Japan日本

This post has been contributed by Mair Parry Roberts who travelled to Japan with her friend in April 2013.

歓迎 / Welcome 

Having had a few years off travelling long-haul, it was time to re-kindle my love affair with the big wide world and pack the rucksack (ok, now I’m 44 it’s a suitcase!) and head for Japan with my lovely friend who’s in her late 30’s, but looks much younger of course!

We flew with Virgin and let me just say that the seats were maybe more suitable for the Japanese bottom rather than the UK bottom!  I remember having much more room last time but there we are, I’m a stone heavier by now! We paid around £600 for the flight – travelling in April (cherry blossom season) but to be honest, there wasn’t much difference in price between the major airlines. 

Beautiful Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Daunting station but plenty of help! 

There’s a lot of help available to get you into the city centre when you arrive at Narita Airport.  We opted for the express train (around £20 one way) into Shinjuku Station, where we were staying and yes, the station names are in English, so you know which one to get off.  Now I think I’m right in saying that Shinjuku is the busiest passenger station in the world and to say that it was daunting would be an understatement. Not an “I’m scared” daunting, but an “Oh my God, where the hell are we going” daunting! There’s no point getting stressed, just allow plenty of time to go from one place to another and if you do get lost (which you will) just enjoy the ride! Take note, trains depart bang on time!  By the way, look out for the “Time Out” guides for each area in the train stations – they’re filled with quirky “things to do and see".  The Subway is also a great way of travelling and is not as scary as it looks!

  

Subway map - not as scary as it looks!

Peace amongst chaos...

Tokyo is a magnificent city but what struck me was the peace, order and serenity there.  Even though there are huge crowds and heavy traffic, it’s really strangely quiet. Everyone has their nose in their mobile phones and they’re way too polite for road rage. 

There are various districts - Roppongi ( trendy ) and Ginza (shopping) to name but a few, but we stayed in Shinjuku – the area where the lights dazzle 24hrs, where technology shops are in abundance and shopping malls everywhere (make sure you visit the Food Halls - a feast for the senses). Also, look out for the Daiso shops if you want to grab a bargain (ranging from rice bowls, chopsticks, stationery, sweets) to take home as souvenirs. Everything's 105 yen - that's around 70p (damn, everyone knows now how much I spent on them now!)

Bright lights of Tokyo

Expensive hotels, pack your tea bags!

We stayed at the Hotel Sunroute Plaza (around £60 each per night) - a bit expensive, but central.  A lot of hotels charge extra for breakfast, so being my mother’s daughter, I’d packed teabags, breakfast biscuits and dried milk which was a godsend.  

If you're like me and not too keen on Japanese food, there’s plenty of other restaurants there, but we did try a Japanese meal whilst there – honest!  
It's customary to be given a wet cloth before you eat in order to clean your hands. By the way, you don't need to tip in Japan. The food is around the same price as this country, but we bought a picnic to take with us every day – (growing up in the 70's has a lot to answer for!) There's plenty of 7/11 stores or sandwich shops dotted around. We even found a lovely white wine in the 7/11 for around £3.

Typical Japanese dish

Tokyo skyline comes at a price...

Amongst the sights we saw in Tokyo were the Senso-ji temple, the Imperial Palace, the Shibuya crossing (you'll get a great view of the crossing from the Starbucks coffee shop and you don't really have to buy a coffee). We also explored Meiji shrine (where you might even catch a traditional wedding if you're there at the weekend) and the Shinjuku Goyen Park. They have wonderful green parks in the city with the backdrop of the high rise buildings - it's quite a contrast. We splashed out on the final night and had a drink in the Grand Hyatt (location of "Lost in Translation"). The view of the Tokyo skyline is stunning, but it comes at a price - expensive drinks and a cover charge if you're there after 8pm. I do believe you can get the same view in the Metropolitan Government building which isn't too far from the hotel and free! 

Tokyo Skyline

Sayonara Tokyo and hello Kyoto!

We arrived here on the Shinkansen (bullet train), passing the snow covered Mount Fuji.  You need to buy a JR pass for this train here in the UK , then redeem it in any station in Japan. There's a more traditional feel to Kyoto - you're likely to  see ladies wearing their gorgeous kimonos, and if you're lucky you might see a a Geisha girl, as we did walking through the Gion District (but missed the photo opportunity!). Do go to see the 10,000 torii gates at the Fushimi Inari temple - there's a lovely walk up into the mountain with stunning views of Kyoto when you get there. There's also a lovely canal walk near the university - The philosopher's walk. 

        Back onto the bullet train, we headed for Hiroshima - famous for that fateful day in August 1945 when the city was obliterated by the atomic bomb. The Hiroshima peace memorial park and museum is a must. It was quite sobering and to be honest, rather emotional.

Fushimi Inari temple

On a lighter note, another must is a visit to Okonomi-Mura food hall where you can try the local dish - Okonomiyaki. This is a Japanese pancake cooked on a hot plate. 

A short tram ride to the ferry port allows you to visit Myajima Island and walk with the deer (and pinch your food given half the chance!). Here you can see the famous Torri gate in the water - apparently one of Japan's most famous views.

All in all, we'll take away some great memories and experiences from this wonderful, polite, orderly, serene and crazy place. Arigato Japan! ありがとう日本

Torri Gate

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