Jetstar recently ran a 9th birthday Instagram competition for photos that best represented the entrant's favourite place to travel with the airline. I submitted quite a few and was fortunate to be nominated as one of the winners. Yes, that means that we are currently planning the next trip (just waiting for Jetstar to send the prize!).


The photo is of the famous bamboo forest at Arashiyama in Kyoto. I've been submitting many of my other photos from my rather extensive archive to my Instagram account - it's a rather addictive process.

Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of lights, music and ideas running for around a couple of weeks. What motivated us to attend this year was a Doctor Who 50th Anniversary light show on Customs House at Circular Quay. It was a wet and crowded night and the sound was too low, but the event was still enjoyable, plus we saw a number of other lighting installations around Circular Quay, including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Opera House.

My video is below...

... But the official video is way better!


Museum of Contemporary ArtCustoms HouseOpera House




The crowds at Circular Quay Station
The MCA again.Yesterday we decided to visit the other major lighting installation at Darling Harbour. CityRail have a Funday Sunday ticket which allows family travel across the network for $2.50, so it was a good excuse to explore the city. I had thought to include a day of riding around on the Sydney Monorail too, with the system being shutdown forever at the end of the month.

We caught a train in from Padstow to Town Hall, where we had a lunch at the Chinatown Noodle Restaurant on Bathurst Street. They serve fantastic food from western and northern China - we had Xinjiang leaf noodles and fried lamb and pork dumplings. Then it was back on a train across the Harbour Bridge to Milson's Point.


Alex has been pestering us for a while to take him to Luna Park, which we see out of the window of our train each working day. Milson's Point station is located at the northern end of the bridge structure. Despite travelling across it daily I never cease to be impressed by the scale of the Harbour Bridge. It is absolutely massive and dominates the city. Sydney would no longer be Sydney without it.


Beneath the station a market was in full swing. We were quite impressed by the offerings, especially for young kids. Then we walk down towards the foreshore and Luna Park.


We entered Luna Park through the big face, which Alex says is happy and welcomes people. The grounds retain the feel of an amusement park from many decades ago, or at least that's how I imagine that they were. Unfortunately (well, not for me) the big rollercoaster was torn down due to the noise complaints of local residents. However, there are still plenty of rides to induce motion sickness.



The problem is that they are all so expensive, especially compared with the recent experiences in Japan! A single ride is $10, then another $10 for an adult to accompany Alex. Unlimited ride tickets make more financial sense, but are not cheap. In the end we just paid $5 for a couple of goes on a hammer striker, with Dad assisting Alex to wield the mallet. That won him a toy monkey and he was happy. Alex also asked for fairy floss, but Mum and Dad were left eating it.

There were big crowds at the ferry terminal. We eventually caught the appropriately named Alexander to Darling Harbour, giving great views of bridge and the construction work at Barangaroo.





The sun was setting and I wanted to catch the monorail to Chinatown, but B baulked at the price, so we walked instead. I'll have to leave the monorail for another day soon as I have promised Alex a ride. It did mean that I got some great photos of the monorail as it rode off into the sunset.



Darling Harbour was already getting crowded in preparation for the night's light show. Despite the darkness and different route Alex remembered the playground and water at Tumbalong Park, showing that he has the skills to be a future navigator.


Dinner was at Eating World at the northern end of Chinatown. It has the dingy but buzzing atmosphere of an Asian food court with tiny stalls and shared tables. I had the equivalent of a nasi padang from Pondok Selera, whose food tastes so genuine that I was immediately transported back to Asia. B ordered a tonkotsu ramen from Gumshara, my other favourite. I think it tastes as good as any that you'll find in a yatai of Fukuoka.


We then returned to Darling Harbour, stopping to let Alex have a climb and slide at the playground. The crowd was packed around the southern end of Cockle Bay for the light and fireworks show. Fortunately, we managed to get decent viewing spots, with Alex seated on my shoulders.


There were colourful fountains, fireworks and laser projections across the water spray while music including Dune, Deep Forest and classical pieces played. It was fantastic, but when the time came to join the crowds leaving the park my feet complained of pins and needles!



The shops were all closed as we walked back to Town Hall station. It's a pity that the city shuts down most nights, unlike in Asia, though I certainly prefer local working hours.


Platform 6 at Town Hall was crowded with passengers destined only as far as Circular Quay. Fortunately, most of them got on one train, which was shortly followed by a much emptier express service back to Padstow. Lucky we had visited Circular Quay earlier because it was packed with people getting a second to last view of the light shows.

A great day had without leaving our home city!

In the course of my travels I've taken many thousands of photos. Some are good, some not so great. One day I hope to pick out the best ones. In the meantime I've been playing with Instagram, which is quite a lot of fun. You can take a look at my Instagram album, or see most of the others at Picasa.

More travel fun can be had at Geoguessr, where you have to pick the location based upon the Google Street View picture in the background. Highly addictive!

Lonely train through a quiet place
Take your time, no need to race!
Wind whispering through the reeds
Bending to its silent needs

Along the fields made of dust
Past the towns becoming rust
Platforms devoid of people now
Nobody around to tell you how

The trains came to take them away
Children left to elsewhere play
To cities tall and full of light
Never knowing the stars at night
Nor hearing peace amongst the noise
So busy playing with their toys

Yet here I am in their wake
The slow path I choose to take
Wandering this decaying land
I hear myself and understand.

Japan is a fantastic destination for a family with young kids. It's safe, clean, easy to get around and full of interesting activities for all ages. Let me say first up that I am not an expert on travelling with kids. All I can do is to relate what we've learned from trips to our son, currently four and a half years old. That said, he's already been to thirteen countries and five times to Japan, six if you count in the womb. Here are some things we learned along the way.


Getting thereFor many of us, reaching Japan means a long flight. Overnight flights probably work best, except for restless babies, as the kids will probably sleep. But that isn't always an option. We usually bring a collection of new books - the thinner and lighter the better. In Australia we found that places like K-Mart and BigW often have some suitable options. Drawing materials are good, as are snacks. What works best of all tends to be a media player (eg a tablet) filled with the child's favourite games, television shows and movies. I bought a cheap prepaid Android phone, accompanied by noise limiting headphones for this purpose. Aircraft inflight entertainment doesn't seem to keep Alex's attention very long.

One item we found has been incredibly useful is a small pillow (not a neck cushion), especially on low cost airlines where such items are often not available. We bought ours in a bedding shop somewhere in Japan.
Getting aroundMuch of Japan is accessible via the excellent railway system. Children below primary school age are usually free so long as they sit on their parents' lap. You can purchase tickets on subways and commuter trains from the ticket machines. Most seem to have an English button and are pretty easy to use.
Torokko services are tourist trains and some of them are especially interesting for kids. Some trains are decorated with cartoons, such as the Ampanman trains that travel to and around Shikoku.

Taxis don't have child seats so far as we can ascertain and are expensive. Buses and trams can be a little confusing until you figure them out. You usually enter via the back, pull a ticket out the slot, then pay the driver on the way out. Even easier is to get a stored value card: if entering via Tokyo then you can buy a Suica card at the airport. We found it very handy, but watch how much credit you have on it.
Strollers or ...?I think we've used almost every method possible to carry Alex around in Japan. We started off with a Baby Bjorn front carrier when he was four months old. This was my favourite, though the shoulders were sore by the end of it: do adjust the straps properly! Between one and a half and two years old we replaced this with a framed backpack carrier. I found this quite painful to wear for long periods, meant I couldn't see him except via a mirror (though B enjoyed interacting with him) and it was quite a hazard when standing up in packed commuter trains. Plus it was very uncomfortable for him to sleep in.

We have also used a cheap, light umbrella stroller. You can get them from Toys'R'Us for about $20 in Australia. They aren't great for pushing around and not always the most comfortable to sleep in, but a big stroller is just too inconvenient for Japan - there's nowhere to put them in the trains or hotel rooms. Many paths in Japan are unsuitable for strollers and you can often find yourself having to carry them up and down stairs at railway stations. For this reason we usually just left it in the hotel. You can often hire a stroller in department stores and shopping centres
From age three and on the solution was to let Alex walk and piggyback him on my shoulders when he got tired. No additional luggage to carry, which is also important when flying as you lose that additional allowance after a certain age. It meant finding a place to sit down when he slept, but this was largely true of the other methods as well. LuggageWe store kids' stuff in our own bags rather than rely on him carrying his own. The smaller the luggage, the easier Japan is. It's not designed for huge cases - especially peak hour trains and stations. Don't forget that you can buy many things in Japan.Toilets and nappy changingOne of the joys of travelling in Japan is the general availability of clean toilets. If in need of one then department stores are a good bet. Do be aware that the traditional Japanese toilet is of the squat variety and this is all that may be available on some smaller local trains. However, most Shinkansens and many modern express trains are equipped with western style toilets and even baby change facilities, though I have encountered some Kyushu Shinkansens without the latter.


Unfortunately, not all tourist sites, including many temples, have baby change facilities so you may have to find yourself a secluded patch of ground. A small change mat is a good idea.BreastfeedingMany department stores have feeding rooms which also include facilities for warming milk and even weighing babies. Many Shinkansens have a multipurpose room which can also be used. Breastfeeding in public is not a common sight, so it's probably polite to be discreet and cover up with a blanket or shawl if you need to feed. We never encountered any issues.
Kids and baby goodsFinding nappies (diapers) can sometimes be difficult as a tourist. You generally can't purchase them in upmarket department stores, smaller convenience stores or even pharmacies. Your best bet is a supermarket. These can often be found in plazas associated with the main train stations in regional cities, but this is not always the case. Also in the cheaper shopping centres targeting locals, such as Aeon (not the language school), Trial and Ito-Yokado. You may find these associated with some suburban stations in cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.




There is some truly cute kids goods available in Japan for all ages. However, you will find that the goods available in upmarket department stores like Takashimaya are very expensive. Again you can try local department stores or smaller shops. There are also dedicated stores for younger children like Akachan Honpo and Nishimatsuya and more familiar Western names such as Toys'R'Us and Gap Kids. Uniqlo also sell a good range of kids clothing, as do Muji.

The 100 Yen shops, where everything costs 105 Yen (including 5% sales tax, roughly about $1 at current rates), are fantastic places to purchase some cheap toys and stationery. Sure it's not necessarily going to last long, but having something new to play with at the end of the day can make a huge difference.
OnsensSo long as your child is toilet trained they should be able to use an onsen. We first took Alex at age two and a half and he's loved them ever since. Baths are usually gender segregated, but younger kids can go with either parent. Even better is to stay at a ryokan with a private bath that the whole family can enjoy together. Hot spring towns will often have free hot footbaths, so it's a good idea to carry a towel to dry your feet and change of clothes for the kids in case they slip in.

Highly recommended is Kinosaki Onsen. Alex had fun dressing up in a kids yukata and visiting the various baths. He also loved the playroom at the Morizuya ryokan.Accommodation and sleepingBusiness hotels are generally the cheapest and most convenient places to stay in Japan. The downside is that the rooms are usually designed to sleep only one or two people, though young children can stay free if they share their parent's bed, which has been our solution. There is not always enough space to set up a standard portable cot either. Instead we used a very lightweight travel cot like this one.


Traditional Japanese rooms, as can be found in ryokans, where you sleep on the floor on futons are a great option if you are sharing beds, though be aware that shared bathrooms are a reality in many ryokans.

Don't expect wash cloths and additional towels to be provided in business hotels, so consider bringing your own - useful for onsens and footbaths as well!FoodFood is such an individual thing that making recommendations is difficult. We were surprised when Alex took a liking to salmon sashimi at age one and a half. Now he only likes it cooked. If visiting a sushi restaurant it may be wise to check first if they serve something other than just raw seafood - even if it's just egg (tamago) and cucumber rolls (kappamaki). Noodles are cheap are often popular, though messy. If you find yourself or the kids tiring of Japanese food then there are plentiful options other than the McDonalds of this world.

We found a lot of restaurants on department stores food levels sold western friendly kids meals, including a toy. Others may have a plastic bowl and kids cutlery available - they will usually offer it without your asking. That said, Alex taught himself to use chopsticks.


One thing we noticed was the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables served in restaurants. When we came across a supermarket or greengrocer we would often buy some fruit to take back to the hotel. Some of it is of very high quality - we have had great apples and strawberries. And yes, if you like you can pay $30 for a couple of peaches, but I believe they are meant as gifts and not for casual snacking.

You can also get meals from convenience stores, anything from hot dumplings and pasta to salads. They are okay.

One issue you may find is the traditional Japanese breakfast, which is quite different from the western version. You will usually find a bakery close to a train station and these serve up a delicious variety of products.

There should be no issues finding treats for kids. The problem will be stopping them from overindulging!

Water is generally fine for drinking from the tap and there are plenty of juices and soft drinks available. Milk can be purchased from convenience stores, though flavoured milks offerings are usually quite limited.
PlaytimeTravelling around Japan can be frustrating for the exuberant kid. You generally won't see many kids running and dancing around the streets or trains (though there are exceptions) and shouting noisily. As Alex got older we found it important to include some kids time into our day. Japanese outdoor playgrounds exist but may not have the range of equipment found elsewhere and also tend to have gravel rather than grass or cushioning materials. We've found them associated with some park areas. Some shopping centres also have rooftop playgrounds - for example the Odakyu department store in Shinjuku. More fun can be had at indoor shopping centre playgrounds like those operated under the Yu Kids banner.


Amusement parks are another option. They range from the massive Tokyo Disneyland (good for four year olds and up) and Fuji Q park, which includes Thomas World for the young ones, to small suburban parks with slower rides that will still keep the little ones happy. Entrance fees are usually small, you pay for Y200 - Y300 for individual rides. These parks may be associated with zoos which are often rather old fashioned in design and not particularly animal friendly. Aquariums are another option.


If you have some time around Kansai International Airport consider visiting Seacle at Rinku Town. There is a Yu Kids playground, Nishimatsuya and other kids shops, a small amusement park and Ferris wheel and a big indoor play area for kids of age four and up which looks pretty impressive from the outside.
Quirky Japan
It's amazing what kids will find interesting in Japan. Alex developed obsessions with level crossings, beeping pedestrian crossings, automatic toilets, vending machines and riding the chairlifts that aren't just restricted to the snow. Others will enjoy listening to a shamisen, the bowing deer of Nara and Miyajima Island, the neon canyons of Shinjuku and  Osaka or climbing up the ladders in an authentic Japanese castle. The possibilities in Japan are endless and you can get many more ideas from this blog.

On Thursday night I was fortunate enough to attend a gala dinner celebrating the Qantas - Emirates partnership thanks to the kind folk at Qantas' Digital Communication Team. I've never been to a black tie dinner before, so this was a very new experience for me and only the second time in my life that I've hired a suit.

The event was held in a Qantas hanger adjacent to Domestic Terminal 3. A huge Qantas A380 occupied half the hanger and was illuminated by patterns of light throughout the night. We were treated to a wonderfully delicious Neil Perry dinner of mezze entree and a succulent lamb and ginger yam mash for dinner. I passed on the tiramisu, not being a lover of coffee, but there were carts serving smooth gelato. While guests were milling around prior to being seated various canapes were served, including "Chicken with Strange Sauce", which caused a few smiles.


Karl Stefanovic MC'd the event and it was very funny hearing some of the other interviewed guests teasing him about how early in the night he was getting sloshed. Funny in the context of the morning after a certain Logies award night!

There were a number of other celebrities in the audience. John Travolta, Miranda Kerr, a pack of Channel Niners including Richard Wilkins, Peter Overton and Jessica Rowe, an ex-Niner in Kerri-Anne Kennerly, politicians include Gladys Berejiklian and others whose faces I recognised but not the name. I record this for others - I was not really tempted to seek photos and autographs!


Entertainment throughout the night consisted of crimson headed Sarah De Bono and a wonderful telling of the Qantas story, of how they had sought partnerships of equals outside of Australia right from the beginning. There was an amazing act of two people suspended from ropes and performing against a big screen. Then a early childhood Young Talent Time crush of mine, Tina Arena, sang a trio of songs starting with my favourite "Sorrento Moon" and ending with "I still call Australia home," which had a very audible impact on the Qantas guests.


That was probably what I got most out of the night. A real sense of the love and pride that Qantas staff have for their airline. These people are passionate about aviation and I think that really comes through when you fly with them. I genuinely enjoy my flights with Qantas more than other airlines and it was lovely to share that tonight.

Today marks the last flights of Qantas to continental Europe with the cessation of their QF5/6 flights to Frankfurt via Singapore. I've never done the flight to Frankfurt, only taking QF5 as far as Singapore, though I've flown to London with them, which is now their only European destination and via Dubai. Much as I would like to see Dubai, I'm a little sad that it's no longer possible to fly to Europe via Asia all on Qantas as I have very much enjoyed my Asian stopovers. And I love their 747s, my favourite aircraft and one that holds so many happy memories for me. Now it's just A380s all the way there, though the 747 remains on other routes. But with so many airlines retiring their 747s it's going to be difficult to experience them all the way to Europe again.

I was so, so tempted over the past week to burn up my remaining Qantas Frequent Flyer points to book seats between Singapore and Frankfurt on these last flights. With what remained available I would have flown up to Singapore via Adelaide on Saturday and overnighted there. Very late the next evening I would fly to Frankfurt on QF5, arriving about 6am. I suppose I would be absolutely exhausted and in no state for much sightseeing, but there is something special about collapsing into bed after a long flight.

That night it would be straight back on the plane to Singapore on the very last QF6, followed by another flight back to Sydney to arrive at 6am on the Wednesday.

Exhausting, pointless, but memorable. Unfortunately, common sense prevailed and I decided to keep my points for something else. And so there, over the horizon, goes that final chance.

It appears that 30,000 words is too many for most people to read, so here's a summary of our recent trip to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan. It's okay, I write this blog mainly to record my trips for myself, if anyone else finds it interesting then that's just a bonus.
Singapore
We flew to Singapore on Scoot. I found their seats hard and uncomfortable, B not so much. We stayed at the Parkroyal on Beach Road, which was nice. Our main purpose of visiting Singapore was to eat, and we had great food at the Maxwell and Old Airport Road food centres, but the best was chilli crab and Haron 30's satay at the East Coast Lagoon Hawker Centre. We also visited the Gardens by the Bay, enjoying the great glass Flower and Cloud Forest conservatories. Best of all were the lights of the Supertrees.MalaysiaPenang
AirAsia took us to B's birthplace of Penang Island, where we stayed at the lovely Parkroyal Penang resort in Batu Ferringhi, along with Mother-in-Law and friend. Greatly enjoyed the waterslides, kids facilities and sunsets across the beach, though the snake show with a live king cobra was scary! Went on a personal tour of the markets in old Georgetown with the head chef and had way  too much boring Cantonese food with M-i-L, along with some great local cuisine. Visited the Butterfly Farm and the Penang Hill Railway.Kuching
A very early morning flight with the decent AirAsia flew us up to Kuching, which is in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. The Hilton had wonderful views of the river that divides this lazy post-colonial town. We drove out to the Semenggoh Wildlife Reserve to see the semi-wild orang utans in the jungle. The next day it was the tall and long houses of the Sarawak Cultural Village.Taiwan
MASWings turboprops flew us from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu, via Bintulu, where we changed to a Malaysia Airlines flight to Taipei. We stayed in the comfortable budget hotel CityInn II near Taipei's main station. During our time in Taiwan we caught the world's fastest lift up Taipei 101, previously's the world's tallest building, saw the Chinese artworks of the National Palace Museum, wandered night markets, ate seafood in Tamsui and caught the packed scenic Pingxi Line train through old mining towns. We also dined at Modern Toilet.JapanTokyo
Barry the Scoot plane flew us from Taiwan to Tokyo, where we stayed at our second home: The Shinjuku Prince Hotel. In Tokyo we reintroduced Alex to sushi, caught upside down monorails and Tokyo's last streetcars to three amusement parks, including Tokyo Disneyland. The unseasonably warm weather also meant the cherry blossoms were out.Oigawa Railway
We stayed two nights at Toyohashi as a base for a day trip up the Oigawa Railway. A steam train and historic carriages took us up to Senzu, where we changed to a small diesel train up into the mountains. The tracks are so steep that at one point an extra locomotive capable of using the Abt rack system is attached. The gorgeous river and mountain scenery rates amongst the best I have ever seen from a train.Gujo-Hachiman
A small diesel railcar chugged us up into the town of Gujo-Hachiman, famous for its very pure cold spring water and as the source of 80% of plastic replica food in Japan. The river scenery around the town is stunning and we had the best sleeps of the trip in the Ryokan Azumaya near the station.Osaka
Just an overnight stop, but we travelled down to Rinku Town near the airport for cheap kids shops and the playground. Dinner was all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu.Kinosaki Onsen
We all dressed up in yukatas to wander around between bathhouses in this historic and beautiful onsen town. Alex rated the Ryokan Morizuya the best accommodation ever thanks to its playroom of toys and the automatic toilets and we loved it too. The hot baths were wonderful too, as was the crab and quality beef dinner in our room.Kyoto
Kyoto was a shopping stopover, as well as more shabu-shabu. No cultural sights unfortunately this time.Takasaki and Yokokawa
Takasaki is a quiet rural city an hour from Tokyo. On our final day we caught the train up to Yokokawa, which has a railway museum with kids rides, trains up what's left of the Usui Pass track and the opportunity to drive your own train. Then it was back to Ueno for last minute shopping for B, before our luggage caused an escalator accident and we caught the train back to Narita Airport.Flying homeOur Jetstar flight home was delayed by computer system issues and a stupid smoker who made us return to the gate. A rough couple of flights home via the Gold Coast, but still my pick of the budget airlines in comfort. We made it back in time to watch the latest episode of Doctor Who.
One of the best holidays we've had in a while. Alex got a bit homesick but also enjoyed himself greatly and talks about going back (as do I). Definitely want to see more of Taiwan and there are always more railway lines in Japan to catch. Singapore and Malaysia are a given, just for the food. Can't wait for the next trip.
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Where is that, the old track going?
Where is there, I want to know
Running away, I want to follow
Far away, I want to go

Into the distance, the old track leading
Into the unknown, I will follow
Hidden away, I will seek
Beyond horizons, I will go

Comes the time, the old track ceases
Comes the place, I find the end
Where it goes, I cannot follow
The passing of a dear friend
We begin this final installment of our 25 day trip around Asia at the end. Once the Shin'etsu Line ran all the way from Takasaki to Nagano and Niigata via the very steep (1 in 15) Usui Pass. So steep that it required a rack system, like that of the Oigawa Line of a week ago, before that was replaced by powerful helper locomotives.

With the opening of the Nagano Shinkansen in October 1997 the Usui Pass section was closed and the line split into separate sections. The section from Takasaki now terminates at Yokokawa and it was to there that we were heading.

It's only half an hour by local train to Yokokawa, but it's a pretty line up into the mountains, with the scenic peak formations and trees still bare of leaves. There are factories along the way too, including the Shin'etsu Corporation buildings with so many lightning rods on their roofs.



The railway tracks abruptly end at Yokokawa station. Or do they?

Just beyond the station is the Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park, emblazoned with a logo reading "Poppo Town", whatever that is supposed to mean.


We paid the Y500 per adult entrance fee (Alex was free). Alex immediately jumped on a miniature Anpanman train ride, a one person train on an oval track. Each ride costs extra, but he still loves these simple rides.


You can sit inside the tight cabins of the EF63 banking engines and even pay Y1000 to control a simulation of one, though it was a bit too expensive for us.


There are HO and N scale model railway layouts that you can pay Y100 to run around in circles (they also have free shows). There is also some merchandise for sale. While B stayed warm inside I bought return tickets for the "torokko" (tourist) train along a preserved section of track up to Touge-yu.


Alex and I climbed aboard the two carriage train, now pushed by a diesel locomotive, as it slowly crawls up the beginnings of the pass, past the banking engine sheds and up to the new Touge-yu station, which I believe houses hot baths. Unfortunately, it is not as far as the viaduct, but you still get the impression of the motive power required and it's pretty scenery.


One of the two tracks has now been converted into a hiking path, the gap between the rails filled in. The track we are on is also used by the heritage museum to run EF63 driver training sessions for the public, though these must be booked in advance and I guess that Japanese language skills are mandatory.

For what felt to be the first time on this trip it was really cold, with low grey misty clouds drifting through the mountains. We were all glad for our warm clothing. I liked the chill, because I knew that it would make the warmth of any building or train so much more appreciated.


A small steam train was puffing its way slowly around a smaller gauge track around the perimeter to the park, which houses a number of different locomotives and carriages on static display. We paid Y1000 for a family ticket to run an even tinier train around another track at the park.


Alex sat at the throttle controls and I behind him with both our feet on the break pedals. Just turn the dial and you are off. Don't forget to sound the horn at the level crossings!


It was a lot of fun, bringing back childhood memories of miniature trains up at Tullamarine in Melbourne. But it was also very cold, so we headed back to the train station, quickly slurping up some unmemorable soba and udon noodles, plus a potted rice dish that seems to be the signature dish of Yokokawa.


We managed to just miss the train, which meant waiting another 40 minutes for the next one. I spent the time wandering the main street, while Alex and B waited in the warmth of the station.

Much of the town looked to be in poor financial straights. I could only find that single eatery, though there looked to be a big one servicing the highway on the other side of the railway tracks. The coffee house was unlit and a couple of cosmetic shops were half shuttered. I found a Yamazaki general store further down the street, staffed by an old lady. When I went to buy a block of pear flavoured chocolate, she turned it over to reveal a used by date of 2008 and apologised. I wonder how many items were far past their used by dates and how these shops survive at all. So many of them are full of dusty items that may have sat there for decades. Yet I found myself liking sleepy Yokokawa. With just a touch more life and a comfortable, reasonably priced ryokan, a place like this could make for a pleasant relaxing stay.





Alex made friends with a five year old Japanese boy on the ride back to Takasaki. They ran around the carriage with Yukio making faces at me and I pretending to be scared. It was wonderful to see them having fun despite the language barrier. It all started when B got Alex to offer him a boiled sweet. Finally, at the end of the trip, he had found a friend to play with.



I had to return to the hotel at Takasaki to retrieve our luggage and then buy tickets for the Shinkansen back to Ueno in Tokyo. Without a JR Pass we found out how expensive these can be: Y4800 per person (~A$50). It is fortunate that the train had unused dedicated luggage space and Alex finally caught a Shinkansen again with a washbasin with integrated automatic water, soap and hot air dispensers.



We should have gone shopping at Ueno yesterday as it was only a quick trip and now we had to drag our luggage with us, the station lockers full and no left luggage service that we could find. We somehow squeezed through the market streets of the Okaido and Ameyoko, before finally finding a shoe shop for B. Eventually she made a choice of sneaker to replace her falling-apart-legendary-travelling pair and we could go to the Keisei train station for our ride to Narita Airport.


As I was catching the escalator my bags caught. The paper shopping bag ripped scattering contents everywhere while the big roller bag tipped over. An elderly lady behind me couldn't evade fast enough and fell over. I had to quickly kick away my stuff before more accidents were caused, but it appeared that others were taking care of the poor lady, whisking her away to sit down, and many locals quickly came over offering spare shopping bags for our scattered plastic train tracks and sweets.

I swore that this was the last time that I had to carry so much luggage. The only piece which gave me no trouble whatsoever was the medium blue backpack. I've carried that pack all day on other trips and was still able to go sightseeing with it. I wish that the others could pack their belongings into similarly small packs and that we didn't buy so much stuff. I also know now that Alex didn't need so much entertainment. Suitcases, roller bags and huge backpacks are okay going from A to B by private transport, but are a pain when you are walking around or catching public transport.

I felt very sorry for the elderly lady, but was also not surprised. Old ladies in Japan are a bit like the Chinese, pushing in everywhere, assuming that everyone will move out of their way for them and not paying attention to their own safety around them. Most cultures that I know of have respect for the elderly, but as they become the majority it's going to become increasingly difficult for the young.

We've never caught the Keisei Skyliner to Narita before, always using the N'EX thanks to our rail passes and Shinjuku being our destination. It was clean, comfortable, modern and fast (it uses some of the never-to-be-built Narita Shinkansen right of way) and took us a different route.


Once at Narita Airport we were confronted by a huge queue for Jetstar check in. They were having issues with their IT systems and technical problems forced the cancellation of the flight to Cairns.


After a long, long time we finally got to the desk and checked in. But now we had to go straight to the gate. We were delayed at security as they insisted on scanning all the electronics in my bag, then we had to catch the automated train to the satellite gates. By the time we got to gate 83 boarding was about to commence and the cafes were shuttering for the night. We'd had no dinner and no time to shop or wander around Narita Airport. I certainly wasn't feeling relaxed.

Fortunately the aircraft was only about a third full. I would have thought many Cairns passengers would have been rebooked on this one, but maybe they were only going as far as there and not onwards like us from the Gold Coast. I was seated alone by the window, B and Alex in front of me. The leather seats were more comfortable than Scoot's, though it's a pity about the 2-4-2 configuration for the three of us, because I wasn't giving up a window again.


We were late to push back from the gate. The safety demonstration was over and we were about to take a long taxi out to the main runway when we stopped, then the captain informed us that we were returning to the gate. Was it a technical issue? Would we have to be put up in a hotel for an extra night? I kind of hopped so, for I was in no hurry to leave Japan.


No, it was none of those things. Not even a sick passenger who needed unloading. It was a some idiot who had lit up his cigarette and now had to be escorted off the flight along with all his luggage from the hold. I was furious.

We wanted to catch our early flight back to Sydney so that we could pick up our dog Kita from the kennel. They would be closing at midday on this Easter Sunday and not reopening until Tuesday. Now we might miss him just because somebody couldn't handle their tobacco addiction.

Finally we were underway again and had to endure a second safety demonstration. Our long, long taxi out to the runway gave me my first glimpses of the Boeing 787. There were a number of them belonging to JAL, ANA and United just parked there, engines covered, unable to fly until their battery issues are rectified.



There were brief views of city lights as we took off, then we were in the clouds. For once we actually awaited the food service, as we had brought no drink or dinner with us in the mad rush. I bought drinks and a couple of sandwiches for myself. B and Alex just wanted to sleep, moved over to the middle rows opposite me.

As B took up the entire row space, Alex moved back next to me and lay on my lap. The two of them slept almost the entire way. Lucky them, I barely got a nap. But I did watch the soon expiring movie Source Code on my phone and a couple of Doctor Who episodes on my tablet.

There were quite a few patches of high cloud along the way and much of the flight was quite bumpy, though the seatbelt lights were never lit. I was not in the mood for turbulence and didn't enjoy it. When the high clouds disappeared and the Moon was reflected in a shimmering sea below, then I was happier.



Alex awoke at sunrise, always so beautiful from above. He occupied himself as a drifted down towards the Gold Coast. I suffered a microsleep on descent, missed crossing the coast. Sadly no gorgeous sunrise over the water this time, the sky was already bright.



They didn't even check our bags at quarantine, just taking our (truthful) word about our declarations. When we went to drop off our bags for our connecting Jetstar flight down to Sydney we were informed that we had been rebooked to a later flight due to our delay. She managed to squeeze us into the last three seats on the 9.35 am flight, but we would still be too late to pick up the dog. Curse you smokers! At least we were given $24 worth of vouchers for breakfast. We had what we missed most, milk, hot chocolate and fruit salad.


We asked our neighbour to pick him up for us and called and called the kennel to discuss, always getting their answering machine. It turns out that they were actually closed, despite informing both B and I otherwise.

While we waited for our flight to board we watched the Saint Kilda AFL team lining up to fly Tiger Airways, which seemed a bit rough on them. I guess they did lose the match.

Boarding of our Jetstar A320 was via the rear stairs and we were in the rearmost seats. Normally, after long, sometimes rough, overnight flights from Japan, the shorter domestic leg is a very pleasant cruise through clear morning skies and very enjoyable.

Not today. There was high cloud almost the whole way with constant bumps. Being in the rear we felt them all. I couldn't wait for this flight to end, but Sydney was clear as we touched down from the south.


I saw the AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur, the same one that had taken the M-i-L there on the first day of our vacation. At the Gold Coast, a Scoot flight had taken off shortly before ours. As we taxied to our gate I gazed at the international terminal and thought to myself, despite having a couple of rough flights, I could get on one of those aircraft and take right off again. It's that sense of anticipation of an adventure to be had that you don't get upon your return.




With all our luggage we decided that a taxi was the only way to get home. The price of a ride with a garrulous driver who loved to talk about traffic fines was over two thirds of the cost of our last Shinkansen ride at 250+ km/h.

We arrived back home to quiet house virtually devoid of food and we were hungry. Being an Easter Sunday, virtually nothing in the area was open. So it was Maccas for lunch and ingredients from a petrol station convenience store for a pasta dinner eaten in front of the television with the latest episode of Doctor Who premiering. That was nice, a private meal.

Alex was glad to be back with his toys. B hid chocolate eggs, purchased before our departure, around the house to give him the Easter egg hunt he missed out on at childcare. B too was glad to be home.

But I stepped outside, savouring the wamrth and the rare peace of an Easter Sunday, and I could hear the sound of jet aircraft flying through the clear skies and I wished that I was up there again, heading out on another adventure.

So much of my life, my work, so many of my contacts outside of my family, are online now that it doesn't matter where I am so long as I have internet access. I enjoyed the freedom of not caring what time or day it was, except for those fixed points of flight schedules. Life is so repetitious, so routine, at home, at work. It feel unnecessarily, constrained by others. That's what holidays and travel give you, the potential to be unconstrained.

So after twenty-five days, four countries, nine flights, almost thirty thousand words and many thousands of photos we come to the end of the line. Until next time.

Yokokawa to Ueno photos
Flight home

Last sleep in Japan after an unremarkable day. Got woken up way too early by Alex while B kept sleeping, had a breakfast of toast across the road, then lugged our ever increasing baggage to the Shinkansen platform at Kyoto station, the one visible from our room the night before.
The reserved sections were booked out, so we chanced the unreserved sections and were in luck. I had wanted to take a different, longer route to our destination of Takasaki, to travel on a new line for me, though undoubtedly older than the one we were on. Instead we were on the too familiar Tokaido Shinkansen bound for Tokyo.
After the flat farmlands and factories whizzed by we at least had the pleasure of great views of Mount Fuji, still snowcapped, around Shizuoka. In contrast to the bare slopes of Japan's highest and most sacred mountain the other hills were forest or bamboo clad, speckled with pink puffs of cherry blossoms or the orderly rows of tea plantations.

At Tokyo station we changed to an Asama Shinkansen bound for Nagano. Fortunately, we had reservations for this train as it was absolutely chockers, many of the passengers fellow tourists. En route we enjoyed the laughing at the many weird items for sale in the magazine in the seat pocket.
For men with hairy backsIt was only an hour to Takasaki. Dragging our luggage to the Dormy Inn a few blocks away felt like longer work. By the time we returned to Takasaki station there was not enough time to catch the local train to Yokokawa and the Usui Pass railway museum.

This upset Alex greatly, but we consoled him by saying we would look for toys and a playground instead. The very helpful tourist office pointed us to the Yamada Denki Labi store attached to the station.
On the fourth floor was a Yu Kids playground, similar but smaller than the one at Seacle. There were also Tomy Plarail trains and accessories for sale, so we bought him some extra tracks.

Much happier, he let us look for cameras and computers, though we didn't buy anything, before we walked back across the station.
Takasaki's big station building has an attached department store with a range of smaller fashion shops along with local souvenirs and foods. B was looking for new shoes to replace her 12 year old veteran Brooks sneakers. This shoes have to virtually every country we've visited since making their debut on our honeymoon.
She tried Takasaki's small Takashimaya department store and Vivre, a youth oriented department store. I stopped by Tower Records, without success, then we walked all the way up to Takasaki's old castle. Part of the cherry tree lined moat, some stone walls, one turret and a gate are all that seem to remain. 
There's another department store opposite, but again they had no sporting shoes. Then we searched for food. There were a few izakaya (bars) along the way as well as a surprising number of trendy little fashion stores. But no restaurants that piqued our fancy.



We ended up on the top of a department store eating karaage and tonkatsu chicken. Alex had a kids meal, which he devoured. They included a toy car. It's quite common for them to include a toy like the ones you see at the 100 Yen shops where, incidently, they sell cheap batteries of all shapes and sizes.

Last minute shopping at Uniqlo for a t-shirt for tomorrow (I can't be bothered using the hotel's laundry tonight). When we emerged it was raining and we had left our umbrellas in the hotel.
We got wet, but the hotel reception were kind enough to hand us a towel. Even nicer, they had brought our luggage up to our tiny room and hung my jacket. The rooms may be almost standard Japanese business hotel and the prices cheap, but there is one notable addition that made me choose this one: it has a hot onsen bath.
The segregated baths were surprisingly nice with pebbled floors and rocks around the edges. There's an indoor bath, which includes a electric shock stimulation area (no thanks), a cold bath and a sauna room. My favourite was the outdoor bath, where the drip of cold rain provided a wonderful contrast to the heat of the bath water.
Apart from the bath, this isn't the way I'd like to end our holiday. I feel that I should be out catching one of the many small train lines that emanate from Takasaki. I do like the this city, for the same reasons that B doesn't. It's quiet, yet still has many services and shops, though they are smaller than their big city cousins. You aren't confronted by so many choices.
Tomorrow we will go up to Yokokawa to visit the Usui Pass railway museum, for it has many rides that should interest Alex (and me). Then we return to Tokyo, where B wants to continue last minute shopping, before catching a train to Narita Airport and flying back to Sydney. I'm not sure if there will be an update tomorrow night. Alex and B are ready to go home, but I'm still enjoying Japan way too much to want to leave. So I am going to sleep tonight with a tinge of sadness and the knowledge that there remains so much that I want to see and do.
Photos

"This was the best hotel ever!" said a sad Alex as he trudged away from the Morizuya ryokan. None of us wanted to leave, least of all him.


We had woken up, packed, played trains upstairs for a short while, and returned for the breakfast in our room. Again it was dish after dish. Soup boiled at the table. Disgusting looking pickles and seaweed. Dried fish from the racks outside the fish mongers along the street. More savoury custard. Rice porridge.


I don't mind curry for breakfast, but a traditional Japanese breakfast can be difficult for a westerner (or a Malaysian) to stomach. It was a real struggle, especially as more food was brought out. I upset the old lady serving us when I accidentally dropped a bowl of soup for dessert on the table, my hands slippery from the oily fish and steaming bowl beneath them. Fortunately, it was cleaned up before it touched the beautiful straw floor.

Before the check-out at 10 am there was just enough time for one more bath, at Ichino-yu, right next to the ryokan. The indoor bath was too hot to stay in long, while the outdoor cave bath (a bath under a rocky overhang) was cooler, but crowded. We didn't stay long.

When we checked out Takayuki-san offered to take photos of us in front of the ryokan sign and a couple of other scenic locations. He also drove our luggage to the station, while we had a slow walk, stopping to buy Alex a meat bun for breakfast.


There is a foot bath adjacent to the station. After reserving our seats I had to quickly grab B and a wet and bare footed Alex away from it and race to the opposite platform to catch the Kinosaki Express to Kyoto.

I had left this day free without any planning beforehand. I was going to do it last night, but no internet meant no bookings. As we sat on the train, more modern than yesterday's and with power to the seats, I waited until we were in a phone signal area to generate timetables and search for hotels, while still trying to enjoy the scenery outside.

I have long wanted to travel the length of the San-in line and was now doing another stretch. It was quite scenic, running through grey hills of bare branched deciduous trees or evergreen pines. Snow was visible in the high ranges in the distance.



I wanted to catch slow local trains along odd routes, but B only wants Shinkansens to major cities. This train was headed to Kyoto, so we decided to stop there.

The last stretch, through the mountains around Arashiyama, was spectacular. I could see the Sagano scenic railway winding its way through the valley along the river and so wanted to catch it.


At Kyoto station we visited the tourist information office, which booked us into the Miyako Hotel on the other side of the station. A hotel for tour groups, it's comfortable enough, but lacks anything memorable.

I had to give up my dreams of doing sightseeing in this beautiful city and instead give in to shopping demands. We had an unexciting lunch of ramen, gyoza and rice at a station restaurant. Alex, as he's been doing all trip, charmed the ladies, who bought him some chocolates. He goes all shy when the cries of "kawaii" ring out, hiding behind our legs, then emerging to get more attention, then hiding again, saying (I don't know why) "wooly!".

We rode the subway into downtown Kyoto, walking until we found Tower Records (no luck), then a floor below Book Off, where I discovered a CD's I'd been looking years for and some others really cheap. Then it was off to Loft for an amazing fold up bag and some kitchen ware. And I discovered the works of a true Japanese genius, silicone ice block trays shaped like Darth Vader's head, a stormtrooper's head and even X-wings. Best of all was a mould for an Alien egg.


After much searching we finally located the last of the Uniqlo down jackets (wrong season).

Dinner just had to be more shabu shabu at Fufutei along Kiyamachi street, with its cherry tree lined canal. The shabu shabu here was both nicer and cheaper than in Osaka. If only we'd known we'd be back on this trip...



The walk back along Kiyamachi Street was slowed by the need to admire the cherry blossoms and the lights shimmering off the canal.




At least we saw that in Kyoto.

Photos

A long time ago in a land far, far away. That's what it felt like as we walked the streets of Kinosaki Onsen dressed in our yukatas, the clop-clop of wooden getas sounding in the air. In his robes Alex looked the spitting image of a young Jedi padawan, all that was missing was the lightsaber.


Incidently, Padawan is a district of Kuching in Malaysia.
The town was so far back in time that my 4G router couldn't get a signal, hence the lack of an update. Plus I was feeling a little under the weather.
There can be few better places to rest than Kinosaki Onsen. We dragged our luggage on the Midosuji subway to Umeda, then barely caught the Ltd Exp Hamakaze in time. An older Japanese train it lacked a food service or vending machines, leading to big issues.

Alex was hungry for breakfast. B and I had eaten slices of Kobe cheesecake for breakfast, but Alex didn't like it. As we raced past the huge Akashi bridge Alex was pleading for food and drink. The kind conductor, who had earlier given Alex some train stickers, suggested that we grab some food from the station kiosk at Himeji, where the train would pause for a few minutes.

Himeji Castle today - undergoing renovations
Sandwiches and a drink were purchased with time to spare and happiness was restored, followed by Alex falling asleep.
The countryside was pretty without being as spectacular as some of the previous days'. It was a pleasant ride through rural Japan.

Once we arrived at Kinosaki Onsen we were immediately greeted by red jacketed helpers from the tourist office and bustled across the road to their office to leave our luggage in their care for later delivery to our ryokan. Unlike some of our previous destinations nobody could complain about the tourism organisation at Kinosaki Onsen.
We were free then to take a leisurely walk up the road towards our ryokan and stop for lunch along the way. Firstly the omiyage shops caught our attention, all sorts of crackers and sweets to try. Lunch was tempura udon for Alex and I and crab and rice for B. 


The road now met the lazy and shallow willow-lined Otani stream. We crossed over one of the many stone bridges and bathed our feet in the footbath outside the closed (being a Wednesday) bath house Ichino-yu. Just up from that (we overshot and had to ask directions) was the Morizuya ryokan, staffed by the very friendly Takayuki-san.



We were shown to our beautiful olive and tan coloured tatami floored room with its pretty view of a stone lantern and sloped garden outside. Alex even discovered that the toilet had an automatic lid and flush, which thrilled him no end. Three yukatas were waiting for us, for this is what the Japanese wear when traipsing around an onsen town. Then the house baths were pointed out (we never used them) and we were taken upstairs for B to pick out her choice of colourful yukata. Except that objective was almost ignored when Alex saw what else lay inside the room.



A huge network of blue Plarail train tracks and a table full of trains. Similarly with Tomy cars. Duplo and baby toys also lay around the room. At the back, a large number of plastic model fighter aircraft and military vehicles were dominated by model skyscrapers and towers, including the incredibly tall Burj.

No time to play now. We had some serious bathing to do. We dressed in our yukatas, which consisted of a summer robe, an outer warm robe, ribbon belt to hold things together and an over jacket. I had, with some foresight, brought my own pair of thongs (flip-flops if you aren't Australian) to wear around town rather than struggle with wooden slippers too small for me.
Alex amazingly wore a tiny pair of wooden sandals. He was excited about the baths.
First was Goshono-yu, the newest bathhouse but with an exterior that suggested age. At the ryokan we were given lanyards with a barcode, which allows entry into seven of the bath houses after scanning near the doors. Alex followed B to the female baths, while I joined the naked men in the other bath. There are lockers for your stuff, you strip and place your robes in there, then enter the bathroom. First you sit down on a stool in front of a tap and thoroughly wash yourself. Soap and shampoo provided.
I tried the indoor bath first - very hot! Then the outdoor bath, which was very pretty and at least allowed the upper body to cool while gazing at the waterfall outside.
The next bath house, Kouno-yu, was quite a walk away, near the cable car entrance. It too had both an indoor and outdoor bath and this time Alex was with me. The outdoor bath looked up towards the bamboo hills.
We now had to rush back for the provided dinner, though we almost bought eggs to boil in the hot water, but had to pass as it would take too long.
Back at the ryokan we sat around the low table as dish upon dish was placed in front of us. Delicious grilled Tajimi beef, sushi, half a crab each, a soymilk stew of the succulent beef, pickles, chawan mushi savoury custard, potted and pastry topped pumpkin soup, tempura and finally a green tea pudding with rice balls, yam and mandarin jelly.



We had to wave away the rice. We were full to bursting point.
Then we acceded to Alex's pleas and took him up to the games room, where he played until the 9 pm closing time. I then went out to wander alone through the town. Pink lanterns hanging below the cherry trees gave the route on the upper part of the stream a magical air, while lower down the stream the stone bridges were lit by white lanterns. I had a milky soft-serve ice cream in one still-open venue playing music from Miyazaki's Spirited Away in the background. It was perfect for the scene.



On my return I convinced B and Alex to have one more bath before bedtime, just to see the lights. So we walked down to the smallest bath house, Yanagi-yu, still busy at the late hour.
Then we curled up on our futons on the floor for a wonderful sleep.
Photos

Sleeping on the floor can be really comfortable - if there is a shikibuton beneath you and a thick warm kakebuton on top. None of us really wanted to get up in the morning. I would have been happy to have a lazy breakfast in the cafe opposite and view the replica foods at Iwasaki Sample Factory nearby. But There Was Shopping To Be Done.

We raced to the train with a bare minute to spare, and then replicated the previous day's journey, only in reverse and with the Shinkansen taking us from Nagoya to Shin Osaka rather than from Toyohashi.

In the rush I forgot to take tickets from the dispenser near the door of the Nagaragawa train as we boarded. You then put the ticket and the right change in the box near the driver when you get off.

Alex stood with me for much of the ride back on the Nagaragawa Railway's railcar. It was fun sharing the pretty ride with him. Lugging the ever increasing luggage mass to the next couple of train put me in a bad mood.







We wasted time at Shin-Osaka looking for lockers to fit our luggage before taking it to the left luggage facility. Then we rushed on to the Haruka Express to Kansai Airport. Why the airport? Just prior to the airport terminus is Rinkutown, which has a number of kids shops and playgrounds at "Pleasure Town Seacle".

Unfortunately, the Haruka didn't stop at Rinkutown, so at  Tennoji we changed to a rapid express. We had to shift cars when we discovered that the rear four split off to head to Wakayama instead.




It felt strange to be going to KIX at this time of the day rather than late in the evening to catch a Jetstar flight home. Seacle's ferris wheel is distinctively visible from the airport.


Alex seemed to remember the children's play area from his last trip, with lots of padded, slowly moving rides. It now seemed a bit young for him, but at about $5 for an hour's play it was decent value and he made full use of his time there.



We looked for clothes and shoes for him in the surrounding shops. His Thomas the Tank Engine shoes are falling apart from all the running and climbing he's been doing.

We gave him a ride in a little Anpanman ride that just turned around slowly and flashed lights, but he enjoyed it.


By the time we returned to Shin-Osaka to collect our luggage it was past 7 pm. The subway ride to Namba station was less painful than expected with all the bags. We did discover that Osaka differs from Tokyo in escalator etiquette, in that here they stand on the right side and in Tokyo it's the left. Very important to do what the locals do!

We found our hotel, the Vista Grande, without any problems. But it was too late to go to Umeda and eat shabu shabu as planned.

Fortunately, the hotel directed us to another all you can eat shabu shabu restaurant just down the road, above the H&M store.

We boiled the thin strips of beef, pork, vegetables and noodles in the bowl of broth bubbling away at the centre of the table, then dipped each in sesame or ponzu sauce. There was even unlimited servings of Haagen Dazs ice cream for dessert. Totally full, we walked back along Dotombori Street, admiring the bright Blade Runner neon and the giant animal facades of many eateries.








Tomorrow it's ryokans and onsens again.

Photos

One reason that I keep returning to Japan is to ride the quiet country railway lines that must surely be living on borrowed time before they are shutdown forever. Perhaps I should pay similar attention to my own country. While researching abt railways for the last post I discovered that Tasmania's West Coast Abt Railway closed in February, future uncertain. I had hoped to ride it one day but haven't been back to Tasmania in years.

Today was another journey along a railway line most have probably never heard of. Again I found the Nagaragawa Railway first on a map and only then discovered that one of the towns along the way, Gujo Hachiman, is listed in the Lonely Planet. Reading more about the town online it seemed like a pleasant place to visit. I wanted to go the length of the line to Hokuno, but only Gujo Hachiman offered accommodation, so Gujo it was.

We checked out of our Toyohashi hotel with a more meagre breakfast than the day before, then caught a Shinkansen to Nagoya. Toyohashi is one of those stations bypassed by many of the express Shinkansens, which go shooting past the platforms on the middle tracks at incredible speeds.


At Nagoya we joined many other western tourists on the comfortable Wide View Hida Express, which passes through famous Takayama en route to Toyama. We've been to Takayama twice before; it is one of our favourite destinations in Japan. But today we were only going as far as Minoota, just far enough to get a first glimpse of the gorgeous river scenery.


We only had minutes to cross over, buy tickets and jump aboard the single diesel railcar of the private Nagaragawa Line. It was fairly full of locals, from pretty young girls to an angry looking old farmer who seemed to have a European appearance and kept giving us dirty looks. I was not completely happy either: We have too much luggage and it's bloody bulky and heavy.


I don't think B likes the slow shaky local trains as much as I do. Alex and I positioned ourselves away from the too heated inward facing seats and stood looking out the front of the car, next to the driver. We rattled along though country towns and farms, following the course of the blue Nagara River, where kayakers rode the rapids. Many of the stops were nothing more than a shelter on short platform, collections of houses nearby but sometimes no shops and few services. Yet I found them strangely appealing.







After over an hour's ride we arrived at Gujo Hachiman's station. Fortunately, our ryokan was just down the road. We were allowed to leave our bags in our room, but check in was only after 3 pm, so we walked into the town centre. It's a fair hike. There was a bus but we thought we'd see more walking and we were looking for food.


There are a lot of cake and coffee shops in this town, but more substantial meals were harder to find. We eventually walked all the way to the tourist office at the end of Shin Machi street, but before we could enter we were delayed by the magnificent sight of the Yoshida River. There were residences clinging to the steep banks of the river, which was fed by the many clean cold water springs for which Gujo Hachiman is famous.







The tourist office had lots of interesting local products, including cinnamon biscuits and miso. The tourist office gave us some maps of the area, including a suggested walking route, plus a restaurant for our very hungry stomachs. By this late hour many eateries had already closed.

Crossing the river we ended up at a tourist centre bus terminal. It had plenty more local produce, plus food replicas. Gujo Hachiman produces about 80% of Japan's famous food replica items on display throughout restaurant windows across the country.



Our meals weren't up to the standard pf the replicas, but we couldn't be picky. The Hida area is also well known for its beef and dairy products and Alex's soft serve ice cream tasted deliciously milky to my tongue, though B didn't like it.

We followed the recommended walking route past the temples and long path up to the castle, high on a hill. There would be some great views from up there, but we didn't have the time or energy to pursue them.


Alex enjoyed the way that at various points around town the spring waters were made to flow through stone fountains and troughs, including one big deer scarrer. The streets were lined with old shop houses, some selling pickles, others dolls and fabric craft and others, well who knows? They looked dusty enough to have been there a while. Walking back down Shokunin Machi, we detoured to see the Sogi Sui spring with its little shrine and pretty bridge across the Kodara River, which merges at that point with the Yoshida.











Back across the Miyagase Bridge over the Yoshida River we stopped at the Sample Kobo food replica store and workshop to buy some replicas for ourselves, including a lamb chop. Visitors to our house will discover why. I hope we have enough time to see a replica being made tomorrow, but I believe that it involves wax and some other special ingredients.


Down through some other tiny streets and along a canal we came to the Jion Ji Zen temple. B was put off by the cemetary outside, but I ventured inside, paid the entrance fee and gazed upon one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen, despite its small size. A thin waterfall cascades down like lightning across striated granite into a pond fronted by moss and stonework. It's a pity that some work utilising chainsaws was being done around the boundaries, but the noise could not detract too much from the beauty before my eyes.



Unfortunately photos are not allowed, so you'll just have to come and see for yourself.

One final stop near the tourist office, at Igawa Komichi, a tiny, pretty pathway besides a narrow canal. The canal is inhabited by huge carp, but the feeding boxes were empty.


As evening fell we returned to our ryokan, the Azumaya. Our room looks new and clean. Sadly the tatami mat floor doesn't have the scent of straw, but that's the only complaint I can make. It's no upmarket ryokan, but its simplicity is perfect for us. Resting legs on the heated blanked under the low table, sippig green tea and munching on a sweet rice biscuit was welcome relief from the chill outside.





No dinner was provided and we could see no open eateries nearby. Even the ryokan owners suggested the Lawson convenience store down the road, so I brought back some hot meat buns and salads for what ended up as a satisfying dinner. Then were had a luxurious hot private bath together, soaking away days of aches, before collapsing into our futons. My only regret in coming here is not staying longer.

Photos

"It's too quiet here. Except for a couple of hours when the trains arrive we don't get any visitors," said the very helpful lady from the tourist office.

"It's your fault," I tell myself, then explain to her that "You need to promote yourself more. Nobody knows about the Oigawa Railway outside of Japan. It's so beautiful you should get lots of visitors."

The only way I found out about the Oigawa Railway was by a line on a map of Japan. It took a bit of hunting on Wikipedia to find out more. The company website only had a PDF in English, though at least it gave instructions for reserving tickets online. There was also an interesting Japanese railfan article.

So many Japanese attractions target only the local market when they could be getting visitors from across the world. The Oigawa Railway is a case in point.

We had to wake up early to reach the railway, well early for a holiday (before 8 am). This Toyoko Inn's breakfast seemed a bit more substantial than the others', with fried noodles and a thick western style soup in addition to the Japanese miso, rice cake and pickles typically on offer.


From Toyohashi we caught a Kodama (all stops) shinkansen to Kakegawa, where we had five minutes to change platforms for a local train on the Tokaido line. It was a pretty route through very rural scenery. At Kanaya station we bought our tickets for the non-JR Oigawa Railway and changed to an old electric set on their Oigawa Main Line, but only as far as the next station, Shin-Kanaya.




There, our steam train was being prepared. Apart from Disneyland a few days ago, this was Alex's first ride on a real steam train. While it was getting ready we popped over to the railway shop opposite where they sold souvenirs of the toy and edible varieties, and had a display of a couple of real tank engines and passenger wagons, along with small coin operated rides and a European model railway.



Then it was time to board the old brown wooden carriages. They looked rather dingy, with pairs of straight backed seats in grouped to face each other. We were seated backwards to the direction of travel. One of the ladies facing us spoke English and pointed out the sights that were announced only in Japanese along the way.


I have to say that it wasn't the best of steam train experiences, with the windows closed and the passengers chattering loudly there was little of the sound and smell that a steam train ride usually brings. Alex slept much of the way anyway. But what the train lacked in atmosphere was more than made up for by the view outside as we followed the broad Oi River. The line was originally built to facilitate the construction of dams along the river, so it's once powerful flow was now reduced, leaving a very wide bed of grey rocks.

Lining the route were cherry trees, now blossoming into white and pink clouds, and rows of tea plants, fans on poles keeping the air moving across the plantations.






The main line terminates at Senzu and you must change trains to continue on. We had to wait for ours to be shunted into position, while SL C5644, the steam locomotive that had brought us this far was rotated on the turntable and hooked up for the return journey back to Shin-Kanaya.



The train which would take us up to the top of the Oigawa railway looked distinctly toy like with a short low diesel locomotive hooked up in a pusher configuration to the rear of similarly short and low orange passenger carriages. A crowd of photographers looked on.


We boarded the low carriages, which had two seats on the right and one of the left for each row. The windows could open, much to my delight, though B was feeling too cold to want to open ours.

The Ikawa line gets even less publicity than its steam locomotive counterpart but is far more fun and the scenery utterly spectacular, definitely world class. It chugs slowly up along the river and into the mountains, through 61 tunnels and (according to Wikipedia) 51 bridges. The only negative was the constant loud commentary over the PA, in Japanese, of the train conductor.



There were cherry blossoms along the route and as puffs of pink wild on the hill sides. Tea plantations clung to the edges where they could. Tall straight cypress were probably plantations and there were short lengths of log placed in drying positions outside the occasional hut or house. Light flickered through stands of bamboo and forests growing on impossibly steep slopes. Later on in the ride the forest had not yet recovered from winter and the leafless treescape looked grey and wasted.



But the real stars were the rivers and the mountains. Grey and blue, wide and narrow, it flowed quickly through narrow ravines or lakelike through wide valleys. Waterfalls cascaded down steep gullies while the higher slopes of the mountains were scarred by landslides. We crossed narrow bridges looking directly down upon the waters as if the train were on a tightrope. Points along the river are dammed, great concrete fortresses holding back the river hordes. And up we go, up, up high into those mountains.







Between Abt Ichishiro and the Nagahama Dam the slope is so steep that they have installed a rare Abt rack system. An additional electric locomotive, normal height in comparison to our existing train, is coupled on to ours and uses a cog system that locks into a racked middle rail to push the train up a steep 9 in 100 slope.





Then the extra locomotive decouples and we are on our own again.





There are no towns along the way, only stops to let hikers or onsen bathers on and off. At the final station of Ikawa there is the station and down some stairs a small shop staffed by a very old couple and selling local pickles. They have a restaurant too and what looks to be a pot of stew with chikuwa and tofu on the boil. Unfortunately, despite our hunger, we have to go back down again or risk a long wait and a very late return to the hotel. Our food options are very limited with only prepackaged stale red bean or apple buns.



The ride down feels faster than going up. Indeed the route is steep enough that the only challenge should be breaking. With fewer announcements we all sleep a little and when stopped at stations, soak in the sounds of  the river and the wind rustling through the pines.










Alex played in the train, having some time to himself where he was not being forced around busy streets or shops. It is delightful to see him smile and laugh so much.


At Senzu we had an hour to kill before our next train. Unfortunately, the train museum was closing, and so were most of the eateries, though we bought an ice cream for Alex and some snacks. It was there we met the very friendly tourist information lady, originally from Beijing (Peking to her) twenty years ago. After chatting with her and trying to find another warm jacket for Alex is the sole clothing shop, we crossed the bridge to the other side of the town, Higashifujikawa.




There was a statue of a young child doing a pee, a Japanese Mannekin Pis in a jacket. Utterly incongruous and hilarious at the same time. One building, possibly a guest house had some interesting decorations out the front, while a few small shops shuttered for the day. B was disappointed at the lack of life, but I rather enjoyed the bucolic nature of Senzu.


An old red and yellow electric set took us back down to Kanaya, while the river reflected the silver-grey sky of an Asian day nearing its end.





We had to race through the underpass in order to change to the JR Tokaido train to Kakegawa, but as a result now had a more relaxed Shinkansen connection. Now on a very comfortable and fast train, we all joined in for a couple of games of Uno, Alex's favourite card game.

Having a cack at KakegawaFinally back at Toyohashi, we had a wander through the station department store before heading to the basement for a meal of ramen. On the way out we bought some beautiful looked white and red strawberries, so perfect in appearance.



While Alex and B returned to the hotel, I decided that I needed to try out Toyohashi's tram system. So I caught a tram to nowhere and back again, along dark streets where the shops were almost all shuttered for the night. But I loved the feel of these narrow older trams, so much less crowded than the Toden Arakawa line was, and at least I have seen something of Toyohashi.



Oh, an they started accepting Suica smart card for ticketing yesterday!

So nine trains and two trams today, at speeds ranging from a couple of hundred kilometres an hour to six. Of all those trains it is the ride between Senzu and Ikawa that was the best. Help out that poor lady at the Senzu tourist office. This is a line that deserves to be known far better than it is. It seems that on each visit to Japan I discover a railway line even more scenic than the last. Well, I would be surprised if anything can top this one.

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Trams once plied the streets of Tokyo, as they did many other cities across the world. Sadly, all that remains today is a single line through mostly obscure northern Tokyo suburbs. Judging by the patronage today it is still a popular option.

After reading this article by Gianni Simone I knew I had to ride on the Toden Arakawa line. We checked out of our hotel room, walked down to Aaliya's for a second taste of their divine French bread, then followed B to H&M, which had some surprisingly cheap kids clothes.

We finally exchanged our vouchers for the actual JR Pass, booked tonight's train to Toyohashi, then hopped on the Yamanote Line to Otsuka. Arrows pointed to the Toden Arakawa line Otsuka-Ekimae stop and we joined the very long queue.


Each tram was a single narrow carriage. Some quite old, others relatively new. They certainly had character. We had to skip the first two trams going in the Minowabashi direction as they filled up before our turn. Then we were in the front of the line. Until two old ladies pushed in. I understand respect for the elderly, but in this country where the elderly are starting to outnumber the young, the latter stand no chance of getting anywhere if they were to always yield to the tottering geriatrics.

We used our wonderful Suica smart cards to pay the fare (they are compatible with the PASMO system used on that line). Our tram was just as packed as the others, almost approaching Taiwanese congestion. And as we clattered along Alex wanted to sleep! So taking photos was tricky.

Tokyo residential suburbia is much like any other nameless Japanese city with small shops and houses, plus everything else. But the minutiae of life therein is just as interesting, if more sedate, as in the bustling tourist centres of the city.


Many passengers stepped off at Asukayama, presumably to enjoy the magnificent blooming cherry trees that lined the nearby river. I should like to have joined them, but we were on a fairly tight timetable.


We, and a number of other young families, left the tram at Arakawa Yuenchimae. Small shops sat on either side of the tram stops while a cherry blossom lined path lead to the Arakawa Amusement Park, our destination.


On the way we searched for lunch. A few tiny eateries beckoned, but the tonkatsu was too expensive and the curry not appealing today. Sadly, we had lunch at a small Mos Burger.

It costs Y200 to enter the amusement park, then a single Y100 ticket for a child and two for an adult to go on a ride. Most of the rides are about the level of a fairground. B accompanied Alex on the very small and slow rollercoaster, then he shot water canons at targets. The inflatable obstacle course was strangely for 5 year olds, though he had done harder in Australia. He had to ride the mini "steam" train round its course as it had level crossings. The ferris wheel gave spectacular views across the area. Unfortunately, the queue for the pedal cars was too long, and the electric cars were a disappointment, but we still got dizzy on the small spinning teacups.








Behind the rides is a mini zoo with a few monkeys, capybara, farm animals and birds in somewhat small, dirty and dingy enclosures. Not really recommended, but the walk back to the entrance under the cherry blossoms and by the fishing area was pretty.


Also along the road back to the tram stop are little shops selling kids clothes and toys. We purchased a chocolate banana from an ancient stall keeper and you got the sense that this wasn't really a young and vibrant part of town.



We only returned as far as Oji-Ekimae on the tram, before changing to JR trains for the ride back to Shinjuku. I should like one day to ride the entire line, getting on and off at will and just wandering the streets. Perhaps not on a weekend, though.



Once back in Shinjuku I retrieved our now so heavy luggage from the hotel and we caught the Chuo Rapid service to Tokyo station. There was enough time to wander around and get a bento box and sandwiches for dinner on the train, then we were off on a Shinkansen N700 series to our next destination, Toyohashi.



Incidently, Toyohashi also has a tram system, which I hope to give a go.

It was pleasant to have some downtime in the Shinkansen, racing along the Tokaido line at 270 km/h. There was little to see outside in the dark and all of us slept a little. Once we stepped out we felt the chill of an early Spring night and quickly hurried to our hotel. Now we are relaxing in our comfortable room, familiar from Toyoko Inns everywhere, having done our weekly wash in their machines. And the vending machine sells grapefruit Gokuri.

Up early for a steam train ride tomorrow!

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As I gaze out at the bright red dots forming an outline of a city skyline at night I am feeling a little melancholy. I love this little room, the amazing views and all those familiar little places around as well as all the unfamiliar nooks and crannies waiting to be discovered. It's a form of reverse anticipatory homesickness, missing the home away from home.


It's not that the holiday is going to end - there is still another week left - but tomorrow we will say goodbye to Tokyo and hello to the rest of our adventure.
We stayed in the hotel room a full twelve hours after arriving in last night from Disneyland. This blog is partly to blame as I was too tired to update it straight away. After a quick, but so much better than Maccas brunch of delicious hamburgers at Country Kitchen, B went off to shop at H&M while Alex slept opposite me at tiny downstairs Aaliya, which advertises itself as having the best French toast in Tokyo.
It could have the best French toast in the world as far as I am concerned. Soft,creamy melt-in-your-mouth toast with oh-so-nice fruit teas, served in delicate porcelain teacups and with a sand timer to countdown the three minutes of brewing. It felt utterly decadent.

I eventually carried a still sleeping Alex up the stairs and out by the busy central streets of Shinjuku to await B's return. We waited an hour, worried that she was lost. Alex was crying by the end of it when she finally appeared across the road claiming apologetically she could have spent longer.

Most of the usable day was gone, so there was no point in riding the Toden Arakawa trams through local Tokyo. Maybe tomorrow. Instead we walked across to Shinjuku Gyoen, an ex-Imperial garden handed over to the people.
It was a sunny day, fairly warm, and perfect weather for cherry blossom viewing. But there were big queues at the gate as visitors opened their bags for inspection. No alcohol allowed!

Not until you see the cherry blossoms up close can you get a sense of why the Japanese adore them. Like pink and white snow teased into elegant shapes. We wandered through the park, then sat down on the dry yellow grass until the too early closing time of 4.30 pm. 










Then as darkness fell we caught the Yamanote line to Okachimachi and Ameyoko street, home of possibly the last real street market in Tokyo. No luck finding shoes for Alex, but the colour and atmosphere was fun as we walked all the way to Ueno station.

Seeing some colourful lights we walked up to Ueno park to discover that the cherry blossom viewing had begun. Though most of the lanterns had not yet been lit, down towards the Bentendo (which is nothing to do with a kids television series) there were food stalls and crowds. 




We ate chicken yakiniku skewers, soy sauce grilled corn and mitarishi dango, skewers of grilled rice balls with a sweet soy sauce. Around us tipsy revellers drank more or stumbled around the beautiful trees.



But we had promised Alex more sushi, so we caught the train back to Shinjuku, stopping by a shop where the Toden Arakawa trams were displayed on their Sesame Street promotional material. A message that we should ride them tomorrow? The it was supper at the appropriately named Sakura (cherry tree) Sushi opposite the hotel. Alex even ate the nori (seaweed), which is so much thinner and tastier than that served up in the shopping centre sushi of home.

Outside my window I can still see the blue neon sign of a Toyoko Inn. That's what awaits us tomorrow night in Toyohashi. From the Shinjuku Prince, goodnight!
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"It's a small world", "Mary Poppins" and "Yoda's Theme." Yoda's Theme???  Nooooooooo! A reminder, as we followed the crowd towards the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland, of how Disney now owns my favourite movie franchise.


As you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of Disney. Mickey Mouse and friends entertain me only in thinking up new methods of cartoon dismemberment (lightsaber, anyone?). Bambi versus Godzilla, now that's my kind of movie. But here we were at Disneyland. The things we do for our children.

We had caught the Chuo Rapid line to Tokyo station and the Keiyo Line out to Maihama and Tokyo Disneyland. The day was clear and from the latter train I could see snow capped Mt Fuji rising like a cloud above the horizon.


From Maihama station we walked to the main Disneyland entrance rather than catch the big Disney Line monorail, a two and half minute ride.

It is fortunate that we had prepurchased tickets as we could bypass the long queues at the entrance.

Immediately, B was in pose for photos mode, wanting to stop for characters and dress up in every wearable item in the shops that surrounded the entrance. Us boys just wanted to get in on the action.


The Pirates of the Caribbean ride already had a 45 minute queue, but the management of the lines was very good and you always felt like you were progressing. We sat on guided boats as we passed through tunnels with realistically animated mannequins burned, pillage and shot each other. We would have given an Oscar to the robots for realistically portraying Johnny Depp portraying Keith Williams as a pirate.


There weren't many thrill rides at Disneyland. Thankfully (for me, but not B) those that were fast had three hour long queues. The majority were either sedate passages around a indoor or outdoor course or fairground attractions.

We rode on:

Adventureland

• Jungle Cruise - boats around a jungle river with animated animals and natives.
• Western River Railroad - real steam train with good views around Adventureland and Westernland.  
• Swiss Family Treehouse - not a ride, but a climb up a shipwrecked family's fake treehouse, which Alex enjoyed.

Westernland

• Tom Sawyer Island Rafts - Alex enjoyed playing hide and seek on the island cave and bouncing over the barrel bridge.
• Mark Twain Riverboat - A circle around in a paddlesteamer.

Big Thunder Mountain, a "runaway train" rollercoaster ride had a three hour queue and was left until later...

We the watched the lunchtime parade of floats before resuming rides on:

Fantasyland

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant - Alex and B had a spin on this simple ride
• It's a Small World - Alex sang the song as we took a cruise through a puppet representation of the nations of the world.
• Alice's Tea Party - spinning tea cups!
• Snow White's Adventures - the sign warns of kids being frightened of the wicked queen in this car ride through a dark version of Snow White's story. Bit of fun.
• Mickey's PhilharMagic - there was only a short queue for this short 3D film with musical pieces from different Disney movies. I was having microsleeps, but the other two enjoyed it.
• Castle Carrousel - Alex insisted and we all took a ride.

Alex was ready to go home, but we had to stop to view the night parade, which really was spectacular. Many, many colourfully lit floats, after which we raced to the Haunted Mansion, managing to beat what quickly became a very long queue again. None of us were scared, but the visual effects were superb.

As we were heading back we all flinched when a loud bang sounded. It was the fireworks show! Magnificent display of fireworks with some great effects.

We stopped by Toontown to purchase a funny hat and enjoy the weird cartoon town architecture, then passed through Tomorrowland. Unfortunately, Star Tours, a Star Wars based ride doesn't reopen until May of this year. There was another George Lucas connection: he produced (and Francis Ford Coppola directed) Captain EO, a "4D" movie with Michael Jackson. At 40 minutes in length, even a lack of a queue didn't entice. Alex and I had a ride around the Grand Circuit Raceway, where the only driving skill required is pressing a peddle. Unfortunately for Alex, he was too short to qualify for that job.



The park was closing as we walked with the crowd back to Maihama station. It was 10pm and we had spent almost a full day at Disneyland. Was it worth the steep entry fee? Not if you are a thrill ride lover, but we had a fantastic time. Plus we never got a photo with Mickey. Yay!
Alex slept on my shoulder the whole long ride back to the hotel, which we reached at a quarter past eleven. A truly massive day. 
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Ever since I first caught sight of the great overhead monorail tracks above Chiba station, back on that first Narita Express in 2003, I have wanted to ride them. Each subsequent Narita Express ride I promised I would but never did. Today I finally had my chance.


We had caught the Chuo-Sobu Line to Koiwa. The first part of the trip, from Ichigaya until Ochanomizu, follows the picturesque Kanda River. There is a fishing facility at one spot where anglers can be seen dangling their lines into a artificial pools. After the electronic and otaku hub of Akihabara there are great views of the grey Tokyo Skytree, then it's suburbia the rest of the way.




Our intended destination was the Ito-Yokada at Tsudanuma, as seen yesterday on our N'EX ride in. But then we spotted another branch of the earlier station of Koiwa and got off there instead. Ito-Yokado as a downmarket department store, like a Target in Australia and owned by the same group that run the 7-11's in Japan.


Our first and only other encounter with one was at Hirosaki on the last trip, where a great playground with balls and moving rides on the kids floor had kept Alex amused. There was no playground here and the selection was quite poor, though B managed to spend over an our buying clothes while Alex slept in my arms.

After finally emerging we had a lunch of delicious ramen and gyoza at a popular little restaurant nearby. Then, at last, it was my turn to take us to Chiba station and catch that monorail.


Monorails like those that run in Australia may not be particularly exciting, but this one was suspended from huge steel tracks overhead. I had never caught a suspended monorail before. The Chiba system consists of two lines. I had planned to ride all the way to Tsuga station and catch a local JR train from there.

Even B was excited when she saw how the system worked. We climbed up the stairs to high above Chiba station and aboard the two car train. The modern rollingstock is the best, with big front windows and even a window in the floor in the driver's compartment.


As the track angles down you feel like to are on some sort of amusement park ride. The views are great and I was surprised how much fun the experience was.


When we approached Dobutsu-koen station we spotted a big ferris wheel and amusement park facility, so we decided to get out and give Alex some fun.


In order to get to the amusement park you first need to pass through Chiba Zoo. As the park closes at 4.30 pm and it was already 3.50 pm we were in too much of a hurry to do anything but pay the Y500 entrance fee and race past the animals. We did stop to see a forlorn looking orang-utan, some chimps and a lone gorilla, as well as some excited lemurs, but then we arrived at the amusement park.



I purchased some tickets from the vending machine, then it was time to take Alex on monorail number two. This time it was a normal upright monorail, but a tiny one with Alex and I in a little car. Alex enjoyed it, as did I.


Then it was B's turn to take him on the splash ride, where they sit on a boat and are conveyed up the "river" to a height before sliding down.


I still had two more tickets to use, but the park had now closed.

We walked back to the suspended monorail station (actually both monorails were now suspended), and caught one of the older cars back to Chiba.



Dusk fell upon greater Tokyo. We stopped at Akihabara to pick up some toys and model trains from the Akiba Yodobashi (the better hobby shops being further away from the station). First it was time for dinner, so we went up to the 8th floor and had okonomiyaki at Fugetsu, the same chain we ate it in the home of Okonomiyaki  - Osaka.


It was so good! Just below, the 7th floor had a Tower Records and I found more CD soundtracks there than at the Shinjuku Flags store. Then down to the 6th floor of toys and model railways.


We bought Alex a couple of small things and considered returning for bulkier items when we return from elsewhere in Japan. There were so many model railways items that I could have bought, but I resisted - for now.


Then back to Shinjuku for rest before Disneyland tomorrow!

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After almost two weeks of travel we are home. Well, our second home. From our room on the 22nd floor of the Shinjuku Prince Hotel I can see the blinking red lights of tall towers, including the Tokyo Skytree and the old Tokyo Tower, the flashing rainbow of the neon decorated pachinko parlours of Kabuchiko and the massive clear television screens of the Labi electronics shops. Only, it is a little darker now as big lights are switched off early to save power and some buildings demolished and not yet replaced. The clackety-clack of trains to and from busy Shinjuku Station sound from the western side of the hotel. The room may be tiny, but everything has its place, as it has since we first stayed in 2005.


I woke at 4 am and we were down at the Taoyuan Novotel's lobby by 5, ready to catch our taxi to the nearby airport. The hotel had provided breakfast bags of fruit, croissants and juice for us to take along. Taoyuan Airport was quiet, mostly shut and the queue to check in was short. We walked straight to immigration, past the Hello Kitty themed Eva Air kiosks.



There was another Hello Kitty play area as we walked to our gate, with a small slide. Unlike Sydney, the airport had a number of spaces devoted to things other than shopping, like a library, aboriginal display, orchids and even paper umbrellas.



At the gate lounge I noticed that it was my friend Barry again parked outside. To be fair, Scoot doesn't possess many aircraft, but I do find Barry to be rather clingy.


We piled onboard into the same seats as on our flight to Singapore. The Eastern European captain warned that the airport was experiencing congestion and we would be delayed. We taxied past a wide variety aircraft types belonging to Taiwan's Eva Air. A couple were even decorated with Hello Kitty liveries. No wonder there was a delay as the taxi route took us right on to the main runway before looping around to face the opposite direction.


With a flight time of about two and a half hours mostly over sea and clouds there wasn't much to say about the majority of the flight. I still found Scoot's seats uncomfortable and the journey felt like it took longer than the actual longer flight to Taiwan with Malaysia Airlines. I'm still not impressed by Scoot.


All of us slept for part of the journey. Fortunately, I awoke just as we were approaching Japan and in time to catch a view of Mount Fuji rising snowclad above the clouds. The were glimpses of the Izu islands too, and plenty of ships plying the waters.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h seats, so don't be fooled.
One of the crew members demanded I switch of my camera during descent, the first time that's happened in years. The shoreline looked so flat and with the waves rolling in it was too easy to recall the tsunami of just over two years ago. The many rectangles of paddy fields were unfilled and unplanted, giving the landscape a brown appearance. In between the paddies and the hills of bamboo forest were so many golf courses.



Down with Narita Airport says a holdout farmerOnce we had disembarked an automated yellow shuttle train took us to the main terminal, where we exited as quickly as possible. Rather than activate our Japan Rail Passes I bought a Narita Express (N'EX) ticket plus Suica smart card to get around. Smart cards are so convenient!

The journey on the red, black and white N'EX to Shinjuku station is a long, but relaxing one. We used it as an opportunity to locate a Ito-Yokado local department store along the way, and to admire the huge Tokyo Skytree tower. The sky was blue and the weather unseasonably warm. The cherry blossoms were opening early, which was good in some ways, but I was hoping to show Alex snow in Central Japan on this trip.



The path to the hotel was oh so familiar that we walked it virtually on autopilot. Up in our room we all fell asleep in the double bed. It was a most delicious feeling, lying there listening to music, gazing out the big window high above the cityscape and gently drifting off.

Our stomachs all woke up hungry, so we crossed the road to Sakura Sushi, a longtime friend of ours. Their sushi train includes grilled fish sushi as well as sashimi and it all tastes so much better than the stale shopping centre sushi we are all to familiar with in Australia. Even Alex seemed happy.


After that we walked up to the big Takashimaya Times Square, home of the department store, along with Tokyu Hands and other shops. Alex was happy to catch a lift up to the kids section, which also houses a Disney Store. There we purchased tickets for Tokyo Disneyland for a couple of days' time. Alex spent a long time playing with a wooden railway set and other toys. So did many other young kids!


I only found a single CD soundtrack to buy in Tower Records, itself a record for me. By the time we emerged we were hungry again. The station area yielded no reasonably priced eateries that interested us, but we found ourselves in the Subnade underground maze of shops which leads to our hotel. There we dined at an old favourite Tonkatsu Wako. As their name suggests, they serve tonkatsu, or crumbed pork. They also had a kids set which included drinks and a toy, along with unlimited refills of miso soup, shredded cabbage and rice. It was wonderful to eat some simple food which included fresh vegetables.


Our hotel complex includes a number of shops in the Seibu PePe section, such as Uniqlo, Muji and, most useful of all, a 100 Yen shop. Everything costs (including local sales tax and current exchange rates) just over  A$1. And most importantly of all they sell grapefruit Gokuri juice, my favourite since 2003, though it means my quest to find it is now too easy. They also sell cheap toys. It was wonderful tonight to see Alex building a spaceship out of the 42 piece Lego-like blocks we bought for a dollar.

He's been stroppy and homesick at times, and at others dancing around being a pedestrian hazard with a big smile on his face and flirting with the ladies. Hopefully he'll enjoy some of the activities we have planned for him on this part of the trip and others that will appear out of nowhere.

Right now it's just great to be here.

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