Teetoo- Japan 2023 Trip Itinerary (still updating)
- Nov 1 – Arrival at Nagoya, around Nagano Station, Stay : Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nagano-Zenkojiguchi
- Nov 2 – Bus trip to visit the famous Snow Monkey Park, Nagano, Stay : Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nagano-Zenkojiguchi
- Nov 3 – Easy trek at Togakushi 5-shrines, Nagano, Stay : Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nagano-Zenkojiguchi
- Nov 4 – Visite to Zenkoji Temple and hiking at Hakuba Happo Pond, Stay : Hotel Hakuba
- Nov 5 – Relax at Hakuba Mountain Harbour and Oide Park, Stay : Hotel Hakuba
- Nov 6 – Drive to Sea of Japan, Ben-ten Iwa rock, Stay : APA Hotel & Resort Joetsu Myoko
- Nov 7 – Drive to Kiyotsu Gorge and Naena Waterfall, Stay : APA Hotel & Resort Joetsu Myoko
- Nov 8 – Drive around Lake Nojiri, train ride to Lake Suwa and Tateishi Park, Stay : Beni-ya Hotel
- Nov 9, 10 – Train ride to Shizuoka and Nihondaira Terrace sunset, Stay : Nippondaira Hotel
- Nov 11 – Train ride to Fuji City, walk around Atami City, Stay : Super Hotel JR Fujiekimae Kinenkan
- Nov 12 – Shy Mount Fuji, cheap seafood at Co-op and Numazu City festival, Stay : Super Hotel JR Fujiekimae Kinenkan
- Nov 13 – Mount Fuji, Shira-Ito Falls, Fujisan Sengan Shrine, Mount Fuji World Heritage Center, Stay : Super Hotel JR Fujiekimae Kinenkan
- Nov 14 – Mount Fuji, Hamamatsu Station and bus to hotel nearby airport, Stay : Hotel Route-Inn Tokoname Ekimae
Woke up early to have a morning walk along the shores of the lake – weather forecast mentioned a dull cloudy morning and it was accurate. demit. After the walk, Hotel Beniya‘s breakfast was a welcoming re-load with a sumptuous spread. Japanese breakfasts tend to be low in fat and oil and we really love it.
Today is going to be another travelling day by train from Kami-suwa Station to Shizuoka Station via a stop at Kofu Station with a total of 5000yen – which we bought from the ticket machine, thankfully we got it right. The price is inclusive of a) basic train ticket and b) reserved seating for both trains.
We boarded the Super Azusa E353 Limited Express which had a tilting rolling stock and a sleek looking front. A rolling stock minimize the tilting effect and ensure a smooth ride for the passengers during high speed corners – a unique trait amongst trains. This is the second time we sat in this model since the Tokyo-Matsumoto (older E351 model) trip.
Just a short 1 hour plus ride, we reached Kofu town – we went outside the station for a walkaround, reminiscent of our trip to this town 9 years back. After rest kau-kau, we purchased bento boxes at Kofu Station to stuff ourselves for our next 2hour plus train ride on the slower Limited Express Fujikawa to Shizuoka 373 EMU. We normally will purchase bento box for a ride that lasts more than 2 hours.
Once we reached Shizuoka Station, we proceeded to the JR Central Office to exchange and activate our Mt. Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini 3-day pass (Adult: ¥6,500 / Child: ¥3,250) we bought at Klook. We purchased 2 sets for 6-day use around Shizuoka/Fuji region. This is a very recommended pass coz it covers quite a large area and it is relatively cheap compared to the other passes. It does not cover Shinkansen, however.
Then we waited at a designated bus-stop just outside Shizuoka Station for our hotel van to pick-up. The distance to the hill-top hotel is a 30mins van ride thru quiet and windy roads. Upon reaching the summit, we can see the sun setting fast (yes, it took us almost a whole day), so quickly did our check-in at Nippondaira Hotel. Interesting part is the hotel lobby had a small Malaysian flag amongst Japan and Taiwan flags – i reckon any new guests had their country flags on display for check-in day.
We literally dropped everything in our room and brisk walk to nearby Nihondaira Yume Terrace, a free observatory designed by the famous japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, which offers 360 degrees panorama of south Shizuoka. I’ve visited quite a bit of his work – those that I loved visiting which are mostly not the famous ones.
As the sun slowly descended behind the mountains, the surroundings were shrouded with brilliant golden yellow – which was so poetic and beautiful. Back at the hotel, we decided to have abit of “atas” dinner but the most affordable restaurant at Garden Lounge, Nippondaira Hotel. The dinner set was extremely satisfying although the portion was not much. Mount Fuji did now show up at all that day.
The next day, we had to go downtown to purchase a new travelling bag to replace our zipperless one which, thankfully, lasted as much as it could. It was a rainy morning with 0-view of Mount Fuji when we made our way down to Shizuoka City in the hotel van.
We loitered around while waiting for the shops to open when we stumbled upon a small bakery, Iroha, to purchase some scrumptuous bread for our breakfast. Then we caught an early lunch at the nearest Matsuya Shizuoka branch, their basic beef bowl is a must have for me in every trip. We went on to purchase our unbranded travel bag at Don Quoite Shizuoka, which was a large store with quite a number of selection before sitting in Nana’s Green Tea Cafe for green-tea stuff – since we’re in green tea capital of Japan which is Shizuoka perfecture. Stopping at the nearest konbini, we purchased our dinner before heading back to the hotel to makan.
- Useful links:
- Mt. Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini 3-day pass : Information
- Get it from Klook
- Nihondaira Yume Terrace
- From our experiences :
- Booking hotels requires abit of strategy. We book cheap hotels on weekends and expensive ones on weekdays. :P