Arriving in Tokyo With A Seven Years Sweaty Itch

17th August, 2010 - Well after a heart-felt departure from Sapporo (as all departures are), we headed off to Tokyo.With the flights using Qantas and JAL, we tended to avoid stopping over in Tokyo in previous trips, which in hindsight was a bit silly (as they charged approx $100 per person for the stop-over). Still, for that price, it was getting questionable as to whether or not to just fly to Tokyo and buy separate flights to Sapporo. In recent years there's been the arrival of Hokkaido specific cheap flights too. 

Cheaper flights from Tokyo to Sapporo include Air Do from about 9,800 yen and of course don't forget you can fly JAL for 10,000 yen  anywhere within Japan (if you purchase the Yokoso Oneworld Japan Pass ticket, which needs to be purchased from outside of Japan). Also Jetstar Asia will be starting up a discount service shortly. But if you're looking for cheap flights out of Osaka / Fukuoka airport, then you really can't go past Peach Aviation  from 3,400yen one way out of Osaka!

 We arrived in Tokyo at Haneda Airport - which unlike Narita, is actually in Tokyo itself, and is relatively easy to get to and from. You can check out info on Haneda Airport... or more correctly Tokyo International Airport... here. It's primarily a domestic airport, however they opened a new International Terminal in 2010 making it a very attractive entry point into Japan. There are three terminals: Terminal 1 - JAL and associated airlines (including discount Hokkaido flights); and Terminal  2 - ANA and associated airlines; and a third International Terminal. It amazes me that in this day and age that Japan still uses Narita - possibly one of the worst airports in world (location-wise).

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

So the purpose of this trip was to visit T-chan's brother in Tokyo - and of course, have a look around Tokyo at the same time. What we didn't know at the time was that 2010 was an EXTREMELY hot year in Tokyo... in fact, so much so that people were advising us not to go there with L-kun given how hot it was. I mean, it was already hot in Sapporo (which was a very rare thing indeed)... I have to admit that I was a bit worried as to how hot it could possibly be in Tokyo. In fact, we were sort of freaked out by the stories of people dying of heat-exhaustion... No sooner had we arrived at the airport and we were looking for vending machines for sports drinks.

Now because H-kun (T-chan's brother) was still at work, we'd have to kill about 5-6 hours at least. In Tokyo... in the middle of one of the hottest summers. Carrying our suitcases (though we had forwarded several already). Our plan, was essentially to make our way to Meguro Station on the Yamanote Line, find somewhere to store our bags and then go shopping for the afternoon. H-kun lived next to the Musashi Koyama station which is just accessed from Meguro... so our plan was making some sense.

Source: Official Haneda Airport Website

From Terminal 2 there are a number of options for transiting into Tokyo proper. The Keikyū Airport Line, which conveniently hooks into the Shinagawa Station (on the famous Yamanote circle route in Tokyo), and the Monorail... which although much less handy, is an experience. The Keikyū Airport Line takes about 15 mins to get into Shinagawa, and costs only 400yen. Via the Monorail it takes about the same time (or just a bit longer) and just a little bit more expensive. For some strange reason, we chose the Monorail option... which even pre-11-03-11 was an interesting ride (suspended as it is over Tokyo Bay). I can vividly recall thinking then, what would happen if.... Still, it turned out to be a good choice, as L-kun loved it. Completely loved it. Even though we did end up having to back-track from Hamamatsuchō Station.

Now - the plan (if you remember) was to off-load our suitcases at the lockers at Meguro. We got to Meguro station and quickly found the lockers. Only one problem. All the lockers were full. Not good. Not good at all.

Time for Plan B. What was Plan B again?

So we grabbed our suitcases and headed across the road to grab a bite to eat in McDonald's... yes, I admit it. Still, when you're walking around in 35+ degrees in about 300% humidity, you'll go anywhere that's close. And air-conditioned.

From Google StreetView

A quick phone call to obaachan and ojiichan later..."Obaachan, atsui!!!!!" And it was hot too. In fact it was a stinker.

Though we eventually found the silver lining in the somewhat sticky predicament that we found ourselves in... and it's amazing where you can spot an inspirational heavenly beam of hope. Even in McDonald's!

In the time taken to eat lunch was just the right amount of time to get back and find (miraculously) a spare large locker (which costs about 500yen for the whole day). It was a challenge to fit all our bags in there, but we managed somehow. These are good options as the lockers are yours for the whole day - which overall, I think is good value. It's just hard to judge if you'll get one or not.

Well - at least we had arrived. Mission half complete. Now all we needed to do was survive the afternoon and somehow meet up with T-chan's brother... we hoped. We were already starting to get sweaty - but there was one thing that was also true. After 7 years of travelling to Japan together, we had finally returned to Tokyo. We let out a collective HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. The temperature however showed no sign of providing any relief whatsoever.

It may have been only seven years since last we had been to Tokyo, but so much had changed since then. It would be interesting to see how much the city had changed with time too.

Seventh Trip Starts - 2010 Revisited

13th June, 2010.... Well - as this (historical) blog has a wont to do, I've fast-forwarded to 2010...on the eve of our next adventure in Japan in 2011. We've all gotten that little bit older, and in the case of L-kun, that little bit bigger. This time around, T-chan and L-kun were heading off to Japan early - and I'd be catching up a few weeks later. The great thing about children getting older is that they are so much easier to travel with (why do I suspect I will come to regret those words). This is L-kun's third trip, so he's getting to be an old hand at international travel. I was 26 before I went on my first plane. How the world has changed.

Still. It's difficult to see them off. Even L-kun was a little sad. He did however know where the plane was going to take him. Japan. That made the sadness of leaving Daddy behind all the more palatable. 

Of course - it's not all sadness and goodbyes. There's many things to keep you occupied. L-kun decided that it might be a good idea to learn the basics of flying (just in case). You can never be too prepared after all.

Of course, it doesn't matter how prepared you are, a lad's gotta sleep, and store up all that energy for the trip home.

After all, he knows that when he gets to Sapporo, magic can happen. For example time is different there - and he can have his 3rd birthday all over again. What a magical land.

L-kun's second 3rd birthday celebration on arrival into Japan.

We're definitely lucky in that we don't have extremely long flights (about 9 hours from Sydney to Tokyo) and almost no time change when going back to Japan from Adelaide. Still, when you're getting around airports with a little boy plus transferring flights it can be very exhausting. Actually, there's surprisingly little to do in Narita Airport (around the arrivals section) at 7 am in the morning, and we have to kill time for 3+ hours to wait for the flight to Sapporo. But at least Sapporo means home for T-chan, and that is always a source of energy and motivation.

So - as our latest trip is about to start, I welcome you all aboard the Japanese Ties Airlines... for your safety we ask you to stow your luggage in the areas provided, and sit back and enjoy the ride. This may be a slow start however as we're still in the process of getting ready for our next trip.

Newsflash: The Countdown To Sapporo Begins

Well, it's finally here... the countdown to my seventh trip to Sapporo (and Japan) has officially started. It's exciting, but also I have to say it's been very hard work. Today I had the painful task of seeing off my wife and son at Adelaide Airport as they began their long journey back to Sapporo... The flight from Sydney to Tokyo is only about 9-9.5 hours (it's a night flight), but from Adelaide to Sapporo it's about an 18-19 hour trip all up.

My son was very excited to be going off to "Japan"! I'm not sure he knew exactly where Japan is. When we got to Adelaide Airport, he was disappointed not to see Ojiichan and Obaachan (Japanese Grandfather and Grandmother) - I knew then that he was both looking forward to it, and also completely and lovably naive as to how far he was going to go (this is his 3rd trip...we knew all to well how far that was).

Still... I would have liked him to be a little sadder that Daddy wasn't going with him (the last I saw, he was virtually skipping towards the air-bridge). But - I hate seeing him unhappy, so I guess I was happy to see him full of joy as we parted for what will seem like a very long time.

The countdown has started. I'll be heading off to rendezvous with them in Sapporo in about 6 weeks..  I was hoping to have finished by "rog"... (retro blog)... by then - but that's looking like mission impossible at the moment. Only up to 2006!

The last few weeks of planning for L-kun's 3rd birthday (end of May), video editing, and then preparing for this trip has been a challenge. So I've been diverting blog time to family time (and rightly so).

Now the house is quiet (too quiet) and I've a horrible wait until I get an email or call from Japan to let me know that everything is alright. Even though we've all travelled so much, I hate that in-between time when someone leaves and then they miraculously arrive at the other end. I'm sure at 3 yo, L-kun doesn't really know how long 6 weeks is going to be. Unlike me, he doesn't know just how slow time can go when you're counting down.

Safe journey my dear! The last time you went ahead of me, we had an unexpected surprise during the trip... hmm... L-kun would enjoy having a sister... no... I shouldn't even think those thoughts.

Normal programming will resume shortly!

Third Time to Japan - An ANZAC Day Rememberance

23rd December, 2004 - International marriages can have many different characteristics than typical ones - not least the travel. One of the promises that I had made T-chan was that wherever possible, we would return to Japan once a year. An audacious (some might say fool-hardy) promise made with the vigor of youth; and the freedom of someone without a mortgage at the time. ?;`)

As 2004 came to a close, we set out on our third trip to Japan. Again T-chan had returned to Japan earlier; to spend some quality time with her parents - without having to worry about baby-sitting her new husband.

The flight from Adelaide to Sapporo has a number of different paths - and it used to be that you could fly in the morning or evening. The first leg of the journey is to Sydney via domestic airline (approx 1.5 hours), then a 9-9.5 hour flight to Tokyo (Narita airport - the International hub into Japan).

I am writing this on Anzac Day (25th April) - a day synonymous with reflection on Australia's war-history; commemorating as it does the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli Landings in Turkey by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). For this reason, it is perhaps fitting to reflect on the events of more than 65 years ago looking out the airplane window...

As the plane leaves the Australian continent, my thoughts turn to Darwin - the Northern gateway to Australia. Darwin was the site of one of the few direct attacks (bombing raids) on mainland Australian soil by Japanese soldiers during WWII... The first such raid occurred on 19th February, 1942 - and whilst this was the most devastating (resulting in approximately 250 dead), there were more than 60 further air raids over the course of the war.

After Darwin, we fly over only one other major land-mass on our way to Japan... Papua New Guinea... Back in the 1940's this part of PNG was actually an Australian territory - and would be yet another battle ground between Australian and Japanese forces. Operations around PNG had commenced at the beginning of 1942, however the mainland engagement commenced in July as the Japanese had starting pushing south towards Port Moresby. In response, the mostly Australian forces undertook the historic Kokoda Trail campaign (over the Owen Stanley Ranges) to repel the Japanese advance - this was perhaps the first time that Imperial Japanese Army had suffered a defeat on land.  Below you can see the township of Lae, which was the location of a huge airbase once it was taken over by the Allied forces in 16 September, 1943.

As the morning turns towards evening, the plane flies almost silently across the Pacific - Guam passes below, hardly looking like a tropical paradise. In July-Aug, 1944 this remote island (some 50x15 km in size) was  the scene of some chilling battles between Japanese and Allied troops. Surrender was not something the Japanese allowed amongst their forces - yet, there are strange stories coming out of wars - such as the story of Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi who was discovered in 1972, after having hidden out in the jungle for approximately 27 years - by himself.

The storm clouds had settled all over the Pacific throughout WWII... how did the world come to this point? It's hard to believe that whilst we now travel backwards and forwards to Japan, not that long ago we were bitterest of enemies - and Pacific ocean was awash with the blood and tears of millions of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Lest we forget.

Evening draws in...

The rising moon above the rising sun...

The flight time to Japan leaves you plenty of time to ponder these things - but the world has luckily changed a lot for the better since then. Life moves on.

If you catch a day-time flight from Australia you arrive into Tokyo late in the evening - too late to catch a connecting flight to Sapporo. The connecting flight would inevitably be out of Haneda Airport - which means you need to catch the limousine bus  for the 1+ hour (3,000 yen) trip to Haneda Airport. It turns out if you catch the night-flight, you can generally schedule a flight directly to Sapporo from Narita in the morning. This trip I had to catch the bus to Haneda airport...

In the distance Fuji sits silently; one of the symbols of Japan. It reminds me that I'm in finally back in Japan, and that whilst somethings may change over the decades, thankfully other things remain almost timelessly constant.

New Chitose Airport (Hokkaido)

New Chitose Airport is the main entry point into Sapporo and Hokkaido in general. The airport is both a domestic and international airport and is quite busy - it's one of the gateways into Japan from Korea. Check out the shopping on 2F in the central plaza. This is a great place to buy that last minute omiyage (gift) - and it's particularly popular to buy lots of fresh Japanese seafood here. Never actually tried travelling overseas with this however... you can get the food packed in very convenient cooler boxes... but seriously, I'd just look.

By Train
To be honest you'll be surprised just how far away it is from Sapporo. To take the JR Sapporo Rapid Airport Express takes just under 40 mins - which is the best way of getting into the city - and costs just over 1,000 yen. If you're taking a car then there's essentially two options

By Car
If you're hiring a car, the quickest way is the Sasson Expressway, however, this is a tolled road, so my suggestion is just take the normal roads in (takes only 10-15 mins longer).

Non-toll road (43 km - 1hr 11mins)

View Larger Map

Day 1 - Narita to Tokyo (Japan)

31st January, 2003 - We touched down in Japan after an uneventful night. As I was a smoker at the time, the first port of call was the exit and good long smoke. Non-smokers will never know the gnawing pain that is a smoker's curse on long flights. Still the 9.5 hours to Tokyo is easy in comparison to some. Thankfully those days are over.

Narita is surprisingly quiet - for such a large airport - at 6:30-7:00 am. I thought it would be thousands of people (perhaps I had visions of planes being loaded like their trains...all spewing their human cargo out promptly on arrival). Quiet is good.

The one thing I discovered was the vending machines. It's wonderful...they have all manner of drinks (hot and cold)... just imagine it folks... hot coffees from a machine. That's just crazy talk.... until I stepped outside and felt the cold chill go through my inadequate clothes. ?: )  Will need to buy jacket tonight!

We caught the train into Shinjuku - our first stop. It's not the fastest train in Japan... in fact it takes over an hour (depending on whether you go the cheap option - then it's 90mins) just to get into Tokyo Station. Shinjuku's further even still.

The first observation of Japan - certainly back in 2003. No escalators. Seriously - for a country that practically built the innovation industry, they have little or no concern for (a) travel weary tourists, or (b) people with disabilities. It was terrible having to lug our suitcases up and down platforms (as we had to change one line to get to Shinjuku).

We finally made into Shinjuku station, which can be described in one word - labyrinthine. (is that a word?... seems to check out). Ok two words. Busy. You can get yourself into trouble trying to find the right exit. Take your time, and keep your wits about you. We made it out in one piece (and it didn't take too long)... but we needed a coffee before we did anything else. Found Cafe. Second observation. Japanese people don't like filling up coffee cups. That and they have sweet teeth. And there's still a surprising number of traditional Japanese toilets around. I have to say - if you've got bowel problems - this has got to look a little daunting. I'm still not entirely sure how to use (and/or ride) these things...

Well - I guess some culture shock was in store.

It was not long after we arrived that I also had to question my trusty Japanese guide, T-chan. Looking for food we came across a shop which had a number of displays showing what they were selling. Most probably thinking that she'd educate the gaijin about sophisticated plastic food displays... T-chan promptly stuck her finger into one of the "fake" pasta dishes. Only to find that it was perhaps the only REAL food display in all of Japan. I so wish I had that on video!

Well - off to see Japan... and a word of warning - be careful what you stick your finger into!