hawaiiantraveler

Mara
The stone Buddhas of Usuki are definitely on a future trip list. Would be nice to have a report beforehand by someone I trust.

Aloha!

hawaiiantraveler

Days 10 & 11

Fukuoka

We stayed up late the last evening enjoying the Ryokan atmosphere after dinner. They serve coffee and tea in the lobby while some of the guests were karaoke singing. It was really fun to watch.

We then took in the mixed rotenburo by ourselves in the light rain as no one wanted to be out at night in the rain but what a pleasant time we had all by ourselves…..

We had breakfast scheduled at 8 the last morning so we could sleep in a little and enjoy a last soak in our ensuite hot bath. It was still raining a bit when we checked out so the attendant brought our car up in front while Linda checked us out at the desk.

Yes, she let me play shogun with my arms crossed as I stood slightly behind her playing the part. Sanga Ryokan takes VISA and cash only, no MC or AMEX. They just started taking VISA in 2011 I was told, I think by JGH in their confirmation email.

As we walked towards the door all of the workers in the immediate area lined up at the front door while the “shoe guards” merrily helped us with our shoes and slippers. Our bags had been put in the trunk of the car and all of the employees bowed and waved sayonara to us as we drove off. We would love to revisit Sanga Ryokan and Kurokawa Onsen someday.

hawaiiantraveler

It was another beautiful drive through the mountain valleys and across the green farmlands as we traveled now down in elevation for the next two hours until we reached the JR Kumamoto train station where we dropped off our rental car and took the shinkansen train for a short 42 minute ride on the Sakura shinkansen to Hakata, the main JR shinkansen train station for the city of Fukuoka.

A little aside on how you return your rental car. I forgot to mention that when you pick up your rental car in Japan, the rental agency would give you a map of approved gas stations usually within 1 kilometer of the agency. You must fill up at one of these stations before you return your car and give them the gas receipt. Don’t forget the receipt!!!

We had been to Fukuoka a few years ago and had wanted to explore a few places in and around our current hotel, The Grand Hyatt Fukuoka and to eat Hakata Ramen from a yatai stand on Nakasu Island right in back of Canal City.

The GH is located in Canal City Hakata, which is a huge shopping complex located smack dab in the middle of the entertainment, eating and shopping venues of Japan’s tenth largest city. The best thing about it was we were staying there for two nights free on points and we were upgraded to a suite upon arrival because of my Hyatt Diamond Membership.

Our two larger bags we sent from the Sheraton Yokohama last week were waiting for us in our suite as we walked in. Linda quickly unpacked us and repacked again packing the things we had picked up along the way and changing her wardrobe for the larger cities we were going to be in and the colder climate the changing season the further north we traveled.

Being attached to a mall is like heaven to Linda so we set out to explore the Japanese indoor mall. The fifth floor consists of the "Ramen Stadium", which has eight ramen restaurants with noodle dishes from across Japan, including the local specialty Hakata Ramen. We decide to have a late lunch here eating in the Hokkaido Ramen restaurant since I am saving the Hakata Ramen for the yatai stalls. I have one with shrimp, sweet pork and vegetables in a shoyu base while Linda has the special Hokkaido crab ramen that has crab and different types of seafood in it. Both of our noodles are also served perfectly “al dente” as all noodle dished are served in Japan. We have yet to be served mushy over-cooked noodles in Japan. The price for this simple yet very filling meal was 1850 yen with tea and water included.

We were supposed to see the live Sumo Tournament happening in Fukuoka this night but opted to stay in the hotel that night relax and have a few free adult cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Hyatt Regency club, then walked around the neighborhood window shopping and seeing the sights of the Fukuoka Saturday nightlife before retiring late for the evening.

We even walked by the yatai stalls and looked and poked around several of them but they were all packed to the gills with locals having a good time eating, drinking and carousing the night away. The stall I wanted to eat at serving the Hakata Ramen had a long waiting line so I guess that will be another reason to come back as the yatai’s would be closed on Sunday night, our last night in town.

hawaiiantraveler

We had breakfast the next morning in the Regency club that was very good. One hot egg entrée and a myriad of vegetables, fruits, cold meats, breads and pastries, along with the Japanese fish, salmon and pickled vegetables with of course the miso soup on the buffet tables.

This Regency Club, like the one in the Hyatt Shinjuku, goes out of their way to please their elite guests. Can’t say that is the case at the Grand Hyatt Roppongi or the Hyatt Osaka’s Regency clubs where they actually make you feel like they are limiting what you take and how much you take of something that of course makes you overtake to spite them and nobody wins with that type of service imo. You go away feeling like you’ve been taken and they go away looking cheap to their best customers.

After a leisurely breakfast we wondered out for a long stroll to the Fukuoka Castle ruins and gardens. It took us about 30 minutes to reach them walking from the hotel as we walked slowly taking in all the sights and sounds of a brilliantly sunny Sunday autumn morning in Fukuoka.

The ruins of Fukuoka Castle are located in the middle of the city in Maizuru Park, named after the castle's alias, Maizuru Castle. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), Fukuoka Castle used to be the largest castle on Kyushu, but it was almost completely torn down after the Meiji Restoration as an unwanted symbol of the feudal past. Nowadays only ruined walls and a few turrets remain, and the park attracts visitors with walking trails and a few lookout points. It does command a decent view of the city and I was hoping the fall colors would be happening in the garden when we got there.

Well we were two weeks too early for the fall colors as it turned out as green was still the predominant color at the garden. We should have been north at Yamadera at this point of our trip but we’ll save that for another time. We stayed maybe ½ hour taking pictures and walking the walls and gardens before walking out to catch the subway to the Meinohama Station and a short walk to the Atago Shrine with its beautiful views over Fukuoka and Hakata Bay.

We then hopped on the subway back towards Canal City to shop the outside shopping dori located about two blocks away. We were looking for used kimonos and found a shop along this dori that sold them but none that Linda wanted. At the end of this dori we found a Shinto Shrine where Sunday services were being held and the Shichi-Go- San rituals were being held.

"Shichi Go San" means "Seven Five Three". Girls of age three and seven and boys of age three and five are celebrated on Shichigosan, and it is prayed for their good health and growth. Shichigosan takes place on November 15 of every year and is not a national holiday. On November 15 or the closest weekend, the young people visit a Shinto Shrine dressed up in kimono. This Sunday happened to be that closest weekend.

Odd numbers are considered lucky numbers. Long candies in bags that are decorated with turtles and cranes are given to the children. The candy, the crane, and the turtle, all symbolize longevity. There are some pictures of the kiddies at that link at the start of this report if you are interested.

Lunch was late and back at that Ramen Stadium for the Hakata Ramen, which is out of this world. The tonkotso base is a thick pork bone soup base that is very tasty and……unique. It should be given a try by all meat lovers. The evening started out again in the Regency Club with a visit to the Jazz bar for a couple of martinis and listening to a Japanese Jazz band who were actually very good and feature a Canadian lady of color who had a beautiful Ella Fitzgerald type voice. Oh, in case any of you where wondering (and I know kuranosuke is lol) a Vodka Martini was 1800 yen in this lounge…..ouch!

eigasuki

Another fabulous HT trip report with heaps of detail and useful tips for newbies and interesting experiences for more frequent visitors to consider.

I'm with Mara - interested in including Yufuin and/or Kurakawa in an upcoming trip but probably won't have time for both, and in any case. I'm not wild about onsen - a little goes a long way. Maybe partly because I'll traveling solo.

thanks for al the tips about renting a car. I think that's thte only way I'd be able to get to Takachiho. Do you think it is worth it as a day trip? I'm still hoping to get to see Aso-san in good weather. maybe this time.

Bad weather has also accompanied me to Fukuoka in the past. And I had a bad expereince with ramen from a yatei in Fukuoka - not fun on the international flights I had next day!

hawaiiantraveler

eigasuki, thank you.

Takachiho is worth the day trip. I wish it wasn't raining when we went I would have loved to row a boat in through that gorge. A car really opens up your options especially in that area and really no traffic to speak of so very easy driving.

Aso-san is worth it and this is from someone who lives on an extinct volcano. Hope the weather is kinder to you on your return visit.

Guess I was lucky to miss that yatai ramen

Aloha!

hawaiiantraveler

Days 12, 13 & 14

Kyoto

Leisurely morning as we have breakfast in the clubroom then head out for an hour stroll through the neighborhood. We check out from the clubroom and taxi over to the JR Hakata station. I forgot to mention that we had taken a taxi from the station to the hotel originally and the first drop of the meter is 550 yen in Fukuoka. The fare to the station was 650 yen in heavy traffic.

We quickly walk over to the JR Reservations office and got reserved seats on the next shinkansen out to Kyoto. Linda bought some bento lunches in the station for our lunch on the train and we headed for the platform to catch our 11:04 shinkansen.

The train arrived exactly on time and we were just sitting down into our seats when I noticed the train moving and leaving the station exactly on time. We transferred in Shin-Osaka with a 6-minute window then the short 14-minute shinkansen to Kyoto Station. For those who have not been to Kyoto Station before, exit towards the Karasuma or north and main exit of the station in order to see the larger and futuristic area of the station where the shopping and food arcades that make up this huge mecca are the best station in all of Japan imho. The station’s futuristic design and atmosphere are a sight to see especially during the Christmas holiday seasons when all the decorations are out and the huge Christmas tree is on display in the long escalator area.

We take the long walk through the station and to the Karasuma exit just to see these sights and stretch our legs a little after our 3-hour train journey. There is the main bus station in front of this exit with the largest taxi stand in Japan (looks like it) just to the right of the station. First drop on the meter in Kyoto is 600 yen and the fare to the Hyatt Regency Kyoto is 660 yen. The Hyatt offers a one-way free taxi rides if you exit from the other Hachijo exit using a certain taxi company.

The check in at the Hyatt front desk is swift. We are staying three nights free on points in one of the busiest times of the year as the koyo (fall colors) season is at its peak in Kyoto as we had hoped it would be. We are pleasantly surprised that although the front desk says they are sold out for rooms through the next two weeks but our room has been upgraded to a deluxe corner king and our luggage we sent from Fukuoka is already waiting for us there in our room. We get ourselves sorted out and walk out the front doors and up the hillside to check out the fall foliage of Kiyomizudera.
From the pamphlet - Kiyomizudera is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto, and derives its name from the fall's pure waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Kiyomizudera is best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13 meters above the hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees below that erupt in a sea of color in spring and fall, as well as of the city of Kyoto in the distance. The main hall, which together with the stage was built without the use of nails, houses the temple's primary object of worship, a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon.

Behind Kiyomizudera's main hall stands Jishu Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking. In front of the shrine are two stones, placed 18 meters apart. Successfully finding your way from one to the other with your eyes closed is said to bring luck in finding love. You can also have someone guide you from one stone to the other, but that is interpreted to mean that an intermediary will be needed in your love life as well.

The Otowa Waterfall is located at the base of Kiyomizudera's main hall. Its waters are divided into three separate streams, and visitors use cups attached to long poles to drink from them. Each stream's water is said to have a different benefit, namely to cause longevity, success at school and a fortunate love life. However, drinking from all three streams is considered greedy…..go figure.
The colors here are about 80% today and in a few days will be at its peak so the crowds are pretty intense. Also at this time of day lots of people wait for the sunset shots and there is light illumination during the fall evenings at the temple so beware of the crowds. We get some pretty nice shots and then proceed downhill on the busy lanes in the Higashiyama district.

The many shops and restaurants in the area have been catering to tourists and pilgrims for centuries, and products on sale range from local specialties such as Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, sweets and pickles to the standard set of souvenirs. We make it back to the Hyatt just in time for happy hour. The Hyatt Kyoto has a happy hour from 5:00 to 7:00pm every evening and serves drinks at 50% off. They only do this at the lovely Touzan Bar downstairs. They make some amazing cocktails there and their ice carvings are very interesting. For example, they chisel out a round ball of ice and put it in a glass with a shot of scotch in it. The ice barely touches the scotch but keeps is just cool enough to not take away from the flavor……you gotta see it,lol. Dinner this night is room service, yah!! Linda has the Japanese dinner that has everything from soup and salad with a salmon entrée and dessert while I get the Spaghetti Bolognese……5100 yen, wow.

hawaiiantraveler

The next morning and every morning in Kyoto we had the breakfast in The Grill restaurant on the lobby level. As Diamond members we have a choice of the ample buffet or anything off the menu for free. The buffet is very good so we eat it for 2 out of the three mornings and have a custom breakfast on our last day.

After breakfast this first morning in Kyoto we are off to two sights for hopefully some nice fall color viewing. The two sights are one train stops apart from each other just south of Kyoto station on the local JR Nara line. The first stop was the Tofukuji Temple located on the first stop out of Kyoto station about a two-minute train ride using our JR Pass.

Tofukuji is a large Zen temple in southeastern Kyoto that is particularly famous for its spectacular autumn colors. The temple was founded in 1236 at the behest of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Its name is a combination of the names of two great temples in Nara that were also associated with the Fujiwara, Todaiji Temple and Kofukuji Temple. Tofukuji has historically been one of the principal Zen temples in Kyoto, and is a head temple of one of the schools of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism.

In autumn, tourists come from all over Japan to see Tofukuji's autumn colors. The most popular view is of the Tsutenkyo Bridge, which spans a valley of lush maple trees. You can see this little valley and more pictures of Tofukuji in my picture thread link above. The view from the bridge is equally spectacular, and the 100 meter long, covered walkway becomes extremely crowded when the colors reach their peak, usually around mid to late November as witnessed by the crowds in our pictures. There is a 400-yen admission to the Tsutenkyo Bridge and Kaisando Hall, and 400 yen to the Hojo and gardens. All the other venues are free and open all year.

We spent a good two hours here taking pictures and seeing the sights then went back to the train station for another short two minute ride to the very next station down the line at Inari. Here across the street from the JR Inari station is where the Fushimi Inari Shrine is located. We have been here before on a trip through Kyoto several years ago and were reminded of the place by a trip report done earlier in 2011 by fodorites Kristina. There are lots of pictures of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in the link above.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto and one of Southern Kyoto’s most beautiful attractions. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. These shrines are impressive to see and many donors have bought and paid for these shrines.

Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794.

While the primary reason most foreign visitors come to Fushimi Inari Shrine is to explore the mountain trails, the shrine buildings themselves are also attractive and worth a visit. At the shrine's entrance stands the Romon Gate, which was donated in 1589 by the famous leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Behind stand the shrine's main building (Honden) and various auxiliary buildings.

At the very back of the shrine's main grounds is the entrance to the torii gate covered hiking trail, which starts with two dense, parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"). The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. The cost starts around 400,000 yen for a small sized gate and increases to over one million yen for a large gate. Linda and I slowly climbed up and up this path past the little lake and up till the lookout. There we rested and I decided (like I did last time) that we did not have enough time or the desire to make it to the top.

Going downhill was a lot easier and faster and we were in the town of Inari in no time. Inari sushi happens to be one of HT’s favorite sushi and this is the town to eat it in as it is served in different recipes virtually everywhere in town. We picked a little family restaurant in the first floor of a family’s house to eat a simple yet satisfying lunch. I had an oyaku-donburi while Linda had the Shoyu ramen with pork and would both shared a side of gyoza and a plate of ten little inari shushi. This little simple lunch was one of the best I’ve had in Japan and cost us 2280 yen with and expensive diet coke and free hot green tea.

We walked the little town of Inari for about an hour shopping in the little shops across the train tracks and just sticking our noses around then headed back on the train for the short ride back to Kyoto station. There we picked up a taxi at the front of the station and headed for Sanjo Dori and walked all around revising our favorite stores and finding new ones. We finally made took a taxi from there back to the Hyatt just in time to freshen up for Happy hour and dinner in the hotel at The Trattoria Sette which is a very good but overpriced Italian restaurant on the Hyatt premises.

Don’t think I mentioned this but at check-in the front desk gave us a 30% off certificate good for any restaurant, bar and room service menus in the Hyatt as a thank you and I guess promotion of some sort that I did not understand but welcomed all the same. We used that coupon on our room service orders, happy hour bar bills and this dinner at the Trattoria Sette. Really came in handy and helped level that “expensive Japan” feeling you can get staying in a hotel like this one in what I consider Japan’s most expensive city.

hawaiiantraveler

We were up early the next morning and after a quick breakfast, off to the JR Kyoto station and a quick ride to Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a cozy little town that lies northwest of Kyoto about 15 minutes by train to the Saga-Arashiyama station on the JR Sagano line. This little town has been a popular cherry blossom and fall color destination for hundreds of years all the way back to the late 8th century. Tourists from all over Japan come to this lazy little town twice a year in droves during the months of April and November.

The Togetsukyo Bridge is Arashiyama's well-known, central landmark. Many small shops, restaurants and other attractions are found nearby, including Tenryuji Temple, Arashiyama’s famous bamboo groves and pleasure boats that are available for rent on the river.

We have been here three times before twice during the cherry blossoms and last year during the koyo season so we knew what we wanted to see and where and when to see them. We know that if you get to this little town around 8:30 am in the busy season, you will be ahead of the massive crowds that start arriving in full force about 9:30. You can head straight to the Tenryuji Temple area for sightseeing as it opens at 8:30. Then make your way through the back streets and on to Todetsukyo Bridge and the Hozugawa before the crowds arrive. That way you are assured to beat the crowds and experience most of the sights and sounds of this little town before the crowds arrive and arrive they will rain or shine.

We headed to the Tenryuji Temple first for it’s fall colors and weren’t disappointed. The season here was just about at its peak and lots of reds and yellows everywhere. You can see pictures in that link in the beginning of this thread. Tenryuji Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism in Kyoto; it's also considered one of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples. Tenryu-ji was founded in 1334, but the current buildings all date from the last century: pleasant, but unremarkable. However, there is a lovely garden and pond, designed by the Zen master Musō Soseki, which is worth a look - and well worth taking a leisurely stroll around. There is a 600-yen admission fee to go into the temple but we are not here for that today as we are just interested in the scenery.

We spend some time here then walk over to the Togetsukyo Bridge and walk the kilometer up the side of the river and enjoy the beautiful fall colors and magnificent scenery. After a long walk we head back towards the main bridge. It is almost 11:00 now and the bridge we see is filled with tourists. The traffic police are now out and directing car and people traffic through the narrow-now crowded streets of this small town. Shops are now swollen with tourists buying, eating, and browsing so we join in the fun for a few minutes before making our way against the flow of new visitors now coming to these main attractions back towards the train station just after 12 noon.

There are a few people waiting on the platforms headed back to Kyoto but nothing compared to the hundreds that will be there from about 3:30-6:00 pm. Bottom line is to go and leave early to avoid the crowds.

We were back in Kyoto Station in no time so decided to have lunch in our favorite little pizza place who’s name is escaping me right now. You have to go out into the hall area of the station and up to the top of the long escalators to the tenth floor. Get off of the escalators and turn left and walk into that side of the doors. Turn left again and you will walk past a Tempura Restaurant, Chinese restaurant…..well walk until you see the only Italian Pizza place on the right hand side of the hall. I think the name start with an San….. anyway its been there in Kyoto since the 1970’s. Great handmade pizzas with fresca toppings and good homemade desserts for a very good price.

At lunchtime you might have to wait outside in line for a bit but worth the wait. They have English menus inside and all the wait help is younger (likely to still remember their mandatory school English lessons). They also have set meals here and daily specials so ask. After lunch it was shopping lots of walking because Linda knew this was her last day in Kyoto so for the next few hours we spent right there at the station mulling through the many floors of the Isetan store and the Porta underground mall with its over 100 stores under the station and parking lot areas.

Then attached is the Cube Shopping mall so as I said after a couple of hours we catch a taxi back to the Hyatt for a brief rest and refresh before that 5:00 happy hour in the Touzan Bar which was calling me all the way from the shopping mall.

Later on we took a taxi into the Gion area and walk Shoji street at night down the Pontocho and finally ending up at a Japanese Tempura restaurant with no English menus but lots of pictures in their menu. We ordered the deluxe mix, which included all types of vegetables imaginable deep fried tempura style with these huge shrimps and crab legs tempura style. They only had beer and sake so a nice dai ginjo it was for us along with this meal. Green tea of course was also served. We had chocolate cake and ice cream from Hokkaido that was fantastic. Price for this sumptuous meal was 7800 yen. We got back to the hotel after 11:00 but did not have an early start planned tomorrow. We leave for Hakone in the morning……Thanksgiving morning.

hawaiiantraveler

Day 15

Hakone

We again were up a little early this fine Thanksgiving Thursday morning. Well no Thanksgiving in Japan, just another Thursday, no matter. I had a custom eggs benedict breakfast this morning while Linda enjoyed a full Japanese breakfast that runs for 4900 yen on the menu for free…..gotta love that membership status at large hotel chains. We enjoyed our breakfast a little longer there in the restaurant this morning as the regular waiters and waitresses bid us a fond farewell and pleasant journey. We have made some friends of a few of the wait staff at the Touzan Bar, Trattoria Sette and this Grill Restaurant over the past three years and actually felt sad to be leaving this time.

When we got back to the room I called the bell desk to send our luggage via the Takuhaibin service to our hotel in Tokyo. We were sending three bags this time and taking only one carry on to our next destination the Hyatt Regency Hakone. Check out was a breeze and we had a small bill with our room service, food and beverage bill + tax. The three nights had been free on points, 54,000 to be exact or 18,000 per night. Very good when you consider this hotel will charge you an average of 62000 yen per night during this time of the year and our upgraded room would near the 80000 yen per night mark. Good use of points imho, lol.

We did take a taxi (did I mention that Kyoto taxis starting fare drop is 600 yen) to the “shinkansen side” of the JR Kyoto station and after a short wait at the station buying some quick snacks for on the train we are off on a 2 ½ hour bullet train ride to Odawara station and our start of our overnight in Hakone at the Hyatt Hakone in Gora.

A little about transport around and arriving in Hakone (Odawara) via shinkansen.

If you are arriving via the shinkansen train from either Tokyo or Kyoto your first stop will be the JR Odawara Station. At the Odawara station you will have the option of either a train, bus, taxi or walk to your hotel or Ryokan in the Hakone Region.
The area that is Hakone covers a mountainous region with several small towns, among which Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi at the shores of Lake Ashi and the hot spring town of Hakone-Yumoto are the region's main transportation hubs.

The Odakyu Company runs the main public transport systems in the Hakone region. A reliable network of buses, trains, cable cars, ropeways and sightseeing boats makes Hakone a great place to be explored by public transportation. The best pass to do so is Odakyu's Hakone Free Pass, which gives you unlimited use of all Odakyu affiliated trains, buses, boats, cable cars and ropeways. If you are seeing the whole area for a couple of or more days and don’t have a rent a car then the Hakone Free Pass is the way to go. There are two and three-day passes and if you don’t need the transport to and from Tokyo the cost is 3,900 and 4,400 yen respectively. If you need the transport to and from Shinjuku station in Tokyo the costs are 5,000 and 5,500 yen respectively. The Hakone Free Pass can also be used for discounted admission to museums and other venues along with food discounts at restaurants all throughout the Hakone region. You can buy the pass upon arrival in Odawara or in Tokyo or at any travel agent in Japan.

All that said we did not need a pass as we were staying only one night and heading straight to Gora and the Hyatt Regency in Gora. If you don’t need a pass you can buy a ticket from a ticket vending machine at the station. Check the fare chart and buy your ticket by paying the fare required to get to your destination. If you later are in a smaller town like Miyanoshita and in the case of an unstaffed station without ticket vending machines, be sure to remember the name of the station where you got on. If you get on at an unstaffed station without ticket vending machines, buy a ticket from the conductor, stating both the name of the station where you got on and your destination. Otherwise, state the name of the station where you got on and pay the fare adjustment at the ticket counter of the station where you get off (or pay the conductor, if you are getting off at an unstaffed station).

The train ride up to the Hyatt in Gora is beautiful with two switchbacks as this small narrow gauge train chugs up and up and through the mountains till you reach the end of the line at Gora. From Gora you switch to a cable car that takes you up the mountain till the second to the last stop at Kami-Gora, about an eight-minute assent. You walk off the car and walk about a 300 meters downhill (steep) and you will run into the Hyatt Regency Gora on the right. I absolutely love this Hyatt and it may be our favorite in all Japan (and we have been to all the Hyatt properties in Japan). Did I mention they have a huge Onsen in their basement?

We did have a late lunch at one of the two little Japanese restaurants in Gora. One (the one we always go to) was closed this day, don’t know why, so we walked a few steps around the corner to the line in front of the only other restaurant to eat at near the train station. There are other restaurants in Gora but up and down the hill, which would require a long walk or a taxi.

Both restaurants look like they don’t have English menus as they are very small but they both do have English menus and serve ramen and udon noodles along with a variety of other Japanese comfort foods such as gyu don, oyako don, eel, tempura, cold somen salads, a fish of the day and the likes. Each dish averages about 650 yen with the gyu don, shrimp, eel and sakana dishes costing a little more. I love to eat in these little hole in the wall places in Japan, always a special treat for us. After this hearty late lunch we head up to the Hyatt to check in and relax and a long soak in the Onsen ahhhhhhhh.

We are upgraded to a suite because of my Diamond status at check in. The usual cost of this suite is close to $600.00 US but is free on points for our overnight visit at 18,000 points. This is our fourth stay at this Hyatt so we are very familiar with the sights of Hakone and have no need to do the loop or visit any museums or hot springs. We are here to chill out and relax in the mountains with a little luxury; lots of fab scenery, a fire place at night and of course the Onsen.

This Hyatt features a happy hour in their large fireplace room from 4:00 to 7:00 every evening. Free pour wine, beer and champagne along with all soft drinks are served liberally for all hotel guests. There is a bar menu consisting of everything from soup and sandwiches to steaks, fish and pasta. A Serrano ham is also on display next to the bar for the tasting. There is a French restaurant adjacent to the Japanese fish bar on the same level that we have eaten at twice before. Breakfasts are served in this venue every morning. The food is very good but the prices are very high as you are the “captured audience” here high in the mountains of Gora. There are other places around in the vicinity but a taxi would be required at night and you would be only going to another Ryokan or hotel to eat as all local establishments in this little town close when the sun goes down.

The suites are huge and very luxurious. Check their website to see the pictures, fabulous. We have always been upgraded at this hotel in our four previous stays, twice as Platinum member and the other two at Diamond so don’t be afraid to ask at check in for an upgrade. At Platinum level I would have to ask for the upgrade at check in while at Diamond level they just inform you that you’ve been upgraded when you are checking in.

So after a long day and night in this marvelous place we are anxious to take on Tokyo again the next morning and meet up with fellow Fodorites in a Tokyo GTG, this time in Shinjuku at my favorite little restaurant Le Coup Chou. Mara and mrwunrfl will meet up with us at the GTG and we can’t wait.

hawaiiantraveler

Days 16, 17, 18 & 19

Tokyo

We got up late this morning and took a long soak in the Onsen before heading down to breakfast. The Hyatt serves a large buffet breakfast and also have a menu if you want to order Ala Carte. Diamond membership entitles you to free breakfast so after weighing our options we decide to go for the fabulous buffet. Breakfast buffets are usually overkill in Japan serving so many different kinds of food you can never eat or try them all…….well. The more luxurious the hotel is, the more luxurious the buffet is. Well the Hyatt Regency Hakone has a luxurious breakfast buffet and I feel so inadequate right now because I never found out how much it was. I think I remember 3900 yen somewhere but of this I cannot be sure because we got no bill, lol. Eggs and omelets done anyway you want and sideways, fresh green salads with a myriad of greens to choose from. Breakfast meats, ham, sausages, bacon (crispy or half done), salmon, smoked trout and myriad of Japanese pickled vegetables and condiments, French toast made fresh with so many fruits to choose from and of course the miso soup and almost forgot a fresh sushi bar with two sushi chefs taking your orders to later have delivered to your table.

Needless to say we waddled out of the restaurant and headed back to the room to gather up everything to check out. Check out was a breeze but we were a little early for the first shuttle van to the train station so had the front desk call us a taxi, first drop flag was 660 yen…..getting close to Tokyo’s prices.

We made the next train by the hairs of our chiny chin chin and leisurely enjoyed our mountain train ride down the valley now ablaze in fall colors, through the switchbacks and on to Hakone-Yumoto then to Odawara station and our shinkansen ride into Tokyo.

One of my favorite things to do in Japan is to stand on the waiting shinkansen platform in the JR Odawara station and watch as a Nozomi or Hikari shinkansen roars through this station at top speed. The sound is tremendous and the wind vacuum created by the speeding train draws you into train a bit, an awesome experience. Not all shinkansen stop at Odawara and it is very close to Tokyo thus the heavy shinkansen train traffic especially weekdays mornings and rush hour afternoons, so if you are early for your train one day at Odawara, be sure to check this out.

We transferred off the shinkansen and on to the JR Yamanote line at Shinagawa station in Tokyo and headed to our final destination Shinjuku, Tokyo. We were on our final day of our 14-day JR Pass so we got to use it to the last travel day as planned. From the Shinjuku station we hopped aboard the free Hyatt Regency shuttle outside of the station and in ten minutes were at the front door of our next hotel for two nights the Hyatt Regency Tokyo……our Tokyo home.

We have been to this Hyatt many times and I have written about it many times before so I won’t repeat that <b>I like this hotel.</b> We check into the hotel on the 9th floor in the private Regency Club check in. I had wanted a suite and the only way I can get one at a reasonable price is to use one of my Diamond Suite upgrades which requires you to pay for the least expensive room I can find then ask for my upgrade when booking. The cheapest room started at 23,100 yen when I first made the reservation in February of 2011. Checking online daily I was able to get a super savers rate of 13,700 yen per night offered sometime in September and that was the best deal we found which for a suite in Tokyo is a steal. The suite also of course includes the Regency Club access and in this Regency club they have free breakfasts from 7:00 till 10:00am followed by tea and cookies from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm. Free pour open bar with heavy, heavy hors duevres self serve or they will serve you from 5:00 till 8:00 then finally tea and desserts from 8:00 till 10:00 pm. I like this place…..can you tell?

As we enter our suite we are greeted by a welcome gift from the manager. A large plate of exotic fruits and chocolates with a nice bottle of red wine that we know we will use sometime during our stay. We unpack and unwind then get ready to meet Bill (mrwunrfl) and Mara (Mara) in the Regency Club to start the 2011 Fodor’s Tokyo GTG.

hawaiiantraveler

We were first in the lounge followed shortly by mrwurfl. We haven't seen Bill since the LA GTG a few years back so we catch up and have a few cocktails then realized that Mara was late. No sooner as I was calling her on the phone that the club door opened and in walked Mara escorted by the hotel staff. We all talk for a while having more adult beverages as Mara is parched after walking throughout Shinjuku looking for the hotel. My fault as I left her instructions for the shuttle too late as she had already left her room, ooops.

After a little bit we walk down to the restaurant a few blocks away. The restaurant is Le Coup Chou, a little French-Japanese place we have been coming to since our first trip to Japan. It is a busy Friday evening at LCC but we have reservations and are seated promptly by the owner and manager Sugitasan. We exchange pleasantries and then are given the brand new menus which are printed in Japanese and French only. We have been use to the old menu that we knew so well but now the new one......so we all start the deciphering and with Sugitasan's help manage to order a decent meal with desserts. Bill's dessert order got "Lost in Translation" but other than that we all had a really good time. I really love to meet old and new friends while traveling and Fodor's has proven to be a good venue for that and I am grateful.

Sidenote: I wasn't going to mention this but I can feel Bill sitting up in his chair in LA all the way over in Hawaii lol. Well HT(I'll speak about this in third person) got us lost on the way back to the hotel after from dropping off Mara at the Shinjuku train station. I made a wrong turn (actually thought I was half a block in the other direction or was it all the alcohol I had consumed)on the walk back and turned a 15 minute walk into a 45 minute tour of a very cold Shinjuku Friday evening.......oh well we got a tour of somewhere in Shinjuku I had never been before

simpsonc510

HT, I can tell from your reporting just how much you and Linda love to visit Japan for the fall colors. Will we ever get you back to BKK???

Mara

lol....ht, you guys got lost on your way back and I got lost on my way there.....did so enjoy meeting all of you - ht, Linda and mrwunrfl - and a delicious dinner at Le Coup Chou. This trip was special for me as I met a bunch of people - online friends and ones that had moved back to Japan - which is not my usual m.o. and it made for a really fun Japan visit!

hawaiiantraveler

Carol, We will be shadowing the movements of a couple from Boston next fall in China and partly in Thailand. The BKK part for us is planned for 10/31-11-10 or so.

Mara, yes HT got us lost but luckily Mrs HT and Bill still had use of their senses. I told them we should have taken a taxi.....

simpsonc510

I am going to "TRY TO" be in BKK at that time (maybe 10/17 to about 11/02) so would be nice to have a GTG in my fave city!

hawaiiantraveler

Too early in the morning here,
that should be 10/31 to 11/10
and the word should be <i>stalking</i> not shadowing.

Aloha!

hawaiiantraveler

Must have been typing at the same time.

Yes Carol that would be cool to finally GTG in BKK......pizza at Via Vai?

hawaiiantraveler

Finishing up finally…..

The next morning we woke a bit later than usual and had breakfast in the club lounge. Mrwunrfl was there and we talked of what we were going to do that day and our plans for the rest of our trips. After a leisurely breakfast we said our goodbyes as we left the clubroom and Linda and I headed off for the subway and a day of shopping in the Ueno area mostly at Ameyoko for bags of seafood snacks of all varieties on sale here. Everyone but me loves seafood in Hawaii so a lot of gifts are bought here at Ameyoko-cho for our friends and family back home. Bill headed off to find some fresh sushi.

The final two nights of our trip we decided to switched hotels and stayed at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, which is, located right up the street from the Hyatt in Shinjuku. We had never stayed at the PH in all of our previous trips to Japan and decided to try it to see if all the positive hype and reviews about the place as being one of the best places to stay at in Tokyo were true. Well we have now been there and I can tell you from experience that with a resounding YES, they are.

We arrived at the Park Hyatt’s front entrance just after 3:00 pm after a two-minute taxi ride from the Hyatt Tokyo. A phalanx of door people (both men and women) besieged upon the taxi and all doors and trunks were opened simultaneously and we were welcomed by the head doorman and assistant who would become our personal assistant showing us up to the elevator to our ride up to the check in lobby located on the 41st floor of the 52 story building, one of Tokyo’s tallest. I remember looking up at the top of the building as we drove up and thinking that this would be a terrible time for an earthquake…don’t know what made me think of that right then…..
At the check in desk you are asked to seat at a private reception table and leisurely checked in then your assistant shows you to your suite. We used 22,000 Hyatt points per night so our stay was free except for taxes and our dinner and drinks we had at the Peak bar and the New York grill.

We were given an upgraded park view king room at check in due to our diamond status. The normal charge for this room is right around $750.00 US per night. The regular rooms start at about $500.00 per night but you can check their site daily and Hyatt does come out with super saver specials at several times during the year that can save you up to 30% or more at times but usually will call for a pre payment which is not refundable. Our room was a 60-square meter corner room with a beautiful view of Yoyogi and Shinjuku parks with a morning and evening views of Mt. Fuji in the distance. The linens were made of Egyptian cotton, so soft, with marble and granite accents in the bathroom and the unique artwork really made it a nice place to stay.

Our dinner at the New York bar and grill was pleasant but expensive and in hindsight we should have stayed at the bar downstairs on the 41st floor and had dinner there. The food is outstanding and the views, though not as long as the 52nd floor are essentially the same view as we found out the second evening when we had dinner there.

Dinner for two at the NY, which for us included two entrees, one a NY steak and the other the lobster and shrimp special, along with three cocktails (me two and L 1) and dessert(2) set us back 29,100 yen or about $380.00 US. The food was fantastic, the service was impeccable and the views were ok but for that price…..well that is what Tokyo is famous for and as I said in hindsight….well you only live once.

We also enjoyed a full day in Showa Kinen Koen (Park) a short train ride outside of Tokyo. Showa Kinen Koen, a huge city park that was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Showa. The park is located right across the street from the Nishi- Tachikawa Station (30 minutes out from Shinjuku along the JR Chuo Line). The park is seriously huge and includes several sports fields, barbeque pits, a boating pond, a kiddie pool playground area(which was closed for winter)and several gardens of which the Japanese garden with its iron crossing bridges is another must see. That tea house across the pond in the Japanese garden is a sight to see in the koyo time of year.

Another one of the highlights of Showa Kinen Koen are the more than 100 ginkgo trees that line the fountain and canals around the Tachikawa entrance gate which was our first destination after we rented our bicycles for 400 yen per person for three hours. As I mentioned before this park is HUGE and since we were here before we knew that the bikes would come in handy and allow you to see so much more of the park. Even with our rental bikes it would take you a good 20 minutes to ride from one end of the park to the other although most of it is level ground…...I said most of it
We spent a good 5 hours there at the park turning in our bikes after three hours and exploring the area around the bike stand and having a quick snack/lunch of simple noodles, soup and sodas found at a small snack shop in the park.

Out of all the parks and venues we have been to in Tokyo for koyo and sakura viewing, we find that the Showa Kinen Koen is the best place to see the fall colors and the cherry blossoms(well tied with Ueno Park).

Well that's about it, thanks for reading and your patience. Our next adventure into Asia should be in the fall of 2012 with Shanghai and environs coupled with a return to Bangkok and one other place that I haven’t nailed down yet but will shortly. We hope to be meeting up with another Fodorite or two along the way again this time.....maybe tag along for a while.....

Aloha!

DonTopaz

Just seeing for the first time .... superb report with great details, as usual, hawaiiantraveler. Terrific to read about places that are familiar and places that aren't (but will go on the "find out about" list).

Not sure if one of your favorite Gora restaurants is the Ton-katsu joint that's midway on a street that connects Gora Park to the town center. Definitely a keeper.

And who knew that Cabbages & Condoms was an international chain? I've enjoyed meals at the Bangkok one (especially convenient when staying in the Sukhumvit area), but have never been to any others.