Domo Arigato Japan

I am a big fan of Japan. I have been twice in Narita airport but that’s about it. It was October last year when a previous co- worker and friend Angie mentioned to me about a trip to Japan that she and two other people at work are planning to for September of 2010. I asked her if I can go since it’s a good chance for me to travel with people other than my husband Scott as well as visit a country that I would really like to explore but he wouldn’t be interested in going go to. So I messaged Matthew and Phavady, the other couple going with Angie, if it’s cool for me to tag along. I got a confirmation right away that I can go with them so I started reading Wikipedia’s and other sites just to educate myself about Japan’s geography before I start looking at travel guides and tips. My favorite travel websites to go to are Trip Advisor, The Lonely Planet and Frommers. For a comprehensive guide specifically for this trip, Japan Guide was so helpful. Matt then decided that we should go in May when the days are long so we can do more outside and the weather will still be cooler. They wanted to stay there for two weeks and at first I was a bit hesitant because that is a long time to be away with Scott and the pets and I think that it would be expensive. I have read so many blogs saying that its one of the most expensive and most complicated countries to go to for travel and let me tell you now that it is true. Since the travel date was moved to May instead, Angie was not sure if she will be able to afford it but she said that if I go for two weeks, she will go so I made a deal and bought our tickets on January with All Nippon Airlines where we got a nice deal. After a month, Angie gave us the bad news that she wouldn’t really be able to afford it. I cannot blame her because the original plan was to go there on September and she could have saved more money. Anyway, come April and were now in the process of putting all our thoughts together and the things that we wanna see. As my first big trip outside the country, I made sure I have everything I would need with me. I got an international phone card for a landline phone and also rented an insured cellular phone for emergency purposes and so I can easily text my husband. I also printed out maps, common Japanese phrases and information on the locations that we’re gonna go to, did a foreign exchange for my pocket money and of course pack appropriate wardrobe and toiletries. I guess if you came across this website, then you are doing your research for your trip but if this was only sent to you and it’s the only thing you are planning to read for your trip, I’m gonna be honest that this is not enough. Guys, please do your homework before you go, from dining to subway ethics and practice on your chopsticks for most of the places we ate at does not have any silverware. I won’t be discussing each and every bit of stuff in this blog and some of the stuff I might have encountered is something not unusual for me since I am Asian so it will really help if you read some forums, other blogs and travel websites. There are a lot of references online that you can read. Also, for the purpose of covering more important experiences during the trip, I will not elaborate or provide specific details of the accommodations, tourist spot and restaurants we went to. You can Google these places and look it up yourselves. Please comment here so I can give you the information.

                           

Day 1: Tokyo, Hotel Tateshima

From San Diego, Angie gave us a ride to LAX Airport. The non-stop flight was around 13 hours so I have taken a sleep aide to help me sleep while in the plane. I was expecting a very bad jet lag so I bought extra melatonin with me. I bought the movie Lost in Translation a month before the flight and I hope that my jet lag won’t be as bad as the characters in the movie. ANA served a traditional bento box for dinner and breakfast. They are very good in doing their rounds to offer sodas, water and fruit juices. They also have tons of movie selection to see. It was 4pm in Tokyo when we arrived. I had to go and get my rental cell phone in the terminal and get a limousine bus to take us to Shinjuku, where were gonna stay for a night while in Tokyo. While in the limousine, I had a hard time trying to figure out how the cell phone works and I was unsuccessful so I just enjoyed the views of Tokyo.

It was interesting seeing for the first time how they drive (keep on your left, not on your right, same goes to pedestrians) and the type of vehicles people were driving. Most of them are boxed type Scion XB like cars but never have I’ve seen a Scion while I was there. I will say 80% of the cars in the road are the same of my car back home, it’s Honda Fit, although they don’t carry my cars color. After an hour being in the bus, we finally arrived in Shinjuku. This is the 2nd challenge I had to face. Most taxi drivers do not speak English so it would be beneficial in your trip to print out your maps in Japanese and have your hotel addresses written in Japanese if taxi is your main means of transportation. It took us a good 30 minutes to finally find a taxi who can take us to our motel and during that time we were hauling our luggages across the city, can you imagine?

Our motel has the smallest lobby, elevator, hallway and room I have ever seen in my life. The elevator can only fit one person with a small luggage. 

The room was exceptionally small; you literally have to walk on top of the sleeping mats to get to the bathroom.

 I love the toilet, the one we had doesn’t only have a seat warmer and an intensity control bidet like all of the western toilets in Japan but it also has water coming out of the top of the tank for washing your hands. They also have an ofuro tub with an adjacent shower in the bathroom.

 It was nice that the receptionist was fluent in English. We decided to go to the subway terminal to find where the Nissan rental office is located so it would be easier for us to go there tomorrow to pick up the car. On our way there, we decided to have our first dinner in Japan.
I had pork in ginger sauce and crab n’ cream croquet. I didn’t enjoy it much because the pork is a bit raw and I don’t eat half cooked pork and chicken, who does? It reminded me of a trip with my sister in Hong Kong, China when I was 18. Since we don’t know where to go and the first restaurant we tried served us some raw meat, we ended up with Wendy’s and McDonalds for the duration of the trip.

After dinner we proceed to go to the world’s busiest train station to look for the rental office. It’s not in any directory and since it the 2nd largest station in Japan, we really can’t go to every nook and cranny of the station. We have given up after 2 hours of asking people and basically walking around and taking chances to find it. It was late and was all tired so we decided to go back to the hotel and ask the reception if he can check it for us. It was a Saturday night so it was busy around Shinjuku, plenty of teenagers drunk in the streets and it was amazing to see their fashion for the first time in person. It’s hard to figure out by their fashion who’s straight and who’s gay. The men love their bags and their shoes as much as the women. They all dress nicely, most of the guys you're gonna see going or coming from work is wearing a suit whether they are walking or driving a bicycle. Women wear heels, no flip flops here.

Day 2: Hiroshima, Crowne Plaza Ana Hiroshima

We had to get up early so we can look for the car rental office again. We found some young Japanese still out drunk. We had a quick stop to Mister Donut to get some donuts for breakfast and continued our way to the station. We found also sleeping drunken salary men in the station who missed the train last night but didn’t see the infamous platform pizza (vomit that contains pizza on the platforms of the subway by intoxicated Japanese). We found the rental in the basement of the station after a little bit more than an hour walk around the station. It won’t be open until 10am so we had 2 hrs to spare.

 I wanted to buy my friend back in SD a pack of cigarette but I learned that you need to swipe a specific ID card in the vending machine to make sure you are in a legal age to buy and smoke. I have also seen some long vending machines; you literally don’t need to go to a convenience store for anything.

We have also seen the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower which is the 2nd tallest educational building in the world.

We stopped at 711 too and I just have to try the Pocari Sweat and Calpis drinks that they have recommended in several forums. Pocari Sweat is basically a flavorless energy drink and Calpis is like a yogurt drink. Matt tried the Mitsuya cider which tastes like Sprite or something like that. They are amongst the most famous beverages here. We came back to the station to get our rental car. Matt forgot that we lost one day the plane and accidentally booked our rental the previous day but the attendants were nice not to charge him for yesterday.

The car has a GPS which is great so we can find our way around Japan. Matt wasn’t able to get his map book in advance because there is only one in EBay but it costs around 60 bucks, he thought there would be a lot of places who would sell better and cheaper map books in Japan but we had no luck in finding it since yesterday night. We came back to the motel to get our luggage but we couldn’t figure out how to work the GPS. It is in Japanese but we have instructions in English but it just simply doesn’t want to work so we just set off to our 10 hour drive to Hiroshima.

                                                                                                                Then it was time to get gas. The guide book didn’t talk about how to get gas and all and the station we stopped at is self service so we just have to ask for help. The attendant was nice to help us.

Driving on the freeways was cool. Nope, literally it’s cool because of the panels that they have to protect drivers from the sun. Now how cool is that LOL?

We also passed a number of stops and  all of them offer shops outside that sells Japanese snacks.

 I got the Takuyaki which is usually have an octopus inside but instead I got shrimp but the batter is delicious so it’s alright.

I also got a black steamed bun filled with meat and vegetables.At this point I learned too how Japanese people like dogs specially Dachshunds, they carry them everywhere. I also tried the potato flavored ice cream during one of the stop, it taste like a sweet potato or a yam so there’s nothing really weird about it. By the time we get to Hiroshima, it’s almost midnight so I decided to just get a cup noodles in Family Mart and eat it in the hotel.

By the way the most common convenience stores around here other than 7 & i holdings and 711 are Family Mart, Sunkus, Daily Mart, Circle K and Lawson. They are the best place to go to for ready to eat cheap bento boxes but hotels here don’t have a microwave so unless you’re staying to one that has, you really can’t take any advantage of it.

This ANA hotel we stayed this day was the most modern we had. The room is nice and the lobby is beautiful, it looks like an expensive hotel here in the US.

  

Day 3: Hiroshima/Miyajima, Crowne Plaza Ana Hiroshima

It was raining when we woke up but we came prepared. I had my umbrella with me and my two companions even brought some rain ponchos. I wanted to try blending in which is not hard because I look very oriental to begin with but I wanted to do something crazy with my hair so I used some really strong Shiseido hair cream on my hair to made it look messy .

So up we went to Peace Memorial Park. I was introduced to my first squat toilet in the park. It’s interesting how they have all the high tech toilets in the hotels and rest stops but they have kept the squat toilets in public parks but I don’t have any complain as long as it’s clean. The only thing about Japan is they don’t have paper towels. In public parks they don’t even have hand air dryers so you really need to take advantage of the tissue paper that the promo people hand out in the streets for advertisement or bring your own small towel or a handkerchief.

After taking tons of pictures of the only building to remain standing when the bomb exploded called the A-Bomb Dome (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the next challenge was to take a city car pass that would take us to Miyajima Island. The hotel receptionist knew that we were going to the island but didn’t offer us the taxi ticket. We found out that other than the participating hotels, we can also get it in the Hiroshima Visitors Center, unfortunately it doesn’t open till 10 and so we have an hour to wait. Good thing we found one of the participating hotels who sell the tickets. It is good for both the trolley and the ferry.

 It was pouring hard while were in Miyajima so we ate our lunch first and waited till the rain subsided. It was a low tide and some locals were harvesting the oysters. The restaurants serve these oysters so we agreed on trying it out in an udon soup.

Speaking of low tide, Matt was disappointed because the giant Tori gate won’t be as picture perfect. We still enjoyed the island, petting the deer around. The deer are vicious; some of them would come up to you especially if they smell a food and would take it from you. Phavady was holding this plastic bag and the dear was trying to take it and even ripped off her rain poncho. We tried to run away from this one specific deer and it keeps on running after us. We should have taken a video because it was too funny.

 After taking pictures, we walked around the island to buy some souvenirs and I was glad that I did because the souvenirs are the cheaper here when compared to other tourist spots in Japan. Believe me, everywhere we went, we shopped for souvenirs because each destination has something else different to offer. There’s always a different hello kitty souvenir with each area as well. As much as we’d like to wait for the high tide so Matt would catch a great picture of the tori gate, we can’t spend the whole day in the island so we left and stopped at a small department store and I was surprised with the prices. Everything is just significantly expensive in Japan.

By far, the melon is the most expensive fruit we have ever seen. There is only one melon with a ribbon in the shelf and it costs almost 60 dollars, wow! One blog even shows one for 400 bucks OMG! I asked the local guide in Tokyo and she said that it is grown in a special way in specific locations in the mountain. This type is a musk melon and they are usually used as gifts.

After the mini shopping I got a chance to do one of the things I have on my list which is to play in a Pachinko Parlor. It was quite expensive for 500yen a game which I just wasted because I don’t know how to play it at first. There were two attendants who tried to help me but they don’t speak English and are basically pointing to me by my fingers where the balls should go. It is similar to a pinball but it’s irritatingly loud.

I had a McDonald Fillet-O Shrimp Ebi Burger for dinner that night with a Bacon Potato Pie and I’m glad that I did. No wonder why this is their most famous burger in Micky D’s.

Day 4: Kyoto, 9 hrs Kyoto

This day was the start our adventure in Kyoto. On our drive going to Himeji Castle, I've seen the most beautiful rest stop restroom I have ever seen in my life.  They have a make up room (pictured), a seperate childrens toilet, diaper change room, childrens sink and they have fresh flower decorations.

 Himeji Castle, is Japans best preserved feudal castle. It is both a national treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was so beautiful outside, unfortunately due to the major renovation work being carried out inside the castle until 2014, we weren’t able to tour inside the castle. It was still a nice trip going there. I even had my picture taken that will be my submission for Picture This in AAA Westways Magazine San Diego. While in the area, I had the cherry blossom and black sesame ice cream, both of them are yummy. It was gloomy that day and so we called it a day.

 That night I tried Phavadys cold tofu during dinner which is good and I ordered a beef stew. The picture looks like a beef stew but when I got it, it’s nothing but glutinous beef fat. It’s actually my favorite part of the meat but only in small portion, it looks like a heart attack waiting to happen. Good thing I had a few Asahi beer to melt it down ha ha.

That night we also saw the first and the only customized import car , I thought there would be more based on the movie "The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift".

I said good bye to my friends that night to try one of things I must do in Japan which is sleep in a capsule hotel. It is called 9 h because 1 shower + 7 sleep + 1 rest = 9 hours. It has a separate floor for women, it’s very new and clean and it’s not what you would expect of a capsule hotel. The capsule itself is huge. You can fit three people in there to sleep and at that time there are only three of us in the ladies floor. It was an awesome experience, I would recommend to anyone to try it. The only thing I didn’t like about this place is that there is no TV or radio for entertainment inside the capsule and the pillow is kinda hard. It is safe, it’s clean and it’s so cheap so if ever I will come back, I’ll stay here again for sure.


Day 5: Kyoto, Toyoko Inn

Since the first day I came to Japan, I’ve been curious how the young women can walk around in their high heels. What’s the best way to find out how but to try it myself right? So this day, I wore my black boots with heels and walked from 9 hours hotel to the Toyoko Inn (20 minutes brisk walking away) and let me tell you, it was killing me but I still decided to keep it on and maybe I’ll get used to it but I was wrong. By the end of the day, I can barely walk.

Anyways, on my way, I had a Mickey D’s breakfast McHotdog and a cup of coffee. I was excited to see that they have a MOS burger around too so I definitely need to come back one day to check them out.

For lunch we had a Kyushu-style pork soup ramen. The barbecued pork is served in a velvety white soup with noodles and a perfectly half cooked egg. Have you had something so good but you know is very bad for you? This is it; the creamy soup is basically a melted fat so you don’t want to drink it all up.

We head out to Toji Temple, Japans tallest pagoda and Nijo Castle, former Kyoto residence of the shogun next. Be sure to wear easy to take off footwear and you have a nice pair of socks on because you have to take it off every time you go into any temple, just a tip.

I also did a Maiko makeover in Studio Shiki, Gion (Geisha District) later that day. The transformation was quite an experience, definitely a must do for someone who’d like to dress up and take awesome pictures. If you have 100 dollars to spare, you should do it and it’s worth every penny.

That night we went to a teppanyaki for some kobe beef. It was a long day and lot of walking so we wanna take it easy the next day.

I had a VOD (Video on Demand) Card for my room so I was able to watch an English movie till I fell asleep. After a while you’re ready for something English, believe me. By the way, for 3 days I have my own room in the hotel which is nice although it is really small. I don’t like my room getting cleaned for I have my stuff everywhere and I don’t want anyone else touching it so I don’t leave my keys in the reception. When you come back they will leave the towels and the robe in your doorstep with a note to leave your keys in the reception so they can get in.

Day 6: Kyoto, Toyoko Inn

Breakfast was served free in the hotel which is nice. Most Japanese only eat two big meals a day so their traditional breakfast looks like a lunch and you’re gonna notice them chowing heavy.

Golden Pavilion

Sanjusangendo Temple

 Kiyomizudera

This day, we’ve seen the Golden Pavilion (temple building covered in gold), Sanjusangendo (temple with 1001 national treasure human sized staues) and Kiyomizudera Temple (temple famous for its large wooden terrace).

The highlight of the day for me is the Otowa waterfall in the Kiyomizu compound, where three channels of water fall into a pond. Visitors can catch and drink the water which is believed to have therapeutic properties. Drinking the water of the three streams is said to confer wisdom, health, and longevity. However, some Japanese believe that you must choose only two; if you are greedy and drink from all three, you invite misfortune upon yourself.






 It must be a field trip season for the kids in school for the students are everywhere. All the places we went to this day are packed with children and oh boy they love to spend their allowance on souvenirs and snacks and the vendors love them.

After beating the crowd, we had lunch in a restaurant where they have a lot of grilled seafood but if you know me, you know that I won’t settle for something I know. I’d rather try something that they can’t explain to me so I chose the weirdest picture in the menu. They guy said in broken English that it is beef and miso soup. So here we go again with beef, yup it was from a cow but its all intestines. I said to myself that’s it, I’ll never order beef again LOL. I have tried intestines before, so I’ll eat it but not finish it.

 It left me hungry so I asked my friends to do what they want to do the rest of the day and I’ll do mine. I hurried to go to MOS burger and get my Kakiage (Seafood Variety) Rice Burger and the original MOS Burger. It was awesome!!! MOS burger is one of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted and the Seafood Rice Burger is simply unique, filling and just crazy delicious.

 I went shopping next to the 100 yen stores to get some unique stuff and knick knacks for myself and I also stopped at a pet shop. I have mentioned earlier that dachshund seems like the most popular breed of dog next to the akita but there’s no dachsies nor akita in this shop. I guess they are all sold out. I came home enjoy my aloneness in the room and I was so full that I didn’t need to go out that night to eat out.

Day 7: Kyoto/Nara, Toyoko Inn

This day is the last day were gonna be around Kyoto. Fushimi Inari, the ultimate torii gate was our first destination. It was a nice relaxing walk through the countless torii gates and fox statues and it is for free which is the best thing about it. 

Here, I got my vintage or antique yukata robe, it is one of the best buy I had so far.

Then, we went to Nara, the birthplace and ancient capital of Japan. We stopped by at this café and I ordered a Panini. It’s funny how they put the Japanese hotdog in almost everything and it was in my Panini as well.

Heading the Todaji Temple which is most famous temple in Japan and the largest wooden temple in the world, we were greeted with tons of deer. You can buy a dollar cookie pack but I would not advice you do that because I got some and feed them and they just begged for more to the point of attacking me by pushing me with their horns. Naive me, at first I thought that they were bowing to thank me for the cookie, just like a Japanese bowing at you LOL.

 

After that we drove to Ninja Town to see some ninjas in Iga-ryu Ninja House and Museum. We didn’t know that it closes at 4:30, Matt was so bummed that we didn’t make it. It was still nice going up there coz you get to see a great view.

Day 8: Takayama, Rickshaw Inn

It was a bit chilly when I woke up and so I decided to put my tights on. I thought it should be too early to turn into Japanese but I guess I already adapted their common sense. This time of the year for some reason 90% of young folks are wearing tights underneath anything.

 We drove extra early to drive to Takayama and see Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site and is famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.

We went to the Gassho-zukuri Minkaen open air museum and up to the Shiroyama Viewpoint which can be accessed by walking a trail for about 15 minutes but it’s worth the view so I suggest to try and see it. This world heritage site reminded me of another world heritage site in Mountain Province Philippines which is called The Banaue Rice Terraces. My husband and I was fortunate to spend some time there back in 2005. The view was breathtaking.

Here, I tried Mitarashi Dango, a grilled rice dumplings coated in a soy based sauce.

 From there we drove to Hida Takayama. We underestimated the drive and thought that it will take us longer to get there. We got there early but Matt booked our hotel at priceline so it was too late to cancel and who do we call anyway, we have to do an international call which will probably cost us the price for the room. If we knew, from there we could have drove to our next destination and retire there. I don’t regret staying in International Inn (Rickshaw Inn) though; it was cool to experience staying in a ryokan or a traditional Japanese Inn. We basically had the lower floor for us, it was huge and we had a separate seating and dining area, were like in an apartment.

While were there we went to the Sake brewer in old town Takayama and did some sake tasting.

 I’m not really a fan of sake but I enjoyed the beautifully preserved old private homes that are now turned into museums and stores. It was tough looking for places to eat because it was so expensive out there, maybe because there are a lot of tourists staying in youth hostels in the area.

Our goal is to eat something decent that night and try the Hida beef, which comes from local grown cows. We have seen lots of farm lands but we haven’t seen a single farm for animals though. We succeed on finding a place to eat at. Hida beef is incomparable to the Kobe but it is definitely a good grade of beef so my tummy’s smiling.













Day 9: Mountains, Toko City Hotel

We head out to Matsumoto castle which is said to be one of the most complete and beautiful among Japans original castles. There were some Goodwill ambassadors outside the castle who were volunteers to guide visitors inside the castle for free but by the time one approached us, we already toured the castle by ourselves and it would be a waste of time to come back in.

Since we still have plenty of time in our hands for the day, Matt agreed to take me to Yamanouchi where the Jigokudani Monkey Park is. It is famous for the wild monkeys bathing in a natural hot spring. You probably have seen those monkeys in several advertisements on TV. Anways, it was a long and expensive drive because of the toll and although it’s almost summer so you wouldn’t see any them soaking in the hot spring to warm themselves, it was a nice day just to see hundreds of monkeys that are not in captive.
It would be a bonus if I would see one jumped in but I don’t wanna throw a banana in the water just so one would jump in, you are not suppose to feed them in the first place.
We had our lunch close to the area, I am not aware that curry is a popular spice in Japan as well for there is always a curry dish in the restaurants we go. I had Shitake and Bunashimeji mushroom topping with curry sauce on rice.

 For some reason, Stitch of Lilo and Stitch is also popular in this area for the souvenirs are him and there’s even a big statue of him in the place we had lunch. It would be awesome if someone can tell me why. All I know is that there’s a cartoon entitled Stitch that is set in Okinawa Prefecture but we were not even close to that area.

Okay, by the time we get to our new hotel, it was already late noon so we just check out the surrounding area and by surprise I have seen the first Filipino pub. I was scared to get in because it seems like a gentleman club like the rest of the pub around with sexy hostesses and I’m not comfortable with that so I decided not to get in. Before I was in an impression that there’s a big Filipino community in Japan but I guess I was at the wrong places.

Here’s a tip that I’m gonna give you that I bet you wouldn’t find on another blog. At 6:30, most supermarkets specially Matsuya, sell their prepared food for more than half the price off and it’s not a secret. There are a number of Japanese waiting for the merchandiser to change the tags on all the items. One lady even approached the guy coz she doesn’t have time to wait and she handed him over one of the meal from another isle so he can tag it. If you are in a budget, it’s something you might want to look forward to. For 3 bucks I got tons of different dumplings etc. I was so full and I had enough to save for breakfast the next day.

When I get back to the hotel, I have noticed that my bed was still not set. Matt had to tell reception to make the bed when we arrived because he paid for it. I called the reception and said that the only thing I got is a blanket, nothing more, nothing else. He told me that Matt only paid for two beds so if I need a sheet set I would need to pay extra. I explained to him that the third bed was paid off and he said that he would need to check it and call me back. After a couple of minutes, he was knocking on my door and told me that he is very sorry for the confusion. Instead of giving me the sheets, he’ll have me use the other room across the room were at for free. He was bowing his head so low a number of times even I kept on telling him it is okay and there’s nothing to worry about while his exiting the hallway. Japanese are always so apologetic, courteous, disciplined and polite. No wonder my little brother would like to marry a Japanese lady someday and I would love to have a Japanese sister in law as well.



Day 10: Hakone, Palace Hotel Hakone

It was about time to see the Fuji Mountain and I was so excited. We were also staying in this beautiful hotel that has a view of the Mount Fuji outside. We know a person back at work who went at the same time the previous year and according to her, the overcast is bad. She said that Fuji was heavily covered in fog and cloud that they weren’t able to see it so we are so happy that we came in a perfect day for the view.

 It was a clear sunny day; you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes of the mountain. The sakura or cherry blossoms are a bonus as well. It was late May but for some reason they bloom late here. My husband and I just visited Washington DC last March so I was pretty sure that were not gonna see one but I was wrong.

The hotel was too good for us, it was the nicest hotel we’ve ever been in Japan but it’s also out of nowhere so it’s like a give and take. It was on the top of the mountain and it has a view of Mt. Fuji.  The two decided to go ride the Hakone Ropeway after having lunch there.

After enjoying my Melon Fanta and egg curry, I stayed in the car to wait for them to come back. I didn't go with them because I've been to so many cable car rides and this one doesnt seem as special for me. 

Phavady got me a Kuro-Tamago Black Eggs. Those eggs were boiled in hot sulphuric water bubbling up the Owakudani Valley and were said to prolong life. It tasted just a regular hardboiled egg.
The hotel offers an onsen, a natural hot spring were you soak in with other same sex individuals naked. It was a bit busy and since I have a tattoo I declined to go in because I don’t want anyone to get offended.


 Day 11: Hakone/Tokyo, Chisun Grand Akasaka

We drove around Fuji Five Lakes to check out different views of Mount Fuji, like the previous day, it was clear and so we took advantage of taking a lot of photos. How I wish I had a professional camera for this purpose. Any world traveler needs one right? After a couple of hours, we arrived in Tokyo. First thing we had to do is to check in, leave our luggage’s and go to Shinjuku station to return our rental car for we planned to take the subway for the remainder of our trip and good thing we did. The traffic is really bad around Tokyo, you don’t want to be driving plus it’s hard to maneuver around even with a GPS.

Going back to the hotel was crazy since it’s our first time to ride the Tokyo Metro System. At first you’ll be scared, it’s so easy to get lost so I recommend taking the day pass so you can ride it as many times as you’d like. By the end of our trip I considered myself a PRO; I even took it by myself going back to the hotel so there’s really nothing to worry about.

 A block from our hotel in Bandai Headquarters, they have their famous character statues outside so if you’re a fan of anime and Japanese cartoons, you might wanna stop by just to take pictures.

There in Asakusa, we visited the Sensoji Temple which is a Bhuddist temple. The main hall was also under renovation so we didn’t get the chance to see the inside. The shops are interesting and as expected there’s a lot of tourists and students having their field trip.

The most important event of the day is to watch the Grand Sumo in Ryogoku Kokugikan. The cheaper seats are long gone so we don’t have a choice but to get the 60 dollar tickets which is nice because we weren’t that far away from the stage.

After the tournament, I just had to try the staple food of the sumo wrestlers called the Chanko Nabe wich is a potpourri of many different vegetables, meat and other ingredients boiled together in large cook pots. I didn’t know that I had to cook it myself and it was so big so it took me a while to finish my meal.

On our way to the hotel, I tried to use the ATM machines in 711 because there is an option for English instructions but it kept on telling me that I have a wrong PIN although I’m 100% sure it’s right and I also have proved it when we came back to LA and I tried it in the airport. I guess no cash for me then. It will be tough because most establishments other than hotels do not accept credit cards in Japan. I just had to ask them first if they take plastic before I commit to dine in and to purchase. It is easy to exchange money in the post office and banks there so if I brought some extra dollars I wouldn’t have this problem. By the way, Chisun Inn stinks.

Day 12: Tokyo, Chisun Grand Akasaka

It was our 2nd last day in Japan and there’s still a lot of things to do. We started the day going to the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market aka Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest fish market. My original plan was to go there early morning to witness the spectacular tuna auctions but I just don’t want to go by myself and my companions are not interested to see it. It was nice of them to go there with me for breakfast though. It was busy with scooters, trucks, sellers and buyers hurrying around. After exploring the market to see many kinds of fresh fish, shellfish and other seafood, we are ready to chow. I was disappointed for we didn’t have any luck in finding a live octopus for its tentacles. I was really looking forward to trying that in this trip.

 There was a long line of people for one particular restaurant called Sushi Dai and I always think that when a place is packed, it must be good. We joined the line and asked the lady taking the order why is it popular and her answer was, “I don’t know, you have to find out”, what a good answer and that was it, we just have to wait!

We saw a famous comedian shooting a show around the market while we’re waiting so the wait is not that bad. It took us 2 hours wait before we got to seat and the wait is soooo worth it.

 There was two set meal, one has 7 and the other was 15 I think. I just ordered the 7 but I end up getting 3 free ones which is superb. A word of advice, be there extra early!

After our nice meal, we went straight to Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower and our last stop was the National Theater for the Japanese traditional puppet show. Like the sumo, the cheap tickets were sold out when we got there. It would be 60 dollars to get in so I passed because I’m not real crazy about it and what I really wanted to see is a Kabuki show, too bad it’s not the season for that theatre and the one who shows it in acts in Ginza is closed for renovation.

Day 13: Tokyo, Chisun Grand Akasaka

It was the day when I got to be with a free Tokyo guide. Her name is Tomoko. We planned to meet at 10 in the hotel and since she knows the area and speaks the language, I reserved the Kate “must do” stuff for my time with her.

The Bandai characters are all dressed up in rain coats since it was a rainy morning, I find it so cute.

First stop was Harajuku. Although the Harajuku girls only dress up on a Sunday, I still would like to check the area for several of its attractions. We went to the Meiji Shrine first. It was so peaceful since it’s surrounded by a beautiful, dense forest.

 After a relaxing walk, were ready for shopping and Takeshita Dori is the best place to go to. It is the symbol of Harajuku and birthplace of Japans fashion trends. It’s a narrow street lined with shops and cafes targeting Tokyo’s teenagers. They even have the black McDonalds there where they sell their fast food more than the price of the regular Mickey D’s, it’s their luxury store. There are lots of Nigerian men in the area. They man some stores there and some are in groups just patrolling the area. Daiso Harajuku is located there as well; it is one of the largest 100 yen shops. Don’t be fooled by the name of the store, it is actually 105 yen per item. It’s worth to check each one you pass because they don’t carry the same items you know.

Our last stop in Harajuku is Kiddy Land, Tokyo’s most famous toy store. It offers six floors filled with all kinds of toys. You can find all the major toy brands here including my Pullip but the prices are the same online so I didn’t get anything there. Harajuku almost has everything we have here in the US, from Krispy Kremes to MiniStop to Forever 21 and H& M.

It’s almost lunch time so off we went to Shibuya where Tomoko had something in store for me. She knew my desire for bizarre foods so she brought me to Ganso Kujiraya for me to try some whale meat. I had the steak which is a bit tough to chew and has a little bit irony taste because it was served medium rare but it is not fishy at all. Since it is a mammal, it tasted like beef. Tomoko had a fried one and since it’s battered and deep fried, it’s softer and doesn’t have that irony taste. Don’t worry folks, we didn’t find one that serves a dolphin so I won’t even go to there, keep on reading.

By the way on Shibuya station, one of the points of interest is the Hachiko Statue. According to a famous story, the loyal dog waited for his master in front of the station everyday even after his master’s death.

From there, you will be crossing the large intersection with large crowds of pedestrians each time the traffic light turns green. It is heavily decorated by neon advertisement and giant video screens and it’s a great experience. Shibuya should be in your checklist in Tokyo. You can find some places to go to higher up in the buildings to see the view of the intersection but they are usually packed with people. One place you shouldn’t miss while you’re there is Tokyu Hands. This one in Shibuya is their biggest store with 7 floors of everything from do-it-yourself, interior, hobby, crafts, outdoors to stationary and more. Here in Shibuya, I found the sweet Anime contacts as well. I can’t wait to try them on.

Last thing we checked here was the Love Hotel Hill which offers couples private room for two to three hours rest during the day. It reminded me of the motels back in the Philippines, if you’re a Filipino then you know what I mean.

The original plan is to stop at Ginza right after to go to ICEBAR Tokyo; instead we’re ready for Roppongi. We just don’t have much time anymore and I was also out of funds but if ever I come back, I’ll definitely go to Ginza and try that cool place out.

 In Roppongi, we went inside the Midtown Tower which is Tokyo’s tallest building. We also went in Mori Tower but didn’t go to the observation deck because it was gloomy from the rain anyways so the view won’t be worth the pay plus it’s better to see the view of Tokyo city at night in my opinion.

We decided to go ahead and have an early dinner instead and look for a conveyer belt sushi restaurant so I can check that off of my list. We found Pintokona in Roppongi Hills where I had my first real sea urchin and boy was it good. It’s so light and sweet and there’s no fishy taste to it.

The only thing missing on my list to do is to sing karaoke. I had difficulty finding one where I can sing with a bunch of Japanese so we settled with one where you have to pay a private room. The selection of songs in the song book was amazing, I am not kidding. They have tons of Tagalog songs too. We had so much fun but it’s getting late and it was raining hard so we decided not to go to a bar anymore plus we are not dressed to look cute that night so we’ll save that for next time. Here’s the link where you can find Tomoko and other wonderful volunteer tour guides in Tokyo, Tokyo Free Guide.

Day 14: Tokyo/LA

We had our breakfast in KFC and look what I got! Anyway, we checked out at noon and we thought the adventure is over but guess what? Since were taking the train to the airport we have to drag our luggage in the subway going to the train and the stairs were no joke. Whew, was it hard especially for me who brought this 50 dollar luggage set from Macy’s. I envied Matt and Phavady’s Samsonite; I think I have to invest in one before my next trip.

The flight coming back was pleasant. I tried not to sleep by watching 5 movies back to back so I can have a good night rest when I get home.

All in all the experience is nothing but wonderful. The people of Japan are extremely nice and helpful. The country is magnificently beautiful and I can’t say anything bad the whole two weeks we were there. If you’re planning of going and you only have a week then that’s fine. You can concentrate in Tokyo and maybe do a day or two in Kyoto and a day in Fuji, either way it will be amazing. My friends and I did it over the top, we actually saw more than an average person living in Japan does but you don’t have to. The whole trip costs me a little bit less than 4 grand but it’s all worth it.