Japan
A seven hour flight from Cairns took us to Tokyo's Narita airport. The airport is a further hour and a half train ride from the city centre so by the time we checked into our accommodation we were pretty exhausted. We booked into a Japanese Ryokan (traditional guesthouse) which meant taking our shoes off at the door, wearing kimonos and sleeping on tatami mats. It was a fantastic place and a great experience. We didnt get many funny loks from the Japanese except when they saw us walking from the metro to our hotel with all our backpacks on in the rain, I am sure it was a sight to see.
Relaxing in the ryokan
The next day we set off to explore the city. Tokyo is huge and split into lots of different areas all connected by an excellent metro system. This made getting around easy and allowed us to divide our time up to visiting the different areas. Our first stop was to Asakusa which is famous for its 7th century temple called Senso-ji. The area also has a great street market where we bought freshly made rice crackers and a local delicacy similar to donuts. The "donuts" are filled with sweet bean paste. No Krispy Kremes here!!
In the afternoon we went to Shibuya area which is a large shopping area and has the famous street crossing. Shopping in Tokyo, bring lots and lots of money. One mall is at least 15 stories and full of designer brands. We window shopped. We had luch here in one of the many Ramen (noodle) shops. As with everthing in Japan the restaurant was technologically advanced whereby we had to choose our meal from a vending machine outside which then sent our order directly to the kitchen!! The Japanese love their technology and everything is automated with buttons to press and lights that flash, Saying this I think they only like technology for themselves as my cell phone didn't work and it was had finding an ATM to accept my card. Eating in Japan- bring lots of money! We didnt do too bad and even managed some sushi but we didnt know enough Japanese to order what we really would have liked. I guess they don't speak California roll.
The famous crossing at Shibuya
The next day we visited the local information centre and arranged for a local student learning english to give us a guide of the city. This was arranged for Monday so we decided to head off the Shinjuku for the afternoon. The area is famous for its bright lights and huge TV screen billboards:
Konichiwa from Tokyo!!!
On Friday we took the metro to an area called Odaiba which is across from Tokyo bay. The area is a bit of a tourist trap but has great views of the Tokyo skyline. Odiaba is a modern development with restaurants and shops. Sara jumped for joy twice, firstly to see a replica of the statue of liberty and then her favorite Hawaiian restaurant Kua 'Aina. All of you who have been to Hawaii, at least to visit me, will know that Kua Aina is definitely worth jumping for!!!
Fake statue of liberty
A piece of Hawaii in Tokyo
I subsequently jumped for joy on seeing the Sony megastore and the huge Toyota Megalux showroom. The Sony store was great with so many gadgets that we just don't see in the UK. No, he didnt buy anything. All the instructions were in Japanese and it probably wouldn't work in the UK or US. The Toyota showroom is also fantastic with every model on display and the chance to test drive anything you want. We took a river boat back across the bay to catch the metro home.
Saturday morning and there was only one place we could go Harajuku. At weekends this area is a big hotspot for Japanese teenagers to hangout. The Japanese really have no inhibitions and we saw fashions mixing little bo peep with punk rockers - weird but very funny. I thought we had all the wild ones at Venice beach in LA. They seem tame compared to these kids. On Sunday we decided to head out of the city for the day and took a train ride to Hakone. This is a volcanic area complete with bubbling pools and sulphur smells. We also took the cable car and pirate ship boat across the nearby lake. For me the best bit of the day was the train ride home on the Bullet Train. It has been a bit of a a boyhood dream and it did not disappoint (I am really a train spotter at heart).
The Tokyo skyline
A happy boy on the bullet train
On Monday we met with our Japanese guide Kumi. It was great fun touring the Ginza area with her and getting a real insight into Japanese life. Tuesday was our last day in Tokyo so we did some last minute shopping before packing our bags for Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
We arrived in Hong Kong and made our way to my Uncle Doug's and Aunt Lucia's home. They live up on a hill overlooking the skyline of Hong Kong. The views were unbeatable, especially at night. It was a bit of weather shock because we have had pretty mild weather and almost no humidity and Hong Kong was very humid. We picked up my Dad at the airport the first night. He had flown in from the US to meet us and see his brother Doug.
With Lucia as our personal tour guide we didn't even have to open a map. A nice break for Alex and I. She took us all over the city and we rode in the double decker tram for great views!!
Hong Kong's famous trams
Night skyline from Sara's Uncle's appartment
We took a nice air conditioned bus to the top of the peak for city views and then around Hong Kong island.
Hong Kong from the top of the peak
Our last night my Uncle and Aunt took us to the American club (they made an exception for Alex) on the 42nd floor of a high rise downtown. The food and drinks were wonderful and we had great views with a lightening storm. It was great to relax and be with family. My Dad will be visiting China with us for the next 10 days.
God bless America!!
The family at the American Club
That's all for now folks. We are in China for the next two weeks visiting Beijing, the Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Shanghai and more. Stay tuned for more adventures.............
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