Some thoughts from Japan

[LittleFish1976]

 

Tokyo

 

 

The day started with a sleep-in until 9am - I arrived in Tokyo last night and at the hotel by around 9.30pm. Deciding to do whatever it took to fly into Haneda was a great decision. It meant having to make the trip in two legs instead of a direct flight (Melbourne to Sydney to Tokyo) but the trip then in a cab from the airport to hotel only took about 15-20 minutes. I booked a cab through booking.com as I was a bit nervous about finding my way through the airport and unsure as to the availability of taxis on demand. Haneda was so much easier to get through than my only other experience of arriving into Tokyo which was into Narita, and which for some reason I found very confusing. Anyway, last night the driver was waiting for me just after customs and pushed my one and a half cases to his waiting car in the rain. I would have taken the coach from the airport but discovered it stops running to this area by that time of night. 

 

I’m staying in the Odaiba area right near the new International cruise terminal. It’s beautifully quiet and open down here with beautiful views of the harbour and Rainbow bridge. I booked a room with a view of the port so I could see the ship when I wake up on departure day (tomorrow!).

 

This morning was taken up with the small sleep-in which I needed after my 4am start yesterday and watching the screen for so many hours on the plane (The House of the Dragon is very watchable for anyone who enjoyed Game of Thrones). Then I had some tech issues revolving around managing (or not, as the case was) to install an eSIM on my phone so I could have local data to use when out (maps) and not at Telstra prices. Finally got the job done and sussed out the plan of attack for the afternoon which I decided would be to visit the Shinjuku National Gardens to see if there is anything left of the cherry blossom. 

 

Let’s just say my Tokyo public transport skills are very rusty. It took me an hour and a half (more than 50% longer than expected) to arrive at the destination of the gardens. Thank heavens for the helpers they have at stations (the older people who are so cleverly deployed by the Japanese government to give them useful roles as well as being of such great assistance wherever they’re working - I saw this on a programme by Miriam Margolyes or Johanna Lumley - can’t remember which one!) * transport note; v useful staying near a station; total cost for the days transport was 1,048 yen which is about $10.30 AUD. Yurikamome line near my hotel is above ground and so it was like a lovely joy ride being on the train and enjoying the sights for the first 15 minutes or so - beautiful sunny day with not a hint of breeze. Also, I discovered this morning while researching my transport route that the Suica card can be downloaded onto a smart phone and kept in the phone’s wallet - this made today’s travels on and off trains, tapping on and off with each change of train, much easier as I already had the phone open and in my hand the whole time checking the route. 

 

The gardens are spectacular and yes, there was still some cherry blossom so I’m very happy. The gardens themselves are well worth a visit. I just snuck into the seniors’ pricing of 250 yen (half price) - there have to be some advantages of being this age. Hopefully there will still be more blossom in Aomori, our first port of call in three days time. 

 

 

 

 

[LittleFish1976]

Two views from my hotel room tonight. On the left there’s a full moon - blood red - just above the horizon. The other shows the harbour and the port terminal which tricks me every time I look out the window - it’s in the shape of a ship! It’s where the tower with the red light on top is. 

[Cbtours]

7 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

 

Tokyo

 

 

The day started with a sleep-in until 9am - I arrived in Tokyo last night and at the hotel by around 9.30pm. Deciding to do whatever it took to fly into Haneda was a great decision. It meant having to make the trip in two legs instead of a direct flight (Melbourne to Sydney to Tokyo) but the trip then in a cab from the airport to hotel only took about 15-20 minutes. I booked a cab through booking.com as I was a bit nervous about finding my way through the airport and unsure as to the availability of taxis on demand. Haneda was so much easier to get through than my only other experience of arriving into Tokyo which was into Narita, and which for some reason I found very confusing. Anyway, last night the driver was waiting for me just after customs and pushed my one and a half cases to his waiting car in the rain. I would have taken the coach from the airport but discovered it stops running to this area by that time of night. 

 

I’m staying in the Odaiba area right near the new International cruise terminal. It’s beautifully quiet and open down here with beautiful views of the harbour and Rainbow bridge. I booked a room with a view of the port so I could see the ship when I wake up on departure day (tomorrow!).

 

This morning was taken up with the small sleep-in which I needed after my 4am start yesterday and watching the screen for so many hours on the plane (The House of the Dragon is very watchable for anyone who enjoyed Game of Thrones). Then I had some tech issues revolving around managing (or not, as the case was) to install an eSIM on my phone so I could have local data to use when out (maps) and not at Telstra prices. Finally got the job done and sussed out the plan of attack for the afternoon which I decided would be to visit the Shinjuku National Gardens to see if there is anything left of the cherry blossom. 

 

Let’s just say my Tokyo public transport skills are very rusty. It took me an hour and a half (more than 50% longer than expected) to arrive at the destination of the gardens. Thank heavens for the helpers they have at stations (the older people who are so cleverly deployed by the Japanese government to give them useful roles as well as being of such great assistance wherever they’re working - I saw this on a programme by Miriam Margolyes or Johanna Lumley - can’t remember which one!) * transport note; v useful staying near a station; total cost for the days transport was 1,048 yen which is about $10.30 AUD. Yurikamome line near my hotel is above ground and so it was like a lovely joy ride being on the train and enjoying the sights for the first 15 minutes or so - beautiful sunny day with not a hint of breeze. Also, I discovered this morning while researching my transport route that the Suica card can be downloaded onto a smart phone and kept in the phone’s wallet - this made today’s travels on and off trains, tapping on and off with each change of train, much easier as I already had the phone open and in my hand the whole time checking the route. 

 

The gardens are spectacular and yes, there was still some cherry blossom so I’m very happy. The gardens themselves are well worth a visit. I just snuck into the seniors’ pricing of 250 yen (half price) - there have to be some advantages of being this age. Hopefully there will still be more blossom in Aomori, our first port of call in three days time. 

 

 

 

 

Great report. We’ve never done Japan so I’m following along with interest.

[LittleFish1976]

Apologies for the enormous writing, above. I wrote it on notes and copy/pasted. I generally use BIG text these days 😂

[Sparky74]

25 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Apologies for the enormous writing, above. I wrote it on notes and copy/pasted. I generally use BIG text these days 😂

I appreciate the larger font, particularly at this time of night!

I look forward to reading about the rest of your trim, regardless of what size font you use. 

[Muffinz]

thanks for posting this - Japan is on our bucket list

will follow with interest

[MicCanberra]

Cheers. Sounds like a great day. We loved the Gardens when we visited them many years ago.

[colourbird]

We have a Japan cruise coming up in 2026 so this is very interesting. We were last there over 25 years ago on a land based tour. We used a lot of public transport (trains) then and are planning to do the same this time.

 

We haven't thought about a hotel yet, but it will be near a station and we will most likely catch a train to the cruise port.

[frantic36]

12 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Also, I discovered this morning while researching my transport route that the Suica card can be downloaded onto a smart phone and kept in the phone’s wallet - this made today’s travels on and off trains, tapping on and off with each change of train, much easier as I already had the phone open and in my hand the whole time checking the route. 

 

Thank you for your information so far we have a Japan cruise in October and I have been researching so this helps. With regards to your Suica card I was going to download it onto my iPhone but have some concerns as some reviews mention having some problems using it and also mention you need to have a Mastercard not Visa to top it up online, I have Visa. Could you let me know if it is easy to top up either at stations or 7Eleven stores or could you do it online?

 

Also thanks for the information re Cherry Blossoms as I also have a mid April, 2026 cruise booked and am hoping we will still get to see blossoms. Like all things in nature I know nothing is guaranteed but ever hopeful 🙂.

[OzKiwiJJ]

50 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

 

Thank you for your information so far we have a Japan cruise in October and I have been researching so this helps. With regards to your Suica card I was going to download it onto my iPhone but have some concerns as some reviews mention having some problems using it and also mention you need to have a Mastercard not Visa to top it up online, I have Visa. Could you let me know if it is easy to top up either at stations or 7Eleven stores or could you do it online?

 

Also thanks for the information re Cherry Blossoms as I also have a mid April, 2026 cruise booked and am hoping we will still get to see blossoms. Like all things in nature I know nothing is guaranteed but ever hopeful 🙂.

If you're staying a few days in Tokyo do a day trip to Nikko that also includes going up to Chuzenji-ko, a beautiful lake set high in an old volcano. If there aren't any cherry blossoms left in Tokyo, you'll probably see them around the lake as they flower later there due to the altitude. And if you're lucky you might see some snow monkeys alongside the zigzag road. 

[LittleFish1976]

Queen Elizabeth was already docked at 5am this morning. 
 

 

[LittleFish1976]

16 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

If you're staying a few days in Tokyo do a day trip to Nikko that also includes going up to Chuzenji-ko, a beautiful lake set high in an old volcano. If there aren't any cherry blossoms left in Tokyo, you'll probably see them around the lake as they flower later there due to the altitude. And if you're lucky you might see some snow monkeys alongside the zigzag road. 

Afraid I won’t have time for day trips out of Tokyo although I had toyed with one to a pottery village not far from here. Joining the ship today. Will have one day in port mid-way through my 18 nights on board then another couple of nights here at the end. It’s never long enough in Japan!

 

[LittleFish1976]

1 hour ago, frantic36 said:

 

Thank you for your information so far we have a Japan cruise in October and I have been researching so this helps. With regards to your Suica card I was going to download it onto my iPhone but have some concerns as some reviews mention having some problems using it and also mention you need to have a Mastercard not Visa to top it up online, I have Visa. Could you let me know if it is easy to top up either at stations or 7Eleven stores or could you do it online?

 

Also thanks for the information re Cherry Blossoms as I also have a mid April, 2026 cruise booked and am hoping we will still get to see blossoms. Like all things in nature I know nothing is guaranteed but ever hopeful 🙂.

I haven’t tried to top up but the original money I loaded onto it I did at the time of downloading the card and used my Wise card’s funds, so it’s effectively a visa debit. I didn’t get the impression that there was any prohibition against particular forms of payment and yes, I’m very sure you’d be able to do it online. I had no trouble at all so far with downloading or using. I tapped on and off half a dozen times or more yesterday with no trouble. I’ll keep you posted on that one. 

[frantic36]

Just now, OzKiwiJJ said:

If you're staying a few days in Tokyo do a day trip to Nikko that also includes going up to Chuzenji-ko, a beautiful lake set high in an old volcano. If there aren't any cherry blossoms left in Tokyo, you'll probably see them around the lake as they flower later there due to the altitude. And if you're lucky you might see some snow monkeys alongside the zigzag road. 

 

Thanks for this information. I will look to try and incorporate this into our trip in 2026. I just checked and this is also a good place to see Autumn foliage early so I will put this down as an option as a day trip for our two days post cruise in Tokyo in late October. It sounds reasonable to do using the bullet train.

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, LittleFish1976 said:

I had no trouble at all so far with downloading or using. I tapped on and off half a dozen times or more yesterday with no trouble. I’ll keep you posted on that one. 

 

I appreciate this. I am excited to go to Japan but for some reason I am also nervous. I had lunch with a friend on Wednesday and she has just returned and she found the Metro daunting but has no trouble using it in London, Singapore or Paris. On a happy note she had a Suica card she had got a few years ago and she gave it to my husband as it is one of the old ones that are valid for 10 years from last use. He doesn't have an iPhone.

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

Thanks for this information. I will look to try and incorporate this into our trip in 2026. I just checked and this is also a good place to see Autumn foliage early so I will put this down as an option as a day trip for our two days post cruise in Tokyo in late October. It sounds reasonable to do using the bullet train.

We did a bus tour from Tokyo so the visit to Nikko, trip up the mountain to the lake where we had lunch, then a visit to a lovely waterfall was all part of the itinerary. 

[bazzaw]

The Suica card can only be installed into an Apple Iphone - not Android phones. The ship shaped building is adjacent to the cruise terminal and is a Maritime Museum (wasn't open last month when we were there) . I know the London Underground well and have always enjoyed using it. BUT - that was using an Oyster card ( like a Suica card) and everything was in English. We didn't have a card in Tokyo, and much is in Japanese  so had to buy a paper ticket for every leg of the Tokyo Underground - the biggest problem with this was knowing how much to pay but have now come across a workaround that eliminates the requirement of knowing how much to put into the machine)  - basically you put in the minimum amount for any journey on that line - and the system will tell you how much you owe when you try to get out at the other end. 

[bazzaw]

BTW - the reason that people find the underground a bit daunting can be exemplified by Shinjuku station - it has 36 platforms, caters for 4/5 million passengers each day and has 200 entries/edits to/from the station!!  🙂 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 minute ago, bazzaw said:

The Suica card can only be installed into an Apple Iphone - not Android phones. The ship shaped building is adjacent to the cruise terminal and is a Maritime Museum (wasn't open last month when we were there) . I know the London Underground well and have always enjoyed using it. BUT - that was using an Oyster card ( like a Suica card) and everything was in English. We didn't have a card in Tokyo, and much is in Japanese  so had to buy a paper ticket for every leg of the Tokyo Underground - the biggest problem with this was knowing how much to pay but have now come across a workaround that eliminates the requirement of knowing how much to put into the machine)  - basically you put in the minimum amount for any journey on that line - and the system will tell you how much you owe when you try to get out at the other end. 

I forgot my Suica card on for one outing last year so had to buy tickets. I'm sure you could choose the destination when buying the ticket so it charged the correct amount.

 

Note: We had Suica cards from a previous trip to Japan so just had to add more value to them. 

[bazzaw]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I forgot my Suica card on for one outing last year so had to buy tickets. I'm sure you could choose the destination when buying the ticket so it charged the correct amount.

 

After research back here at home, I think you are right - you can do a search for your destination at the machine and the machine then tells you how much  - we were working by just looking at the huge underground network diagrams on the wall. (which are often in Japanese only) - everything becomes easy when you know how to 🙂

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

BTW - the reason that people find the underground a bit daunting can be exemplified by Shinjuku station - it has 36 platforms, caters for 4/5 million passengers each day and has 200 entries/edits to/from the station!!  🙂 

Shinjuku is a sod of a station but it's all clearly signposted. We ended up going there twice - once during the day to visit the National Gardens, the other that night with friends going out for dinner. My feet definitely don't like Shinjuki! 🤣

 

Getting to some platforms / lines at the linked Shimbashi / Shiodome stations was very confusing - we ended up going around in circles before discovering the line we wanted was actually at Shiodome, right next to our hotel. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, bazzaw said:

After research back here at home, I think you are right - you can do a search for your destination at the machine and the machine then tells you how much  - we were working by just looking at the huge underground network diagrams on the wall. (which are often in Japanese only) - everything becomes easy when you know how to 🙂

I have a very convenient little paper map showing all the Tokyo lines which I also got on a previous trip there. It has the station names in English so I can study it ahead of time to work out where to go. Plus I had an offline version of Google Maps so could check where I needed to go. The fun bit is when you accidentally leave a station from a different exit than you though you were using. Luckily we only did that once and it was in Asakusa so I was easily able to work out where we were.

[bazzaw]

21 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

 

 

Getting to some platforms / lines at the linked Shimbashi / Shiodome stations was very confusing - we ended up going around in circles before discovering the line we wanted was actually at Shiodome, right next to our hotel. 

Finding the beginning of the Yurikamome line supposedly at Shimbashi for our trip to the Cruise Terminal - was difficult as it is actually outside that station and between it and the Shiodome station. Nothing actually even looks like a train station - mostly all above ground office highrise blocks  - all the action is below ground . Did you see this clock in that general area?

 

 

[MicCanberra]

We stayed in Shijuku for one of our visits, it was a wonderful area. And yes, we had a bit of a time trying to find the right exit.

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

Finding the beginning of the Yurikamome line supposedly at Shimbashi for our trip to the Cruise Terminal - was difficult as it is actually outside that station and between it and the Shiodome station. Nothing actually even looks like a train station - mostly all above ground office highrise blocks  - all the action is below ground . Did you see this clock in that general area?

 

 

Yes, the above ground exit from our hotel came out right opposite it.

 

The one we had fun with was the Oedo Line which essentially departs from the same place as the Yurikamome Line. There really isn't much above ground to show there is a station there. Our hotel actually had one lift that went down to the underground level but coming back from the platform it took me a while to recognize where I was, although I surprised how much of it I remembered from our 2018 trip.