Tokyo, Japan (May 10th 2017)

We were in Korea from April 28th until the 4th of May. It gave us another chance to see friends and family and have one more meal of naengmyun and samgyeopsal. After a week in and around Seoul it was time to move on again.

We flew to Narita, Japan, on Thursday May 4th. The next day we got up bright and early and took a train to Tokyo. Japan’s busy capital somehow manages to mix the super modern with traditional historic temples.

Our first stop was Nakamise Shopping Street in Asakusa. It is said that this is one of the oldest shopping areas in Japan. These days various products are sold here, including Japanese-style goods that are popular with tourists from abroad.

After we walked along this famous street we made our way to Sensoji Temple. This temple is one of Tokyo's most colourful and popular temples and is considered to be one of the most significant in Japan.

We wandered around here until we stopped for a rest and ate tacoyaki, which is bite sized Japanese waffles with pieces of octopus. 

After this we made our way to Shinjuku which is often compared to Piccadilly Circus in London or Times Square in New York.

Shinjuku is a massive entertainment and shopping area and a dazzling spectacle of neon-lit skyscrapers. Shinjuku Station is the world's busiest railway station and the area is home to many of Tokyo's tallest buildings.

After taking in these big city sights, we squeezed our way through the crowded streets and stopped to have lunch. We placed our order through some kind of fancy automated ordering machine. It was a challenge that we actually tried to avoid but we soon discovered that these ordering machines were in all the restaurants. Anyway, it was a new experience for us and having had to work for our ramen noodles somehow made them taste even better.

We then moved on to Harajuku and the famous Takeshita Street which is known for its crowds and fashion. The street was certainly full of people and energy and after a quick look we were ready to move on.

By then we were more than ready to escape the crowds as we headed to Meiji Jingu. This shrine is surrounded by a huge forest. 

It felt good to take a little break from the city streets and the spacious grounds offered beautiful walking paths that were great for a relaxing stroll. 

We then walked along a large road that reminded me of the Champs-Élysées in Paris, as we made our way to Shibuya. At Shibuya we took a walk across the famous intersection outside Shibuya Station.

When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides. It was really a sight to see. By the end of the day we had covered a lot of ground and were completely exhausted.

On Saturday, May 6th, we took a train from Narita to Kawaguchiko to see Mt. Fuji.
At 3776 metres, Mt. Fuji is Japan's highest mountain. It is not surprising that the nearly perfectly shaped mountain has been considered sacred and has always been very popular among artists and common people throughout the centuries.

Kawaguchiko is supposed to have some of the best views of Fuji in Japan. After the train arrived at the station we headed towards the lake.  We walked around It, and ate our lunch, as we enjoyed the view of Japan’s most famous mountain from the other side.

On Sunday, May 7th, we made our way to the port of Yokohama where we found the beautiful Celebrity Millennium. It was the ship that would take us to Sapporo, Kamchatka, the Bering Sea and finally on to Vancouver. 

Back to Beijing (May 1st 2017)

We knew that Tibet was not an easy place to visit. We also discovered it isn't always an easy place to leave.

On Monday, April 24th, we were met by a new Tibet Vista representative and taken to the Lhasa train station. Like much of our time in Tibet, we were guided, practically by hand, through many of the steps and formalities. 

While going through security, to enter the station, I was informed I would be losing some of my belongings. Although I had been travelling with my Swiss army knife for over 25 years, I understood that it could be considered a security risk. I was less understanding although very amused, to learn that my deodorant, shaving cream and sun screen were also considered safety risks.

At some point during this peculiar reduction in weight operation, our guide, who seemed content with the proceedings, told us he would move onto the next challenge, which was collecting our tickets at the check-in counter.  He hurried along as we were left to repack our bags. 

By now we were having some fun with the security officers who seemed more interested in practicing their English than confiscating anything else. The mood was light, my backpack was lighter and we were given the green light to proceed.

We then moved into the middle of a huge room where we could see our guy at the counter, at which time things got even more unusual. It became obvious that there was an issue since the man and ticket agent began to argue until he left in a huff and made his way back to us. He informed us that we had only one reservation number which meant only one ticket.

He appeared to be getting increasingly flustered as he riffled through papers and began calling people on his cell phone.  After numerous calls and heated arguments with the same station official, he began to look more and more frustrated.

We just stood there not knowing what to think as we looked back and forth from the heated dispute taking place in front of us to the large clock on the station wall. The large impressive clock was now ticking closer and closer to our departure time.

Finally, for whatever reason, which we will never know, our situation was resolved. It was now only a few minutes before our departure time and therefore we knew we had to move fast. With our two tickets in hand and a little light on toiletries we quickly made our way to the tracks and found our train.  With our one lower and one upper bunk we pulled out of the station at 4:10 pm and were on our way to Beijing.

Although a little out of breath, after trying to catch the train we quickly noticed oxygen was being pumped into our compartment. This pleasant surprise continued for the first 24 hours of our trip. It was a  luxury that literally felt like a breath of freah air as we sat back and settled in to enjoy a very scenic and comfortable train trip.

After two days, we arrived at the Beijing West Station early in the morning on Wednesday, April 26th. We took a taxi to a hotel a couple of blocks from Tian'anmen Square. 

During the ride we took note of how much better the city looked compared to our last visit. In November, Beijing was a cold, damp, grey and polluted city.  Now everything looked so bright and beautiful. The air seemed fresh, the trees were green and the sky was clear and blue.

The next day we took on the Bejing subway system and made our way to The Summer Palace. 

Located in the northwest of Beijing, it is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in China.

The Summer Palace was initially built in 1750 by Emperor Qianglong. It covers an area of 70 thousand square metres and holds over 3000 houses. In 1924, it was first opened to tourists.

The Summer Palace is one of the loveliest spots in Beijing. The arched bridges, pretty promenades and decorated corridors are nestled into the landscape.  It was a beautiful day and we spent most of the day here walking around the area.

The next day, Friday, April 28th we flew Asiana Airlines back to Korea again. After our adventures in Tibet and the difficulty we had leaving Lhasa we were glad to have a simple, smooth and uneventful travel day from Beijing to Seoul.