So after 2 super flighyts with Chinsa airlines, full meals & tv on 2 short flights, I finally arrived in Japan. 2 hours after touch down and I was already tucking into a meal of grilled mackeral, rice, miso and few other bits with one of the best beers I have tasted so far. It was then off on a night bus to Nagano to hit the slopes.
After a few disappointing snow reports, my luck was in and mother nature had dumped 40cms of snow the day before I arrived. Matched with one of those rare blue sky days in Japan, and my ski legs were back in full form in no time. So after a day of carving I headed to the local onsen to soothe those weary muscles and sample some local sake and what they call pub food, but was actually a mini gourmet feast by anyone else`s standards, including mine.
Next morning I realised how lucky I had being the previous day when I woke up to the the mountain covered in cloud and raining. Nevertheless with such a tight schedule I headed off to see the famous Snow Monkeys. They can only be found in Japan and there is only a few hundred of them. After a train , bus and 30 minute hike in the rain I arrived at the monkey park and they were out in force relaxing in the hot spring. They basically come down from the mountains every morning and bathe in the hot spring all day during the winter(photos will be here soon!)I was glad I had made the effort to visit.
Then it was back to Nagano and a quick break before hopping on the train to Kyoto, after 3 hours changed onto the famous bullet trains and in no time at all I had arrived at Kyoto. The train was amazing and in true Japanese style every time an attendant passes through the carriage they even bow in front of all the passengers.
Kyoto was amazing from Geishas to Temples everything was impressive. To get the full Japanese experience I checked into a Ryokan on my second night. A Ryokan is basically traditional Japanese style inn, with tatami mats and a futon to sleep on. I was really impressed with the hospitality and the whole experience was amazing, they even demonstated a traditional Tea Cermony with homemade sweets that Kyoto are famous for. However in Kyoto the Ryokans are famous for serving 'Kasieko' cuisine which is a number of small courses(read 12)focusing on simple flavours of foods in season. They are works of art. Each little course comes with some intricate garnishes and the flavours were superb. The sharks fin soup was amazing and not at all what I expected. Needless to say breakfast was another veritable feast in the morning of grilled salmon, the feshest tofu I`ve ever tasted, Japanesed style omelette, rice and of course buckets of green tea and miso.
After another day of roaming around it was back on another night bus(that stopped every 2 hours) for the hop back to Tokyo.Another early arrival made sure I got a full days sight seeing in, from the gate to the imperial palace( no one knows what it looks like, there are no photos and only the royal family are let in) to the Sony building where I failed miserably at attempting to play some new games. Tucking into the odd bowl of steaming ramen noodles topped with tempura along the way.
Another day in Tokyo ensured my wallet was much lighter then usual with my money disappearing faster than a fresh Tuna at the Tsukiji Fish market. However I was still managed to fit in a sushi lunch and a enjoyed an evening in a local pub with a load of giggly waitresses who took it in turns to serve me, each request entailing my basic guidebook Japanese, some sign language, pointing and the odd trip outside to point at the plastic foods on display.
Japan is the kind of country that as soon as you step of the plane there is some one to help you and guide you the whole way throughout the country . And so before I knew it I was back on the plane(with my next trip already planned out) to dreaded Hong Kong ; which has failed to impress me on all counts so far, and even excelling in that failre on certain occasions.
