SPRING X TOKYO 10D9N / DAY 7

SPRING x TOKYO 

3rd April 2015 to 12 April 2015

Day 7 of my Tokyo Trip to Hakone! Because we had 10 days in Tokyo, how can we not visit the outskirts of Tokyo? There are a couple of them and we decided on Hakone because of the attractions they have. For eg: Black Egg, Shrine, Hot Spring, Mt Fuji Views.

DAY 7

Hakone Day Trip

A few days before Day 7, we travelled to Shinjuku Station and looked for the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center at Odakyu Line Shinjuku Station West Exit 1F. The purpose to buy earlier a few days in advance because I am kiasu and i'm afraid that the seats get sold out.

At this counter we can purchase our train pass to Hakone and also ask for more information on the attractions to go. It was not easy understanding the maps and instructions they provided in the net, so it's best to ask a service counter! :D

The Hakone Freepass 2-day is 5140Yen, which is around $55SGD. 

This pass will cover all your transportation in Hakone itself. I only stayed in Hakone for 1 day.. so didn't maximize it's value. 

If you are going, please opt to stay at Hakone for 1 night before heading back to Tokyo! I missed out a few areas in Hakone because we only planned for 1 day trip.. ):

We also chose the Romancecar option for our ride to Hakone. Romancecar was 890Yen. Romancecar and Normal Train(provided in freepass) difference is that Romancecar provides you with a confirmed seating. Normal Train you have to be there early and "fight" for seats. So we want to play safe. 

So we boarded the train 7am in the morning..... *yawns*

Comfy and spacious seats for $9SGD!

So this is our Hakone FreePass. DO NOT LOSE IT.

All your travelling depends on it! You can use this pass for 6 different travelling methods.

Train, Cable Car, Ropeway, Cruiseship, Bus & Highway Bus.

*note that each of this travelling methods will bring you to certain attractions in Hakone.

 We travelled to Miyagino first once we arrived to check out the Sakura!

Miyagino is a famous spot in Hakone for Sakura Viewing. The place is quiet, with some elderly taking a scroll. Not much tourists... which is great! Because we can take photos in peace (:

We then took this Train to another area to look for foooood.

 Bought some eggs which turns out like normal egg, but just saltier. 

This is their Cable Car station to travel up!

We also took the ropeway! The Ropeway leads you to the mountains where there is the famous black egg!

 It goes up really high above.....

 We can see the tip of Mt Fuji!!! 

 So we arrived at Owakudani, which is the place where they produce black eggs.

We then had a long walk up to the smoky area... 

 I saw some dude drinking the water that was flowing down. The water is milky in colour. I went to dip my fingers in.. it was warm!! So shiok as the weather is maybe 9degrees? Kinda like hot spring yknow.

The worker cooks the eggs in this pool and it will become black egg. Sorry for the bad photo! It's really smoky there.

The famous black egg~ Which is said to extend your life for 7 years. But taste like any other egg you've eaten in your life.

We then made our way down, and ran for the cruise ship which was departing!

  See how pretty the lake is with the sun shining upon!!

So this cruise ship will take you to the area where the Hakone Shrine is.

Tip for looking for a shrine.

Always look out for the red gates! 

Must do before visiting the shrine!

1. Wash your left hand

2.Wash your right hand

3. Rinse your mouth

There's always a shop nearby for you to purchase items like amulets? Japanese calls it Omamori. We also bought the Ema, Wooden Wishing Plaques for you to write your wishes.

How to pray at the temple

1. Toss your coin in. 

Japanese prefers to use 5Yen as it's the only coin that is gold.

2. Ring the bell
3. Bow Deeply x 2

3. Pray in your heart

4. Clap Twice and Bow again.

We actually learnt it by looking at how other japanese do it. Wahaha

We made pre-booking for our hot springs. We got the Hakone Tourist Center to help us with it. Hehe. We went to Hakone Yuryo and got a 1 hour to the room ourselves.

*Note : If you have a tattoo, you can't go to public hotsprings.

Public hotsprings are separated by gender, and you have to be all naked. But they are much cheaper than private rooms. 

Welcome to our room!

They have already provided us with shampoo, soap, conditioner etc.

The water was really hot, so i couldn't be in there for the whole 1 hr. I think i only soaked myself for a good 20mins. Rest of the times i'm soaking only half my body.

Super idea for them to have bbq above sand. You don't need to clean up and mess! 

After dinner, we travelled back to Miyagino to see the Sakura at night. It was a whole different feel. You'll see tiny cars driving in to enjoy the nightview as well.

Overall... Hakone was 9.5/10!

I would love to go back for the hot springs and the attractions again.

I did not go to the Gotemba Premium Outlets, which was a pity. They also have Fuji-Q Highlands Theme Park in Hakone which we did not visit also... Till next time! I'll see you again!!

Top Reasons Why You Should Have Insurance

I'm not an insurance agent, I'm just sharing based on my own and friend's experiences. People always feel that insurance agents are irritating and just want to have sales. I believe yes, they do want sales, but they are not out to harm you or sell you anything that is not of any benefits to you. Instead, whatever that you buy from an insurance agent will benefit you one way or another.

So here's top reasons why you should have insurance...

*note, i am not a pro.. please correct me if i have stated anything wrongly

1. Paying the hospital bills

What happens when you are down with high fever, flu or even suspect you have MERS?? Straight to the hospital immediately to get a check and get some medicine. How much would that cost you? 

When i was 14, I had severe migraines for the whole night. And straight to the hospital(TTSH) in the afternoon after seeing a GP. I had a MRI scan in case i had a tumor in my brain, i stayed hospital for 7 days (i stayed in a normal 4 ppl with no aircon ward), had blood tests everyday... etc etc. My total bill came up to $3000+ and my dad had to pay all of it. 

If i had highest hospital coverage, I would have stayed in a better ward not worrying about the bills, and perhaps a much shorter waiting time at the emergency unit.

For mummies, this is another blogger who did very detailed comparison.

http://bumblebeemum.net/2015/05/12/singapore-children-hospitalization-cost-kkh-vs-tmc/

While you are young and healthy now, get your coverage for all possible scenarios! 
Once you are diagnosed with any illness, insurance companies may not accept your application!! 

2. Getting a lum sum of money into your pocket

I believe you guys have seen the advertisement by NTUC at the cinemas titled "How would the future thank you?" An old man, holding a $250,000 cheque payout from NTUC. That was a really good advertisement, really creative and brings the message across.

By the age of 50-60, do you still want to be working & slogging your life out? Do you want to be enjoying and travelling the world? Do you want to be asking money from your children who are trying to make ends meet? 

This is where getting a savings plan comes into play. Let me give you a realistic example of saving $100 a month. 

The most common answers would be...

"$100 a lot leh, i don't have enough"

"see how first, i have alot to pay for my own living expenses"

For Singaporeans nowadays, just cut down on your good food/shopping, smoking/drinking and cabbing expenses, I believe you can fork out $100 month for saving for the future.

This money that you receive at the end of maturity can be used for many reasons!

1. Kids Education

2. Retirement

3. Holiday

4. Buying a new car

5. Renovation of your house

6. Continue to save up for rainy days... and many more to name!

3. Your family would be protected if anything *touch wood* happens to you

This focuses on life coverage...that is if you pass on you would not be a burden to your family. Not every family in Singapore is well to do.. 

Eg: Had a friend who lost her mum at P6. Her dad had to pay off the remaining medical bills and of course the funeral expenses... Which eventually landed him in debts with the loansharks... 

Do not look down on funeral expenses, they will choke up to tens of thousands depending on what you get. Do you want your wife/kids/family to suffer financially while coping with your death? That is even harder for them...

What if you are the breadwinner for the family.. Do you still want to be providing for your loved ones even when you are not physically around? 

From what I know, life coverage will pay your family a huge sum of money for 

eg: $100,000 or more depends on the coverage you've planned. 

With this sum of money, you can easily help your family by...

1. Paying off your funeral expenses

2. Help cover your child expenses

3. Replacing your spouse income

4. Paying off debts (housing/car)

5. and much more to count..

Do it for your family, if you don't. Who will?

4. You can still provide for yourself even when you can't 

In the event that you lose the ability to work and earn money.. you will not be a burden to your family and you can still support yourself. 

I've seen those families who used to have a perfect life, suddenly have a turn and everything went down for them. I respect them for their courage and determination to strive on. Where would all the money for basic living expenses come from?

What if, one day you are down with an illness/disability/accident that would have to stop you from working and receive treatment? 

You may have your medical bills covered from your medical plans.. but what about your Daily Expenses? Food? Housing? Bills? Those will not be covered under your medical bills.. 

Insurance is all about "what ifs", people always think it would not happen. 
...

"aiya, won't so suay one la"
...

But when it eventually does happen. Who do you turn to? 

"The only person who will take care of the older person you will someday be, is the younger person you are now."

Do give it some thought and plan for your future! Cheers!

*note, i'm just giving my own opinions & i'm definitely not a pro , so please no trash talking thank you!