Hari ini saya baru saja pulang dari Jepang. Pengalaman perdana saya solo trip ke sana! Saya sudah beberapa kali pergi ke sana, tapi yang ini beda rasanya. Saya beli/bayar tiket hanya 3 minggu sebelum tanggal keberangkatan, dan menunggu kabar visa Jepang dengan dagdigdug selama 2 minggu. Beneran nggak enak makan-tidur pas nunggu kabarnya. Mau siap-siap juga ragu, takutnya udah seneng-seneng ternyata visanya nggak tembus. Selain bayar tiket, saya cuma booking hotel. Lainnya baru dikerjakan setelah visa jadi. Dan akhirnya kabar gembira itu datang juga, hanya seminggu sebelum tanggal keberangkatan. Legaaaaaa banget rasanya. Biarpun musti buru-buru nyiapin segala itinerary dkk, yang penting saya udah pasti berangkat! Seneng bangeeeet.
Catatan penting karena trip ini saya sendirian, teman-teman menyarankan supaya saya beli SIM card di sana, supaya gampang menghubungi/dihubungi oleh mereka. Setelah cari-cari info dan membanding-bandingkan harga. akhirnya sudah menetapkan pilihan ke SIM prabayar merk A, tapi begitu sampai di sana, nggak ketemu itu barang di bandara. Saya cari ke Lawson dan Family Mart, trus lihat-lihat di vending machine khusus prepaid SIM untuk visitor ke Jepang. Yang sana incer malah nggak ada. Yang ada mahal semua, antara 3000-4000 yen. Eh, ternyata saya beruntung banget pas lagi jalan ke hostel nemu SIM card u-mobile ini di toko elektronik EDION. Jangka waktunya 7 hari, limit harian 200 MB (tapi pas cek penggunaan sehari-hari, saya paling banyak pakai setengahnya), dan yang penting, harganya sesuai harapan, nggak sampai 2000 yen (harganya 1800 yen + pajak). Dan dengan baik hati staf tokonya bilang akan bantuin ganti APN ponsel saya. Waktu itu pilihannya ada micro dan nano SIM. Jadi setelah bayar, staf toko mengeluarkan kartunya tapi melarang saya buat dibuka. Dia suruh saya cek dulu, ukurannya sudah betul apa belum, baru buka segelnya. Baik banget yaaaa. Dia juga bawa semacam brosur panduan untuk setting APN. Nyatanya, begitu ponsel dinyalakan dengan SIM card baru ini, semua sudah berubah sesuai yang diminta. Jadi saya cuma cek apakah username dll-nya sudah sesuai, dan langsung bisa online lagi.
Sinyalnya kencang, walaupun lagi di dalam subway. Providernya pakai jaringan NTT DoCoMo, mungkin itu juga yang bikin sinyal bisa dibilang 99% stabil di mana pun saya berada. Ini bisa jadi opsi buat yang mau jalan-jalan ke Jepang dan tetap eksis di dunia maya ^__^
Today I just got back from Japan and it was my first solo there! Although I've been there many times, but this time it's special because I only booked everything on a rush. I only have about 3 weeks after paying my tickets to prepare for this trip. And spent almost 2 weeks agonizing about my visa. I know that it's almost 100% positive that my visa will be granted, but there's still a niggle of worry that couldn't go away and it made me postpone every preparation except booking the hostel. After I received word that my visa is granted, it felt like a huge weigh have been taken off my mind. The bad news is, I only have a week left to prepare for this trip.
Since I will be going alone this time, my friend suggested for me to buy a local SIM card so it's easier for me to contact my family, vice versa. Unfortunately, visitor SIM card that is sold in Japan is data only. You can't make any calls, unless you're using apps like Whatsapp or LINE. There's so many options available for visitors, so you just have to choose which plan and price fit you the most. I chose a 7 day plan from u-mobile (1800 yen before tax, pictured above) because I will only be in Osaka for 5 days and I mainly need the internet for google maps, browsing, and chatting through Whatsapp and LINE. So that's enough for me. Even though the limit is only 200 MB per day, looking back at the usage history, usually I only use half.
The connection is very good, it uses NTT DoCoMo so I still have a strong signal even in the subway. BUT, beware of using Google Maps underground. It'll lead you around like a drunken donkey. If you're not sure which exit to take (when there are a whole bunch of them), just pick one nearest to you and then go up. You'll get a better signal, and importantly, a more accurate reading of your location. Just remember to bring a powerbank, preferably one that can charge your phone twice in a day, because using G-maps drains your battery really quick.
On a side note, I learned a new thing before leaving for Japan. It turned out that even if you change your SIM card, your number will not change. So you can still contact everyone and they'll know it's you. And I've proved it! Apologies for everyone who have known this tidbit from a long time ago *sigh*
