So here I was again, with a different travel partner and a different itinerary. (or lack thereof one) Unlike 2008 where Simmy and I spent months researching, planning, discussing our itinerary, this one was a last minute, oh Japan is close, there are cheap tickets, let's go! Type of holiday. If there was one thing I learnt about living in Taipei, that is, your life doesn't need to be so rigidly planned out. Relax a bit. Take things as they come! (Some people will still say I need to relax a lot more...)
If you don't wish to read my lengthy account of the travels, here are the concise stats.
- No of Days: 9 days, 9 nights
- Travel Route: Taipei-Tokyo-Hiroshima-Himeji-Kyoto-Kobe-Osaka-Tokyo-Taipei
- Ramen Meal Count: 5
- Sushi/Sashimi Meal Count: 5
- Sake/Beer/Cocktails Count: 9
- Cities Visited: 6
- Hotel Count: 6 - And that includes 3 in just Tokyo
Night 1 (Nov 28): Straight to the Roppongi lights!
Tien and I had 1 day of rest after Seoul and it was back to Taoyuan Airport again for another flight. (I could get used to this lifestyle, especially when the plane trips are so short. Why is Australia so far away from every other country?) We arrived into Tokyo 東京 on a Saturday night, and after a few translation problems, found our way to our accommodation @ Ikebukuro. Upon arriving at Ikebukuro, I thought I was in some weird parallel universe. Instead of hearing Japanese, I heard Chinese!?! There were so many Mandarin speakers everywhere around the station. We soon found out this is where the Chinese mafia reside. I didn't even know one existed.
This time it was Tien with the guide in Tokyo, the wonderful Nancy who was our Tokyo guide. Nancy, a Brazilian-Japanese girl that has called Tokyo her home for the past 18 years, came to see us at the hotel and immediately took us to Roponggi 六本木 to meet her friends (Sandy, Hiroko, etc) for a lovely sushi meal. Oh Japan, I love what you do with your food! The simplest sashimi and sushi always looks and tastes so good! I was slightly embarrassed by the huge platter of food I ordered for just myself, but I'm a visitor, therefore allowed to indulge. I'm sure Tien felt blessed again being the only guy amongst a group of 8, it's like the social life in Taipei! (I don't think he reads this, or if he does, would have just read the stats on the top, so I can pay him out as much as I want, and no punches will come this way!)
First meal in Japan...nothing beats fresh sushi
Next up we saw the bright lights and life of Roppongi. Luckily for us, during this time of year Tokyo is decorated with lovely Christmas decorations and colourful lights. For a country that is not predominantly Christian, they certainly do like to celebrate the commercialism of the Christmas spirit. But I didn't mind, it makes the city look so beautiful and festive. I had fun trying to capture all the Christmas lights with my camera, but without a tripod and very cold hands, it was just a bit tricky. After taking some snaps of Roppongi and wondering around the cold for a bit, it was back to a popular expat bar for some drinks to warm up. Luckily by then Tien had another male companion to even out the gender inequality, as Nancy's friend Todd joined us for drinks. The atmosphere of the bars here definitely seemed more westernised than our usual loungy hangout spots in Taipei. It was large, loud and happening with music and loud chatter! It reminded me of Sydney, only classier because it's Tokyo!
Roppongi bright lights...and traffic!
It's Christmas time...coming up!
Roppongi Christmas Markets 2009
I just like how the trees are all lighted up on the street...
I just like this pic because of the blurry people effect...
Pretty Japanese stores inside the Roppongi Hills complex
Tokyo Tower - The best one out of the other blurry ones I took!
The night pretty much ended after drinks, as to avoid the astronomical taxi fares that one can incur if you do not catch the last train back. We probably could have stayed out until the early mornings, but I think it was wise to rise early for a full day exploring Tokyo on Sunday :)
Day 2 (Nov 29): The Nancy Tokyo Tour
Today we were again blessed to have Nancy show us around Tokyo, her style. They were no planning involved from Tien or my side which was fantastic! Don't you love it when you can actually relax and manage a lot of sightseeing on your holiday?
Ueno Park - First time here and just enjoyed walking around the park whilst Nancy provided commentary on all sorts of Tokyo and Japan questions we threw at her. The day was perfect for walking around the park as the skies were blue, full autumn colours were out with the sun providing warmth to everyone that enjoyed a good day outside. I almost felt like I was a Tokyo-ite mingling with the locals at Ueno Park, and stumbling upon a food fair.
My first few glimpses of the Tokyo Autumn colours
Nature vs Built Environment
Food fair @ Ueno Park
The masses at the food fair
Senso-Ji Temple @ Asakusa - lovely temple and even though I had been here in 2008, I loved the atmosphere and vibe here. I loved looking at all the stores that line the street up to the temple.
Shops leading up to the temple
There's variety with the souvenirs you can buy!
Senso-Ji on a brilliant day!!!
Tokyo Bay Cruise - I've always enjoyed cruises in ANY city, whether I'm in San Francisco, NYC, Prague or Auckland. It just gives you a different perspective of a city and its just a nice and relaxing way to 'see' it. I loved how this cruise passed through the many 'bridges', such as the famous 'Rainbow Bridge'.
One of the bridges we saw, although I don't know which one!
Upside down pyramid buildings spotted on the cruise...I found it fascinating.
Palette Town - This is kinda an amusement park/shopping/eating/Toyota show room complex all in one. It was strange to move from the ancient part of Tokyo during the morning to a modern part of Tokyo in the evening.
@ Palette Town
When you see something like this, you wonder if you're really in Tokyo?!?!
Historic first ramen meal consumed in Japan 2009! Thick broth - delicious!
Takeshita Street, Harajuku...it's a busy and narrow street!
Come here for great costumes!!
Cafe Crepe is a Crepe heaven! Yum Yum!
The choices...which one??
Window shopping @ Aoyama - feeling a bit 'western' shop deprived for the last few months in Taipei, we quickly browsed the global brands (yet to hit Australia) - GAP, Zara and H&M. After our chain store shop browsing, it was onto the Luxury brands! Gucci, Dior, Todds, Prada...Everyone knows about the Japanese and their love for luxury items. As such, window shopping in Tokyo is just grand. It's not all about fancy shop displays, but rather in Aoyama its all about the architecture of the designer shops too. I love how something daring and bold can work in Japan, yet it doesn't spoil the street scene. So here are my snaps at night. Christmas cheers all round too!
The shops look stunning at night!
Dinner at an Izakaya bar - the highlight would be the delicious Tofu Cheesecake. Sounds exotic, but trust me, it was delicious. There were discussions amongst us about the feasibility of exporting this idea to all countries represented at dinner - Australia, Canada, Brazil, USA and Sweden. The conclusion was sadly a no, none of us thought it would take off overseas. So everyone must now make a trip to Japan to test it out!
Tofu Cheesecake for dessert...so good!
Friends in Tokyo! L-R Tien, Todd & Nancy
A trip to Tokyo is never complete without a stopping by Shibuya. Even if you are not big on shopping, it is a great place to people watch and just observe the busy-ness of the Shibuya crossing!
T
This is Shibuya by Day
It looks more vibrant & busy by night
I think maybe he went to the Shinjuku place...(from the kanji words I can read)
We really didn't get up to a great deal besides shop browsing (less shopping by me for once, no income for 3 months was the limiting factor). So I will take this opportunity to introduce some of my favourite Japanese stores:
• Muji – Simple. Minimalist. Clean Cut. Neutral Colours. Comfortable. That is how I would describe the Muji style. The clothes are basic yet comfortable, and in Japan, much cheaper! What I love the most is their simple furniture and homewares. The shop at Shibuya is quite basic, so if you want the ultimate Muji experience, I recommend the Muji mega store @ Yurakucho (near Tokyo Forum). Much like an Ikea superstore, it houses their extensive range of products, from pillows to bicycles and washing machines they even have a cafe! What I love about Muji is the shopping experience. It is just so easy and pleasant to browse their stores. The music is soft to the ears and you don't feel the pressure to buy and buy, yet you do(will)! The Shibuya store is good for a basic browse, but if you love the Muji brand like I do, head over to Yurakucho :)
• Franc Franc – If I could deck out my apartment/room with Franc Franc furniture I would! They are fun, colourful, funky and design conscious. Even though this store exists in Taipei, the Japanese version is so much better. Great for gift shopping too! Now how do I transport this idea back home?
Pics from website: Who doesn't want colourful furniture and homewares?
• Loft – A store full of everything you need! I can browse in the stationery section for hours, it's no problem for me. I later bought my brother a leather notebook for his travels at the Kyoto store.
• Tokyu Hands – It’s like our Kmart, only Japanese therefore better! I didn’t buy much here this year, but last year I stocked up colourful pastel pens and photo albums I am yet to start using. Tien spent a good half an hour (perhaps even more) buying a hat. I was of no help, as the Aussie winter does not require any beanie or hat wearing compared to some countries aka Sweden, so I had no idea how to say yes or no, but 'as long as you like it, then buy! =D
The dinner plan for the day was to visit the Ninja restaurant recommended by our new Japanese friends. Another recommendation was those 'Maid Cafes', we thought Ninja sounded cooler! And a Tokyo experience is also never complete until you have visited a themed restaurant.
Amazingly, I actually navigated our way to the Ninja restaurant @ Akasaka, without getting lost in Tokyo! I'm so pleased with my Japanese website reading skills :) To the delight of Tien, the restaurant was located right next to a Swedish restaurant, so Tien had me taking several photos of him outside the Swedish restaurant. Clearly, the Ninja was not as appealing after seeing his home country in Tokyo.
I'm not sure if you're supposed to make a booking, but we didn't, and just banked on it being free since it was a Monday. Hooray to us they had availabilities! Now what we should have done was taken a video of the whole 'entry experience' but we had no idea what to expect, so had nothing ready. But youtube is pretty handy for recalling things like this, just search 'Ninja Restaurant Tokyo' and you will find plenty of vids.
You are first greeted by a 'Ninja' who will take you on what feels like an obstacle course, walking over bridges, ducking your head so you don't hit any objects, that kinda thing. The interiors of this restaurant are amazing! I never knew restaurants could go to such lengths for their fit-outs! Next you get taken to your table, in our case a dungeon room! There is a degustation menu from ¥5,555 and up! (Tip: you can end up spending a lot of money here) We opted for the A-la-carte option, since we had the student + cheapness of Taiwan mentality going on. Although once we converted things back to our home currency, it wasn't really that expensive. I didn't have high expectations for the food, but whatever we chose turned out to be really fantastic! The portions are indeed on the small side, so you can either keep ordering expensive food, or do what we did, head to 7-11 at the end of the night for some snacks :) We were mainly there for the experience of it, and yes it was worth it!! So if you have the chance, make a stop at Ninja Asakusa!
Fancy yet simple table settings at Ninja restaurant with my 'gold leaf' cocktail
Selected food photos from the experience
Day 4 (Nov 31): On the bullet train to Hiroshima!
I would say this so called ‘race’ only began on Day 4, the day we started activating our JR pass. Last year I gave Hiroshima 廣島 a miss as it was a bit out of the way from the route we took, but this year, it was back on! It’s quite a long journey from Tokyo to Hiroshima, approx 5 hours, plus we unintentionally had a slow start exiting Tokyo. When we eventually arrived into Hiroshima, I was slightly disappointed with the limited time we had, but you just deal with it.
Cute signage...I'm definitely in Japan
Hiroshima is a fairly small city and you can definitely feel the small town charm after the hectic, fast paced, colourful Tokyo. The pace is slower, people take their time to walk around, and it is just all round ‘quaint’. In hindsight, having limited time in Hiroshima wasn’t too bad, as the main attraction of the city is the Peace Memorial Park. (And we really didn’t have time to go to see the famous floating torii gates at Miyajima) Ideally you would plan a good half day to leisurely stroll around the park, but if time is tight, it can be done in a few short hours too.
A-Bomb Dome - The remains after Hiroshima was bombed in 1945. The building was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel in 1915
The dome by night - I really love how the colours turned out in my photo
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
After a simple udon meal and some sake to warm the body, we strolled around the city as there is not much else to do in a quiet town like Hiroshima. Interestingly, Hiroshima does not feel like the typical Japanese city. It has a European almost French-like presence about it, and this is clearly visible by the architecture of the buildings, and even shop displays. Hiroshima is also known as the ‘City of Rivers’, and there’s a tram line that runs through the city which I suppose is where I draw the comparisons to Europe. The Christmas lights were also out I full force, as fancy lights decorated the main promenade. Hiroshima, you are indeed a unique city worthy of a short visit.
It's another magical time...so pretty
Last glimpse of Hiroshima early in the morning...aint it pretty? (And could almost pass for a European City?)
Day 5 (Dec 1): Himeji Castle & Kyoto
The brilliance of Himeji Castle (姫路城) says it all! We were again blessed with fantastic weather for sight-seeing; and we were wondering does Japan really get cold like our dear friend Sue in Taipei was warning us about? We certainly didn’t feel it as the winter sun was particularly warm and inviting. Himeji Castle is located on a hilltop which means the views from the castle are quite spectacular. The castle interiors are not as stunning as the white plaster walls, so admire the brilliance from afar whilst you can.
Perfect day and blessed with autumn colours
Look at the tiny people compare to the castle!
Love love love autumn colours
Himeji Castle is about a 10-15 minute walk from the station, and most people come to Himeji for the castle, so be sure to get there early enough to beat the crowds! You can see why it’s a popular tourist stop, and Japan’s most visited castle. It’s just so beautiful as it stands.
As races don’t wait for anyone, after our tour of Himeji, off we went on another train ride to visit Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto 京都. Once we arrived into Kyoto Station, we were due for, yes, another ramen meal! So with backpacks and all, we rocked up to the ramen floor @ Kyoto station for our ramen meal number 3. Yes another delectable and satisfying meal! Once we settled things at the ryokan, we were on our feet again (for quite a LONG time) to the UNESCO Heritage site Kiyomizu-dera temple (清水寺). We managed to catch the glow of the sun setting on the deva gate. Could the colours be more radiant than this? I absolutely loved it!
As I was here just over 15 months ago, I couldn't help but compare the experiences. Last year, in the height of summer, Simmy and I walked up to this ancient temple dripping in sweat, viewed the lush green backdrop and wondered why this place is so beloved? I think we admired the view of Kyoto from the temple rather than the temple itself. Added to that, we were simply too dead tired from our Amazing Race itinerary that we actually slept the afternoon away in the ryokan! This time, I managed to witness the autumn colours which do highlight the brilliance of not only Kiyomizu-dera but the beautiful Kyoto city. I think I finally 'got' why this place holds a special place in the heart of the Japanese people, and why it is Kyoto's top attraction. The one annoying aspect of Kiyomizu-dera is just the sheer volume of people you will see there (no matter what season). It is a sacred place for the Japanese themselves, and for foreign tourists, another one of the ‘must see’ sights. I’m not sure if there is even an off-peak period for Kiyomizu-dera! Luckily Tien was happy to just stroll in and out of the temple, which is what I was hoping for myself. If it were my first time there, I would have covered every inch if possible, but second time round I was happy to just enjoy and take in the combined beauty of nature and an ancient structure. It is a holiday after all, despite the race-like feeling!
Kiyamizudera
Walking down stairs with beautiful autumn trees that line the path
School kids line up for temple water...There were so many school kids when we visited that day!
And no Kyoto visit is complete without visiting the famous Geisha district - Gion 祇園. After another long walk (The memories of legs about to drop off from The Amazing Race v1 started surfacing), we found our way to Gion, and spotted one Geisha on the way too. At that point, I was telling Tien with my experienced knowledge, we were lucky to spot a Geisha! Well, it turns out we saw about 8 of them that night, as we happened to arrive at Hanami-koji at the right time - just when all the Geisha's - or Geikos as they are known in Kyoto, maybe some were Maiko's - were entering the ochaya (traditional tea houses). So much for the knowledgeable me. I felt sorry for all the Geisha's entering the tea houses or exiting the taxi's - if you didn't know any better, it almost looked like some hollywood red carpet event with numerous tourists taking out their flash camera's to capture them in action. I was almost transfixed with the whole scene and despite the untypically large number of Geisha's spotted, I only managed one photo of her from behind. Perhaps it is best to keep their profession secretive as it is.
Gion
My ONE and only photo of a Geisha in town (in comparison to Tien's MANY photos)
The street is filled with restaurants and hungry diners.
Gion quarter is a rather mysterious place. I'm glad I read Goldman's vivid account of Gion in "Memoirs of a Geisha" a while ago, otherwise I would have found it hard to imagine what goes on behind those secretive closed doors of the machiya style houses.
Day 6 (Dec 2): The Wet Pavilion viewing day
Unfortunately for us, the excellent weather didn't stretch for another day. So we have some blurry photos of the Golden and Silver Pavilion.
The Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺) was just as bright and golden as the way I remembered it last year. Too bad I wasn't blessed with clear blue skies this time round. FYI: The original temple was built in 1397, the one standing today was rebuilt in 1955. No wonder it looks so polished! (But the Japanese are known for their amazing workmanship preserving old things...)
I've given the Pavilion a 'film' look, I think it looks better than the blurry photo I took
Loving the leaves and colours, obviously!
The under construction Silver Pavilion
More colours - I seem to have a slight obsession with autumn colours!
We didn't actually know what to do in downtown Kyoto but just hang around coffee shops (Starbucks) /donut shops (Mister Donuts) to kill time until dinner. If we were really into more sight seeing, we probably could have attempted a trip to one of the many other Kyoto sights, but nothing really appealed to us at the time, and for me, I was happy to hang around Starbucks with a coffee and people watch. (Lazy? I suppose so) In hindsight, a museum visit would have been fitting, I'll remember for next time I'm struck with terrible weather and no plan.
Since we had SO MUCH TIME to kill, we thought we'd spend time walking the streets of XYZ in hunt of a nice Japanese restaurant to kill the wet weather blues. I have never in my life searched for a restaurant this hard before (without the aid of the internet or guides). I think we walked around the same streets 3 times just to make sure that by the of the second viewing, third viewing, we'd be ok with our choice. We shortlisted about 5 restaurants that night. We were almost going to attempt a fancy Kyoto style Japanese meal until we enquired about the price, then off we went looking for another restaurant! (So yes, they are pricey. Be prepared to come to Japan with plenty of money if you want to eat well!)
What made the restaurant selection process so difficult?
1) We couldn't really read Japanese unless there were pictures on the menu or some kanji/English
2) The Kyoto restaurants are so secretive and exclusive you can hardly tell if it's a popular restaurant from the outside
3) We decided to filter out any restaurant that had staff trying really hard to get you to come in etc
...let's just say, it was a long selection criteria. So about an hour (maybe even more, I'm embarrased to admit), we finally selected a French/Japanese fusion restaurant, I know it wasn't very typical 'Kyoto' overlooking the river. The food was actually fantastic and I'd highly recommend anyone visiting Kyoto to give this restaurant a try. The staff were so attentive and nice and the menu had a good choice of items (yes, we spent a long time deciding what to eat as well!)
(Sorry readers - after writing so much it appears I have NO photos of all this! I think I was getting sick of photos by this stage...tail end of a trip, not so enthusiastic with the photography)
Day 7 (Dec 3): Off to Kobe for lunch and drop by Osaka for a night
When you travel with someone that lives for food, you learn to appreciate that traveling several kilometers just for food is the norm. I was convinced by Tien that we should make a stop at Kobe 神戸 just so we could eat the famous Kobe beef, not that I had any idea WHERE to go to have the best, or even just decent Kobe beef or know what else to do in Kobe.
So we made our pitstop at Kobe, and I only realised we were meant to get off at Sannomiya station rather than Kobe station about 2 seconds after the train started moving again. Sannomiya is where you will find Kobe downtown area (I later read in the guidebooks). We were debating whether to go back with all our luggage or just wing it. We decided to wing it.
If you want an awesome view of Kobe harbour then stopping at Kobe station was not too bad of a mistake as you will find yourself gravitating towards Kobe Harborland - an amusement park/shopping area with excellent views of the harbour. It was at this point I started to miss...Sydney Harbour! They do not look similar at all, but show me some water, boats and a bridge, my mind will start thinking of home. A few happy snaps of the surrounds and we found ourselves food searching again. The criteria today was beef. We figured all restaurants should serve kobe beef no matter where we went, and so found ourselves at a mildly popular Japanese BBQ beef joint. Yay to eating something other than sushi or ramen! (for lunch, we were doing well with dinner varieties) Delicious lunch it was! We ordered a few different cuts of beef, both on the cheaper and more pricier end to give ourselves variety. Mmm... I'm no Japanese BBQ expert but it certainly tasted better than the ones I've tried back home!
Ferris wheel @ Kobe Harborland
Kobe Harbour
We found ourselves back at the familiar Toyoko Inn (where we stayed in Tokyo) and it was nice to see that Toyoko Inn hotels are consistently uniform across the board! It's just want you want and need when you are city hopping :) Some sense of familiarity and home. In fact, I will recommend Toyoko Inn to anyone that is visiting Japan in the future if you want a clean, affordable, convenient hotel. They even have computers free for you to use and breakfast included. You will find them all over Japan! Another great thing is that you only pay on arrival, so if you have a changing itinerary like us, it is so easy to cancel and re-book online. The only caveat is that this hotel group is popular! And on 1 occasion we had to book smoking rooms due to its popularity!
I pretty much saw the same things I saw in Osaka last time - Dotonbori, Amerika Mura, the shopping malls etc. Like most things this trip, it was much more pleasant as I prefered this cooler weather over a summer Japan holiday anyday! I even ate the same food! More sushi, takoyaki (Octopus balls), and you can never go wrong with Okonomiyaki in Osaka! Given how little I saw yet again, I will have to leave Osaka exploration for Japan in the future (round 3) :P
Osaka Snaps (I didn't taken many photos this trip either!)
The bling bling cars were photo worthy
Day 8 (Dec 4): Osaka to Tokyo
Once you've seen the bright lights of Tokyo, you begin to miss it...badly! And that is how we felt. Given we had made friends in Tokyo just a week ago, it seemed fitting that we should head back to Tokyo and hang out with them on a Saturday night! Yipee!!
After riding on yet another long (and last) Shinakansen ride, we finally found ourselves at the familiar Tokyo. However, the weather wasn't quite on our side when we left sunny Osaka, but it didn't damped our spirits! Before meeting up with Nancy and co again, we did some last minute gift shopping in Shibuya and even managed to squeeze in a late late ramen meal just near our Toyoko Inn hotel @ Ikebukuro...I have no idea what that shop was called, but they made a simple ramen taste awesome!! (One of the more memorable ramen meals for me).
I think all the travelling finally got to us, because I have no recollection of what we did after eating ramen...the next thing I remember is that we met up with Nancy for dinner @ Ebisu. Sushi & Sashimi meal no 5! I have decided, you can never ever get sick of sushi in Japan. I've tried supposedly great Japanese restaurants in Sydney, but really, nothing beats the Tokyo ones.
Next on the agenda was Roppongi round 2! Nancy called up the people we met last week and we hung out at what was actually a really nice bar, but for some reason unknown to me, a fairly empty one that night. After a few drinks and catching up there, some of us headed out to another club/bar - this club had way more people, although the crowd was much much younger! Whilst Nancy was bringing out her brazilian salsa moves, and Tien was aided by Todd on how to pick up Japanese girls (he did well, even though he speaks no Japanese!) I had fun watching the crowds and multitude of young Japanese girls and boys groove to the latest tunes - everything in a foreign country is just so fascinating!
Day 9 (Dec 5): Lost in Translation - Tokyo
We didn't get home too late (but late enough to take a taxi) from the night before, as Tien and myself had to prepare our move to the classy 'Lost in Translation' Park Hyatt hotel. I am yet to watch the movie (I know I'm terribly behind), but I do recall reading several guidebooks and travel articles about this hotel. And with my awesome skills in negotiation and persuasion, I managed to convince my dad to donate his precious Hyatt points to me so I could stay in class at this fancy joint! (At US$600 a night for a room, give me the points anyday)
Despite our desire to rock up early for the ultimate indulgent hotel experience, our late night meant we had trouble waking up and checking out of the hotel in time. But as we farewelled Toyoko Inn and indulged in our last Japanese breakfast, we took the trains again to Shinjuku station in search of our heavenly hotel.
A search it was.
Shinjuku station is everything the books/people/websites describe it to be. Busy, hectic, full of people. It is the busiest station in the world with more passengers that pass through it a day than any other in the world (allegedly 3.64 million per day in 2007). I imagined myself to be Scarlett Johansson standing still watching the comotion go by, except of course I look nothing like her, but my mind likes to wonder! Once we found the West Exit, it was a long 15-20 minute walk with backpacks and luggage (and my bag strap finally decided it had enough and broke) until we finally found ourselves at the correct building! Just as we thought we made it to the destination, we spent another good 10 minutes trying to work out how to get to the level 40 lobby. It was truly a 'maze' of a trip, just locating the reception! But once we got there it was just so pleasant. They even knew who I was! (Ok, technically they knew who my dad was...)
The check-in process was the best ever. I felt like a celebrity and whilst we didn't quite fit the Park Hyatt usual clientele, they treated us just as nicely as they treat all guests. And given my Dad's platinum Hyatt status, they gave us an AWESOME room with AMAZING views of Tokyo. The attendant that delivered our bags later even gave a demo on everything in the room, even how to work the blinds. Yes, I do love my Dad...and Tokyo too!
I told Tien I've always liked to end my holidays on a high especially since staying at Cross Hotel in Osaka 2008 and Jia in HK in 2007, and I think he may adopt my 'end trips on a high' style for future holidays. I think he went more hotel crazy than me, taking snaps of everything in sight!
Our dear friend Nancy came around again at lunch to give us a final Tokyo walkabout tour, even though we would have been happy just completely bumming and watching TV in the hotel room haha. But even Nancy was impressed with the room we scored :D
This is part of the reception - a library!
The views from the hotel room, not from another building, the hotel room!!
YES that is the view we scored!!! It was like sleeping in the skies when it was dark!
I obviously thought that taking a photo of the mini TV in the bathroom was more exciting...lol
Night view from the hotel room =)
Highlights of the day:
- Going to a cafe that served free, yes free coffee around Ginza
- Going to a free exhibition @ the new Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum thanks to Nancy's free tickets
- Last minute shopping spree at Muji
- Eating fantastic curry soup around Ginza
- Having a cocktail at the New York Bar at the hotel (again of Lost in Translation fame) You feel like you are in the skies having a cocktail. Although I must say the room from our own hotel room was better!
The newly restored Mitsubishi Ichigokan (Mitsubishi No. 1 Building) - It looks European right?
Inside & Out - within the Misubishi Ichigokan building are more westernised trendy shops and cafes
FREE Coffee place around Ginza
Japanese department stores look like nicely packaged boxes to me! Gorgeous works of art!
Tokyo Forum
A new building in Shinjuku (I don't know the name) - I think it looks awesome for a skyscraper!
The only photo I have on my camera with me in it! (I know it's shocking)
L-R: Todd, Me & Nancy
Now, I will talk about my impressions of Tokyo.
It didn't really occur to me in my 2008 trip how fantastic a city Tokyo is. I think when I visited for the first time in 2008, I was just so focused on doing and seeing and really getting 'lost in translation' to what I termed a 'parellel universe' that I didn't really get a chance to feel the vibe, energy of this city. This time round, Tokyo really blew my mind away. I completely fell in love with the energy, quirkiness, busy-ness, architecture of it all. It's a stylish city. It's mayhem. It's organised. It's hectic. I really do love cities that have a 'buzz' about it, something I don't really feel when I am home or in Taipei. Only a few cities give me this energetic buzz - Paris, New York to name a few. Tokyo has so many elements of other cities that it's so remarkably strange yet comforting. Some parts really reminded me of downtown New York, whilst I sometimes felt like I was walking a Parisian street. How Tokyo manages to combine elements from all cities, and add its own individual style into the mix makes it truly a global city. Cities that defy the test of time and last as global centres really need to focus on changing and evolving...I'd like to see what Tokyo becomes like in 50 years time.
Day 10 (Dec 6): Saiyonara Japan...back 'home' to Taipei
Usually the last day is not worthy of a mention as I am typically just checking out of a hotel and catching a flight home, however, Tokyo gets a special mention because Mount Fuji finally turned up! And we could view it clearly from the comfort of our amazing hotel room. The day was crystal blue clear and the snow capped mountain was clearly visible to the naked eye. I purposely didn't capture a photo of it, knowing that even the most fancy camera's have their limitations. So I sat on the window sill and simply starred into the distance and admired the grand beauty of Mount Fuji. Sometimes it's better to leave the picture in your head, than being disappointed in reviewing a badly taken photo. Tokyo, I love you! You certainly did steal my heart this time!
After experiencing the high of running around Japan for the second time, my heart sank to the very low on the flight 'home' to Taipei. The reality of leaving this place I have called ‘home’ for the second time in my life, finally hit me. Whilst it is always comforting to go home, to be surrounded by family and friends, it is perhaps even harder to leave behind and let go of such great times and friendships made in a land far away from home. Undoubtedly you wonder how anything can possibly return to ‘normal’ having just had the experience of a lifetime. I recently watched an interview with the cast of the Chinese movie 風聲 (Feng Sheng). The actress 李冰冰 said that at the conclusion of each film project, she goes through almost a depression like state. I think I was going through the same thing as her, except mine applies to travel projects.
And so ends my travels for a while, I am sure there will be a new travel project coming up, to open my eyes to see new places and experience new things. I thank God for all the travel opportunities he gives me trip after trip, and how he finds ways to bless my travels each time. When I go around the world I'm always in awe of what God has done, and I rejoice in that :)
Hopefully my next travel installment will be sooner rather than later. But right now, returning to normality is on the agenda. Wish me luck!
This will be the last lengthy account of my travels. Whilst I love to write detailed accounts of everything, it is becoming a highly inefficient process! (Why torture myself with essay writing?? Truth be told: It has taken me more than 6 weeks to complete this entry!) In the interest of boosting readership, making something 'more' of this blog and to deal with my friends increasingly short attention spans, short entries is going to be the future of this blog. Thanks for staying tuned all this time though :) I've certainly enjoyed writing and documenting all of this down. Look at me, I still can't stop writing :P
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