Deluxe Tour Japan Winter 2016 (Part Four: YOKOHAMA, Day Three)

(*This blog entry was written a few weeks after the trip, but I changed the post-date for organizational reasons~ ^^)

December 24th, Day Three, YOKOHAMA

Today started off early, but we took our time actually getting ready and leaving the Guest House. On the way to the station we stopped at Lawson's for breakfast. (No ice cream this time! haha) We grabbed a few onigiri, breads and tea. There was also a flavor of Cheetos that I had never seen before, Garlic Butter; sounds delicious right? So we grabbed them as well.

We ate our onigiri and sampled the Cheetos (delicious as expected) as we walked to Kamata Station. The weather was great. There was no sign of rain or even a cloud in the sky.  From Kamata Station we took the JR Line to Sakuragicho Station. Now we were in Yokohama, the port city. I just remember being taken back by all the blue! The sky, the ocean - it was a perfect day. Shout out to the lone guy chilling and just reading his newspaper on the grass. Why not?

Today's main destination was the Cup Noodles Museum. Not only is it a museum that presents the full history of what we know today as "Cup Noodles", starting with its creation during the War, but there is also a hands-on Cup Noodles Factory.

I'm not going to lie, with all the hype about Cup Noodles, and all the innovation that has stemmed from it, I was expecting the exterior of the Museum itself to be more... eye-catching. There's modern art for you, simple.

So the outside wasn't much to look at. However, the entire inside of the museum was covered with Cup Noodle mascots and modern art. Everything was a strong white and red motif, very simple, very clean. And not surprisingly crowded. We purchased our entry tickets, 500 yen each and received our time slot for the "MY CUP NOODLES" Factory. The bulk of the people were gathered on the 3rd floor, constructing their own Cup Noodle, or waiting in the cue. Our time slot was 11:00~11:30.

There are actually two working areas on the 3rd floor. One is the MY CUP NOODLES Factory and the other is the Chicken Ramen Factory. At the Chicken Ramen Factory you experience making your own Noodles from scratch. However, you cannot just arrive on the day and decide to participate. Most reservations for the Chicken Ramen Factory are taken 3-months in advance.

For a good 10 minutes we were waiting at the front of the cue line that started at 11 o'clock. All the while watching people move into the other line towards the MY CUP NOODLES. Turns out, yes, we were in the wrong cue, so we quickly slipped over and got into the correct line. (My fault for not properly observing the situation and posting pictures to Facebook, I know.)

In any case, at the MY CUP NOODLES Factory you purchase your cup for 300 yen and then your group is guided to a table. With your blank, empty cup, you now have time to decorate it with the markers provided. Get creative! Just remember to stay within the red lines and mark the date!

Now you have a personally designed cup! It's time to put in the noodles and toppings. The noodles are placed on a belt and the cup is placed over them so they fit perfectly. No crooked noodles here. That orange and blue mess is my cup.... It wasn't half bad BEFORE I added to much blue and there was no going back. (And I'm the art major *shakes head*)

Once the noodles are in your cup(s) then it's time to choose your flavorings! One soup stock and four toppings per cup. There are four soups to choose from, including the regular Chicken Ramen, Chili, Tomato, and Curry. There are also twelve toppings in total, such as shrimp, egg, chicken, cheese, garlic, kimchi, green onion, corn... and so on.

All of us surprisingly chose shrimp! The color palettes are relatively the same too.

After your toppings are all set, it's time to seal the cup. You get the official paper lid, and then the cup is put into a plastic which will vacuum seal itself as it goes through an oven.

 The rest is up to you! Grab your cup, a balloon bag and a string and make yourself a nice souvenir to take home. They recommend eating it within a month, but I have a feeling most people preserve it forever. (I have decided to enjoy mine as I write this blog. Chili cheese garlic shrimp for the win!)

By this time it was nearly noon. We finished walking around the rest of the museum, which included a short animation about Cup Noodles history, and while it would have been interesting to have lunch at the Cup Noodle Bazaar on the 4th floor (featuring noodles from around the world), we were not willing to line up at the time. I actually had a different idea in mind for our lunch.

We left the museum and started to head back towards the city, passing the famous Red Brick Warehouses on the way. It's another nice location for a day out at the port, but that was not where we would have our lunch. We continued walking and soon found our way to Yokohama's other popular attraction - Chinatown.

As much as I hope to avoid crowded places, I can't help the fact that all the "tourist" spots are always crowded. Chinatown was no exception. Far from it. The streets were so packed that navigating was a chore, especially with full backpacks. I noticed that most people were lined up for nikuman, which is a meat but usually made with pork. None of us eat pork, so that was off the menu. I was sure that there was another option somewhere.

We first found these sesame donuts with anko, red bean paste inside. It was a good snack, but we needed something more.

Aside from the meat buns, we did find some shrimp dumplings, but I was still determined there was more. I have had all beef meat buns before and they were so good!! Unfortunately, we didn't come across any beef meat buns, but there was a place that had coconut buns. Hmm, that sounds tasty. So for only 250 yen each we grabbed a coconut bun and a "peach" bun (disclaimer, peach buns are still only filled with anko, they are called peach buns because the outside is colored pink to look like a peach).

It just so happened that the place we bought our buns from was right across from a BEEF and CHEESE Gyoza place! Score!! We ordered one set, 4 pieces, to try them out. If you like burgers, you can imagine the taste I bet. I would definitely get them again, but not to share! We shared all the food we bought, so we didn't really eat properly, but it was great to try all the different treats. I recommend sharing food on trips, and don't be afraid to get seconds!

It was sometime after 2 p.m. when we left Chinatown.  I reserved a bus to take us back to Nagoya, so we had to be at Shinjuku Station by 5:45. On our way to the station we remembered the Cheetos we bought that morning. Did we finish eating them? As we tried to remember what happened, my brother's eyes widened, "Um, I think I threw them out with the garbage." Noooo! No more Cheetos...

We rode the JR Line to Tokyo Station and went to grab our luggage (which was when I realized it was not a one-time charge, but 600 yen per day). Once we had our luggage with us, we headed straight to Shinjuku with time to spare.

I'm glad we had that extra time because Shinjuku Station is just huge and confusing.  First we tried to find a restaurant to chill at and eat to wait out the two hours, but everywhere we wanted to go was either full, or could not accommodate us and our luggage. Eventually we decided to grab food from the nearest convenient store, which surprisingly wasn't so near, and we waited at the bus station. The sign of the station looks like a zombie film to me haha.

It had been nice, almost warm weather all day, but when evening fell, so did the temperature. Our bus ended up being late due to traffic and we had to wait in the cold. However, we were able to finally relax on the bus as it drove us back to Nagoya.

By the time we arrived at Nagoya station it was almost midnight, so we caught the last train to my place.   I live in a simple 1K, so I didn't have much to offer. Thankfully, my friend lent me his air mattress, and I had bought an extra bed set for myself before the trip. One brother passed out right away, while the other kept me company as I unpacked the goods they brought for me from home.

No surprise, tomorrow is another early day. I was glad to be home, even for just the night.

<<PART THREE: TOKYO, DAY TWO                PART FIVE: OKAZAKI, DAY FOUR>>

Deluxe Tour Japan Winter 2016 (Part Two: TOKYO, Day One)

(*This blog was written a few weeks after the trip, but I changed the post date for organizational reasons)

December 22nd, Day One, TOKYO

I left my apartment around 5:00 a.m. and walked to Nagoya station to catch the bus to Tokyo. I highly recommend traveling by highway bus! They are becoming more and more comfortable now, and they are considerably cheaper than traveling by Shinkansen or most trains. The company I often use is WillerExpress.

From Nagoya to Tokyo it is about a six hour bus ride, with pit stops about every two hours at a service station (which for the record are also very nice!) My bus was an hour late arriving to Tokyo because we spent nearly 45 minutes LITERALLY just outside Tokyo stuck in traffic. This of course wouldn't happen with trains, however it was understandable.

From the bus station in Shinjuku I took the JR Line and Monorail out to Haneda Airport, arriving about an hour before my brothers were scheduled to arrive. When they arrived they were of course tired after the long 13 hour flight, but I was so happy to see them. It felt unreal seeing them in Japan.

Now that they were in Japan my job as their tour guide began! Haha. Rather than taking the limousine bus directly to Odaiba, as was initially planned, I found that we could also go by Monorail, and then by train, for slightly cheaper. The trains were also more frequent than the bus, so we headed out right away.

While on the monorail my brothers had their first glimpse of Japan - well, of Tokyo. We changed from the Monorail to the train at Tennozu Isle. It wasn't long before we reached our first destination, disembarking at Tokyo Teleport.  The weather was threatening rain, but for a December day it was relatively warm. We walked from the station past Palette Town (Pokemon anyone?) towards Diver City. Standing magnificently over the small hill was the sight we were waiting to see...

Yes. The life-size Gundam statue. As fans of Gundam, this was a must-see. And since we had arrived there around 5pm we had time to visit Gundam Front, located on the 7th floor of Diver City. Gundam Front is a part museum, part goods shop. Not only can you see new art and information about the current Gundam series, but you can also watch special animations in the theater. The movies are 3D and presented in a planetarium-like room, so you can really immerse yourself in it! Aside from the theater there is an open lobby with large models and costumes that you can take pictures with, plus a small factory where you can build your own model and goods shop. My brother said it made up for their long flight, so we were off to a good start!!

We left Gundam Front in good spirits and I decided to take my brothers to Yoshinoya for some beef and rice bowls. When I first visited Japan in 2011, I have a clear memory of going to Yoshinoya for my first meal. It's very simple compared to its competitor Sukiya, but it was still delicious. We ordered one bowl each (regular beef and rice, beef with green onion and egg, and karubi (which is short rib meat often found at yakiniku, BBQ, places) and shared them. Once they got over the raw egg idea they realized that it was the best flavor~ ^^

Now it was getting late and it was time to head to our hotel. We left Diver City and said good-bye to the Gundam. From there we walked towards Aqua City to catch a view of Fuji TV Building and the Rainbow Bridge.

Then the plan was to take the bus from Odaiba to Nishikasai, where our hotel was located. This is where it is important to DOUBLE CHECK the bus number. Two buses where set to depart from our bus stop, and the one that I mistook took us in the opposite direction towards Kanagawa! Oh no! Not the first day! But I quickly... not quick enough, but soon realized we were heading in the wrong direction, got off the bus, took another bus to Oi Machi and took a train from there to Tokyo Station, then caught the subway to Nishikasai. I promised to be very careful after that little side trip.

Our accomodations for the night were at the Best Western Hotel in Nishikasai. We had a 3-bed room on the 4th floor. It was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed at. I booked the room via Booking.com and got it for nearly half price at 5500 yen per person.

 And so day one came to a peaceful end. Sleep well, my brothers, tomorrow is a busy day.

<<PART ONE: PLANNING                             PART THREE: TOKYO, DAY TWO>>

Deluxe Tour Japan Winter 2016 (Part One: The Planning)

(*This blog post was written a month after the trip, but I changed the post date for organizational reasons)

December 2016

I have been living in Japan for just over 3 years now. This is the first time that anyone, family or friend, has come to visit me. I was finally able to convince my two brothers to come to Japan for the winter holiday.

We decided on the trip in September, so that is when I began my initial planning. It's their first time in Japan, in a foreign country even. What can I show them that is special about Japan? What do they WANT to see? We all know there are plenty of sights to see, and with both brothers in the opinion of "I'm up for anything" I decided that we would do the regular tour of the Japan, only we would see EVERYTHING, and I mean everything within two weeks.

Crazy, right? That should be nothing new haha.

So, first thing is first: the flight. It was a little more difficult to find a good, cheap flight because their time of travel was Christmas/New Year season. It was also their first SUPER long international flight, so I didn't want to burden them with layovers as much. In the end, they chose a DELTA Flight for about $1700, round trip from Detroit to Tokyo (Haneda) and one layover in Minneapolis. Not bad at all.

Second was the itinerary. Of course, I wanted them to get the most out of their trip, which meant traveling efficiently, BUT we were also on a budget. In most cases, I would recommend the Japan Rail Pass to anyone coming to visit Japan for at least a week. I recommended the same plan to my brothers, but in the end we chose not to get it. Why? It was really because they were coming to see me (and Japan), but essentially we would be together for the entire duration of the trip. I was their guide also; they couldn't get around as easily without me. That's fine and all, but since I am in Japan on a working VISA I am not eligible for the JR Pass. And unlike them, I did want to budget myself for the trip, which meant I didn't want to pay the cost for the bullet train. (This made some things a little difficult, but looking back I don't regret it).

The trip dates were set for December 22nd to January 2nd. Below is a copy of the itinerary as it was just before they came (there were some minor changes later, which I will mention in the daily recaps).

JAPAN TRIP ITINERARY       December 22nd ~ January 2nd
Dec. 21	Detroit	Check-in at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) *NEED: passport (ticket will be received at check-in, visa upon arrival)	5 a.m.~ *2-3 hours prior
		Departure	7:14 a.m.
Dec. 22	Tokyo	*Bus from Nagoya to Tokyo, Shinjuku > Haneda \610 50m	6:15~12 p.m.
		Arrival at Haneda Airport (HND)	2:10 p.m.
		Limousine Bus to HOTEL GPLEDAIBA, Odaiba  43min \520	3:30 p.m.*
		GUNDAM FRONT TOKYO (Diver City 7F) http://gundamfront-tokyo.com/jp/ Full Entrance \1200	4:30 p.m.
		Diver City (Gundam Café 2F, etc.)
		Fuji TV Building, Rainbow Bridge Odaiba
		Bus / Train to Hotel, 1hr \380	8:45 p.m.~
		Check-in (by 12 a.m.) at Best Western Tokyo Nishikasai 134-0088, Tokyo, Edogawa Ward, Edogawa-ku, Nishi Kasai 6-17-9 03-3675-8900     \16,500	~10 p.m.
Dec. 23	Tokyo	Check-out (by 10 a.m.) TOKYO METRO DAY PASS \600	8~8:30 a.m.
		Tokyo Station  Nishi Kasai > Tokyo (Tozai Line) \200 24min luggage storage (\600)  JR East Travel Service Center or locker*	9:00
		Bunkyo Civic Center Observation Deck Tokyo > Korakuen (Marunouchi Line) \170 13m
		Pokemon Center MEGA Ikebukuro Korakuen St. > Ikebukuro (Marunouchi Line) \170 12m
		MEIJI SHRINE (5 a.m.~6 p.m.) – HARAJUKU Crepes Ikebukuro > Meiji jingu mae (Fukutoshin Line) \200
		TOKYO TOWER (9 a.m.~11 p.m.) \900 Meiji jingu mae > Naka-meguro > Kamiyacho (Fukutoshin/Hibiya) \200
		AKIHABARA Homemade Curry (Bread), Anime everything Kamiyacho >Akihabara (Hibiya Line) \200 30m
		Claim luggage at Tokyo Station (30 min walk from Akihabara)**
		Train to Kamata (JR Keihintohoku Line, 34 min, \220~310)	6 p.m.~
		Check-in at Guest House Kamata (4-10 p.m.) 144-0031, Tokyo, Ota Ward, Ota-ku Higashi Kamata 2-6-7 070-3548-1408    \9,000 Food – Hamazushi 11m walk	7 ~ 8 p.m.
Dec. 24	Yokohama	Check-out 8-10 a.m.	9 a.m.*
		Train to Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum (Kamata Keihintohoku Line > Sakuragicho, 52 min \310)
		Cup Noodle Museum 10 a.m.~ My CUPNOODLES Factory \300 Chicken Ramen Factory \500	10 a.m. ~ 12 p.m.
		Red Brick Warehouse to Chinatown (24min walk)	12 p.m. ~
		Train to Shinjuku (Motomachi-Chukagai Minatomirai Line >> 1 hour 5min, \650)	4 p.m.
		Bus: Shinjuku Bus Terminal 4F to Nagoya \5,200	17:50
		Arrival in Nagoya	23:20
Dec. 25	Okazaki	Make MOCHI at the Yamamoto Family’s house, Okazaki \620 (2) (Lunch = Oden, Dinner = Handmade Sushi)	8 a.m. ~ 8 p.m.
Dec. 26	Osaka	Bus to USJ (3hr 20m \2,700)	6:30 a.m.
		UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN	9:50 a.m. ~ 9 p.m.
		Universal Citywalk Takoyaki
		Train to Umeda Station, walk to Umeda Sky East Sakurajima > Umeda \180 20m
		Bus to Hiroshima (Overnight, \5,510)	24:00
Dec. 27	Hiroshima	Arrival in Hiroshima	5:30 a.m.
		Atomic Bomb Dome – Museum – Peace Park – Hiroshima castle, etc. ALL DAY SIGHTSEEING BUS PASS
		Hiroshima okonomiyaki
		Bus to Kyoto (Overnight, \5,010)	24:20
Dec. 28	Kyoto	Arrival in Kyoto	6:45 a.m.
		Yasaka Shrine / Gion – Kiyomizu dera – Fushimi Inari
		Bus to Nagoya: 2 hour 30min, \2,550 *tickets can be reserved one-month in advance	Every 30 min from Kyoto St.
Dec. 29	Nagoya+	Sakae, Oasis 21, Osu Kannon, Illuminations, Nagoya Castle, Naan Curry
Dec. 30	Nagoya+	Nagoya Aquarium, Yakiniku, Nabana no Sato?
Dec. 31	Nagoya+	FREE DAY!!! Udon, Taiyaki
		Hatsumode in Gamagori	Midnight
Jan. 1	Shizuoka	Drive to Shizuoka from Gamagori (with Taka)
		Toyokawa Inari Shrine
		Check-in at Face to Face Guesthouse 418-0056, Fujinomiya, Nishimachi 22-18 81-090-2680-9707      \10,000 (4 people)
Jan. 2	Tokyo / Detroit	Mt. Fuji morning	SUNRISE
		Train to Haneda Airport	9:30 a.m.
		Check-in at Haneda Airport	1:30 p.m.~
		Departure from Haneda Airport (HND)	4:25 p.m.
		Arrival at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)	6:14 p.m.

As you can see, the first few days were very very detailed, and that first week itself was very busy. It was my first time ever planning such a trip, so I didn't want to miss a detail, or find myself unprepared. Most of our traveling between cities would be done by bus, a cheaper method, though it does take more time. We would visit the most popular places on the main island of Honshu, and try to get in some personal time too.

Our main points of travel were:

Tokyo > Yokohama > Okazaki > Osaka > Hiroshima > Kyoto > Nagoya > Gamagori > Mt. Fuji

In the next post I will talk about our travels in Tokyo.

PART TWO: TOKYO, DAY ONE>>