Trip accounts 2017

Currency exchange rates at time of trip:

¥1=£0.00685

¥1=€0.00807
¥1=$0.00882
Prices are per person.

Transport:
• Flights: ¥66,585   £456.11   €537.34   $587.28 (bought 7 months in advance, we got them at an amazing price!).  Jorge and Will paid an extra £173 (¥25,255 €203.80 $222.75) each to fly their bikes.
• Car: ¥42,666   £292.26   €344.31  $376.31 (includes rental, tolls, petrol and parking for 2 weeks). Me and Manuel paid ⅔ of the rental and the full cost of the other expenses as we were the main users of the car.
• Shinkansen: ¥33,610   £230.23   €271.23   $296.44 (Tokyo to Fukuyama and Osaka to Tokyo).
• Ferry: ¥5800   £39.73   €46.81   $51.16 (includes 1 car with driver and another person).
• Public transport (train and subway): ¥1,905   £13.05   €15.37   $16.80.
• TOTAL = ¥150,566   £1031.38   €1215.07   $1328

Accommodation:
• Tokyo tax and onsen tax included. No tax paid in Osaka as accommodation price was below ¥10,000.
• We stayed in 2 hostels, 2 ryokans, 4 hotels and 1 temple lodging. Apart from the hostel in Osaka, all others were great.
• Apart from the hostels, all other accommodations provided breakfast. 
• Dinner was included in 4 of the days. In Shimanto we paid for the hotel Keiseki dinner at ¥1700 (£11.65, €13.72, $15) and in Kawayu Onsen we paid for the hotel dinner buffet at ¥3240 (£22.20, €26.15, $28.60). These prices were included in the 'food' part of the expenses.
• Cheapest accommodation was obviously For Leaves Inn Uehonmachi in Osaka, ¥2475 (£17, €20, $21.83) per night. It's not worth it!
• Most expensive accommodation was the temple lodging at Koyasan, Koyasan Onsen Fukuchi In, at ¥10,891 (£74.60, €87.90, $96) per night. Great experience but not for more than 1 night!
• TOTAL = ¥94,325   £646.13   €761.20   $832

Food:

• As usual not many alcoholic beverages.

• Cheapest meal was at the Japanese fast food joint in Tokyo on the day we arrived, ¥596 (£4, €4.8, $5.26).

• Most expensive meal was the 'all fish' dinner in Wakayama at ¥3500 (£24, €28.25, $30.87).
• TOTAL = ¥24517   £168   €197.85   $216.24

Wifi:

• Sakura mobile 3GB sim card at ¥4590. Me and Manuel shared the card and split the cost so ¥2295 (£15.72, €18.52, $20.24) each.
• 3GB was more than enough for 2 weeks for 2 persons.
• Almost all accommodations had wifi which we used at night. Wifi speed varied greatly.

Atractions/Activities:
• Onsen (Dogo Onsen and Iya Onsen Hotel): ¥1440   £9.86   €11.62   $12.70.
• Cooking course at Eat Osaka: ¥6500   £44.53   €52.46   $57.33.
• Museums: ¥1356   £9.29   €11 $12.
• Castles and villa: ¥800   £5.48   €6.46   $7.06.
• Tsurugisan chairlift: ¥1860   £12.74   €15   $16.40.
• Sandanbeki Caves: ¥1300   £9   €10.5   $11.5.
• Koyasan combo ticket: ¥1500   £10.28   €12.10   $13.23.
• Mikimoto Island: ¥1500   £10.28   €12.10   $13.23.
• TOTAL = ¥16,256   £111.35   €131.19   $143.38.

TOTAL:
Transport aside as it is the most expensive part of the trip, all other expenses come up to ¥137,393    £941.22    €1108.76    $1121.86.
Dividing these expenses for the 14 days we were in Japan, the daily expenses come up to: ¥9,813.80      £67.23     €79.20     $80.13.
Overall, all expenses together, but shopping spree aside, the total cost of the trip for me was: ¥287,959    £1972.60    €2323.83    $2449.86.
Japan provides a very good value for money!

The last leg

Day 15

Yep, time to return.

We sorted out breakfast at a coffee shop near the hostel and decided to go all out on the pastries. Gluten and sugar combo, I'm ready to fall in love with you again!

We headed to the airport and checked-in early. I'm happy we decided to go early because we got  a check-in desk trainee who took a while to check-in 4 people, 4 backpacks and 2 bike bags. Nevertheless, she did her job well and with the usual Japanese grace so we were patient.

Jorge and Will had noodles for the last time in Japan. Manuel craved for fries and went everywhere to find them. He came back empty handed. In the end, there was a burger place just around the corner from where we sat. I had a burger and he had fries. Fries were not worth the bother. Manuel waited forever for a portion of it and then they were sub-standard.

This time I flew much better. I refused to sleep as I was trying to trick the jet-leg. I watched 4 movies:

• La La Land. My initial reaction to this movie  was 'What the hell is this?'. I persevered and half way through the movie it actually got interesting. The end is unexpected. Partially because it is not your typical Hollywood ending, and partially because it manages to have two different endings at the same time, a good and a sad. Once you cope with the boring first part of the movie, you are then rewarded with a good story.

• Harmonium. A very emotional Japanese movie dwelling on betrayed friendship, family, regret and revenge. Winner of a Cannes Film Festival award. There's no action to it, it is a proper drama. It's worth watching.

• Fantastic beasts and where to find them. J. K. Rowlings, what more do I need to say?

• Hidden figures. Black empowerment and women empowerment. It's never out of fashion!

I decided to say goodbye to Japan with a Karen Millen dress. I soon regreted using a designer piece.
I poured coffee on the dress. There was a minute of panic and then I raced to the toilet. Airplane toilets are not just small and scary, they are not designed for hand washing items of clothing. Whilst one hand is engaged in getting the water to pour out of the tap, you are left with only one hand to wash. As anyone who has ever handwashed a piece of clothing before knows, you actually need two hands.
There I was, in  the smallest imaginable sink, using one single hand to hold the dress and wash it at the same time. Let's just say it is not an easy or eficient task.
I washed as much as I could, inundating the toilet floor at the  same time. I had to dress it again as I had no other clothes with me. I decided to put the blanket provided for sleeping underneath the dress to provide some insulation and my designer piece became a very unfashionable ensemble. At least I wasn't cold!
Back home I desperatelly tried to wash the dress, time and time again, with different speciality products. I learned that coffee stains are very hardy and nearly impossible to remove once they dry. All I can think is that it was the first time I wore the dress and that it cost me £200... Sad!
We arrived in London at 9pm, took a taxi home and to bed we went. I fell asleep thinking about our next trip. Japanese Alps, next time it's where we're going.

It's a normal tea cup.

Day 14

We woke up late today. It was hot at night and I think we are getting tired of the trip. Driving takes it's toll. 

Maybe I should have included more rest days. I say that every time I plan a trip and every time I want to do as much as I can. In the end I never allocate enough 'lazy' days. Saying that, I'm sure Will and Jorge are going to be a lot more tired than us when we finish.

No plans for today I must say. All we knew is that we had to return to Tokyo by the end of the day. Manuel did not have any ideas, as usual!, so I decided I wanted to buy noodle bowls as we have none in London. We have tried to eat noodles in soap dishes and that has proven to be a bad idea...

We took the subway this morning and found the picture below on the platform. Does this mean there is a lot of 'grabbing'during rush hour?

Yesterday, at Shinsaibashi, I did not see many home shops. It was mainly fashion, many high street names and I even found a branch of the street with luxury brands. Today we went to another area of Osaka that is popular for shopping: Tenjinbashi-suji Shotengai.

Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street (shotengai) stretches from north to south approximately 2.6km from Tenjinbashisuji 6-chome subway station to Tenjinbashi bridge. It boosts to be the longest straight shopping street in Japan. The street is covered by arcades in succession with gaps in intersections. Each section of arcades has it's own theme, one with red toriis, another with blue toriis, another with flags, etc.

It is like this street is your local high street. Old ladies pulling their shopping trolleys into grocery stores. People on bikes stopping at the door of the mini-market to grab some lunch. Shops selling groceries, clothes, shoes, books, snacks, medicines. Food restaurants and food stalls. It is clear that this shopping street has more affordable items and caters for the basic needs of life. Saying that, pachinko is not a basic need and the amount of Pachinko Halls is unbelievable!

Shinsaibashi has a shopping mall feel, Tenjinbashi-suji has a neighbourhood feel.

We walked literally for miles. It takes a while to walk the full 2.6km! It was not as crowded as last night Shinsaibashi was, but it was a weekday morning so instead of crowds of tourists and fashionistas you could see the locals going about their lives.

There were some food stalls along the route. One of them selling soya milk products. We bought a soya desert. I ate a chocolate pudding and Manuel bought a plain soya pudding and was given maple syrup to pour on top. They were delicious! I do not eat soya related products in the UK because I really don't like the taste, but the soya products in Japan are absolutely delicious. They clearly keep the best stock for themselves...

I was paying for my chocolate pudding and, clumsy as I am, I managed to drop it. It splattered on the floor. The old lady selling the desert came quickly to clear it away and gave me a new one. No hesitation at all! I tried to pay for the second one but she would have none of it. Customer service at it's highest level even on the streets.

I did find a homeware shop to buy my noodle bowls. The shop was packed with porcelain ware and I spent some time there choosing. What do you think?

As I was paying a tea cup caught my eye. I fell in love with it and added it to my shopping. I was remarking to the shop assistant how beautiful it was, she looked at me, frown her brows a bit and replied 'It's a normal tea cup'. Well... it may be normal to you but I don't see such pretty bamboo painting on tea mugs commonly in Europe!

It was just after lunchtime and we decided that we were done with Osaka. We picked up our backpacks from the hostel and headed on to Shin-Osaka train station. 
Below, a photo taken on the subway. Manuel's only comment was 'If it was me taking that photo, I would have been arrested'.

We had time to quickly buy a bento box and board the shinkansen to Tokyo. Eating in trains is frown upon in Japan, bento boxes in shinkansens are the only exception. 
As usual I slept the all way. Damn comfortable and stable these shinkansens! Worth their price in gold (one way Osaka-Tokyo per person: ¥14450, £99, €116.6, $127.5).

Wise Owl Hostels Tokyo. Yes, we're staying at the same hostel and we arrived there almost at the same time as Will and Jorge.

Will had dinner with his friend Chris whilst watching the highlights of Giro D'Italia. Manuel is technically incapable of eating, he gets unwell every time he tries so he skipped dinner (he really needs to check what's going on!). That means me and Jorge had a date night.

We went out looking for food and found a steakhouse. Why not? Let's see how Japanese do steak!
We can confirm Japanese can handle any type of food and are able to transform anything into a gastronomic orgasm.

Osaka really comes to life after sunset!

Day 13

Breakfast was at the train station, at a cafe. I was in need of strong coffee. It's hot in Osaka and I always feel a bit less energetic when it's hot.

Today was a special day. We had booked a cooking class with 'Eat Osaka'. Osaka Street Food was the theme. I was sooooo excited!!!!

Meeting point was at Tower Knives Osaka in Shinsekai.

Shinsekai is Osaka's old downtown, a district that developed before the war and was neglected for decades after the war ended. It is an area of commerce, restaurants, shops, gambling and it does have a vintage feel. Half of the establishments were closed. I have been told that Osaka is a city that wakes up at sunset so I was not expecting much open in the morning.

The Tsutenkaku tower, constructed in 1912 after Paris's Eiffel Tower, is an observation tower with 103m and towers over the area. Tokyo Tower in Tokyo and Sapporo TV Tower in Sapporo were built in the shape of the Eiffel Tower as well. It seems Japanese have a fixation with the Eiffel Tower!

The chef responsible for the cooking class picked us up from the shop and took us to a nearby house. According to her, they use a friend's house for the cooking classes. It did look like a private residence.

There were 6 of us around the table, an american couple from California, an Australian couple and me & Manuel.

Osaka Street Food menu included:

• making udon from scratch. 

• chopstik okonomiyaki. 

• yakitori.

We started by making the udon dough and learned that it is a lot more fun and unconventional than we thought. The dough is kneaded with your feet and the proving is done in your pants (in this instance it was Manuel's pants who proved mine as I was wearing a dress). Worry not, the dough was inside a plastic bag throughout this process! 

We learned how to cut the dough and the tricks involved in cooking them al dente, The chef had already prepared the dashi sauce for it and cut the remaining ingredients.

The yakitori is the easiest dish in the planet. Season, let it stand for an hour and then cook in a pan. As easy as that!

The chopstick okonomiyaki requires a bit more work. Cutting the vegetables, making the mix, cooking in the flat griddle, rolling it and then topping with the sauces and bonito flakes.

In the end we ate what we cooked and had green tea and a typical green tea kit-kat for desert.

The chef gave us the recipes in writing and sent us the photos she took throughout the class via e-mail. The class was great, the chef was knowledgeable, the food was very good and the service (from the booking process to the photos afterwards) was excellent. It is worth the full ¥6500 (£44.5, €52, $57) we paid for it.

After the class we returned to the knives shop. I know the reason why the meeting point was there was marketing but the truth is that I had intended to buy a proper Japanese kitchen knife on this trip. So it was perfect as we used the knives during the class and then went to the shop to buy one.

Tower Knives Osaka sells Sakai knives. Sakai is a city on the outskirts of Osaka that has been famous for it's forged knives for several centuries now.

I had wanted to buy a knife with hand-folded steel but they were a bit out of my budget so I chose the 2nd best option: pre-folded steel but hand crafted. It is called Gyuto (each style and size of knife in Japan has a specific name), 210mm, and it cost ¥29,000 (£199, €234, $256). It was no cheap cookie but it will be my kitchen baby for a while.

The shop offers name engraving for free. My name in Japanese was engraved on the blade for posterity. 

The shop assistant was great. She taught me the technique to cut hard and soft foods and how to sharpen it. I also bought the stone to sharpen it, I know... shop, shop, shop...

We said goodbye to Shinsekai and walked to Osaka castle. It was an hour walk. Osaka is big! It was sunny and sun is always welcome.

Osaka castle stands in the middle of a big park named after itself: Osaka Castle Park. Very imaginative! Around the park are several government buildings and hotels, all very modern and sharply contrasting with the park.

Although the first version of the castle dates from 1583, war and lightnings have destroyed it several times. The present version dates from 1931 and it was constructed with ferro-concrete, not wood. It miraculously survived WWII and it was refurbished in 1997. It is a big landmark of the city and surrounded by secondary citadels, gates, turrets, stone walls and moats. 

We went past a building that was clearly a martial arts hall. There were 2 classes ongoing of the 2 most popular Japanese martial arts: judo and kendo.

The park is very busy, full of tourists but also locals traversing it by bike on what looked like their daily commute. It's worth a visit!

Manuel was feeling unwell again. We're not sure what's wrong with him, Is it the weather? The food? He decided to return to the hostel for the day but I wanted to see more of Osaka so I headed southwest from the castle to Minami area, one of Osaka's major city centres and the most famous entertainment district to check out Shinsaibashi and Dontonbori.

Shinsaibashi shopping arcade and surrounding area is Osaka's premier shopping centre. It's 

600m long and I did what I was supposed to do, I walked and shopped. I finally bought Japanese underwear. Yay!!!! Sorry, my boobs aren't allowing any photos!

Shinsaibashi leads on to Dontonbori street, which runs along the canal of the same name. It's a popular shopping and entertainment district and a food destination. At night is it lit by hundreds of neon lights.

Both Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori were crowded, Osaka really comes to life after sunset! 

I walked for hours, I'm not sure for how long. I was hungry and looking for street food I hadn't tried before but all the street stalls had food I already knew and the restaurants had huge queues. I kept going until 9.30pm and then I quit and went into an okonomiyaki restaurant, It was managed by a lovely old couple. The lady tried to get a conversation out of me and we did managed with my small knowledge of Japanese and her small knowledge of English.

Some photos on the way home: