An interesting day in tokyo
Nov 15th, 2016, 04:36 AM
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An interesting day in tokyo
While I don't plan to write a trip report on our travels to Japan, it is noteworthy to mention that on our last day in Tokyo we had a lovely time walking around the Tokyo Bay Area. For anyone interested in spending a relaxing day on the waterfront, I highly recommend that you take the futuristic, unmanned, Yurikamome Line from Shinbashi Station in the Tokyo and you will embark in Odaiba, a place that is home to modern architecture, Along with stunning architecture, there a scenic waterfront highlighted by a Statue of Liberty replica, beautiful park areas for strolling, malls for shopping, restaurants, a Toyota museum with futuristic cars, a Ferris wheel and other activities for children, etc. The fall colors were out and for us, this was the perfect ending of our 30 day adventure in Japan.
Nov 16th, 2016, 12:45 PM
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Thanks Lola. I am flattered by your comments. I did not take notes or intend to write a report as there have been so many previous reports on Japan on this forum. However, I will attempt to summarize some of my feelings and thoughts that I feel may
As has previously been mentioned, Japan is incredibly clean and modern, with pockets of old Japan here and there. We observed people picking up crumbs on the street and everything was cleaned immaculately. While there were some squat toilets, most were westernized and had fabulous seats with warmers, bidet wash, etc. What a joy! The Japanese people were very friendly and helpful, but we were surprised by the limited English spoken. The subways were manageable, but confusing as there are many private lines. Despite that, there was always someone to help at the gate.
Eating and shopping are of primary importance in Japan. There are food stalls, restaurants and malls everywhere. As my husband does not eat pork or shell fish, eating was problematic. Even many of the ramen noodle soups have a pork base.
There are shrines, pagodas and temples everywhere (even in malls), but frankly, while beautiful, they all began to look alike to us. The Japanese parks are lovely and as we got further into our trip, the stunning autumn colors made them even more beautiful.
What we found most amazing was the manner in which the Japanese people display their food and goods and the way they wrap their products. We learned that the presentation and wrapping of a gift is as important as that which is being given and the fine detail was exceptional. While I am not a shopper, I thoroughly enjoyed the manner in which everything was displayed. The shopping was very high end, as were the prices. A good meal was especially expensive and the complete meals, while enticing, most often included items my husband could not eat so we passed them up most of the time, which was a bit frustrating for me.
We visited Koya-san as a day trip out of Osaka. While I wanted to stay overnight, my husband did not want to sleep in a temple, so he vetoed that. We felt that the day trip was very doable and while we may have missed the evening and early morning activities, we felt satisfied with the trip there.
Our first stop was Osaka and we spent 3 nights there. (Note - the first night we arrived in time for a quick stroll and bed and one day we took our day trip to Koyasan, so we had about 1 1/2 days there). As we had a month in Japan, we felt the time in Osaka was worthwhile, especially as it was our introduction to Japan.
We left Osaka early for Hiroshima, stopping along the way at Himeji castle. We pre-arranged for a free volunteer guide to meet us at the train station where we easily stored our luggage in lockers (note - we travel with 22 inch rolling suitcases and a light backpack). We enjoyed our few hours together and found the guide to be helpful and informative. We were surprised to learn that the castle was never occupied. It was built only to flee to in the event of an attack on the city, but as the city was so well fortified, it was never needed.
We stayed two nights in Hiroshima. Again, my husband was reluctant to stay in a ryokan, so no need to transfer to Miyajima. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there and considered it one of our highlights, however, we did not feel that we missed any of the sights by returning to Hiroshima that night.
We were less excited by Nara (which is known for its deer park), than by Miyajima which also has deer wandering throughout the town. Perhaps I was expecting more.
I was also a bit disappointed by Kyoto - perhaps because I had expected so much after reading the positive reviews on this forum. This is not to say we did not enjoy our time there (6 days), but we had not expected Kyoto to be such a modern city. There are, however, areas of the city that have wonderful sites - the bamboo forest, the famous tori gates, various temples/shrines and parks.
We spent a day in Yokohama, approximately 55 minutes outside of Tokyo. I argued with my husband that I had read reviews that there was not much there and we should skip it, but I was glad we went. The China town there was the nicest we have been to - very clean with great atmosphere and lots of restaurants. The waterfront was lovely and our day there was exceptional.
Another highlight was our time spent in Kanazawa and Takayama. The fall colors were especially beautiful in Takayama, but both cities were charming and had picturesque bridges and temples.
We had intended to take a day trip to Shiwakawa, but learned that all public buses were reserved well in advance. We decided not to take the day tour which was over $100 per person, but instead chose to visit the Hida Folk village in Takayama, where we would be able to see the same houses. We felt we made an excellent choice as the folk village was exceptional and the location gorgeous with the most beautiful display of fall colors. I highly recommend a visit there. The setting is lovely.
Our day trip to Nikko was another great surprise, but the trip to Kamakura, known for its large Buddha, was a big disappointment, with little more to see than the Buddha.
We found Tokyo to be much like NYC, only a cleaner and more modern version. It was a pleasure throughout Japan, to find that most metro lines had escalators and/or elevators to make life easier.
On another note, we flew Japan airlines on frequent flyer miles. When offered an upgrade to economy plus for $300, I grabbed it, thinking the elevated leg rest and reclining seat which they advertised, would make flying easier. Returning home, I decided to fly economy class (besides, an upgrade was not available). Quite frankly, the comfort of the economy plus seat was not much different from the economy seats which had adequate leg room and a decent seat incline. The food and accommodations were the same. The food was decent and the staff pleasant.
As has previously been mentioned, Japan is incredibly clean and modern, with pockets of old Japan here and there. We observed people picking up crumbs on the street and everything was cleaned immaculately. While there were some squat toilets, most were westernized and had fabulous seats with warmers, bidet wash, etc. What a joy! The Japanese people were very friendly and helpful, but we were surprised by the limited English spoken. The subways were manageable, but confusing as there are many private lines. Despite that, there was always someone to help at the gate.
Eating and shopping are of primary importance in Japan. There are food stalls, restaurants and malls everywhere. As my husband does not eat pork or shell fish, eating was problematic. Even many of the ramen noodle soups have a pork base.
There are shrines, pagodas and temples everywhere (even in malls), but frankly, while beautiful, they all began to look alike to us. The Japanese parks are lovely and as we got further into our trip, the stunning autumn colors made them even more beautiful.
What we found most amazing was the manner in which the Japanese people display their food and goods and the way they wrap their products. We learned that the presentation and wrapping of a gift is as important as that which is being given and the fine detail was exceptional. While I am not a shopper, I thoroughly enjoyed the manner in which everything was displayed. The shopping was very high end, as were the prices. A good meal was especially expensive and the complete meals, while enticing, most often included items my husband could not eat so we passed them up most of the time, which was a bit frustrating for me.
We visited Koya-san as a day trip out of Osaka. While I wanted to stay overnight, my husband did not want to sleep in a temple, so he vetoed that. We felt that the day trip was very doable and while we may have missed the evening and early morning activities, we felt satisfied with the trip there.
Our first stop was Osaka and we spent 3 nights there. (Note - the first night we arrived in time for a quick stroll and bed and one day we took our day trip to Koyasan, so we had about 1 1/2 days there). As we had a month in Japan, we felt the time in Osaka was worthwhile, especially as it was our introduction to Japan.
We left Osaka early for Hiroshima, stopping along the way at Himeji castle. We pre-arranged for a free volunteer guide to meet us at the train station where we easily stored our luggage in lockers (note - we travel with 22 inch rolling suitcases and a light backpack). We enjoyed our few hours together and found the guide to be helpful and informative. We were surprised to learn that the castle was never occupied. It was built only to flee to in the event of an attack on the city, but as the city was so well fortified, it was never needed.
We stayed two nights in Hiroshima. Again, my husband was reluctant to stay in a ryokan, so no need to transfer to Miyajima. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there and considered it one of our highlights, however, we did not feel that we missed any of the sights by returning to Hiroshima that night.
We were less excited by Nara (which is known for its deer park), than by Miyajima which also has deer wandering throughout the town. Perhaps I was expecting more.
I was also a bit disappointed by Kyoto - perhaps because I had expected so much after reading the positive reviews on this forum. This is not to say we did not enjoy our time there (6 days), but we had not expected Kyoto to be such a modern city. There are, however, areas of the city that have wonderful sites - the bamboo forest, the famous tori gates, various temples/shrines and parks.
We spent a day in Yokohama, approximately 55 minutes outside of Tokyo. I argued with my husband that I had read reviews that there was not much there and we should skip it, but I was glad we went. The China town there was the nicest we have been to - very clean with great atmosphere and lots of restaurants. The waterfront was lovely and our day there was exceptional.
Another highlight was our time spent in Kanazawa and Takayama. The fall colors were especially beautiful in Takayama, but both cities were charming and had picturesque bridges and temples.
We had intended to take a day trip to Shiwakawa, but learned that all public buses were reserved well in advance. We decided not to take the day tour which was over $100 per person, but instead chose to visit the Hida Folk village in Takayama, where we would be able to see the same houses. We felt we made an excellent choice as the folk village was exceptional and the location gorgeous with the most beautiful display of fall colors. I highly recommend a visit there. The setting is lovely.
Our day trip to Nikko was another great surprise, but the trip to Kamakura, known for its large Buddha, was a big disappointment, with little more to see than the Buddha.
We found Tokyo to be much like NYC, only a cleaner and more modern version. It was a pleasure throughout Japan, to find that most metro lines had escalators and/or elevators to make life easier.
On another note, we flew Japan airlines on frequent flyer miles. When offered an upgrade to economy plus for $300, I grabbed it, thinking the elevated leg rest and reclining seat which they advertised, would make flying easier. Returning home, I decided to fly economy class (besides, an upgrade was not available). Quite frankly, the comfort of the economy plus seat was not much different from the economy seats which had adequate leg room and a decent seat incline. The food and accommodations were the same. The food was decent and the staff pleasant.
Nov 16th, 2016, 03:40 PM
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The fall colors sound magnificent. I'm glad you had the time to slow down and enjoy much of what the country offers. Japan is one of those places that we have been interested in returning too sooner rather than later.
Nov 18th, 2016, 04:56 PM
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We were surprised at how quiet the people are on trains and buses. Phone conversations are frowned upon and in general, the Japanese people rarely speak on trains, but rather read, text or play games on their cell phones. Trains, subways and buses are emaculate and run on efficiently.
Nov 22nd, 2016, 07:10 AM
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DGUN..hope you know I was referring to the swarm of trolls using Chinese or Korean alphabets...good to see the editors are showing life again.
Happy you Floridians have enjoyed Japan. I'm still kicking but not traveling..hanging up my traveling shoes. Get my vicarious kicks out of helping others with itinerary planning, etc. I have 1000's of pics representing about 85 countries, so I no longer do TR's but rather just send pics.
stu tower
Happy you Floridians have enjoyed Japan. I'm still kicking but not traveling..hanging up my traveling shoes. Get my vicarious kicks out of helping others with itinerary planning, etc. I have 1000's of pics representing about 85 countries, so I no longer do TR's but rather just send pics.
stu tower
Nov 28th, 2016, 11:55 AM
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Hello dgunbug. I'm sorry to barge in like this but I couldn't find a way to send you a PM (like you can on tripadvisor) and I thought you might look in on this TR as you wrote it recently.
I've just read your wonderful and informative TR on south India and you mentioned that you have the contact details of your driver.
I would really appreciate it if you could mail me.
My e-mail is: [email protected]
many thanks,
Riki
I've just read your wonderful and informative TR on south India and you mentioned that you have the contact details of your driver.
I would really appreciate it if you could mail me.
My e-mail is: [email protected]
many thanks,
Riki
