My Japan pre-trippie!

[kazzaqld]

So, you all know I'm going to Disney with Johnie, Becca and Krista, right?

But did you know that Gareth and I will be in Japan for 6 nights on our way to America?

Who'd like a pre-trip report on our plans?

[Tink]

Ooooh! Me please!!! I'd love to visit Japan!

A pre-trip and a post trip report with photos please!

[janetm]

I would love to go to Japan, yes please kazzaqld a pre trip report would be interesting to me

[Johnie]

I'd love to hear a pre-trip report and see LOTS and LOTS of photos.....esp if you catch someone turning their dress into a vending machine

[Claire]

I'd love to read a Japan pre-trippie!

[Beccaberry]

YES PLEASE!!!!

[piglet]

Yes pretty please

[Britchick]

yes! yes! yes!

[kazzaqld]

OK here it goes!

Thursday 18th September - flight to Tokyo leaves at 8.50 am so it will be a nice bright early start that day! We arrive at 16.45 Tokyo time - an hour behind Brisbane so it's about a 9 hour flight. We are flying Japan Airlines - and Gareth will have in-seat entertainment at last. Usually the airlines we fly don't have this!

We will be staying here http://www.f-kamogawa.jp/english/info_e.htm
a traditional Japanese style inn.

All the reviews on the web I have read have been positive so hopefully we will like it too!

Friday 19th September. Ghibli Museum. Gareth is a huge fan of anything Japanese, he loves to read manga (Japanese comic books), watch anime (Japanese cartoons) and one of the more famous Japanese anime directors is Hayao Miyazaki. He won an Academy Award for best animated feature for Spirited Away, and Gareth has seen nearly all his other films.

His production company, Studio Ghibli, has a museum now, and it is a hot ticket to get in! We have tickets, and Gareth is really looking forward to this. http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/

After the Ghibli Museum we are going to the Pokemon Centre - http://www.pokemon.co.jp/pokecen/tokyo.html

(this site's in Japanese but it didn't matter, Gareth didn't need words. )

Saturday 20th September - Akihabara and the Tokyo Tower.
Akihabara is a mecca for geeks of all kinds - its nickname is Electric Town http://www.akiba.or.jp/index_e.html

It has streets and streets of stores selling electronics of every kind, and lately manga as well. It also has lots of kids wearing otaku. Otaku is where they dress as their favourite anime or manga character.

After we have our fill of Akihabara we are going to the Tokyo Tower http://www.tokyotower.co.jp/english/

Hopefully we will have a good view on the day!

Sunday 21st and Monday 22nd September Kyoto

Many years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth, my family hosted a Japanese high school student on an exchange. Nowadays she lives about an hour out of Kyoto. We are meeting her in Kyto and overnighting there. She has promised to show us around and it will be good to have someone who knows more than a few phrases! It is a very historic city - more of the heritage buildings remain in Kyoto than in Tokyo.

We are getting the famous bullet train to Kyoto - it will take about 2 hours to get there.

Tuesday 23rd September - Mt Fuji and Hakone we get the bullet train to Odawara where we will do a tour of the Hakone region - this trip will include a cable car, a rope way, a boat cruise, hot springs, and lots of lovely scenery.

Wednesday 24th September -NorthWest Flight to Detroit and on to Orlando!

We leave Tokyo at 15.05 so hopefully will have some time for just a little more sightseeing in the morning.

Thanks to the time difference, although it's about 12 hours to Detroit and about 3 hours to Orlando, it will still be Wednesday when we arrive in Detroit, and then it's on to Orlando!

How does that sound? :n005:

[luvthemouse]

It sounds busy!!!! Take lots of sushi pictures for me