Winter 2015/2016: Nozawa Onsen, Tokyo, Odawara Trip Report!

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
Hello hello!!!

Just wanna share some video of my trip last week to Japan. This time I tried to do video instead of photo so I gotch very little photo. But KNN I apparently got no skillz in taking video or editing it.

Full itinerary + general costs on blog.

Trip 4 Winter (February 2016):



Skips:
0:00 - Day 1 (United Airlines flight to Tokyo, then train to Nozawa Onsen, reached in the nighttime)
0:42 - Day 2/3 (Ski'ing in Nozawa Onsen)
3:47 - Day 4 (Jigokudani Monkey Park, then Tokyo for Pierre Hermé Chocolate Bar, Shibuya, Hachiko, Scramble Crossing, Ichiran Ramen)
6:06 - Day 5 (Tsukiji Market, Hama Rikyu Tea Gardens, Kappabashi Street, Sadaharu Aoki)
7:52 - Day 6 (Hidemo Sugino, Ginza, Ikefukuro Owl Cafe, Depachika browsing)
9:38 - Day 7 (Odawara Castle, Odawara Plum Festival, Ten-Ichi Tempura)
10:45 - Day 8 (Sushi Zanmai, Imperial Outer Gardens, Echire 'Cafe', Back home)

Longer ski'ing vids:

First run in 12 or 13 years ... lucky never fall down lol.



Easiest slope on the mountain



My favorite course - Rinkan (skip to 1:10). Nice, scenic route down the mountain and through the trees!


Previous trips for reference::

Trip #1 Summer (August 2011), Tokyo only. That time haven't started blogging yet so no picture, just use imagination saja lol. Itinerary:

Day 1 harajuku, Meiji shrine, takeshitadori, by coincidence saw super yosakoi fest at omotesando, kabukicho, and then some random ramen at omoideyokocho
Day 2 tsukiji (market+sushi dai), odaiba (megaweb, gundam), akihabara (maid cafe, otaku culture), LaQua spa
Day 3 asakusa, sensojii temple, ameyokocho shopping street. Then namjatown for miracle fruit, gyoza stadium and cup ice museum (weird ice cream flavors like chicken wing)
Day 4 disneysea
Day 5 tsukiji (daiwa sushi) then balik KL liao

Trip 2 Spring (April 2013), Honeymoon in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Tokyo: http://look-see-eat.blogspot.sg/2013/04/ja...e-days.html

Trip 3 Autumn (October 2015), http://look-see-eat.blogspot.sg/2015/10/th...n-path.html
 
Last edited:

Spintronics

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
1,237
Reaction score
0
Thanks for the nice video! How long does it take from Tokyo station to Nozawa onsen? Anything to do around town besides eating?
 

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
Thanks for the nice video! How long does it take from Tokyo station to Nozawa onsen? Anything to do around town besides eating?
Tokyo to Iiyama on Hokuriku Shikansen takes 1hr40min. Then it's a 30min bus ride to Nozawa Onsen. Former is covered by JR East Pass; latter is ¥600.

Nozawa Onsen I think is a bit traditional type ski resort, which means nightlife options quite lacking. There are a few bars around the (small) town to have a beer or something but otherwise it's really just early to bed, then rise and shine early to hit the slopes.
 

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
Last edited:

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
So up til now the itinerary is:

1st day SG-NRT flight, then train/shinkansen/bus to Nozawa Onsen and just dinner.
2nd-3rd day Ski'ing
4th day bus to Nagano, then Monkey Park, then train to Tokyo - check in to AirBnB, then go Pierre Herme for tea, then Shibuya just to hang out a while then back to AirBnB to sleep.

Trees on the pathway (almost 2km walk wtf) to the monkey park:


Trees

In Nagano station while waiting for Shinkansen back to Tokyo we had this super big and juicy "sauce katsudon" ...


Sauce

Shibuya -- Hachiko and Scramble Crossing


Scramble


Hachiko
 

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
More pictures!

This one I think Day 2 dinner @ Nozawa Onsen


Pork & Beans


Okonomiyaki

This one is Nozawa Onsen most famous public bathhouse. But I didn't visit cos didn't feel like walking from the inn to the bathhouse in the snow lol.


O-yu

Day 5 morning Tsukiji market ... decided to skip sushi and go for tempura instead!!


Tenfusa


Prawn & Eel

After breakfast, go walk walk outer market buy some groceries ...


Strawberry


Loot
 

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
I thought this was amusing: One station with 43 exits ...


43 Exits

Exploring Hidemi Sugino, arguably Tokyo's most achieved dessert / cake / pastry chef (past winner of Paris' Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie). His shop opens at 11am. We arrived at 10.40am already got 20+ ppl in the queue. Wait wait wait end up slightly after 12pm then only managed to take our seats. Apologies for the slightly crappy angles, etc though -- his shop don't allow photographs so we have to secretly snap ..


Hidemi Sugino


Hidemi Sugino


Hidemi Sugino


Hidemi Sugino


Hidemi Sugino
 

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
Ginza Streets (on weekend afternoons they close it off to cars and it becomes a pedestrian street).


Ginza

Went to Ikefukurou Owl Cafe ... which isn't really a cafe. It's more like just a small room with a few dozen owls then you pay money go in play with them.


Owls


Owls

Went to a depachika (department store basement which is the food/groceries section) and saw this ¥8,000/s$98 per 100gm Matsusaka Rib-Eye. So expensive ...


Matsusaka

Advantages of AirBnB over hotels -- you can buy stuff from depachika bring home put in fridge then cook / prepare your own meals!


Dinner


Breakfast
 

deodorant

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
11,897
Reaction score
1,267
Last update for this thread: Just sharing some dessert / cake / pastry hopping in Tokyo. full story here (external blog alert!!!!) http://look-see-eat.blogspot.sg/2016/02/fo...afes-tokyo.html

Pierre Herme chocolate bar. As the name suggests, this outlet concentrates on different types of chocolates and chocolate based desserts (but also, got a good assortment of cakes, macarons, etc). about ¥2k/person

tokyod2.jpg


Sadaharu Aoki. This chef is known for Mille feuille and eclairs using Japanese ingredients. Pictured below his cake degustation (only available if you eat in the cafe). about ¥1.5k

tokyod6.jpg


Hidemi Sugino. This chef famous cos he go Paris and win pastry competition. His cakes I think concentrate a lot on mousse cake. This one need the most planning cos I go at 10.30am and only got a seat after 12pm. ¥1.5k.

tokyod10.jpg


Echire. This one is more of a bakery actually - but all using supposedly the world most famous butter. Most annoying part is this shop no seating. So bopian have to tapau and eat at the public park area nearby

tokyod12.jpg
 
Last edited:
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts.

Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards, Terms of Service and Member T&Cs for more information.
Top