Author: helenhmk

Back home

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Adventure no more. We managed to finally get home today. I mean that as the flight to ADL from SYD decided to take another loop around Adelaide plains and hills as the first attempt to land was aborted.

Two weeks ago Takero, our Brompton friend lead a ride to a park to watch planes from Haneda take off. That day there were a lot of planes taking off and landing. However there was this one that tried to land a couple of times… and I remember saying at the time “I would hate being on that plane…”. Well today that was my experience. 😞

The pilot attempted to land from the sea approach due to the winds, and unfortunately the wind was change direction so we got an extra loop ride no one wanted. I was glad when we landed.

Somewhere between SYD and ADL

Transiting…

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I know some people like flying… but I’m not one. As I’ve said the only part I like is the taxi-ing before take off and landing. But enough talking about the actual flying experience.

Over the years we’ve gotten transiting to the airport with luggage in Japan to a fine art. When travelling internationally we use hard cases for our Bromptons as we know Australian airlines do not enable bikes to be transported in an open courier box like they do domestically in Japan. In addition to bike suitcases.. we have one mid-size luggage and a small carry on case which transitions to checked luggage home.

Moving via the train to either Haneda or Narita is the best option – but not with bicycle cases. Platform transitioning is too hard (based on where we stay), so now we take a taxi – and my arms are happier for the experience. below shows the luggage as we left the hotel in Tokyo.

Food on the plane from Japan is a delight – we were able to order a special meal – which was fabulous. Last Japanese style fish dish for me for awhile…

… and the breakfast was pretty good too.

Did I manage to sleep on the plane – a small bit (I tried, I really did), so I’m asking for your understanding if you interact with me today.

We will be doing a few posts over the next couple of days about cycling our Bromptons in Japan, details on trip planning for the avid Brompton owner and what we did over the last few days.

Haneda- before we left…

But first coffee

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… as always morning priorities after the bags are packed! At the beginning of our trip we found a great new coffee place near the hotel… great beans and great breakfast. so we went for the last time.

They also do a great hand-drip coffee style too which was enjoyable today.

Bags are packed…

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It’s always an interesting experience – packing the suitcase at the end of the trip. It’s a realisation of the amount you’ve bought (… oh I don’t remember that..!) and how it all manages to fit together. We have the added weight of the cycling gear – which really isn’t too much. What is frustrating is having to move the suitcases… and remembering what it will be like when we get to the other side.

..yes those are our bags, and two of the lockers have hand luggage.

But enough of that – today is a crisp 11 degrees and is a blue sky day. For those of you en Adelaide, commiserations on the forecast but we will will enjoy this while we can.

Last full day..

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… so there is time for one last bike ride before we pack the bike away.

We used our free breakfast tickets this morning, which were due to staying at the hotel previously… and it was quite enjoyable.

The weather is going to be a very cool 12 degrees, but the sky is perfectly blue. Great cycling conditions… looking forward to seeing what today brings.

Back in Tokyo

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We made it back..!

Nothing like the feeling of arriving back… knowing you successfully navigated all trains and ferries! Yeah.. us! after this photo we cycled a short 5km back to the hotel – just in time for Friday night shopping.

In case you are wondering – what you see in the picture is everything weve had with us for the past 12 days. Cycling with it is easier than carrying through train stations. A post will be written on how we get around – eventually 😉

Luck…

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Sometimes you can be completely lucky…

Seeing Mt Fuji is not always guaranteed when you come to Japan.

Even if you plan it… first trip we saw it for 3 seconds and had to wait another 3-4 trips before we saw it longer than a blink.

This time it was nice to be rewarded again seeing Mt Fuji while on the Shinkansen travelling on our way back to Tokyo from Kobe. When booking we ensured we sat on the correct side… and the weather was kind. Yeah! 🗻 🙌 🍁. Added bonus there was also a lot of autumn colour. Ah…

When you have a short time in a city…

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In Kobe there are so many things to do and a short time… so we

  • Caught up with one of our Brompton friends for dinner (Kobe Beef was on the menu!) – thanks for taking the time to see us 😉
  • Saw nightlights of Kobe from office tower (love local government and enabling visitors to see cities for free!)
  • Ate ice cream
  • Visited Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens and Ropeway to enjoy autumn leaves and garden setting. Leaves were stunning – footpath was not working 😞
  • Had a cake set with coffee from the near by cafe
  • Enjoyed very short cycle to Shinkansen station

Gotoshi Library- Fukue Island

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When on the boat to Fukue Island, Kym asked me if there was a public library on this island we were visiting… and surprisingly there was – and from the couple of photos online it looked newish and recommended we visit given the walking distance from our accommodation.

The design looks pretty simple, it has large windows – with comfy seats in front (nice to see them facing out too). Good consistent signage and a map of the building and where collections are located next to the catalogues.

The shelving is modern (similar to other Japanese libraries). There was a lot more comfortable seating than I had seen in other libraries.

Magazines seem to be popular in Japan (but what would I know).. given the wide subject range which is on sale and available in libraries.

They did have a small English collection, but given it’s not their main language it’s not surprising the size or age. Yes I would if weeded most of the titles out, but I can’t blame them for the collection.

Opening hours are consistently good: 10-6 every day, but closed Monday’s.

When on holidays it’s always worth checking out the local library. They are usually good for seating, wifi, newspapers and public amenities…. and for annoying Kym who usually tells me “not another library..!”.