Terrific Tokyo

Japan will always be at the top of my list of favorite travel destinations. The uniqueness of Tokyo, a mega city where ultra-modern highrises blend alongside historic architectural wonders. The beautiful historic shrines in Kyoto, filled with architectural wonders of the past.

I enjoy watching the Shinkansen speed by the city's temples and  skyscrapers as I take my daily walk to the Ginza in Tokyo. The bullet train or “Shinkansen” is a kind of passenger train operating on Japan's high-speed railway network with a speed of up to 320kms per hour. The trains offer riders a wonderfully unique and efficient travel experience. 

      heading for Niko

The Ginza is a commercial area in Chuo ward, Tokyo, and is the main shopping area of the city. The name comes from the words gin meaning “silver” and za meaning “guild” (owing to the country's history when in 1612, the Japanese government reportedly transferred its silver mint to the area). 

On other days, I simply take leisurely strolls by specialty shops and quaint native restaurants under the elevated railroad tracks near our accommodations at Imperial Hotel. The Imperial Hotel was built late 1880 and is in Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. The hotel is located just south of the Imperial Palace grounds, next to the previous location of the Palace moat and right across Hibiya Park. 

According to our sources at the hotel, Japanese aristocracy actually requested its construction to cater to the increasing number of Western visitors to Japan. 

On one of my daily strolls near the hotel, I chanced upon a small restaurant specializing in Japanese noodles, otherwise known as 'soba'. Soba (そば) noodles are noodles made of buckwheat flour, roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes. Soba dishes are quite popular and available in many cities nationwide. Since buckwheat soba noodles are likely to be brittle, the restaurants usually add some wheat flour during the preparation of their noodles before cooking. The noodles have a nutty flavor and may be used in a variety of salads, soups, and stir-frys, often served chilled with a soy-based dipping sauce. I personally enjoy the soup with mixed ingredients made the way the Japanese prepare the dish. 

        

        on the bullet train

Riding the Shinkansen to Kyoto on one of the many fascinating wonders originally Japanese.

Kyoto is Japan's historical heart. It is the best destination for temples, shrines and traditional Nippon gardens. Learn more about the geisha, pick souvenirs at the shops, savor Japanese dishes at restaurants and participate in festivals.

a day at Disney Seas

freezing at a Ski resort 

in Nikko

 loving the Cherry blossoms at           Disneyland

Then there's the delicious food, from the tastiest Japanese curry (over steamed rice with onion pearls and mango chutney at the Tarantula Coffee shop in Imperial Hotel) to delectable stone steak (Alaskan crab as appetizers and Kobe beef or Wagyu cooked on point hot rocks) at the Ginza, even the mouth-watering sushi done in numerous combinations served fresh by the chef. 

I also remember having the best steak dinner at the Ginza, the 'stone steak'. Steak stones are big flat rocks heated up and then used to cook your steak on. This method locks in the steak's juices for a more flavorful steak.

Tokyo is one of the most

expensive cities in the world  so shopping can certainly be a challenge when it comes to finding bargains. After a couple of trips to Japan, I eventually discovered an inexpensive shoe stall somewhere past the Ginza where I was happy to find comfortable footwear at very reasonable prices, imagine a pair of moccasins at ¥1000! That's only about P390! 

If you are looking to buy clothes and are a fashion 'afficionado', Shibuya and Shinjuku are your destinations. A trip to Shinjuku isn't complete without dropping by the ¥100 store! With three stories of bargains and novelties, I make it a point to shop here for comfortable tshirts, quaint paper lanterns, scented incense and other Japanese novelties to bring home. 

Not only are there several malls of different sizes but these places are full of numerous specialty shops for the latest styles in clothes and fashion accessories. 

The surrounding streets are also a must see for a free fashion show, seeing the young Japanese crowd dressed in current fashion trends and anime costumes!

For your electronics, head on down to Akihabara. There are rows of stores displaying all sorts of gadgets from the latest mobile phones, high-end tablets or top of the line personal computers & laptops. 

Musicians shall be happy to learn that there also are numerous shops that sell instruments, musicians' accessories among other related items. 

Wondering where to go for nightlife in Tokyo? Roponggi caters to party goers and the 'hip crowd' with the varied dance clubs and bars to suit your fancy. Roppongi is actually one of Tokyo's most rowdy party destinations that has many restaurants, bars and nightclubs that stay open til the wee hours of dawn.

Thrill-seekers, prepare yourselves! Set aside a couple or more days for fun and amusement at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. 

Disneyland has numerous fun attractions like Big Thunder Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, among others. Enjoy the rides like the Star Wars-themed Star Tours: The Adventures Continue and Monsters, Inc. to name a few.

The shows and attractions at Disney Sea however, are based on myths and legends of the sea. Be on the lookout for romantic harbours, wonderful boat rides, and exciting wet and wild water rides! There are many rides to choose from that cater to all ages at both theme parks. 

Then there's Wild Blue Yokohama. a large indoor pool complex we went to in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama. We had fun at the artificial rubber beach that featured artificially generated waves.

Another theme park I distinctly remember was when we went on a tour to Mt. Fuji! 

For more of Japan's history, Kyoto and Nagoya are 'must-sees' for wonderful attractions. 

  sightseeing in Nagoya

Crisscrossed with ultra-modern highways and beautiful modern edifices, Nagoya hosts cultural sites such as Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Jingu, the Toyota Museum, and the Tokugawa Art Museum. The city remains to be the center of samurai culture in Japan and is the birthplace of some feudal lords in the past, namely Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

A weekend for a spiritual retreat to Akita was one of the highlights in my Japan journals. This was where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was witnessed by thousands of Catholics. Aside from the city being a  religious pilgrimage destination, this capital of the far north prefecture of the same name is also known for snow, the various hot springs, good rice wine or 'sake', a brawny breed of dogs and beautiful women. We had a whole weekend to explore the city which is about 4 hours from Tokyo via the Shinkansen. Adding to a unique experience while traveling in Japan, venture out to Lake Hakone at Kanagawa Prefecture. Known among the locals as Lake Ashi, it is a crater lake along the southwest side of the caldera of Mount Halone where the volcano last erupted in 1170.