Niigata

Napakagandang karanasan ang pagbili ko ng 14-day Japan Rail Pass sa Klook. Nag-book ako noong 01/27/26, at ikinagulat ko nang dumating ang voucher sa Manila, Philippines pagkalipas lamang ng dalawang araw, noong 01/29/26. Mabilis at walang abala ang paghahatid, na lalong nagpa-excite sa akin sa paghahanda para sa aking biyahe. Pagdating ko sa Japan, ipinagpalit ko ang voucher sa JR Office sa tabi ng Kansai Airport at napakabilis at maayos ng proseso. Nagawa kong i-activate at simulan agad ang paggamit ng aking pass noong 02/14/26, ang araw ng aking pagdating. Lubos kong nasulit ang pass sa pamamagitan ng paglalakbay sa Shinkansen at mga tren ng JR—mula Kagoshima sa timog hanggang Wakkanai sa Hokkaido, ang pinakahilagang istasyon na pinagsisilbihan ng JR. Marami akong napuntahang prefecture at lubos kong naranasan ang kamangha-manghang railway network ng Japan. Bilang isang taong mahilig sa tren, ang paglalakbay na ito ay purong kaligayahan. Ito na ang aking ika-3 beses na paggamit ng 14-day JR Pass, at tiyak na bibili ulit ako sa aking mga susunod na pagbisita sa Japan. 🚄✨🎌💛🚉💯

Got the QR code almost immediately from Klook after purchase and just showed it to the staff at Narita Airport’s JR-EAST Travel Service Centre to get the physical pass. The staff also helped us confirm all our online reservations. Recommend to reserve popular train seats a week in advance, especially for morning routes. Managed to cover Nagano, Iiyama, Matsumoto, Karuizawa, Kamisuwa and Niigata using this pass. Super worth the price!

Ang pangunahing layunin ng biyaheng ito ay pumunta sa Shirakawa Village. Sulit na sulit ang pass na ito. Halos katumbas na ng presyo ng pass ang pamasahe papunta at pabalik mula Osaka (tren, nakasakay din ng Shinkansen sa isang bahagi + bus). Ang natitirang apat na araw ay ginamit sa paglalakbay sa Kyoto, Nara, Uji, at Kansai Airport.

Great location, clean, and spacious for a business hotel. The large public bath is located in the basement and is only accessible via the elevators inside the guest rooms. There was a wide variety of breakfast options, but not much that was appealing to eat. I was only able to book a room with elevator noise, but there was no noise. The sound of people talking loudly in the hallway was louder. There are many restaurants and bars in the same building, an izakaya, and a 7-Eleven nearby. There are many people gathered downstairs smoking at night. The staff can only communicate in English and Japanese, but the English pronunciation is poor, so it's easier to understand in Japanese.

Mayroon kaming napakahusay na instruktor sa pag-iski, si Harima san. Siya ay napaka-propesyonal, matiyaga, matulungin at masayahin. Tinulungan niya kaming kunin ang lahat ng kagamitan at damit na nirerentahan. Marami kaming natutunan mula sa kanya at nasiyahan kami sa aralin.

This message is about the coach service: When I made the reservation, based on the options selected, I thought I was booking for February 23rd. Meaning, I expected a coaching session on February 23rd and an overnight stay that evening. But!! I was wrong!! It turned out to be an overnight stay on February 23rd, with the coaching session only on the following day, February 24th!!!! That day, I double-checked on Klook, and it definitely didn't state that the class was on the next day!!! I was incredibly shocked at the time, because we were supposed to return to Tokyo the next day! I hope Klook can add a note to the options. Fortunately, I spoke to the front desk, and the hotel staff helped contact the coach school. The coach school was also very accommodating, even though it was a Japanese holiday and bookings were full. They still managed to help us find a qualified coach. And it was only an hour later than our originally scheduled class time. The coach school's service was also excellent; they sent a car to pick us up at the hotel. First, we went to the ski equipment shop to try on gear. Free items provided included: helmets, snowboards, and snowboard boots (lace-up style). Then, they drove us to the Nakazato ski resort to meet the coach. They also drove us back to the hotel afterward, where we could take off our gear. The coach (Japanese) was very enthusiastic and full of energy. All four of us, with no prior experience, were able to ski well that day. It felt a bit like a blessing in disguise, haha!

Today's itinerary was packed, but instead of going to the waterfall, we went to Kawagoe Ichiban-gai. There wasn't quite enough time to explore, only 80 minutes. We first went to Hikawa Shrine, and then went to Kawagoe Ichiban-gai, leaving us with only 30 minutes, so it was a bit rushed and we could only quickly buy some souvenirs. After that, we went strawberry picking, which was quite satisfying, achieving strawberry freedom! Finally, we went to the hot spring town to soak in the hot springs, and all the day's fatigue disappeared~ Many thanks to today's driver, Gao Hongmiao, for his great service, friendliness, and talkativeness. I hope to see you again next time.

Trip was enjoyable. There were some changes in the schedule as some places are closed and some are packed with other visitors but our tour guide replaced the itenerary with other enjoyable activities. in the end we still got our money’s worth.