My Experience
Land Of The Rising Sun
The Land of the Rising Sun. Great leisure and entertainment creations such as Manga comics, Game Boy, Gundam toys, Cosplay, Playstation come from this land. Incidentally, I too, have spent much of my spare time happily with these creations. A family holiday trip here opened my eyes to experience much more.
As usual, our family have always liked ‘free n easy’ iterinary travel to the countries we visit. So, this time was no different except that we were a little more concerned as we did not know the language at all , apart from the occasional familiar-looking Kanji character one sees strung together with the rest of the Hiragana and Katakana. Still, we decided to brave it all in order to embrace the joy of adventure for the 10 days that we would be there.
We arrived at the Haneda International Airport near midnight and were greeted with the dark, quiet night and chilly 5degc wind as we stepped out of the airport. Thankfully, we managed to catch the last bus to downtown Tokyo which was about 20 minutes away. Checking-in to the hotel was a breeze but were we surprised by how tiny the room was! Small as it was, it was a room that had every amenity you could want. It had a foot-massage machine in one corner and another, two buckets for recycling plastics and paper. There was only room enough for one person to walk and the other would have to sit on the bed to wait for the other to pass by before getting up. And no, I wasn’t exaggerating.
The next morning was a beautiful, clear, absolutely blue-skyed day. The air was crisp and cold and we set out to look for our first Japanese meal. We came to a cosy eatery just by the train station. Inside was a fascinating vending-machine with pictures of the food displayed on the buttons. We had to plonk in our coins in order to purchase a coupon and exchange it for food. I thoroughly enjoyed my beef noodles which cost ¥490 (approximately S$7.60) per bowl. I would have certainly ordered some more food if we didn’t have to get on with our iterinary to explore the city.
Even the train ride to downtown Tokyo was a pleasant one. With piped-in music playing on the platform, life seemed less stressful. I was impressed by how orderly the people were on the escalators. The sights and street scenes continue to mesmerise me. The roads were clean The night scenes in town were also exactly as those we had seen from the movies or the television.
On our third day, it took us about 2 hours by coach from Tokyo to Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain and dormant volcano. It was freezingly
cold as we headed up to the highest station possible to get a close glimpse of the mountain apex. The tour guide told us we were very fortunate to be able to see such a clear view of the mountain as clouds and poor visibility usually block its view. At the northern base of Mount Fuji is the picturesque Fuji Five Lake(fujiko) namely Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Yamanakako, Shiojiko and Motosuko lakes. The autumn colours surrounding Lake Kawaguchiko and the Hakone area where Mount Fuji sits was breathtakingly beautiful. I had never seen such a splendid array of hue on the leaves and trees.
The Hakone area is famous for its hot springs (onsen) and we were told we would not have really experienced Hakone’s beauty until we had a dip in the onsen there. I thought : how often does one get to soak away the cares in a big bathtub back home? Not at all often, so why not? I was in for more than a shock when I realized that in order for one to enjoy the onsen, one needs to be stark naked! I certainly wasn’t quite prepared to expose myself to my dear father or brother. So, enjoyed it I did by taking turns into the onsen when neither of them was there. Onsen water is believed to have healing powers derived from its mineral content. With water temperatures of 40-45degc, I am sure it did good to my mind and body with that very first onsen experience.
As we continued to sightsee the Hakone area, we came to the Owakudani (Great Boiling Valley) volcanic valley via the Hakone Ropeway. It was hard not to notice the valley when the unmistakably strong smell of sulphur (smelled somewhat a bit like an overpowered fart or rotten eggs) was quite overwhelming. There were
many active boiling pools of sulphur rich mineral water . The yellow fumes of hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide could be seen spewing. We couldn’t stay too long as it was really getting hard to breathe after some time. No wonder this place is also called the Valley of Death.
It was time to head back to urban Tokyo, using the very fast Shinkansen, or better known as The Bullet Train. With a speed of up to 300km/hr, you would think that your eyes were playing tricks on you when the trains would just dash past as those in a cartoon strip. But once seated in the comfort of your seat, you’d hardly notice the speed. It took a mere 40-minute ride to reach Tokyo station.
A trip to Tokyo isn’t complete until you have made a trip to Tokyo Disney. As our hotel was only two train stops from it, it was easy enough to get there early. There was already a queue at 9:30 even on a weekday morning. To my surprise, there were more locals than there were foreigners and tourists. We decided to choose Disney Sea instead of Disney Land to explore as the rides were more unusual. My favourite ride was the Tower of Terror . I thought it was a well-executed ride in terms of storyline and the thill factor. Even though there were long queues everywhere , people seemed less irritable. I suppose this has to do with the cool weather and tempers are less prone to fly. The Disney magic ended well into the night with a fireworks display and musical performance. That night, my dreams were of delightful thrills and squeals.
Over the next couple of days, we scoured around various areas such as Roponggi, Ginza, Tsujiki Market for the different types of food to satisfy our palate. From fresh seafood, sushi and sashimi to exciting snacks like takoyaki and beautifully packaged pastry and cakes from their supermarkets. While the prices weren’t exactly cheap, it was worth every bite to die for.
It seems like both clockwork efficiency and aesthetic appreciation is a way of life for the Japanese. Although I didn’t do much shopping this time, the sights, smell and memories are definitely the souvenirs I took home in my heart. One can never be tired of Japan so easily; there are still so many more places to visit in this charming and inviting land.