Blogs from Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, Asia - page 2

Took trains to Hakodate. Sean died. Met boss man McCool. Impressed with hotel and price. Christopher went to work on the train schedule today. He earned how to read the japanese rail schedule, which is crazy confusing, and got us all the way to Hakodate without any issues. I was getting dominated by a migraine for the majority of the trip so it really was all him. It was pretty awesome to ride on a double-decker train, it was not pretty awesome to have two very chatty elderly ladies behind me while i tried to sleep off the migraine. I recovered in time for the last train, the one that makes the trek under the pacific ocean to Hokkaido. We were treated to an awesome sunset coming out of the seikan tunnel, truly picture perfect with ... read more

The highlight of Hakodate was going up the mountain at night to look at the lights. (We had arrived at night and were leaving the next morning so it was limited as to what to do!) Hakodate is beautiful because it is a peninsula and you can see around the bay on both sides from the mountain. It was a Saturday night and it was packed. Thousands of people were there. Buses and buses loads. We were umming and arring about getting on a packed bus to get down or wait 30 minutes til the next. When we did squeeze on we met up with Sohyon again! We knew she might be around but had not made a plan to meet up. This was Sohyon's 2nd last day in Japan and she was wanting to see ... read more

Hakodate's Aqua garden hotel proved another sterile nights sleep, and the dawn brighter and warmer than the night before, in fact almost mistless! I got up early and went to the fish markets, catching some interesting locals selling crabs and anything thst lives in the briney. The whole of Hakodate along the pier stank, and was frequented by large crows and seagulls, obviously in seagull heaven! I had visions of a Rockhampton experience all over again where, in September or spring for us southern hemispehere'ers, they get a little amorous, and try it on with anything black or shiney, like a helmet or cap. I also had visions of Alfred Hitchcocks 'the Birds' that I nearly took respite in a telephone booth to see if it really is like in the movies..... So back in time ... read more

Well, we left Sendai at 8:37 this morning. I got myself out of bed by 6:45 and had everything ready to go and meet my parents at the meeting place. I grabbed some food from 711 before walking down to the station. They had been up for a while in Starbucks and we just met, chatted, got a last drink and headed up to our shinkansen. My parents have the Japan Rail pass. This means that they prepaid for the pass and just pick up the tickets where ever they are going. There are numerous levels of passes, the highest being the Green Car passes. They have the Green Car passes. I have never ridden in such luxury before. There was an beautiful lady who came over for a complimentary hand towel and took our orders ... read more

Quite exhausted, and not really into this entire blogging thing. This account will be written plainly, without a lot of effort. Hope that's okay. I think, perhaps, I'm suffering from a sensory overload, it's put me into a little funk (not the disco kind). Anyway, I shall begin recording details here, as it's easier. I've also been doing a tremendous amount of walking, and am losing sloughs of weight. Hint - if you're carrying a few extra pounds, don't go on a diet, go on a backpacking holiday! Well, anyway, please take for granted that I have somehow ended up in Hakodate, on Hokkaiddo. I had an amazing first weekend in Tokyo, but to explain all of that would take too much time. So the journal begins now ... Hakodate is a large port town, south ... read more