Japan TR (include JL & CX F review)

[jukebox333]

Loving this TR - Japan is an amazing destination.

Keep up the great work on your posting!

 

[boomy]

Later we took the metro to Ueno park where we could see the beginning of the Cherry Blossom.


By the time we will get back to Tokyo in two weeks all the trees in the park will be in full bloom so we may have to check it out again.
There are some old temples there.


This Karamon was built in 1651.

 

[boomy]

For a complete change of scenery we took the metro and went to Akihabara district.
The place is a weird mix of electronics town, video games mecca and maid coffee shops.

 

[JohnSydney2000]

Hi Boomy,
Really enjoying your trip report! I have met both your "missus" and yourself. Best wishes for a lovely trip for both of you.
The JAL photos inspired me to look at F TYO-SYD, and sadly, I find it is no longer available from April onwards.
Enjoy the cherry blossoms, there have also been lovely displays of them in YVR this weekend. Happy travels, John.

 

[drron]

If you return to Ueno a visit to the nearby Kyu-Iwasaki-tei gardens is something different.An old colonial mansion built by the founders of Mitsubishi which became Macarthur's residence after WW2.

 

[boomy]

Hi Boomy,
Really enjoying your trip report! I have met both your "missus" and yourself. Best wishes for a lovely trip for both of you.
The JAL photos inspired me to look at F TYO-SYD, and sadly, I find it is no longer available from April onwards.
Enjoy the cherry blossoms, there have also been lovely displays of them in YVR this weekend. Happy travels, John.

Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully JAL will fly their 3 class B777 to SYD again next summer.

 

[boomy]

If you return to Ueno a visit to the nearby Kyu-Iwasaki-tei gardens is something different.An old colonial mansion built by the founders of Mitsubishi which became Macarthur's residence after WW2.

Sounds interesting, will make sure to check it out if we return to the area.

 

[boomy]

Back to the hotel for a few drinks in the exec lounge. The tasting plate they offer together with evening coughtails was not too bad.

Later we went to check out the shopping area of Ginza.


The shop we liked the most was A&F, it has good vibes and also good looking staff
After the shops closed around 8pm we took the metro to check out the nightlife in Shibuya.


The shops there were open late and the area was packed with young people who came to shop, eat and drink all night.

 

[amaroo]

Skytree is well worth visiting ... huge queue in 2012.

 

[coolkid101]

great TR... really enjoying following this thread... especially since we're going later this year as well! (with our 45k miles GUM trip!)

 

[JMFK]

Great TR boomy! Conrad Tokyo is one of my favourites. Lucky you got a suite upgrade too!

Prepare to be disappointed by Hilton Tokyo haha.

 

[coolkid101]

Great TR boomy! Conrad Tokyo is one of my favourites. Lucky you got a suite upgrade too!

Prepare to be disappointed by Hilton Tokyo haha.

really? is it not very good? rates decently on TA. not that expensive either and we were certainly considering that.

 

[ketsuzei]

really? is it not very good? rates decently on TA. not that expensive either and we were certainly considering that.

Best to just consider the Hilton and Conrad as being in different leagues, both price-wise and quality-wise. The Hilton is in a decent enough location for tourists if you want to stick to the Hilton group, and is certainly not a dud hotel, just a lot less flash than the Conrad.

 

[Cynicor]

It's a really good Hilton, but is still a Hilton

The Conrad is a good Conrad, so the differences are more obvious!

 

[JMFK]

All above are correct.

It's good, but no Conrad.

And I'll never forget paying $27AUD for two latte's in the Lobby a few years back while waiting for a bus after we'd checked out. The Yen was terrible at the time, but still!

We did the Hilton first and then spoiled ourselves with the Conrad on our last night. It's a big difference.

 

[boomy]

Day 4
We took the JR train to Harajuku and payed a visit to Maiji Jingu shrine which is located just behind the train station going through a beautiful park.
Harajuku train station.

Walk to the shrine in a peaceful park, hard to believe it's located in the heart of Tokyo.

Entrance to Maiji Jingu.

More info about the shrine here:
http://www.gojapango.com/tokyo/meiji_shrine.htm
Later we checked out the busy streets around the station, it's a major fashion area mostly for young people.

It's also known as meeting place for all the teenagers who like to dress up in funny looking costumes of amine characters.

 

[boomy]

Hilton Tokyo
Today we had to move from Conrad to Hilton. The move was not to explore another hotel but to take full advantage of the 50% sale they had last year. I wish we could stay at Conrad but the full price of $500AU per night (include taxes) is too high, even for this lovely hotel.
As soon as we entered the Hilton lobby we already felt the difference. It was noisy and full of people, the exact opposite of the relaxed atmosphere in the Conrad lobby. Although there were 8 counters open at check in we still had to wait in the queue. The guy who eventually checked us in barely knew any English and couldn't give us all the information we wanted. We later got everything from the helpful staff in the executive lounge. The hotel was full so we only got basic upgrade to deluxe or executive room (I'm not sure which one). The room was small but at least the bed was comfortable.


Canapés in the lounge with Aussie Chandon.

I can to describe the move from Conrad to Hilton Tokyo like stepping down from First to Business class on the same airline. Conrad is a polished luxury hotel where each guest receive personal attention while Hilton still offer good accommodation, just smaller rooms and while service is still good, it's shared with more people.

 

[boomy]

While the accommodation is nothing special, the Japanese restaurant at Hilton is fantastic. We had Tappanyaki and I tried Matsuzaka beef for the first time. It was by far the best beef I've ever had. So tender it melts almost as soon as it enters the mouth.
Semi-raw salmon for entrée.

The chef flames my gf's scallop.

Scallop and mushrooms with sauce.

Here it is - the amazing Matsuzaka beef!

I heard it's very hard to find this type of beef outside Japan so I'll make sure to try it again next time I get the chance.

 

[diningdecadence]

great TR, thanks for sharing.

 

[Timtammi]

Thnx boomy very helpful we are staying at the Hilton shinjuku next week. Have stayed there many times before but never tried the restaurants. Would it be rude to ask ballpark cost for the dinner?