Author: JT

Japan: quick update

Will get more stories and photos together, yesterday I arrived in Kobe (after a rainy detour through Onomachi, a small seaside town on the local train line)  and spent the day walking around with Susan’s high school fried Junko. Had some very tasty sushi last night. And some Japanese language tips, thanks Junko!

Tomorrow I return to Tokyo for a few hours before going to Narita airport (NRT) for a 787 dreamliner flight to Singapore, followed by an early morning flight to Yangon (Rangoon)

Update: the shinkansen (bullet train) translates to “new trunk line”, and it’s pretty much always elevated, like a modern aqueduct, even in the countryside.
Also, they must clean the bullet nose front frequently, because it’s shiny white (you can see near the crown and sides and top of the train that it’s gray from dirt)

Japan: freezing inside unheated hostel

I was fine during the night with a thick comforter, but I was freezing this morning in the common room, wearing 2 sweaters and my hands going number on the computer.

The unusually warm 17C gave way to a cold wind yesterday (though the rain did stop, after my toes got wet walking around in the morning) and today it’s 7C feels like 3C! Staff wasn’t around at 9am.

I was so cold I went out and bought a hot cafe audio latte can from a vending machine (¥110/$1, very convenient) and stood in a sunny spot out of the wind, to warm myself up.

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Can’t wait to fly to hot Singapore and Myanmar/Burma tomorrow evening!
As in 30C hot!

I mean I am very much enjoying Japan, and my vocabulary is expanding, just weatherwise I am ready for phase 2 of thus trip.

Japan: back in business (cash logjam broken)

So after 3 banks couldn’t do a manual Visa cash advance, I called my credit card company again and made my car for emergency access. They transferred me to the issuing bank an they were able to set the PIN for my choice over the phone (something my cc company had said they couldn’t do).
I waltzed down to an ATM with a veritable skip in my step and voila, cash (lots of fees, ie 3% min $10 and almost 20% interest accruing immediately, but that’s irrelevant at this point). Unfortunately this ATM only gave ¥10,000 notes ($90) so this morning I went to a bank to exchange them for smaller bills, for which I had to fill out a form (money in, types of bills back, plus name and address) because I wasn’t a client. The guard/concierge and the teller knew a little English.

They also had an automated machine to change US$ bills into packets of smaller US$ bills (no yen involved) but inexplicably it wasn’t available until 10am (I need smaller bills for Myanmar, hoping they will be newer crisp bills). Will go back while my laundry us drying…
Update: no, it converts yen to dollars (choice of 3 options: $100, $300 or $500 packets of mixed bills). Not what I was looking for.

I hasn’t seen this coffee brand before – definitely not from Seattle!

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21 hours in Nagasaki, or, How I learned to stop worrying and love wearing the same clothes

Part 1: After a scenic train ride that brought me to Nagasaki after dark on Saturday, I settled in to my hostel and discovered a voicemail from ANA saying that my bags would arrive in Tokyo that night and be delivered the next day. To me in Hiroshima. Sigh, though admittedly I was expecting that due to the effectively once a day flight between continents.

Side note: Nagasaki train station has a very visible Seattle’s B*st Coffee, plus less visible Starb*cks and T*lly’s, a veritable trifecta. Not to mention Dunkin D*nuts (no thanks). Or a hotel, supermarket, food court etc.

Amazingly, even though it’s Saturday, the town closes up at 8pm, except for Shianbashi, the bar and entertainment district.

Now I had done my planning and preparation on the train, so I had a good idea of what to see and when… and I had decided to forego the slightly out of the way Inasayama tram and lookout (later to learn it was voted one of the top 3 night city views in the world, or maybe just in Japan) to check out Glover Garden with its views of the city and harbour. It was also close to a restaurant I wanted to go to for dinner. Unfortunately the garden was closed at 6pm (it’s only open later during certain periods, like Xmas), so I did not see it or its views or the Madam Butterfly statue (the opera was set in Nagasaki). However, I did get into Shikaisō restaurant (just in time for last order shortly before 8pm – on a Saturday!) to try their champon which is like a curry with rice and noodles and topped with squid and octopus (or at least little bits of them). It cost ¥900/$8 – and that includes tax (no tipping in Japan except for exceptional service).

Then I took the cute streetcar back towards the old town, walking though Shinchi Chinatown (the 3rd largest in Japan, yet tiny compared to the ones in Toronto or San Francisco) to Hamano-Machi which has covered shopping arcades – also mostly closed-for-the-night shops. Wow (at 20:30 on a Saturday). I walked around the bar district a bit, which was full of izakaya, little restaurants, karaoke bars, drunk salarymen in suits and seedy massage offers. I didn’t even feel like getting a drink anywhere, so I headed back through semi-deserted Hamano-Machi and from there it was an easy walk back to the hostel, veering off to walk along the river with its stone bridges, including the Megane-bashi (Spectacle Bridge), so called because the shape of the bridge, combined with its reflection in the water, looks like glasses from an earlier era.

Side note: recall that bashi means bridge… and now learn as I did that machi means town, though it seems that neighbourhood would be more a propos.

Chinatown gate at night:

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Hiroshima: finally have my luggage 2 days later

After getting soaked in Nagasaki today, I’m happy to have all my gear again.

Enjoying a late evening okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake (with choice of fillings) specialty of the area, in an izakaya near my fine hostel. There are smokers in here though, I forgot they allow that.
I arrived too late to head downtown (it’s Sunday, and I’m tired), and I move on to Kobe in the morning to meet a friend.

This tasty okonomiyaki has shrimp, squid and scallops (they come with pork and egg), cooked up teppanyaki style, though it contains ramen so it’s pushing the boundaries of a western pancake:

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Japan: shinkansen, baby!

I forgot how smooth and quiet the shinkansen is. And punctual, like northern European trains were 20 years ago. And crazy long – 16 cars!
I don’t recall noticing a train bank so much, which is obviously necessary on the winding tracks west through greater Tokyo.

Non smoking, quiet, clean… 3-2 seating in airline-like seating (but more leg room) with a tray table.
Only complaints: no power ports and this annoying window municipal tray that hits my bicep and I can’t comfortably rest my arm on the armrest under it. U suspect this is because the seat should have been further back so that the ledge would be more in front of me.

Update: 2nd train had 2-2 seating with a better placed window tray, and one power port (with a sign that “supply voltage may shutdown or fluctuate”).

So this morning I was up early and went for a dawn walk along the river before breakfast, then headed to Tokyo Station where I exchanged my rail pass voucher and made free reservations for the 3 days of train travel (having done research online at Hyperdia at the hostel), exchanged some cash for Yen at Travelex (since they don’t do cash advance in visa credit cards and banks aren’t open), and bought some more clothing at UniQlo (which has a small store in the train station, which opens early even on weekends – turns out I “overpaid” at 7-11 as I picked up better underwear, socks and a T-shirt for ¥1000/$9 combined).

I actually couldn’t reserve the first shinkansen (to Shin-Osaka) I wanted, so I left 30 minutes later (seems they run hourly, and sometimes half-hourly). There are unreserved cars on the train, but I didn’t want to fight for a seat or have to stand for 3 hours.

FYI, shin means new, and bashi means bridge (as in Asakusabashi vs neighbouring Asakusa). Speaking of which, that “u” is silent (pronounced Ah-suk-sah), but the local train line’s bilingual announcements did pronounce the “u” in the English announcement (as ah-sah-koo-sah), since most gaijin would (mis)pronounce it that way.

And while we are on tangents, the subways and local trains in Tokyo are great, even if they do stop before 1am on weekend nights.

Collage has bullet nose of shinkansen, my first elbow room issue, snacks inc cheese-stuffed squid and strawberry-filled crepe to go (with an actual strawberry in it!):

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How many things can fo wrong in one travel day with only 2 flights?

First one is my fault…
– on way to airport i realize that I somehow left a prepared-last-nught-while-packing ziploc bag with my debit card, global sim card and backup credit card. I did double check my passport, Japan rail pass voucher and Myanmar visa though
– United Express flight gets canceled due to mechanical, I get auto rebooked on an Air Canada flight that gets me in an hour before connecting flight (kudos). Some folks had to overnight in Toronto.
– Both UA and AC gate agents double check my luggage tag
– After deplaning in ORD, half way to the lounge, no I realize I left my mobile phone battery charger plugged in under the seat, return to gate and agent retrieves it for me
– Upon boarding ANA in Chicago, gate agents double check my baggage tag again and seem happy
– Upon deplaning in NRT, a sign with my name on it (and 7 other passengers), agent tells me by baggage probably did not make it
– I go through baggage claim desk, it won’t arrive for 24 hours or more, and will have to be sent to Nagasaki. After I ask, they give me a well stocked amenity kit, missing only dental floss – the one thing I had in my carry on.
– But not having my global sim means they can’t call me and they don’t so email, so I gave them my 4 hostels’ info
– Because of filing the claim, I miss the last Narita Express train and the chance to exchange my rail pass voucher for the actual pass (so train would have been free)
– So I buy a different $21 train ticket (using cc to preserve what little Yen I had from a previous trip)
– I tried to use my visa cc in an ATM but I don’t know the pin for it as I’ve never used it for cash advance
– And I have no lock on my carryon, which I usually but twice this year my tsa-approved locks disappeared on flights. This is problematic in a hostel… though this first one rents a lock for a ¥200/$2 deposit, woo hoo
– Did I mention I have no shoes (flip flops), no jacket and just a buff for extra warmth (it’s 13C here) since that’s all in my checked bag.

Yet it will all work out, with friends willing to help in Japan and Myanmar

Early bird gets the worm, or 4 seats to themselves :-)

Weird 2-3-4 configuration on this B777-300, but I immediately jumped into a vacant 4-seat middle from my 2seat side which had a passenger next to me. Lots of empty seats (and biz was very sparsely populated).

Seat is the kind where the bottom slides forward (slimline?), which dies bring my knees into the seat back in front of me.

Interestingly, there is a gap between the 3rd and 4th seat in the middle, providing actual arm space. Or I haven’t seen that before.

Personal entertainment system has a largish screen though a disappointingly small selection of movies. Also the main food choices inc calories (lots, calories that is, not choices, as in 756/968 kCal for Japanese/hamburger dinner and 594/651 kCal for chicken/omelette 2nd meal before arrival on this 13.5hr flight).

There is even a cup holder whether the tray is up or down.

As I boarded, the scanner beeped strangely which was just them double checking that I, and my checked bag, made the flight, no doubt due to earlier cancelation.

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Service was very good onboard.