Posts labeled with Country ' Japan'
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE !
On September 5th, 2023, TotalAdventure departed Newark Airport for Tokyo ,Japan. Returning for the first time since January,2019, we landed at Haneda Airport on the south side of the city – with convenient metro lines that connect everywhere. The main focus of the trip was to take part in the 2023 Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido.
After a quick rest and wash up at my beautiful Hotel, it was off to the back alleys of Shibuya Crossing to dine in a couple of the many excellent and tiny food establishments.
As I’ve been to Tokyo quite a few times, I decided this visit would focus on the metropolis’ many culinary delights.
Ramen is always a good staple after a long flight.
Succulent Mackerel .
5000 Yen is US $ 34. There will be change. Tipping forbidden.
Around 11 the bar scene begins. There are hundreds of these little places, often with only 4 or 5 seats. Whisky is the drink of choice. Let the bartender invite you in, as foreigners are not always welcome – the reason being that they can’t take part in the intimate conversations. I had no problem, but could not add to the conversation.
The next morning I took the Hibiya Line to Tsukiji Fish Market. The market is famous for early morning auctions of the world’s most expensive and perfect blocks of tuna. However, it is now a sanitized experience viewed from afar. At a soup stall, I began with a small bowl of organ meats with scallions and soft boiled egg, some cold tea to wash it down.
At another stall, one of many hundreds, I had insanely fresh sashimi – different cuts of fatty tuna, salmon roe and uni. 1200 yen, about $ 9.
A more exotic assortment , including very high grade fatty tuna – melts like butter. Also whelks and abalone.
A real treat – giant cold fresh oysters with uni.
Quite satiated, TotalAdventure attended the Kabuki Theater. No photo or video of the actual performance is allowed, so this is of the theater and stage. The plays are many hours long, an entire afternoon. However, you can buy a ticket for just one act – about 30 or 40 minutes. All the actors are male, even for the female roles. The characters have had a lot of influence in the development of Pokemon and the beginning of the Anime culture.
Just after a mild typhoon.
5 AM Sunrise from my 40th floor hotel room at the Century Southern in Shinjuku. Please see some photos and videos from past trips to Tokyo, here on TotalAdventure Magazine.
On Sunday September 10th, I flew on JetStar from Narita to Sapporo. TotalAdventure was taking part in The Adventure Travel World Summit. Every year the Summit is held in a different location. Last year it was in Switzerland and next year will be in Panama. The Summit was supposed to be in Sapporo in 2021, but was postponed due to COVID lockdowns. Do see 2019 posts from Japan – in January 2019 the city was covered under several meters of snow, as it is every winter. But now, in mid September, the weather was humid and in the 80s – 29 C.
JAP-POW !
Before the Summit began, we were treated to a Day of Adventure. We went on the Furano Geo Adventure which included road biking in the morning and climbing into the Furano Crater, located in Central Hokkaido in the afternoon.
The volcano is currently dormant , but there are many steam vents letting out the heat of the Earth. Thirty summers prior- TotalAdventure explored similar terrain in nearby Kamchatka Russia – also in the Pacific Rim of Fire. Look back into the Russian archives in TotalAdventure Magazine.
With the very helpful and patient crew !
Our great hike leaders.
Wagyu Beef for lunch.
Bucolic Country Barn.
Rich Volcanic Soil For Farming. Everything Impeccably Clean.
The ATTA and ourHokkaido Hosts, had a great welcoming party for us at the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics. There were actual jumpers skiing down the astroturf . Snow won’t start until November.
View From The Top. Rumor has it that Winter Olympics will return to Sapporo in 2030.
The Summit was very productive and many new companies with hundreds of trips will soon join the TotalAdventure Platform.
On Friday,September 15th, TotalAdventure boarded Jeju Air from Sapporo to Seoul ,South Korea for the next phase of the East Asian Adventure.
Last January TotalAdventure flew across the Pacific from Portland,Oregon to Tokyo. TotalAdventure had only 8 days in Japan, so we decided to split it between Tokyo, one of the most urban places on Earth, and Hokkaido, one of the widest ,snowiest islands on Earth.
We Only Had Four Days, So We Stuck To The Sapporo Region. At Two Million People,Sapporo Is One Of Japan’s Smallest Cities.
Shinto Temples Abound Everywhere.
Year Round Outdoor Cafe. Coffee Is Overtaking Tea In Japan.
A Woodcut of Otaru Port In The 1600s.
Winter Festival In Sapporo. TotalAdventure Watched The Sculpting.
Global Warming Is Not Yet Affecting Hokkaido. When It Does, More Snow Will Fall.
2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.
2014 was a busy travel year for ArcticTropic. In all, we travelled an equivalent of more than twice around the world.The voyage to Myanmar in March ,via Frankfurt and Singapore was to the opposite side of the world and back the same route. In May and June we travelled in a continuous Eastbound direction until we ended up back where we started. In contrast, the 2.5 hour hop to Panama was a mere commuter flight.
ArcticTropic Panorama of this summer’s stop in Japan on the Round The World Journey .
Yamanouchi is an ancient village in the Japanese Alps, in the Prefecture of Nagano. Snow monkeys live in the forests and bathe in the volcanic hot springs. For a few months the forests are free of snow and the monekys give birth to many offspring.
A protective Mother.
Geysers shoot boiling water up from the volcanic ground.
While melted snow fuels the icy waterfalls.
Mother and Child in the forest.
Yamanouchi is an ancient village built atop thousands of hot springs. Buildings are heated naturally.
Social life revolves around the baths.
Inside a men’s bath. Cold water is mixed with hot to create a bath of 42 C ( 107 F ) .
A Zen Dinner at the Ryokan.
For adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE
The best way to explore Japan is on the 200 mph , 320 kph High Speed Shinkansen network on Japan Rail. The Japan Rail Pass allows 7 days of unlimited travel for $ 279 – only non-resident foreigners are eligible. Distances in Japan are great – but seem close on these trains that seem to fly along the ground.
In Kyoto, the highest pagoda in Japan.
A Shinto Shrine.
Kyoto has delicious cuisine. Here is some venison sashimi.
Locusts.
And Bee Larvae
For Adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE
Japan does not normally conjure images of adventure, but ArcticTropic stopped in for several days to be totally immersed in this vibrant modern/ancient culture.
Tokyo is always the City of the Future.
Gundam ! Japan s the world’s merchandising capital.
Food choices not found elsewhere.
In vibrant Shinjuku ,where we stayed.
The best neon anywhere.
Our flight trajectory did not take us over North Korea even though we were in a Chinese plane. We passed about 50 miles south of that path.
For Adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE
Next week ArcticTropic departs from Miami to Moscow – then on to Siberia, Mongolia,China, Japan and British Columbia