Golden Half
Golden Half, originally uploaded by kdt.
I’ve upgraded from my Canon DSLR to a Golden Half. That’s right a plastic fantastic that takes twice as many shots per 35mm roll of film. That is a 36 exp roll gets you 72 exp. Awesome!
Japan
Challenges
We’ve received our first challenges!!!
This first one is REALLY easy – Helen was given some Yen to have a shopping spree in ITOYA. Last year we may have spent more than a few hours exploring this massive shop! If you were really lucky you received an ITOYA pen.
The second challenge builds on this theme. After hours and hours in a office supply shop one needs some recuperation. Of course we’ve been request to attend “Office” a fine bar on the fifth floor of a building in Gaienmae Tokyo. It is themed like a rather fine office.
If you find somewhere close to the spots we’re visiting, check out the itinerary page, that you would like us to check out then set us a challenge. Leave a comment on this post or leave a message on the guest book. We will endeavour to visit and of course take and post photos here.
Goodwill Guides
Today I’ve sent out a bunch of e-mails to voluntary goodwill guides in Japan. They are a great way to get a better idea about local cultural life. You can find out more here http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/essential/guideservice.html
We’re hoping to have goodwill guides for Sendai and Kyoto. Last year we met a guide in Tokyo and were shown places we would have never otherwise seen. I’d also recommend Big Apple Greeters in New York…
We’ve looked around for goodwill guides in China. No luck yet.
Looking forward to high tech toilets.
One of the highlights of a vist to Japan are the toilets, they are heated and have all sorts of buttons that do all sorts of things. I was pleased to see the Economist acknlowedge this in their article Flush with Ambition.
I love this snippet from the article – “True, high-tech lavatories are energy hogs, accounting for 4% of household energy consumption in Japan—more than clothes dryers or dishwasher”
Perhaps you’ll get a TOTO at your next bathroom upgrade.
Itinerary and Travel Gods
Yes the Obon Festival finishes on 16 August 2009. This just happens to be the same day we wanted to get a train from Tokyo to Saporro… that’s just bad luck. Even though we had a good travel agent in Japan trying to get us a ticket when they were released for sale today. Special people, perhaps stockholders or JR staff, had snapped up all the berths before they went on sale!! Rude eh?
Anyway, we’ve got a flight arranged, but I am sure Helen is praying to the travel gods.
I’ve uploaded our itinerary you can see it on the Itinerary Page.
Japan Rail
Japan Rail offers very convenient and fast services throughout Japan. The JR Pass is also great value. Trying to book a JR Sleeper train on the other hand is quite difficult. You need to find a person or travel agent in Japan to book it for you. It can only be booked one month before hand, so it makes it somewhat difficult to plan an itinerary. For those who are inters ted JR East does offer Shinkansen and and some limited express bookings online.
We are trying to book the Cassiopeia, Japan’s dream journey from Ueno to Sapporo. So please cross your fingers and hope we can get our booking on 16 July 2009.
Promise this is the last post!
Currently at Narita Airport. Our luggage together was 44.3.. my suitcase was lighter than Kym’s – yeah! :)
Using the internet machine near the gate…. an Australian guy gave us 100 yen each to use the machine. I only had Korean money :( Second time today I’ve tried to use Korean money.
I’ve had my fair share of international incidents, giving the wrong money, being on the wrong side of the escalator (did you know that Koreans drive on the opposite side of the road to us?), and telling a pushy Korean woman to go back to the end of the queue at customs coming back in Japan. I’d had enough of pushy people by then… was it going to get her through any quicker… no. The Japanese woman behind me appeared to approve :)
We’ve had our last Japanese meal… I had sushi and miso soup, and Kym had soba noodles.
See you all soon.
Ginza mac
It started to rain in Hiroshima
….so we spent a few hours in the Peace Museum located near-by.
From listening to weather reports… the cloud is coming over Japan from China… fingers crossed for a smooth crossing on the ferry on Friday to South Korea.
Best mocha on holiday yet!
I didn’t think it was possible… but yes we found a mocha that was quite good in Japan.
While waiting for the ferry back to Hiroshima we had 25 minutes to use so we wandered over to a coffee and food place not far from the ferry terminal on Miyajima island.
It is very different from my top three favourite mocha locations in Adelaide. The coffee was strong enough, and had some chocolate in it – but it also contained a dlop of sweaten chocolate cream in the middle.
