Above:  Narita village with the fair in full swing. I had breakfast in town. I had done most of what I wanted in Narita so spent the morning in bed checking commercial flights back to Auckland and also attending to emails, admin and bills. There weren’t any real viable flight alternatives. I checked out just […]

After a breakfast of pastries, I checked-out and left my bag at the hotel reception. I began my exploration of the Narita area by walking to Narita-san, the temple nearby. It was actually a very nice temple for something that was so accessible and un-promoted. I remember the alleyway from about 15 years ago where […]

I woke early this morning without an alarm. The sun was out way before 0600 I reckon. It’s nice to wake naturally, with assistance from sunlight from the outside. This wasn’t the case in wet gloomy Tokyo with natural light further obscured by neighbouring buildings. I made the most of the onsen once more before […]

Hakone area After a day of shopping and pounding the pavements of the city, I left Tokyo. It was another early start with the alarm for 0600 for a shower, breakfast and packing up after 5 nights at the Tsukiji Business Ban Hotel. I left at 0700 and got to Shinjuku Station rather quickly but […]

Above: Escape sling from high-rise department store. Today was the day that had been allocated to rest and shopping. While I don’t normally have much brand loyalty, I do rather like some of the cheaper-end stuff Uniqlo (a Japanese value fashion brand). I had been told about GU, their budget brand just the day before, […]

I had set the alarm for 0640. I downed a simple breakfast with canned coffee, warmed up in a bain marie of boiling water. I was tired but I tried hard not to waste too much time getting ready. I made my way to Asakusa station by metro, which required a walk to the train […]

Cycling I woke to a lovely clear sunny day, in fact, the only nice day forecast for my entire stay in Japan. It was perfect for cycling around the Palace moat area, something that’s only possible on dry Sundays. I took the tube to Nijubashimae and found the place for borrowing free bicycles near exit […]

Tsukiji Tuna Auction & Fish Market The alarm rang at 0240. I got ready quickly and walked in the drizzle to the Tsukiji Fish Market’s Fish Information Centre. There were about 10 people waiting for me in the queue at 0300. We were each given a high-viz jerkin to indicate that we had been confirmed […]