Japan Day 3 - Mt. Fuji

We were off to a early start this morning and in the lobby by 7 AM! Our guide wanted us to get to the station early because we were not able to get reserved seats for the train to Mt. Fuji. She came with us on the subway and showed us exactly where to stand to wait for the train.

We probably could have left a good 20 minutes later but what the heck. The three of us got good window seats. The car was very warm and it wasn't long before we were all asleep. The landscape was city buildings for quite a while then smaller buildings, followed by houses with gardens and crops, and then tall mountains with lush vegetation. Finally though, Mt. Fuji appeared!

It was a beautiful day all day with the sun shining on us and the mountain. When we finally arrived after 2+ hours, we decided to see if we could catch the bus to the fifth station. That is the highest point you can get to by road on Mount Fuji and it takes almost an hour to get up there. Snooze time again!

It was rather cold up there due to the elevation and I actually had to put more clothes on, haha! It was recommended that we buy our lunch across from the train station at the local 7-Eleven store and that we did. We found a building with a good viewpoint and ate our lunch while enjoying the scenery. We did a bit of browsing in the stores and bought a freshly baked Mt. Fuji cake recommended to us by Susie.

One of our small group had a sore foot so the other fellow and I headed off to see how far on the trails we could get. But first we spotted a beautiful shrine and checked that out. Japan is full of shrines everywhere.

There was a nice view point there as well. There was a trail nearby that looked promising and I was surprised at how much ice and snow there was on the pathway.

Actually there was a fair amount of ice and I felt quite unsure of my footing at times. Unfortunately the path didn't go all that far so we turned around and went the opposite way.

Again, the path didn't go that all that far so we turned around to look for the third member of our group. We weren't able to find her and the bus was leaving so we headed down the mountain. Unfortunately the next bus was in 70 minutes. I was able to communicate with her through Facebook and we arranged to meet when she got back down.

In the meantime we went down to the lake to explore and to find out when the lake tour happens.

The fall colours were quite stunning and I enjoyed photographing the lake, the leaves and the funny looking swan paddleboats people had rented.

We climbed to the top of a very big hill and were rewarded with tremendous views.

Soon after that, our friend met us and we went on the Lake Kawaguchi boat ride. It was getting dark and it was a short ride but suddenly Mt. Fuji came into view again. What perfect pictures! We were so lucky to get a beautiful day weatherwise. That doesn't always happen.

We had about an hour to kill before the train left and browsed in some of the shops. By the time we left, it was quite dark. I think I slept a little bit on the train.

We all wanted something to eat and decided to stay in the Shinjuku area before going back to our hotel. Andrei had been to a place in that area before and highly recommended we go there. It was a small narrow road known as Yakitori Alley.

The restaurants there are quite tiny and ours was no exception as it held only 12 people at a time. Some of the establishments are even smaller than that!

It was 'dinner and a show' in that the food was cooked right before our eyes. We could choose which kind of meat we wanted and there were lovely fresh vegetables to choose from as well, all skewered and ready to be cooked. I thought I was only a little bit hungry but the food was so delicious so I kept on ordering.  I especially enjoyed fresh mushrooms and asparagus.

At the end of the meal, they count up the sticks and that's how they arrive at your bill. The three of us also had sake. I have had it before and I can take it or leave it but tonight was a special occasion.

It was a long day but such a fun one! 16,398 steps 😊

Japan Day 2 - Tokyo

It's been a 15,000+ step day, and it isn't over yet.

I awoke early (before 5 am!) but read for awhile and slept in some more. Breakfast was at McDonald's as the hotel's brunch is over $20! Since I was too late to book a morning tour, I decided to see what I could do on my own.

Thank goodness for Google Maps again. But when there is construction and renovations, its hard to go where the map tells you to. I eventually found the first station but had no idea how to use the machine to buy a ticket. Fortunately there was someone in a ticket office nearby. Unfortunately he didn't speak any English. Fortunately a lady came by who did speak English and helped me a bit. Unfortunately I still couldn't figure out the machine. Fortunately the non-English speaking man came over and completed my transaction for me.

When you are from a small place and never get the chance to use subways, it is a bit of a challenge. Eventually I was on the right side of the tracks and the train came along quickly.

My first stop was the Tokyo Tower. It was a 10 minute walk to the tower and a few minutes before I could even see it. When it finally came into view I was a happy camper. It looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower but it is painted a nice bright red. After buying a ticket, the wait for the elevator wasn't too awfully long. Due to construction/renovations? you could only go halfway up. But still, the views of the city were pretty good. Wow! 13+ million people!

The souvenir shops were pretty tacky so I just picked up an artsy kind of postcard. I backtracked to the station and headed to my next stop: the Tsukiji Fish Market. Auctions are held daily from 5 AM to 9 AM and spaces for tours are very limited. You have to be there at three in the morning to lineup for the chance to get a spot. I didn't need to see it that bad!

There are rows of buildings with tiny stalls, some selling dried fish, fruits and vegetables, ceramics, knives, and cooking utensils. There are also many small restaurants and most of them had long lines. Some of the eateries had a sign saying "sorry, we are out of food for the day". I wasn't particularly interested in fish, even though it is fresh. I just wanted to see this famous Fish market for myself. There was an interesting shrine there which I photographed.

After that, I made my way back to Shibuya station via two subways. It was much easier coming back than getting there with some 'experience' under my belt. I was quite hungry by then and was going to eat Italian. But the Italian restaurants I saw really didn't appeal to me. I walked along and saw a picture advertising chicken and dumplings. There was a tiny little restaurant down two flights of stairs. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Also, it came very fast.

My afternoon agenda was to check out stationery, pens, and craft supplies at some stores I had researched before hand. Tokyu Hands was about a 10 minute walk away. Again I used Google as the streets are not straight and don't seem to follow a logical pattern (in my mind anyway).

The store is absolutely huge. I took the elevator up to the sixth floor which advertised crafts. There were three subfloors on each level, 6a, 6b and 6c, each with their own specialty. I wanted to find something interesting and useful but there really was nothing I needed. Levels 5a, 5b and 5c had journals and pens etc. The variety was absolutely unbelievable! I can't believe that many people use planners. There had to be more than 100 different kinds to choose from. Unreal! After careful consideration, I bought some brush pens and different widths. I was hoping to get some coloured ones but they didn't come in sets and they were quite pricey individually.

I had several stores on my list but only went to one more. Same thing, unbelievable variety, but nothing I had to have. By that time it was 4 PM and I wanted something sweet to eat. Yesterday I kept seeing ice cream stores everywhere. Today not. I ended up going to the top floor of some kind of mall and had some yoghurt with chocolate cookies etc. inside. The place was small, seating was at a premium, and the music was annoyingly loud and definitely not to my liking. But my feet were so sore, I sat and ate my treat, then got out of there quickly. I am astounded at the junky ugly things that are sold in these stores.

On my way back to the hotel I was able to finally find an inexpensive watch to replace the one I brought that fell apart (yet again). Back in my room I put my feet up until our group meeting for the tour I am taking.

Our guide's name is Susie and she is Japanese. There are 10 of us altogether in the group which is a nice size. She went over details of the trip then took us out to show us a few places we might need. Thank goodness she gave us her cell number as I got lost while taking a picture. Duh! That gets me into more trouble!

Supper was and a small restaurant at the top of a building. Buildings tend to be narrow and tall, with many businesses on the various floors. I ordered a chicken, vegetables and rice with soup and dessert. The soup was cold and tasted terrible. Apparently I was supposed to pour it over my bowl of rice but I didn't want to spoil the good rice, ha ha!

After supper, Susie took us over to the Shibuya station to see if we can get tickets for Mount Fuji tomorrow.  My plan was to visit there on Monday but the weather will be better tomorrow... Fingers crossed.

We have to meet in the lobby at 7 AM and it is 11:30 PM now. Yikes!

Japan Day 1 - Arrival

I am in Japan!

My day started early, 6 am. The 2 hour drive to the airport went well and check in at Calgary's new International Terminal was the easiest, quickest ever. I was surprised when many of the staff I encountered said, "Tokyo?" to me. But then I saw it was the only international flight leaving for hours, haha!

The terminal is big and bright with a few shops and places to eat, none of which I needed. I had an aisle seat with one seat-mate, a polite young man (maybe Siek?) on his way to India. I was quite tired and dozed off easily.

Due to turbulence, first meal came about 2 hours into the flight. I chose 'western' food thinking I would get enough Japanese food in the days to come. Although I had brought plenty of reading material, I decided to try and sleep and was able to grab a few more winks. Then I watched "Eddie the Eagle", a movie I had been wanting to see. It was a perfect choice, a feel-good, humorous flick based on a true story.

Tokyo time is 16 hours ahead of home so I wasn't sure if we were going to get breakfast or what. But we were served another hot supper type of entree. The 11 hour flight, which I had been dreading, passed surprisingly quite well.

The Narita Airport, which is 60 km from Tokyo, was quite cloudy with a light rain. The walk to customs & immigration was a very long one and I made use of the many 'moving sidewalks'. It went well though, unlike arriving at the Delhi Airport. You get your index fingers printed and they take a photo of you. I am always overjoyed when I see my luggage on the carousel. You just never know!

I had decided to take the Airport Limousine Bus into the city in order to avoid changing trains with my luggage at a busy station in rush hour traffic.  I thought it would be a nice way to see the sights. For quite a bit of the drive we were on a freeway with high fences so I saw very little.

I am surprised to find out they drive on the other side of the road than we do. And of course all the road signs are in Japanese kanji. Closer to the city, I began to see lots of very tall buildings and we have crossed over water several times. I was looking forward to taking photos from the bus windows but it got dark by 4:30 pm! Yuck! Same as home.

I got a talk/text/data plan for my phone and tried to book a morning tour for tomorrow but I am too late. Darn! I thought I'd have plenty of time. Oh well, I'll have to figure it out for myself I guess.

The traffic was pretty slow towards our final destination, but all in all, it didn't take as long as I thought it would. The bus dropped me off at a different hotel about 10 minutes walk from mine. I had a map and thought I knew which direction I was going. I didn't. I knew it was by a McDonald's so when I spied one I thought 'what the heck!' So my first meal in this country ended up being a Big Mac. Oh well, there was free wifi too and I got my bearings.

I'm glad I got a data plan before I left as I needed to use Google Maps for  turn by turn directions. My hotel, Shibuya Tokyu REI, is beside a big camera store so that is a good landmark.

The room is small but the bed is big and apparently I don't have to share with anyone despite not paying the single supplement for this tour. Huzzah! I thought there was no window in the room but then later I realized the decorative wooden panel is a sliding window covering. The bathroom is about the size of a trailer bathroom and I needn't have worried about whether to pack shampoo etc. (I didn't.) There are lots of soaps and shampoos as well as a toothbrush, razor, brush, slippers, etc. Oh, and even my own Japanese type of dressing gown.

Since it was only 7 PM Japan time (which translates to 3 AM Hometime) I decided to go outside and see what was in the neighbourhood. I can't begin to explain everything I saw in the hour I was gone. There are hundreds of people on the street. The traffic is busy and there is loud raucous music coming from businesses, even from speakers on streetlights. There are many places to eat and shop. Most of the shops though, are places I have no interest in: electronics, eye wear, furniture. I did go into a 'family mart'. Although the store is small, they sell ready-made single portions of food, pop, liquor, junk food, face masks (you see many people wearing these on the street), and items such as stationery, men's packaged dress shirts and many other items too weird to remember.

I came through the famous Shibuya Crossing. When the walk light turns green all the pedestrians cross every which way. My guide book said it is the worlds largest pedestrian crossing with up to 2000 people crossing at a time.

It was all just too much to take in and I was back within an hour. It is almost 9 PM here which translates to 5 AM back home. I'm kind of glad now that I don't have to get up early to take that morning tour I was thinking of. I'll figure things out tomorrow after a good sleep.

India Day 16 - Delhi

At long last I am at the New Delhi Airport. It is 9 pm and I am exhausted, however my flight doesn't leave for another 6 and 1/2 hours. I have found a relatively quiet place and have been playing some games on my iPad to unwind.

This morning I checked out of the Hotel Tavisha at 9 am and went outside to wait for the driver that my guide had arranged for the day. There was a young man with a rather large vehicle there and he asked if I wanted to sightsee. I thought he was there on speculation waiting for some tourists to hire him. It turned out that he was my driver, at least for a part of the day.

It was my understanding that I was going to the Red Fort first but he took me to the National Museum of India and said to go in. Unfortunately it wasn't open until 10 am. He was waiting to change drivers. When the second driver came I told him I wanted to go to the Red Fort first but he figured I should wait. I didn't want to aggravate the guy I was spending the day with and trusting my luggage with.

So I waited and practiced 'patience'. At 10 am I went in and began to explore. The museum pieces were well labelled in both Hindi as well as English. There was a lot to take in and I wandered slowly through the galleries that interested me and quickly through the others.

There was a large group of Buddhists at the museum and they were most interested in the Buddhists artifacts. At one point I heard, but didn't see, the large group singing from another room which was rather interesting.

We went to the Red Fort next. I was a bit apprehensive each time he dropped me off as I wasn't sure exactly where I would find him. I had visions of a missing vehicle or perhaps me not understanding and wandering around panicking. Luckily he was watching for me and we connected every time.

It was a long way to the Red Fort as the driver had to stay in the parking area. I enjoyed photographing the outside walls on my way to the gate and after seeing the inside, I realized the outside was the most impressive. Like Egypt, Indians pay but a small portion of the ticket price non-natives are charged. The up side of that is that the 'foreigner' line-up is shorter.

Upon entering the complex, I saw many tourist/souvenir shops in the tunnel leading to the main Fort. I was shocked at the commercialism until I read that that part has traditionally been a market for many years.

 The Fort is not as impressive as the Red Fort in Agra but still, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so I put it on my 'list'.  I'm sure I would have benefited from a guide but I was quite content to meander again. It's kind of nice going where I want on my own schedule.

The admission for the museum and Fort amounted to more than I thought it would and I wanted a 'cushion' so I asked if the driver could take me to a money exchange place. It was near Old Delhi (I think) and the area was packed. I had to cross the street all by myself and managed by sticking close beside a local.

The money exchange place was up a dingy stairway and I prayed that I would stay safe. The clerk happened to be a nice young woman and I felt safe indeed. She not only needed to see my passport but to take photocopy of it. I planned it well and later on ended up with very few rupees left after my expenses.

I was getting hungry by then and asked the driver to take me for something to eat. "MacDonald’s maybe?", I asked. I thought that would be a safe enough bet, but he told me he knew of a good restaurant so I trusted him. His choice was excellent! It was a very busy place called the Hot Chimney and it had tourists and Indians alike. Prices were great and the food was too. I figured it would be my last Indian food for the trip.

My next stop was the Lodi Gardens about which I had read good reviews. It turned out to be my favourite stop of the day! I thought it would be just some nice gardens but it was so much more. There were tombs in old buildings there, a mosque, beautiful palms and bamboo trees, my fave! The park was filled with people picnicking and kids playing games.

As I walked up to a monument, a young girl asked if I would take a photo of her group. There were about 15 people seated on a grassy hill. Her camera wasn't set right and she kept having to adjust the settings while her friends razed her.

This young man patiently posed for me

There were many birds calling, the sun was shining, and there was a nice breeze. What a welcome respite from the chaos of Delhi! The next place I wanted to go was to see the Lotus Temple run by the Baha’i church. The lineup to get in was hundreds and hundreds of people long so I took photos over the fence. 

Because I didn't really stop there the driver offered to take me to Dilli Haat, a shopping mall. I was reluctant but it was on the way. It turned up to be one huge store on 3 floors. I tried on tops because I absolutely love the orange cotton one I bought. Most of them fit weird but I found a comfy brown one I liked.

I had scheduled a Bollywood dance class from 5 - 7 pm and the driver had a bit of difficulty locating it. Finally we got there a bit late. I had requested a costume so I changed into one with the help of a young lady. She also put a marigold wreath around my neck and a red dot on my forehead. My instructor was a guy, probably in his 20's, wearing jeans, a leather jacket, a toque and workbooks, definitely not what I was expecting. I was the only one in the class and it felt a little strange at first. He showed me the moves and we practiced together then he called the owner in and recorded video. I needed cues because there was a lot to remember. I like how my skirt swirled and jingled. I hope the photos turn out ok.

At 7pm the driver wasn't there but came within 5 minutes after the owner phoned the number on the business card. The ride to airport was a typical Delhi experience. I closed my eyes and frequently swore softly under my breath, praying once again that I would make it in one piece.

I did but the security guards wouldn't let me in because I had arrived too early. Instead I was directed to a tiny lounge area but discovered I could 'escape' to the arrivals floor. Also they kept questioning the flight info page I had printed out at home for myself because it didn't have my name on the paper. Fortunately they accepted my iPhone email. There are signs all over the airport saying, "World's Number One Airport". I beg to differ.

My flight leaves at 3:30 am. I am a walking zombie.

Post Script

The Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt went well and I was lucky to get an aisle seat as well as an empty seat beside me. I managed to get a bit of sleep - it’s so much easier when the plane’s interior is darkened and everyone else is zoned out. They feed you all too well on the plane so I didn’t need a meal when I reached Frankfurt. And I really enjoyed a glass of white wine, my first since that expensive one in Delhi on Day 1.

Compared to the long wait at the New Delhi Airport, my time at the Frankfurt Airport went quickly and I was on my next flight in no time. In order to distract me from my restless leg syndrome I watched ‘The Intern’ with Robert De Niro. It was a bit sappy but a pleasant enough diversion.

There was one more short flight, a bit of a drive, then home sweet home at last!