Tokyo Pics from this morning

All around here there are places renting kimonos and so all the young girls walk around taking pics of themselves!!!

Thursday 18 April Tokyo

Well, I’m making this my last post - from now on it’s just mundane stuff, winding down and getting ready to go home.  Our flight is late Saturday, fly to Beijing and have a tight connection for the flight home.  Am ready now, these last days have been lovely but 2 days would have been enough in hindsight.  However, we’re still enjoying the delicious Japanese food.  Tough if you want to eat French or German or even English fare around this area!!! 

The weather is beautiful, around 22-23 each day.  Extra warm due to the crowds gathering in this area, would hate to be here mid-summer. 

Guess I should list some of the highlights of the holiday as there are many. First, just getting away was a major highlight, who would have thought 7 weeks ago this was an option. Then China - what a revelation that was! Those massive new buildings in Beijing almost alongside the ancient Great Wall!  And the hordes of people all pushing and shoving at the temples!  Shanghai was unbelievable, have never seen anything like the buildings and obvious wealth.  A major highlight in China when out and about was finding a loo with a throne instead of a squatter!!!!! 

Then South Korea, maybe my favourite country in some ways.  Still salivate at the memory of the delicious steamboat beef & mushroom lunch we had on one of the excursions.  And the folk Village in Incheon was peaceful and beautifully presented.  Of course the cherry blossom in South Korea was amazing, we were there at the perfect time.  Japan is Japan, will always be a great place to visit and is very do-able from Melbourne.  Everything works, people friendly, delicious food and so far no earthquakes!!! I haven’t mentioned the cruise - Regent, as usual, are a wonderful cruise line, their service is amazing, tours fabulous and all included in the fare.  But it’s the people you meet onboard that make it that much more special.  

Happy Easter to you all,  thanks for reading, if only occasionally.  

Maureen X

Wednesday 17 April Tokyo & Echigoyuzawa Pics

Nathan’s house, leaving the house, outside the old ladies’ restaurant, at the pickle factory with saki lees barrels, view and the bullet train

Wednesday 17 April Tokyo and Echigoyuzawa

Took the train to Tokyo Station this morning and who should we bump into but neighbours from The Hallmark, Karen & Anthony!  Small world! Decided yesterday we would take a day trip to  Echigo Yuzawa - long story but an old mate of George from Scotch College lives there with his wife.  Nathan & Jodi have been residents now for about 5 years, her father has owned a ‘lodge’ there for years and some of my family skied there a few years back.  Jodi is back in Melbourne for a few weeks but Nathan picked us up at the train station, we travelled on the bullet train, and had a very enjoyable day seeing the sights of the ski area, magnificent mountains, a delicious lunch which was quite unique - 3 old ladies (the restaurant in their small house) serve several courses,  no menu, you just get what they provide!  Nathan eats there often and the cost was around $6 each!  We then went to a 600 year old pickle factory - various vegetables, melons etc are pickled in saki lees and are very tasty!  The mother and daughter are good friends of N & J and had us sit down in this very old beautifully preserved room and sample the pickles while drinking tea.  Then they took us out back to see the barrels.  

Nathan wanted us to see his house.  He now runs a restaurant, can seat 18 people and is the chef himself.  His menu is European and is more like a degustation idea.  He runs both a regular and a Kosher kitchen.  They had over 11 metres of snow last season and there is still snow around, particularly high on the mountains, but just enough around his house to make it difficult to walk to.  And with G on crutches and me wearing shoes with very little tread it was actually a nightmare!!!!! Almost there & G realised he’d lost the rubber stops from his crutches!!! But worth it to take in the amazing view.  Going downhill was much easier for me but not for G.  Sometimes we have to accept our limitations.  

Back on the 5.13 bullet train now and on our way to Tokyo.  

Got off the bullet train at Ueno and had a long walk to get out then to go to the local line for our trip back to Asakusa.  Normally not a problem but with dicky crutches it was very difficult on highly polished floors!  Then when we got to Asakusa there was no elevator on that side of the platform so down stairs then up and up again - boy! do I need a big gin & tonic!!!!! Might have to wait as have now called into a small restaurant for some gyozas!  Will sleep well tonight. 

Wednesday 17 April Tokyo & Echigoyuzawa

Neighbours, mountains, lunch at the ‘old ladies’ restaurant, Main Street, & Pickle factory 

Tuesday 16 April Tokyo Pics

In the food hall at Mitsukoshi department store today

Tuesday 16 April Tokyo

No Temples or Shrines today.  We made a decision to go separate ways as G wanted to go to the Electronic area in Akihabara and my choice was to Ginza so we did that and caught up back at the hotel late afternoon.  Managed to get the subway both ways, good for me as I’m not a subway lover usually.  However, here in Tokyo it’s all so clean and safe. My memory of the department stores in Ginza is not as it is now - 10+ years on it is ALL designer!  No bargains to be had but was very pleasant looking!  And Myer & DJ need to come have a look - reckon there would be 4 sales persons to every customer!  Will be posting some pics of the delicious food available in the basement food hall - sadly there’s nowhere to sit and eat it so I ended up with a sandwich and coffee at the coffee shop.  

Back in Asakusa I walked for another couple of hours, fabulous arcades, small narrow streets and a smaller version of Matsuya near the station.  And people everywhere!