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Orix Buffaloes Victory Jets Baseball Game in Osaka, Japan

October 30, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment 

While attending the baseball game in Osaka Japan at the Kyocera Osaka Dome a cool thing went on.  During the break between the top and bottom of the 7th inning Victory jet's were released.

What's a Victory Jet you ask?

A victory jet is basically a balloon that you blow up which is suppose to look like a gigantic #1 hand.  You then release the balloon at the end of a song and everyone's balloons fly around for a bit.  The end of the balloon actually has a special attachment to release the air slowly which makes the balloon fly for longer.

So there we were enjoying the game and then at the top of the 7th inning people start blowing up these baloons.... Weird.   We're still watching the game and more and more and more people start blowing up these balloons.  Then it seemed like EVERYONE had these balloons... and by everyone I mean EVERY SINGLE PERSON...except us of course because why would we have these random balloons?
Anyway, we were lucky enough to actually get to participate in the Victory Jets as the nice man in front of us gave us one each.  If you're at a game be sure to purchase some victory jet's so that you don't feel left out.


I was lucky enough to catch a video of the Victory Jets.


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Filed Under: Japan, Osaka
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A How to Guide to the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass)

October 27, 2008 by Jeff · Leave a Comment 

As I mentioned in my last post the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) is a must have traveling in Japan. In this post I'll discuss how you must go about getting, activating and using the pass. You know the stuff that you'll probably want to know before leaving.

Buying the JR Pass

You must buy the JR pass before arriving in Japan. This is done because the JR Pass is intended to help boost the Japan tourism. In fact, we read somewhere that of the tourism in Japan only 3% is from foreign countries. This means that most of the tourism in Japan is actually Japanese tourists! Crazy huh!

Anyway, you actually can't buy the pass while in Japan. We went to the JR pass website and found an office in Vancouver to order our tickets. We had to fill out a form and fax it to them in order to get JR pass. The tickets arrived 3 days afterwards (we payed extra for xpresspost shipping).

Activating the JR Pass

When arriving in Japan you must search out a station with a JR pass activation booth. Fear not as there's a list of stations which have these booths. You then present your JR tickets. You'll then have a chance to tell them when you want to activate your pass. It's quite an easy process actually. If you're wanting to activate your pass right away there is an office right in the airport. We activated our passes at Tokyo Station and the booth was right beside the main JR ticket office.



Using the JR Pass

To use the JR pass you simply go to the ticket stalls like everyone else. At the far left side (or sometimes right) there will be a main at a booth. You simply show him/her your JR pass as you walk by. The sign will say something like "white backed tickets".

When exiting from the JR station you go to the far right (sometimes left) and show the ticket again. Voila! You've now used your JR pass to 'pay' for a ride on a train.

I was fearful that there wouldn't be a man at the booth or that there would be a big line. However, there was always someone at the booth and we never had to wait more then 2 minutes to show our pass. Japanese efficiency at it's best!

Reserving seats on a Shinkansen (bullet train) with your JR Pass

Reserving a seat on a shinkansen is easy. You simply go to the ticket purchasing counter and tell them where and when you're traveling. They'll provide you with the available traveling options.

Luckily, most ticket sales counters speak some basic english and tell you the time of departure and arrival on a calculator which is unbelievably handy!

The JR pass is a must have when traveling in Japan if you're going to be going to multiple destinations. If you're planning on going to only one city and staying for a while then the rail pass might not be your best option and you'll have to do some simple math. However, if you're planning on traveling around Japan for a two week period the JR pass will save you money and time.

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Shangrila Tsuruoka Hotel - Kamakura - A Review

October 24, 2008 by Jeff · Leave a Comment 

We stayed at the Shangrila Tsuruoka Hotel in Kamakura at the start of October 2008. We found the hotel by simply wandering the main street in Kamakura. Definitely, not the best way to find a cheap hotel in a touristy location. However, it's a very good way to get a hotel in a good location! From all of our travels it seems that Price and Location are joined at the hip!

Anyway, here's a review of the Shangrilla Tsuruoka Hotel in Kamakura


Rooms

It's a little tough for us to judge exactly what the rooms are like as we had a deluxe room. No we aren't some rich tourists, tourists yes, rich tourists, no. We stayed in a deluxe room as it was one of the cheaper places to stay in Kamakura. We probably could have looked elsewhere, however, based on the places we'd checked prior to this place they were all around the same price (without the word deluxe attached to the end).

Anyway, our deluxe room was quite nice. It was basically the same as any normal room that we've stayed in Japan, however, it was bit more.... gaudy! The bed spreads, couch and wall paper all looked very dated, not dirty, just dated. The one nice thing about the deluxe room is that we had a very good view of the street with a little patio.

Location

The location of the Shangrila Tsukuroka in Kamakura is almost perfect. You're half way up the main strip between the post office and the main temple. You're close to plenty of restaurants and little shops. In fact, just behind the hotel is a really neat street with lots of cool little shops selling everything from Kimono's to Ice Cream to Fruit.



Price

The price was a bit on the expensive side for the deluxe room, 16000 yen (~$160 Canadian). Again, this is because we had to get a Deluxe Room. However, the 'basic' rooms are one of the cheaper western style hotels in Kamakura.

Overall

Overall this was a good hotel in Kamakura. We actually spent a bit of time as we were exhausted from our hike around Kamakura so it worked out nice to have a decent hotel room. I'd recommend for people to stay here but don't splurge on the Deluxe Room unless you can't find any other cheaper rooms in town.

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Filed Under: Japan, Kamakura, Other Cities
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JR Pass - A must have when traveling in Japan

October 20, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment 

Let me just say that the Japan Rail Pass or JR Pass is a must have when traveling in Japan.  The added convenience, amount saved and amount of time saved is definitely worth it.

Cost

The JR pass will save you money. Plain and simple.  The normal return ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto on  a Shinkansen costs approximately 13220 on a Hikari car.  You can only book the Hikari or Kodoma cars with the JR Pass.  The Nozomi (the fastest) costs extra.   This is approximately the cost of a 7-day JR pass ticket.  If you're planning to travel past Kyoto or around other places then you'll definitely pay off your ticket quickly.

Convenience

While traveling around the number of times that we picked the wrong gate, wrong direction or just wanted to leave the gate for a few minutes was almost countless.  It's so easy to just jump back and forth between the gates with your pass.  In Hiroshima we stopped in for a quick 4 hour visit and went through the JR gates probably around 20 times. 

Train to the Airport (Narita Express)

Another nice thing about the JR Pass is that you can get a seat on the Narita Express Train.  This is a reserve only train so you HAVE to reserve. However, this train is free with your pass and will get you to the airport quickly and efficiently.


Additional Thoughts

As well, if you ever change your mind and want to visit somewhere else it's no big deal.  We were traveling to HIroshima and decided to continue along to Fukuoka.  No big deal.  We simply moved to a 'non-reserved' seat and kept on going.  You can also do this without a JR pass but you'll have to deal with Fee corrections and additional costs when you arrive to your destination.  This isn't a big hassle but it is really nice having the flexibility to extend (or shorten) your trip depending on your travel plans

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Hotel Genvia Kyoto Japan - A Review

October 17, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment 

We stayed at the Genvia Hotel in Kyoto Japan at the start of October 2008.  We throughly enjoyed our stay at the Hotel.  The staff was nice and attentive a later checkout at noon and a large soft king bed made this a great say.  Overall, it was definitely the nicest place we stayed in all of Japan (also the most expensive but...)

A little back story of why we stayed at the Hotel Genvia.  When we arrived in Kyoto it was 9 pm and pouring rain. We had all our stuff (2 large backpacks) so we decided rather then search for a hotel which we were relying on Kanji (Japanese script language) and get drenched in the rain we'd checkout the Hotel Genvia.  Upon walking in we could tell it was a high class and probably high price hotel.  Earlier in the trip we'd inquired about a price at a similarly nice hotel (in Kamakura) and the hotel cashier was quite snooty about the experience.  We were expecting a bit of the same here but they treated us as if we were any other paying customer.  A nice find when you look like a backpacker who'd just woke up on a train ride.

Location
The Hotel Genvia in Kyoto is located literally in the train station.  You simply exit the gates and then follow the signs to the hotel. It really can't get easier and when arriving by train you really can't beat this location.

Also, when getting around town the bus terminal, train and subway stations are all right outside your hotel.  The transit system in Kyoto is absolutely SPECTACULAR.  Kyoto has the best bus system that I've ever used and is available in both Japanese and English!

Rooms

The rooms are excellent!  The room we stayed in was the equivalent to a Western (North American) room.  Spacious, soft beds, duvet comforter.  However, they also have a Japanese touch which includes slippers and a kimono.  I love this little touch.

As well, if you ask for a room higher up then you'll be lucky enough to have a great view of the Kyoto Tower and Kyoto in general!  In fact, my travel book recommended to either go up to the 14th floor of the Hotel Genvia for a drink or up the Kyoto Tower.  Well, since we were staying on the 11th floor this was totally unnecessary.

Prices

The prices where a little on the high side as we payed $240 (taxes included) for our room.  This was after a special discount that the hotel cashier nicely provided.  This is definitely a bit pricey (and probably over our price range) but we felt it was worth the money (a nice splurge is good once and a while).

Overall

Overall we really enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Genvia in Kyoto. We'll definitely stay there again if we have the money or time.  We'd recommend it to anyone who is looking to either splurge a bit or looking for a western hotel room in Kyoto, Japan.


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Osaka Japan Baseball game - Orix Buffalos vs. Nippon-ham Pirates

October 14, 2008 by Jeff · 2 Comments 

Yesterday we headed to the Orix Buffaloes Playoff game against the Nipponham Pirates in Osaka, Japan.  It was a pretty fun and quite the experience seeing a baseball game in Japan. Although, I have never been to a MLB game I have been to an exhibition game and watched it on TV plenty of times.  Let's just say that the American vs. Japanese way of watching the game is TOTALLY different!

The game was played at the Kyocera Osaka Dome, which as you can see in the pictures below, is quite the structure.  From the outside it looks a lot like a crazy bubble spaceship.


The game itself wasn't that good as the Nipponham Pirates played a much better game (read: could hit and catch the ball). Nonetheless everyone was having a good time and still cheering on the team.   It was really neat as it was totally a 'non-tourist' attraction.  You could tell that we were welcome but definitely not a common site at a Buffaloes game.

The interesting thing that we noticed is that every single player on the team has a song.  Yes, every player.  So while someone was batting then that player would have their song sang.  This includes drums, horns, flags waving, etc...  Then the next player, etc...   The other team even had their own cheering section and they did the exact same thing.  No heckling of players or the pitcher at all.  And cheering right until the last stike in the 9th inning.  Here's a picture of the Buffaloes Cheering Section.

The other interesting thing was that when an error occurred there was never a replay showing what happened.  Basically nothing negative was show on the screen.  If you would have showed up at the top of the 9th looking at the game recap then you wouldn't have known that the Buffaloes lost 7-2.

Anyway, it was quite a fun experience and I would highly recommend taking in a Baseball game while in Japan.

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Akihabara Electric Town? I call it Crazy Town!

October 6, 2008 by Jeff · 2 Comments 

The day before we left Tsukuba, I headed to Akihabara in Tokyo also named Electric Town. Let me tell you that I'd rather rename it Crazy Town.... Or even possibly China Town (of Japan).

Lindsay didn't come with me so the best way I could describe Akihabara to her was this. Picture something electronic, anything electronic (Ipods, TV's, Air Conditioners, cables, video games). Now picture something anime and/or manga (Manga being the comic book rather then the action film). Now picture Chinatown. Now remove all the trinkets and crap from Chinatown and put in electronics, anime and manga in it's place. That's Akihabara or Electric Town!

It's seriously a crazy neat place. You can walk down one street and see a Comodore 64 and the next shop over can have Manga Porn. Seriously.  Check out the pictures below they were right beside each other...

Anyway, I spent the day wandering around in amazement at the sights and sounds.  Not only should you visit Electric Town (or street) which is on the Eastern Side of the JR Train Station.  Here you'll see all kinds of arcades, manga shops, electronic stores, more arcades and more manga.

The other side of the tracks you should definitely visit the YodoBashi Akiba buildling.  It's basically a gigantic Best Buy (for us North American folk).  This accounts to seven, yes 7, floors of electronics.  Instead of having a TV area it's a whole floor, another one for cameras, phones, computer parts, mp3 players, video games and toys.

If you're in Tokyo you must make a stop at Akihabara as it's truly a sight to be seen.

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The Best Time to See Mt. Fuji

October 6, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment 

Today we were lucky enough to see Mt. Fuji. Sure it wasn't as clear as we would have liked, but it was still surreal to see Fujisan, as the Japanese call the revered mountain.

Based on our limited knowledge we've determined that the morning is the best time to see Mt. Fuji. We were able to get up to the Owakudani viewing area around 10:30 am and were able to have a clear view of Mt. Fuji. When we were leaving at around 11 the haze and cloud were starting to block the view of the mountain.

If you're looking to get an early start the earliest the Ropeway opens (which we call a cable car) is at 8:45am. However, you'll probably need to take the cable car up the mountain from Gora to Sounzan first. The first cable car is also at 8:45 am. If you're looking to be on the Ropeway at 8:45 then ask information which bus to take up to Sounzan.

As a side note from our experience... the mountain is VERY symmetrical which makes picture taking terrific. We took over 100 photos of the beautiful mountain and took some not centered in the middle. Although, these were neat shots the natural symmetry of Mt. Fuji makes taking a centered picture very simple and easy.

All in all seeing Mt. Fuji is one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. If you have a chance to visit Hakone it's worth venturing out just for a chance to see the wonderful mountain. The view that you have at the Owakudani Viewing Area is so close and clear that you'll truly be amazed!

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18+ Hours And Finally in Japan!

September 27, 2008 by Jeff · Leave a Comment 

It's official, we're in Japan.

The best way to describe it right now is .... WOW! (or should I say Crazy).

On the plane over my stereo system was broken so I couldn't watch the movie. Luckily, Lindsay shared her headphone so we were able to listen to half of Iron Man. Good flick, although, I'm sure it's a much better movie when you don't have one headphone in and people are walking in front of the screen all the time... just a guess though. lol. The good thing about the broken sound was that the crew gave us a coupon for something... not exactly sure what the coupon is good for exactly. However, we have a code to input in Air Canada!?

On a side note: Who doesn't love airplane food? Not sure exactly why but I love airplane food. I think it's a matter of having nothing better to do.

When we arrived in the airport we took a bus (number 8) just outside the terminal to Tsukuba center. We'll be here for the next 4 nights and it should be exciting. So far we've gone for food twice and we're getting better at ordering in the language. But reading anything is basically a write off.

Now we're off to the Expo here in Tsukuba a better post with more pictures is to come.

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Japan in T-minus 3 days - Finalizing Plans!

September 22, 2008 by Jeff · Leave a Comment 

Japan here we come!  In T-minus three days we'll be in the air flying over to the land of unknown. We're really looking forward to the trip and it should be an amazing experience.

We arrive at the Narita International Airport and will make our way to Tsukuba in the Ikibata Prefecture which is approximately 45 minutes outside of Tokyo.   We'll spend the first 5 nights there as Lindsay will be at a conference and I'll tour around Tsukuba during that time.  After Tsukuba we'll be heading south (or west).  We'll make stops at Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi.

A note about the blog

I'll do my very best to update the blog often.  I'm hoping to get at least a post a day so stay tuned and I hope to have lots of great information for everyone. We've also updated our camera, camera storage, camera battery and everything camera related so hopefully we'll bring home some good shots!

If you have any comments of where we should go, see or do, then please leave a comment.

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