Mt Fuji - All aboard to the fifth station.

Going on a day trip on a JTB Mt Fuji/Hakone tour was a mix of pure touristy goodness and the finite moments that hold your breath.

JTB is a well oiled tour company that runs ever so smoothly. Our friendly guide for the day explained the A-Z of Japan throughout the tour, complete with texta drawn pictures and a few bad jokes thrown in for good measure. He was very helpful and even showed everyone how to get back to their hotel from the drop off at Shinjuku station.

Seeing the summit of Mt Fuji is pretty awesome. The only other mountain I've seen is Mt Pilatus in Switzerland which is only 2732m compared to Mt Fuji's height of 3776m.

As the bus drove up past the third station, we caught a glimpse of the snow capped peak and everyone simultaneously gasped.



When we got to the fifth station, it was a bit of a tourist trap. There were all sorts of strange souvenirs, like Mt Fuji air in a can. Outside there were also donkeys waiting to give someone a ride, hopefully not all the way up the mountain though.

We took our guide's advice and went to look at the shrine where trekkers prayed for a safe journey before their departure.





Red leaves outside the shrine.

My only advice is that if you're in a hurry to get back to Tokyo city after the tour take the Shinkasen back. The traffic along the expressway is awful and we got stuck for over an hour.

Myths About Japanese Food

Japan has an amazing variety of food. However, its not always everyone's cup of tea. Wei and I met an young American couple during our Mt Fuji/Hakone day tour who couldn't stomach the local cuisine.

"I don't eat cold meat," the girl claimed. They picked their way through lunch whilst Wei and I happily ate deep fried lotus, salted chicken, grilled fish and the side salad.

They were missing out big time. Not only on lunch but of experiencing a big part of Japan's culture. On a daily basis we would eat onigiri, drink miso, have numerous cups of matcha and eat dessert pocky.

My favourite meal in Tokyo was at a place called Toringen in Akasaka. The restaurant didn't have an English menu so we ordered with a bit of help from an English-speaking waiter.

We wanted to try yakitori so we ordered chicken and beef sticks. The waiter asked how many and I said four, but really I should've said eight. Four meant four sticks in total, not four of each...Oops. The yakitori came out with a dipping sauce and was divine!


The chef at work

We also ordered a Japanese style salad with bonito flakes. I didn't realise what the flakes were - dried fish shaved ever so thinly that it was almost like the skin of an onion.

Wei and I were considering dessert when we were delivered a plate of beef. Surprise dish! This was the most succulent, melt in your mouth wagyu beef. Fatty? Yes. But it was absolutely amazing.



All up it was only 3400 yen, not bad to escape a rainy Tuesday night in Tokyo.

No such thing as too much Picasso

The National Art Center, Tokyo is the newest addition to Tokyo's art scene, so much so that some guidebooks fail to give it a mention. The postmodern building opened in Jan '07. Its futuristic-looking with glass paneled walls snaking around the building in a continuous wave. The UFO like main entrance welcomes you inside.






PICASSO: From the Collection of the Musee National Picasso, Paris is being exhibited until Dec 14th. I spotted adverts for the exhibition whilst on the JR Yamanote Line and tracked down the museum in Roppongi.

The exhibition showcases 200 Picasso works from his early works to his career-defining pieces. It contains charcoal drawings of Greek mythology, abstract sculptures, mixed media and of course classic Picasso Cubist oil on canvas work with their heavy lines and stilted shapes.

I have seen my share of Picasso's having visited the Guggenheim Museum's Spanish Paintings from El Greco to Picasso exhibition in Dec '06. But never this many in one exhibition!

It was fascinating to see the development of his style and the variety of mediums that he worked with. I loved Picasso's portraits and landscapes. Some of the artworks though were fairly hard hitting. In particular, Massacre in Korea, 1951, and Reading a letter, 1921.


A nice little Picasso quotation:

"Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth."

— Pablo Picasso


If you're in Tokyo before Dec 14th, go see the exhibition!

One thing that we noticed though is that a lot of retirees visit museums. I think its great that art is appreciated by young and old. At the National Art Center there was a group of 3 adults resting on the awesome chairs they have. They offered to move over so I could sit down and thought we were hilarious ('cause we're Asian and speak English). Anyway one of the ladies found an air vent on the floor and pretended she was Marilyn Monroe. So kawaii! Only in Tokyo.

Murals in the Roppongi Tunnel enroute to the Art Center





Relaxing on the chairs




To get there on the Metro: Get on the Chiyoda Line to Noga-zaki station - its just outside!

Finding peace in Hiroshima

Still continuing on the Japan trip theme, in chrono order of course, we went on some amazing day trips from Osaka.

The first was to Hiroshima. We got atrociously lost in Hiroshima but we eventually found the Peace Park, the Memorial Museum and the Atomic Dome. This is something that you have to see for yourself in Japan. I think as a traveller its easy to get lost in your itinerary and forget about why we travel in the first place. To push ourselves out of our comfort zones.
To learn about history. To understand how events like the bombing of Hiroshima changed the world.

This week was of course a historic week with President-elect Obama taking centre stage. Change is something that everyone wants to believe in. Peace is another.

I love Kyoto

It's easy to see why you can fall in love with Kyoto...and never want to leave. We re-arranged our travel plans to spend all four full days in Kyoto. Originally we were going to head to Hiroshima from Kyoto but we decided to go from Osaka instead to maximise our time.

We covered heaps of ground! In one day we went to Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Gardens, Ryoanji temple and the Golden Pavilion! The downside to packing it all in is that by the end of the day you end up being absolutely knackered with sore feet and a zillion photos to pour over. That's half the fun though.

I recommend going on Johnnie's Walking Tour, Johnnie explained a lot about the history of Kyoto, the strange but tolerant mix of Shintoism and Buddhism and how the art of Geisha is slowly fading. It's a 5 hour walk though with no lunch break, so bring snacks!

But my favourite place of all in Kyoto was the Heian Shrine and its gardens. The shrine looks like its in a desert with all the white gravel surrounding it, but behind it is a beautiful, luscious garden. It's so peaceful and tranquil. Plus you can stop for a tea break at a little cafe where we met the loveliest waitress who offered to take photos for us happily.

I would also recommend staying at Kyoto Travellers' Inn, especially in the Japanese-style rooms with Tatami mats. Very good base for sight seeing - we walked to the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Heian Shrine and the Philosopher's Walk from the hotel. However the 100 Rakuten Sightseeing bus is a great option for getting directly to major tourist sights as well for only 220 yen, it took us back from the Silver Pavilion to the hotel.

I vouch to one day return...



Zen garden on the grounds of the Silver Pavilion or Ginkakuji Temple (currently undergoing restoration work)



Moss!



The Philosopher's Walk



The gardens of Heian Shrine









Korean War Memorial



Shinto Shrine



Higashi Honganji Temple



Buddha statues on the grounds of the Golden Pavilion



The Golden Pavilion



Nijo Castle