Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6566
DSL, if you’ve got time in Tokyo go to the Yasukuni shrine and the Yushukan war museum. They’ve got a Mitsubishi Zero (the only one left?) there as well as an “interesting” interpretation of how WWII went.
9th Jun 2019 12:17 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
They are now on the list. We’ve got a week or so in Tokyo at the end of June/early July before we fly to Bangkok for a few days then back home.
Will do a proper update tomorrow as just having a bit of a lazy evening. See below. In the meantime here’s a pic of a cute boy and dog statue from our wanderings today.
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And requests for suggestions as to how peeps of normal height are meant to use these petrol pumps.
I’d have a better pic of this bad boy, the JS Makinami, but the local Lucky Pierrot was calling.
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And talking of firsts, we came across this mega attraction. And risked life and limb taking the pic.
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Consider yer lives complete, I just hoped peeps could contain their excitement.
Lastly a couple of pics from our tram trip today. We bought a ¥600 (£4.35) all day tram ticket and we were working them to the max. Even took a tram from the hotel to breakie, luckily this time I just about managed to keep my coffee lemon juice free.
Oldie worldie tram as seen from a more modern tram.
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We jumped off the tram we were on hoping it would be the next tram going our way as it the end of the line but no, the more modern one overtook it. How we know not.
And finally a pano of the view across to another part of Hokkaido, beach blocks and rubbish included.
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9th Jun 2019 1:04 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Moo wrote:
Nice. I love Japan. I'm out to Tokyo beginning of July.
Same here, we’re really enjoying Japan. It takes a bit of getting used to, every day you learn something new but it’s really great place to visit. I was worried before we came here re getting about but that hasn’t been an issue. All stations have English & Japanese signs and where you’re not sure the local staff are fab at pointing you to the correct platform or train. Trams and buses are also a bit of a learning curve but once you get used to keeping your eyes open and watching what other peeps do then it’s easy to figure out. Japan Rail passes and Suica (cash/IC card) are fantastic, but then you hit somewhere that only accepts cash or its own local IC card on their trams. Keeps you alert.
Our only complaint is lack of rubbish bins. If we buy a bottle of coffee & comethibg to eat at a 7 eleven we can be carrying the rubbish around for hours after consuming the scoff. But the place is spotlessly clean, completely the opposite of Vietnam. I know first world problem but it gets to that level to find fault.
We’ll have only seen about half of Japan so we’ll deffo be back, prob for another couple of months but we have to work it around it being warm (SWMBO’s gone all tropical), avoiding the wet season and avoiding major events like the Sakura (cherry blossom), Olympics and Rugby World Cup where an already expensive country will get stupidly priced.
9th Jun 2019 1:45 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Booooootiful evening here. Just been watching sunset(ish) looking over the caldera lake towards a classic stratovolcano behind. Booooooootiful.
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Hopefully no eruptions from either of them for the next couple of weeks.
10th Jun 2019 10:53 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Am going to get a sign like that and chose a lamp post in the village and declare it the "Oldest Lamp Post in ..."
Certainly will be a major tourist attraction Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
10th Jun 2019 12:53 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
And set up a few little money making stands selling souvenirs.
Will post pics from today sometime tomorrow once I get decent weefee. Bit surreal at the mo, watching a Transporter movie dubbed into Japanese.
Nice firework display tonight.
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10th Jun 2019 1:14 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Right, now we are in a hotel that has weefee in more than the lobby I can bing up the pics from the last two days.
Yesterday was around a Lake Toya, part of a volcano complex with at least one active volcano that last erupted in 2000. Beautiful clear lake, with some pretty big fish waiting to be fed.
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The Hanoi swans were waiting on us, and they’d become all patriotic.
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And motorised!!
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Re flags, we were the only Westerners we saw until we headed back.
Looks like Boeing have finished the revamp of the 737 MAX, and knocked 711 off the number.
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There’s a ropeway (a cable car type thing that just has two cars) up to the one of the summits but there has been so much vegetation it’s difficult to see anything.
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This was the eruption in 1977.
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Sticks are available to help peeps get up the hill, which was pretty steep, to the viewing point but we didn’t clock these until we got back to the cable car station. Luckily we’d dumped our bags in a locker at the bus station.
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Once back to the lake it was second tourist jolly of the day, the boat trip around the little island in a floating castle/boat thingie. Very strange.
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Today we walked round the area damaged by the 2000 eruption, either by faulting of mud slides. Most of the buildings have been removed but they’ve left the school & one block of flats. Very Chernobyl, on a small scale.
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Then back to the train line and to Noboribetsu Onsen, up in the hills again. This time really did go to the Hells, far better than Beppu and all free.
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I’m not sure putting your arm up is going to help very much.
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Weird tube plants.
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And deer behind the pond fed by some pretty hot water. Lots of deer prints around the pond, they would be in a world of difficulties if they fell in.
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And after all that hiking a very welcome foot Onsen. The water wasn’t that hot but once tootsies were buried in the volcanic sand it was plenty hot.
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Very good day, lots of hiking and the volcanic fields around here are fab. One of the best days in Japan so far.
11th Jun 2019 12:25 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Just dragged our collective butts up to Sapporo.
Got there via bus to the JR station with just Japanese on the front, luckily JR station in Japanese is JR station. Trust me, that’s all Japanese on the front display.
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Past giant chaps with somewhat illegal baseball bat.
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And weird Harry Potter type building, penguin zoo we think.
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Ignored the cute local train.
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And got the funky Super Hokuto up to Sapporo. Only thing of note on the way up were half a dozen or so F-15s at Chitose airport/AB.
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After walking about shade under 2km to the Holibob Inn, all underground, find that the bath from the last hotel was not going to be the shortest tub of the trip. I’ve seen bigger bird baths!
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No chance of quiet 3 nights as this is Susukino district, we’ve just found out it’s the biggest entertainment area N of Tokyo. At least there’s a MDs near by.
12th Jun 2019 6:00 am
LeighW D3 Decade
Member Since: 31 Jan 2006
Location: Brisbane, AUS
Posts: 916
The Japanese baths are meant to be short but deep. You sit on the bottom (pun intended) with your legs drawn up and savour the really hot water up to your neck - no soap, so that others in your family can bathe (and recuperate after a hard day's work). It is usual that the most senior bathes first and the less senior form a queue(politely, of course).
Just loving reliving my many holidays through your writings and photos. It is a truly different country that Japan.
I have the utmost respect for the consideration shown by Japanese people of all walks of life since 1978 when we first started visiting. We saw many of the places you have been to but I seem to recall Beppu in a better light. It might have been the communal onsen at Sugnoi Palace (now Hotel) that did it though.
Thoroughly enjoying your travels though, thanks.LeighW
The old girl is on her third engine...
* first ran a bearing (design failure in original engine)
* second had a failure of the water outlet on top of the engine (pls check yours)
12th Jun 2019 7:39 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
It’s just that the baths have been getting progressively shorter as we’ve travelled through Japan. Short baths aren’t such an issue as long as I have somewhere to put my feet that isn’t so high up the wall that they’re in danger of hitting the ceiling.
We’re certainly enjoying Japan very much.
12th Jun 2019 8:26 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Bit of a lazy day today, mainly coz I’ve got a bit of a gammy ankle atm.
A very weird bus seen on the way to scoff. Not sure I’d want to get on if it was the last bus to where we’re going. Music being played from it was also a bit strange.
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And I give you Curry Soup, a Sapporo thing. Really nice, and can be taylored just so. In my case grilled lamb, basic soup (as opposed to with squid ink), pretty spiced and medium rice. As a beer in case it’s all a bit dry. Souuuuuuuper. Welcome to my world website-wise. http://www.suage.info
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Finally the third LR seen in Japan since we got here mid May. Second was an eVoke that was instantly forgotten about. That LR sponsorship of baseball is really paying off.
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Now enjoying a cheeky cheap bottle of Chilean with choc bickies, whilst watching Castle dubbed into Japanese.
13th Jun 2019 12:35 pm
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
"Now enjoying a cheeky cheap bottle of Chilean with choc bickies, whilst watching Castle dubbed into Japanese."
My - how the other half live!!
Hope your gammy ankle improves - hope it wasn't from jumping out of the ever decreasing size of bath-tubs (not ever increasing size of mass in said bath-tubs ) Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
13th Jun 2019 3:29 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Gammy ankle much better today, thanks. Finished today at Sapporo brewery and first Genghis Khan style Mongolian BBQ so well stuffed and over-beered. Pics to follow once sober enough to operate iPad & iPhone at same time.
14th Jun 2019 9:34 am
RBB
Member Since: 19 Nov 2018
Location: Fife
Posts: 167
Scotland...Carcamping and ribbing
Heres a few from last weeks camping and boating trip to the seas to the West of Oban
The Bridge over the Atlantic
Dolphins
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Paradise?
14th Jun 2019 9:47 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72774
Right u lot, keep the noise down. Now watching the ball game between Hokkaido Fighters & Tokyo Giants, as advertised locally and being played in the Sapporo Dome just down the road.
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Just got to teach SWMBO not to cheer her rellies, ie not to say “go dragons”.
Still not too clear on how this baseball malarkie works but it’s entertaining.
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Luckily we’d dumped our bags in a locker at the bus station.
