Japan
Akasaka

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    • Day 4

      Day 252: Fuji Q Highland Theme Park

      September 18 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

      Early wake up time to revert back to childhood: squad visited Fujikyu theme park which is literally a roller coaster park next to Mount Fuji!!

      We woke up at 5:30am and metro’d to Shinjuku bus station; it was an hour long bus ride and it drove us through the mountains. As we pulled into town, Mount Fuji came into view.

      Once we arrived, we went straight to the Attack on Titan ride because it just opened the day before. The ride focused on the War Hammer Titan attack. You sat in chairs that were lifted and moved through the air following characters. They also had jet stream air blasts; it really felt like you were in the scene.

      Next we hit Zokkon (25 metres tall, 73 km/h) which was everyone’s favorite rollercoaster! It felt like you were on motorcycles and had fun music playing throughout the ride. We also got priority tickets to ride Fujiyama (79 metres tall, 130 km/h. Opened in 1996 and was once the world's tallest roller coaster. As of 2022, it is the world's 4th longest and 11th tallest roller coaster)

      While squad hit the food courts, Kieran and Mary went to Naruto village for some Ichiraku Ramen. They joined us for a fun Naruto shooting game. The squad eventually split up into those who could handle one more ride and those who know the limitations of being 30-32 years old. Catie, Madison, James, and Mary hit the Takanishi roller coaster as the last coaster of the day (43 metres tall, 100 km/h. Contains a 121° freefall, as well as seven major inversions over 1000 metres of track. Formerly the world's steepest roller coaster, until the opening of TMNT Shellraiser in 2019).

      Squad jumped on the bus and it took 2.5 hours to get home with traffic!!! It was awful. We hit a birria ramen shop next to our apartment and enjoyed mango tequila shots.

      Food:
      Takoyaki
      Ichiraku Naruto Ramen
      Birria ramen

      Spots:
      Fujikyu
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    • Day 13

      Parc Naruto

      August 5 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

      Jérémy est un grand amateur d'animé.
      On est donc allé au parc d'attractions de Fujiyoshida, qui a une zone dédiée à Naruto. Il en a profité pour faire quelques loopings ! Les japonais, sont pas mauvais en montagnes russes 😱Read more

    • Day 6

      Mt Fuji to Takayama

      April 7 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Woke up to the most breathtaking views of Mt Fuji. We slept rough but it was worth it. Our rooms had traditional Japanese dressing gowns which they encouraged us to wear to breakfast. Um nah.

      Today is a drive to Matsumoto Castle, also known as ‘Crow Castle’ due to its dramatic black exterior. It proved to be more of a physical challenge than expected. You must remove your shoes and carry them in a plastic bag at the same time as climbing 8 flights of wooden stairs. The steps were very steep so you hang on to the bamboo rails and off you go. The 5th story was worth it for the vistas of the surrounding town. The donjon (keep) is Japan’s oldest remaining wooden keep, completed around 1593 – is listed as a National Treasure.

      The pictures show the surreal snow capped mountains. Truly Japan at its best.

      The next few hours caught us by surprise. We drove straight up and over the alps. The snow from winter is still plentiful so we just sat back and had a most beautiful drive. In a few weeks it will all have melted away.

      Our Takayama hotel is in a city that
      still retains a traditional feel, especially in its beautifully preserved old town (Sanmachi Suji).

      We visited the Takayama Jin’ya, the former government headquarters under the Tokugawa Shogunate from 1692-1871. Shoes off again.

      Loving the old latticed wooden buildings and Sannomachi Street, with pretty homes, restaurants and sake breweries.

      Dinner in town tonight.
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    • Day 13

      More Fuji and finally Tokyo

      October 29, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Woke early hoping to catch Mt Fuji at sunrise. Oh no! Fog everywhere - you wouldn't know there was a mountain there. However, during breakfast, the fog lifted and the view was just magnificent. This iconic mountain is truly a highlight of this trip and we feel very fortunate to see it in all its glory as it is often hidden by cloud.

      Leaving the hotel we drove to a park area for a different viewpoint, however by this time the clouds had returned and the mountain remained hidden. There were mass plantings of these bright pink bushes which I think may be called Summer Cypress or Kochia. I wonder if we can grow them at home?

      Nearby, we visited the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum to learn about the revival of the lost art of Tsujigahana silk dyeing for kimonos. Kubota Itchiku was a textile artist who revived this rather tedious technique. At first look at the array of kimonos around the exhibition hall we thought, that's nice, but... not sure what the big deal is. After watching a presentation we realised each kimono was part of an intricate landscape... then you went Wow! Photos not permitted in the gallery so will try and find one online. The complex has lovely gardens and a traditional tea room. A very nice tour.

      Then it’s onto Tokyo, home to 38 million people. We stopped at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for panoramic views over the city.
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    • Day 2

      Mount Fuji and all its glory

      December 2, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

      Who would have thought, spending the morning on a bike ride would be so pleasant.

      We took a 2 hour bus ride from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko, the most accessible of the 5 Fuji lakes, to take in a bit of nature with a great view. I booked a hostel called K's House, apparently famous in this region, knowing there were 2 different locations to book. One location, slightly more expensive, was right in the town center, within minutes of the lake. The other, less expensive, 20 minute walk from the lake, but that promised amazing Fuji views. I obviously booked the second. The walk over was a little lengthy, mostly because there really isn't much interesting things to look at in this town. Just a simple residential town. But sure enough, the views from their observatory deck were absolutely amazing. Clear blue skies all around. You had to walk up a ladder and crawl through a window to access the deck, but it was so well maintained with slippers waiting for us to put on once outside, that the window crawling just added an element to the experience.

      The hostel was Japanese chic as per Jack; lots of natural elements like the wooden roof, unglazed ceramic sinks, low minimalistic furniture with our sleeping quarters being a double bed you crawl into from the feet with 4 walls around us, a light at our head and our personal outlet. It was like a mini 4 foot tall room. The sinks, the showers, the kitchen, all of it better then what I've ever lived in or dreamed of having. Honestly a gorgeous hostel.

      The next morning, Jack and I put on every layer of clothing we had brought with us, I put on my new gloves (bought the night before), and we set out on a bicycle ride around Lake Kawaguchi. I only started complaining about the biking with about 20 minutes left on our return, my legs are not made for this kind of burning! For those who would like to laugh at my lack of stamina, it was a roughly 20km ride. I rarely admit biking is a good plan, but in this case, it allowed us to have certain views you can only see on postcards. We took a little 20 minute hike to a waterfall along the way, parking our bikes in front of some old little Japanese lady's garage who didn't speak English but seemed to point up the hill when we attempted to pronounce the name of the waterfall. The waterfall itself isn't a show stopper, but the nature around during the walk, the sounds of birds, the leafs changing colors (it's autumn here), all made this hike worth the furthering burn in my thighs.

      Jack says "you should talk about Mount Fuji, she was beautiful, the snow cap, the trails leading up to the top, how she's all alone...". What she said. It's very true how it's isolation from other mountains allowed us to see its full glory. You could see zigzag lines covered in snow making their way to the top for those crazies who chose to hike this thing (allowed only in July and August). A beauty.

      As beautiful and peaceful as this little stop was, there's always space for an anxious moment, which came when I tried to book our bus out of Kawaguchiko, to attempt to avoid them being full like we've just experienced in Tokyo. The website said next available to reserve was the day after tomorrow... " 'Bout what about tomorrow?!". So I thought about it all night, we're screwed there are no more busses. I asked Jack for us to make our first priority in the morning to stop at the station where I would hopefully beg my way into a ticket for that afternoon. Sure enough, I showed up, asked for two tickets, and was given seat 1a and 1b. Apparently I was the first to buy the ticket, online reservation just doesn't allow for booking within 24hours. My bad.
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    • Day 13

      Parc FujiQ Highland à Fujiyoshida 🎢

      August 5 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      On a pu goûter le ramen de Naruto et les crêpes roulées 🤤 on a fini la journée par un tour de grande roue !

    • Day 20

      Fuji-Q-Highland park evening / abends

      August 4, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Luckily I booked the park entry exactly on the day where in the evening there was a long lasting Hanabi firework in the park - without knowing upfront... Due to that event even the opening times were extended for 2 hours at this day! 😀

      Glücklicherweise buchte ich den Parkeintritt - ohne es zu wissen - genau an einem Tag, an dem am Abend ein lange andauerndes Hanabi-Feuerwerk stattfand... Wegen dieses Events wurden an diesem Tag sogar die Öffnungszeiten um 2 Stunden verlängert! 😀
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Akasaka, 赤坂

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