AWordPressSite

Author: awaywiththebirds

  • James’ and Sara’s Excellent Antarctica Adventure

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day 0: Sydney with 1 sleep to go Antarctica 2023 Well it’s been a 2-and-a-half year wait to get to this holiday, so it had better be good. We are arriving a few days ahead of when the Antarctica adventure actually begins in case of any delays in arriving. I must have known that Auckland…

  • Japan 2022 Day Last

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day Last: Tokyo Well, today we all did our own thing so here’s a collection of our sights and sounds. Here’s what you can buy if you have a spare 15,000,000 yen….a Lexus LC 500. James is trying it out. Some sights from teamLab Planets Tokyo… a very unusual immersive experience Also saw some immersive…

  • Japan 2022 Day 11

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day 11: Tokyo Post script to yesterdays blog…..Sammy, the bus we were referring to was our coach, not a normal public transport bus. The day started with a visit to Kappa bashai street, a street where you can buy anything kitchen related, from knives and bowls to the plastic food which Japanese restaurants display as…

  • Japan 2022 Day 10

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day 10: Kamikochi to Tokyo Robyn wanted to reassure us that we return home, we can come to her place to get some Japanese vibes We got a VIP sendoff when we left Kamikochi with all the staff lined up to farewell us (there is no shortage of staff here!) The road to Matsumoto was…

  • Japan 2022 Day 9

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day 9: Kamikochi Spent a large part of the day walking alongside the river, and through the forests of Kamikochi. The Kappa-bashi bridge is an iconic symbol of Kamikochi. Originally a drawbridge it was rebuilt in 1910 as a suspension bridge. The present bridge, which was completed in 1997, is the fifth generation of this…

  • Japan 2022 Special food edition

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Special edition: Japanese food By Sally Cohen ( who happens to be a great cook) In Japan they eat seasonally so at our special Azusa kaiseki dinner we had chestnuts and ayu (a river fish) which are eaten in autumn, as well as sea eel, sashimi, steak, buckwheat (soba) noodles, mushroom rice and a special…

  • Japan 2022 Special other edition

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Special edition: other interesting stuff By various authors, Phil, Sally, Les and Sara Music use in Japan The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo has a bath which automatically fills and when it is filled, it plays ”Ode to Joy” to let you know that its ready. Shrine etiquette When one decides to make a donation to…

  • Japan 2022 Special onsen edition

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Special edition: A beginner’s guide to Japanese onsens By Julie Reeves, from onsen virgin to onsen native The Japanese love their onsens and partake of the spring waters often. But as novices there is etiquette that we must observe.  1. You should change into the hotel- supplied onsen outfit before entering the onsen. This can be…

  • Japan 2022 Day 8

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day 8: Sapporo (Hokkaido) to Kamikochi Had early start as today is a travel day. We were staying on the 27th level of the Prince Hotel. Join us for the lift ride down and then for breakfast with Phil and Hero(our guide). Bus to Sapporo airport. We are leaving the north island of Hokkaido to…

  • Japan 2022 Day 7

    —

    by

    awaywiththebirds
    in ,

    Day 7: Sapporo It’s great to get everyone’s comments ….means you are looking at the blog! Yeah!So, let me respond….. Sammy, you will have to wait till my return to see what the winning prize is, and in terms of Japanese inefficiencies, here are a couple of examples: Sharon, you asked about weird food….yes, i…