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Japan Trip 2017

October - November 2017
A 20-day adventure by Kristofor Read more
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  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 2

    Melbourne (Trip Start)

    October 21, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    This year hasn't exactly gone to plan. In January I was planning a trip to Madagascar. By February I was excited and looking forward to the birth of our first child and being a father. In March, we were off exploring the South Pacific on a baby-moon cruise. At the end of April our son Hendrik was born too soon and we lost him. It was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. The winter to follow has been extremely tough to say the least. We're trying to be positive now and look to the future. We have the unfortunate opportunity now to get away to enjoy a new adventure and experience together. It's necessary. I have a feeling it's going to be good for us.

    I've seen a lot of the world, but there's still much I'd love to see - The Final Continent (Antarctica), Alaska, Canada, more of the US, and certainly Japan. I always figured many of these could be completed easier with children or later in life. Places like Egypt, Central Africa and now Madagascar with it's 'Black Plague' may now have to wait a while... (I'm actually thankful I didn't end up booking to go there this year).

    Every trip I've ever done, every place I've ever been, I've recorded with a Travel Blog, including journal entries, maps, names of places, people met, flags, photos and more. From 2006 to 2016, I used the site www.travelpod.com. Early this year, we spent around $800 to have all my blogs made into hard copy books, a priceless life-travel souvenir. Sadly, in March this year the site was 'bought out' by Tripadvisor and closed down. I managed to migrate all my blogs to an archived site which can still be viewed and accessed in their original format at /http://www.travelark.org/traveller/tofor85. Whilst it's great to still have all the blogs online, that archive can't be edited going forward and of course I can't use the Travelpod site to make any new blogs. I scouted around, and was shocked to find how few decent looking Travel Blog websites there are out there. I finally decided on this one, at https://findpenguins.com/tofor85

    This site is a little different, and uses something called 'Footprints' to mark where you are in the world. I've taken the time to go back and put 'Footprints' in for each and every place I have ever been. From 2006 onwards the dates are relatively accurate even. I'll continue to cross-link my blog entries of previous trips (located on TravelArk) to this website and try to add a few photos for a glimpse of visual representation of footprints taken around the world. This site is a work in progress, and I'll continue to filter blogs, photos and stories across. It's the sole site I'll use for the Japan adventure ahead.

    The trip ahead will be about 3 weeks. We set off 10.30am on Saturday morning, October 21st and return Wednesday night, arriving home Thursday morning 9 November in Melbourne. We're flying direct from Melbourne to Tokyo return with Qantas. We'll start off with a couple days by ourselves in Tokyo. On Monday night, the 23rd we mete up with a G-Adventures Travel Group (12-16 people) which takes us from Tokyo to Takayama, Kanazawa, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, Mount Fuji and back to Tokyo. We then have 3 nights/ 4 days by ourselves at the end of our trip based in Tokyo. I'll do my best to post live journal entries, photos and updates on this site as much as is possible. If there's a delay in internet, I will be writing entries on my Samsung tablet and uploading at the first/easiest opportunity.

    To navigate this site -
    - Click on 'Trips' under my profile picture to sort my travel by trips taken.
    - Click on 'Countries' under my profile picture to see where I've been in the world.
    - Click on a Footprint to see more information on that trip (if available), as well as photos. You can leave comments on each footprint.
    - For previous Trips (prior to Japan) I have included at least an initial and final blog entry list (to take you to TravelArk) for further information/blog entry/photos.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 2

    The Worlds Busiest City

    October 21, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Its just about to hit midnight on Saturday and we've just collapsed at our hotel the Remm Roppongi. Its been a long day. For the most part, its all gone smoothly.
    There was an incident with Nats phone.. We'd cleared customs in Melbourne and arrived at our boarding gate when Natalie realised her shiny new mobile was missing. We called the phone to find it'd slipped out of her bag at a cafe 'High Tide' where we'd had breakfast earlier. Lucky for Nat, it'd been turned in by an honest person, and the cafe could hold it for us.. but how to collect it? We raced back against the tides of people to customs. Again lucky enough, the head of security agreed to have someone collect it for us and deliver into Nats grateful hands. Crisis averted. After all that rushing, our flight was delayed around 90 minutes in the end.
    The flight was comfy enough, with a couple tasty meals and movies the 10 hours didnt feel too bad.
    I was expecting an almighty challenge negotiating our way from Narita to our hotel in Rommpongi but that wasnt to be the case.. it couldnt have gone smoother. I found a decent package for the airport "skyliner" express, return, plus 48 hour metro ticket to get us around Tokyo until our tour start Monday evening which cost us a total ¥10,500 ($115AUD). 1 AUD = 89¥. Id anticipated $30each, each way from airport to city.
    Train times were perfect we basically rolled up 5 minutes before the skyliner and 5 seconds before the connecting metro train.
    Early impressions of Japan; friendly people who understand at least a little English willing to help with a smile, polite people conscious of others around them, crazy amount of advertising, giant maze metro subway (well signed, colour coded, easy to follow despite size), English subtitles on everything (including some English announcements like train arrivals), very orderly and clean. We arrived Saturday night and there was no ruckus or drunks anywhere.
    Stepping out at Roppingi at 10.30pm had a bit of that 'wow factor'. There was a buzz about the place. Bright lights, crowds, advertising boards and most places still open and busy. We found our hotel quickly enough, checked in, showered and headed out to find some food!
    The room is very nice, with an amazing shower and fancy Japanese toilet! Its small but clean and comfy.
    We dont exactly know what we ordered for dinner, little fried balls of something seafood related, with egg and cheese and Japanese beer? We stood in there and enjoyes enough :)
    Now were exhausted. Time to sleep and recharge before exploring more tomorrow and visiting DisneySea. Its drizzling rain tonight and a storm is projected so hopefully we dont get soaked tomorrow. Despite the rain the weather is pleasantly warm and a little humid. What a day, looking forward to the trip ahead!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 3

    Drowning at Disney Sea

    October 22, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I thought it would be a nice, gentle, relaxing way to start our Japan trip - a wholesome carefree day at DisneySea. I figured I'd avoid queues and book it in advance. Unfortunately I booked it for a typhoon day..
    It was to be one of, if not the wettest day I've ever seen anywhere in the world, in my entire life. It was pouring when we woke up and it was pouring when we got back to the hotel just now. Whilst still tepid warm in the morning, it seemed to get colder and windier as the day progressed...

    Part of the initial appeal of DisneySea was its relative proximity to our first hotel in Tokyo, less than an hour away via the Metro Hibuya Line and JLT Rail. Further, DisneySea was a Disney park with unique features and attractions and itd be fun to compare with Disneylands we've seen in the US, Paris and Hong Kong.
    Gumboots appear to be relatively popular and fashionable in Tokyo and I see why. Our choice of footwear today wasnt ideal for the weather. If not for the umbrellas we borrowed from our hotel, things would have been much worse. By the time we arrived at Maihama Rail Station, opposite the Disney Land park entrance there were warnings of severe storms and typhoons and winds had picked up. Just a 15minute walk to DisneySea.
    By the time we'd entered DisneySea my feet were soaked. Nothing to do but try enjoy the day as much as possible. Thankfully most rides were undercover and the weather meant smaller (but not always small) lines for rides.

    We trudged through the downpour and winds with our umbrellas (mine nearly snapped several times) and got through all the major rides one by one - Tower of Terror (a free fall drop ride), Turtle Talk (a Finding Nemo theatre show), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (an underwater submarine themed adventure), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (a mountain themed roller coaster), Nemo & Friends Searider (a '4D' Theatre simulator that moves), Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (an adventure roller coaster/jeep ride) and Raging Spirits (a faster roller coaster rail/mine ride with a 360degree loop).
    We still had a fun day, but left the park with drenched, sore feet.

    Dinner was an amazing find! Ikinari Steak House, just 2 minutes walk from Roppongi station and our hotel. You basically choose your own cut, style and weight of meat, and you pay by the gram. Once you've made your choice, the chefs cuts it for you and checks all is okay. They cook it up in full view and serve on a hot plate with onion and corn. Delicious tap beer also on offer. Service and meat quality was absolutely outstanding. I daresay that meal will be hard to beat the entire trip. A fine conclusion to a great day. Tomorrow we leave Roppongi to meet up with our G Ad ventures tour group at 5pm.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 4

    Zoo and Tour Start

    October 23, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Over the years, Nat and I have made a habit of visiting local zoos on our travels. We love animals and most of the time it makes for an easy going, fun and uplifting day. Id read mixed reviews about the Tokyo zoo at Ueno so I hadn't designated the location as a priority.

    However, when it turned out that the zoo was a mere 15 minute walk from the hotel and meeting point for our G Adventures tour, I figured I'd seize the opportunity to transform a 'hotel transition day' into something more fun, uplifting and memorable one.

    We negotiated our way from Roppongi to Iriya station (via Hibuya line Metro) easy enough. Arriving at the hotel 3 hours before check in, we opted to just store our bags, and set off for lunch, and zootime.

    Lunch was a random find. We walked past a place called Ton Kotsu Ramen, and with alluring enough pictures (no English) decided to venture inside. Turns out, at this establishment, all orders are taken via vending machine. It was a matter of finding a picture of food you liked, matching its cost and image to a button, inserting cash credit, making your selection, retrieving change and a ticket, and handing the ticket over to your waiter. Our meals were a bowl of soup, and a bowl of noodles and meat that are mixed to form the delicious combination of Ramen!

    With full bellies we wandered through sidestreets and park to find the zoo. A mere 600¥ entry fee gained us admission. Initial impressions of the zoo were quite positive. Most review complaints stemmed from issues with its size and enclosure quality and size. The map showed this was a huge two part zoo, separated by a long bridge and by all accounts animals appeared happy, healthy and comfortable. This zoo had an excellent giant otter exhibit and the best collection of large prey birds and owls I've ever seen, including a showpony Andean Condor! There were some awesome exotic birds, gorillas, bears (brown and polar), lions, seals and more.

    After yesterday's Typhoon Lan, today was a stunningly perfect day for a stroll through park and zoo. Not a cloud in the sky. As we crossed the bridge to the other 'older' side of the zoo we understood peoples negative reviews. Most of these exhibits were very old, and small. They looked 70s style. Giraffe, Hippo and Rhinos lived in far too tiny and desolate cages which closer resembled prison cells than enclosures.

    Tired feet found our way back to the hotel for a meet, greet and dinner with our tour guide Mari and eight of the 10 tourists to join us (two arriving tomorrow) as follows - Nigel (US), Ramesh (Auckland), Mara (London), Tony (West Australia) and Matthais & Sabrina (Switzerland). Nigel, Tony and Ramesh were a fair bit older (50+) and the other three probably around our age. Dinner was a fantastic feast of various Japanese tapas; croquettes, noodles, salad, fried chicken, cook your own meats, beer and even a sushi boat.

    Tomorrow we have a quiet morning before we begin our 4-5 hour journey to Takayama.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 5

    To the Japanese Alps

    October 24, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Today was largely a travel day, but the first real adventure outside of Tokyo. After breakfast, a morning stroll around Ueno (to get cash out at the post office), and receiving our 14 day J-Rail Pass, we were packed and ready to board the first of 3 trains to get us to our next destination in Takayama. Today the final two members joined our group; Mark and Aleta, an elderly couple from Melbourne.

    Our route was as follows -
    - J Line Metro to Tokyo station (regular metro train) for 20minutes.
    - Bullet Train (upto 300km/p/hr) to Nagoya for 1 hour 40 minutes
    - Express Train to Takayama for 2 hours 20 minutes.

    The journey itself was comfortable and tremendously scenic. From the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, to smaller towns, to lush green forests and mountainscapes. The peaks and turquoise rivers and streams were stunning. One of those "you had to be there" experiences that blurry train window photos dont do justice.

    Upon arrival we were transported by minibus to our traditional Japanese Ryokan accomodation at Iwataya. This included; shoes off at the door, tatami floors, sliding room doors, futon beds, yukata robes and communal onsen bathing. Usually I know people for more than 48 hours before we get naked together but the occasion demanded an exception. I was in there a lot longer than expected, the bathing pool was a perfect temperature.

    This evenings dinner was in the town at Tenaga Ashinaga. Nat and I ordered a beef and stirfry dish with carrot and beanshoots. Seaweed on the side and misu soup. I also got to try a local craft beer for an all round enjoyable evening.

    Sunset here is around 5pm, so not much in the way of photogenic opportunities for the scenic beauty we saw. Hopefully, with luck our full day in Takayama tomorrow will be different.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 6

    Exploring Takayama

    October 25, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    We woke this morning to the sound of rain. Heavy, relentless rain. A shame really, given we'd spend just about the entire day walking. It still turned out to be an thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day.

    Equipped in our hiking boots and rain jackets with borrowed umbrellas we set out into the wet to begin our full day of exploring Takayama. First up was the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine near our Ryokan. The wet rainy, forested backdrop made for a serene visit. From there, we wandered the morning markets and had a simple but delicious toast and fruit breakfast before jumping on a minibus up to the nearby Hida Folk Village.

    The Hida Folk Village was a reconstructed historical museum. Most countries seem to have them; rebuild homes from different time periods and an insight into historic culture and past lifestyles. It was a really nice museum, even with the rain. Complimentary and optional gumboots helped me keep dry.

    After a udon curry noodle lunch (with my first sake experiences; a hot one I wasn't much fond of), we had a free afternoon. Being free and close, Matthais, Sabrina, Nat and I opted to explore the Takayama museum of history and art, allegedly famed for its collection of katanas and historic artifacts. It had some impressive pieces, most for me a shimmering spear and worlds largest (and probably oldest) wooden water pistol.

    From there I decided to try find the ruins of the Takayama castle. After much searching we found Daryuji temple and Shiroyama park and gradually climbed to the summit to the castle ruins. There wasnt much to see but the surrounding forest was really pretty. Along the way I drank some strange white spring water.

    Once down from the castle ruins we followed the trail via several ninja temples, followed the rivers, and guided ourselves back eventually to the hotel. Dinner was a variety of rice, beef steak, schnitzel, salad and mountain specialities. Following another communal bath, we're now packing for our trip to Kanazawa tomorrow.

    ***Pictures to come. Pictures featured on this blog arent necessarily my best. I take photos with my Nikon D90 SLR and mobile. My SLR photos need to be converted to upload on this site which is a pain and time consuming so many photos that feature here are mobile snapshots.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 7

    Geisha in Kanazawa

    October 26, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We woke early for a quick return to the morning markets in Takayama to pick up a couple souvenirs. We also grabbed a random breakfast from a small food stand. Fish shaped pancake like pastries, with a variety of fillings including apple, cream, almond paste and a berry jam. Delicious!

    Once back at our ryokan, it was time to grab our backpacks and begin our three train transfer (two local trains and one bullet train) from Takayama to Kanazawa. The journey would take a total around three hours and go snoothly enough. There was plenty of nice mountainous scenery and whitecap mountainscapes to enjoy on the way, along with a hot, canned, white coffee from a vending machine!

    We arrived in Kanazawa by early afternoon. A much larger, more westernized city than Takayama, only an hour from the Sea of Japan. After another delicious spicy ramen lunch (my new Japanese favourite), we headed to a Geisha show nearby (felt like an art/theatre venue). This show lasted an hour and we were traditionally entertained by some Geisha ladies. Initially this consisted of dancing and music but soon became very interactive, with games and audience participation. When Nat and I were called up to play a "paper scissors rick.. type game" I started my humiliation early by cracking my head on one of the side panels on the way to the stage (much to the horror and concern of the crowd). I survived with shreds of my dignity intact.

    We spent the remainder of the afternoon around the Higashi Chayagai (Geisha) district. This included many original buildings from the mid 1850's. Whilst the atchitecture here was fascinating, the area really had a touristy feel about it. Our afternoon was rounded off by a short tour and demonstration of gold leaf production and craftsmanship.

    Following that, a cheap Italian themed dinner and separate desert, we're now settled in to our hotel for the next two nights - the APA Hotel, a Western hotel which is small but comfy enough. We've a big day around Kanazawa ahead tomorrow.

    ***I have many nice photos of the city and Geisha district (taken on my SLR) that need to be converted to jpg that will be added later. Heres some random mobile snaps.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 8

    A Sunny Day in Kanazawa

    October 27, 2017 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Perfect weather today for our adventure around Kanazawa - blue skies, sunshine and 21C. We were a bit late to get going this morning and missed breakfast, but no matter - a hot canned coffee from a vending machine would rectify that problem.

    Following a stroll around the samurai district, our first major stop of the day was at Myōryū-ji (Ninja Temple). We had a 11am tour here. Whilst the vast majority of everything (including our guided tour) was in Japanese only, we did get a few English notes. It was an amazing place really - basically everything inside moved (walls, panels, windows) and there were hidden hatches, trapdoors, openings and secret passages and rooms everywhere!

    Next, the fish markets in the city centre to explore and find some lunch thereabouts. There were plenty of weird and wonderful things on display here - crabs, squid, big fish, small fish, eels, a giant fish head and more. We grabbed some apple slices and then opted to try some grilled eel on skewers. It was absolutely delicious.. one of the tastiest fish Ive had. The marinade on it made it even better. Later, we also decided to try some sea urchin. It was a lot better than expected!

    From here we continued on by bus and foot to the Kanazawa castle ruins. Most of the original structure was destroyed here but a few buildings have been restored as they were. It was an impressive structure with remarkable craftsmanship, moat, walls and defenses.

    Just next door was the Kenroku-en gardens, one of the "three great gardens of Japan" set up in the 1620. It was a pretty spot where we wondered about for an hour or so. Having arrived at 3pm, I felt the lighting didnt quite do it justice, being a bit on the dark/shadowy side. The sun really starts to set at 3ish and by 5 its quite dark. It was still a pretty, albeit crowded place.

    We're back at the hotel getting ready to head out to dinner. A few other points about Japan as we come up to the week point of our trip -
    - Politeness and courtesy here is really second to nowhere else on earth. People also seem extremely genuine about this.
    - I'm yet to see any drunken or unruly behaviour
    - Japan has no public bins... anywhere. A few of us today had to carry rubbish around with us for hours. Even at the markets there were no bins?..
    - ...and yet Japan is the cleanest country I have ever seen by miles.. We've barely seen any litter and no graffiti or vandalism. The ground nearly anywhere (streets, shopping centre.. etc) looks clean enough to eat off.
    - I've found hotel rooms small but comfortable. Matresses are generally very comfy and there's usually a single, hard (awfully uncomfortable in my opinion) pillow.
    - Japan is not a place for tall people.. but we all knew that. I've had to walk around hunched and ducking alot!
    - there are vending machines everywhere (which have preheated hot items)
    - toilets are always impressive with dozens of buttons, lights and options..
    - trains run on time to the minute.. all the time.. (no really)
    - You're going to sit on the floor.. a lot.. and take your shoes off.. a lot. The floor thing gets a bit tedious and uncomfortable. I understand thats a cultural difference and something you'd have to get used to.
    - Theres very little English tour/attraction translation (much less than anywhere I've ever been). Many museums, temples, the zoo etc. Dont have English subtitles at all. Which is fine, just frustrating at times
    - The "salary man" culture is dominant. Japan must sell more "standard size, standard black" buisiness suits than anywhere in the world. Seems a little pretentious (with heirarchies, excess work hours and status) to me.

    ***Again just reiterating these photos are just a couple random mobile snaps at this stage as it's an extra effort to move photos from my SLR memory to my tablet, and then individually sort and convert them to JPG's as required by this website.. I think ill just keep using mobile photos and update/create an album of quality SLR photos on my return.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan Trip 2017
    Day 9

    History of Hiroshima

    October 28, 2017 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    After two trains, we arrived in Hiroshima early afternoon. There were concerns we might be greeted by another typhoon, but to our relief it was only a gentle drizzle we had to contend with, almost refreshing after a couple hot and stuffy train rides (Japan aircon hasnt really existed thus far in our trip).

    Our itinerary today would focus primarily on the most noteworthy historic event in Hiroshima over the last century, the catastrophic devestation of the atomic bomb dropped here at 8.15am on 6 August 1945. The firsr stop was the famous peace memorial museum, which largely lived up to expectations. A little small (as half was subject to renovations) and very crowded, but well laid out and informative (as well as obviously a little harrowing and confronting). Most interesting were artifacts and items retrieved from the incident such as clothes, a melted lunchbox, a watch stopped at 8.15 and more.

    From here we wandered around the surrounding gardens and memorials, most noteworthy the shell of a famous domed building (used as a hall) left as it was after the nuclear blast. We managed to get around just before the rain intensified and all kept relatively dry. A short but crowded tram ride soon had us back at New Hotel Hiroden which was the largest and nicest hotel by far in Japan so far.

    Dinner tonight wasn't too far away and it sure was a tasty one. A real 'Hiroshima speciality' called Okonomiyaki, basically a big savoury pancake with cheese, cabbage, meat and other things (of your choice) cooked on a grill before you. Absolutely delicious. The drinks to follow in a small laneway were the first time Ive felt 'ripped off' in Japan so far. The whole thing was seedy and overpriced.

    Tomorrow, weather permitting, we're hoping to visit Miyajima island. Stay away typhoon! Fingers crossed.    Read more

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