Tokyo-a-go-go

We didn't it last two days of our trip in Tokyo. For this portion of the trip, we stayed with my friend Leina and her husband Yusuke. We successfully navigated the Shinkasen from Kyoto to Tokyo. This time we went for reserved seats which definitely confirmed that we had selected a suitable train.

Once in Tokyo, we headed by can to Leina's apartment. Yusuke was out at a business meeting, but Leina showed us around her neighborhood, Roppongi. First stop was to grab lunch then we checked out the view of Tokyo from the Roppongi Hills sky deck. It was our first clear day in a while and the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, out sky deck ticket included a trip to the starry night exhibit. We had to take it shoes off and walk through a dizzying room filled with "stars" everywhere you looked, up, down, left, right. It was almost nauseating.

After meandering our way back to the apartment, we just relaxed until dinner time. Leina introduced us to the some surprising local cuisine, Italian food. We asked pasta, pizza, caprese salad as roasted veggies. Unexpected, but delicious. After dinner, we nursed drinks over several games of darts (my eye-hand coordination is seriously lacking).

We headed back to the apartment for the night where I got my own room for the first time in weeks. Dan has been a great roommate add very receptive to me poking him when caught snoring, but given that I got over nine hours of solid sleep in a room to myself might be an indication that I was a little sleep deprived.

We spent our final full day in Tokyo checking out various neighborhoods, starting with the Tsukiji fish market. We wandered through the stalls of the outer market trying out food from various stalls. We tried everything from crab miso to a cooked various shellfish cooked using torches on a shell. But the real treat was super fresh tuna sushi.

We also checked out Shibuya (home to the Hello Kitty train) and Harajuka (where the kids hang out after school) before finally getting our first taste of gyoza. We attempted to eat gyoza a couple times previously but never found any at the right moment. Leina did not let us down by taking us to the best gyoza shop in Tokyo. I think we could have all eaten plenty more but we had dinner reservations and wanted to save or appetites.

It was a good thing we did, because of last dinner in Tokyo was probably our best. Yusuke and Leina took us to a a Japanese barbecue (yakiniku) spot for dinner. We tried a bit of everything from cow tongue (two cuts, both delicious) to cow stomach (flavorless and cherry) and everything in between. It was really just a bite or two of various cuts, just enough to leave you wanting more but not full.

We finished it the trip with a few more rounds of darts. Miraculously, to everyone, I actually won a round.

While Japan was not high on my list of travel destinations, this was a great trip that I will always remember fondly. And given the amazing powder and food, I just might find myself in the land rising sun again soon!

Golden Pavilion, Take 2

We decided to sleep in on our second night Kyoto and take a more relaxed approach to seeing the city. Since we missed the Golden Pavilion during our city tour, we decided to head there first. It started raining, so after we got off the train, we decided to haul a cab rather than figure out the bus route.

By the time we arrived at the pavilion, the rain turned in to the most beautiful, fluffy snowflakes. I was so excited that I was going to have the chance to see the pavilion in the snow after all. Since it was Monday, and the was not any able in the forecast, the crowds were nothing like they were the day before. We were able to get some great shots of this magical place. Almost immediately after leaving, the snow stored and the sun came out. Had we arrived ten minutes earlier or later, we would have missed it altogether.

After the pavilion, we headed to the Nishiki market. Given that the snow stopped, we opted to try navigating the bus to get there. Thankfully, Google helped us along the way. It is amazing how much easier it had been to navigate Japan in the Google/smartphone era than it was when I was here years ago.

We walked up and down the stalls of the market for a while, but I think the go go go schedule we've been on caught up with us a bit so we decided to catch a nap before heading out to the Gion district for dinner.

Gion is known for geishas, but I think they were hiding out from the rain. We only caught a couple glimpses, nothing long enough for a photo shoot. We did find a great yakitori spot for dinner before heading back to our hotel in order to get ready for our to to Tokyo.

Apres Tour

Fortunately our first two days after the tour were kindly planned out by Leina so we just had to follow directions. According to our itinerary, we were supposed to spend the morning at the Itsukushrina shrine. We took a train to the Mr. Miyagi station (OK, not the real name but it was a useful mnemonic device). And from there we headed boarded a quick ferry to the Miyajima island.

I thought it would be a good idea to start by taking the ropeway to the peak of the island and then make our way down. I was wrong. It turns out that it takes a couple days to recover from six consecutive days of snowboarding, and I wasn't recovered. Neither was Dan but we struggled through the uneven, up and down path back to the shrine.

Unfortunately, during our hike, the tide went out so the famous floating shrine was actually sitting just above muddy sludge. I assume this took away some of the magic of the site, but it was still interesting. And the gate to the shrine remained awe inspiring in the water further out.

We spent the afternoon at the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima. I'm not sure I will ever fully recover from this. Every picture, every video, every description of the destruction is burned in my heart and mind. It is unbelievable that there were any survivors at all. If anyone is planning a trip to Japan, this is worthy of a visit. You may want to bring tissues.

In the evening, we found out way to Kyoto. With all the platforms and trains coming and going we were excited to find the right train. Of course, it only took five minutes into the ride to realize that we were wrong about this. The train, was going to stop in Kyoto, but was also not one covered by our Japan rail passes. Fortunately, the conductor was very nice and helped us figure out how to get to there. We got off at the next stop and then had to make one more connection but we did eventually make it.

I loved Kyoto on my previous visit to Japan and was super excited to revisit the city. We booked an all day tour to check out the sites. Our first stop was to the Nijo Castle. I remembered this place because of the squeaky floors that prevented unwanted visitors from sneaking in. Whenever we arrived, we were the only your bus and had the entire grounds to ourselves. With the unusual snowy weather, the gardens and grounds were amazing.

The next stop on the tour was my favorite place from my last visit, the Golden Pavilion. I was super excited to see it covered with snow. Unfortunately, so was everyone else in the entire city. It was a wall of visitors with umbrellas threatening to poke out eyes out. Our tour guide wasn't able to penetrate the masses to even get near the ticket counter. As a result, we had to leave on order to continue the tour. Needless to say, I was super disappointed.

The rest of the tour consisted of a few more Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. All made more interesting due to the dry humor and comic running of our awesome you guide, Makiko. She definitely kept us laughing throughout the day which almost made up for the super disappointment of missing the Golden Pavilion.

Goodbye Hokkaido

After three days of snowboarding on the western side of Hokkaido, we headed east, to the less touristy side. Our first spot was a small mountain called Kamui. The best part of this mountain was the complete lack of lines. In fact, there were so few people that we often had wide open runs all to ourselves. Although the powder was spectacular, even the on piste runs were great. The only real problem was that accessing some of the best powder required a long traverse back out. This was such a calf burner for me and quad burner for Howard that we had to stop for lunch while the skiers (and other snowboarder) went for one shot try at it. We did give it one more run after lunch but somehow the traverse got even longer so we called it a day soon thereafter.

Before returning to our hotel, we stopped for a sake tasting. We tried a wide variety of sweet and dry sakes, including an award winning variety. While my palette is not accustomed to sake, even I could recognize the superiority of the winning variety.

Our next two days were spent at Furano. We were supposed to go to another resort but the high winds caused us to seek shelter in the trees at Furano. I was finally able to use my powder board (although, I'm sure in the States I would have used it for all the days in equivalent conditions). The snow at Furano was truly epic. Waist deep in parts, light and fluffy. And I should know since I didn't a lot of time sitting, rolling over, and struggling to stand up in the deep snow.

Once the sun went down and we worked out way to the base though, it was frigid. So much so, I got a little frostbite on my cheek (don't worry, it didn't turn black and fall off) and we could see our breaths in the car ride for, what seemed like hours, but was probably only fifteen minutes.

Our second day at Furano wasn't nearly as fun as the first. The snow seemed heavier, as did my legs. The fatigue of six straight, full days of snowboarding was hitting me hard. I was feeling pretty good after lunch until we did our second run and realized that my legs had turned to jello. Everyone was done for at this point so we called it a day on the earlier side and headed back to the hotel.

Both Dan and I had hoped that or early finish would be rewarded with a pre-dinner massage but nothing was available. Instead I spent nearly an hour at the onsen, touring the hot pools, cold pools, steam room and sauna.

We celebrated the end to our successful your with a sukiyaki dinner as a group before heading back to the hotel to pack and prepare for the second half of our trip.

Guest Blogger

Lucinda: I'm behind on my blog. 

Dan: Uh oh. The masses are a awaiting your update. 

Lucinda: If only I allowed guest bloggers then you could get to do it too. It is the best. 

Dan: Are you trying to Tom Sawyer me?

Lucinda: Never! But it would be an honor ... for you. You will be the first ever. 

Dan: Do I have full editorial control?

Lucinda: Yes. Wait ... what do you mean. 

Tales from the Other Twin Bed

Lucinda is so fortunate to have a great travel mate like me. 

Lucinda: Stop! You no longer have full editorial control. No fake news here. 

Dan: Fine...

Lucinda is the best travel mate. By the sixth night she cured my (very minor) snoring. Her method:

- Night 1: Observation

- Night 2: Poked me once with a ski pole that she kept near the bed

- Night 3: One ski pole poke

- Night 4: One ski pole poke

- Night 5: New hotel with closer beds. Kicked me (once)

- Night 6: Asked me nicely not to snore ... and no snoring!

Lucinda: Stop!

Dan: What?

Lucinda: I am not a monster. 

Dan: Of course not. 

Lucinda: My followers want to hear about the trip. Blog about that. 

Dan: Okay okay.  But next time. Good blogs keep people wanting more. 

Stay tuned for more Tales from the Other Twin Bed!

Rutsusu, Niseko & Kiroro

We headed to the resort of Rutsusu for our first day on the slopes. Daniel, our guide insisted that the snow would only be ok because it hadn't snowed in a few days so we should plan on bringing our standard gear. It only took two runs to discover that Daniel's standard of "just ok" conditions was equivalent to our description of a powder day. We spent the day gliding through the trees and over large stalks of bamboo. It took a few turns to realize that the bamboo was okay to just board over since it was often several feet tall. If you tried to avoid it completely, you would never be able to make it through a tree run. Great first day! Makes you wonder what the Japanese version of powder is.

The resort for day two, Niseko, was much larger than Rutsusu. In fact it is four resorts that all connected at the top. The chair to get to the very top was a one seat chair lift that they referred to as a "pizza box" chair. It was a little disconcerting at first given that there are no arm rests and barely a back to the chair. Fortunately, we only had to ride one once. The conditions were not great so after a few runs we decided to call it a day at Niseko and look for some back country runs.

Our first stop after Niseko was the hotel to grab some gear and then to a rental shop to rent snowshoes. If you have never used snowshoes before, I don't recommend you do it for the first time up a mountain with a snowboard and snowboard boots strapped to your back. It was a beautiful, but exhausting hour+ hike up hill (sometimes sliding downhill). I will admit, that the turns we got in fresh powder were great, but I definitely prefer chairlifts to do the work to get me to the top. 

Day 3, we hit up the resort, Kiroro. Surprisingly, I still had legs left after the previous day's hike. Although, it may have had a lot to do with the Advil I was popping like candy, and our spectacular dinner the previous night of Ghengis Kahn. Yes, that it right, we ate Ghengis Kahn for dinner! It was the Japanese version of Korean barbecue but with perfectly round pieces of delicious lamb. All that protein definitely helped out with recovery from the hike.

Kiroro powder was a little heavier than we found in Rutsusu so we stuck mostly to groomers in the morning, but we did find a couple nice spots in the afternoon. Most of our group chilled out in the cafeteria after lunch, but Dan and I came to ski, dammit, and we were the first back on the slopes. A private tour of the powder with our guide led to the best powder of the day. All in all, great so far. The question is, will Advil be enough to get me through three more days?

 

Sapporo in Sapporo

Returning to Japan is not helping me catch up with my grandma in our competition to visit the most countries (she's not really competing, but at 137 countries under her belt, she doesn't have to). Competition aside, I'm super excited to spend the next week exploring the ski slopes of Hokkaido. 

Dan and I arrived in Sapporo in the evening so we didn't get a chance to see a whole lot the first night. We found our way out of the Sapporo station (not easy) and walked, suitcases in tow, to our hotel. After checking in, we headed back out in search of a bite to eat and a Sapporo to drink (when in Rome...). We succeeded on the food, but failed on the drink and had to settle for Kirin instead.

After a great night's sleep, day two led us to our first great meal of the trip, soup curry. I first read about soup curry in the Japan rail travel guide that came with out rail passes, and then was pleased to discover that the #1 restaurant in Sapporo, according to TripAdvisor is called Soup Curry & Dining Suage. We decided that this was a sign to find our way there. We had to walk to snowy streets, past the Sapporo radio tower and Hello Kitty construction barricades, but eventually we found ourselves second in line just before the restaurant opened. The reviews did not disappoint. Not only was the soup delicious, they also carried Sapporo beer so we were able to check Sapporo in Sapporo off our list.