My 6 day Tokyo Travel Diary

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Tokyo Midnight (Day 1)

It was a very early morning flight. I arrived at the airport having not slept a wink the night before.  Though the flight was short, to me, there is no better time killer on board a flight than sleep .

Upon checking in, the lady just behind the counter asked if I would mind volunteering to take a flight two hour later. Apparently, there was a technical glitch with their ticketing system and the flight was overbooked. Presumably to pacify some really irate passengers, they were looking for volunteers to take a later flight. In return, they would upgrade the volunteers to a better airline and a US$300 air ticket voucher. As I was not in a hurry at all, I volunteered, thinking getting paid US$300 for two hours of doing nothing is a good deal.

After a complimentary breakfast, I returned to the ticketing counter to find that another passenger, a lone traveler from Japan had volunteered for the later flight too. We got our tickets and went separate ways.

The flight was pretty much uneventful. I slept pretty much throughout and arrived at Narita Airport feeling refreshed to start my adventure. I bought a coach ticket for about US$15 to  Ikebukuro, where my hotel is.

My first impression of Tokyo was from the bus. The futuristic design of the city, the cleanliness and courtesy of the drivers gave a favourable impression. Everything seems so well organised and everyone seems so polite.

My friend who booked the hotel for me claimed that my hotel was just five mins walk from the drop off point. With the help of two passerbys, we still cant find it after even half an hour! Though I was quite upset in not being able to locate my hotel, I was delighted with the helpfulness of the two passerbys that rendered assistance. Though they dont speak a word of English, they tried their best to help. One of them even accompanied me to look for the hotel. As I was quite convinced that I was very near the hotel, I resisted the idea of hailing  a cab. I gave up soon and flagged a cab, only to have the cabby tell me my hotel was just behind me. Oh well~

I quickly dropped off my bags and proceeded to meet Alice for dinner. The directions she gave was extremely clear. Despite the maze of multiple train networks in Tokyo, I didnt missed a beat and arrived at the station just 10 mins late of our appointed time.

I looked around only to find her watching TV on her mobile while waiting for me. We went to a yakitori restaurant, which she said was one of the best in town. Japanese BBQ, I love it ! It was a small cosy little restaurant in the suburb. A long queue had already formed by the time we arrived. After a good 40 mins wait, we finally got a table. This is how popular the restaurant is.

Here you go. My first meal in Japan and well worth the wait:

For those of you interested, the restaurant is at Nakameguro. I highly recommend this place if you are into very local and authentic Japanese food in Tokyo. Maybe I was hungry, but I found the food to be fantastic.








Check out their web site here:

http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/rstdtl/13003193/

Too bad its in Japanese but I guess you can print it out and show it to the taxi driver?

After having our fill, (I think we easily ate thirty sticks of those BBQ stuff) we took the subway and headed off to Roppongi Hills, a nice stretch in Tokyo, much like Huai Hai Road in Shanghai. There is a good mix of shopping centers, bars, restauarants and entertainment area there.

We spent a bit of time at Hard Rock Cafe and a trendy book store there before doing some quick shopping.

From there, I could see Tokyo Tower (left). Alice recommended me to pay a visit there if time permits.


Nearing to midnight, we decided to call it a day and caught the last train back.

Though the night was short, I had a great time catching up with Alice and we updated each other on our latest developments in our lives. She gave me some additional recommendations on where to go for the next few days too.

Day 1 in Japan and I like it!

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Day 2

I woke up close to noon and met Eileen, another friend from Shanghai who have been in Tokyo for two years. During lunch, we decided visit Harajuku and also the historic town of Yokohama. Disneyland did crossed our mind but we thought that it would be tough getting back by evening time as she had something else on.

Harajuku, is the center of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles. It is an area very popular with the young and the young at heart. Those interested in cosplay (short form for costume play) would gather in a park nearby to relive their favorite cartoon fantasy role. If you are nice to them, they would allow you to take pictures with/of them


Straight out of the metro station, is a street lined with rows and rows of shops selling accessories for ladies and little knit-knacks. Being on a weekend, it was very crowded and packed with human traffic the whole length of the narrow street! (see pic).

The crowd is there mainly for two reasons. Firstly to see whats the latest in fashion and maybe do some shopping with the other being there to see the latest cosplay and street dancing. Oh yes. Catch the Lotteria burger there after a long day of shopping. They serve some very good burgers. I know its a nation wide chain but its the only one I saw so far.


After spending after two hours there, we took a forty minute train ride to Yokohama.

Yokohama is one of the very few cities in Japan with a diverse multicultural population. Since 1853, this port city has come into contact with many foreign countries for trade. As a result, it has become a multicultural city with multicultural attractions including multicultural festivals and events.


It is perhaps most famous for Chinatown. I did a quick tour of Chinatown to find plenty Chinese food and mainland Chinese working there. For instance, when I wanted to buy an ice cup from a shop that looked very local, the server at the counter couldn't figure out what I want and he asked if I understood Mandarin. As it turned out, the whole shop is ran by Chinese from different provinces.

We spent quite a few hours there and I thoroughly enjoyed the many historical sights within this small little town as well as many of the little eateries along the way.

For those of you visiting Tokyo for the first time, do add Yokohama onto your list for a side trip. Not only does Yokohama provides great subjects for photography, there is also an international fanfare of food choices, Yokohama style, shopping and various historical spots to visit.

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Tokyo Midnight - Odaibah (Day 3)

For Day 3, I had wanted to visit the famed Tsujiki fish market. In the fish market, one can see first hand how fresh fish are auctioned and traded daily. By default, the shops  and restaurant near the market get the freshest catch of the day too.

Activities starts as early as 430 am each day. To catch the action, one is recommended to be there as early as from 530 am to 6 am according to Alice. I have never been an early bird. Needless to say, I woke up near to eleven am and never made it to the fish market.

I decided to head to Odaiba,  a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1800s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area.


If you are interested in cars like me, both Shell and Toyota have museums there. There is also a giant Toyota showroom there showing casing all the latest models and technology. The showroom is easy to spot. Just where the giant Ferris wheel is.


Shopping wise, there are plenty of megamalls there including one, Venus Shopping Center specially targeting ladies. In the mall, it came to my realisation that there are sudden a  lot of dogs on lease in the mall itself. I soon discovered that there is very a giant pet center in the mall where owners can bring their dogs there for grooming, games and gourmet dog meals! I had a great time playing with some of the dogs there.



Fuji TV station is also there. For those that is interested in understanding how a Japanese TV station operates, it open to the public with free access to many sections of it.Near the TV station, there is an ongoing carnival there almost whole year round.



Love to swim ? Of course theres a beach there by virtue of this being a man made island. Yeah, Obadiah is much an entertainment island. Do make a trip there if you are ever in Tokyo.

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Tokyo Midnight - Hakone (Day 4)

Day 3 was suppose to be the hightlight of my trip. On this day, both Alice and Eileen had to work and I had the whole day to myself to explore one of the most lovely natural sites in Tokyo, Hakone National Park. In addition to being one of the better vantage point to view Mt Fuji, Hakone sports a beautiful lake, some great trekking sites as well as many natural spas.

If you are heading to Hakone from Tokyo by train, always get a Hakone Free Pass from the departing train station as the free pass gives you access to many stations enroute to Hakone at a hugely discounted rate. I got my at Shinjuku station which is my departing station. There are volunteers well versed in various languages at the free pass ticketing booth which gives good recommendations on how to maximise your trip there. If you plan to spend more than a day there, it might be worthwhile to double check your itinerary with them before departing.

From Shinjuku station, the train journey is about 90 mins.I didn't wait long for the train (12 mins to be exact).  I found a seat in a cosy corner and started to read a book. Half way through the journey, I answered a phone call. Sensing that I speak English, two fellow travelers, Giovanni and Eli, from opposite the aisle chatted with me after I hunged up. Giovanni is an Italian working in Holland whereas Eli is an Aussie.

We chatted about our plans for the day. Apparently, the duo just came in from Kyoto and is intending to spend a few days in Hakone. Like me, its their first trip to Japan and they too find Japan overwhelming but exciting.

They intend to visit Odawara Castle at one of the the transit station and invited me to join them. I agreed as I wasnt in too much of a hurry.

Thats the best part of traveling ! Making new friends and exploring new places impromptu!

Alighting from the train, in the fifteen min walk to the castle, I liked the town immediately. There is nothing glamorous about the small town but there is a very cosy feel to it. Being away from Tokyo, it has a less overwhelming feel to it.I made a mental note to myself to visit the town on my way back.

A pic of the palace and my new found friend, Eli just in front of the castle:



On the train, we discussed that we would split ways in Souza as our destinations and plans for the day was different. We exchanged details, shook hands and parted ways. I saw many small inns at Souza. Many tourists on a much slower pace like to book the inns for some rest and relax before proceeding their next leg of the journey to Mount Fuji.



I went up a hill on a cable tram before taking a cable car to the lake. You are guaranteed some fantastic sights once you are on the cable car. There are active sulphur pits just below too:



When I reached the final station, I walked around and Hankone and absolutely fell in love with the fresh air, serenity and scenic lakeside. I like the place so much that without having second thoughts, I decided to trek around the area. The path was well manicured and impossible to get lost.

Nearing to 5 pm, I stopped the trekking and thought that I might miss the ferry which is heading back to the train station. I ran towards to pier and true enough, I was ten minutes away from missing the last ferry out of there! I boarded the pirate themed ships for the 45min ride to a town near a train station.


I hopped on a bus at the ferry terminal and decide to take a train to Odawara. I took the wrong train and went up the hill towards Hakone again! When I realised my mistake, the kind train conductor told me that the next train would arrive in 20 mins. And there I was all alone in an unknown train station in the middle of no where:



I had a good rest and took the train down hill again. When I reached the train station I boarded earlier, I didn't know the train has stopped its services. The conductor came over and spoke something to me in Japanese which I didn't understand at all. Thankfully, there was a Taiwanese in the cabin that spoke English and told me where to take the train back to the city. If not for her, I would be heading back up the hill again!

I finally got to Odawara and stopped there for a quick meal and explore around the city before heading back to Shibuya and then Ikebukuru which took me 3 hours but thats another story!

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For Day 5, I decide to explore and have a feel of funky Tokyo instead of going to the outskirts of the city. After a quick visit to Shidome, the business district to of Tokyo.  I went to Autobacs, one of the largest car accessories shop in Tokyo. After searching for on the train network, I finally found the stop on the train network. It was worth the travel time of 40 mins to the suburb.



For those interested, details of the shop can found here:

http://www.japanautopages.com/company/super-autobacs-tokyo-bay-shinonome.php

Thousands of  car accessories available there from stereo sets to wheels to fragrance. For petrolheads out there, this place if highly recommended. There are a lot of highly modified cars parked outside their garage too.

Any trip to Tokyo isnt complete until a visit to Akihabara. Akihabara is to a geek what a candy store to a kid. Anything relating to mobile phones, games, spare parts and electronics can be found there. And its not just a few malls there. The whole stretch of the street is laden with megamalls for electronics.





I picked out the biggest mall there Yuishodo Akiba. If you are in a hurry or dont have the patience to explore the whole town. Go to this mall.

If you exit by the east side of Akihabara metro station, the building is right in front of you.

Nine storeys of everything you ever need from electronics to white goods. Cameras, mobile phones of every model were all decked out for customers to try before deciding. At the watch sections, I saw several mainland Chinese there buying Rolexes. I guess they must be going at a good price? Not only is the authenticity guaranteed, if you pay with your Union pay card issued by a bank in China, they would give you a further 5% off the already low price.

I spent quite a few hours there till dinner time. I went to Alice's work place and we picked a nice restaurant together with Sakkiko and Jenny, both her colleagues.

The food again, was just sumptuous!


 





 
The restaurant info can be found here: http://www.ramla.net/casual_restaurant/tofuro/index.cgi

After dinner, back at the hotel, while I was getting my luggage ready for my departure the next day. I sudenly felt my room shaking. I realised I could have been tired and dizzy  and decided to rest for a while on the bed.

It took me a while to realised it was NOT me. I got up and look around to see my bunch of keys shaking. I soon hear people outside my room shouting and asking if they felt the building shaking. I received a call from Alice.

Yes! :S it was an earthquake. She assured me that Tokyo is just experiencing some after shocks from an earthquake some 120 km away and it should go away after a while without causing real damage to any buildings. I turned on the TV. The news confirmed that there was indeed an earthquake. 120 km away..some people were not so fortunate. I could see on TV some homes and shop being damaged quite seriously.

I decided to take a step of faith and turn in after some more packing. So much for my first "experience" of an earthquake.

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Day 6

Last day in Japan. Having experienced within this short trip, nature, history, tradition, modernity and some great food. I was VERY reluctant to leave.

I had some free time in the morning. Having some time left in the morning i decided to visit Roponggi Hills and see if I can do some last minute shopping.

I came across the Fujiflim Museum.

Check out their details here:

http://contest.fujifilmmuseum.com/en/pro_artist/artist/index.html

The museum is amazing.  In addition to being able to view all the cameras ever manufactured by Fujiflim, one can seee some really breathtaking photos taken by both amateurs and professionals.  Just click on the link above to see some. If you like the pictures you can buy the photographs via a machine which prints them into a post card photo instantly. If you think thats too small, you can choose to buy a digital frame with the digital image store on it or even print poster size.

I think of the of photographers was there, he handed me a brochure about his works.

After that, I went back to the hotel, picked up my luggage and headed to airport.

At Narita Aiport, I remembered someone strongly recommended the ramen at the food court. I went up to the food court and ordered a bowl. The cashier passed me a remote beeper. Initially, I wonder what that was. She then told me that the beeper would sound when the food is ready and I needed to be back to collect it. As they want to preserve the quality of the food served, very little of the ingredients are prepared before hand so it might take a while.



Narita has an excellent aircraft viewing gallery. If you you like airplanes, you can get an excellent view there: