Japan

Now I know you’re keen to see boatloads of pics of my many adventures in The Land of the Rising Sun, and trust that I’ve got them a’plenty.  But since my return to this mountain-top in Ecuador, I’ve been a little daunted by just where-all to best begin.  So to kick-start my ambivalence, I just thought I’d initially peck a summary of how each day unfolded.

And now that I have, it turns out to be quite the little tome.  Nonetheless, I’ve still got lots more pics, along with details of some of the highlights, and tips for your own skip ’round Japan.  After all, I haven’t mentioned here how my Japan budget held up (spoiler: surprisingly well, I actually spent LESS than I’d planned), nor all the many in.cred.i.ble EATS!  And then there’s my personal favorite: a showcase of my (uncharacteristically bountiful) assortment of Japanese souvenirs that I somehow managed to stuff into my carry-on rollie.  All of this and more in future TL posts.  But for now – a snapshot of how my explore of Japan went down.

ITINERARY SYNOPSIS:

As I was visiting Japan at arguably the HEIGHT of the busy “sakura” (cherry blossom) season, I necessarily had to pre-book all my accommodations in advance (or risk majorly higher prices and/or sleeping in the streets!)  But – ever favoring keeping my itinerary as loose as possible in order to remain open to whim and serendipity – I left my activities totally open (i.e. scheduling no local guides, nor advanced activity reservations).

Don’t get me wrong, I’d researched by BRAINS out for weeks before this trip, so I knew all my (many!) options in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, etc.  But once my toes touched the Japan tarmac – I was free to move about and explore as I pleased.  And though there is surely much that I missed in my brief visit to Japan, nonetheless (even with recent knee surgery which slowed me down a smidge – not to mention proved a good bit painful after often more than 10 hours of non-stop walking ’round Tokyo, etc.) I was able to see, do and (most importantly EAT) most everything on my Japan bucket-list – and more.

Some of the usual Japan “must-do’s” imho proved less than stellar.  While others were even more amazing than anticipated.  And then there were the purely unplanned serendipitous moments that proved so extraordinary – they’ll surely be among my fondest memories of Japan forever.

Please note: The truth is, the 27+ hour marathon of getting from Ecuador to Japan really wasn’t nearly as ughy as it may sound.  I’ve learned to make the best of both long flights, as well as tedious layovers in the World’s airports.  And indeed, both going and returning on this marathon trip honestly proved surprisingly easy and comfortable.

DAY 1 (3 April): a.k.a. lopping 2 full days off a 15 day itinerary just to reach Japan.  Indeed, a most boring day:  bus to Guayaquil and first (of three) flights to Lima, Peru.  A marathon of flights and layovers indeed.  And while (happily) I’ve seldom felt the ughy effects of severe jet-lag in my many travels, with a 14 hour time difference coupled with such a brief visit to Japan, I wasn’t taking any chances on potentially being sidelined for even a half-day with the fuzzy, sluggish angst that jet-lag often brings.

Thus I wisely planned well-ahead to minimize the dreaded jet-lag effect.  For starters – though I rarely take any kind of medications – I opted to get a prescription from a doctor here in Cuenca for a strong sleeping pill.  Furthermore, as my longest flight (13.5 hrs.) departed from Houston at 10:25 am (i.e. just after midnight Japan time) – this after 2 flights and 2 layovers from Ecuador to Lima, Peru to Houston, plus 3 hrs. sitting in IAH – I steeled myself for an all nighter from Guayaquil to Lima to Houston, and then…

I popped that pill the moment I boarded my flight to Japan and enjoyed a good 6 hour sleep before landing in Japan just after mid-day Japanese time.  Not only did this protocol completely avoid any sluggish effects of jet-lag, but it reset my normal wake-up clock by a few hours.  In short, I was able to get a full night’s rest my first night in Tokyo, yet was up and rarin’ to go at 5:30 am the next morning.

DAY 2 (4 April): More boring:  See above – a second (near 7 hour) flight from Lima to Houston, plus another 3 hr. layover before boarding my 13+ hr. flight across the Pacific.

DAY 3 (5 April): 2 pm touchdown at Narita airport in Tokyo – yippeee, at last – JAPAN!  As mentioned above, I managed to get a good night’s rest en route from Houston to Tokyo, so I was ready (albeit admittedly not fully bushy-tailed) to tackle this, my 50th country!

First stop, an ATM to withdraw 40000 Yen (~$360) to get me by for my first few days in Japan.  I used my Schwab debit card for the transaction so there were no bank fees whatsoever – yay!  Next: buy my 7 day JR Rail Pass. (btw, long story and lots more details in a future post on this – i.e. normally a JR Pass must be purchased OUTSIDE of Japan, but for me in Ecuador?  Suffice I got lucky and Japan kindly extended the ability to simply buy the pass upon arrival in Japan, til March 2019 – yay2!)

Two more chores upon arrival (good thing I’d had a good night’s rest, no?):

1. Buy a pre-paid IC card (free, with but a 500Y (~$5) deposit and you can put however much you want on it) – essential for swiftly slapping it on train and subway turnstiles throughout Tokyo/Kyoto in lieu of fiddling with buying tickets (trust me, you’ll have all you can do to noodle out how to find your platform and train without getting completely l.o.s.t. amid the circus that defines a Japanese train station).  You can also use your IC card at the ubiquitous 7-11’s scattered about Japan for buying coffee, snacks, bento boxes, etc.

And 2. buy a train ticket to hop on the (near hour-long) Access Express train (1290Y one of the cheapest ways to go directly from the airport to Asakusa where my hotel was located).

From the Asakusa station, I wisely grabbed a (pricey given the mere 11 min. walk alternative) taxi for 750Y (~$7) to take me the final short ride to my hostal.  Dropping my rollie at the Guesthouse Denchi (a fabulous “capsule” dorm arrangement – even nicer than the agoda pics), I bumped into a fellow solo travelin’ lass and we set off to sample our first Japanese cuisine: “okonomiyaki”, a type of chopped cabbage et al pancake that they toss together right on the hot grill built into your table.  Oh, and (though I rarely drink alcohol – much less whiskey) a “Ginger Whiskey” to celebrate our first day in Japan (it was yummy!)

(Blissfully) crashed by 8:30pm – end of Day One in Japan.

DAY 4 (6 April): Still a bit trepidatious about hopping on the notoriously convoluted Japanese train/subway system, I (wisely) took it easy on my first full day on the ground and stuck close to my Asakusa neighborhood.  I first dropped into the Tourist Info center to get my bearings (and later returned after dark to snap a few pics from their 7th floor observation deck, of the glowing “Skytree” tower that perpetually looms over Asakusa), and then spent the entire day exploring the nearby Sensō-ji Temple, as well as wandering amid the many shops along “Kappabashi Street” (a.k.a. “Kitchen Town” with – as the name implies – all manner of foodie gadgets and the epicenter for all those amazing “fake food” replicas in all the Japanese restaurants).

Oh, and hunted down a Japan geocache of course!

DAY 5 (7 April): With a reset internal clock, I awoke naturally at 5 am.  “Great” says I, “just in time to get in line and try to snag a coveted ticket for a bowl of gourmet ramen at “Tsuta“, the World’s first-ever Michelin-star ramen restaurant.  Mission Accomplished.  Snagged a ticket at 7 am for an 11 am seating.  And the ramen?  (no exaggeration) it was a-MAZING!

After, (gaining confidence in my skills at hopping hither ‘n yon on the Tokyo transit system – the truth is it was pretty much thanks only to the ever-ready help of a kindly Japanese local or six to ensure I was on target), I headed over to the Shimokitazawa district, a most delightful bohemian neighborhood bursting with used and vintage clothing.  While I adore living in Cuenca, Ecuador, alas it offers a dearth of options when it comes to stylish clothing that fits.  Suffice, in Shimokitazawa I was in Kewl-Dud-HEAVEN!  Amazingly, I managed to get out of there with but a single denim coat and… a used tripod for 1650 Y (~$15)!

Now I ask ya – who buys a *tripod* of all things, and still manages to fly back to Ecuador with carry-on only?  Answer:  A veteran TravelnLass who deliberately packs uber l.i.g.h.t. to begin with, always leaving a goodly gob of space in her rollie for just such “souvenir” emergencies.

DAY 6 (8 April): My first ride on one of the legendary Japanese bullet trains.  Leaving the bustle of Tokyo behind, I whizzed north to Nagano (220 km in less than 2 hours!), and made my way (via a local electric train) to the small town of Yudanaka and my wondrous traditional Japanese “ryokan”.

From there it was a 1.6 km hike up to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park.  Happily, it had snowed the night before (and indeed it actually snowed a bit as I hiked up to the steaming monkey onsen) so the trek was especially magical (after nearly 7 years abroad, I’d forgotten just how very much I adore the forests of my beloved Pacific Northwest) and the monkeys scampered about the onsen in abundance.

And as if the Snow Monkeys weren’t extraordinary enough to make my stay in the mountains one of the *top highlights* of my entire Japan trip, returning to my ryokan (a huge room lined with tatami mats, comfy floor futon and a private little “tea porch”), I slipped into my own steaming onsen (all to myself!) and after… donning a lovely blue and white “yukata” – I enjoyed an incredible traditional “kaiseki” dinner.

Seriously.  This has GOT to be one the very BEST 24 hrs. in all my many travels!

Click on any pic to enlarge the image and view a slideshow.
DAY 7 (9 April): An early morning dip in the steamy onsen, followed by yet another taste extravaganza:  a traditional Japanese breakfast, before hopping another Shinkensen bullet train (450+ km in little more than 3 hours) to Kyoto.

Life is goooood.

DAY 8 (10 April): Still (happily) on an early morning rise (for me), I hit the sheets by 9 pm last night, so was up and ready to roll at 5:30 am.  A good day to head to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine – blissfully ahead of the crowds.

After, I spent the remainder of the day eating my way through the Nishiki Market, and snagging my (um, first of… stay tuned) Japanese silk kimono for just 2160 Y!

Btw, though I know it must sound like complete Japan BLASPHEMY, but…  While everyone seems to RAVE about Kyoto, personally (but for Nishiki Market and the Fushimi-Inari Shrine, which truly is remarkable) – I found Kyoto to be decidedly under-whelming.  No doubt there’s lots there I didn’t see, but from what I did see… What exactly is it that I somehow missed???

DAY 9 (11 April): Still on a dawn wake-up high – this morning I hopped on a local train to Arashiyama, and the “Bamboo Forest”.  I’d heard from Trip Advisor forum veterans that it wasn’t much of a “must-see”, and I can now personally concur: a disappointing “meh” at best.  Still… but a 20 min. train from Kyoto, and I managed to get some decent pics (see future TL Japan posts).

After, I headed back to Kyoto and hopped a local bus to the famed “Gion” area of the city.  Sadly, yet another disappointment – not the least bit “charming” as I’d been led to expect, but rather, just more dreary city streets lined with tourist kitschy krap.  But I managed to make the best of it by visiting one nice temple, licking a yummy cone of “matcha” (powdered green tea) ice cream (albeit greatly overpriced at 500Y) and enjoying an excellent lunch of curry udon topped with shrimp tempura (1280Y).

Ah but then my trusty (ever dependable if unpredictable) “serendipty” travel gods took pity on me and… I stumbled across a most wonderful little place down an obscure, narrow alleyway – that just happened to be commencing a most amazing traditional TEA CEREMONY the moment I arrived!

 

DAY 10 (12 April): The days are swiftly slipping by now, and it’s time to hop on yet another bullet train (380 km in less than 2 hours!), this time bound for Hiroshima and an overnight on Miyajima Island.  Once again, a mere 24 hours turned out to be among the best of my entire trip to Japan.  The “Genbaku (“atomic bomb” in Japanese) Dome”, the bazillion bitty paper cranes at the Children’s Peace Monument, the Peace Flame etc. – all most stirring and impressive.  After paying my respects to such a tragic historical icon, I took a train and ferry out to nearby Miyajima Island.

I hadn’t originally planned to spend the night, but a day trip to Hiroshima (even on the bullet train) would have gotten me back to Kyoto close to midnight.  More significantly, high tide on the 12th was at nearly 7 pm that night – which is when the torii appears to be “floating” (i.e. earlier in the day, at low tide it would just be surrounded by mud!)

And furthermore, shortly before I left Cuenca I unearthed a sunset boat trip that sails BENEATH those iconic orange torii after dark (when it’s illuminated), so…  I quickly booked some sleeps on Miyajima (which turned out to be among the nicest hostels ever – uber-quiet, amazing “feng shui” decor, with a common room oozing soft jazz music – it was like having my own private jazz club for the night!) and…

Suffice the boat trip was PURELY.MAGICAL.

DAY 11 (13 April): Following my wondrous evening on Miyajima, I headed back on the bullet train to Kyoto the next morning, but…

Little did I know that the “serendipity” travel gods had other plans for me.  My return train ticket was set to land in Kyoto, but…  I was still within my “7 day” JR Pass (which gave me free passage on any and all JR trains in Japan), and we stopped at Osaka en route, so…  Now Osaka wasn’t high on my “gotta-do” list (save for possibly *eating* as it’s known for spectacular street food).  But after my disappointment with Kyoto, I wasn’t in any hurry to return for a final day there, so…

As we pulled into the Osaka station, I opted to get off and take a peek at what Osaka had to offer.  Trouble was – my phone battery was dead and I had no map of the (rather huge, 3rd largest in Japan) city.  Suddenly I recalled that there was another reason to visit Osaka at this particular time of the year:  the late blooming cherry trees at the Osaka Mint (yep, where they make the Japanese coinage).  Furthermore, initially my entire Japan trip was meant to arrive in time to experience the legendary “sakura” cherry blossom season, but – sadly, this year most all cherry trees in Tokyo and Kyoto had bloomed more than a week early, and I’D MISSED most all it. ;(

BUT… The Osaka Mint was said to be one place where the late-bloomers might still be in flower, so… my quest suddenly became: FIND.THE.OSAKA.MINT.

Easier said than done with no map in a huge city where I know but a mere 10 words of the language.  Nonetheless, I got lucky.  Or… I should say – thanks to the incredibly kind and over-the-top helpfulness of the Japanese people – I eventually stumbled upon a young couple who took me by the hand and led me on a couple different trains then handed me off to…

Even more astounding, along the way we bumped into 3 elderly lasses who just happened to be ON THEIR WAY TO THE OSAKA MINT CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL!

Seriously. I still get chills just thinking about how I could possibly have gotten so lucky.  Long story short?  Not only did I finally lay my baby-blues personally on more than a mile of opulently blooming “sakura” (not to mention the festival was chock FULL of all manner of fabulous Osaka street-eats), but… for me, the very BEST part of it was – tagging along with those three dear lasses (none of which spoke a single word of English) as we made our way through Osaka to the festival!

Note: I made a loop and designed my Japan itinerary to take full advantage of the 7 day JR rail Pass.  Indeed, if you’re planning even a single long-distance train from Tokyo to say, Kyoto (or vice-versa) you’ll save money with the 7 day pass.  It was also good for the handy hop-on-hop-off bus to the Hiroshima Peace Park, along with the local train and the ferry to Miyajima, as well as for whizzing to the Fushimi-Inari shrine and Arashiyama in Koyoto.  I hope to write a full TL post on all the options, tips, etc. for getting around Japan on the Cheap.

DAY 12 (14 April): Early morning bullet train back to Tokyo – my 7 day pass would expire at midnight that day.  I was especially anxious to return to Tokyo early-ish that Saturday as I hoped to see a “Geisha Parade” that I’d read about near Sensō-ji Temple in Asakusa.  The precise dates were long in flux before I left Ecuador, and the exact place in Asakusa (where I happily returned to my earlier Guesthouse Denchi sleeps) – unknown.  Still… I wanted to try.

Turns out, I never did manage to stumble upon any parades, but I nonetheless had a fine day (again) wandering (further) around the many nooks and crannies that make up the ever-festive Sensō-ji temple area.  Indeed, happily I found a number of bitty shops selling used silk kimonos (for a song) so…  But of course I had to buy yet *another* one – a silky blue/white “haori” (short kimono).

DAY 13 (15 April): Yet another stellar 24 hours!  Starting with a fabulous morning sampling all.manner.of.seafood at the legendary Tskuji (pronounced “skee-gee”) Fish Market.  Oh my!  Not only a HUGE super fresh oyster for breakfast, but a luscious slab of fatty salmon, crab/roe shashimi, et al.  Plus a most unique (and delish!) only-in-Japan concoction:  a delicate “octopus cracker” the size of my head!

From there it got even better. I hopped on the subway to Shibuya and… after snapping the requisite “Hachikō” pic (loyal Japanese dog beloved the World over), I managed to get a fabulous time-lapse video clip of the famous “Shibuya Crossing” (a.k.a. “Zebra Crossing”, the globe’s busiest pedestrian crosswalk).  The latter, whilst sipping a strawberry frappuccino on the 2nd floor of Starbucks which overlooks the crossing.

And then… the frosting on the day’s serendipity cake?  As I sipped my frappuccino and filmed the human synchronized dance below, suddenly a young Japanese girl sitting next to me blurts out:  “I’m 16 years old.”  That’s it, that’s all she said.  Likely the only English words she knew.  But bless-her-heart, it was her way of striking up a conversation with a foreigner.

Long (exceptionally serendiptious) story short?  We “chatted” (mostly via Google translate), and at one point I happened to ask her if she knew about a shop nearby that I’d read about called “Chicago” (one of many such Tokyo shops that sell high-end used clothing from around the globe).  Her answer?  (texted via G-translate):  “I’ll take you there.”

Next thing I knew we were hopping trains and sure enough, she (and her girlfriend) led me to the famed “Chicago” shop – where I found the most wondrous of all Japanese quilted coats, and (perhaps my favorite of all my travel souvenirs, ever):  my vintage “Mickey Mouse Club” ring!

DAY 14 (16 April): But a single day remaining in this amazing corner of the globe.  Happily, I’d planned well, and there was little that I felt I needed to see/do – save for…

I spent most the day leisurely gathering a few keepsakes and gifts for friends in Cuenca, plus – just one “Hope-to-Do” left that can pretty much only be done in Japan (it’s illegal in the rest of the World):  Eat “fugu” (Pufferfish/Blowfish – one of the most POISONOUS fish on earth).  Indeed – though I knew it was said to be poisonous if not cooked properly – only later did I Google it and discover that it’s “…12,000 times more deadly than cyanide” and “…a single fish has enough poison to kill 30 people.”  Nonetheless, the Japanese apparently know how to properly cook it (a license is required) and they eat it all the time.
Needless to say – given my penchant for eagerly stuffing my face with most every edible on the Planet – I was determined to try “fugu” in Japan.

I did.

And I’m presently pecking on this laptop about it.

So clearly I survived! 😀

DAY 15 (17 April): My final moments in the Land of the Rising Sun.  By now I was a veteran of the Japanese transit system.  I knew precisely where the elevator was at the Asakusa Station (just a 10 min. walk from my hostal), and made sure I had just the right amount of yen left on my PASMO card to cover my 1290Y Access Express return train fare to Narita.

26.5 hours (including 3 flights and 2 layovers) later, I was back in my adopted home of Ecuador – on the opposite side (and “downunder”) the globe.  What can I say?  After 50 countries and countless flights – I still can’t get over the MAGIC of those silver cigar-tubes that can whiz us to most any corner of the Planet in little more than a single day!

 

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WHEW!  Nearly 4,000 mots here!!!  Enough already.  Th-th-that’s it for now.

And though there’s no doubt TONS more to do and see in the Land of the Rising Sun, I feel very satisfied with what-all I did manage to do in my brief visit (especially given my recent knee surgery, which came dangerously close to sabotaging the trip entirely).  In short, Japan most certainly lived up to the honor of my 50th milestone country.  Stay tuned for the full details and LOTS more pics!

 

 

 

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