Craven Asia 2023 TR

[craven morehead]

Great TR @craven morehead and thoroughly enjoying your experiences on the trip

Cheers @Stewey

 

[craven morehead]

Found the menus and prices for The Imperial Hotel There's no doubt it's a quality establishment, a rare place to find me hanging out

 

[drron]

Those prices are a lot better than they were in 1981. Stayed near Mikimoto pearl island. Only 1 restaurant and the cheapest was a set menu for $A250 a head and it was about 300 yen to the dollar. After 1989 Japanese prices have trended down but might be about to commence a steady rise.
Needless to say with 4 of us on the trip we didn't eat at the hotel. I went back to the nearest train station and fortunately the small convenience store was still open though had run out of most food items. So it was a bag of mandarins and a donut type bun filled with red bean paste.

 

[craven morehead]

We decided we would stick with the tower type thing and head up to Shibuya Sky Observation Deck at ~230m high. Then go down to street level and experience Shibuya Crossing. After that, we would just wing it.

Ordered a taxi and off we go .



Took a little bit of an effort to find the correct lift to get us to the 14th floor. Up we go





I hadn't pre-purchased tickets for today and after heading up to the 14th floor to buy tickets we found out we would miss out this time around.



So back down we go

Shibuya Crossing: It certainly is a busy place!





A flash looking Police car





From the net. Some of what we missed today and also the "The Roof" Bar at nighttime.





We decided we would come back to Shibuya Crossing Scramble as it was getting dark for another look and maybe grab some dinner. In the meantime, we were heading to the Golden Gai Shinjuku. The very popular unpolished side of Tokyo.

 

[craven morehead]

While surrounding areas have been developed and look like any other part of Tokyo, Shinjuku’s Golden Gai retains that now rare post-war charm.

Once again, not much research from me and we came here on more of a whim. I didn't realise this was realistically a place one visited at night

Bars in Golden Gai tend to open from about 8pm, so don’t head over too early! Although we had fun and weren't going to have time to return.

Just as we arrived it started raining, not too heavy at that stage and we had found a couple of umbrellas



Behave yourself!



We decided to just wander around the 6 tightly packed alleys and see what happened.



It certainly is a unique place and has some cracking names on some of the Bars.





This joint "BOOTH" had only just opened so we took the opportunity to go in and suss the place out.



It appears that these bars traditionally only have room for around half a dozen punters. This place could potentially squeeze in eight people



At this stage we had the place to ourselves.



The barman offered me a free crack at Shōchū a Japanese distilled beverage. One I'd never heard of to be honest.

Some guff from the net -
It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. Typically, shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume.

Now, I'm not sure which one I ended up trying, but it was far from terrible. I was expecting something that burned but it was really quite decent.



The thing that surprised me was that they had a really clean and modern toilet with all the typical Japanese engineering tucked in the back left hand corner of this tiny bar. I was expecting to be sent to somewhere like this place below



The heavens opened up while we were here, and it poured for a good 45 minutes which helped me sneak a couple of extras in
The young fella in the bar had limited English and likewise with my Japanese but as always, you make it work and he bought the Google translate out at times if needed. Good fun was had by all. We haven't been to Shinjuku for 15 years so off we went for a walk to see if we could remember any of the places, we had been prior.

 

[craven morehead]

Shinjuku - We didn't really get our bearings from the previous trip but who knows how much it has changed and or we've forgotten in 15 years.

By sheer fluke, one our sons will be staying at Hotel Gracery very soon. I'm sure Godzilla will be kind to him.



A quick walk around enjoying the sites.

Certainly, no shortage of people around here



Officially named Omoide Yokocho (Memory Alley), but more commonly referred to as Piss Alley.

Like Golden Gai in some ways but probaly more Yakatori than out and out booze.



Some history from the net.

Step into the steaming alley and you’ll be greeted with infeasibly small yakitori shacks and izakaya sandwiched next to each other along a narrow and very greasy walkway. Once an illicit drinking quarter in the 40s, the narrow street was packed with hostess bars and bars, but no toilets. Forced to relieve themselves on the neighboring train tracks, drinkers gave the alley a lasting reputation.

Time to head back to Shibuya.

Shinjuku 2023

This is "Shinjuku 2023" by Mick Chang on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

vimeo.com

 

[henleybeach]

Good stuff @craven morehead
Japan has never been of high interest so it’s great to get a good review like this to spark some interest

 

[craven morehead]

Good stuff @craven morehead
Japan has never been of high interest so it’s great to get a good review like this to spark some interest

Cheers @henleybeach Having seen all of your TR's, I think you would really enjoy it to be honest.

 

[cosi]

Good stuff @craven morehead
Japan has never been of high interest so it’s great to get a good review like this to spark some interest

You are missing out big time.
Japan is very easy, safe and lots of fun.
For first timers, recommend a tour or otherwise just book a package.
Take the plunge and go for a short stay to see if you like it.
Food is amazing especially the pizza's which are the best in the world

 

[Scash]

While surrounding areas have been developed and look like any other part of Tokyo, Shinjuku’s Golden Gai retains that now rare post-war charm.

Once again, not much research from me and we came here on more of a whim. I didn't realise this was realistically a place one visited at night

Bars in Golden Gai tend to open from about 8pm, so don’t head over too early! Although we had fun and weren't going to have time to return.

Just as we arrived it started raining, not too heavy at that stage and we had found a couple of umbrellas

View attachment 341215

Behave yourself!

View attachment 341216

We decided to just wander around the 6 tightly packed alleys and see what happened.

View attachment 341217

It certainly is a unique place and has some cracking names on some of the Bars.

View attachment 341218

View attachment 341219

This joint "BOOTH" had only just opened so we took the opportunity to go in and suss the place out.

View attachment 341220

It appears that these bars traditionally only have room for around half a dozen punters. This place could potentially squeeze in eight people

View attachment 341221

At this stage we had the place to ourselves.

View attachment 341222

The barman offered me a free crack at Shōchū a Japanese distilled beverage. One I'd never heard of to be honest.

Some guff from the net -
It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. Typically, shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume.

Now, I'm not sure which one I ended up trying, but it was far from terrible. I was expecting something that burned but it was really quite decent.

View attachment 341223

The thing that surprised me was that they had a really clean and modern toilet with all the typical Japanese engineering tucked in the back left hand corner of this tiny bar. I was expecting to be sent to somewhere like this place below

View attachment 341224

The heavens opened up while we were here, and it poured for a good 45 minutes which helped me sneak a couple of extras in
The young fella in the bar had limited English and likewise with my Japanese but as always, you make it work and he bought the Google translate out at times if needed. Good fun was had by all. We haven't been to Shinjuku for 15 years so off we went for a walk to see if we could remember any of the places, we had been prior.

Thats what I love about travelling. Find those hidden gems that are in some ways untouched by time and still have that personal feel. Awesome

 

[craven morehead]

Back at Shibuya Crossing Scramble and up to the restaurant and eateries on the13th floor.

Found this Spanish place for a feed and to hopefully give us a decent look down at the Crossing.



We had a short wait to be seated. A quick beer filled that time in no problem. There were a lot of reserved tables here which was the issue. No doubt other people had a similar idea regarding viewing the Crossing from higher up in the evening. Our table on the bend.



Cheers to the sun going down





Time to order a feed.



CERDO - bellota iberico with baby corn for me quite decent.



SHRIMP Paella for Mrs. CM - I had a taste and we both agreed it was a touch dry and nothing to write home about. Ahh well, you get that when travelling the globe



A few photos as night fell.







There was just enough room between the Reserved viewing tables that we didn't inconvenience anyone taking photos. We did ask the patrons before moving to the window. I just didn't manage to nail a shot with the crowds actually crossing the intersection. Another good day was had.

 

[Flyfrequently]

We decided to head out tonight and celebrate our purchases (Like I need an excuse for a beer). I googled roof top bars or bars with a view. Realistically I did bugger all research and booked a taxi to the Imperial Hotel. Alarm bells should have gone off when we arrived to this I immediately sensed damage to my wallet and this was confirmed when I read the drinks menu and price list. I think I've picked the dearest joint in all of Tokyo. Ahh well let's have a crack!

View attachment 340945

Up the elevator to AQUA The Imperial Lounge.

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View attachment 340946

We did get a great view

View attachment 340948

A massive lounge with very few patrons.

View attachment 340951

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View attachment 340954

You know you're in strife when the piano player is wearing a suit I think this is going to cost

View attachment 340953

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The scallops wrapped in bacon were out of this world.

View attachment 340952

We stayed for 3-4 hours, we relaxed and lapped up the opulence. I'm happy enough with the outcome considering we'll never be back here. Been there done that! Price wise think Raffles in Singapore. Caught a taxi back to the Mercure, had a nightcap and slept like babies.

Enjoying your TR, well worth it eh @craven morehead !

We decided in Venice 4 years ago, we were going to have a "What The..... " moment at each destination, something that was ridiculously expensive or we would not normally do ( and I don't mean adrenaline rush activities )

Rooftop bars with great views and overpriced coughtails came up trumps often.

 

[craven morehead]

After a lazy day we decided to continue with the tower bent that we were on bought some tickets online for Tokyo Tower, jumped in a cab and off we went. It certainly sticks out like the proverbial dogs ba!!$ at nighttime. We only paid to access the 150m viewing level



We only had a short wait before getting the lift up.



Just to remind our 5 sons where all their inheritance is going

















A nice overview of Tokyo at night. Wasn't expensive and glad we made the effort. We had a gander up top for ~1.5 hours then decided to head down and try and grab some tucker. TBC

 

[craven morehead]

Just caught some fireworks in the distance before we went back down.





Some F&B options outside.





Looking up.



Headed inside to suss out the foodcourt.

Someones Art.



It was about 9.15pm by this stage and quite a few of the food outlets were already closed.

I grabbed some Ramen, always tasty and cheap



By the time Mrs. CM decided what she wanted; the place wasn't taking any more orders She ended up grabbing something from a bakery.

After a quick feed we thought we would find a bar and belt a few into us

Had a crack at this place. Went up to the entry level only to find them herding everyone out an hour before advertised closing time



Back down in the lift and on Shanks Pony while perusing Google Maps for a watering hole. Not The Imperial Hotel type either I can tell you

Walking the quiet streets.





Next up: The 300 Bar

 

[craven morehead]

The 300 BAR 5-CHOME.

Fazenda Building B5, 9-11-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Opens at 5pm and trades through till 2am.





The bar is located below street level.



Capacity of 60 people. This one is the smallest of the three 300 BARS in Tokyo.

This place is standing only. No arguments from me for the price.





The Durry cubicle



As the name implies, everything at 300 Bar costs just ¥300 (¥330 including tax), including the coughtails, beer, wine and food.

To speed up service, the bar uses a ticket system, so you buy as many ¥330 tickets as you want (buy ten and you get one free) at the front counter, then queue up at the bar to order. There’s no cover charge here, but you are required to buy a minimum of three tickets on entry. Your tickets never expire, so don’t feel like you have to use them all up in one visit.

Everything appeared to be ¥300 except spirits. This shout was 3 tickets.



We had a few drinks here and at one stage got chatting to some Venezuelans who had just finished competing in the Masters Swimming Championships down in Fukuoka. Funnily enough, B&W photo or not, my beard is the same colour



We really enjoyed our visit here. Great value in a fit for purpose bar that has all the basics covered. The food is classic pub grub, including tacos, nachos, fries and pizza etc. along with bar snacks Time to head back to our hotel. Back up to street level.

 

[AIRwin]

As the name implies, everything at 300 Bar costs just ¥300 (¥330 including tax), including the coughtails, beer, wine and food.

The bar equivalent of the ¥100 shop

 

[craven morehead]

Today we checked out of the Mercure Ginza after a very pleasant stay. We jumped in a taxi, and we were off to Tokyo Station. It was time to head to Kyoto on a Shinkansen I had left my run too late ordering a JR rail pass before leaving home. However, it worked out ok as the only rail travel, we did was Toyko-Kyoto return on the bullet train. The cost was slightly cheaper than if I had of purchased a 7-day First Class pass. A couple of days earlier I was looking to purchase our tickets online and I almost bought them through Rail Ninja because it was easy to navigate their website. Instead, I went down to reception and asked for some help. The wonderful lady whose name was Ran helped me sign up and purchase directly through JR which even she said can be confusing. Long story short, I saved $400 by not being lazy. So, thank you Ran. As Murphy's Law would have it, this was one of the very few Accor stays I have ever had where I didn't get a follow up survey afterwards. I emailed the hotel directly to express my appreciation for a good stay and high level of service, especially from Ran. I always jot down the names of any staff member that I believe has done a great job. Plenty of people are quick to criticise but we must also proactively encourage and positively reinforce when a job is done well. Righto let's go to Kyoto



It was quite easy to navigate through the station to our platform.



There may as well be an Alsatian guarding the new MK Handbag



As mentioned, up thread, we had lost a wheel on Mrs. CM's BigA$$ suitcase somewhere between EMD & TPE
So, it was a battle dragging the thing around. Anyway, we made it to our platform in heaps of time.
@Matt_01 had clued me up pre-trip that it would be hot & humid during our visit. Neither the heat or humidity had really affected us as we are basically used to it being from Queensland but after lugging the suitcases through the station, I ended up a tad sweaty One thing I noticed in both Taipei and Tokyo, was that when checking the weather apps, the "feels like" temp was consistently 5-6c higher than the actual. We tended to disagree with that metric, maybe we're just used to the heat.



We are on NOZOMI 227 in Car 8 (Green Car) seats 5C & 5D. Ran at the Mercure had suggested we sit on the RH side of the train to potentially get views of Mt. Fuji





The barriers slide back as required.





The cleaners jump on briefly for a run through and tidy up of the carriages.

 

[craven morehead]

Shinkansen Tokyo-Kyoto continued:

Heaps of room!

We stored the large suitcases at the end of the carriage in a designated spot behind the last seat. Cabin bags went up on the overhead rack.



Ready to roll on the very fast Choo choo. The ubiquitous vending machines in the background. I don't think I've seen the same level of saturation of vending machines in any other country



Not the best photo, but power outlets to the seat.



Well, it's way bigger dunny than the bloody Dash 8



Separate washroom if that's all that's required.









Very light load in Green Car #8





A very comfortable 2hrs & 15 minutes trip. Stopped very briefly three times enroute. One thing, as you are pulling into a station, they want anyone disembarking to be up with their luggage and ready to hop off as soon as the train stops. Boarding and disembarking is very efficient.

 

[AIRwin]

Stopped very briefly twice from memory.

3 from the departure board - Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama and Nagoya?

 

[craven morehead]

3 from the departure board - Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama and Nagoya?

Cheers, now corrected