London, some Nordics, and Japan

[drron]

Magic.

 

[Antoallison]

On our third and final night in Tromso, we had booked a Northern Lights tour with another company, 'The Green Adventure'. Ultimately the tour was just us and another couple, also in their 30s, living in Singapore. It was their first night in Tromso.

Tonight's drive was shorter than the first night's:

View attachment 157456

We arrived at a beautiful spot just outside a small town where the road ends, and as soon as we stepped outside, the lights were putting on a show. There's not really much more to say, but here are some photos. Apologies for not being able to cut it down more


View attachment 157444 View attachment 157445 View attachment 157446 View attachment 157447 View attachment 157448 View attachment 157449 View attachment 157450 View attachment 157451 View attachment 157453

It went on from about 7:30 until midnight, when we decided it was time to head back. Meanwhile the other couple had spent most of the night in the van (due to the cold), not realising just how special the night had been. They had a few more nights in Tromso, so I hope they came more prepared and the conditions remained good!

Thanks for all those wonderful photos @cwd, they are great and your Trip report has given me food for thought for a 2020 trip.
I hear what you say about Norway being expensive....
Any tips for keeping down costs on a holiday there or would that be wishful thinking ?

 

[cwd]

I hear what you say about Norway being expensive....
Any tips for keeping down costs on a holiday there or would that be wishful thinking ?

I think it's pretty much futile. But a lot of accommodation includes meals, so that helps, as food's one of the more obvious expensive costs there. But also, cheaper restaurants are much worse value than more upmarket ones. If you don't drink alcohol, that will help too

 

[zenyattamondatta]

Any tips for keeping down costs on a holiday

Breakfast is included at most places, and that's "a thing", so it's sometimes worth picking out the places that are known for having good breakfasts. I could generally get through until dinner on that alone.

Alcohol, you only have the
Vinmonopolet. Be sure to find where yours is, if you want to drink at "home". It's not all that ridiculously priced.

Drinking out is seriously expensive.

Public transport is ultra-cheap.

Not sure where you're going, but I've found that the difference in views for places on the coast can be huge... so worth asking before reservation what might be available.

 

[cwd]

With our final (successful) night in Tromso done, it was time for a quick hop to Helsinki.

Our flight was a non-stop Finnair flight (AY946), which runs every Saturday (probably seasonally). The flight is operated by Widerøe, a regional carrier that typically does SAS' commuter and regional services. As such, I wasn't entirely convinced we'd get points and status credits. As it turns out, we did! There was also a priority check-in line (though it was pretty slow with one couple holding up the only desk for at least 5 minutes). The standard check-in line was also equally slow, with one large group being at the front of the queue when we arrived, and still there when we left about 15 minutes later. We could easily have arrived at the airport much later, and would probably do so next time, but didn't have anything else to do that morning.

The flight was on a (fairly) new Embraer E190-E2. Despite being a smallish plane, the overhead bins were fairly well sized.


I didn't try asking to see if our status got us anything for free as it typically does on Finnair, but the drinks and snacks for sale were just about the cheapest I'd seen since leaving Australia

Taking off we got some stunning views of the mountains around Tromso.




You can see the airport in that last photo, just up and to the left of the centre, and the main city is on the left of the photo.

It was an uneventful flight, but as seems to be the norm, we got a remote stand at HEL. A quick wait for our bags and we were off for a walk to the airport Hilton. Doing online check-in, I'd chosen a interior room larger than most, but upon arrival was offered a room on the Executive Lounge floor, or a room with a sauna and access to the lounge. We chose the latter, and the room was more than big enough.

We freshened up and caught the train into the city. Incidentally, the phone app for buying public transport tickets in Helsinki is great.

A few local craft beers at the Wall St. Bar and we decided to try our luck getting a table at Ravintola Aino. We managed to get a table, with quite a few people being turned away after us. We chose the set menu options, with matching wines, and had a great night.


That's reindeer on the close side.

 

[cwd]

On to Japan....

After almost 3 weeks in Northern Europe and the UK, it was time to begin almost 3 weeks in Japan. Taking us there was AY77 to KIX/Osaka, a Finnair A350 flight. I seem to have one photo from the flight, which is of breakfast, specifically the Japanese breakfast:




Passing over North Korea on our way.

We landed on time at KIX, had a decent length taxi, only to find our gate taken by a Jetstar flight that was late, requiring us to wait until they departed. Even when you go out of your way to avoid Jetstar, they still cause issues!

We picked up some ICOCA cards and took the Rapid train to Osaka station. Being a standard line, it was fairly busy, and not particularly well suited to travelling with suitcases. I judged sending our suitcase ahead to not be worth the hassle, given we were heading to an AirBnB in Kyoto the next day.

We were staying at the Osaka Hilton, which can be reached from Osaka station through underground passages though it's a bit confusing to find initially. We had a lovely room, which was a nice blend of typical western rooms and Japanese design.

We headed to Dotonbori for a walk and some food. But first, a drink...



We found this tiny little bar, Bar Core on a corner. It's literally just the part behind the wood. It seats 4 comfortably, and probably a few more if you don't mind a crowd. We did look it up later to find that some Koreans had given very bad reviews claiming the bartender is racist. So not sure what to think after seeing that. (It could have just been one group writing the reviews of course, with the problem being something else).

A bit more of a walk around before getting dinner...



I didn't get any photos of dinner, but it was a great Kyūshū restaurant, with a very helpful waiter (not sure what the correct term is?) who insisted he give us a taste of the more expensive bottles of sake.

Next stop, Kyoto....

 

[drron]

Historically Koreans and the Japanese don't get along.Korea was basically a colony of Japan from 1910-1945.By 1932 the Japanese owned more than 50% of Korean land.
During the war probably a million Koreans were taken to Japan as forced labour.
So the Korean reviews probably are a little biased.

 

[cwd]

Historically Koreans and the Japanese don't get along.Korea was basically a colony of Japan from 1910-1945.By 1932 the Japanese owned more than 50% of Korean land.
During the war probably a million Koreans were taken to Japan as forced labour.
So the Korean reviews probably are a little biased.

Indeed. I was surprised that the claim was the bartender told them to leave when he realised they were Korean. Suspect it was more complicated...

 

[kermatu]

Great report. Loved the pics of Norway.

 

[cwd]

Back with a continuation of the report....

Catching a rapid train to Kyoto from Osaka (again, this was conveniently accessed via an underground walkway from the Hilton Osaka), we arrived to meet up with a couple of Mrscwd's relatives (a sister and a cousin) for lunch, who'd just come from Tokyo after one of them competed in the Tokyo Marathon.



While we waited we went for a quick walk to Higashihonganji Temple. No photos of the temple - the light was terrible.



Lunch was ramen at one of the many places on the whole floor dedicated to ramen restaurants at Kyoto station.
We checked into our Airbnb we were staying in for the week. This involved the person checking us in taking a group photo of us (with it being unclear whether to smile), amongst other formalities, and making sure we knew all the rules. Then we caught a train (on the Nara line) to go see Fushimi Inari Taishi and its famous torii gates.



A short walk from the station finds us here.



Predictably, it's pretty busy. There are signs to show the direction we're meant to go through the gates.





The gates are apparently sponsored, so on one side there are the names of the the donor. Sponsorship starts at 400,000JPY I'm told.



We did manage to get a few shots of empty parts.

A few photos later and we decided to head back to Gion to have a few drinks and some dinner. But first, some more shrines.



On top of a hill, I'm not entirely sure where this was. But just a short walk from...





These last two photos are at Yasaka Shrine, in Gion.

We had some sake at a hostel (everywhere was busy), and dinner at a tempura restaurant in Gion. Then back to the Airbnb. Oh and as became habit, I'm sure we stopped off at the local Lawson to buy some drinks.

Mrscwd's relatives had a JR Pass, so we tried to catch JR trains, but coming back from Inari we thought we'd use the Keihan line to come back. Strangely, as was to be repeated multiple times, the Suica's they'd bought in Tokyo wouldn't work at the station entrances. It did let them top up first though. We had no issues using our Icoca cards later on in Tokyo. Some Googling suggests they're meant to work, but others have had the same issue. Something to keep in mind.

 

[ric_melb]

Very good combination of photos and commentary. Enjoying this trip report.

 

[cwd]

The next day, we decided to visit the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, a short train ride from Kyoto station on the JR Sagano line.

But first, some breakfast at the Porta mall out the front of Kyoto station.



It seems I only have this photo taken as part of an Instagram story. This is Kineya Kyoto Porta, an Udon restaurant. Yes, we definitely ordered too much. But no regrets.

We caught the train, and decided we'd first check out a "secret" bamboo forest. This required a longer walk than the usual area.







A quick stop at the local liquor store for a few beers and highballs



We're here! We walk up the steps, only to discover it's closed. We probably should have checked this... It's the Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple if anyone's wondering.

So we walked back to the main bamboo grove. On the way we stopped at Nihonichi-chiicha-na, which bills itself as "The Most Small in Japan Museum". It also doubles as a tiny cafe.

 

[cwd]

After that slight distraction and tea, we made it to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.











Lots of bamboo, but not as busy as I suspect it gets at more popular times.

Then back to Kyoto, before heading to a kaiseki dinner we'd organised months earlier.



Gion Matayoshi, a 2 Michelin Star modern Kaiseki restaurant.

We were somewhat reluctant to take photos, but decided we'd assign a pool photographer, and here's the result:



If you had an aversion to Uni, you'd have been in trouble. We didn't go 20 minutes without some being served to us.

It's a small restaurant, with the 4 of us, 2 Japanese men, and one guy from Italy also dining that night. I think the bar can accommodate 8 people, and there are apparently a couple of tables upstairs, but I think you'd miss out on the experience eating up there. The chef didn't speak English (at least not to us), but another staff member translated everything for us. In fact, she said she learnt her English while backpacking around Australia many years ago. Oh and I'm still having nightmares about the chopstick handling of our friend from Italy.

In terms of food, I think we were slightly underwhelmed. Perhaps because we're not fully convinced of uni being the amazing delicacy it's considered. We did have a great night, but at over $300 each for the set meal (not including drinks), I think I've had better meals elsewhere for less. But as with breakfast, there were no regrets.

 

[cwd]

Another day begins in Kyoto, and this one's a mix of sightseeing, food and as you might have guessed, a few drinks.

The weather wasn't great, but we decided to catch the bus to Kinkaku-ji Temple. It was our first bus, but it turns out they're pretty easy to use. Board at the back door, then when you reach your stop, tap your IC at the terminal next to the driver (or pay in cash, but that's best avoided).

Before we get to the temple, we stop at Omurahouse Kinkakuji for some omuraisu, or Omelette Rice. I don't have many photos to show for it, except this



My main memory is of it being delicious, as you'd expect. Japanese food never disappoints.

Then it was off to see the temple. As we arrived, the rain started coming down, but I managed to snap a few photos.







Given the weather, we decided not to linger, and caught a taxi to a station to head back to Kyoto station. A kind man let us take the first taxi ahead of him, but we later realised this was because it was a more expensive taxi than the usual. Oh well. We were headed to Kobe that night, so decided we could do with a drink or two before catching the train there.



We found this bar in the food hall downstairs across the road from the station, called "The roots of all evil". A couple of coughtails each and it was time to head back to Kyoto station to catch our first Shinkansen, to Kobe. Now it doesn't really make sense to catch the Shinkansen if you don't have a JR pass (which we didn't), but the other two did, so why not.

Our dinner booking wasn't for an hour or so, so we stopped at a wine bar, which Google helpfully tells is called KOBEわいん食堂. It was just us and the older bartender there, and he too partook in a few sips. But before long it was on to dinner, at Royal Mouriya.



Here's our Kobe steak, before being cooked in front of us. Memories are a little hazy here, and with hindsight, given the price, it's probably best enjoyed with fewer drinks on either side of dinner.

We managed to do a little bit of bar hopping after dinner, one of which, "Iznt" featured an Australia behind the bar.

A rapid train got us back to Kyoto in 52 minutes (compared with 40 on the Shinkansen which then required catching a metro into the city from Shin-Kobe station).

 

[cwd]

There were a few hangovers after Kobe (fortunately I escape), so a quiet day followed. Mostly just a late visit to Nara, to see the deer at Nara Park, and have some Okonomiyaki.

It's at least a 15 minute walk from Nara station (the JR one) to Nara Park. There are plenty of restaurants and shops along the way, and a few sights.



Entering Nara Park, initially it's easy to wonder if there are any deer here.



But it doesn't take long before you realise they're everywhere.





No cherry blossoms here (it's a bit early anyway), but we think we saw plum blossoms.



At one point we were walking along, when hundreds of deer decided to run across in front of us.



With a quickly adjusted faster shutter speed:






It was getting dark, so time to leave the park and get some dinner. We went here, to an Okonomiyaki restaurant.



Amongst others, we had a "pizza" okonomiyaki. It tasted better than it looks here.



A train ride back to Kyoto, and the day was over.

 

[cwd]

It was our last day in Kyoto, with the others leaving to head back to Japan before flying out the next day. We were catching a train to Hiroshima the next day.


We had some lunch at Kyoto station. Unfortunately I don't remember the restaurant. It had a great view looking over the train lines and much of Kyoto though.

First stop was the Philosopher's Path. I suspect we might have walked it the "wrong" way, though this duck thought our way was right.





Then it was on to Ginkakuji Temple, aka The Silver Pavillion.








Everyone follows a path through the site, and at the top of the hill there's a nice view of Kyoto.



Then on to Kiyomizu-dera, a buddhist temple, with great views of Kyoto. It was a bit of an accident that we arrived close to sunset, which meant it was pretty busy.







Then on to Gion for some sushi, and back to the Airbnb ready to leave for Hiroshima in the morning.

 

[cwd]

We only had one day in Hiroshima, so had an early start to get there from Kyoto. The weather wasn't looking good, but we had our fingers crossed hoping for the best.

In Hiroshima we stayed at the Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel. It's located just a couple of minutes walk from the Shinkansen exit of Hiroshima station, and I think the walkway was covered the entire distance. Arriving at 10:15am, we were pleasantly surprised to be able to check in and go to our room immediately. Despite the rain, we decided to head to Miyajima as planned. To get there, we took a local JR train to Miyajimaguchi station, which connects to the JR ferry.

With no other photos to show, here are some from Miyajima, but the weather really wasn't cooperating, so we gave up quickly and went for lunch.









Lunch was at a restaurant called Kakiya, which specialises in the local oysters. We ordered the standard set, which came with oysters done almost every way you've heard of, including deep fried. It's definitely worth a visit.

Next stop was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, with the hope that the weather might clear so we could walk around the area. Sadly, the rain only intensified, but we did make it to the museum. One of the buildings was having work done to make it safe in case of an earthquake, so everything was on show in a smaller area than normal. It was interesting, though I personally didn't learn anything new from the science part of the museum (and I'm no nuclear physicist. That said, there's an excellent podcast episode on nuclear weapons on the Omega Tau podcast which might be part of the reason). I'd certainly be keen to go back to Hiroshima another time, hopefully with better weather, and with the entire museum open.

To get to the museum, we caught the speedboat ferry. It wasn't really worth the expense, but it did take us right to where the museum is.



The Genbaku Dome, as seen from the ferry.

With the weather as it was, we decided to have a quiet night. We had dinner at a very strange german pub themed restaurant in the food court at the Hiroshima station building. It was certainly interesting.

 

[cwd]

The next morning we caught the bus from just outside HIroshima station (therefore also just outside the Sheraton) to Hiroshima airport. At this point I was slightly nervous due to my backpack being fairly close to the carry-on size limit, depending on which web site you look at. It turns out it was fine. Check-in was easy, there was absolutely no queue. In fact, the airport has few flights each day, and not man JAL flights at all. Our ticket was from a JAL Yokoso fare, which I think is no longer available as of the beginning of this month.

We decided to have a quick breakfast at the landside cafe, before heading through security to wait in the lounge. We got to the lounge to find it empty other than the lounge attendant and us. It was a pretty basic lounge, but did spare us from the constant announcements and jingles outside. As boarding time drew closer, we headed to the gate and waited. We were in the first group to board, and I was impressed that the scanner at the gate flashed my status (which was the reason we were in the first group to board) when I scanned my boarding pass.

The flight was non-eventful, though the plane did seem to take off like a rocket (it was a 737...not a 757). Our destination today was Tomamu, in Hokkaido, at the north of Japan. We arrived at New Chitose Airport, went to the baggage claim, and after years of travelling with Qantas, couldn't believe it when our 2 bags came out with 2 others, all of which had first class tags. So off we head to catch a couple of trains to Tomamu station.

The first train only takes us a short distance, to Minami-Chitose station, where we'll catch a Limited Express train. Japanese trains don't really have much space for luggage in the way European ones do, but it turns out our suitcases fit reasonably well on the overhead racks, as they did on the Shinkansen.

The Limited Express train wasn't the smoothest ride, but fortunately it did have a drink holder:



We were meeting some friends at the resort in Tomamu, Hoshino Resorts Tomamu - The Tower. Our friends had found an amazing deal for the stay, and it's what started us planning this trip in the first place. The deal was 4,500 Yen per person, per night, inclusive of Breakfast, Accommodation and Ski Lift passes. That's a bit over $50 per night. Oh and free Sake and Moscato each afternoon. It was reasonably quiet when we were there, in the first part of March.

The first night, we headed to the "Ice Village".





They had fireworks, I think it was twice a night.



An ice bar. We tried a gin, and it was fantastic.






We're not really skiers, but we did give it a go, and had a great time. I don't have many more photos from here though.

The resort itself was great. Our room had plenty of space, and while it was probably getting a little old, it was in a perfectly decent state. There's a more upmarket hotel just up the mountain, also run by Hoshino, called Risonare. I'm sure it's lovely, but there's no way it's as cheap. The resort is ski-in-ski-out, so super convenient. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, and the prices are perfectly reasonable. As I said in an earlier post, Japanese food never disappoints, and that was the case here too.

 

[cwd]

A few quick photos from the rest of our stay at Tomamu.



A local beer, and a nice view through some wine.



Some ramen from one of the restaurants. As it turned out, ordering this fancy one wasn't the best idea. The standard simple ones were better.



We saw this, but it wasn't open.







A view looking down at the resort towers from one of the beginner runs.