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Fat And Furious: A Gluttonous Tour Of Japan (SQ Suites, ANA 787, RC Kyoto and more!)

Fat And Furious: A Gluttonous Tour Of Japan (SQ Suites, ANA 787, RC Kyoto and more!)

Old Apr 23, 2015, 8:29 am
  #46  
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Originally Posted by chongl
The food centric view of this report is so awesome
Thanks, chongl! Glad to see that we have the same priorities in life

Originally Posted by tentseller
What is the point of travelling if you don't try all the different new food experience?
Couldn't agree more
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Old Apr 23, 2015, 10:32 am
  #47  
 
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Excellent reporting, your writing is very good, as are the photos.

I am with you regarding points for hotels. We ended up at the Conrad in Macau last summer and found that our little status via credit card went a long way. We got quite the upgrade and recognition. You would have thought we were important guests.
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Old Apr 23, 2015, 10:56 am
  #48  
 
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How do you like it?
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Old Apr 23, 2015, 2:21 pm
  #49  
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Funaya Ryokan In Matsuyama

Since we'd be staying in Western hotel chains elsewhere else, in Matsuyama we figured that it would be a great chance to try a ryokan, or Japanese guest house.

My 4 years of high school Japanese language studies paid off since I could read the hotel sign which was only written in Japanese. If it weren't for these skills, we may have never found the hotel.

OK that may be a stretch, since Google Maps also announced that "you have arrived at Funaya" as we walked up to the building.



Funaya has a mix of room types, and we purposely booked a hybrid Western/Japanese room since I had read many general ryokan reviews complaining about how uncomfortable it was to sleep on the tatami mats. So the beds would be a nice backup in case my back didn't agree with the hard floors.





Next to the beds was the tatami area which was initially setup for lounging. As we got settled, some tea and snacks were brought in.





The room had a balcony which provided views over the Dogo-town area.



We literally didn't use the shower or tub over the next 3 days, not because we are disgusting human beings, but...well more on that later.



And the standard, high-tech Japanese toilet.



The hotel asked us if we'd like the Western beds or tatami beds setup at turndown service, and we decided to give the tatami a shot. A light futon was laid down to provide some cushioning.

I guess it all comes down to preference, and in general I do prefer a firm mattress, but I slept like a rock. It was by far the best sleep that I had on the entire trip.



We came to Matsuyama to unwind from hectic city life, and that's exactly what we did. Our stay was so relaxing and peaceful. Throughout the day we'd stroll through the hotel's Japanese garden.





Unfortunately the cherry blossoms hadn't started blooming.





Around the hotel and throughout the broader Dogo-town area which included neighboring shops and restaurants, it's perfectly acceptable and even encouraged to wear the Japanese yukata. Think of it as a thinner and lighter robe that is basically like wearing pajamas. Looking back, I don't think that I wore a proper pair of pants for those 3 days.





Next to the lobby there were a series of tea and cake shops, and a decorative room which, if I read the sign correctly, the royal family used when they stayed in the area.



But here's the main reason that you visit Matsuyama - the onsen, or hot springs. There was no need to visit the famous Dogo onsen, since Funaya had great facilities with 2 separate onsens that were swapped in the morning/night for men and women.

Let me tell you that onsen-life is the best life. Throughout the day we'd head to the onsen, and since we were already wearing yukata, could be naked and ready to go in under 30 seconds. And yes, you go into the onsen completely naked, which can be a little awkward at first. But even as the fat kid who used to wear a t-shirt in the swimming pool, after a while I got used to being stark naked around a bunch of strangers.

It also took a couple tries, but I also finally learned proper onsen technique. You start with a full shower while sitting on the wooden block. Since the hot springs don't have any chlorine (only natural sulfur), the shower is important to maintain proper hygiene. Since we were showering like this 3-4 times a day, there was no reason to use the one we had in our room.



Each of the 2 onsens had 3 different hot baths to choose from. From what I could tell they were all the same, just with varying locations and sizes.



In particular I enjoyed the outdoor one, since the onsen was so hot that it felt amazing to jump out of the water to air dry in the cool evening breeze. The first couple times I had been showering again after my onsen, but apparently that's a no-no since you're supposed to leave the minerals on your skin.



There was a restaurant in the hotel where breakfast was served, and each morning we had the choice of Japanese or Western breakfast. It was quite a bit of food, with no complaints from me, and of similar quality to the Conrad's Japanese breakfast. Other than breakfast, we ate all of our meals around town.



We loved our stay at Funaya, and would highly recommend making a stop here on your next trip to Japan in order to escape the hustle and bustle of the more popular tourist destinations.
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Old Apr 23, 2015, 2:33 pm
  #50  
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Originally Posted by farbster
Excellent reporting, your writing is very good, as are the photos.

I am with you regarding points for hotels. We ended up at the Conrad in Macau last summer and found that our little status via credit card went a long way. We got quite the upgrade and recognition. You would have thought we were important guests.
Thanks, farbster! Funny, we had a similar experience at Conrad Macau as well, they treated us like royalty! Maybe it was in hopes that we would gamble more.

Originally Posted by Beven12S
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How do you like it?
Uggh, have that tune stuck in my head now
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Old Apr 23, 2015, 9:25 pm
  #51  
 
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I still can't get used to being around naked in the public bathhouses in Korea. Not sure if I will visit these onsens. Maybe I will wear a Speedo so I feel semi-naked. lol
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Old Apr 23, 2015, 10:43 pm
  #52  
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Originally Posted by sfoactuary
... For some reason, I found the departure board fascinating and really enjoyed watching it flicker with updates.


MALEV flight 9772 to Narita?! Surely that flight has long departed!
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Old Apr 24, 2015, 5:02 am
  #53  
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Great pics! Both the food and ryokan. One of my fondest travel memories is from April 2009, when I was visiting Japan for the first time. Lying in outdoor onsen near Niigata, looking at cherry blossoms and feeling completely relaxed.
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Old Apr 24, 2015, 6:35 am
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interesting choice to go all the way to Shikoku. how did you get there from Tokyo? so you did not even check out the dogo onsen?
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Old Apr 24, 2015, 8:38 am
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Originally Posted by mkjr
interesting choice to go all the way to Shikoku. how did you get there from Tokyo?
I would be curious about this as well.
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Old Apr 24, 2015, 3:47 pm
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Jimgotkp
I still can't get used to being around naked in the public bathhouses in Korea. Not sure if I will visit these onsens. Maybe I will wear a Speedo so I feel semi-naked. lol
There was a small hand towel available to use inside the onsen, and most people made a make-shift speed with it when walking around

Originally Posted by jdtravels
MALEV flight 9772 to Narita?! Surely that flight has long departed!
I've never heard of that airline before, and some quick Googling shows it went out of business in 2012!? Really curious about this now, some sort of running joke?

Originally Posted by SPBanker
Great pics! Both the food and ryokan. One of my fondest travel memories is from April 2009, when I was visiting Japan for the first time. Lying in outdoor onsen near Niigata, looking at cherry blossoms and feeling completely relaxed.
Thanks, SPBanker! Totally agree about the relaxed feeling from onsen and cherry blossoms.

Originally Posted by mkjr
interesting choice to go all the way to Shikoku. how did you get there from Tokyo? so you did not even check out the dogo onsen?
Originally Posted by arlflyer
I would be curious about this as well.
I'll have more detail on this in the next post, but in short we flew from Tokyo (~1 hour) vs. a 7-hour train ride. We definitely checked out the Dogo Onsen area but didn't feel compelled to go inside and use it.
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Old Apr 24, 2015, 9:56 pm
  #57  
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Originally Posted by sfoactuary
I've never heard of that airline before, and some quick Googling shows it went out of business in 2012!? Really curious about this now, some sort of running joke?
Personally, I suspect it was flight MH9772 (Malaysia Airlines), codesharing on ?JL, but someone accidentally read that as MA (Malev) instead. Haha.

Oh wait... Google indicates MH9772 as going NRT-LAX instead! Wrong direction...
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 1:53 am
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Originally Posted by jdtravels
Personally, I suspect it was flight MH9772 (Malaysia Airlines), codesharing on ?JL, but someone accidentally read that as MA (Malev) instead. Haha.

Oh wait... Google indicates MH9772 as going NRT-LAX instead! Wrong direction...
The flight time seems to indicate it is a JL61 flight which I suspect Malev once had a code share on. Maybe no one ever updated the display to recognise their demise.

Fabulous report on one of my favourite countries to visit. Thanks for posting sfoactuary ^

Last edited by Moomba; Apr 25, 2015 at 2:03 am
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 11:10 am
  #59  
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Originally Posted by jdtravels
Personally, I suspect it was flight MH9772 (Malaysia Airlines), codesharing on ?JL, but someone accidentally read that as MA (Malev) instead. Haha.

Oh wait... Google indicates MH9772 as going NRT-LAX instead! Wrong direction...
Originally Posted by Moomba
The flight time seems to indicate it is a JL61 flight which I suspect Malev once had a code share on. Maybe no one ever updated the display to recognise their demise.

Fabulous report on one of my favourite countries to visit. Thanks for posting sfoactuary ^
Ah, nice detective work, jdtravels and Moomba! Learn something new everyday on FT ^
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Old Apr 26, 2015, 6:42 pm
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Living The Onsen Life In Matsuyama

The most common question we received about our trip to Japan was "which cities are you visiting?" And while most people expected to hear Tokyo and Kyoto, we usually got a puzzled look when we mentioned the 3rd city on our itinerary, Matsuyama. Matsuyama is the largest city and capital of Ehime Prefecture located on the island of Shikoku and is know for onsen, or hot springs, and udon noodles.

The follow-up question to the first one was then "why Matsuyama?", for which I gave the douchey response, "why not, Matsuyama?"

I'm just kidding, although I think I did that once out of the many times we were asked, and in my defense that person had already been annoying me. The real answer is that we wanted to escape the crowds and enjoy a slower pace of life in smaller, less-traveled destination.

From Tokyo it would have been a 7-hour train ride to Matsuyama, so instead we opted to fly. The 1-hour domestic flight was a pricey $250, so instead I used 4,500 Avios for the Japan Airlines ticket.

We landed through a thick layer of island mist.



Despite being the capital city of Ehime, Matsuyama airport was a true "island airport" in the sense that it felt relatively deserted. In fact, there were only 4 gates in the entire airport (A-D) to handle the handful of flights per day.

We pulled up next to the sibling of the ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner that we'd be flying home next week.



At Matsuyama airport, we jumped on the airport bus which took us to Dogo Onsen station and from there, it was just a 5-minute walk to the hotel. Compared to the glitz and glamour of Tokyo, it felt like we had been transported back in time.





There was a Hogwarts-like train parked near the station, and to our surprise, it was actually operational. Every few hours it would go for a spin around town.



The clock tower in the middle of Dogo town would chime and light up on the hour with a performance of wooden figurines.



As soon as we stepped off the bus, we heard the clamoring of drums and realized that we were literally in the middle of some sort of huge festival.



As I mentioned in my hotel review of Funaya, we absolutely loved living the "onsen life", which I'd sum up in 4 words - eat, sleep, onsen, repeat. I spent those few days in a constantly relaxed, almost hypnotic daze.

But while I would have loved to spend the entire day in the onsen, you can only dip your body in and out of 150 degree water so many times before you start to feel cooked. Our hotel was just 5 minutes away from the Dogo-town area, and this became our go-to destination for food and shopping.

The centerpiece of Dogo-town is Dogo Onsen, which is the oldest bath house in all of Japan.



The festivities continued in this area, and it was awesome to just sit back and watch the show. Everybody seemed to be having an absolute blast.





Next to Dogo Onsen was the main shopping center, which featured about 50 stores in an L-shaped indoor mall.



We loved walking through and perusing all the different stores, and found some interesting food and snacks.



And some beautiful arts and crafts - we were a bit stunned at how expensive some of the wooden carving sets were. For example, the ones below were nearly $1,000 USD.



And we had to jump out of the way a couple times as the festivities carried on inside the shopping mall. I was tempted to jump on, but was worried that my extra weight would be the straw that broke the camel's back.



Eventually we got around to eating, and what else would we be having for our first meal in Matsuyama? While the udon here was really good, I'd be lying if I said that I could distinguish it from other udon noodles I've had elsewhere.





The restaurant had a great view of Dogo Onsen, and we enjoyed a front-row seat of the action.



Eventually this guy made his way out and caught our eye, what the...!?



Still have no clue what this was all about, but we had a few laughs trying to guess.



The festivities carried on into the night, and we caught one last performance before heading back to the hotel.



But not before grabbing a late-night snack at the food stands that were setup near Dogo onsen. There were several choices, but it was a no-brainer as to what I'd order, since Japanese fried chicken was one of them.



The next day my wife pried me out of the onsen to further explore the city, starting with a trek over to Matsuyama Castle. There was a chair lift that took you up the hill, but we decided to skip the $3 lift and walk since it didn't look too intimidating. We wondered who would actually need to take the lift vs. walking, until we saw several Asian ladies wearing high heels, and it all made sense.



As we were exploring, we pretended that we were storming the castle like a scene out of Game of Thrones.





From the top of the castle there were beautiful views of the city.



And some interesting displays inside, including samurai gear from different eras.



And these spears and weapons. I wouldn't want to be at the wrong end of those spears on the top.



After visiting the castle we walked into the middle of town and scoped out places to eat. With some help from Google, we stumbled upon a small ramen restaurant called Hyota. The food here was really, really good, and I'd give it 5 stars (or slurps).



Just my luck, next door to the ramen shop was a Mister Donut. I had walked by a few but hadn't managed to stop in one until now. What I really liked about the donuts here was how fluffy they were compared to traditional donuts.



Oranges are really popular in Matsuyama, and there were tons of specialty stores selling orange hand jelly. One of the main brands was 10 TEN, and there were about 3-4 flavors to choose from, ranging from sour to super sweet. We fell in love with this stuff, and were buying them every chance we got.



Our food tour continued in Mitsukoshi department store, where we headed straight down to the basement level to satisfy a fish craving with some fried fish and spooled fish on a stick.



And then it was dessert time - green tea parfait.



Since we had gotten such an early start, it was still early afternoon and we were ready to head back to the hotel to rest, and of course, to onsen. After a light nap we headed back to Dogo-town for dinner where we found an izakaya restauarnt, and ordered up an assortment of food in including various types of fish and tofu.



And this amazing eel with rice.



Our last morning we headed over to one of the temples that is part of the 88-temple pilgrimage that spans Shikoku.



We actually ran into several people who were in the middle of the pilgrimage, as evidenced by the huge backpacks they were carrying around. These stairs led to the next temple on the route.





Within the temple there was a cave that led to a huge golden dome.





And then back to the hotel for one last onsen before leaving town. We lucked out with a clear view as our flight took off for Osaka, where we were about to spend 4 amazing days in Kyoto.

Looking back, while we certainly enjoyed Tokyo and Kyoto, I'd have to say that our time in Matsuyama was the highlight of the trip, and I'm really glad we found a way to work it into the itinerary.


Last edited by sfoactuary; Apr 26, 2015 at 6:51 pm
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