Fujiq Highland (富士キュハイランド) Japan

When I heard about Fujiq Highland (富士キュハイランド) and checked it on web, I was quite scared to see those roller coasters. But I was determined to conquer the kings of coasters! This place contains 3 main Big Roller coasters.
1. Fujiyama (富士山) - 259 feet tall - One of the tallest roller coaster in world

2. Dodonpa (ドドンパ) - One of the fastest roller coasters in the world

3. Eejanaika (ええじゃないか) - Steel 4th Dimension Roller coaster (My Favorite!)

Sitting in these roller coasters was a life time experience!
Also there are lot of other attractions - Just check the site - http://www.fuji-q.com/fuji-q-en/main/guide/main.html

How to Go -
Take a train for Fujikyuhairando station. In hyperdia put this as destination station to get the train route.

Tips -
This place is about 1000m above sea level. So if you are going in winter or even in months close to winter carry enough warm clothes
Check Theme parks in Japan at - http://www.infomapjapan.com/themeparks.phtml

Photos-

Fuji Speedway Formula 1 Japan

This was the day when my two wishes got fulfilled...one is watching F1 Live and the other is traveling in Shinkansen (Bullet Train)! I was planning for this day since April and finally I got to see the Formula1 race live here in Japan!! I traveled in Kodama Shinkansen (Slowest Bullet train in Japan - 220km/hr). Sitting inside you won't even feel the speed. It was really fun watching Formula1 live! I was so excited through out the race that I just didn't recognize when race started and when it ended.

Place - Fuji Speedway, shizuoka prefecture, Japan.
How to Go -
This depends on the place you are traveling from. For all the people going to Fuji Speedway there were shuttles arranged. Depending on the ticket purchased the station for shuttle was given. I had to go to Shinfuji. So I took Kodama - Shinkansen from Shinyokohama to reach Shinfuji. (In Japan stations which start from "Shin" have shinkansen stations). Please check on www.hyperdia.com for train route from your place.

Tips -
1. If you are going to book Unreserved seat then I would suggest you to go early and find a place at suitable height from where the fence won't come in between while taking photos. I reached bit late and couldn't find proper place.
2. Unreserved seat in Fuji speedway is nothing but hilly area with grass. Also it was raining on that day so it was bit muddy. So carry enough accessories to deal with such situation :-).

Photos-

Matsushima

One of the three best scenic places in Japan, Matsushima is a group of 260 islands. The name itself means islands(Shima - 島) with Pine trees (Matsu - 松).

How to Go -
Please check this link - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5105.html
By Road it takes about 5 hours from Tokyo (Depending on the traffic)

Photos-

Nikko

Nikko is located about 140km North of Tokyo. It is famous for shrines and mousoleum. All the places to be seen are located close to Nikko station except onsen and lake chuzenji.

How to Go -
You can go by train or car. There is Shinkansen to Nikko from Tokyo or Ueno station. Please check this link for more details. - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3805.html
We preferred to go by car. Rent for car was about 1Man yen (10,000 yen) per day. GPS is your lifeline while travelling by car. Its so convenient to travel by car when you have GPS, that you don't have to worry about roads.

Places to see -
1. Toshogu - Most lavishly decorated shrine
2. Rinnoji Temple
3. Futarasan Shrine
4. Lake Chuzenji
5. Yumoto Onsen
Details at - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Where to stay -
Youth hotel is best place to stay. Its cheap and comfortable. We got excellent breakfast at youth hostel that too at 7:10 am! Here are some links of youth hostels.
http://www.hostelsweb.com/cities/nikko.html
http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~daiyayh/

Where to eat -
There is a indian restaurant just opposite to Nikko station.
Also there are lot of japanese restaurants in Nikko.

Photos -

Tobu World Square

Tobu World Square is about 40 min drive from Nikko. This place has got miniatures of most of the famous places or monuments in the world. It has got 42 World Cultural and heritage sites including Taj-Mahal of India.

How to go
http://www.tobuws.co.jp/en/access/index.html

Where to eat
This place has got good Japanese restaurants. If you prefer Indian food, then you will have to come to Nikko. There is one Indian restarant opposite to Nikko station.

Photos

Odaiba

Here I am...after about one and half month! Had gone to India in August:). Well back to current post...we visited this place called Odaiba on 15th Sept. Excellent example of modern infrastructure! This place has got it all!

Places to Visit -
1. Fuji Television studios
2. Aqua City shopping center
3. Rainbow Bridge connecting Odaiba to Tokyo
4. Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall
5. Replica of Statue of Liberty
6. Museum of Maritime Science
7. Miraikan, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation

There are lot others, please check this link for more details - Check out these links - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3008.html.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odaiba

For Train route please check http://www.hyperdia.com/.

Where to eat -
Indian restaurant in Odaiba - http://www.englishok.jp/shops/khazana_odaiba/map.php

Photos
Here are some photos of the place Enjoy!


Ohhh man...I badly needed a haircut :D!

Shinjuku

Shijuku is a major commercial place in Tokyo. Here are some links to help you know about Shinjuku more - Shinjuku - Wikipedia
Shinjuku - Japan Guide

Here is my photo album, Enjoy!

Ginza and Harajuku

Sorry guys...but recently I am not able to write about my recent trips. This trip was about a month back on 24thJune. But didn't get time to write about it.

Ginza is upmarket area of Tokyo with many department stores. Here are some links to help you know about Ginza
Ginza at Wikipedia
Ginza - Japan Guide

Also we visited Harajuku which is supposed to be place for youngsters in japan. Here are some links to know about Harajuku more.
Harajuku - Wikipedia
Harajuku - Japan Guide

My photo album for Ginza and Harajuku

Takao Mountain

Takao Mountain is very relaxing place very close to Tokyo city. Its just 1 hr train journey from main Tokyo city. Even in summer it’s a nice place to visit.

For me, this place was so close, that I started from my house at 7:30am and came back at 2:30pm. We went up the mountain using Lift which costed us just 470 yen per head. It was really worth experience. After that we climbed rest of the part for about 30 minutes and reached the top! It was so lush green everywhere!
Here are some more photos...Enjoy!

Some of the links to help you plan your trip to takao -

Tokyo Tourism Info on Takao

Takao Mountain - Japan Guide

Cost for Cable car & Lift

Tokyo Disneyland

Wow! this was the most memorable trip in Japan! Disneyland is really an amazing place! Each and every ride we took was great! The person coming to Tokyo should not miss this place.

To plan our trip we visited Disneyland website. On this website you will find two park names, Disneyland and DisneySea. We had planned to go to disneyland. You need to go to Maihama station through JR Keio Line to visit Disney parks. Both the parks are just in front of this station.

Ticket to Disneyland for adults was 5800 yen.

This place is so big that we could not cover all the places in one day! We tried the Jungle cruise first, it was quite funny and enjoyable boat ride with some mock scenes of wild animals created across the artificial river path.


























We were bit late for the parade...but managed to get the place. This event is really worth! It has everything which can lure people of all ages :D. All the disney characters, dancing boys and girls and the music of "ALOHA"! People were already waiting for the parade about 1 hr in advance with there video cameras.






















We also visited ToonTown, Big Thunder Mountain, Tom Sawyer Island, Splash Mountain and Beaver Brothers Explorer canoes. Also Electric parade in the evening was fantastic one to end our day with lots of memories!














Disneyland is supposed to be very much crowded on weekends and you may even have to wait in queue for around 2 hrs! So the most important tip i would like to give you is take the fast pass of the most ride which you want to finish first. Check the details of fast pass here. Also Disney passes are available in all Family marts and AM PM shops.


Overall, it was completely enjoyable day and I would love to visit again!

Hakone

This was our second trip during golden week. This place, called Hakone, is about 80kms from Tokyo. You need to reach a place called Hakone-Yumoto which is entry point for Hakone. To save money you should buy a Hakone Free Pass which may cost 3410 yen to 5500 yen depending on the station you buy it from.

We reached Hakone-Yumoto at around 8:45am and got in to Hakone Tozan Line (Railway photo). Speciality of this railway was that it was going up the mountain in zig zag way. It was going up in one direction and then further up in reverse direction by changing the track.

After Tozan Line there is a cable car and then you need to take ropeway. The ropeway gives you beautiful views of nature. You can see Fuji mountain quite clearly. With Hakone Free pass all these rides are free. (You actually pay for this free pass in advance :) ).

You also get to see hot spring outlets from ropeway car. The fumes coming out shown in lower photo could be of sulphur. (Photo captured using 12x zoom from Ropeway Car)

After ropeway you can catch a bus towards Ashi Lake. Also there is second ropeway going towards Ashi lake, but unfortunately it was closed for renovation. We preferred to walk for 45min than wait for bus and it was really worth walking!

Finally we reached Ashi lake. This cruise ride is also free with your Hakone Free Pass. It can take you from Togendai to Hakone Machi and then to MotoHakone. We got down at moto Hakone and took a bus towards Chokokonomori. Every ride in Hakone was free with Hakone Free pass. Also for museums and gardens there is a discount when you have Hakone Free pass.



We finished our one day trip to Hakone with nice dinner at Tachikawa.
For more photos check following album

Hakone

Kamakura - The Great buddha

Its golden week!! I have holidays on 30th Apr and 3rd and 4th May!! Its time to roam around in Japan!!
So here we are in Kamakura, a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 km south-west of Tokyo. We visited Hase temple, Kotokuin Temple where Buddha statue is located and then Hachimangu shrine. Then we had gone to Sea shore in Hase. Don't forget o buy a pass worth 540 yens so that you can move any number of times here and there on Odakyu Enoshima line.

Hase temple was really beautiful. Its very well maintained! There are 3 temples inside and also one small museum. The statue in main temple out of 3 stands tall around 20 foot. (Here photography was not allowed ) Its having 11 heads each of them indicating different expression. Antique pieces kept in museum are from 12th century. One of the place in temple had interesting small statues of monks, infact 100's of them!! Close up of small statues is shown in above photo.

The great buddha of Kotokuin Temple is about 20 min walk from Hase station. This statue is very old statue. It has a height of 13.35 meters. It is called "Daibutsu" in Japanese. In 13th century the temple enclosing Great Buddha was washed out in tsunami waves. From that time it is there open to air.
There is also a small shop which sells items related to Great Buddha.

The Hachimangu shrine is about 24 min walk from kamakura station. This is supposed to be one of the main shrine in Kamakura. It was having a wedding place at the center of ground. Also some mysterious pots lined up in row one over the other...like a wall. (Check album).

Then we had gone to Hase beach. It was 10 min walk from Hase station. People were surfing and enjoying the holiday. (I wish I could also surf... it seems to be a great fun! ).

While returning we had went to China Town in Yokohama. This place is full of chinese restuarants and chinese stores. But the chinese food looked so similar to the japanese food which we eat daily, it couldn't lure us much. We had dinner in an Indian restaurant near China town :).

Overall...had a nice time through out the day! Check more photos below by clicking album cover photo.

Kamakura And China Town

Sakura In Tokyo

A picture is worth 1000 words!! (This one I had to downsize to fit in here. This is panoramic view photo taken using Canon S3IS)

I was very lucky to be in Tokyo during Sakura Season. First let me tell you something about Sakura. Sakura is a name of flower. It starts blooming at the start of spring and withers in approximately 2 weeks. It blooms only once in a year. So spring along with Sakura is supposed to be start of new good things.

When Sakura blooms, the scenery looks so beautiful...the trees are full of Sakura flowers. You can't even see any of the leaves...there are only flowers! The beauty just can not expressed in to words. (That's why I have put some pictures :-) ).

Japanese people enjoy Sakura flowers with party called "OHanami" or "Hanami". Hanami is a way of enjoying beauty of flowers. People sing, dance, eat and mainly drink lots of osake or beer! To View all the photos click following album Cover

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Sakura In Tokyo

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Photos shown above are from place called Kudan shita. Indian Embassy in Tokyo is in this area. There was one event called Sakura Bazar arranged at this place especially for Indians. There was Indian Food and Indian Music. Also 2007 being Indo-Japanese friendship year there were many events arranged. Unfortunately I missed this Sakuara Bazar event...but I have got some video clips of that event. Please check following videos.

This one is not related to Sakura...but just could not resist posting it here! Enjoy !!

ब्लॉगर आता देवनागरी मध्ये!

नमस्कार ! आपल्या मातृभाषेमध्ये टाईप करताना फारच आनंद होत आहे. मातृभाषेमध्ये टाईप करण्याची संधी दिल्याबद्दल मी ब्लॉगर चा अत्यंत आभारी आहे. अगदी २-३ आठवड्यापूर्वीच तोक्यो मराठी मंडळाचा मी सदस्य झालो. तोक्यो मध्ये राहून मराठी लोकांच्या सम्पर्कात रहाणे फारच आनंदाची गोष्ट आहे. तोक्यो मराठी मंडळा बद्दल अधिक माहिती साठी ह्या (तोक्यो मराठी मंडळ)लिंक ला भेट दया.

Houses in Japan

So this country is Earthquake prone!! so what? Japanese People have fought against the nature and always have come up with solutions. One of such solutions is "Houses built in Japan". These are Earth quake resistant and are built really fast!

Incidently I had a chance to have a look at a house being constructed near my house. Just look at this house, how fast they have buit it.

1. Photo1 - House Foundation - (Date not known)

2. Photo2 - 26Jan07 - Structure being built

3. Photo3-26Jan07 - Structure being built

4. Photo4 - 29Jan07 - Structure Done, Walls being fitted

5. Photo5-29Jan07 - Structure Done, Walls being fitted

6. Photo6 - 9March07- Comeplete house built

Now isn't that amazing!! A complete house in just 43 Days afer foundation!! In india to build such a house it may take atleast 8 months! Offcourse the material used is different in this case! But surely it is fast!

This link "Housing In Japan" from wikipedia gives fair idea about houses in Japan.

Passed SanQ with 87.75%

:))))) Hey m happy chap !! got 351/400 in JLPT level 3 exam. Now I will try to clear Ni Q..lets see! Gamabarimasu (will do my best) !

Sea Paradise in Hakkeijima Yokohama, Amazing!!!

Last week I visited one of the biggest attractions of Japan. The Sea Paradise at Hakkeijima Yokohama. I felt really good that I decided to buy camera (Canon S3IS) before going to this place. To know details about how to go to this place by train you can visit HyperDia to find out best possible and cheapest route .

This place has many Fun rides as well as Museum of Sea Animals. Lots of rare animals are there. Its amazing!! Important point to note is that If you are a tourist, you can buy pass for 2450 yens and see complete museum, Sea Paradise stadium show and Dolphin fantacy. You should not miss Sea Paradise stadium show and Dolphin fantacy. Also for all "Norimono" i.e. fun rides you can buy pass of 2500 yen and enjoy all rides any number of times. But if you take single ticket for each ride it will cost you much more!! So don't forget to buy your pass!

There are some shops inside where you can buy sea animal toys or show pieces. Also there is game zone where you can enjoy video games and fun games. So overall you can consider to have about 10000 yen i.e. 1 Man yen per head expense if you are going to plan for this trip.

There is chinese market near to that place, but I had to go to Indian store in Kamata so did not have time to go to that chinese market. May be I will go next time when I will go there.

You can check PHOTO ALBUM by clicking photo below

Sea Paradise Yokohama

My First Week In Japan

On the First day itself.e. on Sunday, my arrival day, I had to go for searching apartment. I had only one week of booking in Hotel. In Japan the apartments are quite costly. You must search hard for getting a good one and cheap one. Houses in Japan are much different than in India. Japan is earthquake prone country, so their houses are made of wood. Depending on the area the rent of apartment varies from 45k yen to 120k yen per month. This does not include any of the furniture. So you need to buy things like washing machine, microwave, TV, chair, table, bed, Internet etc. If you are lucky you will get lights, AC/heater with apartment. But if it is not there then you will have to buy it. There are 100 yen shops from where you can buy all utensils and daily required things. If you intend to stay for short term then, you won't be able to get apartment as it needs at least 6 months contract.

There is key money and advance/gift money involved in this. Key money you may or may not get back depending on the cleanliness condition of house when you are leaving apartment. But gift money is off course GIFT! The room above shows tatami (chatai in India). There are local agents available like Mini Mini (Unfortunately you need to know Japanese to communicate with these people).

There are furnished apartments as well like Leo Palace(English site). Here you will get all required furniture.

I have recently shifted to apartment having 3 rooms. There are 2 bedrooms and one hall cum kitchen. As weather here is quite cold, we have a gas connection for hot water going to every tap. Thankfully I had one friend in Japan who had already taken this apartment on rent. Its about 15 min walk from my office.

The left top photo shows my company building in japan. On my first day in office, I met lot of Japanese people from my client side. Also exchanged Meishi (business card) with all Japanese dialogs. It was a different experience. I had induction in Japanese which was hardly understandable because of their high level of Japanese. The HR guy was really helpful and he helped me in reading hard kanjis...rather he just told me the meaning so I could solve paper based on induction. After that I had to introduce myself to more than 50 people in the hall through a small speech (off course in Japanese). I liked speaking in Japanese and enjoyed that day!

The work culture here is very different from in India. In Japan, all the people whether senior or junior sit in one hall which is not having any kind of partition. Very senior people have separate table. The office space is also very normal one and there nothing posh as such. Basically these people don't have to show off about there work or they don't feel that having such a posh office is a necessity. They are more focused on their work. That's the difference!

The Japanese people work very hard and party harder. We had welcome party on weekend. We went for Bowling. The cans you see in left photo are not of beer! Its Green Tea! Green tea is very famous drink in Japan. They drink it cold and hot as well. The beer part was after this. We went to Japanese bar where off course every one had beer! I thought we will stop after having beer, but I was wrong it was just starter! After that they had Osake-Japanese wine made from rice. One thing I have noticed is, Japanese people in general don't become friendly very soon, you need to build the relationship. But I would also like to mention that Japanese people from my office are much friendly and easy to talk with.

Travelling to Japan

Being my first travel abroad, it took me some time to figure out all the required things. Considering weather in Japan, I had to buy lot of thermal wear and lot of other things. Just could not miss to buy ACHAR, CHATANI, READY MIXES FOR UPMA etc. My flight was Singapore Airlines from Mumbai to Singapore and then Singapore to Tokyo. Left Mumbai at 6th Jan 12:45 pm. I had a halt of 3 hrs at Singapore Airport, so roamed around the airport. It was so big!! There are lot of shops and you can shop till you drop!Also there is a movie theatre inside...if u have a very big halt u can watch movies there!

-Limousine Bus stop at airport.
I reached Tokyo Airport at 7am morning local time. So it must be 3:30am midnight in India. Thankfully I could sleep for sometime in plane. Custom's person must have found my face so innocent that he did not even ask for opening my bag, though I told him that I have some gifts. After going through Immigration check and customs I came out and inquired about train and bus towards hachioji. The train was after 35 min and Lemousine bus to hachioji was after 1 hr, but there was lemousine bus after 10 min for Shinjuku. So decided to go to Shinjuku by Bus. From Shinjuku I took train to hachioji. I reached hotel at around 11:30am local time. My hotel was close from station, but I preferred to take taxi considering my baggage. Minimum rent for taxi in japan is 660 yen, thats what I had to pay.

Japan is much more advanced country than India. Tokyo is supposed to be costliest city in the world. In Hachioji I got a room in Marroad Inn hotel which was around 7x9 where hardly a bed, table and a chair is fitted in the room. You just have some space between bed and table to walk 4 or 5 steps. Rent for this was 7840 yen (Currency Converter)per day.