2019 in Japan (Tokyo + Kyoto + Hiroshima + Osaka + Kobe + Odawara)

November 1, 2019 : a long-haul flight (without stopovers) across the great big sea from Toronto (YYZ) to Haneda (HND) in Tokyo, Japan:

"the trip"

staying from November 2 to 15, my trip to Japan was mostly self-led but sometimes led by a two-wheeler sightseeing leader for a few hours; other than those sightseeing rides, it was all about wielding that "JR train pass" between the boom towns of Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kobe and Odawara:

Tokyo

spent three days in Tokyo to get into the swing of things:

2019-11-02

• acclimatization evening with rest as the main goal

2019-11-03

• getting the hang of Japanese food and iron roads
• went to the busy Shibuya cross-walk
• saw Tokyo in the evening from the top of the World Trade Center Observatory
  • with that red and white Tokyo Tower from afar

2019-11-04

• went into a carefully kept Japanese garden among Tokyo's tall buildings
• rode the Shinkansen "bullet train" from Tokyo to Kyoto
  • saw Mount Fuji on the right side of the train

Kyoto

2019-11-04

• Kyoto afternoon and evening self-tour
  • Gion (old town)
• ramen for the evening meal

2019-11-05

• met up with a sightseeing group, riding two-wheelers around Kyoto
  • Golden Pavilion

2019-11-06

• self-led walking on the grounds of Fushimi Inari Taisha
  • with its thousands of red "tori" gates
• rode the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima

Hiroshima

2019-11-07

• Hiroshima self-led walking to see the:
  • Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
  • Peace Park
  • Atomic Bomb Hypocenter
  • Children's Peace Monument
  • Atomic Bomb Dome
  • Orizuru (paper crane) Tower
• Okonomiyaki mid-day meal
• rode the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka

Osaka

2019-11-07

• stayed at a guesthouse near "Fukushima" eki ("station") in Osaka

2019-11-08

• met up with a sightseeing group, riding two-wheelers around Osaka:
  • rode near the Osaka Castle
  • saw a shrine that looked like a dragon
  • saw the Glico "running man" billboard lit up in the evening

Kobe

2019-11-09

• rode on the Shinkansen from Osaka to Kobe
• made the trip to Kobe for a morning and afternoon:
  • Meriken Park
    • a restful walk without any goals
  • Kobe beef ramen and "high-ball" whisky for mid-day meal!
  • "Cable car" ride up the hills to the Herb Gardens
• rode the Shinkansen back from Kobe to Osaka

Odawara

2019-11-10

• stil in Osaka for the morning to see the:
  • Gate Tower (a freeway through a building!)
• rode the Shinkansen from Osaka to Odawara

2019-11-11

• met up with a sightseeing group, riding two-wheelers in Odawara
  • saw Mount Fuji from a distance
  • got to soak in the Japanese inlands away from the boom towns
• rode the Shinkansen for the last time from Odawara to Tokyo

Tokyo

2019-11-12

• last sightseeing and shopping to end the trip
  • Ueno Zoo (pandas!)
  • Senso-ji shrine
  • Olympic Park (for 2020 Summer Games)
  • Tokyo Dome (baseball stadium)
  • Shinjuku shopping district
    • Godzilla (at Hotel Gracery)
• went straight home (no stopovers) on the 15th

"happy with Japan"

rather happy with Japan and would set foot in it again:

• wishing to have a look at the
  • northern island of Hokkaido
  • southern island of Kyushu
• would like to buy something again from
  • a 7-Eleven shop (much better and not at all like the ones in the west)
  • a "jihanki" (a "vending machine" that sold beer and other eye-opening things that would not happen in North America)
• eating out in Japan did not set me back that much
  • 500-1000 yen ($5-10) in 2019 got me a hearty bowl-sized meal
  • know these key hubs that have hot foods in bowls:
    • Yoshinoya
    • Matsuya
    • Sukiya
    • Nakau

Japan truly has their stuff together!