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Three weeks in Japan
Three weeks in Japan ex UK. this is my first attempt at a long form Trip Report and it will only work if I use my mobile and then only with WiFi here have a mi-fi device but who knows)
This is a long awaited trip - we expected to go in 2020 but we all know what happened then. Fast forward to 2023 and thanks to FT we got a bargain fare to australia and our journey with LHG/ Miles & More begins. With hindsight it was amazing how the stars aligned
We head immediately from Tokyo west to Kyushu prefecture on Jetstar and then work our way back to Tokyo on trains and buses. We wanted to get a mix of must sees and non-touristy things. We also didn’t want to spend all our time on the move so have tried to get three or four nights in most places. Our plan is Fukuoka - Hiroshima - Okayama - Kyoto - Kanazawa - Alps - Tokyo. Nearly all the travel is sorted (we are hardened self-bookers); one bus trip can’t be booked. We’ve generally gone for Japanese chain hotels in cities and for ryokens in smaller places. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the cost, perhaps with the exception of the half board ryokens. And today we are off on step 1. LX LHR - ZRH - NRT. |
I’m ex-BA Gold (just before Tiermaggedon, I’d had enough of the limited BA network) so much of the benchmarking of the flight elements will be to that.
Check in at LHR T2 was a breeze. One person in front of us. Three Business Class desks. And a very warm welcome. Luggage receipts on the app (and Apple tags telling me we’ve left it behind) and to the lounge via a very efficient fast track security. Slightly held back by them wanting to check my brand new toothpaste. And to the LH lounge (SEN section) for which I am continually underwhelmed. Nothing specific but it just doesn’t work, it’s decidedly dull. Also no champagne or even Sekt. Prosecco just doesn’t cut it. But it’s functional and it’s conveniently situated for the A gates. Boarding was bang on time with strictly enforced groups. As a SEN in J on short-haul, I am a lowly group 2; which makes me realise how bunged up BAs FF groups are. But even so we got “boarding not boarding”. We’re now on the plane 10 rows of J, maybe two thirds full but with a 35 mins late departure but with Swiss efficiency expect to land on time. We have an hour to connect to the long haul to NRT but I have no qualms at all about making that (well, ok, just a minor one) but as we are doing non- Schengen to non- Schengen, we dont have to worry about the crazy EES thing |
Good luck with the short connection, and bon voyage! :cool:
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A very pleasant A321neo Euro business flight.
The captain did the welcome announcement from the entrance, and in full sight. Nice. Swiss chocolate while waiting Champagne (and the look of surprise when I refused a top up) Breakfast = omelette (surely one European carrier can do better?) WiFi (messaging only for free but it seemed to be gate to gate) A lovely crew who smiled the entire trip. See exception, above. And landing ~10 mins late with gate numbers for connecting flights on the screen. [[I’ve said the same thing about LHG flights before but seeing your connecting flight details while airborne is a genuine customer experience improvement (compared to BA, naturally).]] made it to the gate - easily From touchdown to joining the Group 2 queue in 25 minutes inc the Heidi train and security. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7b052047b.jpeg A long queue for Group 2. Looks like three people in Group one. Very BA-esque with people huffing at queue jumpers. 😉 |
I look forward to your trip. Japan is a very interesting country.
Originally Posted by SavvyTravel
(Post 37619964)
[[I’ve said the same thing about LHG flights before but seeing your connecting flight details while airborne is a genuine customer experience improvement (compared to BA, naturally).]]
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And we have arrived. 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Felt like a very good flight, despite the timings (essentially going to sleep in the afternoon).
It’s been about 10 years since I last flew LX on a 777 and the 2-2-1 layout is, unsurprisingly, both dated and impractical if, as a pair, one of you has a window seat. Moreover, the TV screen is tiny and because of the layout geometry, if anyone in your row is watching something you can see the light. The table is also a bit weird in that it is off centre and quite flimsy but, you know what, it really didn’t matter. I’m just finding things to note. In the plus camp. Good food and OK wine. Starter, soup, main, desert and cheese. Happy days. As an aside, why don’t more people pre-order? Mrs STs Japanese meal was great but it wasn’t available on the menu and from the way it was served, it seemed to not be the norm. As usual, it felt odd to order breakfast at 2pm but yippee - Japanese noodles and not omelette. A mid flight ice cream was one of those nice touches When we land we have three hours to get from NRT Terminal 1 to T3 for our LCC Jetstar hop to FUK. At the moment, given the amount of rest, not sleep, that feels very doable even for our jet lagged brains. |
Doable??? I’ve already fallen in love. Touchdown to T3 in 40 minutes. And 30 minutes too early for Bag Drop.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2fcc1e28e.jpeg so we are sitting in a very LTN-like building. No frills. Except for a running track clearly installed for the Olympics which acts as a walkway and means you really can’t go wrong with getting to the check in areas. |
The whole of T3 feels like a fourth division airport but somehow the place has an air of calmness. It also has a great food court - landslide. Thankfully we decided to grab something here because there are no lounges nor even a cafe post security.
My bimbimbap lunch cost Y750 £4 through an automated machine that had English (and Mandarin) options. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0c76566a7.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4f44497c5.jpeg Next step before boarding is announced they patrol the waiting area to make sure hand luggage is weighed. There was a team of four people with scales and card readers. You won’t sneak stuff on here but they are completely ok with you having two bags as long as one is small. (On our LHR ZRH leg there was a guy in J with three bags, one of which was twice the size of a regular carry on suitcase. ) https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...95424c91f.jpeg Wait, what is happening? Boarding starts at 1305 for a 1320 departure. And at 1255 there is no sign of any huddle, scrum, line or melee forming - it’s a A3201neo so not a small aircraft. On announcement, a line forms but boarding is by seat letter so A and F first. Which does seem to create some confusion but as we had an A and B we just went together and no problem. Boarding complete at 1320 and pushback 1329. |
We are hoping our luck holds as it’s a sunny day, we are on the correct side of the plane to see Mt Fuji and we have a window.
and yes we were fortunate https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2955c55ae.jpeg |
Feeling some effects of the jet lag as we landed at FUK and didn’t post!
We’d picked a slightly random hotel not far from the airport. Great choice but it’s really hard to describe the place as it seems to be somewhere where people go to escape. It’s only 12 rooms (and I believe that’s the hotel name) and each one is different but all have a sauna or hot stone baths or something. its concept is “all inclusive” - there’s a walk in room jammed with snacks, drinks and microwaveable meals. It also has a wine cellar - for some rooms (including ours 🍾). Fun and the perfect way for us to relax and not have to worry too much about time. MR ST 1, Jet Lag 0. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3b81555a6.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4385a91f2.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dc6f28e80.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c7574c951.jpeg |
Team ST 1 - JetLag 1
Day three for us and despite our best efforts, jet lag hit us mid afternoon Mind you, we had managed a Buddhist temple 40 minutes outside Fukouka; a number of temples in the city and a trip to “Canal City” which, as with many shopping malls was exactly as expected albeit with a distinct culture and style. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7d07debdc.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1121f9d77.jpeg Oh, and our first Sakura which wasn’t easy to photograph as the few tourists here did seem as excited to see as we were. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...36580aba2.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f34e269c2.jpeg Dinner last night was another cultural surprise. In the basement of a shopping centre at the main station. Lovely sashimi and salmon at less than £10 per head. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b29d044e8.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...937961c7a.jpeg |
Both your report and canforce are causing me to consider an extended to Japan...fall 2026! Great information.
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Day four and jet lag is finally beaten.
We bought a week JR West pass for the railways and used our first day to head to the Eastern side of Kyushu island. Our destination was Beppu and the hot springs just out side the town picking up the tickets was easy. Hakata station is enormous but very well signposted in English and we found the exchange counter easily. Lovely helper who also booked our first Shinkansen seats (free!) for another day. Quite a fun train - it had wooden floors and seats that rotated when the train reversed direction at one point. Very neat. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...117dcc087.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a731e1b05.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...36aba9e69.jpeg |
The train was very smooth (and on time, though the return did have a 10 minute delay). On arrival at Beppu, we had to switch to a bus.
This was right outside the station; we just missed one but there was another six minutes later. Both packed. Thanks to whomever told us to add SUICA cards to our phone wallets a tap and go and we were away. 30 minutes through the town (uphill) and we arrived. Quite a few tourists but all manageable. There are seven different areas to wander around - for a fee of JPY500 (£2.50) or a combined ticket for 2500. We spent a good two hours there and each of the areas are slightly different. The only one we didn’t like was a crocodile farm .. and bizarrely an enormous Chinese tour group spoilt the ambience of another. if you’ve been to Yellowstone, Iceland or New Zealand you might skip it. But actually part of the interest was that it was clearly a Japanese affair. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e813ddb2d.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c3c077fb3.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...21c870d14.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...58f15da30.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...de363b35d.jpeg |
Day 5 and we head East. To avoid too many one night hotel stays we plan to base ourselves in Okayama for four nights.
The plan for today was to head to Hiroshima en route and make a full day there. At 0900 was our first bullet train ride - just an hour to Hiroshima. A very easy experience with two reserved seats in carriage 15, of 16. But as expected every door is marked and line of where to stand. Each coach is 2-3 layout. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f5c45207f.jpeg Into Hiroshima and on to a local train to catch a ferry to Miyajima, an island just off the mainland famous for its temple and folklore museum. All included in the JR pass. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dfb6651aa.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...86a3ce7a1.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fba04bc17.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c3e0f3086.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b94568d45.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0ac87090.jpeg we then decided to catch a fast ferry into the centre of Hiroshima. About £10 but would save time. Unfortunately because of tides, most of the afternoon boats weren’t running and so we had to get one back earlier than ideal. Fortunately, the cable car on the island wasn’t working so there was only a limited amount to do. It was also very touristy so we were happy https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c319ee793.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c71f6f356.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8e1cf58e6.jpeg The Museum at Hiroshima was excellent. I have never experienced crowds like it who are silent. It was a truly humbling place. We should never allow a repeat. We were sombre as we left but a lunch of okonomiyake (a Hiroshima special of an omelette like thing with cabbage, noodles and meat) gave us some energy for a call in at Hiroshima castle. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...078582254.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...19a688378.jpeg And on to Okayama. A three hour drive (according to Google maps) done in 40 minutes on the bullet train. |
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