2 more sleeps!!

I can't believe I leave in 2 days... I am SO excited!!!!!
I am going with four other people I have never met, on a tour organised by Travelscene American Express. I love the idea of going away with perfect strangers...

Things I want to do/see in Tokyo and surrounds (most of which is included yay!):

• Gaze upon Mt Fuji.
• Soak in an Onsen at Hakone.
• Sail in the pirate boat on Lake Ashi.
• Ride on the worlds second longest cable car - the Hakone ropeway.
• See the Tokyo skyline (including the Tokyo Tower) from somewhere really high at night.
• Visit the Tokyo Tower and go up to the observation decks (its 13m taller than the Eiffel Tower!)
• See a Kabuki show.
• Go Geisha spotting.
• Visit Shibuya and walk Hachiko crossing.
• Make sushi (and eat it).
• Drink sake (of course!).
• Shop!!!

We are staying in Roppongi - woot! woot! Thats very handy, and will be great for the ummm younger (but just by a smidgeon) members of the group for some serious clubbing if they want. I will of course be tucked up in bed with my knitting by 9pm (hehe).

One thing i won't be doing...Visiting Hello Kitty World :-( Its a bit far out, from what i can gather. This HAS NOT made me very popular in my household let me tell you. I offered to go to the much closer Pokemon Centre, which met with blank looks from my littlies. The teenager in the house informs me that, that stopped being cool a decade ago in OZ (about the same time i did haha!).

We're here!!!

I made it!....
Love JAL (Japan Airlines). Could be my new favourite. Nice and spacious and roomy throughout. Pleasant mood lighting, huge overhead lockers etc. Actual seats were only average though, but roomy enough. Food was really good and plentiful. I chose the Japanese option which was extremely tasty. They continuously came around offering green tea/black tea/coffee/juice/alcoholic beverages etc. The on-board entertainment system was excellent, featuring the latest blockbuster DVD releases and Japanese movies and shows. The cabin crew were (and I think this is a cultural thing) super-efficient, and super happy - lots of nodding and smiling. They also changed into Kimono-inspired apron uniforms for food service, which I thought was a nice touch.

Our Hotel - the Villa Fontaine Roppongi is very good, and I highly recommend it. The location is superb. Directly out the front is Roppongi - itchome station and the Izumi Garden complex is next door. Its clean and modern and quite elegant. Its a little 'basic'. ..vending machines for refreshments (including beer!), no lobby lounge or bar etc, but i think it is indicative of the type of general accommodation here. It does do an included basic breakfast bar. The food included is mainly Japanese obviously, and delicious. One thing that is really convenient is the cheap 'do-it-yourself' guest laundry..much better than a lot of hotels I've stayed that charge $5 for a pair of underpants! Another pleasant surprise for me is the size of the room. It's bigger than i had heard a lot of rooms are here (matchboxes!), as well as having a decent sized bathroom. It's furnished in contemporary Japanese style - clean, simple lines. It has a fridge, a huge bathtub (yay!), shower and free internet connection (lan cable not wi-fi). P.S The beds in Japan really are hard! Its like an ensemble base with no mattress lol...and my pillow is full of beans! or something? It is what they're all like here apparently. It was a bit of a shock when i first hopped in, but I slept well anyway :-) The staff at the hotel are also very efficient, and can't do enough to help. I asked them for  directions lots of times, and always got a map with hand-drawn diagrams etc.

We all went for a wander in Roppongi (bar/entertainment district) tonight..

Saw a giant spider in Roppongi Hills....

And the Tokyo Tower...

We ate dinner at the famous 'Kill Bill' Restaurant - Gonpachi. The food and atmosphere was excellent...

Its been a ridiculously big day...I started at 2am. I love Tokyo so far..its very clean and REALLY chilled out..I've visited a lot of big Asian cities and it can be dirty and hectic...the public transport system is obviously working well here...

Im off to bed..bye-bye

Day 2 - Sushi making, Akihabara, dinner in Ginza!

We went for our sushi making lesson this morning with our lovely guide Kyoko...

This is mine...

I don't think I did too badly too badly for my first ever time... Must have been the good instructors!

Then we decided that we'd like to check out Akihabara (electric town)...Our guide was supposed to finish after out sushi lesson (but true to what i'm discovering about Japanese people) stayed, took us there, and showed us around for free. Akihabara is the electronics and Anime district.

We saw this guy just randomly standing around...

And her...

and some crazy arcades (over 5 levels!) and Pachinko machine halls (so noisy, but zany and fun!) etc...

Then Corinne and i decided to ditch the boys (nicely) and go in search of girly treats...

 The boys just wouldn't understand!!!

Tonight we went to Ginza which is like the 5th Avenue of Tokyo. All the 'high-end' shops are here.

Its not the best weather for photo-taking unfortunately...its a little wet.

We had dinner at a fantastic restaurant in Ginza tonight. It was a traditional Japanese-style venue with little rice-paper private compartments. You had to remove your shoes at the door, but you didn't sit on the floor, but on very low (comfortable) bench seats. We had a fantastically delicious dish called Shabu-Shabu. Its a boiling hot pot of stock/water that sits in the middle of the table that you cook your own noodles, finally sliced meat and vegetables in. We also had the hilarious experience of witnessing some Japanes businessmen being carried out of the restaurant after too much sake. This is a common occurence apparently..haha! Good on them for knowing how to have a good time... they work REALLY long hours in Japan, and my opinion is they definitley deserve it.

The public transport IS absolutely amazing here. Trains/subways, monorails just criss-crossing everywhere. You couldnt possibly need a car...

Well, we have a HUGE day tomorrow at Hakone (im looking foraward to the cable car/onsens and museums)..i'm off to bed. The other guys are off in search of good times in Tokyo so will have some pretty interesting photos for you i'm sure. :-)

Day 4: Kabuki in Shimbashi, Shinjuku & 'Tocho', Asakusa & the Sensoji temple, Meiji Shrine

We had the pleasure this morning of a visit to the Shimbashi-Enbujo theatre for a Kabuki performance...

There was strictly no photography allowed during performances so i havent got a pic to show you of the actual play. Kabuki is classical dance/drama, a bit like a musical i suppose. It seems to attract an audience of mainly elderly Japanese (and the actors are older too), and i don't think it is as popular with the younger generations. From what i understand some of the original plays (like the one we saw today) have been abbreviated, and are no longer played in their entirety.  Our guide informs me that it will always be an important part of Japanese culture however, and a big new Kabuki theatre is currently being built. I find it a bit difficult to explain and do it justice....I LOVED it. There is a set for the main actors to perform, and to the side is a vocalist (for a singing narrative). There are also men performing with Japanese string instruments (a Biwa etc), as well as in this case, a man with blocks he banged on the stage for running scenes to convey heavy footsteps. It IS slow-paced, and melodramatic (the whole point i think). It is very intricate, every movement seems important, and a plot development that would take 10 mins in our dramas stretches over an hour or so. However...the beauty is in the simplicity of the story, and with the gorgeous sets, costumes, makeup, the almost hypnotic wailing of the vocalist, the string instruments (my favourite part) and the historical significance  - it is an unmissable part of getting an insight into Japanese culture...Do not visit Japan without seeing a performance! You can hire a Earphone guide, which transmits english translations and explanations, so we knew exactly what was happening. :-)

We also went up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku (the design was inspired by a micro-chip)...

and went up to the observation decks and checked out the awesome view..

This is the Park Royal, the Hotel made famous with Bill Murray in 'Lost in Translation'...

and the cloud covered, but just visible...Mt Fuji!....

Then it was off to Asakusa - the city's oldest Geisha district and home to Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple (the temple was deliberately placed in the Geisha district as the men used to play and then atone for their ummm.. guilty pleasures?). The streets around the temple have shops selling traditional crafts, and food, souvenirs etc. Interestingly, they are owned by descendents of the original people who used to work at the temple, and were given to them so that they could maintain a living now that the temple is mainly a tourist attraction.

Here for 100 Yen, you can have your fortune told by shaking a box until 1 long stick comes out with a number. You open the draw with the corresponding number to reveal your fortune...

Unfortunately I'm the only one that got bad fortune....

But that's ok....you just tie it up and leave it behind.....(hope it works!)...

Bye-Bye bad luck!!

Then we went to the 'magic healing smoke', and inhaled as much of that bad boy as we could..lol

\

and then cleansed and purified by rinsing our mouths and hands with this holy water...

By the way, check out these gorgeous and huge Japanese dogs...

and this is not a bad way to travel...

It is said Japanese ghosts appear underneath their Willow trees. I think they are very lovely (the trees not the ghosts)....

There is also a nice view of the Tokyo Tower from here...

And then there's this nice... ummmm.. pear thing????

This is actually the Asahi Beer headquarters... The black bit is supposed to represent a beer glass, the golden  bit the Asahi flame logo... hmmmmmm It is regarded as an excellent example of modern Japanese architecture... I'll let you make up your own mind. 

Then we headed off to Harajuku and a rain shower!!

I was excited to see the famous Jingu Bridge. This is where all the Harajuku girls/ lolitas etc come and display there best costumes. You have to come on a Sunday to see it though :( Today is a Thursday, what a pity. They say this bright display of rebellion is actually dying off slowly. I must admit I saw far less costumes etc than I thought I would  all round - Japan having been really famous in the 90's etc when hundreds would gather. I was told by our guide that as Japanese society has become less rigid, and the young people have more liberal/westernised lives, the need for rebellion by wearing outlandish cosplay/punk/Harajuku outfits is becoming less necessary. 

But just metres away is the entrance to the Meiji Shrine and the weather has improved! The park that surrounds the shrine is home to 120 000 trees (365 species)... Meiji is remembered as the first of the Emporer's to try to embrace western culture. He sported a western haircut, ate western food etc.

Kimonos like these aren't generally worn as a rule anymore...but people still wear them for special occasions, and (luckily for us) there was a wedding on.

After a big day we were taken to the MOST amazing buffet dinner...it was really good...our guide said that she had only eaten their once after her wedding...its was a bit special, so we were really spoilt...

Well...thats about it!..im sitting here Tuesday morning about to check out. I will post another final blog with a bit of a 'wrap up'...all the other bits and pieces...The good, the bad and the just plain weird...lol

Japan is a beautiful country. The people are just polite, exceptionally mannered, gracious and giving. Tokyo is the worlds largest city, but runs like clock-work. Its clean, the public transport is efficient (like the people) but at peak hour i would give it a miss..it does get a tad squishy! I find it a very relaxed city given its immense size and population. I feel extremely safe here...and Í've seen women wander about the city alone at all hours, and i would to. Outside the city, just from the small amount i've seen - its stunning vistas - Mt Fuji, Lake Ashi, the autumn hues are breathtaking. There is just...I dont know...a 'zen' feeling about the place. No wonder they live so long...Oh and the food !!! I'm having a Bill Murray 'Lost in Translation' moment...really you want to go home and eat Japanese food all the time. I don't eat seafood...at all...so i though that Japanese food would be wasted on me...but there is so much more to enjoy - and the flavours!
Go to Japan!...and Rouse your Samurai Spirits!...lol