Category Archives: Countries

City view: Taipei can be a cheaper alternative for Far East holidays

Posted on by
Reply
This is a view of the sunset from Elephant Mountain in Taipei which includes a view to the Taipei 101 Tower.

            Earlier this year, I had the chance to visit Taipei, the Taiwanese capital. Taiwan does not tend to rate highly on people’s must-see lists for the Far East.

            People tend to visit Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong before they would consider Taiwan. But I can tell you that Taiwan deserves as much attention and can be a much cheaper holiday than the other three.

            Taiwan’s history is a turbulent one. Dating back to the 16th century, the Han people of China inhabited the island at the start of European trade. The Dutch and the Portuguese attempted to colonise the country. In fact, Taiwan’s other name is Formosa, which comes from the Portuguese phrase for beautiful island.

            Following the defeat of the Dutch colonisers by Ming Loyalists, Taiwan eventually became part of the Fujian province of China. In 1887, following defeat to the Japanese, the Qing Dynasty turned over Taiwan to Japan. Japanese culture still has a profound impact on Taipei as seen in their entertainment and popular culture today.

            In the early 20th century, a civil war on Mainland China broke out between communists and nationalists. Following the communists’ victory in 1949, the surviving nationalists and their armies and supporters fled to Taiwan. An uneasy relationship between Taiwan and China has existed every since. This is most evident in flight routes of the two national carriers, EVA Air and China Airlines, on flights from Europe and North America.

            These airlines are not allowed to fly into Chinese airspace on international flights, but are allowed to fly to China as evidenced by their extensive regional services into China. Great evidence of the logic of government. While you can get nonstop flights from Eastern North America on the Polar Routes, most Western European flights operate with a technical stop in Bangkok from London, Amsterdam, and Paris.

Getting to Taipei

            Taipei is service by Taoyuan Airport and Songhsan Airport. Songshan is right in the city but is a regional airport that handles flights from China, South Korea, and Japan. If you are touring the region, this is a good option if you are coming from any of these three countries.

            If you are flying from further afield, then you will land at Taoyuan Airport, which is about 40 km from the city. EVA and China Airlines have hubs at this airport. You can also arrive here using Air Canada (Vancouver), Air France, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, ANA, JAL, KLM, Korean Air, Asiana, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines.

Getting from Taoyuan Airport

            The cheapest way to Taipei is on the Airport MRT. It costs NT$160 (£4; US$5, CAN$6.8; AUD$7.42, or 4.54 euros) and takes about 35 minutes. The train operates to Taiwan Main Station but between 6:05 and 23:35. If you arrive before or after the train you will need alternate transport. Trains have free wifi and phone chargers on board.

            Buses No. 1960, 1819, and 1961 are the cheapest method at NT$145 (1960) or NT$125 (1819 and 1961). Bus 1960 goes to the Xinyi District (Taipei 101) while the other two will go to Taipei Main Station.

            The third option is taxi. Taxis to the centre of Taipei cost about NT$1,200 (34 euros, AUD$55, CAD$51, US$38, or £30). There is a taxi rank outside the arrivals area.

            When I arrived in Taipei, I was approached in the terminal for a taxi which I took. It wasn’t until we were on the highway to Taipei that it struck me that I may have fallen for the biggest scam in the book — not taking a taxi from the official stand.

            So, I took out my phone and mapped the best route to the hotel. Not only did the driver follow the route, the price was cheaper than the taxi stand. I mentioned it to the person at the hotel check in and he said that sometimes Uber drivers hang around the arrivals area looking for a fare back to Taipei to make the journey worthwhile for them. But use at your own caution. The best thing to do is to ask the person soliciting rides if it is Uber.

Getting around Taipei

            Taipei has an excellent underground and bus system to get you to where you want to go. You can buy tourist cards before you arrive in Taiwan and decide where you want to pick it up: Main Station or Airport. These are valid on all forms of public transit in Taipei.

Weather

            Taiwan is a hot and humid country. I was there in February so it was nice to have a few days of 25C+. The winter is not humid but the summer can be stifling.

Hotel

            I stayed at the Citizen M Taipei which is a funky boutique hotel right in the centre of Taipei. It is about a 10-minute walk from the Taipei Main Station with lots of shops and restaurants nearby.

            The hotel is located by the Taipei North Gate which means it is a hub for the Taiwanese people. I was there just after Chinese New Year and they were holding concerts there at night.

            The four-star hotel is a small chain with hotels also in London, New York, Amsterdam, Paris, and Copenhagen. All rooms are exactly the same so everyone pays the same price for a room. The only choice is if you want a high floor or a low floor. I stayed on the 15th floor with views of the city and the river.

            The rooms are very modern with great amenities. The beds are king size with huge pillows (a rarity in Asia). One of the cool features of the room is the ability to stream your phone or tablet content to the TV. This is great if you want to watch a movie in your library before bed on a big screen rather than your small screen.

            Taipei is surprisingly affordable for hotel options. Most five-star hotels are cheaper than three-star hotels in London except for the W Taipei which tends to be the most expensive hotel in the city.

What to see

            There are lots of sights in this city. Taipei 101 held the title of tallest building in Asia for a while until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai eclipsed it. If you bought the tourist transit card, it comes with discounts and free entry to Taipei 101’s observation deck. At the bottom of the tower is a large shopping centre.

            Another significant attraction is the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall which is a huge complex dedicated to the founding president of Taiwan. On the hour, there is a changing of the guard in the main hall. There is also the lesser-known Martyr’s Shrine in Zhongshan District which is dedicated to those who died in the Chinese civil war.

The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is key sightseeing spot in the middle of Taipei.

            There are many temples such as the Longshan and Bao’an Temples. Additionally, there are many museums and galleries in which you can pass your time.

            Beitou, Wulai, and Yangmingshan National Park are sites with hot springs where you can go for a soak and about a one-hour tube ride from the centre of Taipei. Prices range from NT$300 to NT$800 for a soak. But this might not be an option for those who don’t like to be nude around people because you are not allowed to wear even a bathing suit in the water. It is similar to the onsens in Japan and saunas in Finland.

            Hiking trails abound Taipei. One of the best ones is Elephant Hill which will afford you a view of the city including the Taipei 101 building.

Food

            Taipei is a lesser-known mecca for people who love to experience food in other countries and it is extremely cheap.

            The night markets, such as Shillin, attracts thousands of people every evening to try out a variety of dishes.

            The national dish is beef noodle soup which features tender beef and tend in noodles and a rich beef broth. In the more popular restaurants the broth has been cooking since they first open. There are a large number of restaurants and street stalls selling the concoction for less than £5 a bowl.

A bowl of beef noodle soup is not only filling and hearty, it is also the national dish of Taiwan.

            The ubiquitous stinky tofu is a Taiwanese delicacy. Tread with caution as it is an acquired taste.

            One of the most renowned restaurants in Taiwan is Din Tai Fung which has several locations across Taipei and has branched out around the world. Popular with locals and tourists, it isn’t out of the question to stand in line for an hour just to get. Both times I went, I got there at about 10:45 and was in with the first seating when they open at 11:30. The signature dish is xiaolongbao which is a steamed soup dumpling filled with pork and hot soup. Three are instructions on the table on how to eat the dumplings because you can scald your mouth if you aren’t careful. Another specialty is the shao mai dumpling which has no soup and is stuffed with pork with a shrimp on top.

            You can also get the beef noodle soup and great fried rice dishes here. The Taipei 101 location I went to was very reasonable. Eight dumplings, a fried rice, and a beef noodle soup cost me about £10. I have been to their location in Covent Garden in London and these dishes will cost you about double the price at least. Unfortunately for my Canadian readers, the Ding Tai Fun in First Markham Place in Markham is not part of the company.

These delicate soup dumplings, or xiaolongbao, of pork and soup dumplings are a must-try at Din Tai Fung

            One of the best desserts in Taipei is pineapple cake. They are available everywhere. But the best in my opinion is at Sunny Hills. These are the most popular among Taiwanese people and across the region that the shop has branches in Singapore and Shanghai.

Sunny Hills’ main location is not far from Songshan Airport in Songshan District of Taipei. It is laid out like a restaurant it is a shop with a free sample.

When you go into the shop, you are taken to a seat and given a pineapple cake and a cup of Taiwanese green tea. The idea is that after the sample you can buy to take with you. The cakes are available in packs of 5, 10, and 16 cakes individually wrapped and stored in a nicely decorate wooden box, making them ideal for transport because you will want to take as much as you can home.

Overall impressions

            Taiwan is an off-the-path destination because most people who go to this region tend to go to Japan, China, Hong Kong, or South Korea. In terms of affordability, Taipei is very affordable. In the cost scale where I would put Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.) at the cheapest end and Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong at the most expensive end, Taipei would be closer to Southeast Asia. It’s not as cheap as, for example, Thailand, but you can have a good time without breaking the bank.

            The people are very friendly and most will attempt to speak English, which is a departure from other countries in the region where you can to rely on sign language and pointing to get things.

            Despite a significant amount of beggars around the Main Station, Taipei is a very safe city. The beggars are pretty harmless and tend to leave foreigners alone. This is another Asian city in which I never felt the need to be extra vigilant.

Singapore is a playground for everyone

Posted on by
Reply
The iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel complex dominates the Singaporean skyline. The complex is a popular tourist destination.

            One of the jewels in the Southeast Asian crown has to be Singapore, the tiny city-state that has been described as Disneyland with the death penalty.

            I had the opportunity to spend a few days in the Lion City in the summer of 2018. Without compare, Singapore is the cleanest country I have ever visited.

            A big part of that cleanliness is due to draconian laws that exist in the country. Heavy fines and sometimes caning with a thick, rattan cane are the punishments for littering, jay-walking, spitting, or drinking or eating on public transport.

            The result has been an immaculate country where you probably could eat from the ground.

            Chewing gum is banned except for medical purposes (nicotine gum) and other than a pack of cigarettes you aren’t allowed to bring in duty frees.

            Although enforcement tends to be lax, the lore of Singapore law is enough to ensure conformity especially among tourists who have heard of the country’s reputation.

Getting in:

            There are three ways into Singapore: by air at Changi Airport, by land at the Malaysian border, or by sea on a cruise ship. The vast majority tend to fly into Singapore.

            In addition to having the world’s best airline, Singapore Airlines, Singapore also boasts the world’s best airport. For the past twenty-plus years, both the airline and airport have topped or nearly topped best airline and airport lists.

            It is very easy to navigate through Changi and be landside in minutes. When I went last year, my flight arrived at about 10 p.m. and I was landside and in a taxi by 10:15 p.m. But it is all about timing. The other time I transited through Changi, it took about an hour to just get through passport control which was mid-afternoon.

Getting around:

            Singapore has a comprehensive bus and tube system to get you around quickly. You really appreciate how small Singapore the nation is by the fact that you can take the tube to the Malaysian border.

            There are several lines to move you around the city which can be a relief with the air conditioning because Singapore is always very hot (30 to 35C).

            You can pick up a visitor ticket that lasts for a few days at most major stations and simply tap in and out as you navigate the area.

Hotel:

            You can find bargains or spend a fortune on hotels in Singapore. For example, the quintessential Singaporean hotel is the Raffles Singapore which is the home of the Singapore sling. A room for a night will cost more than £500 a night. The iconic Marina Bay Sands (pictured above) charges more than £300 a night. When I stayed in Singapore, I stayed at the Naumi Hotel which is about £150 per night for a room in a five-star boutique hotel located in the shadow of the Raffles.

            Accommodations tend to range in price depending on the area of Singapore you are staying.

Food:

            Food prices in Singapore can be a big bargain or a bank-breaker. I would highly recommend eating at Hawker Stands located throughout the city.

            Hawker food is street food but you don’t need to fear stomach bugs as you would with street food in other parts of Asia because Singapore has even higher health standards for food vendors that Europe or North America.

            Hawker stands are set up to look like food courts and are found in Chinatown, Little India, and the Malay Quarter. Laksa, Chili crab, and satay are the national dishes of Singapore and found anywhere food is served.

            One recommendation I make is to get to Hawker Chan at the Chinatown Hawker complex. It is the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred meal. Hawker Chan sells soy chicken and rice. It is a simple dish but excellent. You can get this one-star Michelin dish for about £2.50. Hawker Chan is easy to find. Head to the Hawker stand in Chinatown and look for the long line. When I went, I got there at about 11:30 a.m. and there were probably about 15 people ahead of me, but a few minutes later, there were about 100 people behind me. So get there early.

Safety:

            Next to Japan and Iceland, Singapore is one of the safest places I have ever visited. Not once did I need to worry about suspicious looking people or potential pickpockets.

Bring a light cardigan:

            As I said, it is 30 to 35C everyday in Singapore, but you need to have a cardigan or light jacket handy every time you go indoors.

            That is because most buildings set their air conditioning about about 20C so it feels like you have entered a fridge every time you go indoors.

Things to do:

            For years, Singapore was only a business centre, but now the country is diversifying into tourism thanks to the additions of the Esplanade and the Marina Bay projects. The areas are centres for tourism.

            Even if you cannot afford to stay in the Marina Bay Sands hotel, the site has many attractions open to the public. The most iconic is the 191-metre infinite pool that sit atop the three towers like a surf board. It also houses the Formula One race circuit, a casino, shops, restaurants, and a canal complete with gondola rides similar to The Venetian complex in Las Vegas.

            Singapore is also a mecca for shopping with several shopping malls with everything from affordable brands like H&M to luxury items from Louis Vuitton, so it has something for everyone.

The world’s best airport

            Changi International is a mainstay at the top of best airports in the world surveys. If you have a long layover, Changi is one of the best places to stay. In addition to the usual hotels, lounges and shops in most airports, Changi also has two cinemas that show movies for free, a tropical garden, and an aquarium.

            The new Terminal 4 building is the most technologically advanced airport terminal in the world. Other than security, it is possible to get from landside to the plane without having to interact with staff. You can go to a check in kiosk, scan your passport, and receive your boarding pass and luggage tags. After you affix your tags, you take your bags to an automated counter where you place it on the scale/conveyor belt and it moves on to the luggage area. If you had your biometric data recorded on entry (and you would have unless you are a child), then you go to the automated passport control and follow the directions to clear immigration. You will interact with staff at security as that part is still operated with a human presence. When you flight is called, you can use the biometric gates to scan your boarding pass and the machine takes your retina scan and clears you to board your flight.

            Singapore is probably my favourite city in the world to visit because it is safe, clean, and has a variety of options that meet all budgets. You won’t want to spend more than a few days in Singapore as it is an expensive country and you can see the main sights within two to three days. Singapore is a good add-on to any holiday that takes you to Southeast Asia.

Forget Dubai, Muscat is real jewel of Middle East

Posted on by
Reply
The Qasr al Alam Palace in Muscat is the official residence of the Emir of Oman. While entry to the palace is forbidden, you are allowed to take photographs of the building and surrounding areas.

            Some of the best trips you can take are the ones that are far from the maddening crowds.

            In the past 10 to 15 years, travellers have gone en masse to the United Arab Emirates’ two biggest states, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

            But this post is not about the gaudiest place on earth that is built on superlatives, but a tiny nation to the south — Oman.

            I have been to Muscat, Oman on two occasions and it is m favourite place in the Middle East.

            Unlike the UAE where things are not what they seem, there is a sense of authenticity to Oman. This is first evident by the fact that any tour guide you hire in Muscat is most likely an Omani. On a few tours through Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I never had an Emirati tour guide. Sometimes, we want a local to add to the experience.

            There are two main ways into Muscat: by sea on a cruise ship at Port Sultan Qaboos or by air at Seeb Airport.

            The first thing you notice when you get to Muscat is that it does not have an ultramodern skyline of architectural wonders, but opts for a more modest skyline. Muscat’s planners felt that they wanted to be different from their northern neighbours which restricts buildings to more than three storeys high except for hotels and hospitals.

            Everything in the country is immaculate. The lawns are always mowed and looks like someone finished the job with a pair of scissors. The streets are clean and the roads are in excellent shape.

            What makes this all truly impressive is that most of the infrastructure did not exist before 1970.

            Modern Oman was born out of unrest when current Emir Qaboos bin Said al Said overthrew his father, Sultan Said bin Taimur, in a bloodless coup in July 1970.

            This coup was the instrumental starting point for the transformation Oman from an under-developed backwater to an infrastructure that would be the envy of some western countries.

Getting in:

            Visa on arrival is available for most western passport holders. For those who need a visa, you can purchase an e-visa at the Royal Oman Police’s website or at Seeb Airport from the money changer kiosks. Holders of Israeli passports and Israeli citizens will be refused entry, but simply have an Israel stamp on other passports is not a problem for entry.

            The nation’s flag carrier airline, Oman Air, offers flights from Asia and some destinations In Europe. British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad offer flights to North American travellers.

Getting around:

            Taxis tend be the most popular way of getting around Muscat. You could also rent a vehicle because driving is relatively OK in Muscat compared to other Middle Eastern countries where rules of the road are considered suggestions rather than law. Besides, you will love the cost of petrol. To put this into perspective, a litre of petrol is cheaper than a litre of water in Muscat. Current prices put a litre of petrol at £0.45 (CDN$0.75, US$0.57, 0.51 euros).

Things to do:

            Like most Middle Eastern countries, much of the social life and trendy parts of Muscat can be found around the Corniche which is the sea wall area near Port Qaboos. Here, you can find restaurants and the Mutrah Souq where you can find bargains.

            To catch a glimpse of Oman’s fishing past, you can travel to Mutrah and watch the day’s catch come in, prepared, and sent out to shops and restaurants.

            Flanked by the al Jalali and the al Mirani forts, the Qasr al Ayam Royal Palace is one of the world’s most beautiful palaces in the world. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to enter the palace, but you are allowed to take photographs of the palace’s entrance.

            One of the best museums to learn about Omani history is the Bait al Zubair Museum which houses artefacts of Oman and an overview of the flora and fauna that can be found around Oman.

            Outside of the central business district is the jewel of the Muscat landscape: Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is the third largest mosque in the world.

            Tours are available between 9 and 11 a.m. daily. The highlights of the mosque include a Swarovski crystal chandelier, one of the largest Persian carpets, and the impeccable marbel panelling. Like any other mosque in the Islamic world, female travellers must make sure to cover their hair, ankles and wrists while inside the mosque.

Sleep:

            There is a hotel choice for all budgets which makes Muscat an appealing place for hotels. You can even splurge a little and stay in five-star hotels. The Fraser Suites and Radisson hotels in Muscat have rooms on for less than £100 a night. Even the most opulent of hotels are not badly priced: Kempinski (£200 per night), Shangri-La (£182 to £214), W Hotel (£221), Grand Hyatt (£177).

Safety:

            While driving in Muscat is relatively safe, Omanis tend to disregard the speed limit and pass randomly on roads going to other parts of the country.

            Homosexuality is considered a crime, therefore, LGBT travellers should exercise caution.

            Crime is not a significant issue in Oman.

            The biggest concern is the extreme heat associated with a desert nation. The last time I was there, it was 46C. By the time I went out on a 4×4 mountain drive at 8 a.m., it was already 36C. Be sure to drink plenty of water and do what the locals are doing. Usually they will sit in the shade instead of trying to cool down in water. Try to wear loose fitting breathable clothing. Jeans or other tight clothing will overheat you.

Iceland emerges from volcanic activity to become one of the world’s top destinations

Posted on by
Reply
Seljalandsfoss is a spectucular waterfall in Iceland. The allure of the waterfall is that you can walk behind it.

            Back in the spring of 2010, a volcano on the tiny island nation of Iceland brought the world to a standstill.

            Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced aye-ah-fyet-la-your-koot-sh) erupted, spewing ash into the air, which led to the closure of airspace and grounded all flights to and from North America and Europe for six days.

            The volcano had a positive knock-on effect because suddenly Iceland was in the news and the collective conscious of people.

            Tourism has spiked ever since with people wanting to visit this beautiful land of ice and fire.

            Another positive result is that there are a large number of airlines that fly to the tiny Scandinavian country. Flights from Western Europe take about 2.5 to 3 hours while flights from the Eastern part of North America take about 4.5 to 5 hours and 8 hours from Western North America.

Getting there

            The most direct flights are offered by Iceland’s flag carrier, Icelandair, while several other flag carriers offer direct and 1-stop flights to Iceland.

  • Icelandair: Direct flights to and from major North American and European cities to Keflavik.
  • Delta Airline: Operates direct flights from JFK in New York.
  • EasyJet: Offers direct flights from several UK airports and Geneva.
  • Eurowings: Seasonal flights from Cologne.
  • Wizzair: Direct flights from Baltic nations.
  • SAS: Direct flights to Oslo and connecting flights to Stokholm and other Scandinavian Cities.
  • Norwegian: Direct flights to Oslo.
  • British Airways: Direct flights to Heathrow.
  • Air Canada: Seasonal to Toronto and Montreal.
  • Finnair: Direct to Helsinki.
  • Lufthansa: Direct to Frankfurt

            All flights to Iceland arrive at Keflavik Airport which is about a 40-minute drive from the country’s largest city, Reykjavik.

            One of the highlights of flying into Iceland, especially if you are coming from Europe, is the scenery you see when you first descend below the clouds. It is like nothing on earth. In fact, it looks like a different planet when you see the lava rock formations on the ground.

            If you are on a night flight and the conditions are right, it could be possible to see the Aurora Borealis.

Getting around:

            Iceland is a driver’s dream especially if you like driving over difficult terrains. If you are an inexperienced driver, then it may be better not to drive. Three people from the UK, including a baby, died in a crash last year due to a lack of experience of driving on rough terrain.

            There is only 1 major highway, Route 1, which circles the country, and several rural paved and gravel roads that traverse the country.

            It is possible to get around Iceland by airplane, but it is very expensive. Because the local airlines hold a monopoly, the price of flights between Reykjavik and Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest city, can be as much as the price of the flight you took to get to Iceland.

            There is a reliable coach system which can get you around Iceland. But it can be even more expensive than flying around Iceland.

            For the more physically fit, cycling around Iceland is an option. However, you should bring your own bike as purchasing a bike locally can be expensive.

Key destinations:

            Pretty much of all Iceland is worth seeing and being such a small country, it is easily achievable to see the entire country in about two weeks.

            For those of you on shorter trips, focus on certain areas. One of the most popular routes is the Golden Circle which will take you to Gulfoss waterfall, the Stokkur geyser, and other important areas of Þingvellir National Park. The park is also the site of the longest running parliament in the world and where the European and North American continental shelves meet.

            Further afield and to the immediate north of Reyjkavik is Snæfellsnes which is not only a spectacular peninsula, but also the setting for Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

            To the north of Snæfellsnes are the West Fjords, an area dominated by rugged geography and steep hills.

            If you want to visit Eyjafjallajökull, it is located about 140 km southeast of Reykjavik near the town of Ásólfsskáli.

            One of the most popular tourist destinations is The Blue Lagoon, which is about 40 km from Reykjavik. It is a surreal place because of its component and setting. It is a geothermal spa in the middle of a lava field. The result is a hot spring with milky blue water.

How to best see Iceland:

            If you are experienced and comfortable driving on rough terrains, you can rent a 4×4 vehicle to see the country. Due to its small size, you are not far from your next destination so you won’t spend large amounts of time driving. You can set your bases in Reyjkavik to see the city and Snæfellsnes. Another base could be Ísafjörður to see the West Fjord Region. From Akyureri, you can strike out to see Myvatn. Höfn could be a good base from which you can visit the southeast of the country. Finally, Selfoss can be a good based to travel into the middle of Iceland.

            The other major reason people go to Iceland is to see the Aurora Borealis. This is best seen in the winter months and there is even a forecast of the chances of seeing them on a day to day basis.

Cost:

            Iceland is very expensive. If you have travelled to other parts of Scandinavia, then that will give you an idea of your costs. Accommodation outside of Reykjavik can cost about £75 and up per night. While you could expect to pay slightly more in the capital region.

            Iceland is well known for its coffees which are excellent and the prices are comparative to Europe or North America. However, alcohol is very expensive. You could expect to pay about £35 for a bottle of house wine or £8.50 for a beer.

            A tip for those who like to have a drink is to buy your alcohol duty free at Keflavik Airport. After baggage claim and just before you walk into the arrivals hall, there is a duty free shop which sells alcohol for about one-third less than the high street.

            The first time I went to Iceland, I was chatting with a guy who was part of a stag party going to Reykjavik. It was pretty funny to see the colour drain from his face when I told him alcohol prices and he turned and berated the best man for choosing Iceland as a stag destination.

Weather:

            Iceland is very far north and does not get warm. Also, the weather is very unpredictable. At the same time, the winters aren’t as cold as northern Europe or North America. The big thing about the weather in Iceland is the wind. It is such a wide open country that the wind can be jarring. Summer is cool. Don’t go there expecting the temperature to rise much more than 15C.

            Last summer, I was there and where I was staying was 18C. But a quick drive about half an hour away in higher ground and the temperature was less than 10C. It changes very quickly and without notice.

            It is not out of the question to pack warm clothing even in the summer. You do not want to be under-dressed in Iceland.

Safety:

            Iceland also has a very tiny population. According to 2017 figures, a little more than 338,349 people live in Iceland with most of them living in the capital city.

            In terms of safety, Iceland is extremely safe. Violent crime is very low and murder is even lower. In fact, there were no murders committed in 2008.

            However, with the boost to tourism, there has been an increase in sexual assaults, rape, assaults, auto theft, and vandalism, but those figures are will well below other major cities.

Colombo: The Jewel of Sri Lanka beckons

Posted on by
Reply
Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka. There is an eclectic mix of the old and new world in this capital city.

            This post is a request from a friend who wanted some tips on Colombo, Sri Lanka.

            For a long time, Sri Lanka was a no-go zone due to a civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sinhalese government. But that all changed a decade ago and people have flooded into the country to visit this lush country.

            Sadly, people have shied away again after the terror attack of Easter Weekend 2019 when terrorists bombed several Christian churches and five-star hotels. But people are beginning to go back.

            There is a great movement in Colombo to fix the infrastructure and make the country a jewel similar to what has gone on in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

            My trip to Colombo was part of a Singapore to Dubai cruise I took in 2017. We spent a day in the Sri Lankan capital and it is a place I want to visit again for a longer period of time. Maybe I will do that during a cricket tour so I can see more of the country.

            Visa requirements for western countries have changed. Now, you need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which you can get on the Sri Lankan foreign affairs website. You input your passport data, pay the fee, and it is sent to you almost instantly.

            Getting around the city is easy enough on tuk tuks, but be warned, most don’t have a meter so you will have to negotiate and agree to a price before setting off. The alternative is a taxicab. You are advised to choose cars with a sign in the window that says “Meter Taxi”. The going rate for a taxi is 50 Sri Lankan Rupees (£0.22) for the first kilometre and 30 rupees (£0.13) for each additional kilometre plus waiting time. The Sri Lankan Tourist Development Authority also runs a tuk tuk service which is discernable from the normal tuk tuks by the unique paintings on the vehicles. These are metered and more reliable than the private operators.

            Similar to Tamil Nadu state in India, the diaspora of Colombo is very diverse and this is evident in the various houses of worship you can see around the city. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are well represented in Colombo.

            However, due to the fact that the most recent terror attacks were committed by Islamic fundamentalists, there may be some concerns visiting Islamic mosques as there has been evidence of increased hostility towards Muslims in Sri Lanka.

            One of the features of Colombo is the ties to its colonial past. Virtually every colonial power since the 15th century has had control of Sri Lanka starting with the Portuguese and ending with the British.

            This is evident in the architecture around the city and the abundance of old mansions that will make you think you back in the colonial days.

            Like its subcontinent neighbour to the north, Sri Lanka is renowned for its arts and crafts which you can buy to take home as souvenirs.

            One thing that is highly recommended to take home with you, and the one thing that brought the Portuguese to its shores, is cinnamon. Sri Lankan cinnamon is a wonder plant that is known to have restorative effects on those who suffer from high blood sugar and a risk of heart disease.

            Sri Lankan cuisine is similar to South Indian food. My experiences with Sri Lankan food has been that the very spicy is just that — very spicy. I have always laughed at what western restaurants present when they put three chili peppers next to a menu item. But when there are three chili peppers next to a menu item in a Sri Lankan restaurant, tread with caution.

            One of the drawbacks of Sri Lanka, and it is similar to India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, is there are a fair share of people who will attempt to scam you. The aforementioned tuk tuk drivers will have an array of scams like attempting to drive off before agreeing to a fare or telling you the hotel/restaurant/tourist attraction you want to visit is closed/burned down/out of business. Be extra cautious of people who suddenly show up and want to help you. They are trying to separate your cash from you. Think of it as you would in your country. People tend to themselves unless asked for help. If someone comes up to help you when you won’t even look like you need help, that is a warning sign.

            Here is an anecdote of someone who attempted to scam me in Colombo. When you go on a cruise ship, sometimes the distance from the ship to the first street is quite far and so the cruise company organises shuttle buses. When they get to the street, you get off and go where you want to go. So I wanted to go and walk on the sea wall because when we did the organised tour it looked nice enough. So within minutes of getting off the shuttle bus, this happened:

            Random person: Hi. Hi. Where are you from?

            Me: Uh, Colombo.

            RP: No you’re not. You look like us but you’re not from here.

            (after smiling I continue to walk)

            RP: Hey you can’t walk there.

            Me: Why not? I’m going to sea wall to check it out.

            RP: This area is patrolled by the Sri Lankan navy and you aren’t allowed. I have a tuk tuk I can take you

            Me: Uh huh. Right.

            RP: Sir, stop walking this is dangerous. This area is out of bound because the Sri Lankan navy says it is dangerous because of the civil war in Syria.

            Me: Wait. What? The civil war in Syria means I can’t walk here?

            RP: Yes sir. I take you by tuk tuk. Very good price. Very good price sir.

            Me: Syria? As in Syria that thousands of miles from here?

            RP: Yes, sir.

            This was the point at which I laughed at him and walked on. If you use common sense and don’t’ look like a tourist and walk with purpose you won’t get hassled too much.

            As I said Colombo is a beautiful city and one to which I will return one day.

Off the beaten track in Tokyo as I find two really amazing places few people see

Posted on by
Reply

           

The tombs of the 47 ronin can be found a short distance from Shinagawa train station and Sengakuji tube station. The story of the 47 ronin is an integral part of the cultural identity of Japan.

We’ve been through it before. You go to a well known city, head to the sights we’ve heard of, and find about thousand other people there most likely infringing on you trying to take photographs.

            In this post, I am going to point you in the direction of two really interesting sights that little to no one visit. The first is a place that epitomises the cultural identity of Japanese and the second is taken from popular culture.

The tomb of the 47 Ronin

            Japan’s greatest tale is the story of the 47 Ronin. This story occurred in 1701 in Edo, the site of modern day Tokyo. Two shogun leaders (daimyos) — Asano Naganori and Kamei Korechika — were tasked with organising a reception for a representative of the Emperor of Japan.

            A powerful government official named Kira Yoshinaka took a dislike to the daimyos. The reason for the dislike is not clear it was either because the samurai didn’t present him with enough gifts, they didn’t offer bribes he wanted, or that he was just plain arrogant. Sort of reminds you of a current world leader doesn’t it?

            Kamei lost patience with Kira and vowed to kill him for dishonouring the samurai but his consorts managed to avert disaster and they appeased Kira with a very large bribe which led to better treatment of Kamei by Kira.

            But the poor treatment of Asano continued. It got to the point where Kira uttered a serious insult to Asano which led to the samurai attacking Kira in the palace and wounding his face.

            The punishment for attacking a shogunate official in the shogun palace was completely forbidden in the Edo Palace. Asano was ordered to remove his smaller Katana blade and commit seppuku, suicide in which the samurai takes his smaller blade and disembowels himself. In the samurai world, an honourable death is by suicide.

            The result was that the 300 samurai whom Asano led were left leaderless or ronin. Out of that group, 47, led by their leader Oishi, vowed revenge.

            While revenge was forbidden, Kira’s security protection was fortified which meant that the 47 ronin had to bide their time before killing Kira.

            The ronin went back to being farmers while Oishi became an alcoholic, living in Kyoto brothels, and divorced his wife (this was so no danger could come to her once they carried out their attack).

            In the meantime, Kira had spies observing Oishi and once he appeared to have allowed alcohol to consume him, the spies reported to Kira. It took two years for Oishi to be convinced that Kira had let his guard down.

            In early winter, Oishi and the rest of the 47 ronin launched their attack on Kira in his Edo mansion. Two groups laid siege to the mansion with Oishi leading one group and his son, Oishi Chikara leading the other.

            With consideration to Kira’s high rank, Oishi knelt, addressed him with the highest respect, and told him that they were here to avenge Asano’s death. Oishi offered Kira a samurai’s death or for him to behead Kira in samurai tradition.

            When Kira refused to respond, Oishi ordered his men to hold down Kira while Oishi beheaded him. Oishi sent one of the ronin the to Ako to announce the revenge was complete while the other ronin marched to their master’s tomb in Sengakuji with Kira’s head. At the tomb, they washed the head in a well and presented it and the dagger to Asano’s grave.

            The shogunate had a dilemma: On one hand, the samurai were correct to avenge the death of their leader, but on the other hand, they killed a high ranking member of the shogunate. Despite support from the people, the ronin were sentenced to death. The dilemma was resolved by allowing the ronin to commit seppuku like their master.

            They were buried in front of Master Asano’s tomb.

            Today, you can visit this sight.

            It is a sight of great veneration and honour among Japanese people. It is not a touristy sight. It is a place for quiet reflection and to honour the legacy of these truly great men.

            Just outside of the gleaming ultramodern skyscrapers in the Shinagawa Ward of Tokyo is the Sengakuji temple. It is located near the Sengakuji tube station on the Keikyu Line. Come out of the station, turn right and cross the road and keep walking straight and you will come to the temple. It is free to visit the tomb and you can pay a small fee to see the museum which houses the clothing the 47 wore that night and a copy of a receipt made for Kira’s employees who came to collect his head for burial.

Horror house is eerie even in the daylight

         

Fans of The Grudge will recognise this house as the Saeki House from the film series. It can be found about an hour away from central Tokyo.

   Are you familiar with the film Ju-on: The Grudge? No, not the bad American remake. I’m talking about the Japanese original.

            The plot is about a house haunted by a ghost in a state of rage after the murder of a wife and child by a husband who also committed suicide. In the film, everyone who comes into contact with the home dies.

            The house used in that movie is located in Tokorozawa in Saitama about 45 minutes suburban train ride north of Tokyo. You can travel to Tokorozawa station from Ikekebukoro station in Tokyo.

            From the station, it is about a five-minute walk through a street lined with restaurants and down some alleyways.

            If you are a horror film fan, it is worth the journey.

            In the film, the ghost of the little boy, Toshio, is often accompanied by a cat. When I went to visit, as I turned on to the lane the house is on, a black cat came running across the path.

            So this concludes the Japan series. I will continue to write other blogs about other places I have visited.

Convenience store food? Don’t knock it until you try it in Japan

Posted on by
Reply
Matsusaka A5 Wagyu beef is the most expensive cut of steak you can find. No trip to Japan is complete without indulging in this rare cut of steak.

            Another big expense you have to budget for in Japan is food. Japan has food option s ranging from a few pounds to thousands of pounds.

            One of the things I do is change the way I eat. I have my large meal at lunch because the lunch and dinner menus at most restaurants are the same but the dinner menu is three times the price of lunch.

            Another option is the famous ramen house or Izakaya.

            An Izakaya is a Japanese pub that provides food and alcohol. Don’t feel intimidated if all the signs and menus are in Japanese, the people who go there or work there will help you make your dining choices.

            Prices in Izakayas tend to be quite inexpensive and full of character.

            There is one Izakaya in Tokyo that you enter at your own risk. Bar Kagaya is run by Mark Kagaya and can be best described as cross between a trip through Alice’s Wonderland and a scary puppet show.

            This YouTube clip will give you an idea of the madness that goes on in Bar Kagaya. If you are interested, call ahead for reservation because it fills up fast.

             Be warned. This video is not for the feint of heart.

            Ramen houses are plentiful and the food is great and filling. Two of the biggest chains in Japan are Afui and Ippudo Ramen. But if you want a unique experience, try one or both of the world’s only Michelin starred ramen restaurants.

            Tsuta and Nakiryu have been awarded Michelin stars and are extremely popular. Both are very small restaurants with about 8 seats so you have keep a few things in mind when trying to get a seat.

            Tsuta requires diners to come to the restaurant near the Sugamo tube station between 7 and 8 a.m. to collect a colour coded ticket. The ticket is acquired with a refundable 1,000 yen price. The colour of the ticket corresponds to a one-hour window between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. or 5 to 8 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. When you return at your appointed time, you get your 1,000 yen back which you can use towards your food. The signature bowl costs about 1200 yen or about £10 which is an excellent bargain for a Michelin star restaurant.

            Nakiryu is near Otsuka station and is known for its Dan Dan spicy ramen. They are open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. everyday and closed on Tuesdays. The process for getting a seat is different from Tsuta. You need to get to the restaurant at about 10:30 a.m. and get in line. If you get there at opening, you will be in line for a couple of hours. The pricing is similar to Tsuta.

            If you fall in love with Tsuta and Nakiryu, and you will, you can buy instant noodles made by those chefs which are available in convenience stores around Japan. The instant noodle version costs about £4. While they aren’t as good as the real thing, they are a far sight better than the £0.25 ramen you get in the UK.

7 Eleven, Lawson’s, Family Mart

            Speaking of convenience stores, a great place for a cheap lunch or dinner is a Japanese convenience store. The big three are 7 Eleven, Lawson’s, and Family Mart. If you have ever been to a 7 Eleven in the U.S., you know all they sell is high sugar drinks and bad fast food.

            But convenience store food in Japan is better than the prepared meals in supermarkets in England. You can get ramen bowls, sushi, sandwiches, bento boxes, and noodles or rice dishes.

            The stores have microwave oven so you can warm up your food and take it back to your hotel. There are so many of these shops that you aren’t far from one anywhere in Japan.

            Each store has its specialty. 7 Eleven is known for its hot food and drinks. Lawson’s is best known for its fried chicken, nuggets, and baked goods. Family Mart has a vast array of hot and cold drinks.

            Egg sandwiches are common to all and are truly amazing. They are unlike any egg sandwich you have eaten before and you will become addicted to them.

            Lawson’s has a soft bun with chocolate marbling. These are very addictive too. I have lost count of how many egg sandwiches and chocolate marble buns I have eaten during my trips to Japan.

            While all hotels have a kettle in the rooms for tea which you can use to boil water for ramen, some also have microwave ovens if you want to heat up food.

            Here is an approximate breakdown of a typical food day for me in Japan:

  • Breakfast: sandwich, pastry, and drink: £5
  • Lunch: Typical Japanese fare: £10
  • Dinner: ramen/bento box, pastry, and drink: £7

From that breakdown, I spend about £22 a day on most days. But that doesn’t mean you can’t splurge on certain meals.

            Thanks to the Olympic preparation in Tokyo, the iconic Tsukiji fish market has shuttered. However, it has reopened as the Toyosu Market about 2 km away in Tokyo’s Koto Ward with Shijomae Station on the Yurikamone Line being the closest tube station.

            The market is free to visit and open to the public from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. where you can try some of the freshest sashimi you can find. Two iconic restaurants in Tsukiji have reopened in Toyosu. Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi continue to serve up the best sashimi in the market.

            Now here is the catch. Both restaurants open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Because they are both small restaurants you will need to line up. If you get there after 7 a.m. you will be standing around for a long time. When I went to Daiwa Sushi, I got there at about 5:30 a.m. and got in at just after 6 a.m.

            The breakfast meal consists of eight pieces of sashimi and one extra of your choice for about £25. Breakfast for £25? Well, if you can find sashimi as fresh as what is served in Sushi Dai or Daiwa Sushi in the west, you will probably spend at least 5 times that price.

            Another splurge item in Japan is the beef. Japanese beef is world renowned with Wagyu leading the way. Wagyu refers to any of the four main breeds of beef cattle in Japan: Matsusaka, Kobe, Mishima, and Omi.

            Japanese beef is extremely expensive because of the fatty marbling that leads to the most tender steak you will ever eat. Marbling refers to the fat content in the beef. The more marbling the better. The top grading for Wagyu beef is A5.

            This is where the focus on lunch comes in handy. At some of the top steakhouses in Japan, the lunch menu will probably cost about £50 while dinner is closer to £200. Again, a Japanese Wagyu steak on this side of the planet would be more than £200.

            Now that we have covered food, I will complete the series by pointing out two amazing sights in the Tokyo area that most people never think to visit.

Tips for getting online and staying on the cheap in Japan

Posted on by
Reply

The famous capsule hotels are very cheap in Japan. While they aren’t a good option for your main hotel, they are good if you have an early morning flight or train.

            Gadgets. We can’t live without our smartphones, computers or tablets. We take them everywhere and we bury our noses in them.

            When travelling to Japan, your next thought is on staying connected.

            In Japan, you have two options: sim card or a portable modem.

            Sim cards are great if you have an unlocked phone. You get a generous data plan to help you navigate your way around the country.

            Chances are, your phone plan does not have an offer for travel in Japan which means you could be in for a nasty surprise in your next phone bill.

            The option I take is the portable modem. You can either rent one online or pick one up at one of the many kiosks in airports in Japan.

            The JR Pass company I buy my passes from also rents modems at a rate of approximately £40 for five days. You just need to input your days in Japan and it will give you a price.

            When you order your modem, you have the option of picking it up at the airport or having it available for pick up at your first hotel.

            The best option is to pick it up at the airport so you can get online to use Google Maps to navigate and find your hotel.

            A few days before you are due to arrive in Japan, the company ships your modem to a pick up store in the airport, usually located on the departures level.

            The company will send you an email with the tracking number which you present with your passport at the desk and they hand you a package with your modem, charger, and a prepaid envelope for when you are ready to return it.

            You get an unlimited data plan but it is throttled if you go over 1 Gb of data in a day. If you want to watch Netflix, use the hotel’s wifi which is good enough for streaming.

            On the back of the device is the moden ID number and passcode you can input into your device to get online.

            When it is time to return it, simply put the modem and charger in the pouch and into the prepaid envelope and drop it into any mailbox.

            There is a mailbox in the departures area of Japanese airports. Do not take it past security or passport control because there aren’t any post boxes in that area. If you do, then you will have to pay to courier it back to Japan and pay any overdue fee.

            The modem signal is very good. The only place I lost signal was in the Seikan Tunnel which is under the sea and connects Hokkaido to Honshu Island in the north of Japan.

Suica or Pasmo?

            Another handy product the JR Pass office offers is a Suica or Pasmo card. Both are similar to the Oyster card on the London underground and can be used to ride the Tokyo Subway and the Osaka Subway.

            There is no difference between Suica and Pasmo other than those being brand names. The other added bonus of the card is that you can use them at vending machines around Japan to buy drinks or food.

            The price for one is £19 which is added to the card so when it is posted to you, you have a topped up card. If you get low on funds, go to any ticket machines at a subway station and top it up. Don’t worry, the machines have an English language button to help you complete the transaction.

Where to stay?

            Like I said before, Japanese real estate is expensive. This is magnified when checking out the prices for five-star hotels in Tokyo.

            One night at the Shangri-La Tokyo will cost you £600. Most five-star hotels will cost between £200 and £700 a night.

            The great thing about Japan is that it is such a safe and clean country that three-star business hotels are better than most four-star hotels in other countries and will cost about £50 a night.

            APA and Toyoko Inn are two of the largest business hotel chains in Japan. The APA is not without controversy. Its CEO Toshio Motoya fancies himself an essayist and intellectual and writes books that are placed in the rooms.

            The writings are far right. His book Theoretical Modern History: The Real History of Japan is printed in English and Japanese and contains passages that support his belief that the Nanking Massacre and the comfort women of Seoul were not atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War.

            Other than the book, the APA chain is simply a hotel chain. No one foists extremist beliefs on you, but it is your choice if you want to stay in a hotel managed by a far right conspiracy theorist.

            The drawback of business hotels is that the rooms are tiny. You have room for a single bed, a desk, and a bathroom. The tub is usually about half the size of a western bathtub and you have little room for moving in the bathroom area.

            One of the business hotels I stayed in had paper-thin walls so you can hear people snoring in their rooms.

            Another option for staying is the famous capsule hotel.

            Japanese people love to party, but the public transit system closes at 1 a.m. The result is that many of the Japanese salarymen opt to stay and party and then get some rest in a capsule hotel.

            These hotels are literally capsules in which you sleep much like Bruce Willis’ room in The Fifth Element.

            They are cheap (starting at £20 a night), but they aren’t really conducive for long-term hotel stays. They work in a pinch when you have an early flight or train and need to stay close to the airport or train station.

            The next option is the ryokan which is Japanese guesthouse. These can be pricey, especially in the rural areas. The prices are high because you get a large room with a futon and a full kaiseki meal. Kaiseki is a form of Japanese fine dining that originated in Kyoto and includes a variety of dishes. It is the epitome of high dining in Japan.

            The final option is the ubiquitous Japanese Love Hotel. I have not stayed in one of these but have seen YouTube videos of them and they are quite interesting if you want to stay in a cheesy hotel where couples go to, well, you get the picture.

            Unfortunately, there is only one night-train left so saving a night by taking a late train isn’t an option unless you are going to the far south of Japan.

            There you have it, a few more options for you to consider to help you budget for your trip.

            In the final blog in this series, I will write about meal strategies to help you save money and give you tips on sights that are off the beaten track in Tokyo including one very scary spot.

JR Rail pass are great investments for intercity Japanese travel

Posted on by
Reply

A Shinkansen train rockets by Mount Fuji on its way to southern Japan.

            So now you have an itinerary in mind and have booked your flights. You are firmly committed to your trip at this point.

            Up next is not hotel reservations, but rail pass purchasing. Intercity travel in Japan — by land, air or rail — is very expensive. You should invest in a Japan Rail Pass.

            These passes are sold outside of Japan to foreign nationals and cannot be purchased in Japan. JR Passes are available in 7, 14, and 21-day packages and will cost you £211 (7-day pass), £336 (14-day pass), and £430 (21-day pass).

            You should consult the go-to Japanese website for train prices and schedules, Hyperdia. This site allows you to plot travel based on date, time, and train type.

            To give you an idea of how valuable the JR Rail Pass is, consider that a return train journey from Tokyo to Osaka will cost you £200 if you bought a ticket in Japan. That is almost the price of a 7-day rail pass.

            Bear in mind, the JR Rail Pass cannot be used on the superfast Nozomi Shinkansen trains that operate from Tokyo to southern points. It is valid on the superfast north and westbound trains, the Hyabusa and Kagayaki respectively.

What happens after you order a pass?

            A few days after your purchase, an exchange order will be in your post box. The exchange order is NOT a pass. You cannot arrive in Japan and start using it. You will need to visit a JR Rail office where you can submit the exchange order which will be processed into a rail pass.

            Passes expire at midnight after the last day. For example, a 7-day pass expires at midnight on 8 July if activated anytime on 1 July. By this, I mean you can use your pass on 7 July until just about midnight. After that, it will not work. The same idea works for the 14 and 21-day passes.

            If your trip is going to be longer than the pass you have, you may need to be a bit strategic, especially if you flew into Narita and plan to use the Narita Express to the airport instead of paying 3,500 yen for the ticket. For example, you have planned a 10-day journey to Japan to visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima which will put you in the country from 1 to 10 July. If you flew into Narita and wanted to save 3500 yen and use your pass on 10 July to get back to the airport, consider sightseeing in Tokyo first and activating your pass on 3 July which will make the 7-day period end on 10 July.

            Another bonus with the JR Pass is that you can use it for travel on the JR Yamanote line in the Tokyo Subway or the Osaka Loop Line in Osaka. In both cities, most of the must-see sights are within reasonable walking distance of stations on the lines.

Shinkansen trains travel at speeds of more than 275 km/h. It is possible to do Hiroshima in a day trip (800 km), but it would be a very long day.

Tips and tricks

  • Do not lose your pass. It cannot be replaced and you will be stuck paying for train tickets if you lose it.
  • The pass is valid not only on the circle lines in Tokyo and Osaka, and the Shinkansen, it is valid on any train system owned by Japanese Rail. You will know this if the service begins with the letters JR.
  • If you choose to use the north and westbound trains, seat reservations are mandatory. They are not mandatory on the southbound trains but if your trip falls on a Japanese holiday, you may need to if you don’t want to stand.
  • Go to any Shinkansen office in the train stations and you can make your reservations. A perk of being a JR Pass holder is that seat reservations are free.
  • When you reserve a seat, you will receive a printed green card with your train letter and seat number on it. If you look at train timetables in Japan, you will notice that trains tend not to stop for more than a minute. Do not despair. The platforms have demarcations that tell you where to stand if you have a reservation. Trains normally run with 7 or 9 carriages. So you will see demarcations for 7 and 9-carriage trains. Signs will tell you where your train car will stop and you can line up in the demarked zone. It makes boarding very efficient and the quick stop is not an issue at all.
  • Unlike English trains that have luggage racks, Shinkansens and other trains in Japan do not have them. But the overhead rack is sturdy enough to hold a large suitcase. You can place your bags there.
  • Train tickets and passes are available in standard and first class. There is no need to splurge on first class unless you want a carpeted carriage and a plusher seat. Legroom in standard is about two to three times of standard in British trains. You have enough room to sore a suitcase at your feet and still be comfortable.
  • The seating arrangement on standard class Shinkansen carriages is 3 on the left side and 2 on the right. If you are travelling in groups, it is possible to spin one set of seats around so everyone can face each other.
  • TIP: If you are travelling south from the Tokyo region, try to get a seat reservation on the right side of the train. About 40-45 minutes outside of Tokyo, you will have a glorious view of Mount Fuji. These seats tend to sell out quickly so if you are efficient try to book them a few days ahead of your journey.

Etiquette, food, and drinking

            Japan is a country that is built on order, conformity and politeness. While no Japanese person will yell at you for social faux pas, they will judge you with their stares. Here are a few things to consider:

  • It is perfectly OK to eat and drink on the trains. In fact, every station has many food stalls serving prepared foods. One of the most popular is the eki-ben. Eki is the Japanese word for station while ben is the abbreviation of Bento Box. So an Eki-ben is a Bento Box you can buy in the station and enjoy on the train as you watch the countryside whiz by at speeds of more than 275 km/h.
  • Japan is a clean society so remember to take your rubbish with you when you leave the train. There are rubbish bins on the platforms so you can get rid of your garbage there.
  • It is considered rude to chat on your mobile in the seating areas. Go to either end between the carriages if you need to use the phone.

            In the next section, I will write about accommodations which can be a challenge considering Tokyo is among the world’s most expensive cities. I will introduce you to capsule hotels, business hotels, and ryokan hotels.

A whole world of ideas, options for you in Japan

Posted on by
3
Osaka’s Dotonbori is the main area for food, fun, and partying. The area is renowned for its foods such as okonomiyaki, takiyaki, and seafood.

         

   In the last blog, I drew up an outline for how to get to Japan. In this blog, I will focus on travel planning.

            How long do you want to spend in Japan? Do you plan to return again and again? Or do you plan to see as much as you can in one trip and cross Japan off your list?

            Japan is an amazing country that will keep you coming back if you let it. There is much to see, experience, and consume in the Land of the Rising Sun.

            If your plan is to do a one-off trip, you might want to allocate about three weeks to see the sights. The question now is when do you want to visit?

            Winter can be cold and dreary in Japan, but there is lots to see and do. Northern Japanese cities of Aomori, Akita, and Sapporo hold three of the top five positions on the list of snowiest places in the world.

            To put things into perspective, Aomori rates as the city with the most snow and averages a whopping 800 cm of snow annually.

            But don’t fear, there is much to experience in winter in Japan.

            In fact, Sapporo’s ice festival in February is an event that attracts people from across the globe.

            Spring time in Japan is glorious. It is the Sakura (cherry blossom) season which starts in mid-March in the south and finishes in May in the north.

            Don’t fall into the trap of seeing the cherry blossoms at tourist sights or else you will be stuck with thousands of other travellers and it won’t be that great. Go off the beaten track. There are places in Japan where tree-lined streets turn into a pink tunnel that very few people know exists.

            Summer can be downright hot and humid in Japan with temperatures soaring into the 30s. If you are there in the summer, try to work in a trip to a mountain area such as Takayama where the temperatures are cooler and there is no humidity. Your body will thank you.

            Autumn in Japan turns the country red with the changing leaves. While many of your homelands have autumn colours, you can’t go wrong checking out Japan’s colourful display.

The former Hiroshima City Hall dome is the only structure that survived the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city at the end of the Second World War.

Key places to visit

            Obviously, you will want to visit the vast metropolis of Tokyo when you are in Japan. It is massive with a population bordering on 35 million people.

            While Tokyo is nice, it is like any major metropolitan in the sense that it can be an impersonal experience.

            If you want to experience the warmth of Japanese people, head to Osaka and the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of the Dotonbori. This is the main party area which is a street lined with restaurants, bars, and food stands with friendly people hoping you stop by for some good Japanese food.

            Kyoto was the former capital of Japan and is still the cultural capital of the country with its many temples, Geisha quarter, and bamboo forest.

            No visit to Japan will be complete without a visit to Hiroshima, the sight of America’s nuclear bombing, along with Nagasaki. The bombed out town hall dome still stands to this day. A trip to the area brings you into contact with school groups learning of their history. The students are very friendly and will want to try out their burgeoning English language skills on you.

            You could also reach out for the western city of Kanagawa which is an old Samurai village, Takayama in the central Japanese mountains, or farther north into Sapporo on Hokkaido Island.

One of the great sites in Kyoto is the bamboo forest in the west of the city.

Estimated times

            Here is a breakdown of the amount of time to spend in some of the major cities of Japan.

  • Tokyo: About a week here will give you enough time to see the usual sights and some of the lesser known ones.
  • Kyoto: Five days will allow you to take in the historical capital city of Japan.
  • Osaka: Three days will be a generous amount of time to see the sights and indulge in the party zone of Dotonbori.
  • Hiroshima: Three days are sufficient as the major area dedicated to the atomic bomb site are in one location. This also allows you to do some day trips to nearby sites such as Himeji Castle and Miyajima, the site of a floating torii gate.
  • Takayama: One full day will allow you to see the Samurai village and the Shirakawa-Go village.
  • Kanagawa: A day trip from Tokyo is not out of the question to see this coastal city.
  • Sapporo: Three days will allow you to experience life in the far North of Japan.

            While this is not an itinerary, you can see that three weeks will allow you to see all of these sights. One thing to consider is to start in one city and end in another. For example, start in Osaka and end in Sapporo. It is possible to get a hotel in Osaka and spend about 8 days combining Osaka with day trips to and from Kyoto. Two weeks will allow you even incorporate Hiroshima as a day trip. The luxury of the speedy Shinkansen means that Hiroshima is about a four-hour train ride from Osaka. So, for example, you can catch an 8 a.m. train from Osaka, get to Hiroshima by noon, spend a few hours at the Peace Park, and return to Osaka in the early evening.

            Whatever your itinerary, have fun while you sort out where you want to go. A big part of the excitement of sightseeing anywhere is planning where you want to go.