Poisonous Bookworm's Blog

Japan post 1 (finally)

poisonousbookworm — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:48:02 +0000

We travelled with Finnair via Helsinki (if you like Moomin do not miss out this opportunity ^_^). It went well, the economy class was tolerable and the selection of films etc was correct (it is the same however for the month, so we had the same on the return flight). The food was not bad.
At the airport, we were lucky the swine flu didn’t add a lot of formalities. We got our luggage without problems and without much delay. We then went to exchange our Japan rail passes then had to go to the ticket office ask for our first tickets – Narita express to Tokyo.
In JR trains you do not have a buffet/bar coach like we do in the UK or France but they have ladies passing through the aisles regularly with their small chariots.
We had thought of spending a few hours in Tokyo before going north, but we were tired and decided to keep travelling. We took the Shinkansen to Sendai, left the heavy luggage in coin lockers and visited a little. We went to the Zuiho Den mausoleum (pictures below,and in the previous post), where we were met for the first time with a nice flight of steps to reach our destination. As we were to discover, sacred places in Japan are often put on heights, in the middle of a forest. That creates a nice atmosphere but does not make it very friendly to older, non-sportive Western people.
We then came back to the station to get back our luggage and went to our hotel, found (like most of them) via the Japanese Inn Group.
Very traditional room, with sliding doors, paper windows…and of course, futons and yukatas. That was also our first experience of japanese baths! At the beginning of this trip, we were a little awkward to bathe in common (Western Europe is so prudish !), but you do get used to it quickly. It is only embarassing as you make it!

First day lessons:
- all signs, announcements etc are both in Japanese and English, which makes it really easy to find what you need
- bathing in front of other people is not as embarassing as you may fear (and I am far from having the perfect body!)
- be prepared to face quite a number of steps during your trip
- JR staff, if you do not ask them otherwise, will give you tickets for the next train. You might be surprised of how little time they allow for changes (once we had only 5 minutes!), but their rail service is VERY reliable and we have had no issues on the 20-something train journeys we had during our trip
- in most trains, range of seats can be turned around so you can always face the direction of travel, or create squares if you travel in groups. Nice consequence: you have a lot of spaces for the legs!
- except for the Narita express, the trains are not built to accommodate large pieces of luggage. Japanese people travel light; if you cannot raise or fit your luggage in the overhead storage then you will have to keep it in your feet. I was happy to only have cabin-sized pieces of luggage!

I’m back! (Unfortunately)

poisonousbookworm — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:52:07 +0000

So yes, I am back from Japan…
I have to say, it was fantastic!
I will write several posts on the subject, organised by area or themes. Keep an eye open in the next few weeks…

(Almost) Ready to go…

poisonousbookworm — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:14:41 +0000

Ok, leaving for France first thing tomorrow morning (I hate waking up at 5 am…). If there are no transport strike and the french farmers angry at the milk prices do not kidnap or prevent the auditor and I to leave the site then I will be back as planned on Friday late afternoon.
Then I have to pick Al at the station I will have been some 5 hours before…
And then on Saturday morning, a nice taxi will pick us up and drop us off at the airport…Next change of plane at Helsinki and FINALLY we should leave for Tokyo.

I honestly can’t wait!

worried

poisonousbookworm — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:02:18 +0000

I am getting really worried about the influenza A getting in the way of our trip to Japan…

Sister Act The Musical

poisonousbookworm — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:08:09 +0000

Just a quick note on the Sister Act (The Musical) that started on the 7th of this month in London. I went to see it, and I was not disappointed. Sadly they did not use the movie’s 60s standards, but they created new songs in the disco style (the story has been moved to the 70s).

The young woman acting Dolores is really impressive, and all characters are perfectly casted. (I love Sisters Mary-Lazarus and Mary-Patrick ^_^).

I would just say- if you can afford it, buy a place in the stalls or the dress circle. The Upper Circle is really “up” so from most of it you see more hair than faces. The first rows of the upper circle are fine on this point, but be warned of the golden security bar.

Notice of absence

poisonousbookworm — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:33:53 +0000

Ok, next week I am going in France (Vosges) for 3 days for work, and the following week, once again I have a 3-days trip to France (Normandy this time). Considering that I will be coming back from France on Friday 29th to fly the following morning to Tokyo,I will probably spend my days at home finishing preparing for the trip.

I will be in Japan for 3 weeks, so will not post a lot, if at all, until late June.But I promise that my first post back will have pictures ^_^

Random interrogation…

poisonousbookworm — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:33:39 +0000

A question that popped into my mind yesterday, surprisingly not in front of an anime but in the swimming pool before my aquagym class, trying to run in the water:

Professional runners use their arms at lot when running or sprinting. In anime, especially ‘ninja’ ones (Naruto for example) you see them run with their arms behind them, even of flat surfaces… (I drew something schematic to explain) Why do you think is that?

??

poisonousbookworm — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:00:21 +0000

My first three posts are now appearing in bold letters, I have no idea why…

Hampton Court

poisonousbookworm — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:44:16 +0000

Today, a friend and I took advantage of the 2-for-1 offer for Hampton Court Palace when you get there by train. For the record, it was one of Henri VIII’s (the king with the six wives, two of which he had executed) favorite residence; a good part of it is Tudor.

See a few pictures…

How to organise your trip to Japan 3/?

poisonousbookworm — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:26:06 +0000

Step 4: Flights and how to travel over there

-Choose your flights:

Flights comparison websites are your friends. Opodo, Expedia, travelsupermarket etc. are very good tools to choose the company to fly with, from the airport that suits you most. But do not be to excited about an amount that you see on the website – the lowest prices might not be flights that are practical for you. You should rather look for a budget range, and then go to the airline’s websites and simulate your specific travel conditions. Also remember, the earlier you book, the cheapest you can usually find flights. I have linked the main airlines on the side.

From London, Finnair offered my friend and I the best deal (less than £500 return to Tokyo for June). They are not direct flights, but they are not much longer. They also offer reduced prices for adults under 25, and their website offer possibilities to easily book open-jaws tickets (ie return from a different airport than the arrival one). So if you wanted to fly north to Sapporo’s Chitose airport, and travel through the archipelago to take a flight home from Okinawa, it is possible…

They also seem to be rated as good as British Airways for long-haul flights!

- Travel in Japan

You need to find a balance between time and budget.Domestic flights are one possibility. They are especially practical, almost unavoidable if you want to go to Okinawa.ANA (All Nippon Airways) has special offers for foreigners if you book your flights from outside Japan, and several of the airlines offer discounts if you book more than a month in advance.

Japan is an archipelago; ferries can be a good way to travel. However, be aware that there might be ferries only one or twice a day, and that they can be subject to delay or cancellation due to weather conditions. The JNTO can give you more information.

Train was our chosen way to travel – the network is extensive, it is rather quick (especially with the bullet trains or shinkansen) and the various Japan Rail Passes offer extraordinary discounts. You can chose a global pass, or local ones (just for Hokkaido, Kyushu, Western or Eastern Japan), for 7,14 or21 consecutive days. The JR pass’ exchange order must be bought outside Japan as it is only available to foreigners and exchanged against the real pass in Japan. They can only be used on JR lines and trains, but they have the biggest network in Japan. The pass allows you to use any of their services (except two super-shinkansen trains), it covers the basic fare. The American office of Japan Rail has an amazing website; it evens give you the timetables for almost the whole network.

Want to drive? You will either need to get an International Driving License or a Japanese translation of your license, depending of the conventions between your country and Japan. The Japan Automobile Federation will give you more information on the process. Otherwise, tolls seem to be numerous, and drive is on the left. Hertz and Toyota Rent-a-Lease are two of the main rental car agencies; remember than rental prices seem to step up quite a bit during high season, and that communication can be a major problem.

Day or night buses run on extensive networks, and in some rural areas may be the only option. You can book them through any travel agency in Japan.

If you prefer to cycle, go to the KANcycling website.

Hitchhiking is not recommended, as it is never entirely safe. There have been several cases of attacks/rapes of solitary female hitchhikers in Japan. If you wish to use this method, the ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to Japan’ by Will Ferguson is a recommended read.