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    • TravelerJapón
      111
      Day 26

      Back to Tokyo

      April 18 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Pas de réveil, aujourdhui c'est slow day on traine au lit! Au début on voulait à Nikko un lieu à 1h30 de Tokyo dans les montagnes supposé être super mignon avec des temples etc mais on s'est dit qu'on allait courir si on faisait ça car il nous faut encore récupéré notre valise et acheté quelques souvenirs.

      Du coup on se lève tranquille et se ballade pour trouver de quoi petit déj, encore une semi boulangerie Française avec des cannelés, muffin au matcha, brioche chocolat caramel, pas mal pas mal. Ensuite c'est métro 🚃 direction l'Office de Planisware pour récupérer la valise et la ramener à l'hôtel.

      Vers 14h30 c'est late lunch time, une fois débarrassé de la valise on se met en route en direction du Parc d'Ueno que l'on à prévu de visiter et on s'arrête dans un petit boui boui sur le passage où l'on mange des chicken vegetable curry pas mal du tout 🍛.
      Le soleil est caché aujourd'hui mais déjà il pleut pas donc c'est cool on peut quand même profiter. On trouve quelques derniers les temples 🏯🛕 dans le parc toujours aussi jolis, un plan d'eau avec des bateaux marrant en forme de cygnes et on finit autour du musée national avec des belles allées et quelques sculptures de Rodin visible à l'extérieur !

      Ensuite on traverse par la gare d'Ueno et on se dirige vers la maison il commence à pleuvoir et on commence à avoir fait pas mal de km. Sur le chemin on passe à 7 eleven et Famille Mart 🏪 pour faire le plein de petits snacks qu'on a kiffer pour les ramener à la maison 🏠. On prend aussi de la sauce soja (elle est bien meilleure ici!), de la sauce à Gyoza et de la pâte a curry dans un supermarché !

      18h on est à la chambre c'est l'heure de faire les valises, Jerem se débarrasse de quelques boîtes de ses figures sinon ça rentre pas! Et on fait du Tetris pour tout casé, les figurines, les souvenirs, la nourriture et voir la place qui nous reste.
      On profite ensuite de notre immense baignoire/bain pour se détendre les jambes avant de ressortir manger vers 20h30. Les quelques restaurants proches de nous sont déjà prêts à fermer du coup on marche pas mal pour trouver un quartier plus animé. Ce sera sushis 🍣 les last ones, pas les meilleurs mais saumon toujours tendre et restaurant animé et sympa!

      23h on était près à aller au lit mais en voulant ajouter des valises dans notre vol interne Tijuana>Cancun de dimanche on se rend compte qu'il y a un bug sur les horaires, sur l'appli le vol est passé de minuit et quelques à 8h45 du matin le jour d'avant (samedi) trop bizarre on à rien reçu, aucune notif, aucun email. On finit par arriver à joindre la compagnie, le vol à été avancé de 15h pfff la merde, on avait prévu de passer la journée avec les amis de San Diego c'est rapé. On va devoir repartir méga tôt le samedi car il nous fait aussi passer la douane du Mexique à Tijuana avant l'aéroport. 2 short night nous attendent. Une dans l'avion demain et celle d'après à San Diego.😕🫤. En attendant on à encore une bonne nuit dans un lit confortable, let's go sleep!

      🚶🚶13km      Read more

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    • TravelerJapan
      Day 7

      Breakfast and shrine at Akihabara

      May 20, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      🇨🇵
      Petite excursion matinale à Akihabara avant une journée bien chargée, à quelques pas de l'Electric Town, très connue pour ses boutiques d'électronique, ses produits dérivés d'anime et mangas, bornes d'arcades et autres divertissements.

      Akihabara abrite également un coin beaucoup plus calme et traditionnel,. situé autour du sanctuaire shinto "Kanda Myōjin". A cette période durant les années impaires, un très grand festival y a lieu, le Kanda Matsuri.

      C'est dans cet environnement plus tranquille que j'ai trouvé un café à l'ancienne, à l'ambiance chaleureuse, sur fond de jazz. Après un excellent café et un cheesecake, j'ai visité le sanctuaire, qui accueillait pour l'occasion un couple prenant des photos de mariage en tenue traditionnelle.

      Particularité surprenante, le sanctuaire abritait un cheval sacré nommé Hikari (lumière en japonais).

      Enfin, j'ai pu voir accrochées dans le sanctuaire des petites plaquettes de voeux, très souvent illustrées avec des personnages d'animes ou mignons (l'influence de l'Electric Town)

      🇬🇧
      Small morning excursion in Akihabara before a busy day, a few steps from Electric Town, famous for its electronic stores, anime and manga goodies, game centers and more.

      Akihabara also holds an area that is much more quiet and traditional, located arround the shinto shrine " Kanda Myōjin". At this period of the year, a big festival, called Kanda Matsuri is held here, but only during odd-numbered years.

      In this quiet environment, I found an old looking cafe with a warm atmosphere, with jazz music playing in background. After a very good cup of coffee and a cheesecake, I visited the shrine, in which a married couple in traditional uniform, posing for its wedding album.

      Another feature here, the shrine held a sacred horse, named Hikari (light in japanese)

      Finally, I saw in the shrine small wish cards, often illustrated with anime and cute characters. (Electric Town's influence)      Read more

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    • TravelerJapan and Taiwan
      Day 3

      Coldplay night 1 Monday

      November 6, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

      I went down to breakfast at my hotel this morning. It was a Japanese breakfast, with fish, veggies, rice, miso soup, and several other things. They have a plate with 9 small little sections. So you can have a little of everything. I didn’t take my camera down this morning , but I will tomorrow. The dining room was very quiet , and it seemed to be mostly Japanese with a few Westerners sprinkled in.
      After breakfast, I went back to my room and went back to sleep. I pulled the blackout shades closed and did not set an alarm. I told myself I could sleep as long as I needed. It was wonderful. I woke up at about 2 pm and felt rested.
      I hung around the room until 5:30 when it was time to go to the Tokyo Dome.
      The train stations can be very confusing. I’m glad I watched a few YouTube videos on it. Google maps really helps, you just have to take your time.
      One YouTube family said”Don’t try and remember the names of the stops. Each stop on each line has a number use the number system.” So the M line that goes north and south has stops 1-25. And the signs in the station that point you in the right direction use that system too. I am finding it’s a much easier way. Also, with pocket WiFi you can use Google maps underground, thank goodness.
      And I am amazed at how clean and safe there subway systems are. I mean clean! And I must have walked for 20 minutes through the underground corridors last night. Not once was I afraid. I reminded myself to not get complacent and stay aware, but never once was I afraid to walk a long stretch of corridor with only a few people.
      I got to the Tokyo Dome easily. I had noticed that I wasn’t really nervous heading to the venue. And normally I am. Maybe it’s because from all the work I’ve done getting these tickets, I had really just allowed myself to enjoy the moment. And after taking the right train the wrong way, I was very keen on checking for the correct platform #.
      I got there 1/2 way through the opening band, a very popular Japanese band called YAOSOBI. I had actually listened to them before I left, so I got to enjoy their last few songs. I had no clue how to read my ticket or where my seat was. But they had so many guides there. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out where I was to be, but it was perfect. I found my seat after YAOSOBI finished. I was sitting between 2 brothers and their Dad, and 2 Korean girls.
      I had never wanted to go to a concert alone until now. I loved the band more than I cared what people may or may not think. And people really aren’t paying attention to me. They are so concerned with themselves. It’s very freeing.
      So Coldplay started and they were fantastic. Chris Martin was very aware that he was speaking English and the crowd may not understand what he was saying. He did speak a little Japanese he said he had been learning and the crowd loved it.
      I got to sing along to all the songs And it was neat being with such a different audience. I did see some Westerners there. There was actually a huge variety of people there. It was really something.
      Getting home wasn’t bad. I followed the crowd to a metro station further away from the venue and took a train or 2 to get back to my neighborhood. All of the Japanese business-people were running to catch the last trains out of Tokyo and there were Coldplay fans (in their tour shirts) everywhere.
      I stopped off at the convenience store I went to last night and got cold noodles for a late supper.
      All in all it was a great night. At one point before the show started; I really soaked in the fact that I was sitting in my seat at the 1st night in Tokyo. I was there. I had done it. And I get to do it all over again tomorrow night.      Read more

    • TravelerJapan and Taiwan
      1
      Day 4

      Coldplay night 2 Tuesday

      November 7, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

      Breakfast has turned into a lovely Zen moment for the last 2 days. Miso soup, veggies, small bowls of braised pork belly, something they are calling Spinach dip, but it’s amazing dark green with stalks, seaweed, salad, rice with eel and clams (I like eel, clams, not so much). And again , as I was admiring the portioned plate, I realized I had again forgotten my phone to take a picture. Maybe that’s the universe keeping it for just me.
      I have spoken very little on this trip so far. That’s easy when you can’t say more than a few words in the local language. It’s nice, I told my coworkers it was what I was looking forward to on this trip. Not having to talk unless I wanted to. That’s why I love this medium, I get to journal but get to be quiet at the same time.
      I’m going to repack today, as my big bags need to be downstairs by 11 am for Yamato transport to come and pick them up and ship them to my hotel in Osaka. I’ll be leaving tomorrow and taking my 1st Shinkansen (bullet train). You can buy a bento box to take with you and eat on the train. I’m excited about that too. I have to reserve the seat on the train, so I will go to a train station and do that today too.
      So funny story. I brought a couple of T-shirts I purchased on line. One of them said that it says “ColdPlay” in Japanese. I was going to wear it last night , but I wanted to make sure that it REALLY said Coldplay. I’d be horrified if I wore it and it said something in gibberish. So I tried to use google translate by taking a picture of it. And it didn’t compute. So then I looked up what Coldplay translated looked like, and it didn’t exactly match my shirt. So heck no, I’m not wearing it.
      It’s been about 80 degrees here in the day. I’m also checking the weather for Taiwan and it’s hot and humid there. I bought a fan that goes around your neck to wear to the concerts. I have General admission floor tickets for both nights there. So I can move around, go pee, get something to drink. Assigned seats are ok, but last night, I felt that once you are there you don’t go anywhere. And I always seem to get a bit of vertigo in that kind of seating. Once could pitch forward pretty easily it seems.
      Another hurdle for me today. I have to ship my luggage using the Japanese tried and true way instead of lugging it around with me. So I packed both suitcases up and took them down and the hotel staff were very kind and filled it out for me. As I was waiting, I was watching them. Watching them deal with their guests. All different ages, nationalities and levels of neediness. I’ve been watching all of the people I’ve come across who are dealing with the public. It’s been a good introspective excercise.
      When I took down the suitcases, I also took the shirt I had questioned the translation. I asked one woman if she could translate it for me. She said it wasn’t bad, she just didn’t understand it. “What is a Radio Head?” Lol, I had gotten a shirt that said Radiohead (great band btw) in Japanese. Because that’s pretty cool. So I was glad that I worked up the courage to ask.
      I had lunch in a small little restaurant. Once they brought it, I realized it was way too much food, but I was proud for doing it, and doing it scared.
      The trip over to the Tokyo dome was easy and I got looking for my seat way earlier then last night. I had MUCH better seats, certainly not by choice, as I picked one that was a good price and didn’t worry about where they were.
      I got to caught the entire set of the opening act, they were really good, and the crowd loved them.
      This 2nd night of Coldplay was a much better show than last night. I left there last night feeling underwhelmed, and just couldn’t shake the feeling that they seemed off.
      And boy, tonight certainly made up for it. They played a better set list, the crowd seemed more relaxed and responsive, and the people around me stood up the whole time. All in all making it a really good show.
      So tomorrow I take off for Osaka. I have a 1pm train. And I’m really excited.      Read more

    • TravelerArthur in Tokio
      Day 5

      Buranken Aasaa burgert zich in

      September 14, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      De afgelopen dagen heb ik de universiteitsgebouwen en het stadsdeel Shinjuku verkend. Het hoogtepunt van de uitstapjes naar Shinjuku is meestal het eten, daar valt wel wat over te zeggen! Op mijn eerste dag in Tokio ben ik noedels gaan eten in een kleine onopvallende noedelbar waar ik rustig in mijn eentje kon zitten. Ik ben er de dag nadien nog eens teruggegaan omdat ik de bediening er zo aangenaam vond: de bar wordt door een man in zijn eentje gerund: keuken en bediening. Voor dat tweede bezoek had ik me wat beter voorbereid en kon ik hem begroeten met 'konbanwa' (goedenavond), en bedanken met 'arigato gozaimasu' (heel erg bedankt). Ik voel me een beetje onnozel als ik Japans probeer te spreken, maar ik ga toch mijn best doen om wat bij te leren, want in de meest charmante restaurantjes spreken ze geen Engels. Gisteren heb ik ontdekt dat Japanners meestal niet bedanken wanneer ze goed bediend werden, wel zeggen ze 'gochisousama deshita' om dankbaarheid voor de maaltijd uit te drukken, zowel naar de kok toe als algemenere dankbaarheid dat we goed eten hebben, the more you learn... Wat het eten zelf betreft: de noedels zijn enorm lekker en ook heel goedkoop (3-7 euro), klassieke toppings zijn gekookt varkensvlees, zeewier en een halfgekookt eitje. Groentjes worden niet zo veel geserveerd in de goedkopere bars, dus het zal toch goed zijn als ik af en toe zelf wat groentjes kook :) vandaag waren mijn huisgenoten trouwens heel blij dat ik hen een goeie spaghetti bolognese met veel groentjes heb voorgeschoteld.
      Voor lunch zijn er lekkere dingen te vinden in de vele kleine supermarktjes (o.a. 7-eleven), zoals rijstballen met tonijn of zalm, sandwiches met kip en chilisaus, slaatjes,... ik eet meestal niet veel 's middags door de hitte (30-35 graden), maar dat wordt 's avonds wel gecompenseerd.
      Wat het ontbijt betreft kom ik ook niet te kort. Ik kan hier simpelweg granola met yoghurt eten zoals ik gewoon ben. Als ik mezelf wil verwennen haal ik een 'butter flaky': een boterkoek uit een plastiekske. Klinkt niet geweldig, maar ik vind ze verrassend lekker!
      Naast inburgering in de etenscultuur is mijn verblijfplaats nu ook geregistreerd en ben ik in orde met allerlei verzekeringen. Op al die officiële documenten moet mijn naam in Katakana staan (1 van de 3 Japanse tekensystemen/alfabetten, naast Kanji en Hiragana). Vandaar dus de titel van deze post: in Japan wordt de achternaam eerst geschreven en dan de voornaam: ブランケン (Buranken) アーサー (Aasaa). Wegens beperkt aantal klanken in het Japans, is een lichte omvorming nodig haha, zoals je kan zien.
      In de volgende post maak ik een oplijsting van fun facts, want dat zijn er wat te veel om hier nog onder te zetten :)      Read more

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    • Filshie’s in Japan
      1
      Day 4

      Last day in Tokyo

      April 5 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      We leave Tokyo tomorrow morning so after today we will not be back until after the tour ends.

      We witnessed the serenity of Ueno Park, the city’s largest green space and home to numerous temples and museums. Picnics here are called banquets and you reserve your spot with large tarps.

      There’s even a zoo here which Sharon went to see the baby Pandas. I went to the museum for the Samurai swords and artifacts.

      More than 800 cherry blossom trees line the wide central path. The first cherry trees were planted here by legendary shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose reign began the Edo Period (1603-1868). It’s said to be one of the oldest Hanami.

      Hanami, usually with a picnic, is a chance to celebrate the arrival of spring but today there were mostly university students celebrating their acceptances.

      We stopped next at Yoyogi Park. It has around 600 cherry trees, it’s another lively spot for hanami parties. We did some great selfie group shots in the forest and of course saw more sakura.

      Next stop nearby Meiji Shrine
      (Meiji Jingu), located within a 170-acre forest in the centre of Tokyo. The shrine commemorates Emperor Meiji, who presided over Japan’s industrial revolution in the second half of the 19th century. It was built in 1920 and was rebuilt in 1958 after it was damaged in WW2.

      The current emperor of Japan is the 126th. Born in 1960 he took over in 2019. What a responsibility.      Read more

    • TravelerSabbatical Adventures
      122211
      Day 46

      Day 46, Good Day for a Duck, Tokyo

      March 25, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

      We spent most of the day in and near Ueno Park, site of the most cherry trees in Tokyo. Cherry blossom season, or Sakura, is obviously a big big deal and there was a festival atmosphere with lots of food and drink booths set up. Rain and more rain continued until mid-afternoon, which may have been to our benefit because the crowd wasn’t huge. Japanese families and friends often celebrate with Hanami, or picnics under the cherry trees. But not today. I’m first to admit that I’m obsessed with cherry blossoms! And from what we saw today, they are at their peak. 🌸🌸🌸
      We then celebrated the end of our tour in a karaoke bar (our first). 🎤      Read more

    • TravelerJapan
      Day 6

      Sunshine City and Namjatown

      May 19, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      🇨🇵
      Une fois les tâches administratives terminées, j'ai passé une partie de l'après-midi et la soirée à Ikebukuro avec un ami et sa femme, de passage au Japon.

      Ikebukuro est un quartier que je connais un peu car j'y ai habité lors de mes précédents voyages. C'est un quartier assez vivant, surtout le soir, et on y trouve pas mal de points d'intérêts comme des restaurants, magasins, bornes d'arcades, et autres divertissements.

      Les photos peuvent peut-être évoquer de vielles maisons ou un temple, mais en fait il s'agit d'une zone spéciale du centre commercial Sunshine City 😅
      On y trouve des magasins habituels, un Pokémon Center (boutique officielle pokémon) ainsi qu'une zone qui ressemble à un parc à thème, appelé Namjatown 😸

      L'entrée dans le parc était gratuite, et on a pu y manger des Gyozas (raviolis) de multiples régions.

      Il y avait une petite zone mystique / fantomatique avec des décorations un peu partout et quelques animations qui faisaient sursauter 😂

      🇬🇧
      After finishing the paperwork, I spent the afternoon and evening in Ikebukuro with a friend and his wife, in Japan for the time being.

      Ikebukuro is an area a know of, becauseI used to live here in previous trips. It's quite lively, especially at night and you can find various places of interest like restaurants, stores, game centers and more.

      The pictures might give the impression of old houses or a temple, but it is actually a dedicated area in a commercial center called Sunshine City. In this commercial center, you can find usual shops, as well as a Pokémon Center (Pokémon official store) as well as an area that looks like a theme park, Namjatown 😸

      The entrance was free, and we could taste gyozas (dumplings) from multiple regions.

      There was a small place with mystical / fantomatic atmosphere, quite well decorated and with small jump scares too 😂      Read more

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    • TravelerJapan
      121
      Day 119

      Tokyo - Gashapon

      September 9, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

      🇨🇵
      On se retrouve à Ikebukuro, dans le centre commercial Sunshine City. Si vous vous rappelez bien, c'est le centre commercial dans lequel j'étais allé au tout début de mon voyage (en mai).

      Cette fois, la raison de ma visite était autre: un nouveau "gashapon store" a ouvert. Et pas n'importe lequel: Gashapon Odyssey 🤩

      En tant que collectionneur de ces petites capsules surprises, je voulais au moins y aller une fois.
      Comme je pouvais m'y attendre, celui-ci est immense: on y trouve des centaines de gashapon 🥲
      Mais pas seulement. Après avoir passé l'entrée, on découvre un mini musée qui présente l'évolution des prix obtenu dans les gashapon, depuis leur création à nos jours.

      Ensuite, on arrive devant une sorte de gouvernail (qui ressemble à celui d'un navire) positionné devant un grand écran.

      Vous l'aurez peut-être deviné, il s'agit d'un gashapon: le gouvernail faisant office de poignée. Ce gashapon un peu spécial fonctionne comme un mini jeu vidéo, d'où la présence de l'écran géant.
      La performance en jeu conditionne le lot que l'on obtient. Le gouvernail peut aller à droite ou à gauche, permettant d'interagir en fonction de ce qui s'affiche à l'écran. Un gashapon unique en son genre, peut-être le prototype de futures machines 🤔

      J'ai tenté l'expérience, même si celle-ci est je l'avoue assez coûteuse (1000¥), vous la retrouverez en vidéo. Les instructions, bien qu'en japonais, sont plutôt faciles à suivre.

      Gashapon Odyssey propose un nombre assez impressionnant de machines, avec diverses séries: manga, mignon, barré ou simplement des objets de collection. Il y en a pour tous les goûts, je recommande donc l'endroit si vous êtes en quête d'un souvenir, ou bien si vous êtes joueur 😁

      🇬🇧
      We're once again in Ikebukuro, in the Sunshine City mall. If you remember, this is the mall I went to at the very beginning of my trip (in May).

      This time, I went there with a different goal: a new "gashapon store" has recently opened. And not just any store, a particular one: Gashapon Odyssey 🤩

      As a collector of these surprise capsules, I wanted at least to go there once.

      As expected, this store is huge: there are hundreds of gashapon there 🥲
      But that's not the only thing you can find there. Behind the entrance, there is a small museum displaying the evolution of the prizes you can get in gashapon, from the date of their creation to these days.

      Then, there is some sort of rudder (looks like that of a ship), in front of a large screen.

      As you might have guessed, this is also a gashapon: the rudder acts as a handle. This special gashapon works like a video game, hence the presence of the big screen.
      Your performance in the video game determines which prize you get. The rudder can go right or left, allowing you to interact with what's on the screen. A unique gashapon, perhaps the prototype of future machines 🤔

      I tried it for the overall experience, even if it is a bit expensive (1000¥). You can have a look at the footage to have a better idea of what I'm talking about. The game instructions, although in Japanese, are rather easy to follow.

      Gashapon Odyssey offers a rather impressive number of machines, in various categories : manga, cute, fun or simply collectible items. There is something for everyone, so I recommend it if you are looking for a souvenir, or if you like random games 😁

      🇯🇵
      こんばんは、久しぶり！🤗
      みんな、元気?

      今日はガシャポンについて話したい！
      実は池袋には新しいガシャポンデパートができた。🥳
      なんか気になったから、そこに行くと思って。
      「サンシャインシティ」ってマールの「ガシャポン オデッセイ」は普通のガシャポンじゃない。色んなガシャポンがあるけど、どれだけじゃない。
      そこは、ちっちゃいムジアムがあるし、他のタイプのガシャポンもある 😮
      ムジアムのエリアには、昔から今までのガシャポンの物が紹介された。

      ムジアムの後ろに、ビデオゲームみたいガシャポンが見える。他のガシャポンと比べてもっと高いけど結構違う。
      1000円を入れて、画面には、ガシャポンのミニゲームを説明してから、ビデオゲームをして、そのゲームの結果によって、アイテムをもらう☺️

      高かったけど、楽しそうだからそのゲームをした。その時は、ヴィデオを撮った。是非見て下さいね。

      またね！😉      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerJapan 🇯🇵
      111
      Day 3

      Zu Fuß durch Tokyo

      October 20, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

      Heute in Tokyo auf eigene Faust unterwegs gewesen 😊.
      Japans kleinste Kreuzung Shibuya mehrfach überquert 🥴
      Den Meiji Jingu Shrine besichtigt.
      Die Harajuku Einkaufsstraße entlang geschlendert, das war der Hammer 🔨Read more

      See translation

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Bunkyō-ku, Bunkyo-ku, 文京区

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