Jun 11, 2018 - Birding w/ Chris and, Our Aussie Friends Join Us in Tokyo

Set the alarm for 06:00 and riding the Metro by 06:30 to meet Chris for a day of birding. Lidia contacted Chris via Birding Buddies, and he agreed to meet us at a Metro station and take us birding to a remote valley via a one hour train ride. We arrived to a small town and after a ten minute taxi ride to the edge of town, and a 15 minute walk thru a small neighborhood past the edge, we entered a Nature Preserve. One thing for sure is that we would never have found that place without Chris's expert guidance; not to mention the bird nest...

Jun 9, 2018 - Museums, Markets & Masses

Have been enjoying our time in Tokyo visiting museums, parks, cemeteries (they are quiet, green, and have interesting gravesites & monuments), shrines, and just the relaxed, clean, orderly pulse of the city. The Edo Castle site though very large was a bit disappointing in that much of the park/garden areas are not open to the public. Also continuing to enjoy living at our Roam 'Home'. Interesting conversations with young people from all over the world. We even went out to dinner with a group of 8 or so to celebrate the birthday of one of...

Jun 5, 2018 - Explore some more & Take me out to the Ballgame

We have continued to explore Tokyo, and daily find gems of museums, temples, architecture, green spaces, and restaurants. The ease of use of the Metro system is a tremendous enabler. Did not need to use the Metro to visit the Mori Museum in the Roppongi Hills area as it is just a 15 minute walk from our Roam Home. The current exhibition is about the history of Japanese architecture. The nine sections explain the evolution from ancient wooden structures through to today's modern wonders, and the concept of building a 1,150 foot tall wooden...

Jun 3, 2018 - Exploring Tokyo

Our home while staying in Tokyo is a Hotel/Hostel/Apartment Complex concept with locations worldwide. There are individual rooms for sleeping & bathing, and common areas for cooking, eating, and lounging. There are guests/residents from all over the world staying at this Tokyo location which is in the Roppongi area. Some of the residents have lived here for a year or more, while others stay for a week, a month, or more. Many do not have a permanent home anywhere. They have jobs that allow them to live and work from anywhere. Some migrate...

Jun 2, 2018 - Hello Tokyo

Been to Tokyo numerous times before, but only for business to Narita & AMAT office in downtown Tokyo. That is to say: Airport, Taxi, Hotel, Taxi, Office, Taxi, Restaurant, Taxi, Office, Taxi, Hotel, Taxi, Airport ! Did I ever 'see' Tokyo ? No. So, now we will. And Japan, which is roughly the size of California. 'Red Eye' from Hong Kong - arrived Narita Airport 07:00 and navigated Metro to our hotel area. Metro is user friendly; color coded Metro Lines, stations numbered, and 'English' station names. Really pretty easy to navigate....

Apr 13, 2018 - Hakone

Hakone is not the town/city I was expecting it to be. It seems to be a region made up of villages/towns nestled between the mountains. And it takes at least 50 minutes by bus to get anywhere. And it's very expensive -it's costing me 3000yen per day, compared to Tokyo at approx. 500yen per day However, I braved the bus system and went to Hakone-machi. I did a very non-Japanese thing and hiked around the southern shore of Lake Ashi. I could see Mt Fuji at first, before she decided to be coy and disappear, even though it was sunny &...

Apr 12, 2018 - Kyoto to Hakone

Went back to Nishiki Market to buy myself a Japanese kitchen knife (16000 yen) and a grater. They engraved my name in Japanese on both. Hope I don't have any problems getting them into Australia. It was nice to be able to walk around at my own pace after the tour. Apart from the market, it was a travel day. Caught the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Odawara. The highlight was seeing Mt Fuji from the train. Then a bus for 50 minutes to get to my ryokan (Japanese inn). It was all surprisingly easy. I have had a private onsen and a fabulous dinner

Apr 11, 2018 - Kyoto

The majority of the group got up early to leave at 7.30 to visit Fushimi Inari before the crowds arrived. They were only getting a brief visit, which is why we went yesterday evening. We met them out there at 9.00 to catch another 2 trains and then a bus out to the countryside of Kyoto to learn about tea (my favourite, not). We learnt about Japanese tea, tasted tea and learnt to make matcha. Unsurprisingly, I didn't buy anything from the shop. Made the return 2 hour journey back to Kyoto. Because of the travel time, this excursion took...

Apr 10, 2018 - Kyoto

Busy day in Kyoto, trying to fit in as much as possible before probable rain tomorrow. Started with a flying visit to Nijo Castle. Not as picturesque as Osaka Castle but far more interesting inside. There is a nightingale floor which makes the sound of nightingale birdsong when you tread on it, instead of creaking floorboards. Back to the hotel to meet the rest of the group to walk to our cooking class where we cooked a range of Obanzai (Kyoto home cooking) dishes and then ate them for lunch. After lunch it was free time for the rest of the...

Apr 9, 2018 - Koyasan to Kyoto

Basically another travel day. Reverse order of Osaka to Koyasan, but with another 2 changes of train to get to Kyoto, plus a change to a subway line to get to our hotel. Lunch at Kyoto Train Station, which sounds terrible but had amazing choices. Walked through the covered Nishiki Market - mainly food items such as pickled vegetables, an entire shop devoted to sesame and various food vendors plus other random shops. Walked down to the river and the edge of the Gion District. Went for a drink which turned into dinner. Upon leaving we walked...

Apr 8, 2018 - Osaka to Koyasan

Today we travelled up into the mountains to Koyasan. It took 2 trains, a cable car (it was really a funicular railway) and a bus to get there. Koyasan is basically a small town made up of monasteries practising Shingon Buddhism. We stayed at one of these monasteries.It was a high tech monastery with free wifi, a computer room, a coffee machine and high tech toilets (in keeping with the rest of Japan). Unfortunately it got down to -1 at night and we were only sleeping behind paper screen doors We went for a walk to the major monastery, then...

Apr 7, 2018 - Kanazawa to Osaka

Still raining in Kanazawa. Caught the "Thunderbird" train to Osaka. Walked around the Dotonbori District and through the covered food markets. Walked down the cooking utensil street but no time for shopping. Went out to Osaka Castle and went through the extensive museum - not that exciting, mainly dealing with civil war in Japan. Back to Dotonbori, where a few of us put money into a kitty and went sampling the street food of Osaka, including okonomyaki and sushi from a conveyer belt (invented in Osaka)