Our last day in Japan was one of contrasts. We left the comfort of the Park Hotel behind us for our last day exploring this marvellous city.
We visited the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku streets to the peace and bliss of the gardens.
There was a wonderful display of chrysanthemum flowers. The garden scapes with skyscrapers in the background said it all.
Japan is a fantastic destination with so much to see and do… we will be back.
Sayonara … now what to buy at duty free???
A stay in Maruka Ryokan is a step back in time. I am not sure how old the owners of the Ryokan are but their very helpful son appeared to us to be in his seventies!
The best days for this Ryokan have past. Taps are quaint, tiles around the onsen crumbling and fixtures and fittings have seen better days. However the linen was spotless and miso soup the best in Japan. Breakfast was excellent and the hospitality from the elderly hosts has to be experienced to be believed. A little window to the past.
We were lucky to be given a lift to the snow monkey park by the Ryoken owner’s son. He had a message in English on his phone to tell us that it wasn’t likely that the monkeys would come out to play. I just wish someone had said out right – don’t waste your time, but anyway live and learn!
If you go to Yamanouchi in autumn don’t expect to see snow monkeys. They are too busy making more snow monkeys and don’t bother to come down to their onsen. We waited and waited with the promise they might come down but finally had to go. Looking on webcam, even from home it seems they didn’t come down from the hills for quite some time!
We left Yaramnouchi and travelled by JR train back to Tokyo. The contrast of the quiet backwater to the hustle and bustle of the world class city was huge.
We rediscovered the Ginza line and Shimbashi station. We retraced our steps to the Park Hotel and this time we had booked a room with a view- maybe we will see the shy one – Mount Fuji.
Overnight the weather had changed and Murodo was covered in snow. It was great to experience different climatic conditions and get the chance to view the alpine environment from a different perspective.
After breakfast we set off on the journey down the alps and on to Yamanouchi.
We left Murodo on an electric trolley bus through a mountain tunnel, then caught the ropeway, cable car and then had to walk over the dam wall. This was mildly unpleasant as the weather had turned to rain with wind whistling through the gorge. I am sure that this would have been a stunning sector on the previous day. For us it was a hurried walk, dragging our roller bags with our umbrellas nearly blowing away! Hey, it happens!
The trolley bus the took us through the mountain to the bus station.
We then had to purchase tickets on the local bus to drive us to Nagano. This bus trip took quite a long time – a few hours. It was especially frustrating to experience the peak hour traffic as we approached Nagano. We had been spoilt by the efficient Japanese train services. At Nagano we quickly boarded the JR train to Yudanaka.
There were ominous signs up at the ticket office – “No snow monkeys today”
Yudanaka was a curious old onsen town with public foot spas dotted around the footpaths and the local public onsen housed in the same building as the train station.
We had organised to stay in an old Ryokan and the owner’s son would collect us from the station when we arrived. Just like clock work, we were picked up and driven to our home for the night.
Where to next? It was a hard choice but the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route beckoned.
We purchased a special Alpine Route ticket which cost 1500 yen each. This ticket covered travel using ten travel segments and covered the use of the Toyama Chiho railroad, Tateyama Cablecar and the Tateyama Highland bus and could be used over five days. As we travelled in autumn the famous ice wall was not there but the experience was a highlight and was a different Japanese experience.
We left Kanazawa and travelled to Toyama using our JR pass. We then had to change to the Toyama Chiho railway at Dentetsu station. Again this whole journey seemed so complicated and despite the knowledge of how organised and reliable the transport system is in Japan, it did cause some consternation… totally unnecessarily so.
This was a fantastic two day experience. Accommodation at Murodo seems expensive however it covers a gourmet dinner, guided walks if interested, star gazzinf and presentation, use of a private onsen and breakfast.
We had a magical day for our ascent of the Tateyama Alps and plenty of time to walk around and view the trails, tarns and even volcanic steam outlets.
If you have plenty of time and good weather plan to stop along the way and use the five days for your visit.
Despite the light rain our day in Kanazawa was a delight. From our homestay we ventured through the local streets, visiting Ochaya Shima, a National Important Cultural Asset. These preserved buildings were once a high-class eastern pleasure quarter, established in 1820. This is where geishas performed and entertained.
Using the JR bus we returned to the tourist information office at Kanazawa station and they assist us to book a tour at the Myoryui Temple, nick named ninja temple because of the many hidden staircases and traps. This tour required pre-booking and was totally in Japanese however they did have a folder with an English translation of features. A very unique building and worth seeing. We visited this in the afternoon.
Next we visited the famous Kenroken Garden and Kanazawa Castle Park. There were so many beautiful garden settings and vistas. There was a tea ceremony underway in the gardens.
Kanazawa is a modern city with strong and proud ties to the past. The market stalls, shopping malls, Halloween fun and modern trains clearly provide this contrast.
A really early start… an experience strangely reminiscent of the Korean Beauty Parlour scene from “Seinfield” .. with prayers said in Japanese and our miso soup consumed we were off to explore the rest of Koyasan and then journey on to Kanazawa.
Koyasan has a range of temples and museums to visit all set amongst beautiful trees… perhaps we should have planned to stay longer. We encountered a few pilgrims on their way.
Our day was full of train travel. The bus, cable car and train journey back to Osaka. With our JR Pass, we travelled back to Kyoto on the Shinkansen Hikari. At 3.40pm we then caught the Limited Express Thurnderbird 29 to Kanazawa.
On arrival in Kanazawa, we were able to use our JR pass to catch the local bus to our homestay in the old geisha district of Higashiyama. This took some locating with the tourist information telling us to look out for the special heritage tree just outside the home. This was a fantastic home stay experience and I was awoken at night to the sounds of the wooden shoes of geisha’s strolling past our window… pretty special.
interesting…dreaming of a hotel signifies a new state of mind or a shift in personal identity. Wow! Does this mean that my trip to Tokyo will really challenge my personal habits and reveal new ways of doing things? I hope so.
So far possible places for me to stay include;
Richmond Hotel Asakusa provides reasonably priced business style accomodation 3-minute walk to Sensoji Temple and is close to the Tokyo Skytree. You can get to this hotel easily from Narita airport using the Keisei Skyliner with a pass that can include a subway pass. The big draw back for me is the distance out of the city centre and the fact I would need to limit my days out on the subway between peak hours. Not sure I want to do that!
Park Hotel Tokyo is a more expensive but central option that has been recommended by my friend. The hotel allows me to walk to the Tokyo fish market or make short journeys to lots of key sights in Tokyo.
Toku Stay Higashi Ginza- apartment hotel is close to the fish markets and closer to the action of the city without the big price tag. It has good reviews on travel sites.
Any ideas or advice?
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