Kinkakuji: Then and Now

Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) is one of Japan's most famous Buddhist temples, not for its Buddhist teachings but for its magnificent architecture of the Golden Pavilion.  The Golden Pavilion, sitting right next to a calm pond, glittering under the bright sun, has charmed hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. 

Let's see an old photo of the golden pavilion.  It looked really run down.  The golden surface didn't glitter, probably because there was no sun.

And here is how it looks in modern days.  The pond is clean, the gold is glittering.  Mmh, now is better :)

Naoto

Naoto Kan?  The new Japanese Finance Minister?  No, no, I don't know him, neither do I have any encounter with him.  The Naoto that I am going to introduce here is a street performer at Ueno Park, Tokyo. 

I went to Ueno Park on a weekday afternoon.  The park was mostly empty with very few tourists.  The park is full of street performances on weekends, but on a weekday, no, hardly any, and Naoto was one of the two performers I saw that afternoon.

His Yoyo performance and some street dance performance was quite impressive to my untrained eyes.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so I will let you see his performance for yourself.

 

  

  

 

  

 

Even though it was a weekday afternoon, there was still a small crowd being attracted to his show.  At the end of the show, just like any other street performance, our Naoto-san asked the audience for donations, contributions to his work.  A Japanese grandmum was so impressed by Naoto that she couldn't even wait till Naoto finished his 'speech', she walked out of the crowded and went forward to put down a thousand yen into the collection box.  

Being a street performer is not an easy job.  Sometimes you have some audiences, sometimes you have to perform to nobody but thin air.  

 

Do you see here Naoto was sparing no efforts to perform but there wasn't a single supporter?  Being an entertainer means you will inevitably have to deal with both success and hardship, lots of it.

If you happen to visit Ueno Park in Tokyo, do give our Naoto-san your support.  

To get to Ueno Park, you can alight at Ueno station.  Ueno Park is just a stone's throw away from Ueno station. 

Asakusa Kannon Onsen

I must mention this onsen as it is special.  The onsen is located very conveniently right next to Senso-ji, or actually it is on the temple ground to be more precise.  If you are facing the main hall of Senso-ji, this onsen is on your left.  You can see a 4-5 story building that is covered by ivory leagues.

The onsen facility itself is very run down, very old, very vintage.  The people manning the onsen are also very old, just like the building itself.

I went there twice.  For the first time, when I went in, people were leaving, so I had the WHOLE onsen, not entirely whole really, as I only had the WHOLE men's part of the onsen, all to myself.  There are two pools, one is very hot, the other is hot.  The very hot one is really too hot.  The moment I dipped my toes in, I had to jump out.  So at the end, I still only used half the onsen.

The onsen has very little crowd.  After I came in, only one old man and a young man came in to join me.  The old man was really old.  He was trembling when he was walking.  I am always very afraid of old man in the onsen.  They look so fragile you have no idea when they will just slip & fall.

The second time when I was there, some older office workers were there, but they soon left.  And then two old men came when I was about to leave.  Then it comes to the very interesting point of Asakusa Kannon onsen.  In Japan, there is an unwritten rule that if you have tattoos on your body, you are not welcomed in any onsen or sento (bath house) with very few exceptions.  Tattoos in the older days are symbols of being a member of yakuzi, or mafia in English.  Asakusa Kannon onsen is one such exception.  One of the old man that came in, had very colorful tattoos on his right arm.  Looking at the age of the man, when he was young, for sure tattoos were symbols of mafia.  Does this mean he was/is a member of the mafia?? 

In Japan, before you dip yourself into the onsen pool, you should always clean yourself thoroughly.  However, this man with tattoo simple didn't bother.  He went straight into the pool.  He even happily dipped his long beard into the pool too.  Yucks, I was using that pool just minutes ago, luckily I left just that minutes earlier. 

I was wondering whether he had some glory past, but he now looks week and fragile, slow in motion, numb to the surroundings. 

If you want to see some pictures of the onsen, you can find them at this blog.  Ok, btw, this onsen is one of the oldest in Tokyo, and 'frequent' by both locals & tourists.  As to the effectiveness of the onsen, I was happy.  I went there with a tired body, after 12 hours of intercontinental flight, and many hours of walking along the streets of Tokyo.  The onsen easied my pain in my lower back. 

K's House

K's house is a backpacker's hostel chain.  They have hostels in many different locations.  I stayed at their Asakusa hostel - K's House Tokyo, for my last trip. 

In terms of location, K's house is excellent.  It is 3 minutes walk from Kuramae Station, 7 minutes walk to Asakusa Station (or Senso-ji).  There are many shops, restaurants around.  Very convenient location.

The ground floor is their lobby, reception, pantry, and store room.  The lobby/lounge is very cosy, with two computers available for you to access the internet (you have to pay though, 100 yen for 20 mins). 

However, their dorm is really small.  Do you see all these bunk beds being crammed together in such a small room?  There are a total of 4 bunk beds, for 8 persons in a room smaller than 8 meter squared. 

Most of the people staying at K's house are westerners, or Caucasians, or Asians with an Asian's look, but a Caucasian's heart.

Service-wise, it is the same slow service at almost all the hostels across the world.  They usually only have one staff manning the reception, so patience is a virtue.  

Anyway, for the price of 2800 yen/night in expensive Tokyo, it is not a bad choice if you are traveling alone.  However, if you traveling with a partner or a friend, it will be more worthwhile to consider one of those business hotels such as Toyoko Inn. 

More information about K's house is available at  K's House Website.

Sushi Daiwa at Tsukiji

Sushi Daiwa is one of the most famous sushi shops outside of Tsukiji Market.

I don't know who gave that good review about Sushi Daiwa, but anyway I read it from ieatishootipost.com.  Along with the same row of shop houses, there are many other sushi shops too.  Just one or two shop space away, it is Sushi Dai, another famous sushi shop.

Out of all those sushi shops, only Sushi Daiwa & Sushi Dai had queues, and the queue at Sushi Dai is long, see all the crowd in the photo above?  They were all queuing up for Sushi Dai.

Anyway, I chose Sushi Daiwa, because the queue was much shorter, and I heard it is just as good as Sushi Dai.

Sushi Daiwa has a set menu which costs 3500 yen for 7 pieces of sushi.

1

2 & 3

4, 5, 6 & 7

Ok, you have seen all 7 pieces of sushi.  Do they look delicious to you?  Ok, 1 & 7 are tunas, I think.  They were very chewy, definitely not otoro.  2 & 3, can't really remember the taste, must be very average.  4 is not bad, 5 is something I don't know what it is.  6 is raw prawn, so so taste.

After the expensive 7-course sushi breakfast, I was still hungry.  Comparing with the sushi that I had last year in a street side sushi shop in Asakusa, I think that sushi was much better.  I still can remember how tender the conger sushi was.  It melts in your mouth, so smooth and tender & juicy.

I will only give a 3/5 rating to Sushi Daiwa. 

Tsukiji Market - Part III

Tsukiji Market is one whole spider web of small alleys such as this. 

And here is the loading and unloading area.

 

There is a special type of vehicle that you can only see in this market.  It roams both inside and outside of market.

 

 

Be very careful.  The market is one whole chaotic place.  The fish merchants, the laborers, the 'special vehicles', trolleys, and the tourists, they all tend to bump into each other.  Plus the many trucks loading and unloading at the side of the market, it is a place full of potential dangers.  It makes it even worse with all that wet and dirty and slippery floor.  Take extra precaution while you walk, and be aware of your surroundings when you are happily taking photographs.  

The small alleys are lined up with all different kinds of seafood shops, selling all kinds of stuff from live seafood to preserved salty fish, etc, etc. 

 

Your eyes will be really busy looking at the people, the fish, & the traffic.  And you know, most of the activities happen before dawn, so everything is under the dim lights of market.

The activities do not limit to the market itself.  Outside the market, there are still many shops selling what the ordinary family needs.  I am aware of there are district 4 & district 3.  District 3 is more for the sushi shops, while district 4 is more for sundry stuff and other related stuff.  There are some food stalls too.

Visiting Tsukiji is quite an experience.  I didn't really intend to visit the market, as I didn't want to wake up 4 o'clock in the morning just to go to some fish market.  Then I think it was kind of fated.  One Caucasian guy set his alarm clock to ring at 4am, and he was not waken up at the first alarm, after he was waken up, he couldn't find his alarm to turn off the alarm.  So you know, all the people in the dorm were waken up by that unexpected 'morning call'.  Ok, since I was already awake, so might as well go to the market, that's how I ended up in Tsukiji at around 6am.  Oh, one more thing, check your train schedule when you plan your trip.  I got to the train station at 5.10am, but the train would only come at 5.35am.  What a waste.

Related Entries:

Part I: http://fearstar.blogspot.com/2009/12/tsukiji-market-part-i.html

Part II: http://fearstar.blogspot.com/2009/12/tsukiji-market-part-ii.html

 

Tsukiji Market - Part II

Tsukiji is famous for being a fish market, so how can you just see blue fin tuna there.  There are still a lot more different varieties of fish available.

Now it is test time.  How many of the fishes can you name in the following pictures?  Winner has no prize thought :D

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know what about you, for myself, I have seen most of them in some Asian seafood restaurants.  They are considered to be a bit on the 'expensive' side, though.  Do you see that 'elephant trunk' in the first picture, it is one expensive delicacies in Asia.  In my humble opinion, Tsukiji fish market is a bit over-hyped.  Maybe to the western world, it is something new & interesting, but in the Asian world, it is not really that novel.  Well, of course, other Asian markets may not have the much hype blue fin tuna auction, that's quite unique to Tsukiji.  

Related Entries:

Part I: http://fearstar.blogspot.com/2009/12/tsukiji-market-part-i.html

Part III: http://fearstar.blogspot.com/2009/12/tsukiji-market-part-iii.html

Tsukiji Market - Part I

Tsukiji market is the central whole sale market in Tokyo.  It is famous for its fish market, but as a matter of fact, the fish market is just one of the many whole sale markets located in Tsukiji.  Look at this map of Tsukiji, you can see they actually have a fruits market too, but just a lot less well-known to the tourists.

Ok, to get to Tsukiji market, you just need to take the subway to Tsukiji station, simple enough, right?  After you come out of the station, turn left, and voila, here it is the Tsukiji market.  Don't follow the crowd.  I made that mistake and follow the 'tourist' crowd after I exited the subway station.  Instead of turning left, I followed the crowd to turn right, and then ended up in the shops outside Tsukiji market, and it took me quite a while to find my way back.  How did I do that, I followed a pair of Japanese boys who obviously were going to the market too :D

The most famous fish in Tsukiji is of course the blue fin tuna.  It is the top material they use for Japanese sushi.  You often heard that freshness of the fish is of utmost importance in the quality of sushi, so you might think that those blue fin tuna are live when they are made into your sashimi.  It is not.  The tuna is deep frozen, and then sent to the market.  You can see many tunas lying around.

And the guys in the market will cut them up into smaller pieces.

 

 

The smaller pieces are placed in a chilling facility, waiting for the customers to come and buy them.

That is what you will see in your sushi shop.  

It is eye-opening to see how they handle those giant blue fin tunas.  However, if you not a fish guy, or you dislike any place that is wet and dirty and chaotic, probably Tsukiji is not the place for you :)

Related Entries:

Part II: http://fearstar.blogspot.com/2009/12/tsukiji-market-part-ii.html

Part III: http://fearstar.blogspot.com/2009/12/tsukiji-market-part-iii.html

Narita Airport Shopping Experience

My experience at Narita Airport last year was far from satisfaction.  I was traveling with Cathay Pacific and they operate from Narita Terminal 2.  I thought Terminal 2 should be a newer terminal with more facilities, but on the contrary, Terminal 2 is more or less like a bare building.  Really nothing much.  There is no shopping experience to talk about.

This time I traveled with Singapore Airlines which operates from Narita Terminal 1.  The terminal itself is much better, and they have 2 floors of shops to satisfy your spending desire.  The stuff there are not all more expensive.  I know that if you buy those souvenir food items, such as those tea cakes, etc, it is more expensive at the airport (around 150 yen more), but for other items, actually it is more or less the same price. 

I am a lot happier this time.  :)

Japanese Animal Cruelity

Watched a live demo of sashimi making last night. The chef peeled off the flesh from a fish till its skeleton, and then put the fish back into the tank, the fish can still swimming around in the tank, albeit off balance.

This reminds me of a sashimi dish in Japan. The sushi chef skillfully peeled off the flesh from a fish, again down to its bare skeleton. The flesh is then cut into small pieces, the skeleton is fixed in a plate, with the fish's mouth still breathing, and the flesh put on top, then served to customers as an expensive sashimi dish.

In ancient times, there was one cruelest capital punishment, which the executioner will cut off the prisoner's flesh bit by bit until his/her skeleton is left. This is one of the most painful ways to die.

Do you see similarities between that ancient punishment and the way they prepare the sashimi?

I wonder why the animal rights advocates from the west never make any noise about this cruel practice.

Japanese Part-time Pay

This is an advertisement I saw at a shop in Japan. Basically it is looking for part-timers, the pay is also indicated in the ad. The hourly rate is 1000 yen; for high school students, the hourly rate is 950 yen. Minimum 3 hours per day.

Well, by part-time standard, it is really not too bad. In Singapore, the part-time is more like S$3.50 to S$10.00 per hour (more on the S$3.50 end than the S$10.00 end). 1000 yen is about S$12, which is much higher. By Japanese standard, it is still some good money to be made, especially for a student who just need some pocket money. No wonder Japanese youngsters can afford some funky, trendy stuff.

Kyoto 2: Ginkakuji (银阁寺)

Ginkakuji (temple of the silver pavilion) and Kinkakuji (temple of the golden pavilion) are the two most famous temples in Kyoto, or even Japan. Ask my opinion about Ginkakuji?

My answer: A great disappointment!!

Why?

See for yourself...

The silver pavilion itself is under renovation. It seems like they had torn down the entire pavilion and then rebuild it. Although the name is 'silver pavilion', the pavilion has never been painted silver before. I hope after this renovation, or re-building, they will actually paint it in silver to match its name.

I couldn't see the silver pavilion, so I was left with the grey Zen sand dune in the court yard to stare at, supposing to meditate in the tourist crowd ;P

In addition, the students on their study tours are the additional 'scenary' for you to see in the temple. There were flocks of Japanese students doing their study tours. If you happen to get lost or don't know how to go to a certain place, following the students will be a good idea.

When I was there, it was the special month that they put their national treasure kept the temple up in display to the public. I walked around the place where the treasure was supposed to be displayed, but I couldn't see anything. Never mind, I am used to it. It seems in Japan, their national treasure is always something small, maybe a small painting, or a small buddha's statue, or something hard for you to see.

Oh, never mind, at least I can still enjoy the good view from the small hill behind the temple.

Kyoto 1: Kinkakuji (金阁寺)

Kinkakuji, or more commonly known as the Temple of Golden Pavilion, is one of the most famous temples in Japan. It is almost like the symbol of Japan.

Japanese temples have a distinct difference from Chinese temples. Chinese temples tend to emphasis on the statues, which is quite understandable because that's precisely the reason many visitors are there. Japanese temples tend to emphasis more on the garden, or the 'feel'. Their statues are in general quite small, sometimes even hard to see.

Being a famous temple in Japan, Kinkakuji is always crowded, with bus loads of tourists from in & outside of Japan, and the many many Japanese students embarking on their 'study' tour. Then I admire the foresight the founder/architect of Kinkakuji had. What do you hate most at touristic sites? Whenever you want to take a photo, there are always crowds of other tourists in the backaground! In Kinkakuji, you have less of such problem.

The golden pavilion is built at the one side of a pond called the 'mirror' pond. Tourists can't step into the golden pavilion, but only to admire its beauty from the other side of the mirror pond. As a result, everybody has a clean and beautiful photo of the golden pavilion, without the crowds of tourists in the background!

The admission is 400 yen. Their admission ticket is no other than a charm on a piece of paper that will protect you and family from any harm :)

Definitely this is a place you should not miss if you are visiting Kyoto.

Lonely Planet Guide Book on Japan - Great Disappointment

Lonely Planet guide books are getting more and more expensive over years, but the quality is getting worse and worse. After my disappointment with their guide book on Europe, their guide book on Japan is another big disappointment.

Firstly, it is bloody expensive. SGD$50 plus dollars.

Second, this guide book does not really sound like a guide book, more like a hate book. The authors are frequently critising the places they mentioned, especially the more famous Japanese sites. In some cases, their criticism is right; but many other times, their criticism is more because they, as most of them are non-Japanese speaking, non-Chinese reading western travelers, they have no clue about the cultural significance of some of the places, how precious some of the treasures are. Disrespectful, demeaning languages or tones are used to describe many of the famous Japanese temples. Those authors have no understanding of Japanese Buddhism.

Third, the places they recommend for lodging are totally out of the question. It is not even possible to make a booking. Probably everybody is having a Lonely Planet guide book and everybody wants to book the same few lodgings recommended by Lonely Planet. The book gives the reader a false impression that good accommodations are far and rare in Japan, especially those cheap and good. The fact is nothing but the contrary. Japanese hotels/ryokans/budget hotels may have small rooms by western standard, but they are usually well-maintained, clean, decent and most importantly, affordable by any average traveler.

Fourth, the guide book confuses you more than giving you a clearer picture. Reading the guide book make me feel dizzy about Tokyo. It gave me the impression that Tokyo is like a huge maze. Again, it is nothing but the contrary. Spend a little time to do your research, get hold of a Tokyo map, everything is clear. Tokyo is a well-planned city. Once you get a hand of it, you will have no trouble going around. For example, in the guide book it makes Harajuku sound like millions of miles away from the Tokyo station, while it is just along the green JR line, and it takes about 30 mins to get there from Tokyo station. Straight forward.

If you need to get information about Japan, do your research online. There are plenty of information freely available to you. Spending 50 bucks on a hate book is not worth the money.

Kyoto 1-Day Bus Pass

Kyoto does not offer any 1-day or 2-day pass for all transports like Osaka, however, it does offer a 1-day bus pass. The cost is 500 yen, free for all Kyoto buses, but not valid for subways.

This 1-day is good value for money if you make 3 or more bus rides. The bus fare in Kyoto is skyhigh, 220 yen for adult and 110 yen for children as long as you board any bus, regardless of travel distance. It will cost you a lot if you make a few bus trips.

The Kyoto bus network is efficient and buses will bring you to all the major tourist attractions. You can get the 1-day pass at the bus terminal or any bus that you board. Ask the bus driver. And get yourself equipped with a Kyoto bus map. It will prove very useful. I am not very sure about the English-speaking only tourists, for me, I grapped the bus map in Japanese. The Japanese bus map is more useful. You can point at the place you want to go and ask questions to the locals or the bus driver. If you use a Japanese map, they may not be able to understand what your question is. And of course, the bus map is full of Chinese characters, many have the exact meaning as they are known in Chinese.

Plan your trip carefully in Kyoto though. Buses can be very crowded during rush hours, or when students go to school and come back from school.

Btw, this Kyoto 1-day pass used to cost 700 yen back in 2001 (?), thanks to long-lasting deflation in Japan, now it is only 500 yen :D

Osaka 1-day/2-day Pass

Osaka offers to tourists 2 types of unlimited passes, 1-day and 2-day passes. The only difference is, as the name implies, one is valid for 1-day unlimited use of city transport, including buses and subways; the other is valid for 2 days. Both will give you free access to 27 places of interest. The cost for 1-day pass is 2,000 yen, 2-day pass is 2,700 yen.

Before you decide to purchase the Osaka pass, you need to know how often you will take buses or subways. Keep in mind that for Osaka subway, it is minimum 200 yen per trip.

For the 27 places of interest included in the Osaka pass, you need to know whether they are your cup of tea. For me, they are ok, but for some, these 27 places are super boring to them. One man's delicacy is another man's poison, so you have to decide for yourself. I will share with you below how I used my 2-day pass.

1. Dotonbori Gokuraku Shoutengai (315 yen)

This is a food entertainment 'theme park'. Well, it is actually just a building in the Dotonbori area. I must say the idea is a bit stupid. Dotonbori area is the centre of Osaka's night life filled with restaurants and shops. While you can just go into any restaurant free other than the cost of your food, why do you want to pay extra to go to a 'food entertainment theme park'?

Grade: 1/5.

2. Osaka Bay Cruise "Santa Maria" (1,600 yen)

This cruise brings you around the Osaka port area, with a good view of the giant ferris wheel, in a replica junk ship. However, the view along the route is just so-so, unless you have a specific interest in the maritime/shipping industry. You have a spectacular view of the Osaka port.

Grade: 2.5/5

3. Osaka Castle Museum (600 yen)

This is in the Tenshu-kaku, the main tower of the Osaka castle. It is almost like the symbol of Osaka city. When I was there, they were having a special exhibition about the history of Osaka castle. There are static displays, and a lot of multimedia presentations catering to the visiting Japanese students.

In addition, you can get a good view of Osaka city from the top of the main tower.

They also give visitors a free post card of the castle. If you complete a visitor's survey with them, they also give you a golden bookmark as souvenir. So if you are a cheapo like me :), complete the survey and get your souvenir. The golden bookmark costs 200 yen at the souvenir shop there :D

Grade: 4/5

4. Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden (200 yen)

This garden is right next to the Osaka castle. A great place to visit when the cherry blossom time, and also a nice place for a family picnic on an Autumn/Winter sunny afternoon; otherwise, it is a bit boring.

Grade: Season dependent

5. Osakajo Park Tram (200 yen)

It is a tram ride around the Osaka castle park, along the castle moat. Again, it is nice during the cherry blossom season; boring otherwise. :D

Grade: Season dependent

6. Osaka Museum of History (600 yen)

This museum is just a stone's throw away from Osaka castle. I highly recommend you to visit this place. They occupy the 7th-10th of a skycrapper, and arrange the exhibites from old Osaka (Namba period) to modern Osaka from 10th floor down to 7th floor.

And, the reason I highly recommend this place is when you take the escalator down, at the corner landing, you have a spectacular aerial view of Osaka castle and the modern Osaka city.

Grade: 3.5/5

7. Shitennoji Temple (300 yen), The Treasure House of the temple (200 yen), Honbo Garden (300 yen)

This temple was built by Prince Shotoku (圣德太子) and said to be the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan. However, all the temple buildings are actually replica constructed after WWII.

The treasure house of temple has some writings from many emperors. I think many of them are in Chinese. I remember I could actually read one of them in the whole. It says the power of the imperial court is directly related to the power of Buddhism in Japan. The stronger the power of the imperial court, more solid the foundation of Buddhism in Japan is. But I can remember which emperor wrote it. Sorry :)

The Honbo garden is a Zen garden with nice landscaping.

Grade: 3.5/5

8. Tsutenkaku Tower (600 yen)

This is another place where you can have a good view of the Osaka city from the top. They have placed a statue of Biriken on the observation deck too. What/who is Biriken? Google it, please :D You will be amused/surprised...

Grade: 3/5

Total cost of the 2-day pass: 2,700 yen
Total cost of all places: 4,915 yen

The pass does not include the more popular places such as the ferris wheel, the Osaka aquarium, the Suntory Museum.

You can get more information on the Osaka pass at this site:
http://www.pia-kansai.ne.jp/osp/en/03b.php

Lodging in Japan

Hotels, hostels, and Ryokans (traditional Japanese guest houses) in Japan have an annoyingly different check-in check-out time. The check-in usually is at 3-4pm, while the check-out is at 10am! They are also a bit rigid about the check-in check-out timing. To make it more troublesome, you may have a problem if you want to check-in late, say after 8pm, at the Ryokans or hostels. Many of them also have curfews. The door will be locked from midnight onwards until 6 o'clock the next morning. If you don't come back in time, you will be locked out, and sleep on the streets :)

I will share with you the accommodations I had for my trip below.

1. Narita Airport Rest House

I spent the 1st and last night in Japan at this hotel. Not really a choice, but for practical reasons. I originally wanted to stay in a Ryokan in Asakusa area on the first night, but when I contacted the Ryokan, they said my flight was a bit late (landing at 8.20pm), and not very practical to get into Tokyo. So they recommended Narita Airport Rest House.

The hotel is right next to Narita Airport terminal 1. It is just 2-min by shutter bus.

The rooms are quite decent and big by Japanese standards. The facilities in the room are basic but in good conditions.

This hotel is good choice if you arrive late or need to leave early in the morning from Narita airport.

Their website: http://www.apo-resthouse.com

2. Shin Osaka Station Hotel (Osaka)

The hotel is located about 5 mins walk from the JR Shin Osaka station. The rooms are small, but decent and clean. It also has this automatic toilet in the room. :)

They don't have their own website, but you can make reservations at the following site: http://web.travel.rakuten.co.jp/portal/my/info_page_e.Eng?f_no=1000

3. Ryokan Shimizu (Kyoto)

This is one of the best I had stayed in for the trip. It is a traditional Japanese ryokan tucked into a small site street in Kyoto's old street lanes.

It is a two-story building completed constructed by wood in the traditional Japanese style. The rooms are in Japanese style too with all the sliding doors and tatami. The feel is very good.

In addition, the ryokan also has a private traditional Japanese bath that you can book to use.

The staff there are young and can speak pretty good English. They are also very helpful if you need any information for sightseeing, food or onsen/sento.

This place is highly recommended.

Their website: http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~yado432. However, to make a reservation, you need to go to this site: http://JapaneseGuestHouses.com

4. Toyoko-Inn

I stayed in the Toyoko-Inn chain of hotels for Himeji and Tokyo. Toyoko Inn is a budget business hotel, catering to traveling business people. Their rooms are on the small side, but decent, clean and have all the needed facilities available. Internet access is free in the lobby. If you bring your own laptop and LAN cable, you can also have free internet access in your own room.

You can make your booking through their website: http://www.toyoko-inn.com

Japan Travel Myths

There are many myths about traveling to Japan, which really scared me a lot before my trip. Now that I am back in Singapore from a pleasant trip to Japan, I must say many myths are simply untrue.

First, traveling to Japan is expensive. If you are going for the top-end stuff, then wherever you go, it is going to be expensive, but if you plan well and go for the ordinary Japanese stuff, then it is not any more expensive than living in Singapore.

Just to share with everybody the various costs of my trip to Japan, I have listed down my costs:

1. Air ticket: I took the Cathay Pacific promotion of SGD$850 (including taxes & fuel surcharge) to Tokyo with transit in Hong Kong. The timing is not exactly perfect. The flight to Tokyo is at 10.15am, and the return flight is at 9.45am. Basically I wasted about 2 days flying. But cheap tickets, what to do?

2. 7-Day Japan Rail Pass: 28,300 yen. It covers most of my transportation needs in Japan. Below is a break-down of all the travel costs related to the Japan Railway:

a) Narita Airport -> Shin Osaka: 16,250 yen
b) Shin Osaka -> Kyoto: 2,730 yen
c) Kyoto -> Himeji: 5,130 yen
d) Himeji -> Tokyo: 15,210 yen
e) JR trains in Tokyo: 160 yen(ave)/trip x 3 = 480 yen
Total: 39,800 yen

So I basically got back what money's worth of the 7-day JR pass. However, please don't have the false impression that traveling by train in Japan is this expensive. In my case, as I have the JR pass, which covers the use of Shinkansen (Bullet train) except NOZOMI, I always traveled in Shinkansen from city to city, and I had seats reserved, which is more expensive. If you don't have the JR pass, and don't want to spend too much money on trains, you have other cheaper options. For example, travel from Shin Osaka to Kyoto, you can take a local train at the cost of 540 yen, but it takes 28 mins. In comparison, Shinkansen will cost you 2730 yen (with reserved seats) and it takes 14 mins.

For food, logding, admission, and other transport needs not covered by the JR pass, the total cost is 80,000 yen.

So in total, the cost of my trip is SGD$850 + 108,300 yen. Based on SGD$1=66 yen, the total cost in Singapore dollar terms is SGD$2491.00 for a 10-day trip to Japan, covering Tokyo, Kyoto, Himeji & Osaka.

Second, you must know Japanese or have a Japanese friend to show you around. This is not exactly true. No doubt Japanese in general don't speak English well, most of them don't speak English at all. It is really a challenge to people who know neither Japanese or Chinese. However, if you have some knowledge in Chinese, it really a lot. Look at the Tokyo subway map, everything is actually in Chinese, although strictly speaking, it is in Japanese Kanji, which is a variation of Chinese characters. Many maps in Japanese have Chinese indications. If you are ethnic Chinese yet you can't read Chinese characters, shame on you!

Ok, I will just stop here today. Tomorrow, I will share with you the accommodations I had in Japan. All of them are decent and nice, and don't cost a bomb.

Traveling in Japan

Spending a week and a half in Japan, will be back soon :)

Japan is an interesting country. Their service is outstandingly good. And by visiting Japan, I somehow have a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Japan preserved more Chinese culture than the Chinese themselves.

Will write more soon....