Adventures in Sushi-land: Days 4 and 5

After the bustle of Tokyo and the excitement of Disneyland, Days 4 and 5 came as a welcome respite as we wound our way down narrow mountainous roads and took in the rustic beauty of the Japanese countryside.

Day 4: Mount Fuji and Matsumoto 

What's a trip to Tokyo without visiting Mount Fuji? So on Day 4, we got up at the crack of dawn, threw on our coats, and paid her a visit. We were in luck that day, as the weather gods blessed us with clear royal-blue skies and crisp, cold winds. There were other visitors before us who had to contend with heavy fog or rain and didn't manage to capture shots like these:

The sign in the Ladies. Mount Fuji does not need your trash, people.

#nofilter The colours are literally that vivid.

The place where we lunched halfway down the mountain overlooked this beautiful lake.

Hotpot lunch for a chilly day!

The view out the window

After lunch, it was a long coach ride to Matsumoto to view the Matsumoto Castle.

Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's most historic castles, is also known as Crow Castle due to its black exterior.

Couldn't resist taking a picture under the lush autumn foliage.

Traditional Japanese dinner at our onsen (hot spring) inn was an elaborate affair.

And we got to sleep on tatami mattresses that night!

Day 5: Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and Kanazawa

The view outside our onsen inn the next morning

With our lovely host, who made sure we had the best experience at her inn, from the food to the sleeping arrangements. Despite the language barrier, she made the effort to interact with every one of us, and was, as most Japanese are, unfailingly polite and gracious.

Who needs burgundies and dove-greys? The fall palette should be all about ochre and maple-red.

Any random snapshot out the window put stars in our eyes.

Like a scene right out of Lord of the Rings. Rivendell! ♥

After our morning hike, we hit the Miyagawa market, which is best known for its dried and pickled foods, as well as home-made rice crackers. You could smell the warm scent of soy sauce and rice brewing in the air as you strolled down the market along the river.

 

Next stop after lunch was the Ogimachi Gassho village, the largest village in Shirakawa-go. It was declared in 1995 to be a UNESCO world heritage site, with its well-preserved farmhouses that are as old as 250 years old and counting!

Our last stop of the day was the Kanazawa Castle, where the wildest number of crows came to roost in the evening (do crows roost??). Crows are considered sacred in Japanese culture as messenger from the gods, but while they have long been regarded as a symbol of power in Japanese mythology, these days they are also seen as a public nuisance.

Still, Kanazawa Castle is a beautiful place for an evening stroll in autumn.

Such a spread at our second onsen inn!

After this, it's back to the cities for this bunch of urban walkers. Next stop, Kyoto and Osaka!

Adventures in Sushi-land: Days 2 and 3

Japaaaaaaaaaaaan! I simply cannot get enough of it. Seven days is way too short to visit all of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Already, I miss Japan's weather (15-degree heaven), its cleanliness and tidiness, the graciousness of its people, its vintage architecture (because the land is mostly owned by the people so the government can't do much upgrading works) juxtaposed with its bustling subway stations and streets.

Growing up, I was fed a regular diet of Japanese drama and music (J-pop was huge in the late 90s! And who can resist the likes of Takuya Kimura and Takeshi Kaneshiro?), and the allure of Japan had never quite faded.

And being there at last, I wasn't disappointed in the least. Everywhere you go, everything is in order. It's like an OCD's safe haven. And every shot looks like something out of a postcard. Want proof?


Day 2: Yokohama and Tokyo

Right from touchdown at Haneda Airport

To Odaiba Park in Tokyo

The Rainbow Bridge

Where a mini statue of liberty stood

And then later at Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo

Elementary school students all wear caps as part of their uniform, be it blue or yellow. Too adorable!

Citizens are staunchly law abiding. Japanese hate to be an inconvenience to others, which explains why they never litter and always clean up after themselves. You can hardly find a filthy washroom or litter on the streets. Everything is as neat and well-groomed as the people themselves, who always take the effort to dress up.

Yamashita Park in Yokohama

The Hikawa Maru ship

Back at our hotel, where our room had this cosy little area partitioned from the sleeping area.

Dinner in a random diner in a shopping mall.

Day 3: Tokyo Disneyland!

The hotel we stayed in, Art Hotels Omori, was all decked out and ready for Halloween.

Tickets to Disneyland!

Japanese babies are unbelievably adorable. I couldn't resist snapping a few sneaky pics of them, especially this curious little tot who sat next to me on the Wild Safari ride.

Carousals! Majestic castles! Happy children with candy floss and hotdogs! I know it's commercialised fun, but there's just something about amusement parks that get me excited like a child on her first voyage to Neverland.

The lovely Belle and her adoring fans

 

This little girl didn't want to let go of Belle! She hugged her for the longest time and had the happiest smile you've ever seen.

Yep, still holding on.

Peterrrrrrr! Those who know me also know of my strange obsession with Peter Pan. (I didn't write a whole novel inspired by the character for nothing.) Alas, we didn't manage to go on the Peter Pan ride because it was closed for renovation. I did, however, spot this cute little fan  roaming the park grounds.

This Donald had major swag going on.

Settling for a quick dinner before leaving Disneyland.

Our flight was a night flight so Day 1 was pretty much gone. But Days 2 and 3 definitely left a great impression. 

Up next, Mount Fuji and Matsumoto Castle! :0)