On Sunday we visited the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Its quite small and maybe better suited for children than adults but the museum was still interesting and it was a very nice to visit it.
For lunch we had hot dogs and bottles of beer. The beer is specially bottled for the museum and the bottles will make a nice souvenir.
Thursday 30 August 2007
Climbing Fuji-san
We left Koenji in the morning and we intended to be at the summit in time to see the sunset and then climb back down during the night. The Chuuoo line took us to Otsuki where we changed trains in order to get Kawakuchi-ko where one can get a bus to the fifth station.
Climbing was quite hard and the tracks were worse than I had expected and we definetely did not want to be in the dark on those tracks. Weather got bad when we reached the 7th station: clouds were both rising and getting down towards us and the summit was completedly clouded. We decided to get our stamps for our staffs and return to the fifth station during daylight.
A little before the sixt station it was clear that our decision had been a sensible one. The weather would have been nasty up there. While it was dissappointing that my dream of climbing Fuji-san did not come true the sunset at the fifth station was the most beautiful view I have ever seen.
If I ever have a chance to try again I will do it in a very different way: a night in a fifth station in order to get acclimatized, climb to the seventh or eight station during the day and a night there and in the morning to the summit.
Climbing was quite hard and the tracks were worse than I had expected and we definetely did not want to be in the dark on those tracks. Weather got bad when we reached the 7th station: clouds were both rising and getting down towards us and the summit was completedly clouded. We decided to get our stamps for our staffs and return to the fifth station during daylight.
A little before the sixt station it was clear that our decision had been a sensible one. The weather would have been nasty up there. While it was dissappointing that my dream of climbing Fuji-san did not come true the sunset at the fifth station was the most beautiful view I have ever seen.
If I ever have a chance to try again I will do it in a very different way: a night in a fifth station in order to get acclimatized, climb to the seventh or eight station during the day and a night there and in the morning to the summit.
The Imperial Palace
On Friday we went to the Imperial Palace in order to visit the Eastern Gardens but they are closed on Mondays and Fridays so we decided to walk around the palace. While the weather is hot and moist it is not unbearable to walk a few kilometers. The moats, walls, bridges and towers of the palace are impressive.
Next day we went again to the palace and the Eastern Gardens were open. The gardens are very beautiful and the remnants of the Edo Castle are interesting.
Dont miss the palace if you go to Tokyo!
Next day we went again to the palace and the Eastern Gardens were open. The gardens are very beautiful and the remnants of the Edo Castle are interesting.
Dont miss the palace if you go to Tokyo!
Tokyo-Edo Museum
We visited the Tokyo-Edo museum which is quite interesting and one gets some understanding how people lived in Edo and later in Tokyo and how the incendiary bombs damaged Tokyo during the second world war.
Fuji-san
On Thursday we took a train to Shinjuku and went to the tourist information center which is in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office which has two towers which are over 200 meters high. Both have an observation deck at the 45th floor. A magnificient view for free. The Tokyo Tower is not any higher and costs money.
It was quite clear a day so we saw Fuji-san towering in the horizont.
It was quite clear a day so we saw Fuji-san towering in the horizont.
Irasshaimase!
Neither of us had slept much during the flight so we needed a few hours nap. We walked along the Koenji street towards the station when we heard the familiar shout "Irasshaimase!" and a young lady asked us to come to their restaurant.
The food was very good. I had tuna sashimi and Kummari had tuna which was prepared in some way I did not recognize. Six beers and we both ate and the check was somewhere between 3000-4000-en. In Finland most people think that Japan is an expensive country. It can be expensive, but it certainly does not have to be.
I later found out that the name of the place is Tsuki no Ya, something like The Place of the Mooon in English. The waiters and waitresses are very friendly and one man speaks English so that we can discuss. In most other places we have use mix of simple English and even simpler Japanese.
The food was very good. I had tuna sashimi and Kummari had tuna which was prepared in some way I did not recognize. Six beers and we both ate and the check was somewhere between 3000-4000-en. In Finland most people think that Japan is an expensive country. It can be expensive, but it certainly does not have to be.
I later found out that the name of the place is Tsuki no Ya, something like The Place of the Mooon in English. The waiters and waitresses are very friendly and one man speaks English so that we can discuss. In most other places we have use mix of simple English and even simpler Japanese.
The Flight
The flight was uneventful. In a very clear weather we able to see the city of Archangelsk and the westernmost (I think) of the great Siberian rivers meandering. Above Siberia the pressure went down to 800 mb and the flight was a little rough for some time. Somewhere on the tundra I saw a single light source.
It was quite boring. Kummari saw several movies and I tried to read until I noticed that Kummari had started to watch "Ravintola Lokki" - a movie that I had missed. I thought Id see it on DVD but now I saw it when four jet engines were roaring in front of me. I liked it very much. A sympathetic film and I must visit Lokki some day.
The Sea of Japan was the next sight of interest. I took some pics. Some time after that one could see the mountains of Japan in the frontal camera of the plane. Soon we were engulfed by the clouds and when we came under them we were above Japan. Lots of mountains but we had not a glimpse of Fuji-san.
A smooth landing and we got our gear, Japan Rail Passes and Kummari got his rental mobile phone. We took Narita Express to Shinjuku where we changed trains to one we thought would go to Koenji but it stopped at Nakano. A friendly woman pointed out that the train would be getting back towards Shinjuku and we stepped out and JR personnel pointed the right platform for us.
At the Koenji station Kummari called our landlady and we walked to our apartment at Koenjikita. These 18 square meters would be our home next three weeks. A six tatami bed room, a small hall/kitchen and a Yamaha bathroom.
It was quite boring. Kummari saw several movies and I tried to read until I noticed that Kummari had started to watch "Ravintola Lokki" - a movie that I had missed. I thought Id see it on DVD but now I saw it when four jet engines were roaring in front of me. I liked it very much. A sympathetic film and I must visit Lokki some day.
The Sea of Japan was the next sight of interest. I took some pics. Some time after that one could see the mountains of Japan in the frontal camera of the plane. Soon we were engulfed by the clouds and when we came under them we were above Japan. Lots of mountains but we had not a glimpse of Fuji-san.
A smooth landing and we got our gear, Japan Rail Passes and Kummari got his rental mobile phone. We took Narita Express to Shinjuku where we changed trains to one we thought would go to Koenji but it stopped at Nakano. A friendly woman pointed out that the train would be getting back towards Shinjuku and we stepped out and JR personnel pointed the right platform for us.
At the Koenji station Kummari called our landlady and we walked to our apartment at Koenjikita. These 18 square meters would be our home next three weeks. A six tatami bed room, a small hall/kitchen and a Yamaha bathroom.
Wednesday 29 August 2007
IT Problems
Net access is not trivial in Japan. Internet cafes can be found but for example the user interface of this blog is in Japanese for me. The browser thinks I can read kanjis. No, with a few execptions I cannot.
Once I was able to change the settings of this computer so that I could write only hiragana which might not be convenient for you my dear readers.
We have not been able to find net access in Kooenji but I will ask next time I visit our regular ikazaya Tsuki no ya.
Now I will try if I can post this text...
Once I was able to change the settings of this computer so that I could write only hiragana which might not be convenient for you my dear readers.
We have not been able to find net access in Kooenji but I will ask next time I visit our regular ikazaya Tsuki no ya.
Now I will try if I can post this text...
Saturday 18 August 2007
List of Links
This is a list of links that have for some reason been interesting to us or links that have made us curious.
Friday 17 August 2007
Nihon ni ikimasu!
This is a story of my trip to Japan in late Summer in 2007. During three weeks I and my friend will visit Tokyo, Yokohama, Nikkoo, Fuji-san, Kure, Matsumoto, Kyoto and possibly Hiroshima.
My writings upto the beginning of trip can be found on my own site.
My writings upto the beginning of trip can be found on my own site.
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