Japan Getaway (Day 1)

July 14, 2012

For my birthday this year, I made a short trip to Japan to visit Karuizawa. This was my first trip to Japan, and many people asked how come for my first trip I didn't go to Tokyo, but to a little town that not many people have heard of?

My friend from university has a summer cottage there, and as this was a getaway trip, I wanted to relax and enjoy my trip rather than have to navigate the crowds of Tokyo. And even before I went on my trip, I knew that I would be back to Japan in the future, so I'm in no hurry to visit ALL the well-known cities and towns.

Karuizawa is located about 3 hours away from Tokyo by car, or 1 hour away from Tokyo by Shinkansen. It is a local getaway destination for Tokyoites and Japanese. As it is located in the mountains, the temperature is cooler than in Tokyo and there's lots of natural mountain scenery in the surrounding area.

I arrived in Tokyo's Narita Airport and surprisingly it was not very busy, it was very easy to navigate the airport and I think I got through immigration and claimed my luggage in about 30 minutes. Then I purchased my train tickets from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station (on the Narita Express - NEX) and then switch to the Shinkansen to Karuizawa. This whole journey cost me approximately JPY 8,500 (HKD 850).

Before going to Japan, I've heard so much about how the Tokyo subway system is very complicated looking and the map of all the routes just look like a plate of spaghetti noodles... So I was extra careful to and follow signs and look out for information. Thankfully, I had no trouble and it was all quite simple - just have to think a little logically I think.... As the trains are quite frequent and you purchase tickets for a specific train time, then you just need to make sure that the train you are getting on is the right one.

Another thing that was a nice surprise was the cleanliness of the trains and everything in general. I've heard about this before, many people told me I would like Japan because it's really clean... I thought it was weird how they associated me with liking a place because it was super clean! I guess that's what I appear to be like to all my friends and family. But I think compared to the Japanese I am not as neat and clean as they are with everything.

Every time the train pulled into the station, these hawaiian shirt dressed staff would line up at the train door and hold out a garbage bag for passengers for garbage, and then they would make their way through the train checking the seats are clean, wiping down the tray tables and (if necessary) turn the train seats to face the direction the train was going to.

Lastly, I noticed that when people go on the escalator, they usually stand on the left. This is different from what I am used to - stand on the right, walk on the left. So I think I probably stood out like a sore thumb as a tourist who didn't know this custom...


From the train rides, I saw the scenery change from country-side to city (Narita - Tokyo) and then went through Tokyo Station, which is very big and there's loads of people shopping for souvenirs there; and from city to country-side and then into mountainous areas (Tokyo - Karuizawa). May be because I've been in Hong Kong for a few years and am starting to miss the green and nature of Canada so I actually prefer the country-side and mountain scenery that I saw along the way.

I arrived in Karuizawa near dinner time and was shown one of the many colorful vending machines that had a wide selection of drinks - probably as much as you would find in a convenience store. We then went to the Main Street of Karuizawa, a walking road that had little shops lining both sides and some alfresco dining restaurants on the second floor of buildings. In recent years, Karuizawa has become more and more popular with Japanese so during peak holiday seasons, traffic jams are a norm and sometimes it can take up to 8 hours to get from Tokyo to Karuizawa.

That night, we went to Morimori Tei, a favorite restaurant of my friend's for their Hambagu (Japanese hamburger patties). Usually I don't order this dish, because it seems strange to eat a hamburger patty without the bun and all the lettuce and tomatoes, but when I tried this, I was surprised. Plus the sauce is really good with the beef and rice. As you'll start to notice in my later photos of food, there's always a salad with our meals, it's usually very simple but the veggies are very fresh and crisp.

After dinner, we drove to the supermarket and picked up some food for breakfast, I got a red bean bun, and some fruits and mushroom for breakfast - you'll see with my next post the yummy food. That night when we returned to the cottage (photos coming up), it was already quite late but I got to try out a Japanese bath.

In preparation for my trip, I tried to find out as much as I could about the culture and traditions, and Japanese baths even at home are very common. So I checked with my friend how to do this in their home. First you need to wash yourself clean - shampoo your hair, clean your body, scrub your face etc. and then you sit in the tub for a soak. At first, I thought I wouldn't enjoy it much but thought I would give it a try anyways since I'm in Japan. I was afraid that I would be bored and that it might not be very comfortable lying in the tub - as I tried this before in Canada where it's more common to have bath tubs.

Yet again, another surprise, the tub was very comfortable, like the curve fit my back quite well.... and this one was heated so the water temperature stayed the same. The ones in Canada are not heated so the water becomes cold very quickly. The tub also had jacuzzi jets so you can get a massage, and there was also a TV at the end of the tub. It was very nice, and I think I stayed in there a lot longer than I would have thought possible.... and only two nights later did I realize that the family also used that bath for their showers and bath too, so I probably kept them up longer than usual.... oops...

That night I slept in their guest room which is a tatami room, it has a distinctive smell when you enter the room - like straw, but when I laid down to sleep, I couldn't smell it and my bed was very comfortable.

 

 

Japanese, and I think in particular my friend's family, are very hospitable, they treated me to a lot of different foods and experiences, and made a lot of preparation for my stay. Her mom prepared PJs and towels and toiletries for me, I could have probably just come without any luggage and it would have been ok. :)