Travel Blog: December 2010

Woke up at 5.45am and took our breakfast at 6am. It had a good mix of Japanese and Western fare, though not as elaborate as Sheraton's. Since time was quite tight, we did not take any photos of the restaurant or its food.

After breakfast, checked out and re-checked our luggages. At 7am, the hotel Shuttle took us to Terminal 2 in 10mins. There was already a queue formed at the row but unfortunately, the counter was not opened till 7.30am.
Soon, we were on our way to Incheon airport for transit again.
Meals on board - beef and rice

Reached Incheon at 12pm. Our next connecting flight was 3.55pm. Took a short nap before having late lunch at the foodcourt. Since we were in Seoul then, we should try the Korean food.
Beef soup Set - 13,000won. My daughter complained that the soup was tasteless!

Piping hot and spicy Kimchi Soup Meal Set - 8,000won

Bibimap for my son and hubby - 8,000 won each

All sets came with side dishes!

Our flight was delayed about half an hour to 4.25pm. After take off, we were served snacks (peanuts, mini-pizza, prawn crackers, etc) and drinks for the first meal. Dinner was again Bibimbap.

We touched down Changi Airport at 9.45pm and that was the end of our Japan trip. A pretty enjoyable and fun free and easy trip. Previous trip more than 10 years ago was a guided tour. Only regret was we missed the pirate ship, tour of Moto Hakone and Hakone Shrine due to the heavy rain on 6 Dec, causing the ropeway and pirate to stop operation the following day. But overall, it was not so bad. It called for another trip in the near future.

Our Japan Itinerary

Day 1 - Flight to Incheon-Seoul

Day 2 - Breakfast -> Incheon Transit area -> Lunch -> Tokyo, Narita -> Limited Express to Ueno -> Checked in Sardonyx Hotel (Review) -> Matsusaka Beef Steak Dinner at Satou, Kichijoji -> Shinjuku at Night

Day 3 – Breakfast -> Odyaku Romance Car to Hakone-Yumoto -> Small train to Gora Station -> Leave luggages at Setsugetsuka Hotel -> Gora -> Sounzan -> Owakudani Boiling Valley -> Black Eggs -> Togendai -> checked into Setsugetsuka Hotel (Review)-> Dinner at hotel restaurant -> Outside the hotel at night

Day 4 - Breakfast -> Gora Station -> Checked out -> Gotemba Premium Outlet -> Togendai -> Check in to Hakone Green Plaza (Review) -> Dinner

Day 5 - Breakfast -> Checked out -> Odawara Castle -> Checked in Sardonyx Ueno -> Ueno Unagi Dinner at Izuei Honten, Ueno -> Ameyoko

Day 6 - Breakfast - > Ueno Park -> Lunch at Tsujiki -> Imperial Palace -> Ginza -> Asakusa -> View from Shinjuku Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building -> Ramen Dinner

Day 7 - Breakfast -> Early Lunch at Kyushu Jangara, Harajuku -> Meiji Shrine -> Harajuku -> Shibuya -> -> Dinner at Shinsuke, Shin-Urayasu

Day 8 - Tokyo Disneyland -> Lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace -> Dinner at Hokusai

Day 9 - Breakfast -> Tokyo Disneysea -> Lunch at Vulcania -> Dinner at Sakura

Day 10 - Breakfast - > Check out -> Skyliner to Narita Airport-> Holiday Inn Tobu Narita (Review) -> Lunch at Edokko Sushi
-> Old Narita Temple Town -> Naritasan Temple -> Dinner at Aeon Shopping Centre

Day 11 - Breakfast -> Flight back to Incheon -> Transit -> Lunch at Incheon -> Home Sweet Home

Monday, December 20, 2010

Japan Trip Day 10 : Old Narita Temple Town -> Naritasan Shinshoji Temple -> Dinner at Aeon Shopping Centre

After lunch, took a slow stroll along the shop lined Omotesando Street, which would eventually lead to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Took some photos of Narita Town.
Narita JR Station

Narita Town - Omotesando Street Entrance on the left

Wine shop at start of Omotesando Street

The street was pretty deserted this day. Quite a few shops were closed. There were many eateries, restaurants, snack shops, shops selling dry seafood and clothes.

At this junction, need to keep right to got to Naritasan Temple.

Statue of a great Japanese Poet

Nice, old Japanese styled shophouses lined the road towards Naritasan Temple. This is the temple town, I guess.

Grilled eel eatery. The aroma from the grilled unagi was simply tempting. At the shop front, workers were killing and cutting live eels.

Almost at the Temple Grounds

Here we are - entrance to Naritasan Temple. Daiichi shinto assembly hall (daiichi shinto kaikan) on the main pathway (Omote-sando)

Stairways leading to the Nio mon Gate. Korinkaku hall on your left.

Washing area on the right

The large lantern hanging from Niomon Gate. What does the inscription say ? The answer is 'fish market'. Since Edo period, it has been a tradition of the fish market to contribute the lantern. The current lantern was given in 1968.

Beneath the green lantern

More stairways leading to more temples in the temple ground.

Great Main Hall, (Dai-hon-do) which has additional halls on both sides

3-storey Pagoda

On the right is Issaikyo-do(stock of sutras). Shoro bell Tower on the left

Great Main Hall

Shakado Hall, (national treasure). It was built in 1858 and used to be the main hall. Inside there is a image of Shaka-nyorai, the founder of Japanese buddhism. On its sides, there are reliefs, carved towards the end of the Edo period. These reliefs are know as "24 koh"(24 thoughts) and show characteristics of the late Edo period.

Shakado Hall

Stairways leading to Gakudo Hall

Gakudo Hall, with its abundance of votive tablets and Ema (votive picture of a horse).

Gakudo Hall

Kaizan do Hall

Komyodo Hall

Seiryu Gongen do Hall, Myokengu Hall

Daito , Great Pagoda of Peace, constructed in the year 1984. The pagoda symbolizes the doctrines of the Shingon-mikkyo sect principle idea of mutual respect and dedication.