This blog post is a continuation from the previous one (you can read that here) of our last week in Japan. By the time it came to our final week, hubby and I were absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally. Moving homes is no easy feat and when you add a change of country into the mix then you're definitely taking it up a level. Our bodies and minds craved complete bed rest, but we found that we couldn't just take it easy and chill out at our hotel. We felt the need to be out and about, making the most of the limited time we had left in this amazing country, because otherwise we may regret doing nothing during our last few days. We had to make the most of the time we had left.
Hanazono Shrine
Hanazono Shrine
On this particular day though, I did leave hubby to rest up in the hotel, as I wandered out. We were staying in a part of Shinjuku that was quite different to where we normally visit and so I took my vlogging camera and went exploring. I came across the Hanazono Shrine which I'd walked past the previous day but didn't have time to walk around then. The shrine is situated on a main road and used to form part of the Imperial Gardens. The buildings at the shrine have been redeveloped over the years to what's currently on the site today as some of them were damaged during World War II. You can see more in the vlog below, as well as the rest of our final week in Japan.
By the time I'd finished wandering around the shrine, hubby had joined me and we spent the rest of the day in the main shopping district of Shinjuku before heading back to Yokohama the next morning.
Cruise ship at Osanbashi Pier in Yokohama
Back in Yokohama, we had to finish packing up our shipping boxes as they were being collected soon. We did, however, take a break from the packing and head down to the bay one last time. It was such a glorious day that we couldn't spend all of it indoors, especially as it was forecasted to rain on our last day in Yokohama, so you know... we had to make the most of it ;o). We headed to Rinko Park, our local park, and walked along the waterfront where we spotted a huge cruise ship at Osanbashi Pier. Naturally, we had to go take a closer look. We then went to Nihon Odori back to the Turkish restaurant that we'd been to numerous times to say goodbye to the family that run it and grab a bite to eat.
Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama
MM21 all lit up at night
We ended the day with heavy hearts as we walked back from Nihon Odori, taking in the sights that we'd become so accustomed to, one last time. That night we'd be moving our suitcases into our final hotel near Yokohama station, and we knew that we would not be coming back to Minato Mirai 21, the place that had been our home for the past nine months, again. So we lingered around just a bit longer, taking in the sunset and watching MM21 light up at night, for the last time (and wiping a few tears as we did).
Cosmo World amusement park, Yokohama
Whilst leaving Japan was very sad, hubby and I were immensely grateful for having had the opportunity to live in one of the most unique countries we'd ever visited. It also made me glad that I'd taken the somewhat bold step (bold for me anyway) of vlogging as now we had captured memories that we could relive via my videos :o).
Once we'd boarded our flight to Singapore the next morning, the excitement of arriving to
our previous home was starting to take over from the sadness of
leaving our current one. I did do some vlogging whilst in Singapore and I hope to share that with you in the coming weeks.
Although this is my last Japan vlog, it is by no means the end of
my Japan blog posts (or videos about Japan) for I have many things that I
still want to share with you, including all the things that we bought before
leaving Japan. However, all that may take a little time as we wait for
our shipping boxes to arrive and try to progress with our house
renovations, but I will get there :o).
When hubby and I were getting ready to leave Japan we had to sell all of our furniture as we had rented an unfurnished apartment. Luckily, we managed to sell/give away everything a week before we handed our apartment keys back. However, as a result of having no bed to sleep on, we had to spend our last week in Japan staying in hotels. We decided to split our week between Tokyo and Yokohama (where our apartment was).
Views from Sunshine City
Whilst staying in Tokyo we visited places that we'd not manage to see thus far. This included a quick visit to Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. There is an observation deck, Sunshine 60, on the 60th floor of the complex but unfortunately on the day that we went the observation deck was closed. However, we did manage to get to the 59th floor where there are bars and restaurants, and so we still got to enjoy the views. Looking out of the floor to ceiling windows, we got a real sense of just
how built up and expansive Tokyo is. I love how amongst all the high
rises you get little pockets of coloured roof tops.
The elevator up to the 59th floor was probably one of the quirkiest elevators I've ever been in. Not only did it show the speed at which we were travelling, but it was decorated in a spacey/starry night kind of theme with pretty lights, as you'll see in the vlog below - very cool!
From Ikebukuro, we made our way to Odaiba, an artificial island on Tokyo bay. It is a huge entertainment and leisure area with numerous shopping malls, restaurants and bars, as well as iconic buildings and sights to pass away the time. The area is particularly busy on weekends and is a popular place for young people to hang out, as well as being a big tourist attraction. On the man made island you will find a replica of the Statue of Liberty, a huge gundam robot statue, Megaweb which is the exhibition centre for Toyota, games arcades and a whole lot more, including a large ferris wheel. Interestingly, Odaiba is one of Tokyo's proposed sites in its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The Daikanransha Ferris Wheel - an Odaiba landmark
View from the Yurikamome of some cool buildings
The Yurikamome (an automated transit system, a bit like a monorail)
stops at various places in Odaiba. We used it to cross over Rainbow
Bridge just for the sake of it really and to enjoy the views, before getting back on the train to come back to
Odaiba. The first place we visited in Odaiba was a mall called Decks which
features a mini Hong Kong and a Sega Joypolis (an amusement park).
However, our main reason for visiting Decks was for the great views it
offers of Rainbow Bridge. We were also pleased to discover a Bills - one
of our favourite places to eat where we were able to enjoy a light
lunch.
Looking out at Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge
Lunch at Bills
From Decks we made our way to the Fuji TV building. This is one of
Odaiba's most iconic buildings and we've seen it from afar when we did
the Tokyo Bay Cruise (you can see that here).
There is an observation deck in the building but unfortunately we just
missed the opening times. Can you tell that it just wasn't our day when
it came to observation decks?! We did manage to go up a couple of
escalators to get a bit closer to the iconic sphere that sits at the top
of the building :o).
The iconic Fuji Television building
The Fuji TV building to the left
Next we headed towards another mall called Palette Town, next to the iconic ferris wheel. Given the petrol head that my hubby is there was no way we could go to Palette Town without spending some time at Megaweb, Toyota's exhibition hall. Inside there were some pretty cool things to see, including the Winglet. In my vlog above I actually managed to capture a few seconds of the Winglet advert that was playing on a screen, in case you've ever wondered about the Japanese style of advertising :o).
The Winglet
As it came close to sunset we went on the Daikanransha ferris wheel which is 115 metres tall. From the top we could see all of Odaiba and much of Tokyo, including Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo SkyTree. We could also see aeroplanes taking off and coming into land at Haneda airport.
Daikanransha Ferris Wheel
View of Tokyo and the Tokyo SkyTree from the Daikanransha Ferris Wheel
Venus Fort Shopping Mall in Odaiba
We ended our time at Odaiba by visiting Venus Fort, a Venice themed shopping mall - not quite what we expected to find in Japan, but it's Japan so one should expect the unexpected. There is a lot to see/do in Odaiba and I don't think you can really see it
all in one day. We spent an afternoon there and barely scratched the surface. There is a wide variety in the things that you can see/do in Odaiba from
enjoying popular Japanese culture/anime/music to architecture/museums/technology and even a beach. I'd recommend doing your research and prioritising, if you've only got a day in Odaiba just so that you don't miss anything that you're especially keen to see/do.
I hope you enjoyed this peek into our last week in Japan. I will have another vlog of the rest of our week coming soon.
I am so very sorry that it's taken me so long to conclude our Mount Fuji trip. I have been struggling so much with my arthritis riddled body this past month that I literally feel like life has passed me by. My arthritis has spread to my jaw which has been causing severe head, ear and teeth ache, as well as making it difficult to chew food. I'm also having difficulty using my right hand as the joint damage and deformity is getting worse. This has been very frustrating given that I'm right handed for everything. I have an appointment to see a rheumatologist next month and recently I've taken a few steps to try and manage my pain levels better. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm living again (rather than merely existing) and so I'm looking forward to sharing more vlogs with you all :o).
Now back to our Mount Fuji trip. After spending a wonderful morning at the Shibazakura Festival (which you can see here), we headed back to Kawaguchiko where we bought a pass for the Kawaguchiko sight seeing bus. The pass cost ¥1,200 per person and is valid for two consecutive days. Even though we were going to be using the pass for just one afternoon, it was definitely worth it because by this point my arthritic joints were starting to hurt quite a lot and the hot humid weather was starting to get to me. The sight seeing buses cover two main routes; one around Lake Kawaguchiko and the other around Lake Saiko, another one of the Fuji Five Lakes. Both routes depart from Kawaguchiko station and when we purchased the tickets we were given a route map along with bus times. It is worth noting that these sight seeing buses only run from around 9-5/6pm and some of the stops along the routes are quite remote so its important to plan your return journey.
In the interest of giving our feet a rest we hopped onto the sigh seeing bus and decided to head quite far out past Lake Saiko so that we could enjoy the scenic views whilst keeping cool in the air conditioned bus. On the bus we met a group of young lads from Singapore who were on their way to the ice caves. Hubby and I thought that that sounded pretty cool and decided to do the same. Once off the bus we followed the signs that led us into a woodland. The woodland was absolutely beautiful with tall trees that had the most amazing root structures all over the ground. It was the kind of place that you'd expect to see in one of The Hobbit movies.
Loved the bamboo hand rail
After a short walk, we came across a ticket counter where we asked about
the ice caves. The elderly Japanese lady at the counter gestured that
it was a 25min walk away through the woodland and when we looked, we
realised that there was no defined path and the terrain was very uneven.
Hubby and I decided to leave it, as not only were we not wearing the
right kind of foot gear for that terrain, but we would also be cutting it
fine when it came to catching the last sight seeing bus back to
Kawaguchiko. Seeing our disappointed faces the elderly lady pointed to a
poster on the wall which was for a wind cave that was just a few minutes
walk away, so hubby and I bought tickets for that and headed further
into the woodland. You can see the vlog of our afternoon in the video below :o).
We climbed down a flight of steps to the entrance of the wind cave. Once
we came to the end of the first set of steps, we noticed that the
temperature dropped all of a sudden.
Entrance to the wind cave
As we
walked further into the cave we saw icicles hanging from the rocks. It
wasn't long before we were shivering from the cold, and the bamboo hand
rail that I was once so pleased to see was redundant because it was ice cold.
There was no way I could hold onto it for more than a second or two. Not ideal given how wet, icy and slippy the ground inside the cave was.
Icicles
At various points within the cave, the head height was so low that even I had to crouch. Further inside the cave we saw collections of ice blocks and structures. Aside from the ice, there wasn't much else to see inside the cave. There certainly wasn't anything to suggest that this was specifically a wind cave. As we reached the end of the cave, we saw the same group of lads from Singapore. It transpired that they also had the same concerns that we did about the terrain and catching the last bus back.
Inside the cave
Once we made our way back out into the warmth, hubby & I were both kind of glad that we made the decision not to go to the ice caves as we definitely weren't wearing the right clothing. Poor hubby's arms were freezing as he was in just a t-shirt. After catching the last sight seeing bus back to Kawaguchiko, we caught the first of four trains to make our way back home to Yokohama. Although we came to Kawaguchiko on the coach, there were no seats available on the return coach. It was a long 3.5hrs back home. Had the weather been dry for the next day then we would probably have stayed an extra night at Kawaguchiko, but sadly rain was forecasted. Plus we had shipping boxes waiting to be packed in preparation for departure from Japan.
I hope you've enjoyed these blogs and vlogs of our trip to Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko. Aside, from the wind cave, I would definitely recommend the other three activities/sights that we did. Had we had more time then we would have liked to have gone to the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, even though we're not thrill seekers.
I can imagine Mount Fuji and the surrounding mountain area being absolutely stunning during the autumn/fall as the maple leaves change colour. Spring would be another great time of year to visit with the cherry blossoms and that was when we originally intended on going, but unfortunately that 2-3 week period when the blossoms were in bloom, was very wet this year. Nonetheless we really enjoyed our time and would highly recommend a visit, if you're ever planning a holiday to Japan :o).
Hubby had a follow up appointment recently with the specialist about his back, near Tokyo Tower and so we decided to make a day of it. It was nice to admire Tokyo Tower again but this time against the backdrop of a bight blue sky. We also took this as an opportunity to head back to Le Pain for some delicious breakfast.
Tokyo Bay with Tokyo SkyTree in the distance
Since it was a beautiful blue sky day we decided to walk towards Tokyo Bay to see if we could get on a cruise. Along the way we came across a glasses cleaning machine placed outside an opticians that passersby could use for free, and hubby did... twice ;o). Very cool, don't you think? You can see more in the video below.
As we wandered towards the bay we came across the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden near Hamamatsucho Station. Given that it was such a warm sunny day we paid the ¥150 (each) to enjoy this classic Japanese landscape garden.
The garden consists of a pond with turtles and koi carp fish, little man made hills, beautiful bamboo fencing and red maple trees.This little oasis is surrounded by tall office buildings in the middle of Tokyo, and there were several office workers having their lunch in the garden whilst enjoying the glorious weather.
Hubby and I love Japanese gardens. They are very tranquil places even when surrounded by the craziness of a 24hr city like Tokyo. We especially love the use of bamboo, which is an incredibly versatile and beautiful material, and water for it's calming effect. There was also a couple in traditional Japanese dress having their wedding photos taken which was really interesting to see :o).
As we left the garden, we took the escalators across the road to watch the Shinkansen (bullet) trains go by. Hubby and I never tire of watching these beauties that epitomise Japanese engineering. The bullet trains have a rather majestic aura, with their long sleek noses and even longer bodies.
We then followed the main road down to the bay which brought us to New Pier Takeshiba. From there we followed the monorail line, pass The Intercontinental Tokyo Bay hotel, to Hinode Pier. At the Hinode Terminal there was a counter for cruise company, Symphony Cruise, and so we inquired about availability for that afternoon.
Whilst none of the employees spoke enough English for us to communicate with them, the cruise company did have leaflets with both English and Japanese information about the different cruise options, routes, prices and times. With a bit of pointing and hand gesturing we are able to convey what we wanted :o). We opted for the afternoon cruise which was 50mins and cost ¥1,500 (each).
Rainbow Bridge
Daikanransha ferris wheel at Odaiba in the distance
The iconic Fuji TV building at Odaiba
The cruise was a lovely way to give our feet some rest and enjoy the sights of Tokyo. I'd definitely recommend it if you're ever in Tokyo as it's a great way to see some iconic structures. We could see both Tokyo Tower and Tokyo SkyTree, as well as iconic landmarks at Odaiba island. As it was quite a clear day we could even see planes coming into land, just above the water line in the distance, at Haneda airport.
The Tokyo Towers - Mid Tower & Sea Tower
A plane coming into land at Haneda Airport in the distance
Symphony Cruise also do a lunch, sunset and dinner cruise with a choice
of French, Italian or Japanese cuisine. These cruises are longer
(2-2.5hrs) and the cruise route goes further out than the
afternoon cruise that we did. Prices range from ¥5,000 - ¥20,000. The
Symphony Cruise website is in both Japanese and English and here is the link, in case you're interested :o).
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and video of our day out in Tokyo. I'm sorry that I'm a bit slow in getting my blog posts and videos up at the moment but things are pretty hectic with our move. Hopefully, when things settle down in a few weeks, I can get in to a routine again.
I've been MIA (missing in action) recently as I've had another arthritic flare which has been really frustrating. Aside from the pain and associated insomnia, a flare up tends to restrict my movements and ability to do simple everyday things from walking to taking a shower. As a result I haven't been able to post any Japan vlogs even though I have a backlog of video footage accumulated. It wasn't until I started my YouTube channel that I realised just how much work goes into producing a 10-15min vlog, esp. when you work at a snail's pace like me courtesy of my arthritic hands!
The good news is that I seem to be over the worst of it and back in the land of the living.... and Instagram :o). Me not posting on Instagram is usually a testament as to how bad my flare up has been!
The other bit of news that I have to share with you is that hubby and I are moving. Our little adventure in Japan is coming to an end soon. We are not yet sure where the next chapter of life is going to take us, but what we do know is that we will be spending a week in Singapore (our previous home) in June, before we head back to our real home, the UK for a bit.
These days we are immersed in bubble wrap and shipping boxes as we pack up our lives for the second time in 12 months, and try to sell furniture that we only just bought a few months ago! We are also trying to make the most of the time we have left in Japan and recently spent two days at Mount Fuji which was a fantastic little trip. I have lots of exciting vlogs to share with you over the coming months but things might be a bit slow. When I'm having a good health day I'll be wanting to spend it outside enjoying the last bit of Japan, rather than sitting in my bed editing vlogs, as I'm sure you'll understand :o).
We are very much looking forward to our stay in Singapore. After the stress of packing and sorting everything out in Japan, we will be in need of some downtime. Also it will be lovely to catch up with our old friends and eat lots and lots of fruit ;o).
On a final note, whilst living with chronic illnesses can be soul destroying at times, it's not without it's perks.... yes perks. Thanks to my pain induced insomnia I was awake at 4.30am to watch this breathtakingly beautifulsunrise - these photos are completely unedited! It almost reduced me to tears and made my heart swell up with so much gratitude for the beauty my eyes see. In that moment, for just a short while, I forgot all about my pain :o).
A few days ago hubby and I made the most of a national holiday and headed out for a relaxing day by the waterfront at Yokohama Bay. Our first stop was the Red Brick Warehouse for some breakfast.
Red Brick Warehouse - the larger one
The Red Brick Warehouse is a collection of two warehouses, over 100 years old, that are iconic landmarks of Yokohama. In the olden days Yokohama was a big port city and the Red Brick Warehouses were the customs buildings. Nowadays they are full of retail stores, bars, restaurants and a banquet hall.
The larger Red Brick Warehouse has a two storey balcony which is west
facing, making it a great place to relax with a drink and watch the
sunset :o).
West facing balconies for a sunset view
There is a large outdoor space in between the two buildings that is used
for festivals and events. It's where the New Year's Eve fireworks were,
if you ever saw my very first vlog ;o). On this particular day there
was a German Beer Garden Festival, as well as fun things for children to do. There are often bicycle rickshaws along the main road by the Red Brick Warehouse where you can pay to be driven around the surrounding area. It's a good way of giving your feet a rest whilst still taking in the sights. Many of the rickshaw owners don't speak much English but they have a map with the different routes and prices.
Bicycle Rickshaw
For breakfast we headed to Bills, an insanely popular Australian restaurant by the Chef Bill Granger. Such is it's popularity that it is common to have queues that are 2-3hrs long...I'm not kidding! We arrived for when it opened and still had to queue for 45mins! That's pretty good going when it comes to queuing at Bills.
Green Smoothie for me & Bill's Beets for hubby
My breakfast of scrambled eggs, avocado, halloumi and bread
Hubby's breakfast of sweetcorn & bell pepper fritters with halloumi and avocado salsa
The food is fantastic and very much the kind of food hubby and I enjoy with fresh fruit juices and smoothies, lots of light, healthy, nutritious and tasty food. You can see more in the video below.
After fueling our stomachs, we walked along the water front promenade to Osanbashi Pier as a cruise ship was coming in. Being the engineering geek that he is, my hubby loves watching the cruise ships come in to dock ;o).
Cruise ship coming into Osanbashi Pier
The views from the roof top garden of Osanbashi Pier are pretty impressive. You can see all of Minato Mirai 21 including iconic buildings such as Landmark Tower, Queens Towers A, B & C and Cosmo World Ferris Wheel, as well as the Red Brick Warehouse, Bay Bridge and Yokohama Marine Tower. You can walk along the water front promenade all the way to Yamashita Park.
Minato Mirai 21 skyline
Bay Bridge
Yokohama Marine Tower & Yamashita Park
On this particular day we spotted Mount Fuji in the distance. We had no idea that we could see Mount Fuji from Osanbashi Pier. As you'll see from the above video, I couldn't pick it up all that well on my vlogging camera, but at least you now know where to look, if you're ever at Osanbashi Pier :o).
Rooftop garden of OsanBashi Pier with cruise ships on either side
Osanbashi Pier & Bay Bridge in the background
The pier building itself has a very unique structure with an underlying nautical theme. Its different decks and layers are designed using floor boards and grass to resemble rolling waves. There are often events taking place at the pier and on this particular day there were several quirky food vans.
Quirky food van
Walking around the pier is free and a great way to relax in the sun. Hubby and I got an ice cream and sat in some chairs, soaking in the sun whilst being kept cool by the gentle bay breeze.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour around some of Yokohama's tourist attractions :o).
