I apologise for the formatting of this blog - the program refuses to accept the layout that I want!
Saturday April 7th
Our first proper morning in Japan. The flights were very tiring - to Tokyo Haneda Airport via Singapore. We arrived yesterday and found our way to Sakura's Cosy Elegant Room (flat) in Asakusa, which I found via AirBnB. It's fine, and plenty big enough for two. The closest station is Kuramae, which is about 500 metres away. It was getting dark when we arrived, so we dumped the bags and went to the 7-11 just across the road for food. Cooking is interesting, as there are limited facilities - but I'll manage
This morning we are looking for somewhere to visit that's interesting. We have had breakfast, and are about to leave. This is about the only real-time comment in this log. The rest is done retrospectively.
Having taken quite a time to get up and get ready, we didn't leave until after half twelve. Heading for Ueno Park, we arrived sometime after one o'clock. Lots of people were there celebrating the cherry blossoms by having picnics in the park. Still a few trees with blossom.
We visited a couple of shrines, and ate some street food. K had sweet potato fries, with sugar. I had noodles with cabbage - tasted better than it sounds. We wandered around quite a lot, then sat down for coffee at a Starbucks - people were queuing to get in. It was windy, and we sat outside near a patio heater to keep the chill off - though it was about twenty degrees.
On the way back to the station we visited some streets with loads of food vendors on them - and lots of other shops. We found a sushi place and so stopped for food. Very good, and not expensive.
From the station it took us about half an hour to get back to the flat. Then it was nearly seven, and we decided to have a quiet night in. Giving ourselves some time to get over the jet lag.
Sunday April 8th
I was up at 7, but we still didn't get out until gone 10. Started by going to to the Meiji Shrine, where we saw a wedding. Then stopped for coffee in the sun. In Yoyogi Park the were lots of people picnicking all over the place, with their tarpaulins and lots of booze. Very big crows after all the rubbish. We stopped for some street food again. I had the same noodles, and K had a sausage on a stick.
Walking away from the park we found Takashita Street, and thousands of people, all determined to shop. A 100 yen store provided us with some goodies - though it was very crowded. Returning to Harajuku station we headed for Akhiabara Electric City, and spent a while having a good look around. So much animé related stuff! Games, consuls, electronic goods - loads of stuff. We had another coffee, then went to Shibuya to try out the crossing, along with hundreds of other people.
Back on the train, and off to Ginza to look for something to eat. Asking Google for help, we found a rotating sushi restaurant again, and had some nice sushi - bit more expensive this time.
On the train, then home via the 7-11 store to buy some brioche for breakfast.
In bed by 10:30 - but I was awake again by 4:30. Not a great night.
Monday April 9th
Slow start again - despite my being up fairly early. Great weather. Went to Tokyo station to get the JR train passes. Bit of a wait, but not bad. Also booked three train trips thanks to a nice lady booking clerk. Then had lunch in the station. There are many eating places to choose from. K had a beef and rice dish. I had something very spicy, with silken tofu and rice.
Then off to Senso-ji Temple at Asakusa for a while and a good walk around. K found some fabric to buy. Walked across the bridge towards the Tokyo Skytree Tower, then realised that it was much farther away than we had thought so, after another coffee in an information centre, we went back to the station and caught a train to it.
Quite pricey to get in - and we had to queue. Good views from the observation deck 350 metres up. Watched the sun go down, and had a drink whilst we waited. The city at night is pretty awesome.
Caught the train back at about 9.00, and I sorted out the train tickets whilst K had a bath. Bed at about 10:50. Hoping for a better night.
K's birthday tomorrow. We are planning on going on the river Sumida on some sort of cruise.
Tuesday April 10th
Not a good night's sleep again but never mind because it's K's birthday!
We started today by visiting the Hokusai museum in Subida - which is the area in Japan where he lived most of his life. It seemed quite a small exhibition, but there was a lot of digital stuff to look at, which meant that we spent quite a while there. The waxwork of the man himself and his daughter was amazing. Even more so when they moved! Very realistic.
After this we walked back to Asakusa to catch the Tokyo River Cruise - which we just managed to squeeze onto as they were closing the gates - which saved us an hour's wait. Under all the bridges on the Sumida River we went. Landing at Hamiya gardens, where we saw cherry blossoms and some reproduction tea houses. There were lots of great pine trees, many of them in interesting shapes. We crossed a few bridges, then took a few pictures.
Feeling hungry - it was gone 2.30 by now, we sought out some where to eat. Finding a good restaurant for lunch, we again had some interesting food. Mine wasn't spicy this time - which was a good thing.
It took us a while after lunch to work out the trains and so arrive at the Imperial Palace Gardens just as they were closing! Disappointed, we sat for a while thinking what to do next. Time was passing, we couldn't think of another place to go that would be open - so we headed back to the flat.
We stopped to get some stuff for lunch on the train tomorrow, then went back and packed the bags.
K had a soak in the bath with a glass of fizzy, then I had a go too. Great bath with a water reheat function that works really well.
K sat and sewed whilst I wrote this whilst half watching a weird TV programme. Many of the Japanese TV programmes seem to be live studio/quiz/magazine/game shows. With ads.
We are up early in the morning to catch the 10.20 train to Toyama, then on to Takayama.
Wednesday April 11th
We had packed the bags the night before, so it meant that we had an unhurried start, and were at the station in plenty of time. This, despite the fact that there were 'severe' delays on the line - in Japan this means about thirty seconds wait!
We found the shinkansen area and had our JR passes stamped for their first use. Then, having about forty five minutes to wait, we had coffee before finding our way to the platform to wait where carriage three would be. The train came, we found our seats, and watched with amusement as others struggled on with their enormous cases. The train left dead on time.
It took a while to leave Tokyo, then we had countryside and town views until we came to Toyama nearly two hours later, where we changed to a Wide View Limited Express for the trip to Takayama. Great views of mountains and rivers as we skirted the Japan Alps. It was raining as we reached Takayama.
It continued to drizzle as we left the station and easily found our way to K's House Takayama. It was nearly three o'clock. I checked in and we waited a brief while until the room was ready (and the guy had fixed the lift).
A very nice place to stay, and lovely people hosting it. The room was fine, with a big bed and a good 'Japanese' feel, with paper shutters on the windows, and futons as mattresses - though not on the floor! We had our own bathroom - with the deep tub again, which made K happy.
We decided to explore for a while - got the rain macs out - and ventured outside. It was raining harder now. After walking for a while we decided that we would need an umbrella because it was raining so hard. I nipped into a shop to get one, and we continued. There were quite a few people around, and there were many cherry trees in blossom because we were quite high on the edge of the mountains and the bloom was later.
I took some pictures as we walked around exploring the centre of the town, some shrines, the old houses that were now shops and restaurants. Our feet were getting very wet. We decided to eat back at the house, so visited a 7-11 and stocked up.
Back in the room we sorted out some washing to put on, and tried to dry out our shoes. Then we warmed and ate the food that we had bought. After the washing was done, and we had looked at the pictures that I had taken, and sent some texts and so on, we went to bed.
Thursday April 12th
Up twice in the night - I was so hot! Had to strip off and only cover myself with the sheet - but still hot! Needless to say, it wasn't a great nights sleep.
Up and scrambled eggs for breakfast. After a shower, out into the crisp sunshine to explore. We revisited some of the places that we had seen the night before, took more pictures and tried some street food. We visited the museum of history and art and the Kokubun-ji Temple next to a1200 year old ginkgo tree. In the old streets we bought some spoons, gifts, and fabric for patchwork, then dropped these of at the room before heading for the bus station.
Buying a combined ticket for Hida Folk Village, we waited for the bus. It took about ten minutes to get there - and we decided that we were glad that we didn't try to walk, as it was up a fairly steep hill. The setting was great, and would be very pretty in the summer. In the distance the snow-capped Alps could be seen and looked lovely.
The entrance led to a lake with ducks swimming around, and a heron perched on a rock seemingly not worried about the humans wandering around. The village is a series of buildings saved from destruction around the region of Hida. They vary in age, but are mainly from the 1800s. Some are earlier and they range from simple woodcutter's huts through to large houses with several floors. Many are thatched with massive beams holding the roof - needed because of the high snowfall in that area. It could reach over two metres deep.
Some of the houses were what is thought of as traditional, more middle class structures, with paper screens and tatami matting. Many of the buildings had spaces for animals under the shelter of the roof, but in separate areas. I spotted a sign on the edge of the woods saying 'Beware of the Bears' - but I couldn't see any.
We had a good look around, and collected lots of stamps for our books. After a coffee and some Snickers we headed back to the bus stop, pausing briefly to take a photo of me dressed up in a short tunic, coolie hat and back basket. We made it to the bus stop just as the bus was arriving - lucky for once.
Back at K's House we had a drink, then I decided to go for another walk, whilst K had a bit of a rest. I walked out to a temple towards the edge of the town, up a lot of steps. I got quite winded. Exploring a bit more, I found some other temples and shrines before going back after just over an hour.
Off we went looking for a restaurant that didn't cost the earth. After looking around for a while we decided to just get something from the shop again. This we did, ate, then K had a soak in the tub, followed by myself. We managed to get water all over the bathroom, but the heat from the water helped our aching muscles. Time was going on by this point, so after packing bags and checking that things were ready for the morning, we went to bed.
Friday April 13th
I was awake at half six, up at seven and drinking coffee downstairs by quarter past. I managed to make a piece of toast with marmalade as well - which was good. I wrote some stuff and had a chat with a chap from the Netherlands, and it was still only ten to eight. I waited until eight, and then took K up a green tea.
I showered, then we had breakfast and finally packed. We were at the station in plenty of time, so K had a coffee. We caught the train and it was about ninety minutes to Toyama. The transfer to the next train was a bit frantic, with us running up the stairs and onto the train with only about three minutes to spare! We were puffed! This made us decide to look again at the time we had for transfer between trains, and amend some of them so that we didn't kill ourselves rushing for trains.
The trip to Kanazawa only took about half an hour, and we were at the Oka hotel by two. The older lady receptionist was the same as the pictures on the web - stunning. She spoke only a few words of English. Pretty basic hotel, but it was clean and quite spacious because we had a triple room for some reason.
We decided to go and explore on foot, which took us until about six o'clock, then we found a restaurant on the way back, near the station, and had some tasty food.
Returning to the hotel, K had another soak whilst I sat and caught up with this blog. We had the TV on in the background with the national NHK channel on - weird TV. We have a full day planned for tomorrow, so I anticipate a fairly early night again.
Saturday April 14th
We were up and down to breakfast by 7.50am. I was ok because they did me some bread for toast - but K was a bit stuck because it was Japanese style - rice, miso soup, pickles and for some reason, a fried egg. Fresh coffee was good, though.
By 8.30am we were walking through the Omicho local fresh produce market, and the sun was shining. We found Kanazawa Castle Park, and explored before stopping for a coffee. Then we went into Korukuen gardens and had a good wander around, looking at the ponds and bridges, trees and other items.
Moving on, we went to the Kaga Yuzen Kimono Centre, which showed the technique of dyeing and printing fabric in that style. Very beautiful. We spent about an hour there, and watched a DVD about the technique. The weather was getting very cloudy as we started back towards the hotel.
We were in between food times as far as the restaurants were concerned, so we paused at a 'Lawsons' to get some food - it's basically a convenience store which has a sit down area where you can eat. I had some sushi, and K had some meat on sticks. I also had a cake :) It was about half past three.
Continuing back to the hotel, we sat in the foyer for a bit, at the insistence of the older reception lady, to listen to a fellow playing the Japanese flute. He was good, but we were tired and a bit wet, so we escaped to the room. Passing the time until about six thirty we braved the rain to go about three doors up to a restaurant that was basically an indoor barbecue - serving various meats and fish in this style.
K ordered various meats, I had a 'set' typical of the house. We couldn't face the baby squid which were part of the starter, but managed the rest - sashimi, and other bits. It was still fairly early, but raining a lot, and we were tired, so we went back and got ready for bed. We were in bed before ten, and it wasn't a bad night.
Sunday April 15th
Up early again for our Japanese breakfast. Couldn't manage the raw egg......
We were packed up and ready at the station for the train to Kyoto by ten - it didn't go until nearly eleven. The ticket office was quiet, so we decided to try to get the rest of our seat reservations. We managed it, thanks to an accommodating young lady. The ticket queue was a bit bigger when we finished.
Sat on the platform drinking indifferent coffee, we came across the same Australian couple that we had met before, who were also heading to Kyoto. We gave them a few tips about Nara.
The train came, and we had an uneventful trip to Kyoto, eating lunch on the way.
A taxi from the station brought us to the hotel for the sum of 1200 yen. M's Hotel - which was modern, but quite small as far as room size goes. The taxi was worth it because it saved us working out how to get there. Walking out, we found a small place that did fast Japanese food - inexpensive as well. We also found where the closest stations were, and also found a Daiso - which is basically a 100 yen store. Had some fun looking around there, and buying a few things that we didn't really need.
Back at the hotel we managed to get some washing done. Neither of us was hungry, so we skipped another meal, substituting some chocolate that we had bought instead :)
Monday April 16th
Up fairly early for breakfast, K was disappointed that there was only pastries and coffee, so she made do with some fruit juice and a coffee. Back in the room she had a banana that we had bought the day before.
I went to see the people at reception to ask if there was something wrong with the fan in the bathroom - we couldn't turn it off, and it was very noisy. Turns out that it's a design feature, but he could send a man to turn it off if we wanted - the switch was in the ceiling. I decided to let it be.
It was a nice day, so we decided to walk to the Nijo Castle, about half an hour away. There were quite a few people around. We remembered the last time we visited - the 'nightingale floorboards' particularly. All the decoration was beautiful, especially the gold leaf panels. Outside, the gardens were also beautiful, with some cherry blossom still out, but mostly azaleas in bloom.
We were fortunate in that there was a special exhibition taking place name 'Kimono Roboto', which had a robot, in a kimono, moving on a special stage, with other robots around it. Other beautiful kimonos were on display. Quite a surreal experience.
After a coffee and comfort break we walked to the Imperial Palace Gardens, then decided to have lunch in a small restaurant there. Fun explaining what K could eat, but we got there in the end.
From there we found our way to a train station, took a metro to Kyoto station, then a J R line to Inari, to see the many Torii, and the numerous shrines. So many people! So much walking! We were both very tired come the end - but K was particularly feeling it. Train back to Kyoto station, and rotating sushi for food. Then back to the hotel, and collapse!!
Tuesday April 17th
K took her own provisions down to breakfast. We, unlike many others, just ate breakfast - not taking loads of stuff away for later! There were bananas as well this morning. One lady went out with four boxes of juice and four bananas 'for later'. I couldn't run a hotel, coping with greedy people!
After our exertions yesterday we decided to take it a bit easier today, and headed for the Gion area, using the subway. Our Pasmo cards work here too, so that made things easier.
Some gentle strolling ensued, wherein we gazed upon many kimono clad men and women, and visited more shrines and temples. Coffee was had at a 'gallery' owned by a poet - we were told by the lady working there - who served us excellent coffee, and the first gluten free cake for K. She was happy.
A bit more walking and observing, and we decided that we had time to fit in a side trip to Nara. On to the train, one change onto a JR train, and we were headed there. We arrived about two thirty, and caught a bus to the deer park surrounding the Tōdai-ji temple. The deer were just as I remembered them - still trying to get food from any likely looking human - especially if they were in proximity of a food stand.
We saw a few people having to dodge the deer, having bought the special deer biscuits with the intention of evenly distributing them - only to find that they have to get rid of them as soon as possible to stop being accosted by ravenous deer! A few were nudged, some were nipped, most were surrounded and overwhelmed. We looked on and laughed - until we too were accosted - despite having no food.
Time passed, and we headed back - bus and train - to the hotel, pausing only to get some food at a 7/11. I had a soak in the tub, and tried out the hotel pyjamas. K put some washing on. She wasn't hungry - tum playing up a bit. We packed the bags then kind of ran out of things to do. Watched a bit of TV - odd programmes. Looks like another early night. Off to Hiroshima tomorrow.
Wednesday April 18th
Awake at four again - not a good night. Dropped off at about six thirty, up at seven thirty. Breakfast at about eight fifteen, then final pack and out of the hotel. We caught a bus to the station - we could use our Pasmo cards to pay the 230 yen fare.
At the station we visited the 'Sky Garden' - up many escalators to the top of the building - good views. We bought bento boxes for the train, then got to the track with plenty of time to spare. The first part of the journey took about half an hour, we changed shinkansen and the second train ride took just over half an hour.
Arriving with plenty of time we decided to change the plan and visit Miyajima straight away, instead of the next day. We stored the cases in a locker and caught another train to the ferry port, then a boat to the island. There were lots of people with the same idea.
We saw the Itsukushima Shrine's Great Torii gate in the ocean (except the tide was out), and the Itsukushima Shrine itself. There were deer here as well - the same type as at Nara. They were also keen on getting food from the tourists, but they were no way near as pushy about it.
Mostly though, we spent time on the 'ropeway' - which was actually two cable cars taking you to the top of the mountain - Mt. Misen. Stunning views over the sea and back to Hiroshima from Shishiiwa Station. We were very lucky with the weather - the sun was out and it was hot. K had to remove some clothes to keep cool. Even the deer were flaked out in the shade. Having spent about two hours doing the mountain thing we headed back to the city, reversing the ferry and train thing.
At the station we had some food - sushi again - then caught a taxi to the hotel. The Toyoko Inn Hotel - which is part of a business hotel chain, as it turns out. The time was about seven forty as we got to the room. We both had a soak in the tub, then sat about waiting to go to bed. K sewed her patchwork diamonds, I fiddled with the TV stations - they didn't get better. Not saying that the Japanese are obsessed with cooking, but they have a lot of prime time programmes about it.....
Tomorrow, we are visiting the Peace Park - commemorating the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city.
Thursday April 19th
That was the hardest bed we have ever tried to sleep on! We got up at four and took the duvet off, put it under the bottom sheet, then slept with just the top sheet over us. Still not good. Up and down to breakfast for eight thirty.
Japanese breakfast - I enjoyed it, and at least K could eat it, unlike the pastries at the last hotel. We left our barely touched room (we were in there at eight, asleep by ten, and out early again), and we lucky enough to use the free transfer car back to the station. It was driven by a very friendly man who spoke good English, having lived in Wimborne in Dorset whilst he was a travel agent. He dropped us off, we put our bags in lockers and I am writing this whilst standing, waiting for the 'loop bus'.
Continuing much later now - from Beppu - which is our next stop. We took the bus to the Peace Park and saw the 'Atomic Dome' - which had been left as a permanent reminder of the destruction of Hiroshima. There was a Guide who had written an account of 'That Day' and translated it into many languages, so that people could have some background to what happened at Hiroshima. We stood and read through the English version for some time. He was an 'in utero' survivor of the atrocity - in his mother's womb at the time - but survived.
Visiting the Peace Park and its surroundings was a sobering experience - showing just how much destruction had been caused to the city. The main museum is being renovated, so we visited the exhibition hall next to it to see the displays there. Harrowing some of them were, especially the actual clothes worn by some of the children, and the many photographs. I found it quite upsetting.
Contrarily, the weather was lovely - we ran the risk of getting sun burn - but we had put suncream on.
We walked back through the park and caught a tram back to the station, where we bought some take away food and sat in the sun to eat it.
The trip to Beppu took over two hours - over three if you count the transfer time. We arrived at the New Tsuruta hotel at about seven o'clock. It was a ten minute walk from the station. Our room is big, with two queen size beds. The hotel is rather 'tired', and could do with refurbishment - but it's comfy and clean, and has it's own onsen - which we both had to try out. We weren't hungry, so made do with a drink and some chocolate :). Off to explore the 'Hells of Beppu' tomorrow....
Friday April 20th
We both slept much better in the softer beds, and I didn't really wake up until eight - very good.
A good selection for breakfast. I took the Japanese route, K stuck to small sausages and scrambled egg. Both had some fruit as well.
We took a bus from the station to Kannawa - where the 'hells' are. The round about route took about twenty minutes. The weather was very warm - we needed to put sun cream on to keep from burning.
The entry price for each hell was four hundred yen each, or a combined ticket for two thousand. We decided to buy single tickets as we weren't sure how many of the seven we would get to see. As it turned out, this was a good move.
The first hell, or 'Jigoku' was Shiraike, which had a white pool and different fish in very small tanks for the size of the fish. Seemed cruel to us.
The second was Oniyama Jigoku - which had a steaming pool and crocodiles - all listlessly lying about. Quite a few had damage marks. There must have been at least forty big ones, and more small ones. Again, it seemed cruel to keep them in these conditions. We concluded that Japan probably didn't do animal rights.
Next was Kamado Jigoku - which had several steaming pools of various temperatures, somewhere to soak your legs, and also eggs and other food cooked in the onsen. We had an egg, and some water - boiled egg really - but it was brown. This hell was better - no animals involved.
The last we managed to visit was the best. Umi Jigoku had several lovely pools, large and beautiful gardens, a lake, a gift shop and café. There were lots of things to see, including a gallery of artworks. There was no comparison with the first one we saw - yet the entry cost the same. We had some coffee here, and I had a 'pudding' speciality of the area - it was crème brulee by any other name.
We had enough by this point, and made our way back to the bus stop and caught the bus back to the main part of town, got off early and walked along until we found the ferry port, and then the beach. Quite a walk, then we went to the 17th floor of the Beppu Tower to get a panoramic view of the town. Quite impressive.
Back at the hotel we had some tea to drink and then K had a rest whilst I went out for a walk again for another hour. I think that I found one of the dubious areas whilst looking for the Takegewara Bath House - men lurking in doorways around which there were pictures of ' young ladies' scantily clad and with what seemed to be a times price list. Hmmm.
When I got back we went to a very large mall nearby named the 'Me You' and got something to eat. I had a cold udon salad, K had belly of pork slices with rice.
We got back to the hotel again at about seven forty five, changed, and got ready for tomorrow. Hoping for a good night's sleep again. General impressions of Beppu are that it's in a bit of a decline, but was obviously once wealthy. A bit like some of the UK's seaside towns. There was an unkempt feel about the place.
Saturday April 21st
Another good hearty Japanese breakfast for me! K not so much. We were stung for 600 yen 'onsen' tax as we left the hotel. The sun was shining and it was already warm as we made our way to the station at nine thirty.
Realising that we could catch an earlier train, we went for it, then managed to do the five minute changeover at Hakata, so got into Nagasaki two hours early - result! It was still a nearly four hour trip though - tiring.
We walked to the hotel - The Nagasaki Belleview Dejima in the sunshine - took about fifteen minutes ambling along. Nice hotel - clean, modern, double bed, which was a bit hard, but OK. Dumping the bags we went to the nearest place to eat - which was another mall food hall. We both had lunch sets - with rice. Tasty.
Strolling along the harbour side we looked at the tall ships at anchor. It seems that we have hit Nagasaki just when the 19th Annual Tall Ships Festival is taking place - there is talk of fireworks.
We looked at the ships, then took a tram to the Peace Park to have a look around. This took about an hour and a half, then we took a tram back and had a rest in the hotel for a couple of hours. There was a self laundry, so we put some washing in - I was getting low on socks.
We were feeling pretty tired so we had a cup of tea and just sat for a while waiting for the washing. The TV programmes weren't much improved. After a while the washing was just about done - so we draped it all around the room whilst we went back to the harbour to watch the fireworks. It was eight thirty by now.
Lots of people had gathered to watch the fireworks - which had already started. Some were very spectacular, lighting up the whole dockside area. Lots of "oooos" of appreciation were heard. When they had finished there was a mass exodus. We tagged along, heading back to the hotel but stopping off to get a snack on the way.
By the time we had eaten the snack and got ready for bed it was gone eleven - so bedtime. Off to Osaka tomorrow.
Sunday April 22nd
Woke at about seven. We had to wait to get a table at breakfast, but not too long. The breakfast was good, with a fair amount of choice in the buffet. We chatted to a Pakistani couple - the man was still upset about partition.
We left the room nearly dead on ten and made our way to the station to leave the cases. We went to see the memorial to the twenty six Japanese Martyrs. Next to it is St. Philip Church (Nishizaka Church), whose towers were designed by Gaudi. We had a look around and sat for a while. Whilst outside we spotted a very big Kannon statue atop what seemed to be a tortoise. We set out to find it.
After a fair while, and many steps, we got there.
It was the Fukusai-ji Temple - Nagasaki Kannon - Universal Temple. It was built in 1979 and is dedicated to the souls of all war dead and A bomb victims. There is also a Foucault pendulum there - third longest in the world at 25 metres. It is close to the site of the original Fukusai Temple built in 1628 but destroyed by the A bomb in 1945.
It was a very hot day, and we sought shade as we returned to the station to get some takeaway lunch and to drink coffee. Retrieving the cases we made it to the train in plenty of time, and found our seats. Then came a six hour journey, with a transfer, which ended with our getting to the Lutheran Hotel in Osaka at about seven thirty.
The part where we had to get through Osaka station was manic! Both tired, we settled for a snack in the room again, and worked out where we wanted to go the next day, followed by a fairly early night. The bed is hard, so prospects may not be good.....
Monday April 23rd
Wasn't just the bed, the room was very hot and stuffy also - despite having a humidifier. So - slept fitfully, and was up about seven. Breakfast was a buffet - with an English selection, and some rice bread - so K was happy. She had cornflakes for the first time this holiday. I had the Japanese options again - including 'natto' which is sort of fermented grain - but it has live bacillus on it, and is very sticky/slimy in texture. I managed about half.
The sun was shining again as we set out for Osaka Castle. It is in a large park, and about twenty minutes walk from the hotel. We are slowing down as time goes on, and are both showing signs of being pretty worn out. We made it to the castle, however, without using the 'Noddy Cars' that were going back and forth carrying people to the castle.
Spectacular castle, the grounds were showing wear - but with the number of people passing through, it's not surprising. We took some pictures, then wandered through the gardens. There was an old military barracks from the 1930's which had been recently converted to a shopping complex. We found a ninja shop! Had to buy a few things. They had a small practice range where you could try ninja archery and throwing stars. I resisted.
Returning briefly to the hotel for a comfort break, we continued on to Dontonburi on the subway ( though we walked so far in transfer, it felt like we might as well have done it on foot). It is an area famous for its shops and large advertising displays. Also for the thousands of people that gather there day and night. Lots of people. Most of them taking photos of themselves (us included).
We found somewhere for lunch that seemed from the 1940's era. I had spaghetti and crab rissoles, with an egg. K had a meat burger thing in sauce with rice, and an egg. They were tasty and fine.
We wandered on, then did a bit of shopping. K bought some shoes. We bought some fans. We had coffee. By this time it was approaching six, so we headed back to the hotel. We were both very tired. We had a bath, a snack, some drink, and we're in bed by nine thirty. Asleep by ten.
Tuesday April 24th
We had kept the air-conditioning on low, thinking that the extra noise was worth it to cut back on the heat. It seemed to work, as we both had a better night. After breakfast we decided to try to get an earlier train - our original one went at three twenty. It was raining, so sightseeing wouldn't have been much fun. Besides, there wasn't anything that we had a burning desire to see in Osaka.
We got to the station via the subway again, and managed to get tickets for the eleven forty train to Tokyo. That was better. The journey was uneventful - memories created for me of flying through the Japanese countryside at great speed listening to heavy rock music at quite reasonable volume. We bought food at the station which we ate on the way. On arriving we used the JR trains to get to Tamachi, and then a ten minute walk brought us to the Villa Fontaine Hotel - which is actually four floors of a tower block.
The room was fine, and the bed was softer - which was good. Same hard pillows though. As we caught the earlier train it meant that we were at the hotel about the same time as we would have been catching the train from Osaka. We had a coffee, then set out for Ueno. This was the last day we could use our JR passes. It was starting to rain, so we borrowed one of the hotel umbrellas.
Ueno was busy as ever. The lights were coming on as twilight came. We were heading for the Ueno Ameyoko Shotengai shopping area as K wanted to get some sandals that she had spotted there on our last visit. It was busy, with lots of stalls and their owners calling bargains to be had. After a while we found the sandals and duly purchased them. Then we bought a few more gifts, and a bigger bag to put all of this new stuff in.
Next was the rotating sushi bar that we had found and enjoyed before. There were spaces, so we sat and had our fill. Out again for a brief wander, then back to the station and the hotel - it was raining in earnest now.
We changed, I had a bath, and then watched some mad Japanese TV again for a while. This hotel has CNN news - but it is inevitably bad news - except for the fact that the new royal baby has just been born - a boy - as yet unnamed.
We went to sleep about ten thirty. When I say 'sleep' - for me it's more lying comatose for many hours with a few spells of actual sleep.
Wednesday April 25th
I woke finally about six thirty, led there until seven forty, then got up and showered. Opening the excellent black out blind, the extent of the rain became evident. It was pouring down!
At breakfast (in the hotel lobby of all places), we met a young Australian couple, Miranda and Adam, from Melbourne. They had just arrived the previous night and we're beginning their adventure. We had a good chat.
It was raining even harder, so we retired to our room for a while until it went off, and I went to put some washing in. When it was eventually done, about one o'clock, we set out for Asakusa - the rain had stopped and the sun was out again. We did some shopping and K managed to buy some of the kimono that she wanted. We also found one of the museum/shops that we wanted to see, but totally could not find another one. We did find the old funfair - but didn't go in as it looked awful.
The sun was warm as we found our way back to the subway, and so to the hotel, pausing only to pick up some food to eat that evening.
We made ready for the early off in the morning, set the alarm, and retired to bed.
Thursday April 26th
I beat the 5 o'clock alarm by ten minutes. I made some tea, then showered. We were out of the hotel and heading for the station by six. All was straightforward until we came to get off the monorail. Instructions said terminal one. We got off at the international terminal, thought that was a mistake, got the next train to terminal one - which was wrong. Got another train back to the international terminal !!!!
What a palaver. Eventually getting it right, we went through into departures and had some coffee.
The flight was six hours and forty minutes - I watched three films - Black Panther, Early Man and Maze Runner Death Cure. The last was watched quickly. I had pasta for lunch, K had beef. It was good.
Arrived in Singapore, went out into the terminal and just had to have a coffee at the 'Heavenly Wang' coffee shop. Then we caught a taxi to the hotel - it was very hot and humid - merest taster of what was to come.
We checked in to The Robertson Quay Hotel. The room was OK. It had a view over the river and swimming pool, a fridge, a safe, but only a shower. The bed was reasonably soft though, so we were OK about it. I also found that the USB stick that I've been carrying around works with the TV - so that gives us some more entertainment options.
Exploring the area in the light rain, we chose to eat at a local restaurant - there were lots to choose from. The food was OK, but drink here is really expensive. You can pay £20 for a beer and a small glass of wine. It began to rain more as we went back to the room. Being tired, we had an early night. It was very hot, so I got up in the night and put the air con on - that made it slightly less hot - but noisy.
Friday April 27th
The breakfast was OK. More for me to eat than K - but there were cornflakes, eggs and sausages that she could eat. It was busy though.
We had decided that we would have an easier day - to acclimatize to the heat. After a walk to Clarke Quay, just along the river, we bought something for lunch in the supermarket, then changed and sat by the pool for a couple of hours, until a massive thunderstorm drove us inside. We ate, then I fell asleep for a couple of hours.
Awakening, we had some tea, and watched some TV. For our evening meal we walked along the river to a place named 'Boomarang' where I had a pizza, and K had a Ceasar salad with chicken. Back to the hotel and then bed.
Saturday April 28th
Another hot and humid day - about thirty two degrees. It's not the heat, but the humidity that gets to you. We decided to go for a longer walk and went to see the Merlion - which is a statue of a mythical creature which is the symbol of Singapore. Saw Raffles statue near the place where he originally landed and declared Singapore - then a small fishing village - a free port. We also saw the Raffles Hotel - but it's currently closed for refurbishment, so we didn't see much. For lunch we bought rice balls -onigiri. These seem to be becoming a staple for us. We saw other sites, statues and bridges - and also the Cathedral, and ended up back at the hotel about two o'clock.
In the evening we caught a taxi to the apartment of Angie - and old college friend, and her husband Peter - they have lived in Singapore for over two years. We were going out to eat. They took us to a restaurant within walking distance of their place - which did gluten free and veggie food. Ideal. We had a good time, and caught a taxi back to our hotel at about then forty five. Straight to bed
Note: 'choping' - act of leaving some small item on a table in restaurants and cafes indicating that you have taken that place whilst you go and order.
Sunday April 29th
Had nap after breakfast.
Went to botanical gardens. Saw lovely orchids and many other interesting plants and trees.
Went to Boomarang again for evening meal. Bed about ten thirty.
Monday April 30th
Went to Chinatown (had lunch there) and Little India.Very hot and humid - I think it would take me quite a while to get used to this climate. Not sure that I would want to live in it. Had nap in pm.
Out to Tanglin Club for dinner with Angie & Peter. This was formed in 1865, and is the oldest club in Singapore. It has loads of facilities but was functioning at a reduced level because of a public holiday the next day, when they were also attempting to upgrade their computer point of sale systems. Best of luck with that, I thought. We ate dinner, then took a taxi back to Robertsons Quay for a bit of an amble and some drinks. It was nearly eleven when we said goodbye to Angie and Peter after a pleasant evening.
Tuesday May 1st
Public holiday in Singapore. Our room was cleaned whilst we were at breakfast, and there was a very heavy thunderstorm, so we packed our bags ready for tomorrow, and then stayed in the room until the rain eased off around twelve. We walked to the nearest station, Fort Canning, and headed out on the MRT for the Gardens in the Bay. We emerged from the subway into a very posh shopping area named ' The Shoppes' - full of designer stuff, some of which I had never heard of.
We were trying to get up to the observation deck - which they call the 'Skypark' in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel - the biggest hotel we have ever seen by the way. After a while we found the way in, and, after paying our twenty three dollars each, ascended on the lift to the 57th floor. The views were very good, and extensive. You could see Indonesia in the distance in one direction, and Malaysia in the other. To one side, planes could been seen taking off and landing at Changi airport.
We walked around as far as we could, then decided to enter the restaurant area and have a drink. K had a mai tai, I had a mojito. We shared some avocado sushi. Very nice. We sat, enjoying the view, for quite a while, then descended and sought out the way towards the domes and the supertrees in Gardens by the Bay. Arriving there, we queued for tickets, then chose to enter the flower dome first. There were a lot of people. Public holiday effect again. Lots of plants and trees set out into gardens displaying plants of a type from a certain part of the world.
The special exhibition was of tulips. Lots of them, sponsored by KLM airways. Of course, to us tulips are nothing particularly special - but they were pretty. The locals were mad for them - photo opportunities abounded. We got a bit fed up of the crush, so sought the exit - not as easy as it sounds....but we managed, emerging into the inevitable gift shop. The nearest cafe didn't have much we could eat so we braved the rain to find another. K had some chicken with rice, I had a mozzarella and tomato sandwich.
It was still raining as we found the 'Cloud Forest' dome - which has a spectacular man made waterfall of about thirty five metres - running down a plant covered rock face - that description does it no justice at all. It was amazing to see. There were walkways taking people up among the high level plants - we had to queue for a bit, but it was a public holiday! We were in there for quite a while, then out and wandering around to find the grove of SuperTrees. These also are spectacular. We found that we could, for a price, go up the tallest tree, where there was a bar and restaurant at the top. We decided to do this - especially as the ariel walkway between the trees was closed because of the potential thunder and lightning.
So - we sat at the very top of this tree and had drinks whilst looking out over the marvels of the Gardens by the Bay - truly a sight to be seen. Also - because it had been raining a fair bit, the temperature and humidity levels had dropped to a reasonable level. We sat for about an hour, then descended and wandered some more. We were waiting for the evening light display, which started at seven forty five. After a bit, we picked a spot to sit, right in the middle of the grove of trees, and waited as it became dark.
The Grove filled with people as the time for the off drew near. The trees grew brighter. Some began to twinkle. Then the show started in earnest - wow! I can't describe how great the displays were - but perfectly synchronized to some classical music they were certainly worth seeing. The fifteen minutes passed all too quickly, and there was much applause at the end. Now we had the problem of getting out - along with several thousand other people. There were quite a few queues, but we moved along at a reasonable pace, had to queue for tickets on the MRT, but that was OK.
We got back to the hotel gone ten, had a cup of tea and a snack, checked the bags were OK for the morning, and went to bed.
Wednesday May 2nd
Up for breakfast at eight, then waited for a taxi to take us to the airport. We had planned to be away from the hotel by nine at the latest - which we managed to do. The morning heat was starting to build as the taxi arrived (responding to a light outside the hotel that Reception had switched on). The car trip took about twenty minutes and cost just over twenty dollars. Taxis are fairly inexpensive in Singapore.
The check-in was uneventful, and we found a spot near some windows to drink coffee and wait for the call to board. I went to see the Butterfly House, K chose not to this time. We boarded the plane at about twelve fifteen - and so began the thirteen hour trip back to the UK.
Now all we needed was a good rest to get over the holiday!
