Day 5
Another day in paradise, our last 'real' day/night. We started by going to the fish market, also known as Tsukiji. It's the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind (according to Wikipedia). I remembered going here two years ago and wanted Dennis to see it. Very interesting, nice smell...lots of blood and lots of fish of course. If you go in early, you might be able to get in to the tuna auction ;)! And have the freshest of the freshest sushi!
After that we made our way to the Metropolitan Government building for another view over Tokyo, free this time :). It was a bit foggy but still nice to see. Went to the Sushi Train after even though Dennis and I both don't really eat fish. I still liked going there and it brought back some more great memories from two years ago!
Walked a lot afterwards, pfew. We had a few hours until we needed to be in The Robot Restaurant so we decided to walk and take the tourist route (which meant just walking without really knowing where to go). We finally found it but still needed to wait another hour.
Around 5 pm, we were able to get our tickets and get into the 'waiting room', lots of glitter and lights and wow... Oh and live music. Had no idea what to expect, really. Read some reviews and saw some youtube video's but still. We were seated on the front row in the middle...
I can't really call it a Robot show or a restaurant, except for the Sushi box you can order and snacks you can get throughout the show. Lots of lights, lots of music, lasers and girls and dancing haha! Very entertaining and yeah, some robotic like figures! Anyway...in one of the intermissions, I got up to get a drink and two clowns appeared out of nowhere to do a bit of a dance show in between. I sat back down and all of a sudden it said: Check your seat number...last number 1, middle number 0, and I checked mine 101 and went like SHIT...first number 1! Hahaha started laughing, luckily I only won popcorn and didn't have to get up or anything :)! All in all it was a fun day/night!!
Day 6
It was our last morning at the hostel in Tokyo so we stayed in bed as long as we could, tried to close our bags (which was hard after all the souvenirs we bought haha) and went out for breakfast before leaving the hostel. Went back afterwards to check in for our flight(s) and to print our boarding passes.
We made a quick stop on the way to Tokyo Station in Akihabara where I went back to the sex-shop for a quick fist-hunt (don't ask, haha but it has something to do with a joke..although, the joke might be on me since I will be the one bringing back a rubber fist through customs...).
Got on the bus at Tokyo Station and enjoyed the last views of the city while being on the bus for about 90 minutes. Luckily it dropped us of in front of our hotel for our last night in Japan, Radisson Narita :). Oh happy day, a luxury hotel with a bath for me and an indoor swimming pool for Dennis and close to the airport (free airport shuttle) wooehoee! And a TV with not just Japanese channels but also English, although we did watch a few Japanese children shows, very entertaining. The Japanese kids are soooo cute!! Later that night, we had our beloved Gyoza for dinner (a last supper)! MJUM!
Day 7
What a great night, great bed, great everything!! Really enjoyed being in a hotel for the last night! We will fly back in a few hours.
11:15 am local time - Narita --> London Heathrow (12 hours 45 min)
17:45 pm local time - London Heathrow --> Amsterdam
Which means, we will go back in time and are able to tell the future is what Dennis keeps saying :P!
See you on the other side!
Over & out from Japan,
T
Saturday, November 07, 2015
Thursday, November 05, 2015
A Men's Day - written by Dennis (day 4 in Tokyo)
Dear fucking diary,
Today was a 'men's day' and so this day will be written by a man as well.
We had a great breakfast outside the hostel, just like yesterday. Today we went to Denny's, which you 'of course' also have in The US, but I never ate there. I'm telling you, it's a definite MUST DO. I had tasty pancakes with Cappuccino and a cold salad. A great combination if I do say so myself.
Today's program included The Motor Show, looking at cars for a few hours and do a bit of daydreaming. I've been to a few car shows, in Switzerland, Paris and Germany, so since I'm a world car show visitor I am really curious as to see what the Japanese edition is like. The Japanese car show is held for the 44th time at the edge of Tokyo in the Bay Side area. It was a sunny day and I was ready to go.
On the way from Denny's to the Bay Side, I noticed an authentic Barbershop. This seemed like the perfect moment to go in and get taken care of my 32 week old beard. There was no doubt about it that I had to look my absolute best to pick up my new Bentley Continental GT V12 612pk car and show it off on the streets of Japan.
I went in.....in to Heaven! Two old grandfather like types, who really could have been my grandfathers, were sitting there enjoyably on a chair listening to good old music from the 60s in which trumpets were key. Nice blues. Frank Sinatra kind of music. You know what I'm talking about. One of the nice grandfather like guys called me and I got to sit in an old fashioned barber chair. It took about 15 minutes for him to shave my face. The grandfather guy really turned my face into a baby face. He put shaving creme on me at least 10 times to make sure my skin was super sooth. I can tell you, whatever he did, worked haha.
After that we went to the Car show by boat. It was a nice trip over in between the tall buildings of Tokyo.
I walked in to the Car Show with high expectations! It was super busy. There were many one way routes to pass the cars just to lead people in the right direction. The Japanese people followed these routes nicely and kept within the markings of where you were allowed to walk. Made me laugh. In The Netherlands we would disregard these kind of rules, no doubt about it, and go our own way with a 'fuck everybody'-attitude.
Anyway, there were many magnificent cars one would only see in Asia. Like the entire Toyoto line on display, you wouldn't see any of those in The Netherlands. Nissan cars have a different name here, even though it's the same model. Such as a Nissan Micra, called a Nissan March in Japan (this model was not in the car show btw). An interesting fact to know as a car enthusiastic.
All in all, the car show did not meet my high expectations. There were a lot of models that they did not display in the car show, like Peugot and Citroën, even though they do exist here as I've seen them driving by. And a C-brand like Renault was on display. Renault Megane is also one of the models that has a different name here, but I can't remember what it was. That's how weird it was haha. It usually takes me 3-4 hours to get through a show, but it only took us 2 hours and 15 minutes to finish today! Talitha had the time of her life and ran pass all the cars hahaha, just kidding.
Anyway, this show is not worth it if you've seen some of the other shows in Europe. I was expecting more shows and more..everything! The cars weren't great, no V12 cars or sportcars. Luckily for me, I was looking forward to something better: picking up the Bentley. LOL. That was beyond any expectations I could have ever imagined!
Since we left the show sooner than expected, we decided to head to Tokyo Beach to watch the sun set. A definite MUST DO! It's pretty to see how the colors of the sun change behind the buildings. Shiny!
To end today, we hung around at the hostel. And I compared the German language to the Dutch one with a Canadian guy. Dutch really does sound better. If you are reading this Michael, sorry but it's true. TRUE!
See you again Car Show....NOT (here).
Bye Bitches,
Dennis.
Today was a 'men's day' and so this day will be written by a man as well.
We had a great breakfast outside the hostel, just like yesterday. Today we went to Denny's, which you 'of course' also have in The US, but I never ate there. I'm telling you, it's a definite MUST DO. I had tasty pancakes with Cappuccino and a cold salad. A great combination if I do say so myself.
Today's program included The Motor Show, looking at cars for a few hours and do a bit of daydreaming. I've been to a few car shows, in Switzerland, Paris and Germany, so since I'm a world car show visitor I am really curious as to see what the Japanese edition is like. The Japanese car show is held for the 44th time at the edge of Tokyo in the Bay Side area. It was a sunny day and I was ready to go.
On the way from Denny's to the Bay Side, I noticed an authentic Barbershop. This seemed like the perfect moment to go in and get taken care of my 32 week old beard. There was no doubt about it that I had to look my absolute best to pick up my new Bentley Continental GT V12 612pk car and show it off on the streets of Japan.
I went in.....in to Heaven! Two old grandfather like types, who really could have been my grandfathers, were sitting there enjoyably on a chair listening to good old music from the 60s in which trumpets were key. Nice blues. Frank Sinatra kind of music. You know what I'm talking about. One of the nice grandfather like guys called me and I got to sit in an old fashioned barber chair. It took about 15 minutes for him to shave my face. The grandfather guy really turned my face into a baby face. He put shaving creme on me at least 10 times to make sure my skin was super sooth. I can tell you, whatever he did, worked haha.
After that we went to the Car show by boat. It was a nice trip over in between the tall buildings of Tokyo.
I walked in to the Car Show with high expectations! It was super busy. There were many one way routes to pass the cars just to lead people in the right direction. The Japanese people followed these routes nicely and kept within the markings of where you were allowed to walk. Made me laugh. In The Netherlands we would disregard these kind of rules, no doubt about it, and go our own way with a 'fuck everybody'-attitude.
Anyway, there were many magnificent cars one would only see in Asia. Like the entire Toyoto line on display, you wouldn't see any of those in The Netherlands. Nissan cars have a different name here, even though it's the same model. Such as a Nissan Micra, called a Nissan March in Japan (this model was not in the car show btw). An interesting fact to know as a car enthusiastic.
All in all, the car show did not meet my high expectations. There were a lot of models that they did not display in the car show, like Peugot and Citroën, even though they do exist here as I've seen them driving by. And a C-brand like Renault was on display. Renault Megane is also one of the models that has a different name here, but I can't remember what it was. That's how weird it was haha. It usually takes me 3-4 hours to get through a show, but it only took us 2 hours and 15 minutes to finish today! Talitha had the time of her life and ran pass all the cars hahaha, just kidding.
Anyway, this show is not worth it if you've seen some of the other shows in Europe. I was expecting more shows and more..everything! The cars weren't great, no V12 cars or sportcars. Luckily for me, I was looking forward to something better: picking up the Bentley. LOL. That was beyond any expectations I could have ever imagined!
Since we left the show sooner than expected, we decided to head to Tokyo Beach to watch the sun set. A definite MUST DO! It's pretty to see how the colors of the sun change behind the buildings. Shiny!
To end today, we hung around at the hostel. And I compared the German language to the Dutch one with a Canadian guy. Dutch really does sound better. If you are reading this Michael, sorry but it's true. TRUE!
See you again Car Show....NOT (here).
Bye Bitches,
Dennis.
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Back in Tokyo; Same, same but different
Day 1
After a very relaxed train ride with the Shinkansen (aka Bullet Train), we finally arrived in Tokyo, which is our final destination on this holiday. As usual, we made our way to the hostel. We booked our first night in Tokyo in a so called Capsule Ho(s)tel, which is very Japanese. These were more made in a hostel kind of setting and therefor they also had a mixed room. A lot of capsule hotels, mostly allow only men in and some are just meant for women. Some do accept both but on separate floors.
The hostel looked very nice and so did our 'capsule', no door at the foot end but a bamboo cover that you pull down. The dorm room overlooked the river. After settling in, we headed in to Tokyo!
It's funny how things looked familiar again and I sort of remembered where certain things were and where to go next. I showed Dennis the famous Shibuya crossing + Shibuya shopping/nightlife. We also went to Roppongi, just walked around for a bit and went to the TV ASAHI building, where Dennis was interviewed for a local talk show! A nice first day.
Day 2
Unfortunately we noticed it was pouring down when we got up...yikes! The only rain btw we've had and will have :). It said it would last till around 3 pm...and we had to change hostels and check out time here was at 11 am. We decided to go to the other hostel anyway, since we would stay there for 4 nights. Got soaking wet trying to get there but luckily we were able to check in early :). One girl was still sleeping in our dorm-room (of 4) so we dropped off our stuff, grabbed an umbrella and started walking. The rain didn't last for too long.
We are very close to one of my favorite areas here, which is Asakusa. We walked around. I saw some of the same things I saw 2 years ago but in the rain this time ;), but I still love this area. After that we went to a couple more areas; Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harejuku, lots of Japanese madness again and lots of shopping and night life. Dennis found out there was a Deutschlandfest (sort of an Oktoberfest) which he really wanted to go to, so we did.... not a success hehe. Headed to the Tokyo Tower to end our night with beautiful sights of Tokyo by night :). A full day after which we needed a full night of rest.
Day 3
Had a pretty good night sleep at our hostel, went out for some breakfast and on to see more cool stuff. Electric Town and Disney Sea :)! Waaaaa excited!! Walked around Akihabara for a bit, which is also called Electric Town. This is where all the 'cute' Japanese girls dressed as maids are out on the street. Looks kind of dodgy, but it's really innocent. And this is where the manga/anime/etc. can be found, stores are full of it! Also took Dennis to see a sex shop, which is insane but a must see because it doesn't reflect on the way you see Japanese people. And then a LOT of Electronic shops.
I missed out on Disney 2 years ago due to a Typhoon alarm, which turned out to just be a rainy day, so really wanted to go this time! Dennis had never been to any Disney park, so sounded like a win-win! It was super busy (and Dennis said it looked like there were more Chinese than Japanese people haha) but we did get to go on a couple of rides and saw the Imagination laser, light, firework show late at night. A great day if you ask me!!
Just a few days left filled with exciting stuff! We're flying back home on Saturday!!
Until the next update,
Sayonara!
After a very relaxed train ride with the Shinkansen (aka Bullet Train), we finally arrived in Tokyo, which is our final destination on this holiday. As usual, we made our way to the hostel. We booked our first night in Tokyo in a so called Capsule Ho(s)tel, which is very Japanese. These were more made in a hostel kind of setting and therefor they also had a mixed room. A lot of capsule hotels, mostly allow only men in and some are just meant for women. Some do accept both but on separate floors.
The hostel looked very nice and so did our 'capsule', no door at the foot end but a bamboo cover that you pull down. The dorm room overlooked the river. After settling in, we headed in to Tokyo!
It's funny how things looked familiar again and I sort of remembered where certain things were and where to go next. I showed Dennis the famous Shibuya crossing + Shibuya shopping/nightlife. We also went to Roppongi, just walked around for a bit and went to the TV ASAHI building, where Dennis was interviewed for a local talk show! A nice first day.
Day 2
Unfortunately we noticed it was pouring down when we got up...yikes! The only rain btw we've had and will have :). It said it would last till around 3 pm...and we had to change hostels and check out time here was at 11 am. We decided to go to the other hostel anyway, since we would stay there for 4 nights. Got soaking wet trying to get there but luckily we were able to check in early :). One girl was still sleeping in our dorm-room (of 4) so we dropped off our stuff, grabbed an umbrella and started walking. The rain didn't last for too long.
We are very close to one of my favorite areas here, which is Asakusa. We walked around. I saw some of the same things I saw 2 years ago but in the rain this time ;), but I still love this area. After that we went to a couple more areas; Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harejuku, lots of Japanese madness again and lots of shopping and night life. Dennis found out there was a Deutschlandfest (sort of an Oktoberfest) which he really wanted to go to, so we did.... not a success hehe. Headed to the Tokyo Tower to end our night with beautiful sights of Tokyo by night :). A full day after which we needed a full night of rest.
Day 3
Had a pretty good night sleep at our hostel, went out for some breakfast and on to see more cool stuff. Electric Town and Disney Sea :)! Waaaaa excited!! Walked around Akihabara for a bit, which is also called Electric Town. This is where all the 'cute' Japanese girls dressed as maids are out on the street. Looks kind of dodgy, but it's really innocent. And this is where the manga/anime/etc. can be found, stores are full of it! Also took Dennis to see a sex shop, which is insane but a must see because it doesn't reflect on the way you see Japanese people. And then a LOT of Electronic shops.
I missed out on Disney 2 years ago due to a Typhoon alarm, which turned out to just be a rainy day, so really wanted to go this time! Dennis had never been to any Disney park, so sounded like a win-win! It was super busy (and Dennis said it looked like there were more Chinese than Japanese people haha) but we did get to go on a couple of rides and saw the Imagination laser, light, firework show late at night. A great day if you ask me!!
Just a few days left filled with exciting stuff! We're flying back home on Saturday!!
Until the next update,
Sayonara!
Sunday, November 01, 2015
Kyoto!
I looked up the fare and itinerary to get to Kyoto online before we left for the station, but the lady working there told us it was a lower amount. So we bought a cheaper ticket. The way it works here, is that you buy a ticket with a certain amount on it, and put it through the machine when leaving your final station, if all goes well, the machine says thank you and the gate stays open. When the fare you paid is too low for the trip you took, the gate closes and a red light goes on and something beeps and you walk towards FARE ADJUSTMENT (a manned booth). Dennis, who let me go first after I already told him that we probably didn't pay enough, laughed at me and so did the guy working there. And of course I did too. We paid the difference and went on our way to our hostel.
As usual, we couldn't check in till 3 pm, so we left our luggage. The hostel suggests a itinerary for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3, just our luck that we have 3 days here. We went on our way to do whatever was on Day 1, which was temples, temples, oh and a shrine. A lot of people 'dressed up' as Geisha, which you were able to do for about €40 for the day, which was a nice sight to see.
After hours of walking, we pretty much figured we'd seen all we needed to see and everything started to look the same or not as pretty as we had already seen. We headed in to town and walked around for a bit before heading back to our hostel to get settled in.
After an hour or so, we headed back downtown for dinner. We had Pizza and a beer :) and looked out over the river, which you can't see much of at night but it was still nice cause we also saw some of the city by night! Dennis even played a set of golf in the restaurant haha. When we finished, we went back to the hostel for a well deserved good night of sleep.
Day 2
We both slept pretty well last night, even though we don't have a private room anymore and sleep in a dorm room with 8 beds. I guess we really needed it or maybe it was the curtains each bed has that blocked more light out than usual.
Enjoyed a free breakfast and set out for Day 2 of the recommended itinerary. First stop Fushimi Inara, which Dennis keeps referring to as 'the poles (de palen)'. I went here 2 years ago and I absolutely loved it, my favorite place here! When we arrived, we noticed that I wasn't the only one. It's been the no. 1 hotspot in Japan for 2 years in a row according to Tripadvisor! It is beautiful and so was the weather today. We walked up for a bit through these 'red wooden gates' with Japanese signs on them. Now picture not one, but dozens in a row :). Also a great spot to take pictures...which we also took dozens of. We walked around for a bit, visited some shops and headed back to the station for our next stop.
Next up, Bamboo path, which I also visited 2 years ago. The name says enough, a path filled with tower high bamboo left and right. Beautiful and serene to walk through! Walking through it, we stumbled upon the Tenry-ji Temple, which we decided to go in to. It is afterall a UNESCO World Heritage place and boy does it has the right to be. What an amazing place. Beautiful fall colored trees, a beautiful lake and the temple, a must see!
After all of this, we walked down to the river which lays next to a forest that goes all the way up. Another beautiful sights and a lot of tourists that rented little rowing boats or did a tour in a bigger boat. We had lunch at a restaurant that looked out on all of this :).
And the final stop today: The Golden Temple. A super touristy spot, as is most of what we saw but nonetheless does that make it any less pretty. A one of a kind golden temple.
A great day, especially if you only have one day: DO THIS!
To get away from all the touristy and serenity, we went to McDonalds for dinner and to Yodobashi (which is a HUGE store of electronics, you imagine it, they've got it. Even a Tamagochi - which costs almost €50,- these days since it's super upgraded)!
We've got another full day tomorrow, including a HALLOWEEN party, that lasts till late....which is 1:30pm here hehe..
Day 3
I can be pretty short about our last day, visited yet another temple and walked around for a bit. Went back to the hostel to take a nap. Since somebody was snoring last night, we didn't get a great nights sleep. Went out with one of the guys that works here, but he left earlier. Went to a bar and a nightclub, in which I (being a girl) enjoyed free entrance and a free drink :)! Dennis paid about €4,- and got a free drink too. There's Japanese dancing to the music and others just watching them, funny sight. Went back to the hostel quite early.
Day 4
Another Snorefest last night, jeez! Breakfast and we're now ready to leave for TOKYO! Our final stop and how else to get there than taking the Shinkansen, which can go up to 300km/hr! It will only take us 2 hours and 17 minutes to get there, it's about 500 km away.
Until then, Sayonara!!
As usual, we couldn't check in till 3 pm, so we left our luggage. The hostel suggests a itinerary for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3, just our luck that we have 3 days here. We went on our way to do whatever was on Day 1, which was temples, temples, oh and a shrine. A lot of people 'dressed up' as Geisha, which you were able to do for about €40 for the day, which was a nice sight to see.
After hours of walking, we pretty much figured we'd seen all we needed to see and everything started to look the same or not as pretty as we had already seen. We headed in to town and walked around for a bit before heading back to our hostel to get settled in.
After an hour or so, we headed back downtown for dinner. We had Pizza and a beer :) and looked out over the river, which you can't see much of at night but it was still nice cause we also saw some of the city by night! Dennis even played a set of golf in the restaurant haha. When we finished, we went back to the hostel for a well deserved good night of sleep.
Day 2
We both slept pretty well last night, even though we don't have a private room anymore and sleep in a dorm room with 8 beds. I guess we really needed it or maybe it was the curtains each bed has that blocked more light out than usual.
Enjoyed a free breakfast and set out for Day 2 of the recommended itinerary. First stop Fushimi Inara, which Dennis keeps referring to as 'the poles (de palen)'. I went here 2 years ago and I absolutely loved it, my favorite place here! When we arrived, we noticed that I wasn't the only one. It's been the no. 1 hotspot in Japan for 2 years in a row according to Tripadvisor! It is beautiful and so was the weather today. We walked up for a bit through these 'red wooden gates' with Japanese signs on them. Now picture not one, but dozens in a row :). Also a great spot to take pictures...which we also took dozens of. We walked around for a bit, visited some shops and headed back to the station for our next stop.
Next up, Bamboo path, which I also visited 2 years ago. The name says enough, a path filled with tower high bamboo left and right. Beautiful and serene to walk through! Walking through it, we stumbled upon the Tenry-ji Temple, which we decided to go in to. It is afterall a UNESCO World Heritage place and boy does it has the right to be. What an amazing place. Beautiful fall colored trees, a beautiful lake and the temple, a must see!
After all of this, we walked down to the river which lays next to a forest that goes all the way up. Another beautiful sights and a lot of tourists that rented little rowing boats or did a tour in a bigger boat. We had lunch at a restaurant that looked out on all of this :).
And the final stop today: The Golden Temple. A super touristy spot, as is most of what we saw but nonetheless does that make it any less pretty. A one of a kind golden temple.
A great day, especially if you only have one day: DO THIS!
To get away from all the touristy and serenity, we went to McDonalds for dinner and to Yodobashi (which is a HUGE store of electronics, you imagine it, they've got it. Even a Tamagochi - which costs almost €50,- these days since it's super upgraded)!
We've got another full day tomorrow, including a HALLOWEEN party, that lasts till late....which is 1:30pm here hehe..
Day 3
I can be pretty short about our last day, visited yet another temple and walked around for a bit. Went back to the hostel to take a nap. Since somebody was snoring last night, we didn't get a great nights sleep. Went out with one of the guys that works here, but he left earlier. Went to a bar and a nightclub, in which I (being a girl) enjoyed free entrance and a free drink :)! Dennis paid about €4,- and got a free drink too. There's Japanese dancing to the music and others just watching them, funny sight. Went back to the hostel quite early.
Day 4
Another Snorefest last night, jeez! Breakfast and we're now ready to leave for TOKYO! Our final stop and how else to get there than taking the Shinkansen, which can go up to 300km/hr! It will only take us 2 hours and 17 minutes to get there, it's about 500 km away.
Until then, Sayonara!!
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