Category: Japan

  • Hakone, Arashiyama & Nara

    While we stayed in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, we also made day trips to a few places.

    We reached Kyoto via Hakone. Hakone’s claim to fame is the Mt.Fuji view, and yes, it delivers. On paper the ‘Hakone Round Course’ looks like a sprint, but with the Hakone Day Pass and some planning, it’s quite a breeze. We started early and the Kodama 703 was our very first Shinkansen ride, to Odawara.

    Hakone

    We first used the coin locker system in the Odawara station, dropping our large bag so we didn’t have to lug it around. A local train took us to Hakone-Yumoto, where you start the Hakone Round Course, which can also be done in reverse. It uses five different modes of transport – train, cablecar, ropeway, boat and bus. The first trip is on the cute Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora. D decided to do some drama by pretending to lose her Hakone Day Pass.
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  • Osaka

    (from Kyoto)

    Kyoto and Osaka are only separated by 30 mins on a New Rapid Line but couldn’t be more different. Osaka also seems to have a ‘Pepsi to Coke’ relationship with Tokyo. There are the usual jokes made at Tokyo’s expense, but even where people stand on an escalator is different! (Tokyo – left, Osaka – right, probably something to do with samurais and scabbards in Tokyo, as per one guide) We spent only a day but on hindsight, should have spent another day. Despite the rain that bothered us a bit in the evening, we had a smashing time! (read as ‘we got smashed’)

    Stay

    Since it was only a day, we thought it was a good time to check out capsule hotels. We stayed at First Cabin and it was a unique experience. Tiny rooms, common bathrooms and quite minimalist. Most communication had to be done using Google Translate, since only one person seemed to understand and speak English, but they did give us a pocket wi-fi for use for the day.
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  • Kyoto

    from Tokyo

    I think we have vicariously traveled and lived in Kyoto thanks to Pico Iyer. Primarily The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto, but also some mentions in other books, interviews and podcasts. Kyoto has a character that is quite different from Tokyo. It is less hurried and quite laid-back, but I also felt that it tried to keep visitors at an arm’s distance. Tokyo almost didn’t care. Ironically, I observed more foreigners in Kyoto than in Tokyo. Until we figured out the spots, Kyoto’s dinner scene reminded me of Ireland – after 8PM, only drinks and bar bites! But most importantly, Kyoto is definitely prettier.

    Meet the Romance Car (Romansukā) – Odakyu Electric Railway’s limited express luxury tourist services south-west of Tokyo, to mountain resorts such as Hakone and Gotemba (Mount Fuji), and beaches such as Odawara and Enoshima. It began in 1957, and was the inspiration for the Shinkansen. We saw this in Hakone while waiting for the Hikari 653 Shinkansen that would take us to Kyoto.
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  • Tokyo

    Japan was always the plan, it was only a matter of when. 🙂 We planned well in advance, but even then, thanks to it being Sakura season, a lot of hotels were sold out. The visa took less than a week to get processed. Bangalore has a direct flight to Tokyo. So all you have to do is, to quote Amrita Rao, ‘JAL lijiye’. Interestingly, the pilot took off immediately after we landed, confusing all of us! We finally landed again after about 20 minutes. Tokyo was our first stop. We began, and ended, our 11-day Japan trip in Tokyo. This is our list of where to stay, what to see, and where and what to eat.

    D shot while I snored.
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