Flying To Japan
Monday - September 3rd 2018
In the last years Claudia and I had always traveled to the United States, but now it was time for something different. For many years we wanted to visit Japan and this year we decided to give it a try. Our journey took us from Tokyo to Osaka and from there to Hiroshima and Kyoto until we returned to Tokyo. To get around Japan we ordered the Japan Rail Pass, which was only available to foreign tourists. With that pass we were able to use the Shinkansen bullet train, the regular trains and the commuter trains operated by the Japan Rail Company. Unfortunately the metro lines were not part of that pass, but still it was a bargain for us.
However, before we could even use our pass, we had to get to Japan. So
Monday noon we took the bus to Salzburg airport and flew to Frankfurt.
From there our Lufthansa flight to Tokyo departed in the evening. Once
in Frankfurt we still had to kill some time until departure and so we
got drinks at the next bar. Soon it was time for boarding the Boeing 747. I
was hoping for an Airbus A380, but unfortunately we had to take the old
plane. The flight to Tokyo was long, but uneventful. The vegan food
Lufthansa served was okay, but not really better than Delta's offers on
flights to the US.
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| Layover in Frankfurt |
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| Getting ready for Departure |
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| Our Meal |
Tuesday - September 4th
About ten hours later we
arrived around noon at Tokyo Haneda Airport. Immigration was quick and
easy and soon we collected our portable wi-fi and the Japan Rail Pass.
Once we were all set, we took the monorail into the city and from there
the commuter train to Shinjuku. In Tokyo we
stayed at the
Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku, which was conveniently located
near Shinjuku train station, one of Tokyo's busiest stations. The hotel itself was nothing special, but our
room was nice and comfortable. After we checked in, we refreshed a bit
and then we headed back out although the jetlag was kicking in.
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| Monorail to Tokyo |
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| Our small Bed |
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| Sunroute Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku |
Since it was already afternoon and we were a little bit tired, we didn't
want to leave Shinjuku. So we decided to walk to Meiji Shrine near our
hotel. The shrine was built in a beautiful forest, but to be honest we
were a little bit underwhelmed. Still it was a beautiful and tranquil
place. On our way back to Shinjuku we stopped at Starbucks, where we made
our first cultural mistake. After we paid for our coffees, we left the
change at the counter. Apparently it is not common to tip in Japan,
because the waitress followed us outside just to return the change.
Later someone told us that good service should be the norm and nothing
to tip for. The service in Japan was exceptional throughout our journey.
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| Shinjuku |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Meiji Shrine |
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| Shinjuku |
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| Shinjuku |
To our surprise sunset happened pretty early in Japan, around 6:00pm it
was already dark outside. That was great for us, because usually we are
not the kind of people who stay out long in the evenings. Shinjuku looked
really cool in the dark with all the illuminated signs and buildings.
Since we were getting hungry, we headed to a vegan restaurant called
Ripple. Claudia and I both ordered a burger and since they were so good
we returned there every day. Back at the hotel we got a drink at the
hotel bar before heading to bed.
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| Shinjuku |
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| Shinjuku |
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| Dinner at Ripple |
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| Shinjuku |
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| Shinjuku |
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| Shinjuku |
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