The first part of our 6-week trip through Asia is a 3-week tour through Japan.  We managed to get a “stopover” on the way to Malaysia for about an extra $125 (on a $440 ticket from Philadelphia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).  I had never been to Japan and the American Airlines agent said we could stay three weeks – so I thought we would see as much as possible.  If you are going that far, especially with a 5-year old, you may as well make the most of it.  My husband lived in Japan for several years and recommended several stops.

Ellie Relaxing in Our Japanese Home

I opted for a couple of nights in Tokyo and found a family in Tokyo (Chiba) on Couchsurfing.  I have been “couchsurfing” before and I have had hundreds of guests myself over the years.  I think it is a great way to really know the people and the culture.  I understand that in Japan houses are generally smaller than in America and that it would be more difficult to find a place for the two of us.  I contacted a lot of people but only got two positive responses.  One was with a lovely retired couple who had some great references, the other with a single older man who had no references.  I went with the former.

From the start the couple  was eager to help me coordinate the logistics of my stay – which is greatly appreciated in a land so foreign to me.  Couchsurfing by definition is supposed to be free but they asked if we contribute about $35 a night and they would cover meals, wi-fi and laundry (and of course housing).

Our Japanese Host Preparimg s Meal

“Tobi” and “Judy” were so great and hospitable and they spoke English very well.  They offered to get us from the train station – they live in Chibo, a bit out of the center of Tokyo.  I didn’t mind most of the time. The only real “hassle” was that I had to pay for one last ride to their station “Taiwaideira” – even though I had a JR (Japan Rail) pass.  My host recommended I purchase the JR Pass – you must be a foreigner and have to buy it before you enter Japan.  It was seamlessly sent to my house within days of purchase.  It is definitely worth it if you plan on going to a couple of places, particularly on the Shinkansen (thigh speed train).

Tokyo Rail Station

We had a typical Japanese room with tatami with a bit of a mattress and warm covers.  It was a large size room and there was a bathroom we shared down the hall.  They separate their toilet from the rest of the bathroom which is a good thing.  Something also important you should know is that Japanese houses tend to be cold in winter.  I couldn’t believe how cold.  Maybe I should have brought a space heater.   They close off almost every room of the house.  It was a lovely house in a residential neighborhood, almost peaceful except slight sound of traffic and whoosh of train.

We arrived late afternoon and our hosts offered to take us to a local bath house.  It’s not an onsen because it’s not a natural spring source.    They are very typical of Japanese life and we loved it!  You remove shoes upon entering the building (get in some serious trouble if don’t) then enter a locker room to scrub down.  You sit on little plastic stools and scrub, scrub, scrub.  You take your naked self and sit in one of the many hot tubs (or cold).  Some had jets, some didn’t.  There was even one outside – the water was very hot and the air cold.   Afterward they have a little cafe area and even stretching mats (kind of cool).  We had a great experience thanks to our hosts!

Delicious Homemade Meal with our Hosts

Our hosts also prepared some wonderful meals for us.  We had a very typical Japanese style breakfast with rice, vegetables and fried garlic pork.  I though I couldn’t stomach garlic for breakfast but it was very tasty.  They also served a delicious dinner with fish, fried oysters with fresh yuzu sauce and a hot and tasty soup.  My husband would be so happy.

Our hosts offered to keep our warm weather luggage (we are headed to beach weather later) and we planned to go back next stay again before departing Japan.  Judy drew a nice big bath for us, she helped coordinate our accomodation in Nagano and even helped us get discount Disney passes!

They drove us to the train station and helped us on our way to Sapporo.  It really is nice to have friends!

Host Tobi

Hilton Concierge in Beautiful Traditional Japanese Kimono

We checked into the Narita Airport Hilton and rode the FREE shuttle ten minutes from the airport. It’s a nice hotel and I had actually booked it with 15,000 Hilton points. The rate changes based on demand, check the Hilton site to see how many points you would need for certain dates.  However, I made a mistake. Again, note to self – and others – Japan is a actually a day ahead. I had booked my room for the day before (30th) but we actually arrived on the 31st.  The hotel kindly refunded our points but we couldn’t rebook with points. I did have to pay but he gave me a good rate of about $125 which included coupons for breakfast, a drink at the bar and a gym pass. We are a diamond status with Hilton and again, there are good perks with status!

Hilton Narita Airport Lobby

We went directly to the room (it’s a 14-hour time difference from EST) to shower and go to bed. I tried to keep us up little more than we probably should have to get “on the clock”.  The room was nice.  My daughter had fun with the “Japanese toilet” and giving her bum a little shower. Naturally we awoke very early (5 am – yikes) and tried to get us back to sleep. My daughter was in good spirits so we just got up.

Hilton Narita Airport Gym

We hit the gym and the staff was kind enough to let her sit there on the computer and watch me workout. One of the downsides in traveling with a small child is that gyms often don’t permit small children. After that we hit the hot tub and pool. The pool is made up of lap lanes but she was able to play around in one of them. You must wear a swim cap in the pool here. Luckily, the staff provided them. I recommend bringing one if you have it, theirs was tight on my head.

Swimming at Hilton Airport Narita

We had a great breakfast – huge buffet with all kinds of American breakfast foods, as well as, Asian and international foods. I decided to opt for the more American style as I knew I would get the typical Japanese the next day.

Narita Hilton Restaurant

Traditional Japanese Food at Hilton Breakfast Buffet

Ellie with a beautifully dressed Japanese Woman

My daughter Ellie (5) and I are on a 6-week trip through Asia.  We found a round-trip flight on American Airlines for $440 to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Flights to Asia for less than $500 – that’s crazy!

I called the airline directly to see where exactly I could stop on the inbound and outbound segments.  I did see connections through Tokyo and Hong Kong on Google Matrix but wasn’t sure exactly how many stopovers and how long stopovers are allowed.  The agent was great and talked me through several scenarios.  I wanted to make the most of that long distance by seeing as much of Asia as possible on one ticket.  I decided on a Japan stopover on the way in and Hong Kong on the way out – each stopover is $100 plus some taxes.  In total my daughter’s ticket was about $700 and mine about $1000 – a great deal for visiting at least four Asian countries!

Connecting Flights at DFW

We flew out of Philadelphia (it’s an easy ride from Annapolis but we opted to stay in a hotel and get the first flight out) on American Airlines and had a change of planes at DFW (Dallas).  It was a rather easy process – except that American didn’t post my Global Entry number and stated that I was to be pre-screened.  Luckily, there was no line at all for security.

Getting Cozy on the Flight to Japan

We connected through with no problem and settled in for our 13-hour flight on Japan Airlines to Tokyo from Dallas.  It was almost all day time so I really didn’t want to sleep.  We have never flown that far west (Hawaii was the furthest) so I was really nervous about the long flight time.  My daughter did so well and we were lucky to have an empty seat between us!  It can really make a difference.  I would recommend checking passenger numbers to plan having an empty seat if possible.

Great Movie Selection on Japan Airlines Flight to Tokyo

We ate the food, it wasn’t bad – choice of Asian or American style meal.  We actually had two meals and a snack served and more snacks as you wished.  I always recommend bringing some dried fruit and snack bars in case.  We watched many movies to pass the time.   Note to self (and others) – don’t let your child watch so many movies and instead, make them nap.   She ended up vomiting on the plane, then again at customs, then again in the hotel lobby. Yikes!  I’m sure that it was from too much watching movies and not sleeping – bad mom moment!

Narita Airport

We landed seamlessly at Narita, Japan Airport and actually wisked right through customs because I was in a wheelchair.  For those who do require assistance it does help to get through the line.  I have a severe spinal problem and the wheel chair also helped to carry my exhausted daughter (who also vomited on the wheelchair).  In the U.S. they won’t let her ride on my lap but they didn’t mind in Japan.

I have never flown on Japan Airlines, nor have I ever flown to Narita (Japan).  I can say that both were great experiences.  No, we weren’t in first or business class but we stretched out and enjoyed ourselves.  We could have upgraded to business class with points but instead we opted for the extra legroom section for an extra $125 and lucked out with an empty seat between us.   So next time you are flying bring your lucky charm like I did.

If you are one of those people who waits and waits for the best airfare – don’t wait any longer.  I am amazed at the airfare deals popping up everywhere – there are flights to Asia for less than $475.  Several airlines including American, Qatar and Cathay Pacific are offering flights to Asia for the cost of a domestic US flight.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is having a travel festival – offering all kinds of travel specials on flights, car rentals and accommodations.  Sample sale fares include flights to Bangkok, Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur for less than $475 round trip. Hurry – you must purchase by January 16 for travel until Dec 15, 2017.  Use Google ITA Matrix to find the lowest fares and then book directly with the airline (you can’t book through ITA Matrix or Google Flights they are just search tools).

ITA Matrix

It’s so Easy to Use ITA Matrix

Qatar Airways is also offering an amazing deal of kids up to age 11 travel FREE (Up to 2 children/2 adults) in economy/economy plus but it’s NOT available for flights to/from the US.  And if you use a Visa card you can get an extra 15 percent of any travel specials.

Lastly, Qatar is giving away prizes like free upgrades, free tickets and free miles.  Like I always say – you can’t win if you don’t enter!

American Airlines

I called American Airlines yesterday to book a flight to Kuala Lumpur.  Through ITA Matrix I found an amazing deal of $447  Philadelphia (PHL) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL).  There were several stopover points of interest so I chose Tokyo on the outbound and Hong Kong on the return.  Take advantage of stopovers – American allows up to 2 and you pay $100 per stopover plus taxes.  It’s a GREAT way to see more more and break up your trip.  We are going PHL – DFW – NRT – KUL – HKG – LAX – PHL all for less than $1000 per person.  Normally the round trip ticket to one city in Asia would cost that or more!

To round out your air travel I found amazing places to stay Malaysia on Airbnb for as little as $14 a night.

Airbnb – Great Experiences at a Great Price

You have no excuse not to travel this year with such low prices.  With flights to Asia for less than $475 why not spend Valentine’s Day somewhere really special?

I’ll Be Flying with One of my Loves this Valentine’s Day