Friday18th April- Toyama to Matsumoto- A country of Contrast

First of all let me mention the bathroom in the Hotel for the last two nights which was probably the smallest we have encountered so far. It was about 4ft X 6ft and contained a small bath and shower, a sink and a typical Japanese loo which does everything from blow dry to bidet. We had our in-room breakfast this morning of croissants, a plain bun, a cheesy type croissant and another bun filled with fruit, all of which we bought at the station as one complete pack. Howver the Jam with the croissant was nice.

AT 10.30 we were ready to leave and it had rained overnight and the sky was overcast but never mind. We headed along the coast and went through many tunnels and then noticed that the motorway came out of nowhere and went on legfs out in to the sea then along the coast for about half a mile and then back in to a tunnel. What engineering this is? Our route took us through lots of little villages where hardly anyone was seen apart from the odd housewife with shopping and very few vehicles. We stopped for a coffee at a convenience store and overcame the equipment challenges and also purchased food for lunch in case later we could not find some and so we had a couple of

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sandwiches and a small box of sushi.

Lunch was by the side of the sea in an empty car park and then we headed South in to the hills, we had expected an open road with views of the mountains but the mountains were covered in fog or mist and at least half of the journey was conducted in in Tunnels and so the anticipated views of the mountains never materialised. However we kept going through mile after mile of tunnels some open on the side and we assumed that this construction was to keep the road open during the heavy snowfalls that happen here each year.

We reached Matsumoto around 5.20 pm and the Satnav nearly found the Hotel which we eventually located and checked in. The room is fine and bigger bathroom than yesterday. At around 6.30 we left the Hotel looking for somewhere to eat, the Hotel did have a restaurant which we could use if all else failed but lo and behold we came across an English Pub called the ‘Old Rock’ and risked it and went inside and we both had Fish and chips and it was really excellent.

This looks like a nice little town which we shall explore tomorrow as well as the Castle which appears to be quite famous.

So overall a really good day but slightly disappointed we did not get better views of the mountains which are still covered in snow.

Thursday 17th April 2014- A short trip up the coast ended in a a festival

Today we decided to have a a short trip on the train up the coast and avoid having to use the car. So after an in room breakfast we took the tram to the station and purchased two ticket to a place called Himi which required a train change at Takaoka.

We arrived around 12.30 and walked along the sea front to see if their were any restaurants that we could use, as all signs were in the local lingo, but no luck at all.

The town is very quiet, or so we thought, but eventually we found  a 24 hour supermarket where we purchased some salad and sandwiches followed shortly by an ice cream and the lunch went down quite well. Whilst we were sitting roadside we espied and lady mid twenties trying to get directions from a local shopkeeper, there was a mixture of Japanese and English but anyway we said hello and it appeared she was Polish and travelling in japan and was in in Himi for the festival!!!, what festival we asked and she said a Hair festival?

It turned out to be the following festival

Marumage Matsuri まるまげ祭り

“(April 17) - A festival for young unmarried women to pray for a happy marriage. Every April around 40 young women from around Japan gather to dress up in geisha garb with a slight twist. The marumage coiffure was once a longstanding symbol of the married woman, and only married women were permitted to coif their hair that way. Geisha, in the hope they could one day wear it permanently, borrowed it for a single day to pray for happy marriages at the local shrine, and the tradition remains to this day. On the day of the festival girls spend hours getting dressed and primped, then parade through the street on the way to the shrine.”

So we found the festival and took some photos of the young girls in their kimonos and the the girls hair is like that of a Geisha Girl which can take hours to prepare.. This added a nice bit to this journey today.

We go back to Toyama and purchased some croissants for tomorrow mornings breakfast and took the tram back to the Hotel the long way round hoping to find a restaurant for tonight or it was a car drive out of the city to a KFC.

We came across an Italian Restaurant that was closed, but then most restaurants don’t open here until around six pm unlike Tokyo where they stay open all day. So later we went back and had a light but enjoyable and expensive meal but it was worth it for a change.

Just thought I would mention that the driving standard in this country is extremely high and makes the New Zealanders look like amateurs. No tailgaitiong or cutting you off , this place drivers have respect for each 

Wednesday 15th April 2014- Toyama is a quiet place

We left the Hotel in Takayama after the free breakfast? Of cold omelette and sausages and noodles and perhaps fried bamboo shoot with asparagus and the only thing that was warm were the French fries, wow what a breakfast. Jennifer had toast and jam.

We stayed of the Expressways as we were planning a trip over the mountains on the smaller roads only to find that several of them were closed either due to snow or perhaps landslides, who knows but anyway we had to turn round on two occasions and head back to the main roads.

It was a little misty this morning what with the warm midday temperature of 22 C and down to 2 Degrees Cent at night which left and mist over the hills many of which were covered in snow.

The traffic was extremely light on all the roads we went on and todays journey was only going to be around 65 miles from Takayama if going direct but as mentioned we could not go through the foothills.we also saw a large number of very large houses which you don't

 normally see.

We stopped for lunch of sandwiches which we had purchase d earlier (just in case we could not get anything sensible on the roads) and had our food under the blossoming cherry trees which was nice. We followed the main road in to Toyama and expected tons of traffic but no, we found the Hotel very easily and checked in then went for a walk to the station to find out about local trains. Again we were bemused by the lack of people, the small restaurants being closed!! Not like Tokyo or Kyoto where most places stay open all the hours that are available to make money.

We are planning a train ride down the coast tomorrow as against driving where we are both engaged in driving and navigating and hope the weather will continue to stay fine. We walked back down alongside the river with some cherry blossom still out but some trees had passed their prime, a little bit like the author of this blog.

We fancied Tempura tonight (English fried fish) and the Hotel gave us an address after we had tried two nearby restaurants which looked terribly expensive but did not have any menus with photos to enable us to understand what we are ordering. We found this little place and when we said Tempura in several different ways it became clear that they did not do Tempura but could make some great Yakitori, meat's on a stick.

So two large beers later and an attempt by the chef to make Tempura and some yakitori together with a long discussion on Manchester United and Chelsea, JT, Lamp’s, Oscar etc we enjoyed our evening.

Tuesday 15th April 2014- Back to Takayama Old town

 We had free breakfast in the Hotel of cold scrambled eggs, bacon and noodles, with no apparent attempt to keep it warm. It was probably warm when it left the kitchen but anyway it was free.

We caught the bus down to the Station at 10.00 and walked down to the old town and crossing the river and came across further events in the Spring Festival and we spent several hours walking around taking photos and the odd cup of coffee. We did try some Yakitori which was quite expensive and really not that good, bloody rip off actually.

The festival carried on with the carts standing around and you can have your photo taken with the guys, Jennifer needed to be persuaded and hence the result is here to see. The girls were playing a one or two note tune on their recorders and the young men were banging wooden mallets against bells. The puppet performance was quite good and it was done from the back of two carts and was quite high up really with lots of strange noises being made.

By about lunchtime the events were slowing down for the day and so we found a restaurant called Alice’s Place where we had large bento box containing Tempura, and thinly sliced beef and oinions in a great sauce on rice and together with Misu soup and for the two of us was Yen 3000 or around £ 18.00 and we were quite stuffed as they say.

The pulling of carts and the banging of drums and bells and unholy noises started up again and so we watched for a while but were getting a little tired after so much walking and then we thought we would have a train ride up to the town of Hida and when we got to the station it was totally packed out with queues of people and baggage waiting for the next train. There was not a Suica card entrance and rather than wait for what could be a long time to get a ticket we gave up the idea and returned to the Hotel on the courtesy bus around 16.00.

Noel spent the rest of the evening on photos and blogging whilst Jennifer checked out tomorrows route as we leave for the seaside City of Toyama for two nights but will take a long route via the mountains to get there as we have enough time and don’t need to go on expressways, should be great providing we don’t get too lost.

I hear the popping of corks so must be time for a glass of wine and some nuts, no dinner tonight as we are both still full from lunch.

Monday14th April 2014- Now on to Takayama for the Spring Festival

Again and early start with own made breakfast in the room and then wait for the car to come down out of the 24 car metal racking and then loading and we departed the Hotel around 0815.

Shortly after leaving Kyoto Town centre we joined the Expressway back towards Nagoya but shortly after leave the Kyoto area this put us on a different expressway to the one we arrived on. The sun was shining in the driver’s side of the car and shortly after leaving a brief stop was required to remove sweaters which were not needed. The Expressway had less and less traffic on it as we left the Nagoya area and headed North in the direction of the Japanese Alp foothills. As we got nearer to the mountains the number of tunnels we entered grew and grew and I guess we must have gone thought at least 50 or 60 tunnels of lengths from 250 metres up to 5 kilometres and it must have been rather difficult to build.

We continued climbing and getting higher and higher and our ears began to pop a little and then we started to see the first signs of snow left over from winter. After a 5800 yen expressway toll we arrived in Takayama around 1pm and went to a Yoshinoya rice and fried beef restaurant for lunch, all for the cost of 1200 yen or about £ 6.50 for two. We found the Hotel ok which is at the top of a hill overlooking the town and so we had a little rest and then used the Hotel free transport down to the local station to join the crowds following the festival.

We found the main square and we waited there for about one hour before the parade started where groups of men pull huge decorated carts with mostly children on board. The carts are completely decorated all over and must weight several tons and are covered with drawings and a lot seem to have gold leaf on. There were several thousand people watching this event and we walked for a damn long way finding occasional places to rest our weary feet.

After what had seemed like a very filling lunch we started to feel a little peckish but did not want another meal but started looking for a coffee and cake place but the only places opened seemed to be restaurants until we happened across the McCafe of McDonalds fame. Well we happened upon after asking several policemen where it was.

Well we cheated and Noel had a fish burger meal and Jennifer the chicken meal and then back to the station to connect with the free transport back to the Hotel at 9pm. We were both quite tired as it had been a longish drive and then loads of walking and waiting. But a good day..

Sunday 13th April 2014- Imperial Palace and lunch with friends

We left the Hotel around 0915 to get by underground to the Imperial Palace where we arrived just about ten am and in time to join the short queue.  The Palace was most impressive with the garden and fantastic gardens spread over several hundred acres in the middle of this city. After 2.5 hours looking around we then took the train to Takashimaya Department store to meet up with Noel ex Osaka colleagues and we went to a brilliant old Japanese restaurant where we enjoyed all sorts of specialities. A really excellent lunch with tatami matting and, no shoes.

After lunch we wandered through the back streets and to a old Kyoto style coffee and cake house where we continued our chats until about 16.30 when they had to leave back to Osaka and us to continue our walking through the fish market and then on to shops selling all sorts of clothing. The local girls seem to where either short miniskirts or short trousers and boots whilst it it also great to see many Japanese wearing their kimonos as a matter of course and walking around the shops, it adds a certain charm and when the man is in his traditional outfit what a wonderful couple they make.

We found a supermarket to purchase more bread to enable us to polish of the Boursan Cheese and also the rest of the Kirkland Bordeaux special wine whilst check out the location of our next Hotel and how we get there. There is also the small matter of sorting an checking 224 photos and videos and writing two days blog to be completed and also make a couple of Skype calls.

Saturday 12th April 2014- A good journey to Kyoto

We have a few miles to do today to get to Kyoto. We left nice and early and hit the Tomei Expressway and then the NEW Tomei Expressway and there was very little traffic on the motorways and much less than we expected. Our route took us South of Nagoya and via the large Sea Port where you could see hundreds of Toyota cars awaiting shipment and shortly afterwards there was a huge fun park. We stopped for a coffee and then about an hor later for some petrol, this little Nissan Note seems to conserve fuel well with ECO flashing lights if you push too hard on the GO pedal.

We arrived in Kyoto and found the Hotel after a short diversion but our looking on Google Earth helped us finds this newish hotel with Hotel rooms being very small. We parked in the car park, well actually there is room for about six cars but they have this mechanism which lifts the cars in to the air in a stack enabling them to store twenty four cars in the space of six. One hour later we were en route walking to Kyoto Station where we found a Travelex to cash in some T/C’s  and also a spaghetti lunch and then on walking around outside  the station and we came to the first cultural location an amazing building called the Higashi Honganji Temple which is the largest wooden structure in the world and most impressive it is.

By this time it was about 5pm and so we started slowly walking back to the Hotel and buying some bread to go with our cheese and wine which we planned for eating tonight.

It had been a long day and we were both tired and so did not action the blog or photos but watch a very old ‘Star Wars’ film on TV until we dropped off about 9.30 pm.

A good but tiring day

Friday 11th September 2014- On to Mount Fuji via Hakone

We were up quite early after a good night’s rest and raring to go. We all had an early breakfast our friends were also leaving early for Kyoto where they are meeting up with some other colleagues and then enjoy and onsen.

We headed down the coast in the direction of Hakone and by late morning after a couple of stops we arrived safely and walked a little bit around the lake. From there we talk the road to Gotemba, where we would stay later in the day, and then on to Mount Fuji and Lake Yamanaka and also Lake

Kawaguchi. We bought some salad stuff for lunch and parked by the side of Lake Yamanaka and then further North and around parts of Lake Kawaguchi before heading back to Gotemba. The sun was shining on the snow which covered a large part of Mount Fuji and it looked really beautiful.

The roads around this area were fairly quiet which was good as it meant we did not have traffic building up behind us as we make our way along at the approved speed limit which nobody else seems to observe here.

We arrived at the Hotel just before 17.00 and checked in and the first thing was a cup of tea and then a shower and out for dinner and we went to the nearest place which was a American Dennys restaurant chain and the food was not bad at all.

We then spent some time checking on out next Hotel as again the Satnav did not recognise the number so in the room after pouring over google maps we now have a pretty good idea where to go. Let’s see how we get on tomorrow but it is about a four hour drive minimum on the motorway tomorrow so an early start will take place.

Thursday 10th April 2014- Time to leave Tokyo

Well we had an early start but the Sat Nav could only take us to an area rather than a specific location as it would know appear that entering the telephone number is fine, but if it is not in the database then the satnav can only take you to the close area. So no problem leaving Tokyo on the Tomei expressway and we headed west via the Shuto and then the Tomei and eventually reached our first turn off as we were heading for the COSTCO Store at Zama which we discovered is  right next door to a major  manufacturing plant for Nissan.

We could not find the store and went in to a 7/11 store and as we started asking it was clear that we were not the first people to ask where to go. Ten minutes later we were there and parking. The store is very large and with an amazing choice of stuff and prices was so very low for many items. We purchased some wine, a Kirkland own brand Malbec from Argentina at just over 1000 yen per bottle or about £ 6.00. It’s usually at least £ 10.00 per bottle in Farnborough. Also the fantastic choice of meat is there no doubt for all the Americans leaving around the bases.

So we bought some wine and cheese and some other items and then turned south to Kamakura and again we had a telephone for the SAT NAV of a very old Hotel but again the Satnav said NO, so we ended up a littler lost but after following our instincts we made to the agreed meeting point on time.

We had a great stay meeting up with ex business colleagues for afternoons of light refreshment on their balcony overlooking the ocean and of course some wine was taken and then an excellent sashimi and sushi dinner before retiring to bed at around 10.30. We both wore ear plugs as the house is between a main road and a railway line but we had no problems sleeping and in fact woke early the next morning.

A really nice day 

Wednesday 9th April 2014- We are leaving Tokyo tomorrow

We are both feeling rather tired with all the walking for the past week whilst we are due to leave this Hotel tomorrow morning and so today was all about packing, collecting the hire car and generally getting sorted.

So this morning we packed up the two suitcases, one we will leave here, and generally clearing up ready for the off. By late morning all was complete and so we headed off by bus to Shinjuku Station for lunch which today was a shared pizza and later a coffee cake and iced tea before going to to the Nissan car hire location which is really not easy to find.

After twenty minutes searching this huge complex we found it and checked in and half an hour later we have our small Nissan Note car with a Japanese/English Satnav where the data entry is the telephone number of your destination, let’s hope this works. The Japanese lad who helped us check us in had good English but the girl who showed us to the car did not and so the education on the Satnav was limited. So in good faith we punched in the telephone number of the Hotel and up came a little box full of Japanese which apparently gave the details of the Hotel and so we said accept and off we went.

After the few minutes the screen showed a left turn coming up whilst telling us in English to do a U-Turn, damn and blast what to do, but we did the left turn and ten minutes later out of the blue appeared out Hotel, incredible.

The next thing was to figure out the car parking, so Noel went to the front desk and given limited instruction and a key which said car park 2 or (CP2) so this is a fully electronic car park where you drive in your car, then get out and it is whisked away to somewhere for storage. The only problem was the key entry system did not accept our entry and so Jen went to the front desk for help and returned with a female receptionist who clearly had not done this before either although she did have the benefit of reading Japanese.

Anyway ten minutes later the car was stored away somewhere and we returned to the room for an early dinner of left over bits and pieces which Jennifer made in to an acceptable concoction. Packing is now complete and one case stored in reception and the other in the car and a couple of small pieces to be put in the car tomorrow morning.

We are of to the Kamakura Peninsular tomorrow to stay overnight at a friend’s place whilst stopping en-route at a Japanese Costco store for some goodies, and it will be interesting to see the Japan Costco shop compared to the one in Farnborough.

No photos today…

Tuesday 8th April 2014- Ginza and Roppongi visit

We were both a little tired from yesterday whilst Noel needed to do some paperwork and also check the finances for the next couple of weeks as cashing Travellers Cheques in Japan is not so easy and few banks liking to do and so you are left with Travelex or similar who are not everywhere in Japan. Jennifer did some washing in the machines in the Hotel and commented how cheap it was and by 13.00 we had just about completed our bits and pieces and were ready to leave.

Again we  too the bus to Shinjuku where first of all hunger hit us and so we


visited a small tempura restaurant and for 1150 yen each (about £7.00)  we both had the tempura on rice together with Misu soup and a some green tea, really excellent. Then on to Travelex and the girl recognised from the other day and handled the sale of the T/C much faster than last time. They will only accept you cashing 50000 yen per time and we will need quite a lot of yen for Hotels, Toll roads and fuel plus car hire, all to be paid in cash as this is more of a cash society than credit card.

From there on the Tokyo Metro to Ginza where we wandered around the shops for a while and purchased a few items for back home and then found a nice little coffee house. I mentioned the non-smoking in streets but for some strange reason they allow smoking in restaurants, not sure why this is. We continued walking around Ginza and then left on the metro again for Roppongi Cross, a well know night life area although we were a little early at 18.00 as it does not warm up until about 2030. However we decided to have a bite in Tony Roma’s rib and steak place and Jennifer had a really excellent filet, full of taste and really tender, knife really not needed. Noel had the half rack of ribs and together with a couple of Kirin beers we enjoyed the evening.

Then back on the metro and also the JR Yamanote line but by this time the place was humming and thousands of people either going to eat, or play or visit love Hotels etc.

Love Hotels are famous in Japan and come in all shapes and sizes from castles to space ships where you book a room for a couple of hours before going home to the wife, yes this is Japan style.

Anyway we arrived back at the Hotel in the efficient bus service and ready for a quiet night however it is 9.30 pm when I am completing this blog so not really an early night.

Monday 7th April- Tsujki Fish Market and our old Tokyo House

We departed to the local station and then took the train to the fish market. Most of the activity and auction at the market takes place at 05.00 in the morning but you wernt going to get us there that time of the day as late morning would do us. So we had a good look around the market and then all the little restaurants surrounding the place mostly selling sushi buts as it was still a little early and there were queues of around 20/30 people waiting for a very small restaurant we did not bother to stop.

We left the market and walked via a coffee shop to Shimbashi about a mile or so away and walked around the old station which has been reconstructed for heritage reasons after it was destroyed many years ago in the great fire following an earthquake. Then on to the new station where this a huge steam train standing, it has been there for many years but now it is partly surrounded by a smoking area. Japan now has strict laws about smoking in the street and basically it’s not allowed and so there are little shelters or similar where one can puff away and enjoy one’s cigarette along with several hundred other smokers.

We were a little peckish now and stopped for a bowl of noodles, done spaghetti style which was excellent. Two largish bowls of spaghetti and two drinks, not bad for £ 8.00.

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From there we went on several trains out to the place we used to live called Nakamashi with the nearest station being Kaminoge. We had both tried to find our old Tokyo house on Google earth but could never find it and thought that perhaps it had been demolished. We walked down from the station, it was partly familiar but it was in 1985/6 that we lived there so quite some years ago and don’t always remember the details. We gor a little worried and then low and behold we located our house which the brochure at the time called Plam Springs or Palm Springs as it should have been.  Its hasn’t changed very much except across the road which use to be smallholding’s are now flats and where the old Kirin brewery distribution plant used to be where Michael would always be there with the workers on their fork lift or doing their morning exercises has now gone and it’s all apartments.

Time to leave and we both fancied a cup of tea and we found a large bakery shop which sold tea where they bring the egg timer to time the tea being brewed and we then also cheated and had a slice of chocolate cake which was delicious. From there we took the bus up to Todoroki and the Kinokuya supermarket to stock up on some food for tonight and then on to Megero Station to connect with the Yamanote line to Shinjuku  and from their via another bakery to get some croissants for tomorrow morning back on the bust to our Hotel.

A satisfying but tiring day again and we have walked a lot over the last few days but well worth it.. Dinner tonight was a chicken and ham salad followed by apple slice and some very unfrozen ice cream.

Sunday 6th April- Harajuku, Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park

After a late night the previous evening we decided to be a little later getting up this morning before heading of by bus to Shinjuku Station and then Yamonote Line to the young people’s area of Tokyo called Harajuku.

Here the young, including us, hang out and walk around the  many shops selling all sorts of clothing from high fashion to the cheap stuff whilst stuffing themselves on ice cream and many other weight gaining pleasures. We walked around this part of town for a couple of hours absorbing culture and noise before heading over to the Mejei Shrine. We arrived at the entrance and there was a show going on with drummers and dancers which we watched for about 15 minutes then headed in to the very busy park. We started walking to the shrine but it started to rain quite heavily so we diverted to the loos and restaurant and enjoyed an excellent beef noodle soup. The rain had eased  little and we walked past this huge array of French wine barrels which had been placed there some years as part of an offering from the French to the Meiji shrine staff, not sure if the casks still have wine in but doubt it.

From there we headed in to the Yoyogi Park area and watched the rock’ an’ roll male dancers doing their thing for a while then continued in to the park where many Japanese were enjoying the day under the apple blossom. They bring a large groundsheet then sit on it and eat and drink the day away together with Karaoke and finally they fold up the groundsheet with all the leftovers in it and hand to the park attendants. All very well organised.

Then back on the train to the Hotel after having walked at least five or six miles and our feet were aching but still we stopped in the supermarket for some chicken breasts, potatoes and veggies and a bottle of Bordeaux wine and then headed to the room for dinner. We tried to see if the Bahrain F1 GP would be on and it was but at midnight Tokyo time so we forgot that. Noel did some sorting of photos and some blogging and thence to bed and were both very tired..