Japan Sept/Oct 2010 - Pics & HD Vids

[ukiyo]

I think Kobe is underrated too. In my opinion it's a better version of Yokohama...plus it has kobe beef and sobameshi If you want ideas of where to go I have a pretty big thread of Kobe in my sig.

[inefekt]

Originally Posted by ukiyo

I think Kobe is underrated too. In my opinion it's a better version of Yokohama...plus it has kobe beef and sobameshi If you want ideas of where to go I have a pretty big thread of Kobe in my sig.

I checked out your Kobe thread, every page
Very nice pics (and videos) and I definitely got a different perspective of the city, I missed so much.........

[inefekt]

Day 20 - Ikebukuro

I mentioned this in Quashlo's thread, I injured myself and was out of action for nearly two days. This was the day I sustained the injury, I was enjoying the sights of Ikebukuro when I got struck down, it was a leg injury, possibly shin splints and the pain was so bad I could barely put any weight on it let alone walk. I only just managed to get back to my hotel.........I guess all that walking finally took its toll! Anyway, luckily I recovered sufficiently to go on my Mt Fuji tour so the next update will be Day 22.
Here's the small collection of pics (no video sorry) I managed prior to the injury......

[inefekt]

I at least got to see the Toyota Showroom which had been on my agenda










Unfortunately there was no show that day

[Kimiwind1184]

Too bad to hear about your injury. Feels like someone has jinxed you in Ikeburoko . I also heard that the site of Sunshine 60 back in the old days was an execution ground. It's rumored to be haunted . (I'm not trying to relate this with that (.....) haha :P).

Anyways, I was looking forward to see some Sunshine 60 shots and maybe an observatory view friom the building.

[inefekt]

Originally Posted by Kimiwind1184

Too bad to hear about your injury. Feels like someone has jinxed you in Ikeburoko . I also heard that the site of Sunshine 60 back in the old days was an execution ground. It's rumored to be haunted . (I'm not trying to relate this with that (.....) haha :P).

Anyways, I was looking forward to see some Sunshine 60 shots and maybe an observatory view friom the building.

LOL I'm pretty sure I injured my leg in a driving simulator at the Toyota Showroom, pushing down on the brake and probably pulling the anterior tibialis muscle??

Damn, I didn't know about the observatory on Sunshine 60, in fact I had no clue that building existed and probably didn't take much notice of it when I was there. I just read up on it and notice that it features in a couple of my pics. I would have liked to have gone up to the observatory, injured leg or no injured leg The elevator is one of the fastest in the world......

[inefekt]

I mentioned that I was planning on heading back to Japan this August but I've just read that the country's last active nuclear power plant has just been closed down which means that electricity generation is now based chiefly on fossil fuels, not great for the environment but also not enough to cover the 30% total electricity generation which nuclear power provided. This is likely to lead to summer blackouts and power conservation measures seen during the Fukushima nuclear crisis so the spectacular neon nightscapes seen in Ginza, Shibuya and Shinjuku will most likely be tempered significantly and to someone like me, this is a major attraction in visiting Japan, I loved the sensory assault! So I'm now rethinking my plans unfortunately

Can any of you living in Japan confirm the likelihood of these rolling blackouts and power saving initiatives (setsuden) over the coming summer???

[inefekt]

Day 22 - Mt Fuji Tour

This was the only organised tour I went on during my trip. It wasn't cheap, around 13000Y. I chose the 'all bus' tour which in retrospect was a big mistake! I should have taken the shinkansen return option. I was really hoping for a fine, clear day and it started out great, blue skies with just scattered cloud so I was hopeful of getting a good view of Mt Fuji.
My hotel wasn't on the pickup list so I had to make my own way to Marunouchi South Exit bus terminal near Tokyo Station where I was picked up by a Hato bus and taken to Hamamatsucho Bus Terminal to catch the main tour bus to Mt Fuji. The tour was supposed to include a cruise on Lake Ashi but time constraints meant we had to settle for a visit to Lake Kawaguchi, just one of the many things that went wrong on the trip. As mentioned, the weather started off great but it got cloudier and cloudier the closer we got to Mt Fuji. We stopped at Fujikyu Highland for lunch and by the time we got to the 5th Station it was completely covered in cloud. The tour guide was suggesting that the station would most likely be above the cloud line but it didn't end up being the case. I had made the mistake of wearing just a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and of course, being 2300m above sea level, the temperature was close to freezing! We spent perhaps 45mins walking around the station hoping for a break in the clouds so that we could get at least a glimpse of Fujisan, I think it did break for maybe 20 seconds but that was about it. The season's first snow hit the peak the day before and I think there was still a thin cover of snow that you can just make out in my photo's, I'd never seen snow before and was was hoping to see some that day.
After freezing my rear end off we headed to Lake Kawaguchi, it had started to rain and was still bitterly cold, the open top boat ride was bone chilling! I had yet another ropeway ride to the top of a nearby mountain for some great views of the lake and town as well as some more cloud covered shots of Fujisan.
The worst part of the trip was yet to come, we were told that we needed to take a few people to an Onsen resort, which apparently was an optional extra not mentioned on the pamphlet. This turned out to be a three hour detour! Not surprisingly the other tour members were not happy about sitting in a bus for an additional three hours just to drop two couples off at an onsen. To make matters worse the traffic into Tokyo resembled a parking lot and after leaving the lake at around 5pm it was around 10.30pm before we were finally dropped off in Ginza!
Never again.
Anyway, onto the pics

[inefekt]

Is this a joke or was there really a precedent for putting this sign up



The 5th Station....

[inefekt]

The highest point I've ever been to on foot though I do plan on scaling this mountain next time I travel to Japan!


Map of the various trails you can take to the summit




This is the start of the Yoshida Trail

[inefekt]

I made my way up this trail but the fog got too thick and the further I went the colder it got so I made a quick retreat!




C'mon Fujisan, give us a look at the summit please!

[inefekt]

Hold up, is that the crater rim?


I think it might be?? Thank you old girl






Hypothermia was starting to set in at this stage, I swear it was the coldest I'd ever been in my entire life, must have been around -5c

[inefekt]

Temples and shrines everywhere you go, such a spiritual country

[inefekt]

Totemo samukatta desu!!!

Lake Kawaguchi


Finally got back into the warmth of the coach but it didn't last long and we were at Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchi-ko) where the rain had set in and the cold wasn't abating

[inefekt]

Such a picturesque town

[inefekt]

Time for the boat ride, I should have stayed on the shore, so cold, so very, very cold.......




Damn you weather


Next up, the ropeway ride up Mt Kachi

[inefekt]

The views made up for the cold











And that was the tour over..........well, except for that five hour bus ride!

[inefekt]

Vids........

Quite a few this time

[inefekt]

[inefekt]