Churchy99 said:
wow! the pictures are great and it sounds awesome! me and 2 of my friends are planning on going next year - can you give us details about where you went eg did you explore by yourself or go with a tour group? The whole damn place looks like it'll rock!!!
Basically we spent 10 nights in Japan, 3 in Tokyo, 2 in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, 3 in Kyoto and 2 back in Tokyo.
During the first stay in Tokyo we stayed in west Shinjuku. On the first afternoon we visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Towers and generally wandered around the business district. Eating and drinking in Izakaya (kinda like pubs I suppose) with the Japanese Salary-men was brilliant as they really go for it on their way home on a Friday night. We also popped over to Shibuya to see the Hachiko crossing at peak time - Incredible.
I must admit that on that first evening my brother and I did come over all ‘Lost in Translation’. The tiredness catches up with you and you are hit with the dizzying lights and sounds of rush hour Shinjuku. There was a point when my well travelled brother turned to me and said ‘I don’t like it, I want to go home’. But after we’d seen Shibuya it all seemed OK again. I think that Shinjuku in a winter rush hour is just incredibly intense.
On the Saturday, after some much needed sleep, we visited the Yasukuni shrine (the controversial one where among the 2.5 million people enshrined, there are 14 Class A war criminals), the Budokan theatre/stadium, the Imperial Palace and Gardens, Akihabara and Asakusa. All done at a pretty leisurely pace using the Metro systems, the Yamamote line and walking. Asakusa was really good. It was ‘National Day’ and they were having a huge Feudal Lords procession through the streets. This created a real party atmosphere.
In the evening we went to the Tokyo Tower and then to Roppongi to check out the night life. It was in the bars of Roppongi that you first saw any large numbers of westerners. One of the very few faults of Tokyo is that the public transport system shuts down at about 1am. So this meant we had to head back to Shinjuku pretty early.
Sunday saw us take in a trip to Harajuku, as this is the best time to go there to see the Cosplayers and the rock bands in Yoyogi park. Also from there we visited Omotesando (the posh tree lined shopping street), Takeshita Street (the cool shopping street where fashionable teenagers hang out).
We then went back to Shibuya to see it in daylight and from there to the Sengakuji temple, where the grave yard is the resting place for the 47 loyal ronin. I laid incense on each one the grave due to being a samurai fanboy.
Then it was back over to Roppongi to watch the day turn to night over the city from the Mori Tower. This provides the best views of Tokyo (imo) and allows you to relax with a beer and watch the neon take hold. It’s also home to a brilliant modern art gallery, amongst other things.
So Monday morning meant a very early rise to get to Tsukiji fish market and see it in full swing. Absolutely amazing!!
And after a sushi breakfast we went back to the hotel to check out and arrange to have our cases sent to our hotel in Kyoto. We then set of for Hakone – on the Shinkansen. After a fairly short trip to Odawara we changed onto regular trains and went up into the mountains. We stayed in an Onsen in the middle of nowhere. But it was pretty spectacular. After unwinding in the indoor and outdoor pools it was time for the most fantastic meal I’ve ever been served. Brought to us in our room was a meal of about 9 courses. It took the best part of two hours. And that’s a very long time to sit on the floor eating!
After an evening of canned beers and Japanese telly we hit the futons, ready for a marathion breakfast and making the Hakone round trip that takes in some great views of Mt Fuji (weather depending). Despite being a bit overcast we did see Fuji and it really is a special sight. One of the best views was from high up in a cable car. Another good view was from on board a boat crossing lake Ashi. Also saw the Hakone checkpoint on the Tokaido Road, which is another great experience for a samurai fanboy!
Another superb multi course dinner was served that night including Shabu Shabu (where you briefly cook your own beef in a boiling broth) it was another night on the futon before moving on down to Kyoto.
Another Shinkansen trip of about two hours took us to Kyoto where we spent three nights in the Granvia hotel. While in the old capital we visited the Golden temple where I first experienced being stared at by school children. It’s weird at first as you’re thinking ‘what are they staring at?’ But it dawns on you that there aren’t many westerners around and that they are from towns where westerners are incredibly rare. It’s actually really funny when they start trying out their English on you and you try out your Japanese on them. It mainly just ‘herro’ and ‘konichiwa’ though.
Managed to check out the Fushimi Inari Shrine and it’s hundreds of bright orange torii gates. It takes about two hours to pad round there but there are some nice views of Kyoto from higher up. Went to the Heian shrine (visited by Scarlet Johhansen in LiT). It was here that more school kids on year end trips took an interest in us and got us to fill in their English homework (I think). Also went round Nijo Castle and up Kyoto tower.
Kyoto is a good spot for getting around to other destinations for day or half day trips, such as Osaka, Nara and Kobe. I went to none of those (unless you include Shin-Osaka Station when changing trains) but did visit the unrivalled Japanese castle of Himeji. Added benefits to a trip out were another couple of bullet train journeys and a visit to a humongous second hand DVD store with more anime than I’ve ever seen in my whole life!
Kyoto also offers less spectacular but far friendlier night life. One of the things I’m looking forward to most in May is popping back into one or two of those bars.
So after three days in Kyoto (not really enough to see half of it!) we had to go back to Tokyo for our last two nights. However, instead of making the 2 ½ hour trip east following our forwarded suitcases (the luggage forwarding service is amazing – it’s cheap, very reliable and saves carrying bulky cases around on trains. And your bags are already in the room when you check in!) we headed west for about three hours to see the A Bomb dome in Hiroshima. Apart from the eerie feeling standing in that spot I was struck by just how clean, tidy and pleasant a city Hiroshima is. Even by the high standards of Japan it seemed extra clean and tidy. I’d quite like to go back and spend a couple of days there. But for this visit it was just for a few hours. So again it was all aboard the bullet train, now heading for Tokyo. Having had to change train at
Shin-Osaka, we arrived at Shinagawa station Tokyo having had our seventh shinkansen ride. Those trains truly are amazing. I loved the way the girls working the refreshment trolley service bowed each time they entered and left each carriage. And another cool thing was how all the seats always faced forward no matter which way you were headed. This was done by a cleaning lady going along the train at the final destination and spinning all the seats 180 degrees ready for the return journey.
Back in Tokyo and another night out in the bars of downtown. Sunday, our last full day, was spent revisiting Harajuku and Shibuya with an aussie friend who happened to be in Tokyo at the same time by shear coincidence. In the late afternoon I had my appointment at the Ghibli museum in Mitaka. Even though there is no English signing there and the short film you get shown isn’t subbed it’s no problem at all. There isn’t really much in the way of signs anyway and the film I saw (one of four they show at random) had virtually no speech in it. And for anyone like me who’s seen most of the Ghibli movies, it is a really special experience. Even heading out to Mitaka is itself is cool as yet again you are likely the only westerner around. I could never get over that feeling of
really being in a foreign land.
So apart from padding round Ginza in a late night thunder storm that was my trip pretty much summed up. Just the long flight home left to do on the Monday.
As you can see, we did quite a lot (or I like to think we did) and it was done at a nice pace. I thought it was just the right balance between making the most of the time we had and relaxing and soaking it all in.
Anyway, please excuse the ‘what I did in my holidays’ primary school style of writing. And I hope it provides some further inspiration for you.
Oh and as I had been asked about costs and what not, here’s a brief breakdown.
That trip cost just over £1600 each for me and my brother.
Flights: £556pp - British Airways – Manchester - Narita via Heathrow.
(It should be noted that that was the cost Nov 07. In May it’s costing me £752 for the same flights)
5 Nights in Tokyo (Hilton Shinjuku) £500 for a twin room (only).
All the rest £750pp – The rest was all booked with InsideJapanTours as a custom made self guided holiday. That covered 3 nights in Kyoto (Hotel Granvia b&b) 2 nights in the Hakone Ryokan/Onsen with evening meal and breakfast, a Japan Rail pass (£120ish) an Hakone travel pass (£15ish) and a Ghibli ticket (£6).
the places is those pictures really are like... calling me =D