Last night in Tokyo

October 24, 2023November 7, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

We returned from Nikko to Tokyo for our last night in Japan. Our 14 days holiday in Japan went quite quickly. I guess it’s true what they say that time runs fast when you are having fun! The last evening was spent hunting for a new suitcase. I came to Japan with less than 8 kilos hand carry luggage and had now ran out of space because of the many snacks and stationeries. We decided to go to Shibuya, just like we did during our last night in Tokyo in 2018. I also wanted to get one of the most important Eki stamps from Shibuya station. This one has the paw print of Hachikō! Check out the reel of the day here.

The next morning, my husband went to the airport at 9 AM as he was flying to Helsinki through Bangkok. I stayed a few more hours just passing time walking in Asakusa before it was time to leave for Haneda airport. At the airport, I saw the most beautiful sunset. I cannot believe my eyes. The sun was setting by Mt Fuji. And no, I was not on the rooftop observation deck. I was coming out of the food court after dinner. I felt blessed! Check out the last reel here.

Some take aways from this holiday:

Good walking shoes are important. We were walking more than 10 kilometres each day. So imagine wearing bad shoes!
Registering online at Visit Japan Web for the QR codes for immigration and customs made entering Japan so much faster.
Having a Welcome Pasmo or any other IC cards was really useful when using public transport (although, not in Okinawa) and also paying for convenience store purchases.
It’s good to have cash as many places only take cash, like street food vendors and small local restaurants.
Having a pocket wifi all the time was very good because we really need to be connected to check on routes and locations. I highly recommend it and we only paid around 55 EUR for the entire 14 days.
Buy flight tickets early as prices tend to spike up.
Book accommodation that has free cancellation because there might be changes along the way.

I love how Japan is a great mixture of the old and the new. I love how Japan just has lots of amazing food. Even the convenience stores sell good snacks. I love how Japan has a very efficient and clean public transport. I love that Japan is very clean with clean toilets everywhere. I love that tap water is drinkable. I love that restaurant meals include drinking water. I’m not a fan of buying bottled water. I love their top range customer service. I love that there is no tipping as we are not use to that in Europe. I love that I can enjoy simple stuff like collecting Eki stamps, watching out for pretty manholes and playing Gachapons. I felt safe in Japan. There was no single moment when I felt that I was in a dangerous situation.

I can truly say that it was an amazing holiday. And if I can make another wish, I wish to visit Japan again! Bye for now, Japan. Until next time!

You can watch a flip through of my travel journal here!

All photos from my Japan posts are by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainen.com

Tokyo – Nikko – Tokyo

October 22, 2023March 21, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

We returned to Tokyo and spent 2 nights in Asakusa. The first evening, we went shopping at Uniqlo flagship store in Ginza which has 12 floors. You can check out the reel here. The next afternoon was spent in Yanaka Ginza which is a very different Ginza. I love Yanaka Ginza with its traditional 173 meters shopping street from the 1950s. This street is lined with small locally owned shops, cafes and food stalls which explores the nostalgic side of Tokyo. It was so fun! You can check out the reel of the day here. We also visited the Tokyo Skytree in the morning and crossed the beautiful Sumida river from Asakusa.

Then it was time to visit Nikko. Nikko is a small city in Tochigi Prefecture north of Tokyo. We got on the new SPACIA X, a new-model limited express train linking Tokyo’s Asakusa district with the Nikko/Kinugawa area. The SPACIA X trains started running on the 12th of July 2023. Mind you that purchasing the tickets was not easy as the seats were sold out within 5 minutes from the start of the selling time. It’s so new that passengers were excitedly posing with the train for photos.

People are saying that a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo is sufficient enough. But if I have to do it again, I will stay longer in Nikko. We had a nice accommodation near the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, with an onsen that we can use privately. It was also in Nikko that I have tasted the best vegetarian meal ever called the Shojin Yyori (monk’s diet) which consists of rice, vegetable tempura, stewed yuba, yuba sashimi and a soup. Yuba are soy sheets and is a Nikko specialty. It was so delicious! Check out the reel for the day here.

We spent a night in Nikko and will definitely return to Nikko someday. Then we returned to Tokyo for our last night in Japan…

Takayama

October 19, 2023March 21, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

Now, it’s time to travel to the heart of the Japanese Alps – Takayama, a city located in Gifu Prefecture. It was a 5 hours bus ride from Shinjuku Expressway bus terminal to Takayama Nohi Bus Centre with several breaks along the way. The bus was so clean and comfortable. We also had a lot of snacks from the convenience store. Since we planned to do side trips to Kamikōchi and Shirakawa-go, we booked our accommodation very close to the bus centre. It was a good choice as the hotel room was so spacious (there was even a washing machine and dryer in the room) and walkable to see Takayama’s beautifully preserved old town. The old town has lots to offer in terms of street food (Hida Beef is a must try!) and sake tasting. You can check out the reel here.

The next day, we took an hour bus ride to Kamikōchi, a mountainous highland valley in the western region of Nagano Prefecture. At this point, I was glad I brought my quilted jacket and gloves (which I prepared for going back to Helsinki) as there was a drop in the temperature. Coming to Japan in October, I thought I will see Autumn colours but it was said that Autumn in Japan this year will be 10 days late than normal. So I was not expecting to see those beautiful trees full of vibrant colours, painting the mountains and forests. However, this day was a lovely autumn day. I was surrounded by foliage of gold, brilliant oranges, reds and yellows with Mount Hotaka in the background. To be honest, it was the most beautiful Autumn I have ever seen! You can check out the reel here.

The next morning, we visited Shirakawa-go which is located in the north-western part of Gifu Prefecture, in the approximate centre of Japan. It’s a village with Gassho-style houses and a World Cultural Heritage site. It is very pretty! It was here where I saw a persimmon tree for the first time with its beautiful fruits adorning the tree. It was also here where I tried the Hida Gyuman Honp bun. So yummy!

By midday, we returned to Takayama and enjoyed the street food again. We spent the rest of the day at Takayama Showa-kan museum which was lots of fun! You can check out the reel for the day here.

We spent 3 nights in Takayama and it was worth every minute. Next stop is Tokyo…

Fujiyoshida

October 16, 2023March 21, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

We flew back to Tokyo from Naha, Okinawa and this time we stayed in Shinjuku. It was fun to walk around Shinjuku and to see familiar places from 2018. It was also a must to see Godzilla on top of Hotel Gracery and the giant 3D calico cat billboard. It was so cute! But other than that, Shinjuku is not really my favourite… You can check the reel here.

However, the next day was so much fun. We took the 11:45 bus from Shinjuku Expressway bus terminal to Fujisan station. The amount of snacks from the convenience store was also a plus for an almost 2 hours drive. When we arrived at the Fujisan station, it was necessary to check out the Tourist Information centre across the street for the Eki Stamp. But also, they gave us postcards and information on how to get to Chureito Pagoda on foot. It was easy but the 398 stair steps climb might be a challenge for many. While I was going down, people who were climbing up asked me if the climb was worth it. It’s a definite yes! We were blessed to see Mt Fuji capped with snow. It was capped for the first time this season a few days ago, on the 5th of October.

We returned to Shinjuku on the 20:04 bus and had a wonderful dinner at Yoshida restaurant before heading back. Yoshida restaurant was so homely. The set meal was so delicious. I had a grilled fish set and it cost around 6 EUR. I also got some Gashapons at the station which were exclusive to Mt. Fuji. You can see the unboxing here.

So for those who are wondering if you can see Mt Fuji on a day trip, yes you can. And you don’t need to join a tour or rent a car or to wake up super early. However, you need to walk. But check the weather first before going and time your travel well so that you can avoid the traffic jam. Hope this helps! Check out the reel for this day here.

The next post is about Takayama with side trips to Kamikōchi and Shirakawa-go…

Okinawa

October 14, 2023March 21, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For a year now, I had this question in my mind. The question was, if I can go anywhere without any limitations, where will I go? The answer was actually easy. I would like to go to Mochi Island, the island I built on Animal Crossing! But then this year I realised that the closest I can get to Mochi Island is actually to visit Okinawa…

I would say that Okinawa was the main reason I wanted to visit Japan again. Although it took us another 2.5 hours flight to the south of Japan, there was no regret at all. Okinawa is so pretty with such a relaxing atmosphere. I also enjoyed the food and some which surprisingly brought me back to my childhood especially the stir fried bitter melon with eggs that was served during breakfast at the hotel and was also available at the convenience stores. The convenience stores also sell Spam Onigiri which I had to try obviously!

The first day in Naha was about getting Eki stamps at the Tourist Information counter at the airport then a stroll at Kokusai Street. We also got to try the monorail train from the airport to our accommodation which was really fun. You can watch the reel here. On the second day, we walked to Naminoue Beach. I can’t believe how empty the beach was. The water was also so pretty and just by looking at the sea really relaxes the mind. On the way back, we even met the Yakult lady. I was so happy! Check out the unexpected meeting here. However, we didn’t get enough of the beach so we took a bus to Araha Beach to catch a view of the sunset. The 1 hour ride was so worth it. It was so beautiful! You can watch the reel here.

The next day, we went to Senagajima Umikaji Terrace to watch airplanes landing at Naha airport. It was such an unbelievable sight as airplanes and more airplanes kept on landing. The Umikaji Terrace also has more than 40 restaurants, cafés and shops so it was a fun place to spend the afternoon. It was a very hot day though and the island vibes was very much alive. I just love Okinawa! Then on the way back, we visited Fukushūen Garden. Fukushūen Garden is a traditional Chinese garden in Naha. It is a very beautiful garden. I especially enjoyed watching many beautiful koi fish swimming in the pond and crossing several bridges which were very similar to the bridges on Mochi Island. And the waterfalls too reminded me of Mochi island! What we missed was to try the Buku buku tea as the tea house that we were planning to go closed at 5 pm that day. However, we were able to find a local ramen shop which served delicious ramen with daifuku for dessert. You can watch the reel here.

We stayed in Naha for 3 nights then flew back to Tokyo. The next post is about Shinjuku and Fujiyoshida…

Back in Japan

October 11, 2023March 21, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I was so excited! I was back in Japan after 5 years and for the third time. I didn’t expect this to happen, especially that we already travelled to South Korea this year. But life is full of surprises and going back to Asia for the second time this year for another holiday was such a blessing.

It all started when my husband and I were having the afternoon tea to celebrate our 28th anniversary in June. After the dream talks of visiting Japan, we decided to make it a reality so I purchased air tickets and was immediately in a full planning mood. My husband was flying after a work trip in Bangkok and it was exciting to see how everything will come together. We stayed in 7 different places and dragged our luggages from Tokyo to Okinawa, from Tokyo (with a side trip to Fujiyoshida) to Takayama (with side trips to Kamikochi and Shirakawago), from Tokyo to Nikko and back to Tokyo. Many changes happened during planning – hotel changes and destination changes. But these were all part and parcel of planning for a holiday of a lifetime. One thing that I’m most thankful for this trip was remaining healthy, even though my husband just came back from a large conference in Bangkok with more than 400 attendees. The downside was really missing our kids because they were with us when we visited in 2018 and they really love Japanese food.

I arrived at Narita terminal 2 from Helsinki at 13:05 (actually some 30 minutes earlier than scheduled) and zoomed past immigration and customs, probably in less than 10 minutes. This was because I already registered online at Visit Japan Web and had the QR codes for immigration and customs. I also just had a hand carry luggage. The first thing I did after I exited the customs was to pick up the pocket wifi that I pre rented online. I really recommend this especially that my husband had a MacBook and iPad during this travel. Being able to access the internet from multiple devices was a plus and also we had internet connection while traveling. We paid 8,840 JPY (around 55 EUR) for the rental for 14 days.

At 13:30, my husband’s flight arrived from Bangkok. I was waiting for him at the same arrival area where I came in. It was a happy reunion after a week and so our holiday started. The first thing we did was to take the free shuttle bus to terminal 1 where I got a Welcome Eki stamp from the Tourist Information centre. Then we went to the Traveler’s Factory on the 4th floor to get myself a Traveler’s Notebook journal which is exclusively available at Narita airport. We also withdrew some Yen from the ATM and bought Welcome Pasmo cards which we used for transportation and convenience store purchases. We stayed for a night in Asakusa and flew out of Haneda airport to Okinawa the next day. Please watch the Day 1 reel here. The next post is about Okinawa…

Bye, Seoul. Until next time!

April 5, 2023November 11, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

It was hard to say goodbye. But good things do come to an end. However, we still have a few hours before our flight which leaves at 21:20. So we checked out and without prior plan, we headed to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). This place is huge and it was very easy to get lost inside. It was really impressive.

Then we decided to go to Gwangjang Market to check out the stall featured on Netflix’ Street Food Asia. It was such an experience and the knife cut noodles was good and this market is really clean.

Some take aways from this holiday:

Good walking shoes are important. We were walking more than 10 kilometres each day.
Carry cash! You will not regret it as some places only take cash.
TMoney is a must have when using public transport!
I didn’t use Naver Map, although, I have it on my phone. I guess I’m just too familiar with Google Map and it worked well.
I didn’t use the Kakao T app either, although, I also have it on my phone. We didn’t need to ride a taxi at all.
Having a pocket Wifi with us all the time was very good. I highly recommend it and we only paid 39 EUR for the entire 14 days.
Buy your flight tickets early as prices tend to spike up.
Book accommodation that has free cancellation because there might be changes along the way.

I love that I got to listen to music in South Korea that I’m familiar with. I love that South Korea has an efficient and affordable public transport. I especially love taking the bus as I enjoy looking out. I love that they have clean toilets everywhere. I love that South Korea is generally clean and that I don’t have to think twice whether I should eat street food or not. I love that restaurant meals include drinking water. I’m not a fan of buying bottled water. I love that there is no tipping as we are not use to that in Europe. I love the fun of navigating the language barrier and being able to use the very few Korean words that I know. I love that the people we’ve met were really kind and helpful. You get the sense that they do care. I felt safe in South Korea. There was no single moment when I felt that I was in a dangerous situation. (CCTVs are everywhere!)

I can truly say that it was an amazing holiday. I’m so glad that we did it at the right time when the Cherry Blossom was in full bloom. We also got to fly over the North Pole on our way back to Helsinki and we have Diplomas to prove it. 😀 Lastly, I’m happy that the 50th country I’ve visited is South Korea. Bye for now, Seoul. Until next time!

Check out the reel here:

Bye, Seoul. Until Next Time

My South Korea Travel Journal can be found here.

Check out the travel video here.

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

All photos from my South Korea posts are by Ari Vitikainen at arivitikainen.com

The last full day in Seoul

April 5, 2023September 19, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

The rain continued the next day but that didn’t stop us from our plan of going to the N Seoul Tower for our last evening in Seoul. But before that, we visited the Seoul Museum of History and learned about how Seoul became how it is now. This city changed a lot and progressed rapidly in such a short span of time. I really love the model of the City of Seoul where we can see Seoul at a glance. It was fun to check out the places where we have been over the last days. The museum is free entrance and it was quite empty.

So now off to N Seoul Tower. The cable car is just a walking distance from our hotel and the rain stopped. The Daebak Company gave us free tickets to N Seoul Tower and two free drinks. Yes, it was not raining anymore but it was very foggy. The staff at the ticket counter told me that we can reuse the tickets within three months because it was a very foggy day. We went up anyway and enjoyed our drinks. I thought the fog was very pretty and showed me another side of Seoul.

Check out the reel here:

Last Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Rainy Day in Seoul

April 4, 2023April 22, 2023 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This day was a rainy day and we went to see the Lotte World Tower. Although the main reason was to really see the Seokchon Lake surrounded by Cherry Blossom. It was really pretty. We were sat infront of the Lotte World Magic Island when the light rain started pouring. It was a good idea that when we were heading to Lotte World Mall, I decided to get us some umbrellas at the convenience store. I felt confident that way than all the time worrying if the rain comes.

When we went back to Myeongdong, the rain kept going and I can’t believe why some people still haven’t invested on an umbrella! 🙂 But we continued exploring the food street and enjoyed a bite of this and that. Street food in Myeongdong is a must!

Check out the reel here:

Rainy Day in Seoul

More photos from Seoul by Ari Vitikainen can be found here.

Three more nights in Seoul

April 3, 2023September 19, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 3 Comments

This day was very special because were were visiting the Daebak Company in Hongdae. They were in the process of packing the Spring Boxes so the office has pretty Spring boxes in every corner. I really enjoyed seeing the process and all the hard work they put into it. I was also interviewed for their SNS and I really enjoyed talking about my Korean experience. It was also so lovely to meet new people and learn new things. They treated us to coffee and to a very fancy lunch at a traditional restaurant with our own private room, just like in K-Dramas when the conglomerates meet. 🙂 I really appreciate that they took time for us amidst their busy schedule. I love hearing their stories and getting to know them.

Then we walked around Hongdae but there were not lots to see during the daytime. So I hope to visit Hongdae again someday. But we went in for coffee at Koriko Cafe. So cute! I can’t resist buying some Studio Ghibli merch. We went back to the hotel so that we can take the tripod to prepare for the night shots of the bridges. I really wanted to see the Banpo Bridge though but we ended up by the Hanggang Bridge which was really pretty at night and we also walked over it. Well, maybe next time I’ll get to see the Banpo Bridge.