After our last Japan trip (you can read about that here), we decided we would like to come back and see different cities. We both also said we would like to get a rail pass and we both said we wanted to get a Green Car pass – the Green Car is their 1st class car. The pass for 2 weeks was around £600. I choked at the cost, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, though.
I set out looking for flights and when I found some that included a checked bag and a shorter layover, I messaged Ken and he said to buy them. He transferred the money to me, and I got the tickets for us.
Once these were bought, we set out putting an itinerary together. I told him I wanted to see parts of Japan that we didn’t last time. We put together the itinerary and began looking at accommodation too.
I wanted to go as far south as Nagasaki and as far north as Sapporo.
Not long after we put this itinerary together, I said we should go to Hong Kong and booked some tickets. Once these were booked, we had to look at our Japan Itinerary again, as going to either end of the country and getting back to Tokyo for the flights to Hong Kong was going to be difficult. The decision was made to just head south and leave out Sapporo.
Japan
China (Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR)
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Since we got in so late last night, we didn’t really have plans to do much today. All we knew for sure was that we wanted to look for glasses and also to exchange our rail passes.
We got up, got ready and headed out. The weather wasn’t looking too good for today, so we planned to stay pretty much indoors.
We went and exchanged our rail passes. When you order them, you get a voucher that you have to exchange at one of the offices in Japan. We found one in Shinjuku and headed there. We exchanged them and also booked our tickets for the places we were going in the next couple of weeks.
Once we had those booked, we headed out to find a store that sold glasses. We found one underground called Bins and went there. It turns out that they aren’t cheaper than back in England. Mind you, we both have varifocals, so that’s why. If you just had normal lenses and no prism, you would’ve been fine.
We tried a couple more shops and we just gave up because it would cost roughly the same at home.
We ended up going back to the hotel in the early evening as the weather wasn’t good and we were both tired.
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We decided yesterday that, since we didn’t have anything planned for today, we would ask the workers at the JR East rail offices for recommendations on where to go on the Shinkansen.
We figured since we had a 2-week unlimited pass, we should use it as much as we can.
After letting the workers know that we would like to head north, they suggested we should go to Morioka. They said there was some stuff to do, but that it was also better to ask at the information office when we got there.
We had them make the reservation for us and we just had to wait for the time to come around.
We got up, got ready and then left the hotel around 08:40. We made our way to the metro to get the train to Tokyo station. I wanted to be there a little over an hour before the train was due to leave, as I didn’t want to rush.
We got on the train at Omori and then headed to Tokyo Station. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t raining. It was cold, so I made sure I had my jacket.
We got to Tokyo Station and it was heaving. We also saw the departure boards with a lot of delays. We went through the wrong barriers first and then I asked a worker which one we needed. He pointed us in the right direction.
We went through those barriers and looked at those departure boards and there were a lot of delays listed. A worker helped us and told us the platform we needed and then said he anticipated there could be a delay of around an hour or more. This is unusual for Japan, who pride themselves on rail punctuality.
We went to look for a Starbucks but couldn’t find one. We ended up just going up to the platform and waiting. The board showed a delay of 25 minutes for our train. At least it wasn’t the hour or more that the worker said.
We finally left and the ride to Morioka was nice and smooth. The scenery changed a couple of times on the ride, too. We left Tokyo with wet ground (but no rain). We were an hour north and there was snow on the ground. 10 minutes further north and there was no snow. 10 minutes further and there was snow.
There was a minute amount when we got to Morioka.
We made our way to the information office and asked for recommendations on what to see.
The lady gave us a map and pointed out some places. We like temples and shrines and decided we would do those.
There is a city bus that does a clockwise and an anticlockwise loop and we just missed the clockwise one. Thankfully, the anticlockwise one wasn’t too far behind in leaving. That’s the one we got.
Any length of trip on the bus is ¥150.00. Nice and cheap.
We got to the stop where the temples are and also where the 500 Buddha Disciples are.
As we were walking around, we noticed how quiet it was. It’s like the place that was built and then bypassed. Hardly anyone was around. Very few cars. Not many shops open outside of the mall attached to the station.
I think it all added to the ambience of the place. Eerie/Creepy/Solemn!
We walked around and then headed for the bus to take us to the shrine and the remnants of the castle walls.
We left there and then decided to just head back to the mall and wait for the train. We were at least able to get some food and Ken was able to get a coffee. I was also able to get some magnets.
We headed to the platform for the train and then just got on and relaxed until we reached Tokyo. There was a guy on the train who was snoring for the best part of an hour. It was super loud, too. I had my headphones in and I could hear him!
We got to Tokyo and then got the metro to Omori. It was a world apart from the crammed train this morning. We actually got to sit down this time, too – well, I did. Ken sat down on the way to Tokyo station too.
I stopped by Family Mart so I could get some sandwiches as I was hungry. Before you ask, yes, it was egg mayonnaise. They are delicious here. You have to try them to see how good they are.
We got back to the hotel and I packed and headed to bed as we had to be up early again for our train down to Fukuoka.
Whilst Morioka wasn’t a happening place, it was good to say that we visited and that we did stuff and made use of our rail pass.
The train to Morioka was 2 hours and 45 minutes. The train back from Morioka was 2 hours and 18 minutes. The return distance was 610 miles.
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Today was a day of long travel. We got the Shinkansen down to Fukuoka and that took us a little over 6 hours.
We had breakfast at the hotel before checking out. I had scrambled (with a copious amount of liquid in them) eggs, Vienna sausages, bread rolls, boiled egg for breakfast. I don’t usually have breakfast at the hotels, but I made an exception today – one I would come to regret later in the day.
We made our way to Omori Station and sat in Starbucks for a while before we needed to leave. I left Ken there and made my way to the 7-Eleven to get some snacks for the train.
We went to get the metro to Tokyo Station. We got to Tokyo Station and it always surprises me how busy it gets. It shouldn’t. It’s one of the main stations in the capital city!
We went to where we thought our train would leave from. I asked a worker which platform we needed. She told me and then we headed to the platform and just sat there waiting for the train. Truth be told, I was happy to sit there and just watch the Shinkansen come and go. I don’t know what it is about them; they just fascinate me so much. I could sit on the platform all day and watch them.
The time came for our train (the first of two). I said to Ken we should wait at the barrier so we could get space for our luggage.
We got on, put our luggage in the racks and took our seats. I sat at the window and was just sitting there, wondering if I was on the right side to see Fuji. I didn’t have to wonder too long as it came into view not long after leaving Shinagawa station.
The views of Fuji were amazing. I just sat there snapping pictures of the scenery around. I loved it all.
You can see some of my favourite ones below.
This train was from Tokyo to Shin-Kobe station. The journey time was a little over 3 hours and the distance was 326 miles. You can see our route below.
We got off at Shin-Kobe and only had to wait about 20 minutes until our next train. It didn’t really give us time to do much. I was glad it was just a 2 platform station and that we didn’t have to carry our cases down and up to another platform.
We boarded this one and then just enjoyed the journey down to Fukuoka. Ken had the window seat on this one and I am glad that he did. Remember when I said earlier about the copious amounts of liquid in the scrambled eggs? Well, it was beginning to work and I needed to head to the toilet.
I was so glad when we reached Fukuoka, as it meant we were close to the hotel and I could just go there and relax.
You can see our journey from Shin-Kobe to Fukuoka below. This one was 2 hours and 22 minutes. The distance was 304 miles.
We had to get the metro from Hakata Station to Tenjin-minami. Luckily for us, it was just a 7-minute walk to the hotel from the metro.
We checked in and then headed straight to the room. I wanted to just relax. Ken decided to go out and then I decided to call and speak with Addy. It was nice as I hadn’t spoken to him for a couple of days.
After I had spoken with him, I decided to head out to go get some food and have a little bit of a wander.
It was nice to walk around. It wasn’t super cold either. I did get a few pictures from the walk.
As I was heading back, I went into a couple of the convenience stores. I was in a 7-Eleven and in walked Ken. I wasn’t expecting to see him until I was back at the hotel.
We decided to just head back to the hotel and relax for the night.
I was glad to be back. I can’t even tell you how tired I was. The mattress was nice and soft and I was so glad about that after the hard mattress in Tokyo.
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Today was a late start. I went to sleep so quick last night and slept a lot. I needed it. Ken also slept late. It’s probably one of the only days in Japan where we can sleep in and a day where we haven’t got any train journey planned.
The weather was also not so good. It was raining heavily when we got up and it was forecast to be like that for most of the day.
I decided, since it was raining, I would do some laundry. It was going to take 2 hours for it to wash and dry. Ken decided that he would go out and I told him once the laundry was done, I would go out souvenir hunting and then meet him.
Ken left and I stayed in the room before going to get the laundry. It wasn’t fully dry, so I had to put it in some more.
As I was in the room waiting, Ken messaged me a picture of a souvenir store that had some magnets of Fukuoka. What a result. I told him I would go get them and then go and meet him.
It was raining when I left, but not too heavily. I didn’t bring my jacket and just had my backpack and umbrella.
I went to the souvenir store and got told off inside. I forgot to leave my umbrella in the stand outside the shop. It was a genuine mistake. I got my magnets and then backtracked a little to the Kushida Shrine that was there.
I was so glad I did. Not many people were about and I got to see 2 Cherry Blossom trees in full bloom. I was so glad I got to see it. I said to Ken yesterday that I would get the Shinkansen back to Tokyo just for that. Haha. I told him I wasn’t joking either – he believed me too.
I also got to see some Tori Gates. The contrast of the bright red against a dreary sky was amazing.
Once I left here, I made my way in the direction of the Starbucks Ken was at. It was still raining and I was glad I was under cover on this pedestrianised street.
I got to Ken and we sat in Starbucks for a little bit. We then decided to head out. I said we should head in the direction of Tochoji Temple.
As we were walking there, Ken made a remark about how the vehicles looked like they’d just rolled off the production line, even something like a cement mixer. It’s crazy how much they keep them clean all the time. It’s nice to see.
We walked around the Tochoji Temple and got some pictures. I was trying my best not to be annoyed with people taking their time when I was trying to get pictures. I know being there isn’t all about the pictures. Still… it annoys me when they see you waiting and deliberately take their time. Grrr.
The temple was nice to see.
We left here and then headed to the Kushida Shrine – since Ken hadn’t yet seen it.
After we were done here, we went to Canal City (yeah, we definitely didn’t take funny pictures of the sign) to get some food. I saw there was a McDonald’s there and I had my trusty chicken nuggets.
As we were leaving, we saw people gathered around the water. It turns out there was a water show at 17:30. Did I stop to record it? Of course I did!
The song playing is Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. It was a really cool water show. It lasted about 4 minutes. There was a girl who walked in front as I was recording. It annoyed me, but I didn’t say anything as I was recording.
We left here and then I headed back to the hotel and Ken went off wandering again. I needed to get my laundry that was in the dryer. Thankfully, nobody took it out.
Despite the rain, it has been a good day. I need to have a chill night as we are back on the Shinkansen tomorrow, headed to Nagasaki.
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Today we headed to Nagasaki.
We were up early as we decided we would walk to the train station. It wasn’t a bad walk either. It was nice and cold too. We ended up being about 90 minutes early at the station.
We stopped for a coffee for Ken and then went to the station to find some food. We found a bakery and got some things from there. I got a hash brown, a chicken cutlet, a cinnamon bun, a croissant, a sugar doughnut. They all were delicious – though the chicken cutlets from Family Mart are much better.
We headed to the platform and waited for our train. It was good as I got to get some pictures and videos of the trains there.
We saw our train pull in and we were a little disappointed it wasn’t an actual Shinkansen. It was a relay train that connected with the Shinkansen further down the line.
This one took us from Hakata to Takeo Onsen and then another one from Takeo Onsen (a Shinkansen this time) took us to Nagasaki.
We got to Nagasaki and headed out towards the tram line. I tried to look for the tourist information, but I couldn’t find it.
As we were outside, we saw some stuff going on for Women’s Day. We didn’t stop to see much as we were time-limited.
We got on the tram at the station and headed to Sofuku-ji Temple.
One thing we had noticed about Nagasaki was that it was quite hilly. We were beginning to think the temple would be at the top of a steep hill. We needn’t have worried, though.
We went to where we thought the temple was, but it was the Yasaka-jinja Shrine. We still climbed the stairs and went to have a look.
We headed back down the steps and started walking. As we did, we saw a sign for the temple and followed it.
We got there and saw there was an entrance fee of ¥500.00
We went in and had a walk around. It was quite nice. Alongside the temple grounds, there was a cemetery. You couldn’t get to it from the temple, though, and had to walk down the street a few metres and the entrance was there.
We left here and then headed back down the street. I had seen a souvenir shop on the map, so I could get the magnets I wanted. We walked in the direction of it and we got sidetracked by a shopping parade. It looked to go on forever, too.
We left here and got to the river. I had seen some bridges on the map that looked pretty cool and I thought Ken would like them too, as he loves bridges.
They didn’t disappoint either. There were old stone bridges all along the river. The river here is called Nakashima.
We walked down one side of the river and then down to the river and across some stones to get some pictures of the bridges. We then went back up to where the souvenir store was. It was closed, so we carried on walking along the river. We sat for a little bit and saw some more stones in the river that we walked across.
Across this side of the river was a stone heart in the wall. We went there and had a look. People put coins in here and I am guessing it’s for their wishes to come true.
As we were here, Ken was enjoying looking at the carp in the river.
We walked back up to the road level and carried on walking. We got to a bridge by a shrine/temple and crossed over and headed back the way we came.
I saw the souvenir shop, but it ended up being a secondhand shop instead. Oh well. Thwarted in my search here. It was a nice walk along the river, nonetheless.
From here, we decided that we would walk in the direction of Chinatown as we were getting hungry. We knew that we would find some food that we liked here.
Ken was leading us here and we had to cross the river. I saw a souvenir shop there and had a look in, but I was thwarted on my magnet hunt yet again.
We walked around but didn’t find anywhere to eat. We did get a custard cream, though. Note to the Brits: it’s not the kind of custard cream we know and love.
It was nice, though. The custard was nice and thick.
We headed in the direction of where we thought Chinatown was this time. We knew we had reached the right place when we saw the following.
By this point, my back was aching and my feet were starting to hurt too. I would’ve been happy just to sit while Ken went to eat. I carried on walking, though, and I came across another souvenir shop – not thwarted this time, though, as it had magnets. I got them and we carried on walking down the street. It turns out that between 15:00 and 17:00, the food places shut down to prepare for the evening.
We found a Family Mart and got a chicken cutlet and decided we would just head to the station and get something to eat and drink there.
We got to the tram stop and it was crazy busy. It seemed everyone was waiting for the tram we wanted.
One turned up and we didn’t get on this one as it was packed. The thing here they do that I don’t like is that they cram onto public transport to the point that you might have to fight to breathe.
We waited for the next one and that was busy too. I said we should get the one that was directly behind it. It was good that we did, as we got seats and it was nice to sit down all the way to the station.
We got off and then went to get food. I got McDonald’s and Ken had some dumplings. We were glad to be away from there, though. There was a group of lads and they were being super loud. Grrr.
We went to Starbucks and sat there for about 40 minutes. I had to go to the toilet. I pulled a Hiroshima Ken, though. I thought I was pressing the flush, but I actually pressed the distress call button. I panicked and quickly left. I don’t think I was seen. Phew.
We left here and then went for the train back to Fukuoka via the ticket machine. We were determined to make good use of our rail pass and we booked some tickets on Monday to go to Kagoshima.
On the way back from the station, we stopped by a 7-Eleven to get some egg mayo sandwiches, but they had none. We saw a Lawson further up and I got some from there. The egg mayo from here is something else. It is so good. I got 3 sandwiches. I don’t even care if they make me unwell. They are totally worth it.
All in all, today was a good day. Not least because we had good weather too.
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I told Ken last night that I wanted today to be one of those lazy days where I didn’t really do much and one where I would have a lie-in.
Today turned out to be exactly that.
I got up late and we ended up leaving the hotel around 10:30. We didn’t have any plans, so we just walked and walked for a few hours. As we were walking, I told Ken I had a dream that we went to Taipei to get some of the sweet-and-sour pork I had when we were there last time. I also told him that when I woke up, I checked the prices of flights. He asked how much and I told him and we both said that we should do it. Stay tuned, dear reader!
We saw a shrine and a couple of temples. The temples here are nice to see, but they don’t seem to be upkept very well. Some of them look in a state of disrepair.
We found one that looked quite nice and what we would expect it to look like. It seemed to be a popular one, too.
We had a look around there for around an hour before heading to get some coffee.
We left here and as we were walking, we saw some more cherry blooms. On this tree, it was a deep pink. It was so nice to see.
I was starting to feel not so good, so we had to make our way quick to Starbucks. We were here for around an hour and then headed back to the hotel. I relaxed for an hour or two. After about 90-minutes Ken decided that he would go out and wander for a while.
After about 30 minutes, I decided I would go for a quick wander as I was feeling ok. That quick wander turned into around 60 minutes. I also walked for about 1.5 miles on this quick wander.
I went in the direction of a temple and shrine I had seen. I saw that they closed at 17:00, so I wanted to get there before they did.
The first shrine I stopped at was Amatsu-jinja. It was a shrine in the middle of the road and had a couple of bridges – one on either end of the shrine. There was also a lake around it and it had carp in it. You could see them skimming the water. It was cool to see.
The next shrine I went to was Sumiyoshi-jinja. It was a nice walk around here. I was here for around 15 minutes. I enjoyed everything I was seeing. The big temple and the Torii gates also.
After I left here, I decided I would just start walking and see where I ended up. That didn’t work out so well, as I started to feel a little unwell again. I just decided it would be best to make my way to the hotel.
I did just that and then I decided I would stay in for the rest of the night. Ken messaged asking what I was doing and I told him I was staying in and he said he was going to keep wandering.
We have to be up early tomorrow anyway for our day trip to Kagoshima.
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When we left Nagasaki, we booked some tickets (to maximise our pass) to go to Kagoshima. Neither of us had any idea what was here. I said we should ask at the information office once we were there and have them give us some recommendations.
It was another early start to get the train. Our train was at 09:28. We didn’t want to leave too early, but we wanted to leave early enough so we had plenty of time in Kagoshima.
I got the window seat on the train and I was happy with that as it meant I could look out and get some pictures as we were travelling. The scenery in this part of Japan is really nice. It has a lot of mountains.
We got to Kagoshima-Chuo station and went to find the information office se would could get some recommendations. At first, she thought I was asking for accommodations (damn my accent!) but then realised we meant recommendations.
She gave us a map and a leaflet of the city and the ferry to Sakurajima. She suggested that we do the Kagoshima City View bus. This bus does an 80-minute tour of the city.
We found another information centre and they said we could buy the passes there. We did and then went to the bus stop. I said to Ken that we should do a loop of it and then go back to places we saw that would be good.
You can see the route below.
We did a full route on the bus. I was on the left side with a window open so I could take some pictures. Ken was on the right side doing the same. The city is really nice. We had good weather and there were some really cool sights here.
Partway round, I got an absolutely amazing view of Mount Sakurajima. It’s still an active volcano. It was a thing of beauty, though.
You can see some pictures of the sights below.
We got off where we started and we headed inside the mall to see if we could see a Starbucks. On the way, Ken said we should go on the Ferris Wheel. Against my better judgement I agreed.
We couldn’t find a Starbucks, so we went on the Ferris Wheel. We were given the choice of a normal cabin or a panoramic one. Ken said panoramic.
We got in and I asked Ken not to move too much as I don’t like heights and I don’t like the thing rocking when I am in it and I am up high. Thankfully he didn’t.
The views were worth the fear. At the top, we started to sway because of the wind. I was a bit freaked out. I was beginning to wonder why I said yes to going up that high! I had to keep thinking of the views!
Once we were done here, we found the Starbucks and sat in until the next bus left.
We decided we would go round once again with us each sitting on different sides this time.
We both got the window seats again and it was nice to have the breeze as the bus was a bit warm.
Once we got back to the start, we took walk towards the river and sat there for a little bit. We had to leave as the wind was really cold.
We went into the Aeon supermarket there to have a look around. We picked up some bits and pieces and then went to pay.
They had a weird way of paying here. A worker would scan your items and then take you to a till where you can pay. You weren’t able to pay where the worker scanned the items. Very strange.
We left here and then went to get something to eat and drink before heading to the platform for the train back to Fukuoka.
We got the Sakura Shinkansen again. I love riding the Shinkansen. It’s fast and smooth. It took about 90 minutes to get from Kagoshima to Fukuoka.
The total round-trip distance of this trip was 314.59 miles.
Today has been really good also. Kagoshima is a quaint city and one that is worthy of a visit if you are in this part of Japan.
We had to pack tonight too, as we are off to Osaka tomorrow for a few days.
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Once we had woken up and gotten ready for the day, we decided that we would make our way to the hotel we stayed at the last time we were in Osaka.
We booked it last night because I didn’t like the one we were in. I don’t even know why we didn’t book this one again. It mustn’t have shown up in the list. It wasn’t even that expensive either. I have to see if I can recoup our costs for the last one. Ken did say that we got use of it, so it wasn’t a complete waste of money.
It was around 10:30 when we left to head to the other hotel. I looked at the map and it was only mkm d=”6″], but it was an hour on public transport. That was because it took 3 trains to get there.
One of the reasons we liked the hotel we stayed at last time was because of how close it is to the train and the tram.
We got to the hotel, then completed our check-in and left our bags as we were 3 hours early. We then decided we would head out to the train and get it to Nambe station. We remembered we were here last time and it is so close to the train station.
We got to Namba and I instantly had flashbacks of how busy it was. There were thousands-upon-thousands of people there. Some of them were just looking down at their phones and not looking where they were walking – a pet peeve of mine.
We had a walk around here and ended up in Dotonbori.
One of the things I noticed about Osaka is that they love to put ornaments on the front of their buildings. I guess it’s a way of getting people in to spend money.
This area is famous for its neon signs and being by the river. The walk around here was a tough one because of all the people. I was getting stressed being around them.
We crossed the river and found a place that sold 10-Yen coins – they are pastries that have a variety of fillings. I particularly like the custard ones, so I got one of those.
They cost ¥500.00 each. They were delicious though!
Ken asked if I fancied doing a boat tour here and I said that it would be good. We finished our coins and went to get some tickets. The ride was 20-minutes and cost ¥2,000.00 per person.
You can see our walk and boat ride pictures below.
We made our way back towards the train station as there was a Gyoza place that Ken wanted to eat it. I left him there and I just had a burger and fries from Wendy’s.
Once we had both eaten, we made our way to the platform and got the train to the stop for the hotel and got the keys to the room.
We stayed here for a couple of hours so Ken could do laundry and I could just chill and rest my weary feet.
We decided that we would go to the Osaka Tower and go up it for the views. We didn’t do this last time and last time we only walked around the area of the tower.
The tickets for the observation deck are ¥1,200.00 per person. Ken was kind enough to get them for us both.
We went up in the lift and walked around. It was inside, so I had to put my phone against the glass for some decent pictures.
As we were walking around, we saw some more stairs to the outside observation deck. These tickets were an extra ¥300.00 per person. I got them for us and it was totally worth it. Getting pictures without reflections in was what we wanted.
You can see how good the views were in the pictures below.
Once we were done here, we got the lift back down and had a quick walk around the area of the tower. We were getting annoyed with the entitled tourists (mostly from the USA) here. They were super loud, too. I heard one say that they would walk around the tourists, taking pictures of the ‘crappy tower’. I wanted to tell him to go back to the US if it was that bad here. I didn’t. It wasn’t worth the hassle.
The lights here are just crazy – bright and enticing!
We left here and then made our way to the station and back to the hotel. I am so glad we moved hotels. I am much more comfortable in this one.
Today has been a good day – despite switching hotels and the millions (or what seemed like) of people in Dotonbori.
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Today we both got up later than we usually would. I guess we were super tired from yesterday.
We didn’t have anything planned and Ken asked if I wanted to go to Kyoto today. I said yes and we left the hotel.
I asked Ken if he had the directions on how we were getting there and he said he thought I had. I told him I hadn’t and he looked at the map and got us directions there.
We made our way to the train to head to Kyoto. We needed to take 3 trains to get there. We went from Kishinosato-Tamade to Shin-Imamiya. From Shin-Imamiya, we went to Osaka. Then from Osaka we went to Kyoto.
We ended up getting to Kyoto around 12:40. We said we should go to the tourist information to get some recommendations, but we didn’t end up going there.
I looked at the map and found the location of the 1000 Gates and the Bamboo forest. I asked Ken if this was what he wanted to go see and he said it was.
We went to the platform for the train and we still had 12 minutes and I said to Ken he had time to get coffee, but he didn’t want to deal with the crowds at the station.
We got on the train and it was a 2-stop, 5-minute journey to the stop we needed: Inari.
As soon as we got off the train, we were hit with the crowds of people who had the same idea as Ken & I. There were also masses of people on the other platform waiting for the train back to Kyoto. It’s crazy how many there were.
We made our way to the shrines and temples and Torii gates. We decided we would just walk and see what we see.
It was really cool here. There are A LOT of gates here. It’s perfect if you love the Torii gates.
We were enjoying seeing them, but we were not enjoying the masses of people that were there, too. It was mostly foreign tourists (I know, the irony of me saying that as a foreign tourist myself) and they were always in the way. I know people want the perfect picture, but they shouldn’t do it at the expense of everyone else wanting to enjoy the place.
We just kept on walking through the gates. At one point, I heard someone mention where the bamboo forest was and I said to Ken where it was and we decided to walk that way. What we didn’t realise was what lay ahead of us by taking this trail.
We kept on walking and came across multiple shrines and loads of bamboo. It was really cool. We got to a point where it was quiet and windy and it was so cool listening to the bamboo creak.
We carried on walking and then it started to become steep. We still had no idea what was in store for us!
We ended up climbing Mount Inari – it’s not the highest, but it was 240m up. We had to stop a couple of times because I am so out of shape and was getting out of breath, too.
We saw an old guy and he passed us and he was giving us notes on where to go, though it was very broken English and difficult to understand. We got the gist of it, though.
We started our hike at this point, as it was so steep. We finally reached the summit and we couldn’t see the city. We were definitely disappointed at that. Oh well, it meant that the way back was all downhill.
We passed through more of the Torii gates and just made our way back down to the area where we started.
We did finally come across a bit of the path that gave good views out across Kyoto.
I think we ended up spending a couple of hours here.
We did say that once we got to the bottom, we would just go for the train and sit at Kyoto station for a little while until our train left.
When we got to Kyoto earlier, we did book some tickets for the way back just so we had a seat. I didn’t really feel like standing the whole way back to Osaka.
You can see some of the pictures from Inari below.
We headed for our train and we thought we were getting the Shinkansen back to Osaka from Kyoto. We looked at the departure board and the train we wanted wasn’t on there. I asked someone and they asked if I had a green JR rail pass. I showed them and then they said we needed to be on the JR lines and not the Shinkansen lines (I was confused since this was a JR pass and the Shinkansen are JR trains).
We followed his directions and I asked someone else and they said to go up the escalators to platforms 6/7. We looked and couldn’t see our train on there. I went to ask someone, but there was a queue at the window and then we saw the departure boards and it said our train was departing from track 30. We finally saw the signs for it and followed it and didn’t end up there. We did a circle and found the signs for it.
We ended up getting on the train with a few minutes to spare – bear in mind that we left Starbucks with 25 minutes to go before the train left. Madness!
We got back to Osaka and went to the Namba area so we could get dinner. We were also going to go back to Dotonbori to look at it all lit up, but neither of us could be bothered with more walking.
Today was a good day – even with all the climbing and walking we did.
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I told Ken yesterday that I was going to go to Nara today and I asked if he wanted to come along with me. He said he didn’t, as he wanted to do things he hadn’t already done.
I got up and went to the shower and I asked him again if he was coming along with me. He changed his mind and said yes as he didn’t want to sit in the hotel all day.
We got ready and went for the train. It was an easy enough journey there. It was 2 trains and about 40 minutes in total. The best part of it is that we only had to pay for the first train, as the second train was covered using our Japan Rail Pass.
We got lucky at Shin-Imamiya station and got to the platform just as the train was coming in.
Here in Osaka (and I presume other parts of Japan), they announce the next station and then the station after that when they are between stations. Say I was in Shin-Imamiya and the next station was Tennoji and then the station after that was Osaka (it isn’t, but for this example it is). It would say the next station is Tennoji. Then it would say that after leaving Tennoji, the next station would be Osaka. They announce this is Japanese and English (this is important for the story).
We got to Yamato-Koizumi station and it said the next station was Koriyama and that after leaving Koriyama, we would be stopping at Nara.
There was a couple (American) sat in the row across from us and when we got to Koriyama they went to get off and then said it doesn’t look like Nara and asked if it was Nara. We both said it was the next stop and they said they announced it as this stop. Dear reader, they didn’t and it shows they don’t listen! It’s a good job we didn’t give them the wrong information, as we saw them later on in the park.
Anyway, enough about silly people. We got to Nara and made our way to Starbucks so Ken could get his cup of lava and then we made our way up to the park. Since we had been here before, we didn’t bother taking a slow and meandering walk up. We just walked as fat as our legs could go.
We got to the top and went to where there was someone selling rice crackers last time, but they weren’t there. The deer were there, though, so they were getting the crackers from somewhere.
We crossed the road and just walked around the park. I called Addy whilst I was there so he could see the deer too. I wanted him to experience it as live as possible and not just from a video.
Speaking of Americans (see earlier in the post), we passed a bit of the park that was fenced off and a guy said the deer in there must be there for a reason. I just shrugged and walked. He clearly doesn’t realise that deer can jump and will easily jump the 2-foot-high fence!
I think he enjoyed seeing it and I think he enjoyed seeing the people feeding them, too.
We found somewhere that was selling crackers and they were ¥200.00 for 10 crackers. Last time we were here, it was ¥100.00 for 10!
We never bought any crackers and we just enjoyed walking around watching other people feed them and the deer get impatient. When you don’t feed them, they will nudge you or nip you to get the crackers. If you don’t have any, you need to show your hands so they can see you don’t have anything.
As we were watching them being fed, another American (this time a kid) walked by and saw “Deer are my new fear” all the while standing next to them and not being afraid in any way!
It was also funny to see people get brave and feed them, only to get scared right away because the deer are impatient.
We carried on walking and we went to a part of Nara that we hadn’t been to before. It was another large park and this one had a temple in it. We didn’t go into the temple. To be honest, we didn’t stay too much longer after this, as it was so cold and the wind wasn’t helping.
You can see the pictures and videos from here below.
On the way back to the station, we saw one tree that had cherry blossoms on it. I need to see more, though. One is not enough!
We went to get Starbucks for another cup of lava and Ken went to get a stamp. A guy behind the desk wrote under it in Japanese and said it was the date and Nara. Ken checked and it seems he had put the year as 97 and not 2026.
We got on the train back and then headed back toward the hotel. I needed to do laundry and also pack, as we are headed back to Tokyo tomorrow.
At Shin-Imamiya, we got some famous Japanese cheesecake. Let me tell you, it is nothing to rave about. It was average at best!
I was glad I was able to go back to Nara and I was glad to have Addy see it too.
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Today was a day of travelling. We had to check out of the hotel at 10 and didn’t really have any idea of what to do.
We decided we would just make our way to the train station. We had to get 2 trains from the hotel to the Shinkansen station at Shin-Osaka.
Thankfully for us, we found the lift to get down to the metro. Though we had to carry our bags to the platform.
We got on the train and after a few stops, we had to change. I went to where I thought we needed to be, but we were on the wrong side. All we needed to do was walk across the platform. I didn’t see it, though, as there was a wall where we got off.
We eventually ended up at Shin-Osaka and we went and got a Starbucks for Ken and then to McDonald’s for me.
Once we were done here, Ken went for a wander and I sat upstairs on the platform. I was enjoying the cool air and also watching the trains.
This Shinkansen trip was the last one we will take as our passes expire when we are in Hong Kong.
As always, the journey was smooth and comfortable. I just sat back, put my music on and chilled.
We were on the right side to get some more pics of Fuji.
We got to Shinagawa and only had 15 minutes to change trains. I didn’t have to worry, though, as the platforms were really close.
We got off at the airport and it was manic. Thousands of people everywhere. We went to the information desk to see where the buses pick up and he said he wasn’t information and that he only sold tickets.
Luckily, we found an information point and they sent us in the right direction.
We had 12 minutes to wait for the bus and then a 15-minute journey to the hotel.
I was so glad to be at the hotel. It was a welcome break from all the travelling and people.
We checked in, put our stuff in the room and went to the convenience store in the hotel for some hot food and then back to the room.
I was so glad to rest my feet, but not so glad about the bed. It was a firm mattress and it hurt my chest and hip. The room itself was huge. Bigger than my kitchen and living room at home!
Time for some much-needed sleep.
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Today was another travel day and an early start. I was up at about 05:44.
We got ready, checked out and went for breakfast. There was a queue for it as it hadn’t yet opened. We decided to get the bus that we saw, but it wasn’t available to board as it was full. We went back inside the hotel to wait and we saw some breakfast, so we went and had some of that until it was time to get the bus to the airport.
We got to the airport, headed to the check-in desks and waited in the queue. Thankfully, they didn’t check the size or weight of my carry-on luggage. Phew.
We went to security and the queue was massive. Thankfully, it was moving pretty quickly. I got my backpack selected for an extra check. My power bank was the item that caused that. They checked it and sent me on my way.
Ken went in the direction of Starbucks and I went in the direction of the gate. I decided I wanted something to drink and went in the direction of the 7-Eleven. I saw Ken and he tagged along. We got there and there was a huge queue already. I was worried we wouldn’t make it out of the store in time for boarding.
We didn’t have to worry though. We got to the gate just as boarding had started.
The seats on this plane are awful. Squashed together and there is barely any leg room. It was cramped for the whole flight.
On the climb out, the captain said to the passengers on the right side of the plane that if they looked out, they would see Fuji. The guy in my row (the left-hand side) at the window opened his and looked out. Sorry, my friend: wrong side of the plane!
The cabin crew came down with drinks and I asked for a coffee and a Sprite. She thought I meant together and started to pour the Sprite into the coffee and I had to tell her that I meant 2 separate drinks. She had a laugh about it.
We got to Hong Kong and we seemed to taxi for ages. We finally got off and we had to get a train to another terminal. We had to snake in a queue for immigration. It seemed to go on forever. We got through and then to the baggage carousel.
In a weird twist of fate, our bags weren’t the last to be out. Result.
We went into arrivals and then found an Octopus card so we could use it here for public transport.
We went to the bus stop and had a 25-minute wait for the next bus. We were right at the front, so we were able to ensure our luggage would be in the rack and then we had our pick of the seats.
We both went upstairs and sat at the front. Someone else came on and sat next to Ken – even though there were plenty of other seats available. He absolutely stunk, too. Yuck.
We were glad to get to our stop so we could get off and just go to check in at the hotel.
Once we were checked in, we just went to the room and got settled for a little bit before we headed back out to the ferry terminal to pick up our tickets for Shenzhen tomorrow.
I wanted to ride the tram, so we got the tram there. Also, I didn’t feel like walking 20 minutes. I enjoyed riding the tram and I want to do it again so I can get some pictures and videos from up top. The trams here in Hong Kong are iconic and always busy.
We left the terminal and went in search of food. We both wanted sweet and sour chicken and rice. We didn’t find any, sadly. I had rice noodles, ham, egg. It was actually quite nice.
We left here and got back on the tram and I got some good shots on the way back to the hotel.
Once I dropped my stuff off at the hotel, I went out and found somewhere to sit and called Addy. I wanted him to be reminded of Hong Kong, as this was the first place he went to when he left the Philippines. He was happy to see Hong Kong again.
Tonight is an early night as we have to be up early for the ferry to Shenzhen tomorrow.
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As you might expect, today turned out to be another early day. I was up at 07:00 and showered and ready by 07:30. At 07:55, we left the room and went to Starbucks to get Ken a drink. I said to him that we needed to be on the tram by 08:20 at the latest, as we had to be at the ferry 20 minutes before departure.
Oh yeah, today was the day we decided to go to Shenzhen. We both decided we wanted to go as it is big on electronics and we were on the lookout for a power bank and Ken was on the lookout for hard drives.
It came time to board the ferry and we were both disappointed that we weren’t able to stand outside. It would have been nice to get some pictures of both Hong Kong and Shenzhen from the water.
The ride on the ferry took around 50 minutes. You can see the route we took below.
We got to Shenzhen and had to fill in a landing card before going through immigration. I saw the posters in Hong Kong, but I thought we would have been exempt since we can now go to China visa-free. It turns out we aren’t. We filled in our landing card there and went through immigration. It was easier for me than for Ken, as my fingerprints and details were captured when I had to go landside at Shenzhen airport last year.
With our details provided, we got our stamp and then went into arrivals. I saw a place that was selling souvenirs, so I went to get my trusty magnets. It felt like I had walked ages to be able to pay by card. I was very conscious of the small amount of time we had here.
Souvenirs purchased, we made our way to the metro. It was only 350m away. Phew.
I said we should go to the stop called Civic Centre, as it looked like the centre of Shenzhen. It turns out that wasn’t really the case. We had a quick walk around and then got back on the metro to the stop I saw where there were electronics malls.
We got out of the station and there were motorbikes everywhere. They were just riding down the pavement and didn’t care that there were pedestrians. They would just beep at you as if you were in the wrong and shouldn’t be on it.
We found one of the malls and went in. It was floor-upon-floor of electronics. Anything you could ever wish for. It was so bright inside, too. It was crazy.
We then went to another mall and saw more electronics. This one only had 5 floors, though. It was crammed with electronics. Shenzhen is definitely the place to be when electronics get cheaper.
We made a pit stop at 7-Eleven (this one didn’t allow payment by card, though. Grrr). Once we were done here, we carried on walking some more and went to another mall. Another 7 floors of electronics. We saw hard drives here, but the prices were pretty much the same as they are in the UK.
When the chips for AI memory requirements have eased, they will get cheaper and Shenzhen is where you want to be.
We found charging leads and power banks and got those. I was getting frustrated as I was trying to add the store as a payee, but she was refusing to give her date of birth (needed for security of the payment) and I said to Ken we should just go. He said he would get a power bank for me as he had changed money earlier. I didn’t want him to, but he managed to twist my arm.
Cables and power banks in hand, we made our way to a previous mall to get a screen protector for the phone. They were super cheap, too. ¥20.00. You would never get this price back home.
The whole day was a pretty cheap day, too.
- 4 magnets at She Kou port: ¥152.00
- 2x Metro to Civic Centre: ¥12.00
- 2x Metro to Huaqiang North: ¥4.00
- 3 bottles of drink, 2 chocolate bars, mints (from 7-Eleven): ¥21.00
- 2m Charging Lead: ¥15.00
- 20,000 man power bank: ¥160.00
- Privacy Screen Protector: ¥20.00
- 2x Metro to Port: ¥12.00
- Total: ¥396.00
We headed to the metro to go back to the port. We had around 90-minutes to get back to the port. I was conscious of the time and was getting worried the closer we were getting. If we didn’t make the 19:15 ferry, we would have had to stay in Shenzhen or try and find a way back to Hong Kong and who knows if we could’ve done that or what time we would arrive back at the hotel if we did.
We got some drinks and some chocolate from the port and then went through immigration. We got our exit stamp and then headed down to where the waiting area was. We weren’t here for very long until boarding started.
Thankfully, as on the way out, this ferry wasn’t full and we weren’t squished together.
The journey back was around 54 minutes. We got off and then went to immigration. The queue was massive. Give them their dues, though. They were quick to get us across the border. It was pretty easy. We just had to show our passports and then get the landing slip and were sent on our way.
After you go through immigration and customs, there is a sign that says Hong Kong and we took some pictures here and got shouted at for taking photos. We really didn’t see the sign that says no photos. Oops.
I went to get some food from McDonald’s and then we headed back to the hotel.
Today has been a good, but tiring and overwhelming, day. I definitely want to go back to Shenzhen when prices are lower, as I may be tempted to get some electronics!
Below are some pictures from today.
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Today didn’t start as early as the others – and I was glad for that. I didn’t wake up until about 09:00.
I asked Ken what he wanted to do and he said he didn’t care. He also said before we left for this trip that he wanted to go to an estate that I had shown him in my pictures when I was here in 2018.
I planned our way there and we headed out for the bus. We stopped by Starbucks and then headed to the bus. When I looked at the map, it said the bus was the best way to get there.
It took us around 25 minutes to get to Sunway Gardens (the closest stop to the estate). We crossed the road and then walked around to where the stairs were that I climbed in 2018.
I saw the graffiti and knew instantly we were in the right place. You can see the 2018 v 2026 pictures below.
We had a quick look around here and it was not as nice as 2018. There was a lot of scaffolding and the area was in a state of disrepair.
We left here, crossed the road and had a look in a small market that was close by. It was full of bright lights and lots of vegetables, meat and fish. The vegetables here were super huge. It’s like they are on steroids!
We went and had some food in the tiniest McDonald’s ever. It was really cramped inside and you just had to get whatever space was available. We had to leave once the food was done, as it was so overwhelming and people were getting on my nerves.
We walked back to where we had gotten off the bus and picked up the tram – yep, the very same tram from outside the hotel that would have taken us here too!
We got to the end of the line at Shau Kei Wan and it was cool to see so many trams just waiting to leave.
We made a quick stop to find our way to Victoria Peak. We got the tram from here to Pedder Street. I took a time-lapse of the journey. I thought it was pretty cool. We were on here for about 65 minutes.
We got off at Pedder Street and made our way down to the harbour so we could pick up the bus to go to The Peak.
We didn’t have to wait long for the bus – it turned up as soon as we got to the stop. I went to sit at the back and banged my head, so I moved to the front of the bus. It took us around 46 minutes to get to the top. The views are so amazing from the bus.
I tried to get more pictures, but the view was obscured from the lower deck. On the way up, the guy sitting behind me asked if The Peak was the last stop. I told him it was. He then told me he was from Nanjing and was hoping to see the views and the sunset. We got off at the top and Ken and I went to see the views.
Ken said he didn’t go there when he went in 2018 and he enjoyed the views from up here.
I will never tire of the views from up here. The views are so much better when it’s blue sky and bright sun. I think you can see them much more clearly. Nevertheless, the views were still great.
We headed back down on The Peak tram. We got to sit at the front and could see how steep it really was on the way down. We had backwards-facing seats, though. It was still a good view.
Once we were at the bottom, we decided to go get some food. We took a walk through Hong Kong Park on the way to the tram. It is a really nice park. It has a lot of water features, a lot of trees and a lot of flowers. It’s an ideal place to sit and relax and just listen to the sounds of the city.
We went to the tram stop at Admiralty station in the direction of the hotel.
We found a place called Fairwood and we managed to get some sweet and sour pork with rice. The pork was good. The rice not so much. It was dry and way too sticky. I had an iced Ovaltine to drink. It was delicious.
Once we were done eating, we just went back to the hotel to relax for the night.
Tomorrow we are headed to Macau, so we need to get some decent sleep.
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Today wasn’t meant to be an early start, but it somehow started earlier than we had planned.
We got up, got ready and headed out to get Starbucks and some drinks for the bus. We decided we would go to Macau for the day. The last time (link to that post) we were here, we got there in the early hours of the morning and there wasn’t anything open and absolutely nothing to do.
I looked at the map in Starbucks and said the bus was in 8 minutes. We went to the bakery and 7-Eleven to get the drinks for the bus. I also got some doughnuts from the bakery.
As we were waiting, Ken said he fancied some pork buns. I told him to get some and he said he didn’t want to. I told him he had time since the bus said it had departed and was showing 20-minutes until the next one. A couple of minutes after he left, the bus turned up. He turned the corner just as the last passengers were getting on and had to run to get it. He made it, though.
The journey to the port was a little over 43 minutes. It was a nice ride there. We got some good views of the outside. It was bright and sunny.
We got off here and went into the port and to immigration. Once we were through immigration, we had to buy a ticket for the cross-border bus. This was $65.00 one way per person.
We went to get the bus and they cram you on and then set off. We didn’t get the window seats on this bus, sadly. Grrr.
We got off at Macau Port and went to immigration here. The queue was long, but they seemed to be getting through the people at a decent pace. We got our landing slip and then went downstairs to exchange some cash for Macau Patacas. I changed $110.00 and ¥110.00. I think I got around P230.00. I made sure to ask for coins for the bus. The buses here don’t give change, so you have to have the exact fare; otherwise, you lose any extra.
The buses here are fairly cheap, too. It costs P6.00 per journey. I will never understand why fares have to be so expensive at home. I digress.
We got off at the stop for Senate Square and had a look around here.
We walked to Ruinas de Saǒ Paulo and had a look around there. I wanted Ken to see it in the daylight so he could see that Macau had more going on than when we were here last.
We had something to eat and then made our way to Grand Lisboa. We wanted to see the building and then we needed to get the bus from the bus stand here to the tower.
The casino is so huge.
We got the bus to the tower and bought our tickets. It cost P188.00 for the entrance.
We went up and just enjoyed walking around. I found the cards Addy & I had put there when we went. I took a picture of it and sent it to him.
The views from here were as good as I remember!
We left here and decided just to head back to Hong Kong. We did the route in reverse: Tower – Bus Stand – Port – Boundary Bus – Bus to Hotel.
The bus back was P65.00
I was so glad to be back in Hong Kong and close to the hotel. I was super tired and needed to go to sleep.
On the way from the bus, we saw an Indian restaurant and we ate there. I had curry and rice with unlimited naan. I asked for the curry not to be spicy, but it was. Oh well, I wasn’t going to waste it so I ate it. The naan was really good, though.
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Today was a day when we did our own thing. Ken went off to the museum to see an Egyptian exhibition and I went tram surfing.
There really isn’t much to write about today.
I rode the tram 3 times:
- Water Street – Davis Street
- Kennedy Town Terminus – Shau Kei Wan Terminus
- Shau Kei Wan Terminus – Water Street
When I was on the first tram, a guy was sitting a few seats ahead of me and then all of a sudden he was scratching his head and said “ouch”. I realised the sun from my watch was focused on his head. I quickly put my arm down.
I got off at the last stop and had a look around. There were some good views across to Kowloon, though you couldn’t cross the road to get the views without a barrier in, as there was no footpath.
I got back on the tram and tried to set up my phone and tripod so I could record the entire route, but it just didn’t work out that way. Oh well.
I just went right to the end of this line and then had some food.
I got back on the tram and decided to just head back to the hotel so I could do laundry. I don’t really want dirty clothes to take home and do laundry there. I will only have a couple of days’ worth to do when I get back home.
We went and had dinner at Fairwood (or Fleetwood, as Ken calls it) and then I went to call Addy since I hadn’t called him in a couple of days, since we were both busy.
I am now all packed and ready to head back to Tokyo tomorrow.
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Today started off as a late day since we didn’t get in to the accommodation until after midnight. I still could have slept more, but I decided I should get up and get ready since it was already after 11:00.
I got ready and we headed out. We wanted to see some cherry blossom and we decided to go to the area of the Starbucks Roastery as we knew there were trees along the river there.
We got the trains there and went to where the trees were starting to show.
I could see that there were no blossoms out. I turned and could see 1 tree on the other side of the road that had blossoms on it.
Ken decided to go to Starbucks and I told him I would be at the tree. I went there and called Addy so he could see the blossoms too. I want him to experience Japan with me (well, as much as he can through a phone call). He said he was so happy to see them. That made me happy hearing that. It makes me sit back and appreciate all I have and all that I can do.
I was trying to take pictures, but people kept getting in the way. It was annoying, but they want pictures too. There were a couple of girls who saw me waiting and would look at me and then pose some more. Ken got next to them and did a funny pose and that made them move out of the way a little.
I really enjoyed seeing these cherry blossoms.
We left here and then went to Nihonbashi, as we saw the blossoms here in 2024. We got there and there were no blossoms out. We sat here for a little bit before heading to Akhiabara. I wanted to go to the Japan Railways store there to see if there were any souvenirs to get and take home.
We had a walk from Kanda station to Akhiabara as it was only around 10 minutes. It gave some great views. There were a few rail lines and bridges here and I could have stayed here all day just watching.
I got some magnets and a lanyard from the JR store. I love all things rail-related. I was in heaven.
We left here and went to the Apple stand they had in this area. We looked at the new MacBook and I was trying to get Ken to buy the MacBook Neo. It turns out he was able to convince me and I bought one. It will be lighter to carry around than the MacBook I currently have. It is also about £200 cheaper than at home for the same model. I was also able to get it tax-free since I am a tourist. Result.
We left here and Ken had his food and I had mine. We then headed back to the hotel.
I went out to call Addy, but couldn’t get through, so I went for a little wander on the trains to the station in the picture below. It was a few miles away and about a 25-minute journey each way.
I got back to the hotel and had some food I bought earlier. I had a cheese and ham bread that was delicious. I also had a cream pastry that I got from Akhiabara. It was strawberry-flavoured and it was delicious. Ken said that the woman behind me in the queue at the store got sad because I got the last strawberry one. He said she gasped.
I feel bad for her because it was really nice.
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Today was our last day here in Japan. We decided yesterday that we would go to Yokohama today. I wasn’t overly keen, so I said to Ken I would stay for a few hours and then head back to the hotel.
We ended up being there for most of the day.
We got the train from here in Chidoricho to Kamata and then from Kamata to Yokohama. It took about 30 minutes in total to get there.
We got off at Yokohama and couldn’t see anything to do from the exit we were at. We decided to get the metro a couple of stops down to the bay area of the city. It was absolute chaos getting on the metro. We were crammed in and they kept trying to shove people on. It was so annoying. I was so glad when it was our stop and we could get off.
We headed out to find something to eat and drink. I had some chicken from Family Mart – which I am going to miss, it’s that delicious – and Ken went and got Starbucks.
I just walked around here as he was getting his drink and then having his drink. It seems like an OK city. A lot was going on here today.
We decided we would go to the Yokohama Landmark Tower – it totally wasn’t worth it, as it was just a huge office block. We went in the lift to the 48th floor, but the corridors were blocked off. We went back down and then crossed the street to walk along the sea.
We heard a lot of music and could see a lot of people across the dock. We headed in that direction and they had some sort of music show going on. Of course, we had to stop and listen and get some pictures and videos. The singing was questionable, but it was very Japanese in costume and dancing.
We left here and made our way to the Cup Noodle Museum. We weren’t able to get tickets for it, sadly. It would have been good to do as you can make your own cup noodles and take them with you. It wasn’t even expensive either – it was only ¥500.00 per person.
We left here and I said I just wanted to go back to the hotel as I was sick of all the people and I had to get away from them.
We made our way back to the hotel. I packed my stuff up and then went out and called Addy. I was walking around this area so he could see what it is like. I think he enjoyed seeing this part of Tokyo.
Below are some pictures from today.
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12 rides in total
Date Train Name Train Number Origin Destination Distance Time 04.03.2026 Komachi 15 Tokyo Morioka 304.69 02:44 04.03.2026 Hayabusa 64 Morioka Tokyo 305.9 02:18 05.03.2026 Hikari 509 Tokyo Shin-Kobe 326.63 03:08 05.03.2026 Sakura 559 Shin-Kobe Hakata (Fukuoka) 304.07 02:23 07.03.2026 Relay Kamome 17 Hakata (Fukuoka) Takeo Onsen 51.10 00:58 07.03.2026 Kamome 17 Takeo Onsen Nagasaki 39.76 00:24 07.03.2026 Kamome 54 Nagasaki Takeo Onsen 40.54 00:28 07.03.2026 Relay Kamome 54 Takeo Onsen Hakata (Fukuoka) 51.04 00:59 09.03.2026 Sakura 543 Hakata (Fukuoka) Kagashima Chuo 157.31 01:36 09.03.2026 Sakura 572 Kagoshima Chuo Hakata (Fukuoka) 157.28 01:35 10.03.2026 Sakura 550 Hakata (Fukuoka) Shin-Osaka 337.76 02:36 14.03.2026 Hikari 712 Shin-Osaka Shinagawa 316.68 02:47 Total 2392.76 22:09
The time came for us to head to the airport. We were up around 04:00 so we could get ready and head out. We had packed most of our stuff last night.
Ken wanted to go to the 7-Eleven by the hotel to see if he could get a final egg mayonnaise sandwich. He was out of luck, though, as they didn’t have any.
We headed for the bus to the airport. It was easier to do it this way than struggle with our suitcases on the trains.
We got to the airport and went to the check-in desks. The queue was massive – we figured it was because the kiosks weren’t working properly.
We finally got to the front and the guy said he had exit row seats and asked if we wanted them. We said yes as they were extra legroom seats. When it came time to give our boarding passes, he said those seats had gone. He was able to put us in a bulkhead seat, so we got the extra legroom anyway. I got the middle seat and Ken got the aisle seat.
We asked for aisle seats on the flight from Beijing to Heathrow. He said we had them and then he gave us our boarding passes and we went through security and to the gate.
I was looking at the seat map and it turns out Ken had the middle seat from Beijing to Heathrow. I told him to speak with the guy at the gate, as it was the same one who checked us in. The guy said he never told Ken he had given us both aisle seats and then denied being able to change them. The guy was lying since he was able to give us bulkhead seats instead of normal seats.
We just dealt with it and prepared ourselves for long flights.
We were so glad to be back in England. I was loving the cooler temperatures and Ken wasn’t at all. I went for my ritual meal deal from WHS and then we headed to the tube.
We got to King’s Cross with an hour or so before our train to Peterborough. We just found somewhere to sit and relax.
I was so happy to be on the train. It wasn’t even crowded, which was lovely.
I walked home and promptly logged into work so I could do a glorious night shift.
Japan was a really good trip. I don’t think I will go back again anytime soon, though – unless it was to go north and skip Tokyo.
View all of my Hong Kong media here
View all of my Kagoshima media here
View all of my Kyoto media here
View all of my Macao media here
View all of my Morioka media here
View all of my Nagasaki media here
View all of my Nara media here
View all of my Osaka media here
View all of my Shenzhen media here
View all of my Tokyo media here
View all of my Yokohama media here
chris | | Travel| Asia, China, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Japan, Kagoshima, Kyoto, Macao, Macau, Morioka, Nagasaki, Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama | 0 Comments