs and expectations

Going on an adventure trip for 3 weeks and have chosen a group trip with Kilroy for the first 2 weeks, as it feels a little safer my first time outside Europe. The last week I will be alone. 

If you want to know more about this travel agency, please click on this link https://www.kilroy.no

How the travel agency contacts me

 You will be assigned a permanent person who will help you tailor the journey you want. You communicate with this person via email, then we talk on video if that's easiest. When the trip was arranged, I paid a deposit, so that I am guaranteed a place and that they know I am paying. 

Some time passes between each time there is contact with the travel agency, but I have been told that when it get closer to my leaving date, I will be added to a Facebook group with those I will be traveling in a group with. 

To go to Japan I need some vaccines and a vaccination certificate, so I asked at the vaccination office at Volvat in Oslo what I needed and that were a couple of vaccines for hepatitis A and B. Two doses are enough to go to Japan, but if you take the third dose then it lasts for the rest of your life, which I choose. Was told about a special type of mosquito spray it was a good idea to bring along as well. It's called Tropical. 

In my brochure from Kilroy it says that there are 36 included activities in the adventure trip, and 15 optional extras in over 9 different locations. All transport is included from day 2-13, but we have to arrange the transport from the plane to the hostel and vice versa ourselves. There are two to three people per room. 11 breakfasts, 1 lunch and four dinners are included in the price. It also comes with a guide.

Before the actual journey, I know that I will experience this:

My flight leaves on July 13, 2023. From Oslo, Norway at 13.10 to Helsinki, Finland 15.35. Then I have a lot of time to chill in Finland before the flight leaves Helsinki at 17.45 and lands in Tokyo at 13.01 (takes an extra day). There is food on the planes. Here is a little sneak peek at some of what we will be doing in the first three/four days.... 

Day. 1 Meeting the group, temple visit 

Day. 2 Day trip Tokyo 

Day. 3 Make sushi class, and rowboat restaurant 

Day. 4 Travel to Hakone and Mt Fiji viewing

Costs and payments: 

Now it's been a few months since I heard anything from Kilroy, but today I got an email saying that I have to pay the rest of the price for the trip. 06.05.2023 so I will do that. Is it a good idea to pay with a credit card as you can get benefits from it, such as a free flight. As long as you pay off what you have used on the credit card, of course. I use the Norwegian credit card, who gives me free cancellation protection.

For the group trip and the vast majority of the experiences it faces, as well as plane tickets to and from with stopovers and meals, the trip comes to NOK 47,876. Without pocket money. Hotel costs and experiences during the week I am alone comes in addition to this. 

Hotels for the week alone:

1. La'gent Hotel Osaka Bay from 27 to 30 July, and costs NOK 4,960, the hotel here is near the Universal Studios amusement park.

2. Hotel atarayo Osaka from 30 July to 1 August, this is a capsule hotel where you share a dormitory with others. I've wanted to try sleeping in a capsule, so now I have the opportunity to do so. This costs NOK 682. 

3. Star Gate Hotel Kansai Airport from 1 to 3 August, is a hotel close to the airport, so that I don't have to stress so badly when I soon have to go home to Norway again. The hotel costs NOK 1,461. 

I have high expectations for this trip and this country, as I have dreamed of going here for many years before finally taking the plunge and actually booking a trip there. So I hope it lives up to my expectations. 

26/06/2023 

A few days ago I received an email with a brochure about the activities we were going to do in Japan, what kind of hostels we were going to sleep in and more. A guide with some Japanese words and what we must remember to bring, such as a small piece of luggage as you have to pay extra to send it alone, as it does not go on all the buses. I'm dreading it and looking forward to it, ordered a ticket for the amusement park in Japan yesterday, it cost 16,300 yen, which is equivalent to NOK 1,165 for a two-day ticket. I should also have bought a ticket to sneak in the queue, but it was sold out, was a bit too slow to order a ticket. 

Was also added to a Facebook group, where we will eventually get a guide who can tell a little more about this journey.

The Facebook group onelife: 

Then I was added to a Facebook group called onelife because the guide in the group is from the travel agency onelife. Onelife Adventures is a travel agency specializing in adventure travel in Asia. You can read more about this travel agency here: https://onelifeadventures.com.au 

I have been sent plane tickets, tickets for the adventure tour, what to do when and more. Now I have everything I need, so it's time to pack my bags and travel. On Facebook, the guide has created a group chat for people who will be joining the adventure journey, with the group I will be joining. So I asked questions in the group on Facebook about things I wondered about, especially about how big a bag you should have. Actually decided to take the Ospreay 50L rucksack with me on the trip, but found that it was a bit small so ended up taking my Ospreay farview 60L suitcase/backpack. It can be used both as a suitcase and a backpack. 

Now I'm ready to go! 

(You will find out more about my trip itself, experiences and what I have learned in my next posts about Japan, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions, either here, by mail, Instagram, or on my group on Facebook called Reiser og Livet).