Japan 24May-02June 2014

Konnichiwa Minna-san  (Hello Everyone)

It all started in March 2013 when daughter Farn started planning a trip to Japan in 2014 and would I go along with her. Needless to say I jumped at the chance and an opportunity to visit our long time friend and resident of Songkhla Chico. Meanwhile Farn started saving for the trip.  February 2014 the 'GIRLS' trip included Farn's brother Aof.  (thanks a million to Graham) for providing funds for the trip. So we purchased Thai International flight tickets - on a A380, but that got changed to a A330 = Bugger!!   (Aof & I from Haadyai-Narita return and Farn from Phuket-Narita return) costing Baht 28,000 each.  With  hotel bookings at Mt. Fuji for one night, Koe's House and Touganeya Hotel for 5 nights in Ueno.  Ueno is a small town not far from Tokyo and all train lines go to and from it.  Farn being the main organiser for the trip started an itinerary of what we want to see, where to go and how to get there.  Before we set off I printed out a coloured copy of the itinerary with train & subways lines that we were supposedly to get on and off at.  I have to say thanks to these  13 pages of details, we soon mastered the rail system of Tokyo and surrounding areas.

 Finally the day arrived - 24th May

 Time waits for no one!!  and we are on our way.  It was so good to see the excitement on their faces!!

We met up at Suvarnabhumi airport.  I had acquired the K.P. Lounge pass from the previous trip with Graham and that's where the three of us ended up in.  Farn taking a catnap before boarding.

                              Farn feeling refreshed after the catnap raring to go!!

The Thai flight was on scheduled 22:00 hrs.  We had personal tv screens for movies and before we know it, the attendants were bringing us breakfast before we land in Narita.

25th May - Arrived Narita 06:30 hrs.  

We breezed through customs and immigration and soon we are buying express train tickets to Ueno. The express trains takes about 45 mins and cost 1,440 yen each.

                 Aof on the express train heading for Ueno.

                       Sue on the express train - happy to be there.

                                   Views on the way to Ueno.

      Finally arrived Ueno.

         Farn with luggage in tow, walking around the block
 looking for our hotel.

      Ueno Station - this is the landmark for our hotel 
which is about 5 minutes away.

Well manicured sidewalks

So finally found the hotel. We repack some clothes into small back packs and leaving our big suitcases with the hotel for safe keeping we headed back to Ueno station. I retrieved a precious cargo from my suitcase - a big block of Graham's homemade festive cake for Chico.

          The Shinkansen aka Bullet Train.

Purchased tickets for the Shinkansen to Nagano.  
It takes about 1 hour on the Shinkansen from Ueno

to Nagano whereas other trains will take about 3-4 times as long. 
 The price is 7,990 yen per person one way. 

               Aof couldn't keep his excitement
 at the sight of this beast.

We are on our way to Nagano to meet up with Chiko.  
She is a long time friend and we will be staying

with her for a couple of days.

  Farn & Aof outside Ueno station

Arrived Nagano.  Chiko there waiting.  It was good to 
see her again and a lot of catch up on the gossips later.

  Sue calling  home!

A glimpse of Nagano.  On the way there on the Shinkansen, mountain views all plush and green.  This is the place of the 1998 winter olympics.  As we are in Nagano, Chiko decided to take us to a big temple just nearby the station.

           Waiting for the bus to take us to the temple

  Bus on time!!

                       This is the main type of transportation for the 
japanese people.

On the way to the temple, Farn & Aof just couldn't resist taking pictures of themselves as seen above.

Zenkō-ji  is a Buddhist temple located in Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. Nagano City, established in 1897, was originally a town built around the temple. Historically, Zenkō-ji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the battles between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen in the 16th century, when it served as one of Kenshin's bases of operations. Currently, Zenkō-ji is one of the last few remaining pilgrimage sites in Japan.

There are a lot of stalls on the way to the temples selling
 souvenirs and japanese snacks and ice-creams to tourists.

                   More photos of the temple and its surrounds below:

        It took us all afternoon to walk all around the
 temple and taking lots of photos. 

   Sue and Chiko.  What beauties!!

         These are hand made sandals of the japanese people.

      The gods guarding the entrance into the temple.

         On the train to Suzaka city where Chiko lives.  
Train fare 540 yen per person one way.

                In the taxi to the house. It has been a long day!!

The box that contained the festive cake.  Apparently my suitcase has been forced open padlock broken but still functional, and the box torn out to investigate the content.  With it covered in foil, is no wonder the authorities are suspicious.

Yoko's altar in the house.  The festive cake in the picture.  
It's Chiko & Yoko's favorite CAKE!

           The sun room with the sun roofs.  These will be 
opened in the summer to let some breeze in.

 The living & dining room.

                         Chiko in her kitchen preparing some snacks for us.

 Aof relaxing in the living room

 Another altar for Yoko in the dining area.

 The main entrance and foyer.

   Yoko's altar in the office area.

                    The sun room all opened up.  This is where we have breakfast in the mornings.

                          A glimpse of the garden from the sun room.

           Sue likes the sliding doors leading into the 
office and rest of the house.

That night Chiko and I stayed up chatting away and 
laughing about the good old times.  

26th May- Touring with Chico

 Chiko hired a taxi to take us around for the day.  Below is Matsumoto Castle.  It took us quite a few hours walking up all six floors, around the surrounding areas and taking photos.

                                                     

Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's premier historic castles. The building is also known as the "Crow Castle" due to its black exterior. It was the seat of the Matsumoto domain. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.

The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late sixteenth century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.

This is the shrine that protects the castle. 
 It inside the roof on the sixth floor of the castle.

It started to rain heavy after our tour of the castle.  On the way we decided to stop for late lunch.  So we tried out the freshly made soba with prawn tempura. The taxi then took us up the mountain for a glimpse of some snow but alas the rain and heavy clouds have set in so we decided to call it a day.

Back at Chiko's place. Chiko cooked chicken curry 
(japanese style) with rice and salads for dinner.

Thanks Chiko - it was delicious!!!

This is Chiko's dining table.  Look closely and you will see a heater attached on the underside of the table.  It keeps your legs warm during those cold winters - awesome.

Chiko's sun roof.  She said they opted for a manual one (open with a long shaft) instead of electric, if the power goes out and it rains, wet floors.

Chiko's garden.  For Japan this yard is a real luxury, with veggies growing and some fruits, and a flower garden. Yoko planning and has planted one side of the garden with fruit trees and a vegetable, and a flower garden on the other.  To admire the beautiful flowers on one side and eat out of the other.

27th May.

  A quick breakfast at Chiko's, and it's time to farewell Chico. Chiko at the Nagano station.  We have decided to take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo (Shinjuku) to connect with a bus to Mt Fuji.  The Shinkansen takes only 1 hour as opposed to about 5-6 hours on a bus to Shinjuku. Nagano-Shinjuku 6,500 yen per person one way.

The above photos are of us outside the department store waiting for our bus to Mt. Fuji. Bus to Mt. Fuji 1,750 yen per person one way and takes about 2 hours.

 

              On the bus enroute we got excited having a glimpse of this majestic mountain.

 Mount Fuji  located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (60 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan

Arriving at Kawaguchi.  The is the bus station and also where the tour buses arrive and depart every day.  We decided to purchase the bus tour tickets then - 1,375 yen per person and it's good for 2 days.  We can get on and off at any point on the route as we like.

These photos of Mt. Fuji taken when we arrived at Kawaguchi.  We were very lucky that it was a clear day and we had the whole evening to admire this wonderful sight (which you will understand

later on).

We check into the Koe's House and our room is on the second floor.  It's  communal toilets and showers but the room is clean and the mattressess are comfortable. 

We were lucky with a view of Mt. Fuji right outside our balcony

We went over to the bus station cafe for late lunch - udon noodles.  Then back to the hotel as they have a courtesy bus to take us to a Ong Sen (Japanese hot bath) that evening.

It cost 900 yen each to go into the ong sen.  They have separate male and female baths.  It was an experience cos it's like going into the nudist colony.   It was an evening well spent and boy did we

all sleep well that night.

28th May - Mt Fuji

The next day we had breakfast at the hotel.  Then we boarded the bus for our tour of Mt. Fuji and its surrrounds.  Alas it turned out to be a very very cloudy day and every where we go, we just couldn't get a glimpse of the mountain.  So we decided that we will choose some interesting places along the way and the lakeside where we will get off the bus walk around and of course more photos.

                  Farn posting a postcard back to Phuket to her boyfriend!!

             As seen above the clouds covering Mt Fuji

    Boys will be boys!!

      Can't resist taking photos of this lot out on a school excursion. 

 

We stopped for an ice-cream whilst waiting for the bus

    Old post box still in use.

All these vending machines are every where.  This is how you get your hot or cold beverages,ice-creams and snacks.

    Time for lunch.  Another ramen - but no 'CHILLIES'

Then it's back to Koe's House to pick up our bags.  Buy bus tickets back to Shinjuku 1,750 yen per person one way.  It took 2 hours and we arrive in Shinjuku during the rush (5 pm).  People everywhere and all in a hurry for the trains.  We managed to board without any hassle.  Finally arrive Ueno.  Checking in at the hotel - the staffs are very efficient - they have already deposited all our suitcases in our room.  Then out again for a quick meal nearby.

29th May - Walk to Ueno Park. 

 It's just a few minutes from the hotel.  It also has a zoo but as it's turns out there is school excursions and it's crowed with kids of all ages with their teachers and parents.  We decided to have breakfast at Starbucks and watch the activities.
 There are stalls selling all sorts of merchandise.

     Breakky at Starbucks!!

Soon we have to board the train to Kawasaki.  We have bought tickets (1,000 yen per person) to visit the Doraemon museum.

Photos are only allowed at designated areas in the museum.  They give out recorders in english so that you can just press the number on the displays and hear about the history of it.  After the tour, then it's photo time and Farn and Aof into buying some souvenirs.

The Fujiko F. Fujio Museum also informally known as the Doraemon Museum, is a fanciful art museum found in the suburbs of Kawasaki. It is based on the work of Fujiko F. Fujio (nom de plume of manga artist Fujimoto Hiroshi) who is the creator of Doraemon, an influential cartoon series about a robotic cat from the 22nd century who travels back in time to befriend a group of kids.

A little history about the creator of Doraemon -  Mr. Fujiko·F·Fujio adhered to heart warming laughter, ordinary life of children, a bit mysterious SF style. Fujiko·F·Fujio, whose real name is Hiroshi Fujimoto, has continuously wrote manga which filled the readers' heart with joy. Dream, hope, friendship, courage, and curiosity… and his affection towards human being…

 Okay enough of 'Doraemon'

 The dunny (Aussie slang for Toilet) in our hotel room. Most public toilets are like this one. It is very clean and convenient - just a push of a button!!! and everything get's cleaned!

 30th May - Visit Asasuka Temple.  

There are many stalls lining the street going into the temple, and as usual it is crowded with people.

Asakusa Shrine, also known as Sanja-sama ("Shrine of the Three gods"), is one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan. Located in Asakusa, the shrine honors the three men who founded the Sensō-ji.

What's this no - CROWD!!

After hours of walking amongst stalls and the temple itself, we have late lunch - again ramen, with no chilli!!

Then off to walk over to the Tokyo Skytree Tower.

               Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in  Tokyo, Japan. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower, and the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m/2,722 ft).

^{Led by Tobu Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters headed by NHK, the tower project forms the centrepiece of a large commercial development equidistant from Tokyo Skytree and Oshiage train stations, 7 km (4.3 mi) north-east of Tokyo station. One of its main purposes is to relay television and radio broadcast signals.} 

   

    How ever as can been seen a major tourist attraction -  Queues waiting to purchase tickets to go up to the 350th floor.  
Tickets 2,060 yen per person = baht 680.

             

     The lift goes up 600m per second and in blink of an eye we were there.  Hence the views in the haze or you could call it smog!!

Glass floor with scary views of the ground below.

After the tower, train back to Ueno.  Into the sushi train restaurant for dinner.  Then walk around the night bazaars.

31st May - Today visit the Shibuya area.

  It's downtown Shinjuku and being a Saturday it is crowded as it has lots of department stores.  We opted to have McDonalds for brunch.  Then we hit the department stores.  A lot of interesting shops.

The name "Shibuya" is also used to refer to the shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station, one of Tokyo's busiest railway stations. This area is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area.

                                        

     Hachikō November 10, 1923 – March 8, 1935) was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture and is remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner which continued for many years after his owner's death. Hachikō is known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō ("faithful dog Hachikō") — hachi meaning eight, the number referring to the dog's birth order in the litter, and a suffix kō meaning affection.

                            

     The statue of Hachiko - The Faithful Dog.
For years, Hachiko used to wait at Shibuya train station for its master, a professor at the University of Tokyo. Even after the professor died, the dog went to the station to wait for his master every afternoon for a decade until he finally died.
Tokyo residents were so moved that they built a statue of Hachiko at the station, which remains a popular rendezvous spot for Japanese today. He was also the hero of Japanese children's books.
The dog's story turned into a 2009 Hollywood film, "Hachi: A Dog's Story," starring Richard Gere – a remake of a 1987 Japanese movie.

   Mosaics of Hachiko

By 4 pm we had enough of shops.  So we boarded a train to Keio district nearby to look for a shop named Tegami-sha.  It is a cafe as well as a shop that sells hand made crafts and cards.  Farn had contacted the owner via Facebook and he is looking forward to her visit.  After a short walk from the train station we found it.  They showed Farn around their little shop and even took her upstairs to see more of their crafts.  As they also serve dinner from 6 pm onwards we decided to sit back, relax and have dinner.  The little shop is nice and quiet and Farn & Aof had a nice time talking and browsing around the shop. We had chicken stir fry japanese style on rice. 

01st June -  Yokohama  

officially the City of Yokohama, is the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo, and most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu.  Yokohama's population of 3.7 million makes it Japan's largest incorporated city. 

 

We saved Yokohama for the last day of our trip and planned to spend all day touring the sights. After a quick brunch we hit the streets.  We walk around to the docks, the amusement park where Aof went on one of the roller coasters and the Yokohama Harbour..

We bought tickets into the Cup Noodle Museum - very interesting.

The Cup Noodle is a museum dedicated to instant noodles and Cup Noodles, as well as its creator and founder, Momofuku Ando,  includes various exhibits to display the history of instant ramen and Momofuku Ando's story. It also have an instant ramen workshop allowing visitors to make their own "fresh" instant noodles.

Then we ended up next door into Yokohama World Porters- a giant shopping mall with nearly 170 stores. The floors are separated according to genre such as foods, fashion, sports, variety goods, furniture, etc. for shopping convenience. Includes a lineup of many unique and stylish interior shops as well as a movie complex. Bahn golf can be enjoyed on the roof top. A variety of fast food and other restaurants are available,

As it was getting very hot outside, the air-con in the mall was very inviting.  It was a Shabu-shabu restaurant in the mall for dinner.  After all the walking it was good to sit down, have a good laugh and enjoy the food. 

Back at the hotel, it was packing up time. We put on our kimonos and take selfies. A momento for this amazing and enjoyable trip.

02nd June - Home Bound!!

 Up early and check out of hotel by 8 am.  Train to Narita airport.  McDonalds at the airport for breakfast.  Then walk around and bought some chocolates for my brother and family.

A call to Chiko with thank yous and goodbye and soon we were boarding.

   Departure lounge of Narita airport.

The flight was on schedule.  Food and a few movies on the plane and then we are landing at Suvarnabhumi airport.  Through immigration and Farn headed off to Phuket and Aof & I to Haadyai.  Graham pick us up on time. 

Tired but happy to be home.   Until next time - Sayonara Minna-san  (Goodbye Everyone) !!