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Japan

September - October 2023
A 20-day adventure by Robert Read more
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  • TravelerJapan
    Day 3

    Nagoya & Suzuka Day 1

    September 21, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    After 26 hours of travelling the day before, this was my first full day in Japan.

    Starting with the hotel breakfast, after first being given a more traditional croissant and toast a tray of goodies, none were labeled so they were all a surprise!

    After spending a large amount of time figuring out the Japanese transport network I finally had the right rail passes and cards to get to Suzuka to collect my ticket for the race. Although there was nothing happening on track everywhere was open, so I took a look at the pits from the main grandstands and rode some of the attractions in the Suzuka theme park, including a motorbike styled rollercoaster and the large Ferris wheel overlooking the track.

    In the afternoon I headed back to Nagoya in search of food. Walking past the Science Museum, which is a ridiculous building with a rocket parked next to it.

    After finding some ramen I headed back to the hotel... just as the heavens opened!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 4

    Suzuka Day 2

    September 22, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Practice day at Suzuka meant that I had access to every grandstand around the circuit. So I spent the day roaming around finding the best views and practicing my photography, starting at the chicane, then over to Spoon corner at the far side of the track, then to the iconic bridge section and finally making my way over to the 'S' curves.

    Getting back to the hotel was a challenge thanks to the 2 hour queue for the shuttle out of the circuit. I'm mentally preparing myself to walk there and back instead on race day.

    In the evening I wandered around Nagoya in search of food and found a great Yakitori bar with very cheery staff who were very excited to talk about football when they discovered I was British!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 5

    Suzuka Qualifying

    September 23, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    On Saturday I found my seat for the rest of the weekend, on the entry to the 3rd corner, entering the S section of the track. I also realized this was the Red Bull fan grandstand, although I soon found that the biggest cheers were for Perez as there was a large Mexican attendance.

    From my seat I could see the start lights (and just about the top of the cars down the main straight), turn 1/2 and the run up the hill into the S. It was staggering watching the cars fly through the these corners on their hot laps, they change direction so quickly it barely seems real.

    After qualifying I decided to wait at the track for a while instead of queueing for the bus, there was a track walk however the queue was already busy 2 hours before it opened so I decided to give it a miss. Instead I watched the driver interviews, amazingly everyone sat on the ground to ensure that others could get a good view. A surprise appearance from Sebastian Vettel was also great!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 6

    Suzuka Race Day

    September 24, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After setting off extra early to avoid the queues I arrived at the circuit just in time to watch the Porsche race. There was an airshow by the Japanese "Blue Impulse" group which made me appreciate just how incredible the Red Arrows are in comparison. The crowds were massive but everything was running smoothly. I stocked up on 500¥ Heineken (around £2.50) and got ready for the main event.

    The race itself was action packed, I got a glimpse of Lando leading briefly into the first turn, and lots of views of Russell battling with his alternative strategy. We couldn't hear any of the commentary (most of it was in Japanese anyway), so the Mexican group next to me and I were very confused as Perez rejoined the race for a couple laps.

    After the race I finally got the opportunity to walk the track, down all the way to the first corner, appreciating the "buzzing corner" beehives that Vettel has set up.

    Whilst leaving the circuit I discovered that the Japanese also partake in the tradition of stealing everything from the circuit, as all of the driver flags were being carried away... except for Lance Stroll    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 7

    Atsuta Shrine

    September 25, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Before leaving Nagoya for Tokyo I spent the morning exploring Astuta Shrine, it was a very serene place with many customs that I didn't fully understand.

    The shrine is home to the legendary Kusanagi no Tsurugi sword, which was used by the god Susanoo in Japanese folklore to slay the eight headed serpent Orochi. This is also the plot of the video game Okami

    Although the legendary sword is hidden from the general public, there was a museum displaying various swords donated to the shrine, including a few that you were allowed to hold, I never realized how huge a katana actually was!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 7

    Shinjuku

    September 25, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Taking the bullet train to Tokyo I arrived in Shinjuku where I am staying for the next week. Upon getting off the train I spent half an hour walking around the labyrinth that is Shinjuku station, which is mostly underground with multiple different levels and so densely populated that GPS just gives up. After a while my goal changed from trying to find the correct exit to just trying to find sunlight. Once I finally reached the surface my hotel was only a 5 minute walk away.

    Shinjuku is one of the largest entertainment hubs in Tokyo, the scale of the place is incredible, all through the night the streets are brightly lit up with various advertisements and music videos. I explored the area to find Godzilla street, as well as the 3d cat billboard.

    Although there are huge streets with thousands of people passing through, there are also small densely packed alleyways, a famous area of these being the Golden Gai district, an area full of tiny bars, some being so small they can barely fit 10 people in! This district has a very cosy atmosphere as travellers from all over the world meet    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 8

    Shibuya

    September 26, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Shibuya is the commercial hub of Tokyo, with every shop you could imagine being found there.

    Coming out of the metro station you are immediately greeted by the Scramble crossing, one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world - Google says an estimated 3000 people cross during every green light. It is complete chaos but somehow it just works. Next to the crossing is my first stop, the statue of the most loyal dog, Hachikō.

    After petting the dog I headed over to the various game companies stores, including the massive Pokémon centre, the Nintendo shop, and the Capcom store full of Monster Hunter merchandise. The highlight of the district however was Tower Records, a record shop spanning over 9 floors selling every album you could think of. I bought a lot of Japanese albums that I had been unable to buy from home before.

    Moving out of the center the crowds very soon fade away as I got to Yoyogi Park, a large green space which also has the gymnasium used to host events in both the 1964 and 2020 Olympics. After a short rest I wandered over to Harajuku to look at all the weird Japanese fashion shops.

    Finally, whilst returning back to my hotel I took a detour to the "Shelter" music venue. A tiny bar that upcoming Japanese rock bands perform at, which serves as the inspiration for the bar "Starry" in the anime Bocchi the Rock. Unfortunately the show's popularity meant that there was a queue all around the building to get in, and the performances were all sold out.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    1
    Day 9

    Mt. Fuji

    September 27, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Setting off at far too early in the morning, I took a bus tour over to the area around Mt. Fuji. I hadn't much hope as apparently clear views can be quite rare (with the summit being visible around 20% of the time) and it was forcast as cloudy for the day.

    After a couple of hours of travel our first stop was the 5th Station, the highest point of Fuji accessible by car, at an altitude of around 2300m. Fortunately the weather was a lot clearer than forecast and we had stunning views all the way to the top, as well as of the surrounding areas.

    We made a brief stop for lunch at a restaurant just outside the Fuji-Q amusement park, which was heartbreaking as it was full of giant rollercoasters that I didn't have time to ride.

    Our last stop was Lake Kawaguchi, adjacent to Fuji this offered some of the best views of the volcano. We had a short boat ride across the lake which allowed for amazing unobstructed views - at this point a few clouds had rolled in but the summit was still clearly visible.

    Finally I took a ride up a ropeway to an observation deck near the top of the hill next to the lake. The area was crowded, but I headed further up to the top of the hill, past the "beware of the bears signs" to a small Shinto shrine. This was much more peaceful, with the calm only being broken by the occasional scream heard from the theme park below.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 10

    Akihabara

    September 28, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    In the morning I headed over to Akihabara "Electric Town", an area famous for its various games and retro tech stores. The place was packed with various shops selling merchandise for every game you could think of, new or old.

    I also spent some time exploring the arcades, which consisted of multiple stories, with various crane and "gatcha" prize games, retro arcade cabinets, and modern games. I tried my hand at the original Ridge Racer, as well as a classic "bullet hell" shooting game... I wasn't particularly great at either!

    On the way back I had a change of pace and stopped off at the grounds of the Imperial Palace, unfortunately it's very difficult to see the palace itself, but the various gate houses surrounding it, and the ruins of an old Edo castle were still impressive.    Read more

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