Japan-bound

30 days! Woohoo!

At first it was his first solo travel plan. And then it became their bro travel plan. But then it quickly became a 2 + 1 trip. So I decided to join in and make it a double date trip. Whatever the original plan was and whatever the final details will be, one thing's for sure -- I got my ticket and my visa and I'm going to Japan!

To be honest, Japan was never in my short-term travel list, considering how expensive and how alien it is to me. It was just because of the above that I considered hunting for and booking a promo ticket to Japan. I would have wanted to prioritize the typical and cheaper backpacker Southeast Asia route because that's what I supposedly could afford at my level. But the possibility of having someone to partially travel with sounded attractive enough so I gave it a try and thankfully succeeded in getting a 30-day visa.

Typically, the embassy only grants 15-day visas for vacationing tourists. But I didn't know this while hunting for the cheapest airline ticket combinations so I ended up with a 21-day trip. I thought it was a really stupid mistake, assuming that all visa grants are at least 30 days, but thankfully everything worked out well and I even got 7 days extra -- a very fortunate mistake :p

I don't know if it was the looser (less strict) visa guidelines at the moment which meant basically anyone can get a visa, or my multi-stamped passport which meant I'm a constant traveller, or my unnecessarily detailed trip itinerary which meant I'm staying for 21 days for a purpose, or my plumped up bank certificate which meant I can afford the trip, or the combination of all that earned me the 30 days. Whichever it is, I'm really glad I can stick to my original plan.

I think I'll post my itinerary here (for your and my reference) so do check back for it. I'm sure this Japan experience will be extraordinary no matter what happens. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in Kyoto and to feeling like a ninja for a day. Cheers!

PS: I really think it's the bank certificate that mattered the most. Japan needs tourist money so they want to make sure all tourists have the capacity to spend. Mine was actually a loan from my parents. I don't intend to spend that big of an amount and will strive to minimize my budget.