Just got back from a great week in Tokyo and the surrounding area. Definitely recommend the trip. Here are some tips…
TRANSFER from the airport on a hotel bus or via the Narita X-press train. Both cost USD30 and take 90mins. DON’T get a taxi – will cost you 10x the price!
PLACES to visit:
- Shibuya is where all the bright lights are and has crazy zebra crossings
- Shinjuku is quite a trendy area and has great views nearby in the Tokyo Met Govt building and the Park Hyatt (where Lost in Translation was filmed). Also near there is the red light district of Kabukicho
- Omete-sando is nicknamed the Champs Elysee and it’s pretty obvious why from the shops! Also nearby is the Meiji shrine
- Harajuku is where all the cools kids hang out in their crazy costumes. Makes for some funny photographs
- Roppongi is the ex-pat area with some good bars and clubs (Heartlands, Feria, Lex, Motowns). Also has a great shopping centre called Roppongi Hills. Plus Gonpachi – the restaurant that inspired the scene in Kill Bill and has great food and a buzzy atmosphere
- Ginza is a very nice shopping area with some unbelievable shop buildings. It’s also right next to the Imperial Palace which is housed in beautiful gardens
- Asakusa has some very nice shrines and temples. You can also take a boat from there, down the river to Odaiba which is futuristic land grab
TRIPS out of Tokyo
- Nikko is a 2hour train journey North. Beautiful area of lakes, mountains and waterfalls. Stay in a traditional Japanese style inn (Ryokan) and bathe in the hot springs (Onsen)
- Kamakura is 40mins train journey South. The old capital from a few hundred years ago has some more shrines and temples. Stop in Yokohama on the way back to see Japan’s tallest building (Landmark Tower) and eat in Chinatown
- Kyoto (obviously) – supposed to be lovely, but I didn’t have time
OTHER things to do
- Baseball is huge there. It’s as, if not, more boring than cricket, but the locals love it. Try and check out a game at the Tokyo Dome
- Tsukiji fish market – best visited around 4:30am in the morning to see the Maguro (tuna) auctions and then a sushi breakfast at Sushi Dai (be prepared to queue) at 6am
- Try local food. Lots of it!! Half the fun is eating stuff you’re not quite sure what it is!!
- Take the train/subway. Although intimidating, it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it and very cheap. Taxis however, are very expensive. They start at USD8 before you even move!
FLY – I went via Hong Kong as I was working there. But SQ and some of the Japanese airlines all fly direct
Hope that helps. Feel free to give me a shout if you need any more specifics
J
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tempus Fugit
Hi All,
Well, time really has flown by. It's already been 2 months since I last emailed and my time here in Singapore is quickly running out. Wrote a kind of "bucket list" of things to do before I leave and ticking them off one by one - did the luge and a 450m zip line in Sentosa last weekend and went to the Botanic Gardens this weekend - write both of those down for things to do in Singapore if you ever come through! (along with the Night Safari, Gold Class and Raffles)
And of course, I'm completely disregarding the ozone layer and stamping my own carbon footprint before I go (my rationale is that a "carbon footprint" didn't even exist 3 years ago, so for 25 years I was obviously well behaved!!). Flying to HK this week with work and then to Tokyo on Saturday with Oli for the week to get fully immersed into Japanese culture - I've heard the traditional Onsen (hot springs) in the Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn/B&B) is to enter in nothing but your modesty - lucky I've known Oli for a long long time!! And then I'm off to Sipadan with Dave Brill. Supposedly one of the top 5 dive sites in the world where you see so many turtles, barracuda and hammerhead sharks, it gets a bit boring - I highly doubt it, but am very excited
all the same.
The last couple of months have been, well as Ronan Keating used to sing "Life is a Rollercoaster, you just gotta ride it."
Had a couple of fun parties in advance of my birthday - one of them a "White or Bright" theme - some people took to mean I was not only racist but I also didn't like stupid people!! I felt quite uncomfortable in my tight white jeans and it didn't help matters on my first venture to the toilet when I assumed my fly were buttons rather than a zip and I ended up walking around quite thankful I had bothered to wear underwear! (white ones of course!)
Then came my crazy trip back to Western civilization. Simon's stag do in the Beacons was hilarious - 14 Jews attempting to navigate through waterfalls, rivers and mudbanks. Who'd have thought that the streets of Cardiff were going to be more dangerous hey Ben?! A week in the office gave a bit of respite before the big wedding. Simon and Sherry looked absolutely gorgeous and we all had a cracking weekend. And despite absolutely crapp1ng myself for the speech, the Josh and Jamie duet
seemed to go down pretty well. Then headed off to NYC for a few days to meet the new team and start to immerse myself into my new life. Had a great time and met some lovely new friends including a 12 week old "Shorkie" (cross between a Shitzu and a Yorkie) called Milo who will definitely become my new wing man when I go out!! And quickly back to the 'diff for Rosh Hashonah, to see the family and pile on a few pounds before getting back to the sauna they call Singapore.
If I had thought things were going to calm down, I was way wrong. F1 came to town just after I got back and the weekend got a bit crazy again. Wangled some tickets to the SCB box which entailed copious amounts of champagne, a friend rented a boat for the day which a big crowd of us hung out on. And then I fell in love...twice. First with Fergie from BEP, who, while she has a bit of a scary feline like face, has an unbelievable body. Plus, she likes sunset walks along the beach. Sadly, we had to get a quickie divorce because then I got married to Beyonce. Simply cracking concert, great stage presence and an amazing set of lungs.....
If you're still reading and wanna see some pics, check em out
White and Bright party -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116009&id=512991087&l=9c5fa0c53a
F1 Rocks -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116007&id=512991087&l=b793267f95
Taylor Made Wedding -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116006&id=512991087&l=f8244ee3bb
BBQ and Helipad -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116000&id=512991087&l=ee96e37301
Black Tie party -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115994&id=512991087&l=2b3e350a2b
And of course, keep me posted with what's going on wherever you are
Lots of Welsh love
J
Well, time really has flown by. It's already been 2 months since I last emailed and my time here in Singapore is quickly running out. Wrote a kind of "bucket list" of things to do before I leave and ticking them off one by one - did the luge and a 450m zip line in Sentosa last weekend and went to the Botanic Gardens this weekend - write both of those down for things to do in Singapore if you ever come through! (along with the Night Safari, Gold Class and Raffles)
And of course, I'm completely disregarding the ozone layer and stamping my own carbon footprint before I go (my rationale is that a "carbon footprint" didn't even exist 3 years ago, so for 25 years I was obviously well behaved!!). Flying to HK this week with work and then to Tokyo on Saturday with Oli for the week to get fully immersed into Japanese culture - I've heard the traditional Onsen (hot springs) in the Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn/B&B) is to enter in nothing but your modesty - lucky I've known Oli for a long long time!! And then I'm off to Sipadan with Dave Brill. Supposedly one of the top 5 dive sites in the world where you see so many turtles, barracuda and hammerhead sharks, it gets a bit boring - I highly doubt it, but am very excited
all the same.
The last couple of months have been, well as Ronan Keating used to sing "Life is a Rollercoaster, you just gotta ride it."
Had a couple of fun parties in advance of my birthday - one of them a "White or Bright" theme - some people took to mean I was not only racist but I also didn't like stupid people!! I felt quite uncomfortable in my tight white jeans and it didn't help matters on my first venture to the toilet when I assumed my fly were buttons rather than a zip and I ended up walking around quite thankful I had bothered to wear underwear! (white ones of course!)
Then came my crazy trip back to Western civilization. Simon's stag do in the Beacons was hilarious - 14 Jews attempting to navigate through waterfalls, rivers and mudbanks. Who'd have thought that the streets of Cardiff were going to be more dangerous hey Ben?! A week in the office gave a bit of respite before the big wedding. Simon and Sherry looked absolutely gorgeous and we all had a cracking weekend. And despite absolutely crapp1ng myself for the speech, the Josh and Jamie duet
seemed to go down pretty well. Then headed off to NYC for a few days to meet the new team and start to immerse myself into my new life. Had a great time and met some lovely new friends including a 12 week old "Shorkie" (cross between a Shitzu and a Yorkie) called Milo who will definitely become my new wing man when I go out!! And quickly back to the 'diff for Rosh Hashonah, to see the family and pile on a few pounds before getting back to the sauna they call Singapore.
If I had thought things were going to calm down, I was way wrong. F1 came to town just after I got back and the weekend got a bit crazy again. Wangled some tickets to the SCB box which entailed copious amounts of champagne, a friend rented a boat for the day which a big crowd of us hung out on. And then I fell in love...twice. First with Fergie from BEP, who, while she has a bit of a scary feline like face, has an unbelievable body. Plus, she likes sunset walks along the beach. Sadly, we had to get a quickie divorce because then I got married to Beyonce. Simply cracking concert, great stage presence and an amazing set of lungs.....
If you're still reading and wanna see some pics, check em out
White and Bright party -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116009&id=512991087&l=9c5fa0c53a
F1 Rocks -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116007&id=512991087&l=b793267f95
Taylor Made Wedding -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116006&id=512991087&l=f8244ee3bb
BBQ and Helipad -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116000&id=512991087&l=ee96e37301
Black Tie party -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115994&id=512991087&l=2b3e350a2b
And of course, keep me posted with what's going on wherever you are
Lots of Welsh love
J
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