Japan Attractions Day 8 - 17th Apr 2009 Narita – Singapore

Japan Attractions Day 8

Narita travel - Naritasan

Today being our last day in Japan, we had to make full use of our last few hours to take in some last sights for this Narita travel.

Room rate for our Japan lodging in Narita, International Garden Hotel Narita, cost JPY6,800 for 2 persons for a double room. The advantage is the complimentary round trip airport shuttle as well as the shuttle to and from Narita station and Aeon shopping complex. The room is big and spacious although it could do with some refurbishment. The hotel also has a huge lobby and you can use the gym and rooftop Jacuzzi spa as well. At JPY6,800, it is very good value for money for a cheap Japan travel even without breakfast and free internet access, considering the complimentary shuttle services provided as this helps to save on your travelling cost.

Japan travel advice:- If you are intending to fly off the next day from Tokyo and especially if you have an early morning flight, it is advisable to book a hotel in Narita as it is much closer to Narita Japan Airport and most hotels provide complimentary shuttle services. Thus if you are looking for cheap Japan travel, it would help to find a hotel that provides complimentary airport shuttle.

Beautiful white flowers just by Naritasan

We checked out in the morning, left our luggage in the hotel and took the 0945 hrs shuttle to Narita station. We then took a morning stroll and admired the lovely flowers as well as did some window shopping whilst making our way to Naritasan (Narita hill).

As we had not required any warm clothes yesterday, we had packed all of that into our luggage. However, the Narita weather today turned cold and we were not prepared. As such, we had to stop by one of the many small shops along the way to buy a sweater to keep us warm.

There were many shops selling various Japanese snacks and other foodstuffs as well as Japanese souvenirs and good luck charms. This area also seems to be famous for their unagi (freshwater Japanese eel) as we passed by a few shops preparing the unagi for sale. The unagi is served with a special unagi sauce that gives it its special flavour. We tried the donburi, a dish of sliced eel served on a bed of rice and it tasted fresh and delicious, especially in the cold weather.

Conscientiously preparing the unagi (eel)

Japanese style seating at the Unagi restaurant ...

Delicious donburi

Soon we reached Narita-san which sees over 2 million visitors during the first three days of the near year. Built in 940, Naritasan (Naritasan Shinshoji Temple) is a large and popular Buddhist temple complex in Narita City.


Entrance to Naritasan ...

Located not far from Narita Japan Airport, it is a great place to visit if you have a few hours to spend around the airport and wish to catch a glimpse of historic Japan. Naritasan comprises a 16 hectare area occupied by the temple and another 16.5 hectare park.

In the grounds of Naritasan

At the entrance of Naritasan, you can request for a volunteer Japanese travel guide to give a brief history and guide you around Naritasan in various languages including English, Spanish and Chinese.

The Three-storied Pagoda, 25m high, was erected in 1712 and is nationally certified as an Important Cultural Property.

The Bell Tower is also more than 300 years old and is sounded three times a day at 0600 hrs, 1200 hrs and 1800 hrs.

Nomon Gate, a Nationally Certified Important Cultural Property, was erected in 1830. In this Gate of the Temple, four deities are enshrined as guardians of the Temple who ward off all evil.

Shakado Hall, Important Cultural Property (Nationally Certified) was the former main hall of the Temple, erected in 1858. Gohyakurakan (Five Hundred Buddhist Saints) and Hijushiko(Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety), carved in relief on the wooden walls and doors around the hall. It is truly a characteristic structure of the Late Edo period.

Gakudo Hall, Important Cultural Property (Nationally Certified) was erected in 1861. It has an irimoya-type tiled roof.

Komyodo Hall, Important Cultural Property (Nationally Certified) was an early main hall of the Temple, erected in 1701. With an irimoya-type tiled roof, the features of the original structure are well retained in the engraved ornaments. It is an invaluable work of the Mid Edo period.

Great Pagoda of Peace was erected in 1984 in prayer for world peace. World leaders’ messages and prayers for eternal world peace have been placed in the time capsule which lies under the ground beneath this Great Pagoda.

Naritasan, one of the popular Japan attractions



Naritasan Park is a quiet and spacious area where you can fully experience the tranquil nature. It changes from season to season and you can find ponds, waterfalls, fountains, a tea ceremony room and the Naritasan Calligraphy Museum there.

Naritasan Park

Along the way back to the Narita station to catch the shuttle back to the hotel, we passed by more shops selling the specialty of the area like chestnuts and rice crackers, besides souvenirs and Japanese foodstuff.

Along the way to Naritasan

There were also tons of lovely and colourful flowers along the road, a beautiful sight to behold.

Amazing works of nature - beautiful flowers


We managed to hop on the 1410hrs shuttle to Narita Japan Airport and checked in by 1500 hrs.

Our last sight of sakura on the way to Narita Japan Airport ....

As we were still early, we managed to do some really last minute shopping and also dropped by the “Sky Food Court” to try the katsudon (pork cutlet served on a bed of rice) and soba noodle set which cost JPY1150.

Narita Japan Airport

Interestingly, we read an article about Japan vending machines. In Japan, there are about 5.5 million vending machines whcih amounts to at least 4 vending machines per 100 individuals, and in the cities about 1 per 30. You can get various things, such as juice, sake, cigarettes flowers, toys, noodles, eggs, erotic films, and fishing bait. Some are so unique that you can get vegetables, curry rice, toasted sandwiches, automatic personal card maker, and so on.

Japan vending machines

Our flight on NW19 departed as scheduled and we reached Singapore Changi International Airport at 0045hrs on 18th Apr 2009. A smooth journey. Home sweet home.

Japan Attractions Day 6 - 15th Apr 2009 Sapporo

Japan Attractions Day 6

Red Brick Building Also known as the Former Hokkaido Government Building

Today is our second full day in Sapporo and we were excitedly looking forward to viewing more of what tourists on Sapporo travel and Sapporo tours go for. At the same time, we shall be giving some Japan travel advice on how to go on a cheap Japan travel. We even managed to see the site of the Olympic Ski Jumping games.

We started off the day by taking a short walk to the Clock Tower which was first built as a Sapporo Agricultural College drill hall in 1878 and was transformed into its present structure equipped with a clock in 1881. It has been ticking away for more than 125 years and its collection of materials relating to Sapporo’s history is open to the public for a small admission fee.

Clock Tower at night

The Clock Tower

From the Clock Tower, we proceeded to Odori Park, less than five minutes away by foot. Extending 1.5km east and west in the city centre, this is the main venue for the Sapporo Snow Festival in winter. During the months of May to September, the Odori Park is adorned with flowers, greenery and fountains.

The Odori Park is also the venue for various other events including the :-

• Sapporo Lilac Festival held in late May Yosakai Soran Festival held on June 10 – 14


• Sapporo Summer Festival held in late July to Late August


• Sapporo Autumn Festival which features Hokkaido food held in mid Sept – early Oct and


• Sapporo Light Illumination, where approximately 400,000 festive lights adorn the city, held in late Nov - mid Feb.

Odori Park

Fountain in Odori Park

Even the birds enjoy the park

Look out for the Sapporo TV Tower which is Sapporo’s landmark and located in Odori Park. For a small fee, you can enjoy an exquisite view from the observatory 90m above the ground.

Sapporo TV Tower ...

Japan travel advice:-

There is a common discount ticket to both the Clock Tower and the TV Tower, if you would like to go inside, which would help to save and make for a cheap Japan travel.

Interesting sights

After strolling through Odori Park, we made our way back to the hotel to wait for our friend to pick us up. She brought us to Okurayama, equivalent to Mt Okura as ‘yama’ stands for mountain. This is where the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium and the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum are located.

We were unfortunate not to be able to go up to the Okurayama Ski Jump Platform as the chair lifts were under maintenance for that week. It was a pity as we were looking forward to going up to get some panoramic, breathtaking views and fresh crisp air.

Okurayama Ski Jump

However we did manage to see the Ski Jump Stadium which hosts world-class competitions. Top ski jumpers from around the world gather here, the venue of the 1974 Olympics ski jumping games, to set new records. In fact, the Okurayama ski jump is a popular attraction what was specially constructed for the Sapporo Olympics as a 90 m-class ski jump site.

Okurayama Ski Jump

Adjoining Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium is the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum. This is an experience-oriented museum-type facility. In addition to the collection of winter-sports-related items on display, winter sports simulations are also available. Experience the thrill of figure skating, bob sledding, speed skating, cross country, etc…

Okurayama Winter Sports Museum

For lunch, we went to Node 43 at Grand Hotel Sapporo. It was quite crowded and we realized that it was because of a discount in the buffet price as the hotel is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The buffet lunch cost JPY2,100 with special prices for children and senior citizens aged 65 and above. Or you could go for the fruit and dessert buffet from 2pm - 4.30pm which cost JPY1,500.

Lunch buffet prices

Car lift for parking

Grand Hotel Sapporo Lobby

We ordered fried rice with beef steak and the king prawn and scallop which was served with bread. They all tasted good and fresh and should be on the ‘must-try’ list. The chocolate cake and baked cheesecake were a little heavy though.

Lunch at Grand Hotel Sapporo

After lunch, we walked around the area and did some shopping at the arcade known as Tanukikouji Shopping Arcade as well as Daiso.

Fresh seafood at Nijo Fish Market

Tanukikouji Shopping Arcade comprised of six streets and stretched for approximately one km. You can shop at Tanukikouji St which is covered most of the way and find some interesting items there.

Tanukikouji Shopping Arcade ...

Daiso is also generally known as the 100 yen shop, one of the more popular shopping places especially for tourists on budget travel, where majority of the items cost JPY100 excluding 5% tax. So if you are on a budget and looking for gifts and souvenirs, this is a good place so as to keep within your budget and make it a cheap Japan travel. For us, this is the place where we did the majority of our shopping to pick up some lovely presents for the folks back home.

In fact, we found that this Daiso covered five floors and had a wide variety of items to choose from. The actual 100 yen shops do not have as wide a range but are good enough to pick out simple gifts, souvenirs and presents.

We also passed by the JR Sapporo Station and found that you could spend hours shopping there as well. And if you are looking for food and do not know what to order, do not fret as many shops display the dishes so you can just point at them.

JR Sapporo Station

For your Sapporo travel, you can also go up to JR Tower’s Observatory “Tower 38” for a panoramic view of Sapporo’s cityscape from a height of 160m.

Another interesting area to visit is the Jozankei Hot Springs, a village located amid tranquil gorges. This is one of the more popular onsen Japan has. A tourist attraction, Jozan Gensen Park and Jozankei Hot Spring Resort are popular amongst both citizens and tourists as a retreat on the outskirts of Sapporo. It was a pity but we did not have the time to visit this popular Japan attraction.

The best season to travel to Sapporo is winter, when the city is covered with a blanket of pure white snow. You will be able to view the internationally famous Snow Festival which exhibits the beauty and warmth of the season as well as the White Illumination where thousands of brilliant white lights are lit giving the place a more fantastic atmosphere.

We met up with some colleagues for dinner at Nan En, a restaurant serving Cantonese cuisine in the basement of the hotel we stayed in, i.e. the Keio Plaza Sapporo. With a modern and stylish interior, we enjoyed the various dishes and caught up on old time. Most of the colleagues were old timers and thus there were lots to catch up on.
Hot Soup Meat dish

Some dim sum

And not forgetting the sakura jelly dessert This was something that we had not tried before and it tasted very light and refreshing.

Japan travel advice:-
If you are travelling in Sapporo, do take advantage and try the onsen. Japan is famous for their hot springs due to the wondrous healing effects of the water. When in Japan a visit to an onsen is an experience that shouldn’t be missed. The water of a Japanese onsen is rich in a variety of minerals and is naturally heated by the earth with water temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius. A visit to a Japanese onsen is relaxing and rejuvenating but it can also offer relief from some of your ailments.

This Sapporo travel turned out to be an exciting time even though we did not manage to visit any onsen. Japan is well known for these hot springs. If you are looking for cheap Japan travel, yet wish to be able to get some pretty souvenirs and gifts, look for Daiso or any 100 yen shop.

Japan Attractions Day 1 – 10th Apr 2009 Tokyo to Hiroshima

Japan Attractions Day 1 – 10th Apr 2009

With the myriad of tourist attractions Japan has, it is recommended to check out these Japan attractions on the internet or collect some Japan travel guides from the Japan embassy or travel agents so that you will have an idea of what sort of Japan sightseeing would interest and excite you. Also you can make use of the Japanese Rail Pass which is the key to convenient sightseeing in Japan.

We arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport at 1245 hrs on 10th April after a 12 hours flight from MSP International Airport. After a super fast clearance, we went to the JR (Japan Rail) Office to present our exchange order for our JR ‘7 day’ pass to start our train sightseeing of Japan.

Japanese Rail Pass Exchange Order

The Japanese Rail Pass cannot be purchased in Japan. It is only for tourists to Japan who are there on a sightseeing travel, i.e. you must be there on a "Temporary Visitor" status and not as "Trainee", "Entertainer", or "Reentry Permit". Or if you are a Japanese national who is qualified to live permanently in a foreign country or married to a non-Japanese residing in a foreign country, you are eligible for a Japanese Rail Pass. The price for a 7 day Japanese rail pass ranges from JPY28,300 (USD291) to JPY37,300 (USD389), though it is much cheaper to purchase the 21-day pass which comes up to less than double the price of the 7-day pass.


The JR Pass for sightseeing by train



This JR Pass enables you to travel on all JR group railways (including the Shinkansen "bullet trains", limited express trains, express trains and rapid or local trains), local lines of JR bus companies and the JR Miyajima ferry. The validity period of the Japanese rail pass is the consecutive 7, 14 or 21 days beginning on the date the pass is first issued when you arrive in Japan and present the exchange order to any JR exchange office.

Japan travel advice:- If you intend to travel extensively from, one main city to another and covering long distances e.g. Tokyo to Osaka/Hiroshima/Sapporo, etc… and looking for cheap Japan travel, it is advantageous to apply for a JR pass as this will enable you to save quite a bit on your transportation and include some form of train sightseeing as well as Japan sightseeing.


One of the many trains

From Narita Airport Terminal 1, we took the 1345 hrs Narita Express Shinagawa to Tokyo where we changed another two different shinkansen, also known as bullet trains, to Hiroshima and arrived at 1955 hrs.

One advantage about Japan is that its transportation system runs like clockwork where all arrival and departure timings are precise and accurate. It is thus easy to plan a train sightseeing holiday.

After an approximately ten minutes walk from JR Hiroshima Station is Hotel Urbain Hiroshima Executive where we stayed for the night. A rate of JPY 8400 (USD86)/day nett for two persons entitles you to a room with a full bathroom, complimentary ‘diy’ laundry, free internet access, sauna, public bath and breakfast. You also get 24 hour access to coffee/ tea, orange as well as vegetable juice.


Hotel Urbain Hiroshima Executive

Typical Japanese hotel room - small

The complimentary laundry facilities
The hotel is new having just opened last year and comes with modern furnishings and makes use of high technology software such as tapping your key on a key pad to open your room door.

After checking in, we took a walk around the hotel to do some Hiroshima sightseeing. We passed by the river and managed to view some beautiful sakura, also popularly known as cherry blossoms.

Lovely Sakura Cherry Blossoms

Upon crossing the street, we saw a Chinese restaurant, Entaikaku, and had dinner comprising ‘ma po tofu’ and ‘jia jia mian’. The ‘ma po tofu’ is a dish of beancurd cooked in a spicy gravy with minced meat. This dish is better eaten with rice as it tastes much better and not too salty. If you like spicy food, try this dish. The ‘jia jia mian’ is a dish of noodles with minced meat and sliced cucumbers served with it. Found it a little too salty, but otherwise a tasty dish. Both dishes cost JPY840 (USD8.65) each, which is about the average meal cost here in Japan although you can find meals below JPY500 (USD5.15).

The Chinese Restaurant, Entaikaku

Ma Po Tofu, a popular dish in Japan