[GPGT] Japan Oct 2023, 15 days trip to Tohoku, Kanto and Chubu region

[AMDKBuiBui]

Ts, mind sharing your 15 days itinerary and how long it took to plan the whole trip?

 

[MajiMax]

Day 2 (cont)

After checking out the bus schedule for the next day hiking trip, I went to have my dinner at
https://tabelog.com/en/aomori/A0201/A020101/2000071/

2,370 yen for this set

And 900 yen for this a la carte dish, Kaiyaki miso.

This is a unique Aomori home-style dish featuring soup stock mixed with miso paste, to which beaten egg is added. Seafood such as scallops and fish also may be added. The ingredients are cooked on a large scallop shell in lieu of a pan, and it’s believed that each time the shell is re-used, it gives the dish even more flavor.


Went to see the night view before ending my Day 2.

 

[HikingPoh]

Cannot speak Japanese, only know how to say Thank You, Sorry and Hello in Japanese.

A lot of the hikers that I passed by them, they would greet konnichiwa. Did it happened to you as well?

Yep, sometimes I would greet them first instead.

Do you find communication to be a problem during your trips?

 

[MajiMax]

Ts, mind sharing your 15 days itinerary and how long it took to plan the whole trip?

I redeemed my flight 355 days in advance, so from time to time, I would plan out my itinerary. The longest wait was the omakase reservation as the restaurants were only open for reservation one month before my trip.

You can use the following links for places of interest planning.
https://www.japan-guide.com/
https://en.japantravel.com/
https://livejapan.com/
https://matcha-jp.com/en
https://www.japan.travel/en/


You can use the following links for hiking routes.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/category/places-to-visit/trekking-hiking-in-japan/
https://www.japan.travel/national-parks/
https://hikesinjapan.yamakei-online.com/

 

[MajiMax]

Yep, sometimes I would greet them first instead.

Do you find communication to be a problem during your trips?

In a special case/scenario, communication was a problem. My hiking boots started to give way after one of my hikes.

Upon returning to the city, I went to find shoe cobbler in hoping to fix my hiking boots. So the communication was like this movie scene

 

[Gixxerfied]

Day 1
As I had my meal in the lounge, I requested for my flight meal to be served in the morning instead.
Chosen the lobster thermidor with fondant potato and buttered seasonal vegetables.

After I jiak finished my meal, I looked out of the widow and saw this familiar mountain.

After I cleared the custom, I chiong to the JR East Travel Service Center at Haneda Intl Airport Terminal 3 to exchange my 14-day JR pass. But the queue was so long, likely 1.5 ~ 2 hours if I were to queue. So I used my Suica (non-tourist version) and chiong to JR East Travel Service Center @ Tokyo Station to exchange the pass.
I waited for about 20 minutes to exchange the pass. The lady who verified my exchange order told me I cannot make so many Shinkansen seat reservations there, and I was only allowed to make a seat reservation for my following day ride. But I didn't believe her, so I went to ask the counter staff to help me make 8 seats reservation.

I read the same on one of the YT video...

I went the same service center also to exchange my hokuriku arch pass and one shot did all my shinkansen reservation thou, no question ask.. somemore for 3 passes..

 

[HikingPoh]

In a special case/scenario, communication was a problem. My hiking boots started to give way after one of my hikes.

Upon returning to the city, I went to find shoe cobbler in hoping to fix my hiking boots. So the communication was like this movie scene

Haha, might be easier to just buy a new pair of hiking boots

 

[MajiMax]

I read the same on one of the YT video...

I went the same service center also to exchange my hokuriku arch pass and one shot did all my shinkansen reservation thou, no question ask.. somemore for 3 passes..

Instead of exchanging the JR pass in Haneda airport in order to save the 670 yen from using the Tokyo Monorail.

Definitely will rather spend the 670 yen to save the 1.5 ~ 2 hours of queuing.

 

[MajiMax]

Haha, might be easier to just buy a new pair of hiking boots

Yup, I see no hope of fixing my hiking boots in Japan.

The following few days of hiking trips, I foresee it should not be rough terrain, so I went to get a pair of walking shoes from the ABC-Mart.

 

[Gixxerfied]

Instead of exchanging the JR pass in Haneda airport in order to save the 670 yen from using the Tokyo Monorail.
Definitely will rather spend the 670 yen to save the 1.5 ~ 2 hours of queuing.

I walk out see q only, head straight to monorail liao...

now doing laundry at Osaka hotel..

 

[tjkb230]

Summer is the only season that I have not visited Japan. And I always wanted to visit Tohoku for their summer festival and fireworks, but the weather/temperature in Summer deters me from visiting.

Which season you like the best?

 

[MajiMax]

Day 3

As I planned to take the first bus to get to the Hokkoda ropeway station.

So I woke up early to jiak ba ba in the hotel breakfast before the hiking day trip.

The queue for the bus was this long at 7:19am.

Ended up, I saw the 3rd JR bus was deployed to manage the influx of passengers

Tourist with JR Pass or JR East Pass (Tohoku area), you just need to show the driver your JR pass and the bus fare will be covered by the passes.

 

[evilduxy]

I order 2 glasses of plum wine and 1 glass of beer, so total damage was 49,368 yen after the service charge.

wah 1 pax meal like tt 450 song song to jurong sia can give bbfa jiak 100x cai fan

 

[MajiMax]

Which season you like the best?

Each season provides me with a diff kind of experience. But if I were to choose, I would say Autumn as the weather is good for travelling and autumn foliage is beautiful.

The excitement to see snow in the Winter, it just get bored after 2-3 days to me.

The Spring in Japan, it is not just about viewing cherry blossom. I got to see diff kinds of flower and the melting of Japan alps.

Wisteria

Phlox moss

Tulip

Kamikochi in the Chubu-Sangaku National Park. This is one of the best places I ever visited in Chiobu

 

[noobynoob]

But try being a salaryman in JP.

salaryman birthrate still higher than sinkies

 

[MajiMax]

wah 1 pax meal like tt 450 song song to jurong sia can give bbfa jiak 100x cai fan

Not every meal I splurge like that, once a while nia.

 

[spinning_quirK]

salaryman birthrate still higher than sinkies

Not sure if relevant but OK, let you win

 

[MajiMax]

Day 3 (cont)

Reached Hakkoda ropeway station.

I managed to secure the green no. 2 timeslot.

This is the ride up to the summit station.

Time-lapse clip of the ride up.

 

[wwenze]

Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes today and tomorrow btw

 

[wwenze]

Camping for pics of the Chiobu region. TS better not disappoint.

Japan has a region called Kinki btw...