Japan | FindPenguins

Newest first

Trip start
March 18, 2026
Japan Traveler
20 March 2026 Auckland to Tokyo
March 21 in China ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We are flying China Southern to Tokyo via Guangzhou. The first leg is almost 12 hours with nearly 4 hours in Guangzhou and then a further 4 hours to Tokyo. Feeling a bit apprehensive about flying economy all that way. It's been a long time since we have done anything remotely like this in cattle class. We asked for an upgrade at check in but they only had business class available for $3,000. Yeah Nah. Departure time for the first leg is 10:10pm. Going to be a long night.
We pushed back from the terminal 5 minutes early and as soon as we were at cruising altitude the crew were round with drinks followed by dinner. Finally we settled down for some shut eye about 1am. We managed some sleep but it was very cold in the cabin. The plane and the crew were great. A particular highlight was the Air Marshall patrolling the cabin all night. Looked like he was licensed to kill.Read more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
21 March 2026
March 21 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
We landed in Guangzhou ahead of schedule at just after 4am. We were both pleased to get off the plane and stretch our legs. China Southern were excellent but cattle class is hard work these days.
We found some cute little sleeping pods that we will look out for on the return leg. Starbucks opened at 6am so we topped up the caffeine reserves and made ourselves comfortable until our next flight at 8.50am. We were both asleep before take-off and got probably half an hour of decent sleep before the meal service commenced. The flight was uneventful and we landed in Tokyo at about 1.30pm. After a few hassles at immigration we made our way to the monorail station at the airport to purchase Welcome Suica cards for use on public transport in Japan and then on to our hotel at Tokyo Bay. After checking in we went for a wander and had a beer before an early dinner at a Thai restaurant in the hotel building and then crashed.Read more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
Sunday 22 March 2026
March 22 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
We slept a good 10 hours and were up at 6am for our first day of the tour. After breakfast we met the group in the lobby. I then spent the next 40 minutes sorting out everyone's E-sims before we boarded the bus. It is quite a big group, probably in excess of 35 people.

Our tour began with a visit to the Meiji Shrine, located within a 170 acre forest in the centre of the city. Constructed of cypress wood and copper, the shrine commemorates Emperor Meiji, Japan’s 122nd emperor, who presided over Japan’s industrial revolution and emergence onto the world stage.
We then visited the Tokyo Skytree opened in May 2012. The Skytree is a television and radio broadcast site and contains a restaurant and two viewing platforms. At 634m, it's among the tallest structures in the world. Our entry ticket gave us access to Floor350. Unfortunately it was quite hazy and visibility was not great.
We then visited the Asakusa district, and the Sensō-ji Temple. This is Tokyo’s oldest temple and is dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Adjacent to the temple is the Nakamise Shopping Street, a centuries-old promenade of shops selling traditional snacks and souvenirs like kimonos and bottles of saké. The place was packed but we managed to find a little restaurant for a beer and lunch which was great given that it was after 3pm.
Lastly we went to the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately it was closed as it was Sunday. The Imperial Palace is home to Japan's Imperial Family and is located in the former site of Edo Castle, surrounded by an imposing stone wall and moat system.
From there it was back to our hotel for a beer with Jenny and Denise from our group before calling it a night.Read more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
Monday 23 March 2026
March 24 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
After breakfast we conquered the washing machine before catching the Yukimone to the Hama-rikyu Gardens. The gardens are an oasis of tranquility in the middle of the chaos of modern Tokyo. We enjoyed an hour or so there before walking to the Art Aquarium which took a bit of finding as it is located on the 9th floor of an upmarket department store. After checking out the beautiful aquariums it was time to tackle the subway and make our way to Shibuya Crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. Every few minutes about 3,000 people enter the crossing like Gladiators in an attempt to get to the other side before the lights change. We found a great spot to view the carnage from a bar on the 3rd floor of a building overlooking the crossing. For $50 we had prime seats for an hour with all the beer and snacks you could consume. Great value.
After that we had a failed attempt at finding a roof top garden on top of a department store before realising that our dinner walking tour started in Shinjuku and not Shibuya. My bad. So it was back to the subway. Shinjuku station is the busiest subway station in the world and we were trying to get to it at 5pm. Once we got to Shinjuku we asked a young guy for help to find the meeting point and he went out of his way to walk with us to the meeting point conversing with the help of Google Translate.
The tour was a mix of Irish, Swedish, American and Dutch plus a couple of ancient and tired Kiwis. We had a great time trying 15 different dishes at 2 restaurants before walking around the area taking in all the sights. To start with we walked down an amazing little ancient street about 2 metres wide which hasn't changed in centuries. Off each side there are little restaurants and bars which only seat about 10 people. The owner cooks in front of you and the air is filled with the smoky fragrance of food cooking over charcoal. Originally the alley was full of bars and was known as drunkards alley or piss alley for obvious reasons. We also stopped for a couple of interesting snacks along the way.
The tour finished up about 9.30 and then it was back to the subway station at Shinjuku. Fortunately it was a lot quieter than when we had arrived at 5pm. We had to get off and change lines at a station on the way home and while we were standing on the platform discussing which side we needed to be on to head for our hotel a guy in front of us rang his wife who speaks English and gave the phone to me so she could send us in the right direction. Luckily she told us we needed to be on the opposite side of the platform to the one we thought and we were back at the hotel about 10.30pm. A big day but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Love the food, love the people and love the transport system. With all of our travels since arriving at the airport we have spent about $20 each on transport.Read more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
Tuesday 24 March 2026
March 24 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
The alarm went off at 6.30 am. Yawn. After breakfast it was onto the bus and into the the traffic heading for the Hakone park region where Mt Fuji is situated. It is a beautiful sunny day but the wind is cold. Mt Fuji was visible in the distance from Tokyo. We arrived at Lake Ashi late morning and wandered around until 1.30pm. We did a Sake tasting in one of the shops which was interesting. It is about 40 percent proof so you don't quaff it down like wine. We bought a bottle for soothing the aches and pains at the end of each day.
We then rejoined the group for a cruise on a pirate ship on the lake before rejoining the bus and going on to where we are staying the night at Lake Kawaguchiko. Unfortunately by the time we arrived the mountain was largely covered in cloud.
It is noticeably cooler up here in the mountains.
Dinner tonight was a group dinner in the hotel which was funRead more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
25 March 2026
March 25 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
I got up early just after 6am and wandered out to the lakefront hoping to get a photo of the mountain but no joy.
After breakfast it was onto the bus. We were meant to be going up to the 5th station on the mountain which is as far as you can go by road but because of snow we could only go as far as the 4th station. We bought tee shirts and gloves yesterday to provide an extra layer of warmth. Regretting not bringing our puffer jackets.
It was quite a long ride up to the 4th station which is 2,000 metres above sea level and there was not much to see when we got there but just as the bus was parking it started snowing so that was pretty cool in all respects. The temperature was in the low single figures but not too bad. From Mt Fuji we headed off towards Takayama through an area of cherry orchards which were in flower so that augers well for when we get to Osaka and Kyoto.
We stopped for lunch at Lake Suwa.
After lunch we had to leave the expressway for some reason and travel for a couple of hours through an incredible gorge filled with countless hydro dams that were built after WW2 to power the rebuilding of Japan. The road was all tunnels and viaduct and we were back up at the snow line. Progress was slow and we eventually arrived at Takayama about 5pm. A long day.
Our hotel for the next 2 nights is beautiful with a huge room and is in the process of being rebranded as a Hilton. While many of the group went into town for dinner or to the flash restaurants in the hotel we opted for the bar which advertised snack food. We ended up with a huge bowl of Ramon noodles 2 glasses of sake each and then I did a whiskey tasting with a cheese board. Gaye had a plum wine. Turned out to be a great night.Read more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
26 March 2026
March 27 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
We had planned on sleeping in but it is light here by 5.30am so we were up and down for breakfast at 7. We then conquered another washing machine and caught up on a bit of admin before catching the hotel shuttle into town at 11am. We walked through the old town of Takayama checking out the markets and the temples before having a steak sandwich and beer for lunch at a tiny craft brewery. Gaye had a banana beer which was interesting. The buildings are all made of wood and the town was renown for it's traditional craftsmen.
After lunch we wandered a bit more before heading back to the hotel and dinner in our favourite bar followed by an early night.Read more
0 likes
Japan Traveler
27 March 2926
March 27 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
We woke early to a beautiful clear sunny morning with snow visible on the mountain ranges in the distance. On the bus and on our way at 8.50am. First stop was Shiragawago village which is a traditional old style village in the mountains of Central Japan. The village is one of only 2 traditional village that remain. It must be incredibly hard there in the winter. The houses all have ladders to access the top storey in the winter when the snow is too deep to get in the lower level. Heating is from the cooking fine with the smoke passing through the thatch roof to melt the snowRead more
0 likes