Tokyo to Hiroshima in a blaze of autumn foliage

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It was an early start to our Japan holiday, by 5.45am we were making our way to Heathrow with potentially London's worst driver. Nearly side swiped three other vehicles and hit the curb. After a Bloody Mary in the lounge, always a fine way to kick start the day, we were off. The journey was rather good; a couple of movies and good 4hr sleep and we touched down at Haneda Airport around 4.30am. It was a breeze getting the bags, customs and then a monorail later we were walking along the quiet streets to our hotel. We were staying in Ginza around 20 floors up and our first view was the sun rising over Tokyo Tower. We couldn't check in for a while so after freshening up we headed out to the newest and biggest building to arrive on the Tokyo sky-scape. The Sky Tree is the second tallest structure in the world. Lucky we got there at 7.15am as the queues were already forming around the base of the building. The views were spectacular. Given it is not situated in the heart of Tokyo you look out across the city with Fuji standing proudly in the distance. The city is huge stretching on and on in all directions. Our next stop was Senso-ji temple which was across the river and past the Asahi Flame, alternatively known as the Golden Turd. The streets around the temple were full of little stores containing all sorts of treats, they do love a treat around here. We stopped for some breakfast of noodle soup, delightful. The food we had in Tokyo has been fantastic and we have turned into people that take photos of food occasionally. Mainly because our new camera has food photo setting. Next stop was another old part of Tokyo; Ueno. We strolled through the park and stumbled across a Starbucks which allowed us to have a much needed caffeine hit and soak up the sun before hitting the Tokyo Museum. After perusing some swords, scrolls, paintings, statutes and other such things we headed back to the hotel. Luckily we were able to get into the room a littler earlier and we were soon fast asleep in our teeny tiny bed (120cm across). We found Tokyo to be more of a night city with the neon lighting up the skies. Our first evening we headed to the western part of the city Shinjuku. The people, lights and energy hit you has soon as you emerge from the Metro. We wandered through the streets and towards the Park Hyatt for a drink at the famous New York Bar and Grill (from the movie Lost in Translation). The night vista was great, on top of most of he buildings are flashing red lights and as Scott put it 'its the heart beat of the city'. From fancy bar to gritty shacks near the trainlines in 15mins. We had dinner at Omoide-yokocho or Memory Lane or Piss Alley. Pulled up a chair at a little place seating nor more than 15 and we were soon sipping Sake and eating a range of different skewers. Not a bad first 24hrs in Tokyo.

It wasn't so hard getting up at 4am the next morning due to the jet lag to get to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market for the tuna auction. We just made it and clearly some loonies had got there well before 4am as we were numbers 107 & 108 in the line with a max of 120. Some weren't so lucky, a Spanish couple had a very public spat which was slightly amusing. After waiting around an hour outside we went inside for our vests and waited some more. At 5.50am we were taken into the bustling market. They were mostly whiz zing around on three wheeler machines. The tuna were massive and it was great to see all the buyers checking the product out with what looked like ice picks and a torch. The auction started with a sound of a bell and it didn't take more than a few minutes to sell off each row of 5 or so tuna. Staying in theme of the early morning experience we decided to have sashimi for breakfast around 6.30am. It was amazingly fresh but a little much and I felt a little queasy most of the morning. After relaxing a bit back at the hotel we walked up to the Imperial Palace for a tour around the grounds. It was all rather orderly having to walk in rows of four and the guide walked backwards about 80%!o(MISSING)f the time to ensure no one was running off. The palace itself was a very elegant structure. It was great to see the old and new architectures. Tokyo itself is full of sensational buildings where ever you look some more created to be pleasing on the eye verses functional. Next on the agenda was the famous Omote-sando street with similar luxury brands as in Ginza. We strolled down the street then turned into some side streets which were more street type labels. We saw this huge queue of young girls and wondered what everyone was waiting for. A American style brunch place called 'Eggs and Things', there must have been more than 30 girls in line. Crazy when you think there are over 140,000 restaurants in the city. It was then on to Shibuya where the famous barnyard crossing. We watched the world go by from some prime seats at Starbucks. Then after wandering around a bit we decided best head home for an afternoon nap and come back in the evening. The time zone difference is bit of a killer. Evening time was mad neon lights, flashing lights and loads of people. It was a hit on all your senses with lovely food smells coming from every little restaurant. We had a fantastic meal at the top of one of the newer department stores with a great view over the area.

Our day trip to Nikko was extremely wet, even the walk up to Tokyo Station. It was an exciting start with our first ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train). The transport in Japan, once you sort it out whether it was metro, bus or train was excellent and very efficient which made getting around very easy. You never really got into the countryside tokyo stretches on and on. We changed on to a scenic Train for the final leg of the journey. Nikko itself wasn't much of a place with all the tourists I was expecting a little more. We walked the 2km or so to the start of the site which was marked by a red bridge, Shin-kyo. The rain really started to tumble down at that stage. The first shrine was under going some major restoration and they had built a huge structure around the temple which itself was rather impressive. Once exiting the shrine the rain was torrential and it didn't stop for the next hour or so. We managed to get to the major site, Tosho-gu, which was spectacular. At the entrance there was a huge pagoda and then three large store houses. Also in the forecourt was the famous see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil monkey statues. We walked up to visit a cat temple and when we go back down to the temple it was heaving with people and all the umbrellas were making it even more packed. It was lucky we had the window when it was less crowded. By this point we were very cold and very wet. Our last stop at Taiyuin-byo was again fantastic, way less crowded and the autumnal foliage was incredible. The rain eased off so we headed back down to the station and we were soon zipping back to Tokyo. The underground network joining up the stations and exits, plus shopping streets all underground it amazing, it is like a whole other secret world. There are just so many shops in this city, shopping must be a hobby. The evening we wandered around the Shinbashi station area there was more neon and 'salary men' eating, drinking, playing arcade games. We found a great local Yakitori under the arches for dinner, the translation on the menu was amusing. One of the dishes we had was squid with guts, there was also pig with entrails. On the way home we walked around the back streets of Ginza and came across some of the high class hostess bars, very well to do men in luxury cars were quickly whisked away in side.

Our final day in Tokyo had a more relaxed start, by this stage we weren't waking up super early due to jet lag. It was a bright day and thank goodness no more rain. We headed back to the Tsukiji Fish Market for a wander around the wholesale market. The scale of the market is something else, rows and rows of stalls full of all types of sea creatures. It was SO clean. Really like the rest of the country, we never found one scrap of rubbish anywhere in the city. This was the trend across the country, absolutely spotless. The Japanese must be disgusted when they visit other countries, and horrified with somewhere like India. After the market we visit the Hama-rikyu-teien gardens which was a tranquil oasis in the middle of the city. We took green tea at the tea house in the middle of the lake. In contrast we then hit Shiddome area which was modern city scape four layers of pedestrian, cars and train lines. Shinjuku was the final destination of the day for a spot of shopping before a lovely soba noodle lunch a top one of the department stores. That evening we were going to eat in the restaurant which in spired the Kill Bill crazy 88 scene in the heart of Roppongi. After an expensive cocktail at a weird bar and a walk around the area we decided to head back to the neon lights off Ginza rather then stay. The area is more of a western area and nightclub scene. We found a place close to the hotel and had three types of fresh tofu, one being green and some amazing sashimi. We absolutely loved a Tokyo it is a fantastic city.

The Shinkansen south out of a Tokyo offers glorious views of Fuji, and given it was another clear blue sky day she did not disappoint. In no time at all we arrived in Nagoya, and after picking up a bento box we were on our way into the foothills of the Japanese Alps. The colours up the valleys both in and out of Takayama were amazing, it looked like the hills were on fire. Takayama was a sleepy tourist town and we spent out time wandering through the old town, through the markets, past the loads it temples and a castle ruin. It was a very relaxing slow pace kind of place. Our hotel had a little Onsen on the roof, I had a brief dip in one of the private pools. I wasn't brave enough to cruise around in the nude with all the other female hotel guests. The highlight of the town was visiting an old Shogun house and amazing sashimi lunch in a private room with rattan mats and paper sliding doors. The clean lines and open uncluttered way of living I found very peaceful. We caught local bus to Kanazawa and we were luckily to have a 30min stop at Shirakawa-go home of the thatched-roofed houses, the valley was ablaze with autumnal foliage. Kanazawa is a costal city and home to the famous ancient garden Kenroku-en, the main purpose of visiting. That afternoon we visited some of the other major sites including the Samurai district and house, which had a gorgeous moss covered garden. The modern art museum and then the Geshia area. We visited one of the old Geshia houses which was a lot smaller than I had expected. That evening we walked the back streets to find a Izakaya for some local fish and tempura octopus, plus of course sake. The garden was beautiful, lots of colour and peaceful spots, we managed to get in and out before the crowds arrived. By 10am we were on our way to Kyoto for the second half of our Japan adventure.

It rained at the start and end of the final week in Japan, however given they were mainly travel days it didn't make much difference apart from the view out the train window. Our hotel in Kyoto was near the Gion area, famed for being the Geshia district. On arrival we had a excellent lunch of sushi, tempera, noodles and sake. Given the rain we ended up watching some of the sumo tournament back in the room, interesting stuff. It was good we got to see it as we were unable to visit a stable because of the grand tournament. That evening we went to an expensive and lame cultural show, all performers looking bored. However it was interesting to see the Geshia dance, very small delicate movements. Having visited a house you can see why the movement was so little, no space for wild jumping around. The next two days in Kyoto were clear luckily and we managed to hit all the major spots. We started with Golden Pavilion which was stunning. The vista across the water with the autumn leaves and bright blue sky was special. The next temples were close by, one with a tranquil rock garden and the other, a little more unkept than the others with a huge pagoda. The other highlight of the day was the bamboo grove. You enter via a temple garden which was lovely as well. The Grove was brilliant, airy and cathedral like, very pretty and again tranquil. It was a little odd they let cars go up and downhowever it was ultimately a minor road. That afternoon we visited a couple more temples closer to the Gion area. There are hundreds of temples in and around Kyoto so we tried to hit only the major ones. The following day we were again up early to beat the crowds and rain this time. Our first stop was Fushimi-Inari Tasisha which is a path of red shrine gates that weave up the mountain side. There are thousands of them. Itlooked like you could sponsor or buy them as one had Tattoo Parlour written on it. The real highlight of the day was the last stop at Ginkaku-ji. The temple known as the silver pavilion as it was the intent of the Shogun to cover it with silver. The setting was spectacular. Amazing sand gardens surrounded by amazing garden with bright red foliage, we were certainly at this temple at the right time of year. That afternoon we visited the Nishiki Market which was full of all types of weird and wonderful foods. We then hit the covered shopping arcade that went on for about 5 blocks and took us directly back to the hotel, all under cover as the rain started to fall. On our first night in Kyoto we were lucky enough to stumble upon at an amazing alley full of local restaurants across the road from the hotel. One evening we had lots of different things deep fried on sticks; prawn, quails egg, salmon, all different types of vegetable all cooked in front of you and presented with different dipping sauces. The following evening we visited a very nice traditional shoes off and sit on the floor place. The highlight was cooking a selection of vegetables and thin cuts of beef on a charcoal cooker. The food on this trip has been a wonderful experience and we have been lucky enough to sniff out some great local places. However we did enter some restaurants to find you needed a reservation, even though they weren't that busy. We could take a little rejection now and then.

Nara wasn't the greatest place we visited. It is known for its gigantic Buddha, which was impressively large. Again a little garden we visited stole the show of the visit to Nara. It was only 40mins to Osaka, and hearing this was a place best enjoyed by night we were looking forward to a 'night out on the town'. It was an exciting buzzy city. Before I get into our night out, I will first mention the toilets in Japan as it was Osaka where we had the most functionality, including massage. All the toilets were electronic. The lid lifted when you went in and the seat was always warm. You could play water music to get you in the mood and of course there were multiple cleaning options one could deploy. I am certainly going to miss the warming functionality back in London. Now on to our evening out. We headed straight up the Umeda Sky Building to get a perspective of the city and watch the sunset and city light-up. Next stop was the Dotombori Arcade area - Osaka comes a very close second to a Tokyo in terms of neon light usage. Flashing signs, giant crabs, cows and dragons everywhere. We walked around checking out all the hipsters that were hanging out. They dressed like a cross between goth, punk and mods. After much searching, one couldn't be too certain what was a titty-bar / hostess place and what was not, we stumbled across a traditional grill restaurant. Selected fish, squid, giant shrimp which was all cooked in front of us, accompanied by lots of cups of sake. It is cool the way they pour it. A glass is put in a small box or bowl and poured to the top of the glass until the box or bowl it also fill. Before heading off to Hiroshima we went out to the port area to take a ride on a Ferris wheel and visit the Aquarium. Although all a little dated we got another view of the city and the Aquarium had some interesting creatures; whale shark, spider crabs and lots of amazing jelly fish.

On our first night in Hiroshima we headed into the centre to sample the local fare. Okonomiyaki which is a pancake with soba noodles, cabbage and then toppings like pork, squid, prawn, egg and lots of spring onion. We also tried the oysters sautéed with butter, another local dish, this was delicious and the oysters in these parts were the biggest I have ever seen. They farm then extensively in the surrounding harbour area and you can see the oyster beds everywhere. They do eat a lot of them. The next morning the sun was shinning and the sky clear. We headed for the Peace Park. It was a sobering experience and shocking to see the destruction caused. The museum was excellent and very balanced. I really liked the fact the Mayor of Hiroshima writes a personal letter of protest to every government when they do any nuclear bomb testing. Quiet frightening to see the impact of these bombs that some countries have. That afternoon we headed to Miyajima. It was the most tourist orientated place we visited with people everywhere and loads more shops selling the usual souvenirs. It is known for floating Torii and we were lucky enough to arrive when the tide was in so had the classic view. By the time we left the tide had gone out and we got another great view of the sun setting with the mud flats and people out getting up close. The real highlight for us was a little walk we did down the Misen mountain. We took the cable car up to the top and had stunning views of the harbour area and the peaks of the surrounding area and islands. The walk down took as past some great temples and it provided a view of the floating gate from above that was mostly free of people. We resolved to do more hiking. That evening we headed into the dodgy part of town, as stated on one of the tourist maps. We found a fantastic little place for our last meal and got to experience a normal Friday after work type night out. The place was named after spring onions, what we thought was giant leek was in fact a spring onion just under a meter in length. The cook was super friendly so we had a little chat with him and he come out to bow us away when we left. The next morning it was pouring with rain so we had a little lie in before picking up a few bits and pieces from a nearby department store before jumping on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. It poured down all the way back, better this day than the previous. At the airport we secured a large quantity of Asia's finest chocolate, Royce, yumbo. Our flight home was relatively painless although sleep eluded both of us. 5 more weeks and it is Christmas!
A huge number of photos follow ...
PHOTOS

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