Affordable Accommodation (Toyoko Inn) in Seoul, Japan and Busan

It's easy to find good accommodation if price is not so much of a concern to you (just go to Agoda or any of the hotel booking web and they will recommend one to you). But when money comes into play, it's hard to find a balance between cost and quality.

There is this one hotel that I have recommended to so many of my friends. It's called Toyoko Inn (more chains in Japan) and it really offers convenience at an affordable rate (always less than S$100 per night for two). I will always book this hotel if I am in Japan for a holiday.

I will tell you what's so good about this hotel:
1. The hotel is always located within walking distance to the subway station.
2. It offers complimentary breakfast, bottled water and wifi.
3. It has got it's own membership programme (can be applied on the spot) that allows you to redeem one free night (single room, top up if you are getting double) after every 10 nights booked (points can be accumulated at any branch). Furthermore, membership comes with perks like 5% discount on weekday + Saturday and 20% discount on Sunday and public holidays.
4. Free cancellation policy (cancellation can be done online) up till 4pm on the day of check-in.
5. Book now (online with instant confirmation) and pay only when you check-in at the hotel.
6. You can get map of the surrounding area from the lobby.

What is not so good about this hotel is that like most Japanese hotels (applies to the ones in Seoul and Busan), the room is quite small and you hardly have any walking space after you open up your luggage on the floor.

Seoul
If you are looking for a convenient location to stay for your next trip to Seoul, I recommend checking the Dongdaemun branch out. It's located within walking distance to Migilore and the whole lot of midnight shopping malls in Dongdaemun (meaning you can shop to late night without having to worry about transport).

There is an airport shuttle that will bring you right to the doorstep of the hotel (usually we only get this for the premium hotels). Getting back to the airport is simple too, just board at where you alight (it's the first and the last stop so no worries about missing the stop or not being able to get up the bus). Afterall, we are looking for simplicity when we are travelling abroad right?

If you exit the hotel and turn to your right, it will bring you to exit 4 of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park where you can ride line 4 (Myeongdong) and 5 (GwangHwaMun, Yeouido). If you turn left, you will find exit 3 where you can ride line 2 (Ewha, Hongik, Jamsil).

There are computer stations located at the lobby and you can also print for free. The lobby provides information on the shuttle timing (to the airport) and you can wait at the lobby for the airport shuttle to come.

By the way, the service and offering of each branch is quite standard no matter where you are in.

Japan
You can find Toyoko inn chains (sometimes not one but two at the same station) all around Japan. If I travel to Tokyo, I will stay in Ikebukuro Kita-Guchi No. 2. The reason is because Ikebukuro is a major station where NEX (Narita express) stops thus I can avoid the hassle of lugging my luggage and changing to another subway line (it will be a challenge locating subway lines if it's your first visit). However, Ikebukuro can get quite complicated at night (lots of alley and is known as one of the more complicated areas).

Thus, on my recent trip, I stayed in the Shinagawa-eki Takanawa-guchi (eki means Station). NEX will stop at Shinagawa too. In addition, it's easier to get to Tokyo Disneyland/Disneysea (50 minutes away) from this stop.

If you are travelling to Osaka, you can try out the Namba branch. It is located within walking distance to Dotonbori (where the Glico Man is standing) and Shinsaibashi (lots of shopping street in this area). Most importantly, there is direct subway line linking Namba Station to the airport. Getting to Kyoto from Namba Station (approximately 1 hour with 1 transfer) is easy as well.

If you are travelling to Kyoto, you can try out Shijio Karasuma branch (within walking distance to many of the shopping arcade including Teramachi Dori). You can even talk a walk down to Gion to catch Geisha/Maiko (if you are lucky). We even walked all the way from Kiyomizu-dera, via Yasaka Shrine, back to the hotel (if you have the stamina and the weather is nice).

Busan
There are two branches in Busan, one near Busan station and one near Haeundae beach. I have stayed in both and I think the one near Busan Station is more convenient if you are into shopping and visiting the attractions (nearer to subway). However, if you are a beach person then you should stay in Haeundae.

Japan Travel step 2: Riding the trains

The first train you are probably going to ride would be the Narita Express which brings you to major stations like Ueno and Tokyo (takes about an hour). Narita express can be pretty costly and requires a reserved seat. It is comfortable to ride on and has sufficient leg room for you to put your luggage. If you are travelling alone, chances are that no one would sit beside you unless the train is super packed on that day. So, you need not bother placing your luggage in the specialised compartment behind each cabin because it's a real hassle dragging it out from there when getting off your stop.

You will be given a ticket which states the name of the train, the car number (=cabin number), seat number and the time of departure. That's the most important four elements to take note of. The ticket will not state the platform number. You will have to figure it out from the electronic boards so you need to know the name of the train you are taking.

For example, if the ticket states Narita-express 8, it doesn't mean platform 8. "8" is part of the name of the train (they differentiate the trains by their timing so 8 means the eighth train of that day). The cabin number is usually stated on the electronic board on the top once you have found your right platform. (The picture belows show cabin number 8).

成田エクスプレス: Narita Express
指定席 (Shi-tei-seiki): Reserved seat

After riding the NEX, you will most probably be catching a shinkansen from Tokyo. Shinkansens are pretty similar to NEX except that the leg room is less. You can't afford to squeeze your luggage into that pathetic space infront of you so park it in the luggage compartments. It is common for Japanese to buy bento (lunchboxes) for the long ride on the shinkansens. Buying your lunch box outside the station is cheaper than in the station and in the station, its cheaper than those selling on the platform. With convenience you need to fork out more.

Next would be the local trains. For most of the local trains, the door has to be manually operated. You will have to push a button for the door to open when you want to board. After boarding, push the "閉" close button. Likewise, when you want to alight, push the "開" open button.

Commonly used Japanese phrases when riding trains

Please give me a ticket on the 2pm train to XYZ: XYZまで二時発車の切符をお願いします
Pronounced as: XYZ ma-de ni-ji ha-(short pause)-shya no kip-pu o o-ne-gai-shi-mas

Where is the boarding platform for this train?: この電車の乗り場はどこですか。
Pronounced as: Ko-no den-shya no no-li-ba wa do-ko des-ka

What time is the last train?: 終電はなんですか。
Pronounced as: Shuu-den wa nan-ji des-ka

Does this train goes to XYZ?: これはXYZ行きの電車ですか。
Pronounced as: Ko-re wa XYZ e-ki no den-shya des ka

Japan Travel step 1: Japan Rail Pass

Japan rail pass can be a hassle to buy in Japan. I have bought it twice, once in Singapore and once in Japan. So, here's a rail pass guide for those going to Japan.

Japan rail passes allow you to ride on the JR trains unlimited amount of time within a certain time frame (depending on the number of days your pass entitles). Except for trains which require reserved seats (Narita express, shinkansens and some local trains), you need not get any tickets from the ticket office. You can just show your pass to the station officer and get pass the gantry. The station officer will stamp your pass to indicate the date it has been used.

For trains which require reserved seat, you need to get to the midori office (ticket office) and show them your pass to get your free ticket (which indicates the time of departure and seat number).
There are several types of regional rail passes and one which covers the entire Japan. For the regional passes, there are no two passes that will cover the same route (meaning no overlapping stations) so you can't buy two and expect to use one after another when travelling from one region to the next. Unless of course you pay the fare to get to the nearest station which the second pass covers.

Since I have more experience with the JR East pass, I will touch on that more. There are 3 types of JR East pass, firstly, the 4 day flexible pass. It allows you any 4 days of travel within a month from date of purchase if you purchased the pass in Japan. If you purchase the pass outside Japan, it allows you to state the starting date and the pass will be valid for one month from that start date. The second and third pass is pretty similar. It's the 5 days consecutive and 10 days consecutive pass.

If you are buying the rail pass in your home country, you just need to bring the exchange order and your passport to the ticket office. The officer will issue you your pass from there. If you are buying your pass in Japan, please take note that you will have to bring your FLIGHT TICKET and passport. We forgot about the flight ticket on two occassions and there was no way they will issue you the pass without it. The pass will be valid for one month from the date you purchase it in Japan.

The Japan rail pass is definitely worth the price if you are taking the Shinkansen. You can check out the price of your train trip on http://www.hyperdia.com/ and then decide if the pass is worth it. That website is good for planning your trip too as it shows you the train schedule and which connecting trains to ride to get to your destination.

However, if you intend to stay within Tokyo then the pass would be pretty worthless. The Tokyo subway is largely owned by Tokyo metro and not JR company. As such, you find that at certain stops like Asakusa, you would have to get to Ueno (JR owned) and then pay 230yen to get to Asakusa (Tokyo metro owned). It would be wiser to get the Suica express instead.