Japan Familiarisation trip review by Cathy Hearne, Senior Travel Consultant

2011-08-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

This trip started perfectly as I was flying in business class with All Nippon Airlines!

This is the best business class that I have ever experienced. The service was impeccable, as was the food – I was served fillet steak, perfectly cooked which amazed me considering it was being served on an aeroplane! On arrival, we had pre-arranged airport coach-link transfers that dropped us off just outside our hotel – the Keio Plaza, in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. This is a very good 4 star hotel, offering tastefully decorated and spacious rooms (very large when you consider this is Japan!), in a convenient location just 5 minutes walk from Shinjuku station and just across the road from the Tokyo Tourist Information Centre.

There are plenty of shops, restaurants and Japanese style pubs within walking distance of the hotel, and there are now lots of signs written in English to help tourists with getting around independently.

On our first day’s sightseeing, we experienced a city tour by bus. We visited the Edo Tokyo museum and Sumo Museum where we learned about the history of Tokyo and also about their most famous sport! After a very nice hotpot lunch, we visited a Traditional Japanese Ryokan: a local style of accommodation where your meals are included and in your private room with en-suite facilities you sleep on Tatami mats (like futon mattresses). It’s a great experience for someone who likes to immerse themselves in the local culture and experience something a bit different from a big international hotel. Then We took a stroll in Akihabara, the mecca of animation, where lots of anime specialist stores and high tech electronics shops can also be found. Next we were taken to a Geisha performance, a traditional Japanese dance by real Geishas in their full traditional dress! We were then very honoured to have the Geishas escort us whilst we strolled through the markets at Asakusa, attracting a lot of attention from locals and tourists alike – giving us a little glimpse of what it must be like to be famous and attract the paparazzi!

Our day was rounded off nicely with a lovely dinner cruise around Tokyo Bay!

The next day our tour included a visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market where we were able to see all the weird and wonderful ingredients that could be purchased to make all kinds of traditional Japanese food. Next we visited Hama-rikyu gardens, an extensive park with a teahouse situated on stilts over a lake at its centre, where we participated in a tea ceremony with real Japanese green tea!

We then enjoyed a Sushi lunch at a trendy local restaurant called Tamazushi. After lunch we continued on our tour bus to the popular Ginza district, where we saw many designer shops and upmarket hotels; the Kabuki theatre and the Imperial Palace can also be found in this area. After a stroll through Ginza, we visited Meihi Jingu Shrine where the Meiji emperor is enshrined, and where we were advised you can often see Shinto wedding parties – a spectacular sight as the traditional costumes they wear are very beautiful. This is a lovely serene spot and a great photo opportunity, especially if you are lucky enough to be there at the same time as a Shinto wedding party! Afterwards we visited my favourite spot in Tokyo – Harajuku. This is a very trendy shopping district where young Japanese ladies come to buy Harajuku fashion. You can often see these girls dressed up to the nines in their full on Harajuku costumes, being photographed by many admirers, looking like characters straight out of an anime film! Harajuku is a place to see and be seen, it’s definitely a spot to visit if you like to people watch, or if you have any interest in fashion! In the evening, we were shown how to purchase a ‘suica’ card (like an Oyster card) and how to use that to travel around on Tokyo’s extensive subway system. We took the subway to Rappongi - a recently developed up and coming area of Tokyo, where we were taken for dinner at a top end restaurant: Takeyabu (a Michelin star Soba Noodle restaurant). The food there was definitely unusual and very interesting! We were served things such as a seaweed dish with the consistency of algae, and rather controversially: Whale meat! A very educational experience. After dinner we were taken to an observation platform at the top of Rappongi Hills for a night time city view of Tokyo. Quite spectacular!

The following day was a free day, and I took the opportunity to use my suica card to explore the city on my own and re-visit some of my favourite spots. Tokyo is a very easy city to explore independently. The subway maps are well labelled in English and it is quite a safe city due to the polite and respectful nature of Japanese culture.

On our last day of sightseeing we went to the Ghibli Museum in the Mitaka area. This is an amazing place to visit for lovers of Ghibli and/or anime films. There are some beautiful displays of artwork used for Ghibli’s animation, along with some amazing displays, sculptures and multimedia experiences. A great day out for anyone young or old, and as I had not really heard of Ghibli before this visit, it has introduced me to a whole new range of films that I am really looking forward to watching as soon as I can get my hands on the dvds!

Tokyo really surprised me as I am not really a lover of cities – preferring the countryside and seaside for my holidays, however this trip was one of the most enjoyable I have ever been on! The atmosphere in Tokyo is so vibrant and exciting, the people are so pleasant, the food exotic, and the shopping is paradise! I can’t wait to visit Tokyo again, and next time I shall aim to visit in the spring to see the beautiful cherry blossoms I have heard so much about.

Hotels inspected:

Sadachiyo Ryokan

Four Seasons Marunouchi

Park hotel Tokyo

Park Hyatt Tokyo

Keio Plaza

EASTRAVEL

Japan Familiarisation trip review by Cathy Hearne, Senior Travel Consultant