2023 – Japan

First loop

Posted on by helenhmk

Ah… after unpacking the bikes, pumping up the tyres we headed out for a quick morning ride with a stop at our favourite coffee spot in Tokyo – Glitch.

As you can see by the map, the route took us past the imperial palace- which on a Sunday had us competing against joggers.

The views are great… such an enjoyable ride.

… we left the imperial palace route and went inwards towards a path under the expressway way and back to the coffee shop.

The weather is unseasonably warm… thankfully it only lasts until Tuesday or we would have to do some clothes shopping!

Food

Posted on by helenhmk

After getting to the hotel.. we went on a short walk around the area. We wanted to see what had changed.. and what was no longer there. We decided to go to the local cheap bar near the hotel – thankfully it was still there and consistent as ever.

Beer was $2 (yes you read that correctly)… and food was tasty as always. Thankfully- short walk to the hotel.

… on the walk earlier we found a pudding shop open, so we bought a couple for dessert. So tasty!

Journey..

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I can’t say I’ve been one to believe in enjoying the journey… it’s a plane ride. Okay I acknowledge it’s impressive flying actually happens… but it’s not something I enjoy.

The flight was a daytime flight from SYD to HAN (Haneda, Tokyo) as when we booked there were limited flight options. One the benefits of the flight was not having to ‘attempt to sleep’… which is never an easy task. We watched a Japanese movie ‘one second in ahead, one second behind’.. which is a quirky rom-com fantasy. Kym watched ‘Monsters’ (also Japanese film) and said it was one of the best films he had seen in last ten years – big call, might have to watch on way back.

Being trapped for a defined time provides you with limited options to occupy your time. Apart from listening to an audio book (Kym actually brought a library book… ) we also watched one of our favourite shows. Solitary Gourmet.. and discovered a new one where Japanese TV crew asks cab drivers to take them to best restaurants… very enjoyable.

The flight itself was not too bad from a ‘turbulence perspective’ … thankfully. Once landed, and off the plane… the walk to the passport entry point was wonderfully silent.. and all I could of ah… Japan at last.

Catching up – SYD style…

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Ah.. one of the benefits of having to go via SYD is catching up with friends. Last night we caught up with one of Kym’s oldest friends Peter at restaurant Kiln.

The views were impressive… and so was the food… I got personal satisfaction getting all the meat off the bone (apologies to non-meat eaters).

Definitely enjoyable experience… the environment is full of hard surfaces, and when the weather is finer the roof can open. But if you are not keen on restaurant loud talking and music maybe it’s not for you… but the food is fabulous!

It was also great to see the updates to central train station in Sydney… the vibes were so much like Tokyo station… ah… can’t wait!!!

… good to catch up Peter – hopefully see you at Christmas.

Getting back

Posted on by helenhmk

It’s been a long time between o/s holidays with our bikes, thankfully we are heading back to our favourite place – Japan.

Talk in the office the other day was around half the fun being the planning … while that might be the case – but right now I have to admit all I feel like doing is going to my favourite coffee shop Glitch, enjoying a coffee and staring out at the world walking by… we will get there! But being based in ADL.. it’s a step process, SYD first.

Duck dinner in Seoul….

Posted on by helenhmk


Duck dinner in seoul
Originally uploaded by Helen K

After an hour or more of wandering around the Namdaemum Market after the DMZ tour, we headed off to Tobang duck restaurant. This was reccomended by the Seoul City Guide.

Locating the place was easy, and ordering was easy (pointing works well), however we really could of done with some assistance in eating everything that was brought to the table. The place had a great feel, majority of tables had people sitting on the floor in the traditional style, but I think the head waitress took pity on us and gave us a normal table.

As you wll see by the picture, we ate what was called Sulfer duck shabu shabu shabu. Sorry I don’t know what the translation was… From the Korean, you are going to have to look that up.

Before the duck is brought to the table the gas is turned on and a bowl of water is boiled and greens are cooked in the water, then placed on a drain train. The duck is then brought out and is sat between the two. Of course as we are in Korea we are presented with kimchi (pickled cabbage), pickled garlic, onion, thin shaved slices of raddish, and a couple of other things we can’t work out.

Amazingly enough we managed to eat all the duck… But we really could of used your help H & T! The duck tasted very different from pekking duck – but it had a great taste that you would of loved.