Brave or Foolhardy

We moved to Hakone today from Tokyo and so it was up sharpish with breakfast in our room. I have discovered the best drink ever, Chinese pear juice, it’s the best! Just so much fragrance and flavour and massively refreshing.

After leaving a spacious 85 mins to get to the station for the inaugural Davies shinkansen trip I managed to blow a significant portion of it going in the wrong entrance on the subway and cancelling all our cards.  The stress was palpable.  We eventually got through to Ueno and made the change to overground trains to Tokyo central station.  However the train was not leaving for 10 mins leaving only 13 mins to navigate to the bullet train. Have you ever seen five stressed jet lagged English folk move like a blur in 38 degree heat?  Now you have.  We boarded the train with minutes to go and got sat down.  It was a class 700 Komada 711 train to Shin-Osaka but we were only going 3 stops 30 mins to Odawara.  Here we got off and bought Hakone Passes to enjoy the highlands activities and sort train fares for the region.  We are now checked in at Hakone and have left our luggage before a steep rail ascent with 3 switchbacks as the height is too much for the train to do in one go.  It reminds us of Ecuador and Peru.

A quick stop for more curry after the cable car overlooking a sulphurous crater half way up the volcano and a craft cider called. Lots of local breweries to try the wares from. Following the cable car as it is called here we went on a cable car as we would call it (here called the rope walk). And immediately after that a cruise. Everything is back to back and is included in the Hakone free pass. Finally a bus back to check in proper and what do you know, we are on TV! They are filming segments about Hakone and they must have thought let’s grab the 5 sweatiest Brits who have just stomped up a Hill in 95% humidity and film them saying “Hakone is number 1!”

This is a super posh hotel and comes with a welcome reception from literally all the staff, drinks, a tour of the rooms and then each has its private hot spring bath overlooking the mountain. THIS is the holiday bit and it is fabulous. Jenni had a snooze and I stayed in the hot spring for as long as I could without passing out. We will be collected for dinner and are wearing traditional dress. This could be fabulous, hilarious or humiliating, maybe all three 🙂

Today was much like the rest in that it was insanely hot. The “feel” temperature taking into account humidity and wind was 50 C. So while we were only in 38-39 for real it was still oppressive. So we had a march on to do the walking tour in the morning, stop back for food and to pick up Luke ready for booked Aquarium tickets. The walking tour was actually one of my favourite bits because you get to see the not so visible nooks and crannies. The old mixed with the new and the diversity. Where fashion follows trend which more often has not followed history.
Here are some of the pictures from the walking tour. From some of the oldest streets to the newest architecture it was what I imagined Tokyo would be like. Sadly the Samurai museum, the observatory and the park were shut on the tour. No reason, just not there or closed.

In the afternoon we journeyed back to Sunshine City mall and got the museum-itis that always comes with ambling round somewhere. However on the list of aquariums it is definitely up there. The characterful seals, sealions and fish were susperstars. We all loved it. Following the aquarium it was Pokémon Centre and a break for coffee before a Katsu curry of giant proportions. On the way to Sunshine city we exchanged our rail passes and booked on to the Tokaido Shinkansen ready to go to the highland (relatively) resort of Hakone. Early start folks so the jet lag will strike but hope to take some train photos and then take in some spa action. After feeling like the fish in the first photo for a couple of days we’re are aiming for the chill of the second, both courtesy of the aquarium!

We chose perhaps the hottest day to find out a bit more about what Tokyo has to offer. Also to learn a few lessons about booking things. We started off grabbing some breakfast out before heading to Sunshine City where we had hoped to fix the shopping bug and visit the aquarium. Sadly the heat set light to our shopping as we just didn’t have the energy and when we enquired about the aquarium after queuing we established that all tickets for today were sold out. So much for plan A. So we reverted to visiting the imperial palace and gardens where the heat was turned up to 11! We basically had to hide in shade and take some photos as it was simply unbearable in the business district.

The afternoon was more successful. We ventured to a pre-booked all senses immersive experience called TeamLABS. It was fab and a real break from the norm and the heat. Part of it was the sharing of a flame above that has been transported by guests to over 400k destinations around the world. We will bring ours back to Hampshire. Following that was a lovely traditional “Japanese” meal where we were only accompanied by tourists 🙂

What we did do eventually was book the aquarium for tomorrow and once that was done Susie and I dashed out in the slightly milder evening air to hit the Anime capital for Otaku. We geeked out in front of the myriad shops and signs and people congregating at this late hour.

For me quite an inauspicious start as I managed to get dehydrated and then sick in the hours up to the 9am scheduled bike ride. Jenni took over with the 10% contribution I would have made and had to sort the directions, a train journey, topping up contactless travel cards and keep up the spirits of three jet lagged children. I slept.

The bike ride was fab though and while it was in the mid 30s temperature wise, the team put in a sterling effort. Tokyo was made for cyclists. You can cycle on pavements, roads, up one way roads the wrong way etc. Overall people are just more geared up for it. We have seen so few cars. It is like the whole of the city is how London now is with the ULEZ zone.

Below we have the entrance to the Atago shrine, Zojoji temple garden with figurines representing children lost through miscarriage and more recently prayers for healthy children.

This afternoon, we then grabbed a bite at a restaurant where commonly you enter the dish you want on a ticket machine in the lobby and then pay. You hand the ticket to the chef and then they bring it to you when it is ready. We have so many etiquette pieces to learn that sometimes they overlap themselves and you find yourself simultaneously in the way, not doing the right thing, bringing the restaurant to shut down status with 5 people. It is amazing we got any food at all but everyone was trying so hard to help and we were so grateful to finally eat something.

After lunch we went on a cruise up the river. A company that the cycling team spotted on the way back. It was another “guess the script” occasion but we did eventually get on the right boat. The sky tree was a popular photo subject from the river.

The temptation to go back to the hotel was strong with the people who didn’t sleep off their sickness but we managed to cajole everyone into a visit to the sky tree tower. Some waiting and shopping and waiting later we got in the cramped lifts and were treated to a spectacular sunset overlooking Mount Fuji. We were so expecting not to see it at all, so to see it on our first day suggested the holiday has gotten off to a fabulous start. We grabbed some food in the food court on the way out and mulled over the day. Some real tired and sore folk now so a train back to the hotel completed the festivities.

The sunrise on the morning of our flight to the land of the rising sun was spectacular. The advantage of getting up earlier to reduce jet lag resulted in a very prompt departure. We are checked in and having a nibble of breakfast in the lounge. So far so good.

A quick update on some of the things we have coming up on the trip….

Cycle tour of Tokyo – tomorrow morning!
Cooking lesson in Kyoto
Team lab in Tokyo
Spa in Hakone


We will be taking in the Kyoto skyline, visiting the memorial in Hiroshima, seeing the Osaka fireworks festival and getting to almost everywhere by Shinkansen.

It feels like we have less than half the luggage of everyone else here today. I don’t think the lounge was expecting a whole family. The army of single road warriors had an air of disapproval wafting across. No speaking is the norm isn’t it, but is it because that is respectful or because people don’t want to talk to other people before they fly. Maybe it was because it was 07:00.

We were undeterred however and as the crescendo of work life is deadened by elevator Muzak in the lounge and a glass of bubbly is duelling with a handsome breakfast brains appear to be repairing themselves. Children who have hardly said a word are remembering the art of communication and quality time together as a family. We need this!

Next stop Abu Dhabi for a plane changeover.

It feels almost unreal that we are in the final stages of getting ready to go to Japan. It seems to have taken ages and then, all at once it is upon us. We have planned a packed agenda for the couple of weeks and over the course of the trip we will be posting updates here to let you know what is going on.