Japan

Half a year ago I saw a Turkish Airlines special promotion event for cheap flights with from Prague to Tokyo with a stopover in Istanbul. It was 190€ round-trip. I asked my flatmate if he wanted to come with me, and we bought the tickets. Some weeks before the flight, he cancelled, and I went there alone. Luckily, I have a friend, Abbe, in Funabashi (one hour from Tokyo), who hosted me for several nights.

I travelled for 10 days and spent 7 days in Japan.

In this post you can find highlights from:

• Kyoto
• Macanochi – Japanese Alps, Nagano area
• Tokyo

I was so busy with my Master’s thesis in the days leading up to my trip that I had planned practically nothing. I took the last possible connection from Brno to catch the flight in Prague, and after 17 hours I was at the Narita Tokyo airport.

Thursday

My very good friend, Abbe, lives in Funabashi. She is an English teacher there. I met her in Bali 9 months ago. We met at the hostel where we were both staying and spent half a day together.

She took me to the railway station, and we went together to meet her friends.

Friday

Abbe gave me some tips about what to do in Japan, and I went out to discover Japanese culture. Traveling by public transport in Japan is quite expensive, so the best way is to buy a JR pass. They are 25 000 JPY (250€), but you should buy while abroad, because you cannot purchase them in person in Japan, only online. So I bought a different pass, which cost the same price but could only be used for some routes. I spent about 6 hours, instead of 2, on the train, because my pass could not be used for the bullet train. :-(

I arrived at my hostel. There was only one European guest, and the hostel was empty. I went to the Japanese restaurant, Izakaya. The price for my accommodations started at 3000 JPY (30€).

Saturday

Hanging around the city and getting lost, I walked about 16 km. The city did not feel particularly interesting, but in the evening I went to a bamboo forest. All the tourists had already gone home, and I enjoyed the place. I returned to my hostel, where I met two Europeans girls, and we went together to have dinner at the same restaurant I had gone to the previous night. The British girl, Emma, knew my friend Abbe. They had taught in Vietnam the year before.

Sunday

I packed my stuff and moved to the Nagano area. I travelled for 5 hours and arrived at a different city in late afternoon. I was welcomed by fresh air from the mountains, and on the way to hostel, I met a guide who gave me many useful tips about what to do and see in the Kamikochi mountains. My original plan was to go to the Kamikochi area for just a day, but the round-trip traveling costs are 4500 JPY (45€), so it was better to spend more time, rent a cabin for 4500 JPY, and sleep there.

The staff member at the Candela Guest House in Matsumoto was super nice. She also gave us many tips. Abbe came late in the evening, and we had 2 amazing days together in the Kamikochi area.

Monday

You can only travel to the Kamikochi area by train or bus; private cars cannot go there. We rented a cabin and went for a 5-hour hike to Dakesawa. The view was nice, and something I had not seen before were point markers for small hikes in the mountains. Every 400m, there was a marker that noted points from one to ten. That was quite helpful, especially for people who do not go to the mountains very often.

On the way back, we bought beers and explored the mountain village. The camp did not have any showers; they just had a spa, which closed at 6 PM.

Tuesday

We took a 6-hour walk to Dakesawa and got in bed as soon as we returned, as we were so exhausted from the hours of traveling.

Wednesday

I explored Tokyo and went to Ueno Park and Ameyoko Market, which was quite nice (I tried macho ice-cream, and you can see from picture how good it was!).

Late in the evening, I went out Abbe’s for dinner. She made some typical pancakes.

Thursday

After sleeping till 10, I packed my stuff and went to Imperial Park, which was closed. I hung out around the area Akihabara, which was very luxurious.

To sum up my trip to Japan, it was not at all well planned. I did not feel so good about going without any preparation. Japan is modern country with all kinds of high-tech features, but I did not feel any emotions from the people; they seem to just work 24/7. It was good to see, but it is unlikely that I will visit again as a tourist.

I should offer a special thanks to my host and good friend, Abbe.