Time passes so quickly and without even noticing, I’m a mere 48 hours away from my first ever trip to Suzuka 8Hours. I couldn’t contain the excitement and I kept looking into my itinerary to make very sure I planned it correctly so I wouldn’t waste even a single second for this upcoming trip.
There is a slight change in the return ticket though. Initially, I am supposed to return to Kuala Lumpur from Kansai on an evening flight on 1st of August. However, AirAsia cancelled my flight and brought it forward to 11.00am. It would be a little rush as I will need to leave the circuit as early as 5.30am. So I decided to postpone my flight to the following day so that I can spend another memorable day in Osaka.
I have penned my planned itinerary below.
Day 1 (28th July) – 1.00am flight from Kuala Lumpur and is expected to reach Kansai International Airport at 8.25am. Since it is my first time to Osaka, I have decided to spend one night there, albeit my first! There are a few interesting places to visit in Osaka – the Umeda Sky Building, Hep5 Ferris Wheel, Tsutenkaku Tower, Osaka Castle, River Cruise, Shinsaibashi-suji and many more. The list goes on.
Day 2 (29th July) – I shall spend some time in Dotonburi and have my lunch before I depart to Suzuka via Kintetsu-Limited Express line. The journey from Osaka Namba station will take about 2 hours and I will disembark at Chisato Station to check in at my accommodation in Tsu prefecture. I will visit AEON shopping centre as it is one of my favourite mall back in my country, Malaysia.
Day 3&4 (30th – 31st July) – I will spend both days at Suzuka Circuit to watch the Suzuka 8Hours race. You bet my adrenaline is pumping right now, and the race has not even started! Unlike many race tracks, Suzuka Circuit comes with its very own amusement park – the Motopia, a go-kart circuit, a hot spring, a racing theatre and a nice buffet restaurant that serves wonderful dishes at affordable prices. I feel that two days is just not nearly enough for sight-seeing and whetting my appetite.
Day 5 (1st August) – I leave Tsu prefecture for Osaka city and will put up for one night there. I will visit Dotonburi and Shinsaibashi-suji and do a little shopping before I crash for the night.
Day 6 (2nd August) – I shall bid farewell to Japan and head home on an 11.00am flight.
I travel on a very tight budget and hence I need to plan all my expenses carefully. Looking at my schedule, I will need to ride in the trains very frequently and this would definitely cost me a tidy sum.
But all is not lost. Fortunately, Japan is tourists friendly and she provides a very special deal for tourists who visit Osaka and Suzuka with a day-to-day unlimited pass. With this pass, tourists can hop into any local subway for free and can visit the tourist destinations absolutely free. It also comes with discount vouchers for meals as well. These benefits will definitely save my pocket from burning a much bigger hole.
This period is the end of summer in Japan and prior to my departure, I’ve checked with the meteorological department and it is forecasted to have a little rain. I expect it to be hot and if not some rain. To accommodate my itinerary above and to prepare myself for the weather, I’ve prepared a few items as below;
- Enough clothes for all 6 days.
- 2 pairs of shorts and a poncho in case it rains.
- A selfie stick to hold my action camera.
- My faithful action camera and 2 extra batteries.
- Sony handycam for track action and 1 extra battery.
- Multi socket adapters.
- Selfie stick and tripods.
- Laptop.
- Enough Yen to cover the entire trip.
That’s about my pre-departure preparations for Osaka. Stay tuned.
