In and Around Tokyo in January
Oct 19, 2018, 4:46 pm
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In and Around Tokyo in January
Despite having just visited a few Japanese cities less than three months prior, I felt the familiar itch to take a faraway trip again. Unlike my previous trip to Japan which was spent at times with three other people (my parents and my GF), this would be a solo trip focusing on Tokyo and the surrounding area.
As often with these trips to East Asia, I left work a little early in order to catch a flight down to my connecting city, which in this case was Los Angeles.
Children’s play area on the D Concourse of Portland International Airport
End of the concourse
Gate D7, where my flight down to LAX boarded from
Since F did not cost much more than Y on the short flight down to LAX, I opted for it but was well aware that DL’s service on an early evening flight merely consisted of a few passes of the snack basket and a couple glasses of your beverage of choice. Despite the rain out of PDX (nothing new for us, of course), the flight was smooth once we levelled off at cruising altitude.
Rainy night at PDX
IFE consisted of red wine and an excellent book, Michelle Tea’s “Black Wave”. I believe that I could’ve streamed television shows and/or films to my iPad but wasn’t interested in cramming in another film before a long TPAC flight
As I had booked this as four separate tickets (PDX - LAX, LAX - HND, HND - KIX, KIX - LAX - PDX), I had to claim my baggage on arrival at LAX and walk it over to the TBIT to get it checked to HND. The security lines at TBIT were horrendous at this hour with many widebodies heading off to East Asia, so I walked over to Terminal 4 in order to use the much shorter TSA Pre-Check line. However, there was an issue with the boarding pass on my phone, so I ended up needing to walk back to the NH counters in TBIT for a printed boarding pass. Thankfully, after I tried again over at Terminal 4, I was able to go through security without issue and made my way back to TBIT via the airside corridor.
One interesting note is that while I was in Terminal 4 and deciding if I felt like dining there or in TBIT, I noticed a tall gentleman walk out of the Admirals Club. It turned out to be professional tennis player John Isner, who was heading down to New Zealand/Australia to play in some warm up tournaments prior to the Australian Open.
LAX Terminal Three arrivals level
T3 baggage claim
Terminal Four, which is where I went through security at LAX, despite flying out of TBIT
Not the most common visitor to LAX
While I think that TBIT is one of the most beautiful airport terminals in the country, I am frustrated by the food selection there. All the food outlets seem to be expensive or at the very least, a poor value for money. Having decided against spending thirty dollars or so on a “fancy” quesadilla and drink, I ended up having KFC for dinner. To no one’s surprise, it was gross and highly unsatisfactory.
My flight over to Tokyo was on my favourite TPAC flight to Japan, ANA’s late night/early morning service from Los Angeles to Tokyo Haneda. I love this flight because it allows me to work almost a full day before I need to head to Los Angeles in order to catch this flight. While others don’t like arriving at five in the morning, I appreciate being able to have an extra half day in Japan.
JA789A in the Star Wars BB-8 livery operated as NH 105 on this morning
Upon boarding, one could hear the “Imperial March” playing through the cabin, which was a nice touch. The Star Wars theming also extended to the headrest cover on the seat, along with a commemorative plastic card that was handed out by the FAs that served as proof that one flew on this particular plane. I certainly am no Star Wars fan but it was nice that they went beyond just painting the aircraft in a Star Wars livery.
Star Wars headrest cover
Service on this flight consists of a snack box shortly after departure followed by a hot meal around two hours out from Tokyo. Otherwise, the cabin is left dark due to the late departure time.
Parmesan cheese-flavoured focaccia sandwich (smoked chicken). Basically not worth eating.
Western option for breakfast, seafood and orecchiette gratin with accompaniments of fruit/feta cheese/prosciutto, udon noodles and strawberry yogurt
As per usual, we were one of the first flights to arrive at Haneda but unlike my previous times on this flight, there was a long wait at immigration due to the earlier arrival of a flight from Hong Kong. Unlike my more recent visits to Haneda, I wasn’t headed off to a different city afterwards, so the wait wasn’t particularly annoying to me.
Welcome to Japan
As often with these trips to East Asia, I left work a little early in order to catch a flight down to my connecting city, which in this case was Los Angeles.
Children’s play area on the D Concourse of Portland International Airport
End of the concourse
Gate D7, where my flight down to LAX boarded from
Since F did not cost much more than Y on the short flight down to LAX, I opted for it but was well aware that DL’s service on an early evening flight merely consisted of a few passes of the snack basket and a couple glasses of your beverage of choice. Despite the rain out of PDX (nothing new for us, of course), the flight was smooth once we levelled off at cruising altitude.
Rainy night at PDX
IFE consisted of red wine and an excellent book, Michelle Tea’s “Black Wave”. I believe that I could’ve streamed television shows and/or films to my iPad but wasn’t interested in cramming in another film before a long TPAC flight
As I had booked this as four separate tickets (PDX - LAX, LAX - HND, HND - KIX, KIX - LAX - PDX), I had to claim my baggage on arrival at LAX and walk it over to the TBIT to get it checked to HND. The security lines at TBIT were horrendous at this hour with many widebodies heading off to East Asia, so I walked over to Terminal 4 in order to use the much shorter TSA Pre-Check line. However, there was an issue with the boarding pass on my phone, so I ended up needing to walk back to the NH counters in TBIT for a printed boarding pass. Thankfully, after I tried again over at Terminal 4, I was able to go through security without issue and made my way back to TBIT via the airside corridor.
One interesting note is that while I was in Terminal 4 and deciding if I felt like dining there or in TBIT, I noticed a tall gentleman walk out of the Admirals Club. It turned out to be professional tennis player John Isner, who was heading down to New Zealand/Australia to play in some warm up tournaments prior to the Australian Open.
LAX Terminal Three arrivals level
T3 baggage claim
Terminal Four, which is where I went through security at LAX, despite flying out of TBIT
Not the most common visitor to LAX
While I think that TBIT is one of the most beautiful airport terminals in the country, I am frustrated by the food selection there. All the food outlets seem to be expensive or at the very least, a poor value for money. Having decided against spending thirty dollars or so on a “fancy” quesadilla and drink, I ended up having KFC for dinner. To no one’s surprise, it was gross and highly unsatisfactory.
My flight over to Tokyo was on my favourite TPAC flight to Japan, ANA’s late night/early morning service from Los Angeles to Tokyo Haneda. I love this flight because it allows me to work almost a full day before I need to head to Los Angeles in order to catch this flight. While others don’t like arriving at five in the morning, I appreciate being able to have an extra half day in Japan.
JA789A in the Star Wars BB-8 livery operated as NH 105 on this morning
Upon boarding, one could hear the “Imperial March” playing through the cabin, which was a nice touch. The Star Wars theming also extended to the headrest cover on the seat, along with a commemorative plastic card that was handed out by the FAs that served as proof that one flew on this particular plane. I certainly am no Star Wars fan but it was nice that they went beyond just painting the aircraft in a Star Wars livery.
Star Wars headrest cover
Service on this flight consists of a snack box shortly after departure followed by a hot meal around two hours out from Tokyo. Otherwise, the cabin is left dark due to the late departure time.
Parmesan cheese-flavoured focaccia sandwich (smoked chicken). Basically not worth eating.
Western option for breakfast, seafood and orecchiette gratin with accompaniments of fruit/feta cheese/prosciutto, udon noodles and strawberry yogurt
As per usual, we were one of the first flights to arrive at Haneda but unlike my previous times on this flight, there was a long wait at immigration due to the earlier arrival of a flight from Hong Kong. Unlike my more recent visits to Haneda, I wasn’t headed off to a different city afterwards, so the wait wasn’t particularly annoying to me.
Welcome to Japan
Last edited by kevincrumbs; Oct 19, 2018 at 4:52 pm Reason: Formatting
Oct 19, 2018, 4:56 pm
#2
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This trip consisted of me arriving on Saturday morning and departing out of Osaka Kansai International Wednesday evening, so my time was limited to a little over four full days. It was certainly enough time for me to make the trip worthwhile.
My first business was to head over to the area near the hotel, ONE@TOKYO, to either drop off my luggage there or in a locker at the station adjacent to the hotel, Oshiage. In order to accomplish this, I took the Keikyu Airport Line, which then ran as a through service to the Keikyu Main Line and then finally onto the Toei Asakusa Line. It was great to have one train service all the way to Oshiage but the travel time approached an hour as we pulled into Oshiage. Since I was travelling with only one piece of luggage and messenger bag, I was able to stuff all of it into a locker instead having to walk it over to the hotel. I retrieved what I needed for the day and headed over to Ueno Station.
Keikyu platforms, Haneda Airport International Terminal Station
Ginza Line at Asakusa Station with a beautifully liveried Tokyo Metro 1000 series train in the station
Ueno Station, Ginza Line platform. Note the panda motif on the platform doors, which are in reference to the nearby zoo
Ueno Station
Trains on trains
All the E series. Ueno is a major through station for Shinkansen services to the Tohoku area of Japan and Hokkaido
Outdoor platforms. Just a bit of foreshadowing but the weather was mainly spectacular during my visit
So, you may have guessed that I have an interest in trains by some of these photographs. To be fair, my trip to Japan so far had really consisted of either airports or train stations, which would explain the photographs I took. However, I was at Ueno Station in order to head up to, uh, Omiya? I mean, it’d be like flying into LaGuardia and heading to White Plains or flying into Heathrow and heading for Watford. Okay, I think you get the point. In this case, Omiya was my destination for two reasons. One was the presence of The Railway Museum just north of the area surrounding Omiya Station and the other was a small exhibit (more like an opportunity to part me from my money) on the fiftieth anniversary of the Peanuts comics being introduced to Japan, which was being held at the local branch of the Sogo department store. So, off to Omiya we went, except that I arrived so early that neither of the places I wanted to visit there were open yet, so I wandered the area near the station for a bit in order to kill some time.
Omiya Station
Saitama, the city that Omiya is part of, is well known for its support of football, hence the football themed manhole cover
Squirrel statue
Banners of the local football team, Omiya Ardija. I am also working under the assumption that the squirrel is the local mascot of Omiya, period.
Looking at dining options on this Saturday morning
I settled for my old favourite in Japan, a Gyudon with raw egg and pickled ginger at Yoshinoya
To get to The Railway Museum, I took the New Shuttle, which is a driverless people mover that covers the area north of Omiya Station. I was looking forward to checking off yet another railway line in Japan, despite only taking it for the next stop.
Fare gates for the New Shuttle
Steps (not the pop group)
Train exterior
Onboard
Post disembarkation
Why I was here
It’s a short walk over from the Tetsudohakubutsukan Station to The Railway Museum. By the time I arrived at the museum, it had only opened a few minutes prior.
Train mockup with date
My first business was to head over to the area near the hotel, ONE@TOKYO, to either drop off my luggage there or in a locker at the station adjacent to the hotel, Oshiage. In order to accomplish this, I took the Keikyu Airport Line, which then ran as a through service to the Keikyu Main Line and then finally onto the Toei Asakusa Line. It was great to have one train service all the way to Oshiage but the travel time approached an hour as we pulled into Oshiage. Since I was travelling with only one piece of luggage and messenger bag, I was able to stuff all of it into a locker instead having to walk it over to the hotel. I retrieved what I needed for the day and headed over to Ueno Station.
Keikyu platforms, Haneda Airport International Terminal Station
Ginza Line at Asakusa Station with a beautifully liveried Tokyo Metro 1000 series train in the station
Ueno Station, Ginza Line platform. Note the panda motif on the platform doors, which are in reference to the nearby zoo
Ueno Station
Trains on trains
All the E series. Ueno is a major through station for Shinkansen services to the Tohoku area of Japan and Hokkaido
Outdoor platforms. Just a bit of foreshadowing but the weather was mainly spectacular during my visit
So, you may have guessed that I have an interest in trains by some of these photographs. To be fair, my trip to Japan so far had really consisted of either airports or train stations, which would explain the photographs I took. However, I was at Ueno Station in order to head up to, uh, Omiya? I mean, it’d be like flying into LaGuardia and heading to White Plains or flying into Heathrow and heading for Watford. Okay, I think you get the point. In this case, Omiya was my destination for two reasons. One was the presence of The Railway Museum just north of the area surrounding Omiya Station and the other was a small exhibit (more like an opportunity to part me from my money) on the fiftieth anniversary of the Peanuts comics being introduced to Japan, which was being held at the local branch of the Sogo department store. So, off to Omiya we went, except that I arrived so early that neither of the places I wanted to visit there were open yet, so I wandered the area near the station for a bit in order to kill some time.
Omiya Station
Saitama, the city that Omiya is part of, is well known for its support of football, hence the football themed manhole cover
Squirrel statue
Banners of the local football team, Omiya Ardija. I am also working under the assumption that the squirrel is the local mascot of Omiya, period.
Looking at dining options on this Saturday morning
I settled for my old favourite in Japan, a Gyudon with raw egg and pickled ginger at Yoshinoya
To get to The Railway Museum, I took the New Shuttle, which is a driverless people mover that covers the area north of Omiya Station. I was looking forward to checking off yet another railway line in Japan, despite only taking it for the next stop.
Fare gates for the New Shuttle
Steps (not the pop group)
Train exterior
Onboard
Post disembarkation
Why I was here
It’s a short walk over from the Tetsudohakubutsukan Station to The Railway Museum. By the time I arrived at the museum, it had only opened a few minutes prior.
Train mockup with date
Oct 19, 2018, 5:42 pm
#3
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The Railway Museum is the, well, railway museum of JR East. Each of the major railway companies in Japan have their own railway museums, with JR Central’s being in Nagoya and JR West’s being in Kyoto. I had previously visited JR West’s railway museum when it was housed in Osaka but this was my first visit to JR East’s museum, which itself had moved from central Tokyo a decade ago.
There are A LOT of train related photos in this part, so please skip it if railways/trains are not your thing.
Entrance
Rolling Stock Station, the main exhibit hall of The Railway Museum
The museum itself consists of a large exhibit hall of the first floor that mainly focuses on historical locomotives and train carriages, which a smaller section that relates to the Shinkansen. Besides that, there is a working turntable and also a set of imperial carriages.
Class Maite 39 passenger carriage from 1930
JNR Oha 31 carriage interior
Turntable. I managed to catch one of the demonstrations later in the morning, which was pretty neat
Class Kiha 41300 diesel railcar
Hibari
Kumoha 101 electric railcar. I took this one because I was heading for Takao on the next day
Koshien advertisement. Besides trains, I also love baseball (among other things)
Imperial carriages. This was the best I could do behind glass
Sleeper car cabin. Sleeper services used to be much more common in Japan but now the country is only down to two of them, the Sunrise Seto and the Sunrise Izumo, which are really the same service that splits/joins up
Celebrating the start of Shinkansen service (0 Series Shinkansen)
The toilets onboard have also improved through the years, thankfully
0 Series Shinkansen interior
Rolling Stock Station from the second floor
The highlights of the second floor were the Rolling Stock Historical Timeline, which featured a lot of artifacts, and the massive railway diorama
Rolling Stock Historical Timeline
Railway diorama
Curves
Stadium and seating
From the seats
Controls
I like railway modelling in Japan a lot more than back home in the States as the focus in the US tends to be on historical models whereas Japan has more of a focus on present day models. As cool as all of this stuff is, I’m glad it wasn’t something I got into as a child as it’s all very, very spendy.
Also on the second floor was the Railway Cultural Gallery, which covered works of art (music, film, etc.) that was related to railways, along with the Collection Gallery (more artifacts) and a very nice set of stained glass windows
Railway Cultural Gallery
Ticket issuing machine
The highlight for children must’ve been the big Miniature Driving Train area, in which children could drive miniature versions of various JNR & JR East trains. It was still very fun to see and was a nice opportunity to get back outside.
Miniature driving train area
Mini N’EX… aww
Museum exterior
Museum interior
Akita Shinkansen timetable as flooring
I loved The Railway Museum and it made for a nice half day outside of Tokyo. Obviously, this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but all the children there seemed to be having a ball, so this would be a nice family activity.
There are A LOT of train related photos in this part, so please skip it if railways/trains are not your thing.
Entrance
Rolling Stock Station, the main exhibit hall of The Railway Museum
The museum itself consists of a large exhibit hall of the first floor that mainly focuses on historical locomotives and train carriages, which a smaller section that relates to the Shinkansen. Besides that, there is a working turntable and also a set of imperial carriages.
Class Maite 39 passenger carriage from 1930
JNR Oha 31 carriage interior
Turntable. I managed to catch one of the demonstrations later in the morning, which was pretty neat
Class Kiha 41300 diesel railcar
Hibari
Kumoha 101 electric railcar. I took this one because I was heading for Takao on the next day
Koshien advertisement. Besides trains, I also love baseball (among other things)
Imperial carriages. This was the best I could do behind glass
Sleeper car cabin. Sleeper services used to be much more common in Japan but now the country is only down to two of them, the Sunrise Seto and the Sunrise Izumo, which are really the same service that splits/joins up
Celebrating the start of Shinkansen service (0 Series Shinkansen)
The toilets onboard have also improved through the years, thankfully
0 Series Shinkansen interior
Rolling Stock Station from the second floor
The highlights of the second floor were the Rolling Stock Historical Timeline, which featured a lot of artifacts, and the massive railway diorama
Rolling Stock Historical Timeline
Railway diorama
Curves
Stadium and seating
From the seats
Controls
I like railway modelling in Japan a lot more than back home in the States as the focus in the US tends to be on historical models whereas Japan has more of a focus on present day models. As cool as all of this stuff is, I’m glad it wasn’t something I got into as a child as it’s all very, very spendy.
Also on the second floor was the Railway Cultural Gallery, which covered works of art (music, film, etc.) that was related to railways, along with the Collection Gallery (more artifacts) and a very nice set of stained glass windows
Railway Cultural Gallery
Ticket issuing machine
The highlight for children must’ve been the big Miniature Driving Train area, in which children could drive miniature versions of various JNR & JR East trains. It was still very fun to see and was a nice opportunity to get back outside.
Miniature driving train area
Mini N’EX… aww
Museum exterior
Museum interior
Akita Shinkansen timetable as flooring
I loved The Railway Museum and it made for a nice half day outside of Tokyo. Obviously, this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but all the children there seemed to be having a ball, so this would be a nice family activity.
Last edited by kevincrumbs; Dec 15, 2023 at 1:08 pm Reason: Formatting again
Oct 19, 2018, 6:52 pm
#4
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As mentioned in a previous post, my other reason for heading to Omiya was to see the exhibit at Sogo which was put on to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Peanuts’ introduction to Japan. Back in October, the GF and I were fortunate enough to visit the now closed Snoopy Museum Tokyo, so this exhibit was the extent of my Peanuts related activities on this trip.
Fiftieth
Vintage Peanuts collectibles
US$2300
Only in Japan
I ended up spending around a hundred dollars on some things for myself and some for the family (we have a little one at home). After touring the exhibit and looking at the merchandise, I headed back to Ueno and wandered around the area south of the station for a bit in an attempt to find some food. I ended up grabbing a spot at the counter at Daitouryou and had a bunch of izakaya type foods, such as various things on skewers. By the time I was done, the place was absolutely packed, with folks standing behind you pressed up against the wall and waiting for you to leave.
Bye bye Omiya
Ueno Station exterior
First whiskey highball this trip
Daitouryou / 大統領
Kitchen
Sausages
Steak
Grilled squid
Denki Bran on the rocks
Ueno on a Saturday afternoon
After that, I headed back to Oshiage Station for my stuff and walked over to the hotel to check-in. I ended up hanging out in my room for quite awhile getting refreshed and settled in. I did end up walking over to a local supermarket for some discounted sushi as my dinner as I was feeling a bit tired and slightly unadventurous after a long day.
Tokyo Skytree taken on a nighttime walk
Fiftieth
Vintage Peanuts collectibles
US$2300
Only in Japan
I ended up spending around a hundred dollars on some things for myself and some for the family (we have a little one at home). After touring the exhibit and looking at the merchandise, I headed back to Ueno and wandered around the area south of the station for a bit in an attempt to find some food. I ended up grabbing a spot at the counter at Daitouryou and had a bunch of izakaya type foods, such as various things on skewers. By the time I was done, the place was absolutely packed, with folks standing behind you pressed up against the wall and waiting for you to leave.
Bye bye Omiya
Ueno Station exterior
First whiskey highball this trip
Daitouryou / 大統領
Kitchen
Sausages
Steak
Grilled squid
Denki Bran on the rocks
Ueno on a Saturday afternoon
After that, I headed back to Oshiage Station for my stuff and walked over to the hotel to check-in. I ended up hanging out in my room for quite awhile getting refreshed and settled in. I did end up walking over to a local supermarket for some discounted sushi as my dinner as I was feeling a bit tired and slightly unadventurous after a long day.
Tokyo Skytree taken on a nighttime walk
Oct 20, 2018, 1:36 am
#5
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Fabulous and exciting TR - I loved your mention of Steps. There’s also a Japanese band (jazzy??) called Steps Ahead.
If you’re into peanuts, there’s also the peanuts skating rink, museum, and shop in Santa Rosa, an hour north of Sf.
If you’re into peanuts, there’s also the peanuts skating rink, museum, and shop in Santa Rosa, an hour north of Sf.
Oct 22, 2018, 5:47 pm
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Thanks for the compliments, enviroian! I have been to the Henry Ford Museum, albeit almost twenty years ago. My most vivid memory isn't of any trains I saw there but rather the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile that they have!
Oct 22, 2018, 5:50 pm
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My plan on this Sunday was to spend a portion of the day out at Mount Takao. Mount Takao is a pretty popular spot for a daytrip from Tokyo as it is one of the closest places to central Tokyo that one would deem as being a nature spot. My plan was to head there and then head to the top of Mount Takao for some views of the city and of Mount Fuji. Before I headed out for the day, I partook in the hotel's buffet breakfast, which was certainly a cut above the buffet breakfasts I encounter on my business trips back in the US.
Mix of Japanese and Western dishes for breakfast, along with a much needed coffee
Departing Oshiage, which was "my" station during this trip to Tokyo
To head to Takao, I took the train to Asakusabashi, which I regularly did when heading to points to the west of Oshiage. From there, it was onto a Chuo Line train. However, not all Chuo Line trains head all the way to Takao and in my case, I made the change somewhere along the Chuo Line for a train to take me to Takao.
Asakusabashi Station. I transferred at this station everyday of my trip
Takao Station
From Takao, I switched to the Keio Line for one last bit of the journey, which was to end up at Takaosanguchi Station. From Takaosanguchi, it was a quick walk through a small street lined with shops to face my first choice of the day. I could either walk, take the funicular or take a ropeway to the mid-point of Mount Takao. Since my time was limited, I elected against walking and would've preferred the funicular but seeing as this was the first weekend of the year, Mount Takao was packed. The funicular lines were too much for me to bear, so I went with the ropeway.
Hikawa Jinja, located around the corner from Takaosanguchi Station
I bought some dango from a streetside vendor to tide me over for a bit before I ate something more substantial
Long lines for the funicular
The ropeway costs the same as the funicular but is less popular, not to mention that the ropeway station is tucked behind the funicular station, so some folks may not even be aware that it's there. As for myself, I was slightly apprehensive due to heights but even with that factored in, it was still better than waiting in the funicular line. The ropeway journey ended up being quite nice and there was also protective netting underneath for the whole journey so if something happened, one would end up with broken bones instead of death. Good enough for me!
Lining up to board the ropeway
Going up, with the protective netting also in the shot
Since the ropeway and funicular only go halfway up the mountain, one must walk the rest of the way to the top. This involves going through the Takaosan Yakuo-in Buddhist temple complex and ending up at the peak, which has a few eateries and such.
Mid mountain view of Tokyo
Walking toward Takaosan Yakuo-in and passing placards listing various donors to said temple
Shi-ten-no-mon, the entrance to the Yakuo-in Temple
Shops on temple grounds
Lining up in front of Niomon, which lead to the main hall of the temple
Kuromon or "black gate"
Izuna Gongen-do
After passing through the temple complex, there was a bit more to the hike before I ended up at Mount Takao's peak. Of course, it was very crowded up here too but I felt a nice sense of accomplishment and enjoyed the beautiful views of Mount Fuji.
At the top
People everywhere
Spectacular view on such a beautiful winter's day
Heading back down also meant passing through the Yakuo-in temple one more time.
Shoro / Clocktower
To my surprise, there was quite a line at the ropeway station but since I had already purchased a roundtrip ticket, I had no choice but to wait in line.
Waiting to head down on the ropeway
In queue entertainment provided by figurines and pictures related to Studio Ghibli films
Something for the folks who prefer Star Wars
Heading down, which was scarier than going up but it was all fine
Some parts didn't have netting and boy, it would not be fun to roll down this slope
Next to Takaosanguchi Station is an onsen facility owned by Keio, who also owns the train station. The onsen facility was very nice but in keeping with the theme of the day, also extremely crowded. It was very easy to use and purchasing admission was via a vending machine with staff members nearby ready to help. I ended up spending an hour or so there and it was a nice way to relax after some physical activity. After that, I headed back onto the Keio Takao Line for one stop to change to the Chuo Line at Takao and made my way back to central Tokyo.
I don't think I'd head to Mount Takao on my next trip to Japan but I would love to return in the future. It was nice to head out of the city for part of the day and do something that's not super popular with foreign tourists.
Mix of Japanese and Western dishes for breakfast, along with a much needed coffee
Departing Oshiage, which was "my" station during this trip to Tokyo
To head to Takao, I took the train to Asakusabashi, which I regularly did when heading to points to the west of Oshiage. From there, it was onto a Chuo Line train. However, not all Chuo Line trains head all the way to Takao and in my case, I made the change somewhere along the Chuo Line for a train to take me to Takao.
Asakusabashi Station. I transferred at this station everyday of my trip
Takao Station
From Takao, I switched to the Keio Line for one last bit of the journey, which was to end up at Takaosanguchi Station. From Takaosanguchi, it was a quick walk through a small street lined with shops to face my first choice of the day. I could either walk, take the funicular or take a ropeway to the mid-point of Mount Takao. Since my time was limited, I elected against walking and would've preferred the funicular but seeing as this was the first weekend of the year, Mount Takao was packed. The funicular lines were too much for me to bear, so I went with the ropeway.
Hikawa Jinja, located around the corner from Takaosanguchi Station
I bought some dango from a streetside vendor to tide me over for a bit before I ate something more substantial
Long lines for the funicular
The ropeway costs the same as the funicular but is less popular, not to mention that the ropeway station is tucked behind the funicular station, so some folks may not even be aware that it's there. As for myself, I was slightly apprehensive due to heights but even with that factored in, it was still better than waiting in the funicular line. The ropeway journey ended up being quite nice and there was also protective netting underneath for the whole journey so if something happened, one would end up with broken bones instead of death. Good enough for me!
Lining up to board the ropeway
Going up, with the protective netting also in the shot
Since the ropeway and funicular only go halfway up the mountain, one must walk the rest of the way to the top. This involves going through the Takaosan Yakuo-in Buddhist temple complex and ending up at the peak, which has a few eateries and such.
Mid mountain view of Tokyo
Walking toward Takaosan Yakuo-in and passing placards listing various donors to said temple
Shi-ten-no-mon, the entrance to the Yakuo-in Temple
Shops on temple grounds
Lining up in front of Niomon, which lead to the main hall of the temple
Kuromon or "black gate"
Izuna Gongen-do
After passing through the temple complex, there was a bit more to the hike before I ended up at Mount Takao's peak. Of course, it was very crowded up here too but I felt a nice sense of accomplishment and enjoyed the beautiful views of Mount Fuji.
At the top
People everywhere
Spectacular view on such a beautiful winter's day
Heading back down also meant passing through the Yakuo-in temple one more time.
Shoro / Clocktower
To my surprise, there was quite a line at the ropeway station but since I had already purchased a roundtrip ticket, I had no choice but to wait in line.
Waiting to head down on the ropeway
In queue entertainment provided by figurines and pictures related to Studio Ghibli films
Something for the folks who prefer Star Wars
Heading down, which was scarier than going up but it was all fine
Some parts didn't have netting and boy, it would not be fun to roll down this slope
Next to Takaosanguchi Station is an onsen facility owned by Keio, who also owns the train station. The onsen facility was very nice but in keeping with the theme of the day, also extremely crowded. It was very easy to use and purchasing admission was via a vending machine with staff members nearby ready to help. I ended up spending an hour or so there and it was a nice way to relax after some physical activity. After that, I headed back onto the Keio Takao Line for one stop to change to the Chuo Line at Takao and made my way back to central Tokyo.
I don't think I'd head to Mount Takao on my next trip to Japan but I would love to return in the future. It was nice to head out of the city for part of the day and do something that's not super popular with foreign tourists.
Oct 22, 2018, 5:52 pm
#9
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Oct 23, 2018, 1:04 pm
#10
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While heading back to central Tokyo and ultimately my hotel in Oshiage, I did make a few stops in Tokyo's western suburbs. Due to the time difference between Tokyo and my home, Portland, it had been difficult to place a call back home. I took a chance and got off the Chuo Line at Toyoda and managed to talk to the GF for a bit while wandering Hino, which is a place I never expected to walk around.
Hino. I took this after doing some shopping at the local branch of the Create SD pharmacy chain
Not the type of building and space that you see in central Tokyo
Kakiage soba with raw egg from Ironian Kiraku in Toyoda Station
See through milk tea by Suntory. I had read a lot about this product on the internet prior to my trip and just had to try one for myself. It was okay.
I headed back onto the Chuo Line and got off at Nakano, walking north to the Nakano Broadway shopping complex. Nakano Broadway is well known for its selection of goods related to "nerd" culture, such as anime, video games, etc. I spent a lot of time in here and the stuff was genuinely fascinating but there was nothing that truly jumped out at me. My main motivation for going to Nakano Broadway was to look for vintage Seiko watches for the GF but I left empty handed.
Nakano Broadway
I would buy this animation cell of Kiki from "Kiki's Delivery Service" if I had way more money
After all the walking on this day, I headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest before heading out relatively late for Asakusa to find something to eat. One of the main benefits of being out late was that Senso-ji was quite empty, so it was much easier to take photos. I had visited years ago on my first official trip to Tokyo as an adult but hadn't returned since then.
To Asakusa
Nighttime Sensoji
Nakamisedori
Kaminarimon
I was fairly indecisive about dinner and I feel like I paid for my indecision as I ended up having a mediocre meal at Doma-Doma, an izakaya chain. To be fair, I had tried a different restaurant at first but I had missed their last orders cutoff, so I had picked Doma-Doma based on the fact that it was in the same building and also had a lots of diners already there. In particular, the sashimi platter was disappointing.
Nikka whiskey highball
Gyoza under a pile of cilantro
Pathetic looking sashimi platter, especially the uni
Skewers
Edamame and fried things (chicken cartilage, chicken karaage)
Then, I either missed the last train back to Oshiage or stupidly couldn't find the subway entrance, so I ended up having a leisurely half hour walk back to the hotel to finish off an action packed day.
Boat shaped
Hino. I took this after doing some shopping at the local branch of the Create SD pharmacy chain
Not the type of building and space that you see in central Tokyo
Kakiage soba with raw egg from Ironian Kiraku in Toyoda Station
See through milk tea by Suntory. I had read a lot about this product on the internet prior to my trip and just had to try one for myself. It was okay.
I headed back onto the Chuo Line and got off at Nakano, walking north to the Nakano Broadway shopping complex. Nakano Broadway is well known for its selection of goods related to "nerd" culture, such as anime, video games, etc. I spent a lot of time in here and the stuff was genuinely fascinating but there was nothing that truly jumped out at me. My main motivation for going to Nakano Broadway was to look for vintage Seiko watches for the GF but I left empty handed.
Nakano Broadway
I would buy this animation cell of Kiki from "Kiki's Delivery Service" if I had way more money
After all the walking on this day, I headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest before heading out relatively late for Asakusa to find something to eat. One of the main benefits of being out late was that Senso-ji was quite empty, so it was much easier to take photos. I had visited years ago on my first official trip to Tokyo as an adult but hadn't returned since then.
To Asakusa
Nighttime Sensoji
Nakamisedori
Kaminarimon
I was fairly indecisive about dinner and I feel like I paid for my indecision as I ended up having a mediocre meal at Doma-Doma, an izakaya chain. To be fair, I had tried a different restaurant at first but I had missed their last orders cutoff, so I had picked Doma-Doma based on the fact that it was in the same building and also had a lots of diners already there. In particular, the sashimi platter was disappointing.
Nikka whiskey highball
Gyoza under a pile of cilantro
Pathetic looking sashimi platter, especially the uni
Skewers
Edamame and fried things (chicken cartilage, chicken karaage)
Then, I either missed the last train back to Oshiage or stupidly couldn't find the subway entrance, so I ended up having a leisurely half hour walk back to the hotel to finish off an action packed day.
Boat shaped
Oct 24, 2018, 3:53 pm
#11
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After two days of non-stop activity along with a long flight in Y from the West Coast of the United States, I took it very easy on the third day of my trip. Of course, staying up late the night before didn't help my cause but I did end up sleeping past the designated time in which the hotel's breakfast buffet was available. Undeterred, I went and had lunch at MOS Burger, my favourite burger chain in the world. Yes, better than In-N-Out or Shake Shack.
MOS Burger interior
Ebi (shrimp) Katsu burger. I usually have the MOS(u) cheeseburger but wanted to try something different this time. This was also delicious.
After that, I walked to Oshiage Station and headed for Akihabara.
Tokyo Skytree in the day
My main reasons for going to Akihabara were to find a nice Seiko watch at Yodobashi Camera and also just wander around an area of Tokyo I hadn't visited in years. I traditionally stay in Shinjuku during my Tokyo visits, so being over on the east side of Tokyo this time made it a bit easier to visit Akihabara.
Outside Akihabara Station
Yodobashi-Akiba. Yes, I did successfully find a nice US$200-ish watch for the GF
Square Enix Cafe. I've only played a wee bit of Final Fantasy IV, so I wasn't exactly the target audience for this place.
Akihabara Station with a passing E5 or H5 Shinkansen (the teal green in the centre)
I didn't take a lot of photographs of my time here but I just sort of wandered around and also had myself a nice early evening meal of sushi from a branch of Tsukiji Sushikou before heading back to Oshiage for the night.
But not before passing the AKB48 Cafe & Shop. No, I did not go in.
MOS Burger interior
Ebi (shrimp) Katsu burger. I usually have the MOS(u) cheeseburger but wanted to try something different this time. This was also delicious.
After that, I walked to Oshiage Station and headed for Akihabara.
Tokyo Skytree in the day
My main reasons for going to Akihabara were to find a nice Seiko watch at Yodobashi Camera and also just wander around an area of Tokyo I hadn't visited in years. I traditionally stay in Shinjuku during my Tokyo visits, so being over on the east side of Tokyo this time made it a bit easier to visit Akihabara.
Outside Akihabara Station
Yodobashi-Akiba. Yes, I did successfully find a nice US$200-ish watch for the GF
Square Enix Cafe. I've only played a wee bit of Final Fantasy IV, so I wasn't exactly the target audience for this place.
Akihabara Station with a passing E5 or H5 Shinkansen (the teal green in the centre)
I didn't take a lot of photographs of my time here but I just sort of wandered around and also had myself a nice early evening meal of sushi from a branch of Tsukiji Sushikou before heading back to Oshiage for the night.
But not before passing the AKB48 Cafe & Shop. No, I did not go in.
Oct 25, 2018, 11:46 am
#13
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Thanks for reading, LapLap, especially when I know you've already seen the Mount Takao stuff on the Japan board! As for Senso-ji, I definitely wouldn't have if I wasn't staying in Oshiage. Oshiage is quiet at night so heading over to Asakusa for dinner made sense. Even though it wasn't planned, it was certainly nice to see Senso-ji at night.
Oct 25, 2018, 12:00 pm
#14
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As mentioned in a previous post, my other reason for heading to Omiya was to see the exhibit at Sogo which was put on to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Peanuts’ introduction to Japan. Back in October, the GF and I were fortunate enough to visit the now closed Snoopy Museum Tokyo, so this exhibit was the extent of my Peanuts related activities on this trip.
You can almost see how obsessed I was
Last edited by samwise6222; Oct 25, 2018 at 12:06 pm
Oct 25, 2018, 6:26 pm
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