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Hey there Happy Travelers! I recenlty got back from my second trip to Japan and am so thrilled to be able to share what I've learned the second time around. I was lucky enough to get to try a few new things and I now have a few new Japan favorites. You can also check out my Top 5 sites and Japan travel tips from last year as well. Japan is such a diverse and beautiful place that there's no way that two weeks could give you enough to see and do it all. Now that I've been there twice, I can say that I'm completely in love with Japan. Let me count the ways... Dear Japan, you keep surprising me... When you visit Japan, you'll notice some things right away that will surprise you. Tokyo, a city with over 13 million people is ridiculously clean and quite. How they manage to keep things so quite and calm with so much happening, I have no idea. Part of it, is that people, in general, are more consciences of those around them. People don't talk on their cellphones in public, you won't hear music blasting, or see people eating on the train. All of this politeness, creates a very calm atmosphere. This gives you the impression that Japanese people tend to be reserved and quite and certainly not loud or boisterous. I knew that everyone in Japan couldn't possibly be calm and polite all the time. But, to be honest, I rarely saw anything to the contrary. That was until I went to a baseball game. Now, you might be saying " I don't like baseball, I don't even like sports". I'm convinced that it doesn't matter when watching it in Japan. I was with a group of people, some big baseball fans, and some who never watch it, and we all had a blast. While the essentials of the sport are the same as American baseball, the fan experience is not. The fans cheer, not stop, the.whole.game. There is a set cheer for each player. Luckily, there was an elderly lady sitting behind us, who had her daughter print out all the cheers for her and she helped us learn what each of them were. She was the best! Here is a video of some of the cheering going on. Note: This video only features about half of the food breaks I took. No, a baseball game isn't usually long enough to eat 4 times, but what can I say? Don't judge! The video quality is only so so, and to be honest, it only does a modest job of capturing the energy in the stadium. It was such a fun game! If you find yourself at a game, you too will end up spending the whole game cheering, and laughing, and just having an amazing time. It's one of those stark contrasts that makes Japan so interesting. It's so easy to make vast generalizations about different parts of the world. This was one of those experiences where you see that people are people, and we are all a lot more complex and interesting than you could ever realized from a short visit, even if that realization comes over hot dogs and beer. Japan is more than sprawling cities You wouldn't be alone if your image of Japan was just sprawling city side. While there is plenty of that, there's also gorgeous country side, mountains other than Mt. Fuji, and plenty of quite parts of the country to spend some time recharging. During this trip, I got got spend about 3 days in a region called Toyama. In Toyama, there's a mountain call Teteyama. There's an Alpine Route through the mountains, where you'll see the famous snow tunnel. I was there in June, and there was still a snow tunnel, although it wasn't as impressive as you'd see earlier in the season. You'll take a series of buses, trams, trains, and a suspended aerial gondola to reach the Kurobe Dam. The whole journey is gorgeous, and you'll experience so much along they way. We saw waterfalls, monkeys, and pristine blue rivers. The peak of Teteyama is 10,000 ft, so it's quite the journey. Toyama is on the west coast of Japan and is famous for their fresh seafood, sake, and their hot pools. Long story short, there's a lot to do in Japan that isn't in the city. How the old world and new world live together I was wondering around Tokyo after dinner and stumbled upon this beautiful place nestled right between two skyscrapers. If you look closely, you can see the buildings rising up all around it. This isn't unusual. The Imperial Palace is right across the street from super modern high rise buildings. Tokyo is a city where you'll feel incredibly safe. Which is perfect for wandering around and getting a little lost. You'll find subway stations all over the place which means, even if you do get lost, you can easily get back to where you were going. If you ever visit Tokyo, I'd really recommend veering off the path from time to time. I found temples that I had no idea were there, and wouldn't have even know to go looking for. One night, I found this traditional yakitori restaurant, which was amazing. Yakitori is typically chicken grilled on skewers over a charcoal grill. This place grilled vegetables, clams, various meats, all sort of things. The cook, sat on the floor, on his knees, in front of a large charcoal grill built off the floor. You'd order you food from the options in front of you, he'd then scoop it up with a large wooden spatula that was about 5 feet long. He'd grill it up, right in front of you, and then deliver it to you on the wooden spatula. It was one of the coolest dining experiences I had there. Unfortunately, they said I couldn't take any pictures inside. It seemed like one of those local spots that they didn't want the word getting out about. Lucky for them, I found it by wondering down a series of alleys, and couldn't tell you how to get there if I wanted to. But! My point is, when in Japan, you should schedule some time to just wonder around...and see where it takes you. There's so much more to discover Within just the realm of sweets, there's a universe of information that I couldn't tell you about Japan. You can find all sorts of interesting candies, cakes, dessert hot dogs, banana cakes that are all the rage, oh and the never ending list of Kit Kat flavors to try. I foolishly didn't buy these. I spotted this during our trip to the top of Teteyama, and didn't think schlepping this with me the whole way was wise, only to find out that the sake flavor is extremely hard to find. ARH! Both times I've gone, I've made it mission to try more flavors. I don't think I'll ever get them all, but I'm gonna try!
Woah, sorry, I digressed. I was telling you that there's so much to discover, and it's true. My point being, that no matter what time of year you go, or how many times you've been, you'r going to discover something else fascinating about Japan and just maybe that you love it too. I could have given you a list of my personal favorite restaurants, or shopping spots, or temples. But, from my experience, I keep finding something new and amazing around every corner, and giving you a list would be a disservice. Go, discover, and make your own list of things you love about Japan. It won't be hard to do. Have you been to Japan? What do you love most? No matter what you love most, or where you're going, don't forget to travel happy! XO, Skeeter
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Kon'nichiwa Happy Travelers! As promised, I'm here with some of my must see spots in Tokyo. I was there on a business trip, so the touristy bit was kind of a whirlwind. Luckily, on my trip I had several people who had been to Tokyo many times before, so they knew the best spots that I needed to see in the short time I had to spare. So, I checked them out and I'm here to report back to you on what to see, how to see it, and what to eat while you're there....let's go! 1. The Imperial Palace The Imperial Palace is obviously going to be a gorgeous stop. It's old world juxtiposed next to towering skyscrapers. To view the gardens, you'll have to be there Tuesday-Thursday, or Saturday & Sunday from 9:00-4:30. They close at 5:00, but the last people they will let in is at 4:30. I was just finishing up a meeting and hoping to get in, but got there a few minutes late. But even from the exterior, it's so beautiful and worth the visit. But, whatever you do, do NOT stand on the grass! The only time I saw anyone in Tokyo seriously bent out of shape was when a guard at the Imperial Palace saw someone on the grass taking a selfie. He started blowing his whistle, and everyone except the culprit froze and looked his way. He kept blowing his whistle louder and louder as he marched quite a ways to get them off the grass. When apparently the loud whistling wasn't enough, he started yelling at them...super awkward. Don't let that be you! 2. Shinjuku As soon as I got to Shinjuku, I thought "This is the Tokyo I've seen in movies". It's definitely worth a stroll around. It may not be for everyone though. It's got a seedy side to it. Lot's of strip clubs and what looked like escort services and that sort of thing. But there's also a lot of restaurants, music, and just the towering lights are worth a visit in my opinion. 3. Harajuku Harajuku is a place like no other. It's a center for fashion, food, and shopping. Being a Harajuku girl is like a sport, and they take it very seriously. I got there at about 10:00 in the morning, which worked great because the huge lines had't started yet, which means I got right up to the counter to order some of these amazing crepes! Those crepes seriously sent me into a sugar coma. I have to say that it was totally worth it! There's so much good food to try there though, so pace yourself. Not only is the food delicious, but it's all presented so beautifully. I almost didn't want to eat it because it was so pretty...almost that is. There's also tons of reasonably priced shopping. It's mostly targeted to young people, but it's so fun to just window shop too. 4. Asaksua Temple There are temples all over Tokyo, but I really enjoyed this one. It was the busiest that I visited for sure, but beautiful. There are gardens there as well, that are only open a few weeks in the spring. If you happen to be there during that time, it's worth the time to see those as well. While you are at the temple, don't miss out on getting your fortune. You shake this metal container until a stick comes out. The stick has symbols on it that indicate the drawer that you will select your fortune from. I got the "regular fortune", which was described to me as "Not great, but not bad...slightly better than ok". I'll take it! 5. Miraiken, The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation The Miraiken Museum was one of the best I've ever been to! I was given a tour for about an hour and a half and I could have spent days there. They have amazing technology there like this robot above as well as human like androids (that were a little creepy if I'm being honest) that you can interact with and really so much more. There's tons of stuff for kids as well...and for adults who still wish they were kids. Japan is all about innovation, so a visit to Tokyo would't be complete without a visit to this amazing museum. I have all these pictures and videos of the museum that I thought about posting here, but I'm just not sure that it would do it justice. Trust me, it's amazing! *Bonus* #6. Department Store Basements Stay with me now, this blew my mind. In the basements of departments stores and some large train stations like Tokyo station there are these amazing gourmet food stalls. It's like the fanciest food court you've ever seen. Like $300 for 2 pretty cantaloupes fancy. You can find basically anything you can think of and plenty you could have never thought of down there. And not all of it is $300 cantaloupe expensive either. Like these $3.00 "hot dogs". This is just the tip of the iceberg for Tokyo and certainly for Japan. If you've ever been unsure about whether you'd enjoy a trip to Japan, toss those doubts out the window and just go! I just got back and I'm already itching to go again. There's so much more that I didn't get to see. Have you been to Japan? What were your favorite spots?
Pat and I are taking off to Key West this coming week to celebrate our 6th anniversary. I can't wait! I'll be posting about that when we get back. And, in case you hadn't noticed, summer is just around the corner. Start making those travel plans now, and don't forget to travel happy! XO, Skeeter I've been lucky enough to have traveled to quite a few places, but I'll admit, I was a little intimidated about going to Japan. Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world, I speak about 5 words of Japanese, and I just wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it. I have to say though, that I was so wrong about Japan. Not only did I love it, but it was much easier and enjoyable than I thought it would be. I decided that it might be helpful to lay out a few helpful tips that I was stressing about before I went...so here it goes! How to get around: Tokyo is a big place, but with just a little bit of prep, you can be set to explore this city with ease. If you are staying primarily in the Tokyo area, I would suggest getting a Suica card. It's a card that you load up with money to pay for JR Trains, the subway, and buses. I'll admit that the first two days I just walked everywhere because I was a little intimidated by the subway stations and figuring out the routes. That was silly. With a Suica card you can just zip through without having to buy a ticket for every trip and without having to figure out how much each fare is. When you swipe your card it will automatically calculate the fare for you. I'd also download the Tokyo Subway App. There were a few times when I found a station, but I wasn't sure which line to take or if I needed to make a transfer. With this app, all I had to know was the name of the station I was at, and the name of where I wanted to go. It then put in the line, the platform, the transfers and told me how long it would take. A note about Tokyo addresses* This was the most difficult part for me. The addresses look something like this: 1-22-14 Jinan, Shibuya-Ku. Shibuya-Ku is the ward or neighborhood. Jinan is the district within the ward. The next part is what gets confusing. One of the numbers represents the block, and one of them represents the order of when the building was built...so the numbers do not go in sequential order and most streets are not named. This can make finding an exact address challenging. Luckily many areas have maps posted on the sidewalks, so if you now a landmark near your address that is helpful. There's also often police officers posted on many street corners. If you have your address printed (which I would highly recommend) they are really nice about helping you find where you are going. This article was helpful to me when figuring this out. Google maps was somewhat helpful, but sometimes maddeningly unhelpful when navigating, so keep that in mind. If you are traveling elsewhere in Japan, I would look into getting a JR Pass. You have to buy this before you get to Japan. Wifi I was pretty much the envy of everyone in my group because I always had wifi even on the subway. Surprisingly, free wifi is a bit rare in Tokyo. So, I rented a pocket wifi hotspot from the airport. It was about $50 for the week and was so helpful! It meant I had wifi on the subway (which people who were using regular cellular data didn't have) which was super helpful when I was trying to figure out where I was going next. It was so easy to pick up and they provided a free prepaid envelope for me to just stick it in the mail when I was done. A Few Quick Tips: -Drive and walk on the left -Do not talk on your cell phone in public places (sidewalk, subway, restaurants), it's considered rude. -Be prepared to take your shoes off for temples, some restaurants and homes -7-11s are your best bet for an atm that accepts foreign cards -Do not tip, ever! -People do not walk and drink, even coffee or water. If you get a drink from a vending machine, drink it there. This is also helpful because there will be a garbage can there, which are hard to find elsewhere. -Bring an umbrella. I don't like using umbrellas, I prefer just a rain jacket with a hood. I'm just the right height to stab someone in the eye with an umbrella by accident. But everyone uses one, and in fact one person gave me there's despite me having a hood because they're just so nice. So, the next day I went right out and bought one because 1) I didn't want to continue to take advantage of their kindness and 2) I didn't want to look like the 1 weirdo in 15 million who was too unsophisticated to use an umbrella. -Wear comfortable but stylish shoes. The Japanese tend to be very fashionable. They generally dress conservatively, but well tailored and put together. I averaged 9 miles a day, so whatever shoes you decide to wear, they have to be comfortable. I literally walked the sole off one of my ballet flats. I also found that English wasn't as widely spoken as it is in other places, but many people know a few key words. They will also be very appreciative of you just trying to speak Japanesse, even if you fail miserably. So... A Few Helpful Key Phrases: Sumimasen- Means excuse me. In many restaurants, they will not come give you the check or even take your order until you let them know you are ready. They are not being rude, but letting you take your time. All you need to say when you are ready is Sumimasen and they'll know you are ready. Mizu- You should say oh-Mizu. It means water. Water is not typically served unless asked. I was getting seriously dehydrated because I wasn't drinking near as much water as I typically do. So, this was very helpful for me. Kon'nichiwa- Hello Dōmo arigatō gozaimashita- Thank you Ohayō- Good Morning Irasshaimase- This is not a word you need to learn to say, but it will be said to you several times in nearly every place you go. It means welcome. It might be shouted, but it's just a customary way to welcome you. Gomen'nasai- It means,"I'm sorry". As you stumble your way through a new city and an unfamiliar language, you'd be surprised how helpful this phrase is. People appreciate you trying, and that you realize that you might be fumbling. Me just being able to "I'm sorry" when I couldn't explain what I needed made people really sympathetic. Every single person I met, without exception where extraoridinarly nice and helpful, so I felt that this was an important phrase to know as I slowly but surely found my way. I would also learn 1-10 in Japanese. It's helpful when the nice police officer says it's "ni" blocks that way. With that said, I think every time I bought something, they displayed the amount of yen on a calculator or on a register screen, so that was super helpful. I'll have another post soon on some places to visit and things to do while in Tokyo. Overall, if you've ever thought about visiting Japan, I'd say you have to go. It's unlike any place I've ever been, and I wish I hadn't waited so long to go.
I'll also be posting soon about Key West. Pat and I are taking off in two weeks, and I can't wait! Wherever you are today, don't forget to travel happy! Skeeter |
Skeeter
Hi there! I'm Skeeter. I grew up moving a lot and that makes me a bit restless for travel and exploration. I started this blog with my husband Pat when we decided to backpack New Zealand for a year. We are always looking for the next adventure and are loving life. We're just your average couple with two sassy dogs and a love for travel. We're sharing our travels and the tips we pick up along the way. LIZHello! I'm Liz. Blogging is very new to me, but I'm so excited to finally write as much as I talk! Archives
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