// we saw these curry crackers all over sapporo. and finally caved at the airport by buying a whole box.
// so. good. no joke. get them if you ever find them. hoard them, even. yoshimi curry curry sticks.
// when in osaka ... takoyaki
Showing posts with label sapporo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sapporo. Show all posts
3.16.2012
day 17
as planned, we took our flight from sapporo to tokyo. but instead of staying in tokyo, we got on a train straight for osaka. the train was standing room only, but we made it.
// we saw these curry crackers all over sapporo. and finally caved at the airport by buying a whole box.
// so. good. no joke. get them if you ever find them. hoard them, even. yoshimi curry curry sticks.
// when in osaka ... takoyaki
// we saw these curry crackers all over sapporo. and finally caved at the airport by buying a whole box.
// so. good. no joke. get them if you ever find them. hoard them, even. yoshimi curry curry sticks.
// when in osaka ... takoyaki
3.15.2012
day 16
this was our last day in hokkaido, so we just took it easy and ventured around town a bit
// did a side-by-side tasting of a couple hokkaido milks. unfortunately, neither were awesome.
// while walking outside, it started snowing like crazy. fluffy fluffy snow.
// for dinner, we had genghis khan bbq. when you walk in, you don't even have to order, unless you want a beer. they bring you a plate of meat and all the sauce, veggies and sides. sit, grill, chow down. oh, and leave your coat in the closet.
// did a side-by-side tasting of a couple hokkaido milks. unfortunately, neither were awesome.
// while walking outside, it started snowing like crazy. fluffy fluffy snow.
// for dinner, we had genghis khan bbq. when you walk in, you don't even have to order, unless you want a beer. they bring you a plate of meat and all the sauce, veggies and sides. sit, grill, chow down. oh, and leave your coat in the closet.
3.13.2012
day 14
our thoughts regarding our next steps were changing by the hour. at this point, we were thinking of rearranging the order of the japanese cities we would visit to delay visiting the danger zones. meanwhile, our parents just wanted us out of japan asap. obviously, the news we were getting in japan was playing out very differently back home. but we really didn't want to be glued to the tv/internet all day. so we ventured out some in the neighborhood.
// for snacktime, i chose to go with mini croissants, sold by weight
// my 152JPY ($1.86) worth of croissants
// aj's 500JPY ($6.11) worth of juice ... we would not soon forget that fancy fancy juice
// for snacktime, i chose to go with mini croissants, sold by weight
// my 152JPY ($1.86) worth of croissants
// aj's 500JPY ($6.11) worth of juice ... we would not soon forget that fancy fancy juice
3.12.2012
day 13
we were still following the news, and it looked like we were still safe where we were. we continued to just enjoy our time in sapporo.
// after a long day of window shopping, we trudged through maruyama koen to a special destination
// destination: to see this lovely lady (owner of barnes)
// she treated us to the world's best-tasting soft cream x 3
// after a long day of window shopping, we trudged through maruyama koen to a special destination
// destination: to see this lovely lady (owner of barnes)
// she treated us to the world's best-tasting soft cream x 3
3.11.2012
day 12
this is the one-year anniversary of the big tohoku earthquake. we were doing our laundry when it happened. i remember looking at the washer drum and wondering why it was agitating even though i hadn't put in any coins yet. then i realized what was going on. we each stood in a doorway until the building stopped moving. it felt like a whole minute or two.
we definitely knew it was a big earthquake, but it wasn't really new to us since we are cali kids. not understanding what they were saying on the news was a little bothersome, but by the looks of the maps they were showing, we figured we were safe from any resulting tsunami.
everyone else seemed to be going about their day as usual, in the hotel lobby and out on the streets, so we followed suit. we figured it was just another earthquake, though quite strong.
here's a quick look at our day to show how unaware we were of the impending damage from the tsunami.
/ / /
// croquette platter for lunch (there need to be more croquette restaurants)
// crab master with our crab for the night, which he would prepare in at least five different ways
// including semi-sashimi
we definitely knew it was a big earthquake, but it wasn't really new to us since we are cali kids. not understanding what they were saying on the news was a little bothersome, but by the looks of the maps they were showing, we figured we were safe from any resulting tsunami.
everyone else seemed to be going about their day as usual, in the hotel lobby and out on the streets, so we followed suit. we figured it was just another earthquake, though quite strong.
here's a quick look at our day to show how unaware we were of the impending damage from the tsunami.
/ / /
// croquette platter for lunch (there need to be more croquette restaurants)
// crab master with our crab for the night, which he would prepare in at least five different ways
// including semi-sashimi
3.10.2012
day 11
// the best donuts from mister donut
// aj found a really cool magnifying glass
// this seafood vendor gave us a ton of generous samples including that delicious uni
// italian dinner at picchu, 100% prepared by that one guy ... more uni!
3.09.2012
day 010
// after traveling half the day to sapporo via tokyo, all we wanted was some ramen. butter corn ramen.
// and soft cream, of course (jeez, i look exhausted in every single picture)
4.09.2011
Picchu
Chef Carlo from Roberta's suggested that we check out this place in Sapporo...so of course, off we went! It's a tiny Italian place tucked away in an area right in front of the Nijo Fish Market. Couldn't have been more than 12 seats or so, and it was just the chef and his assistant. Chef pretty much did all the cooking, while the assistant mostly ran and cleaned dishes and handled all of the front of the house biz. So yeah, pretty much a one man show kitchen-wise.
The fun part of Piccho though was that instead of being a generic "Italian" joint, or even recreating a specific region of italy, instead the food seemed more like what would happen if you took italian methods of cooking, but applied it strictly to local foodstuffs. This being Sapporo's spring, there were no tomatoes or basil to be found on the menu.... But there was crab!
This was a pure crab sausage, with crab broth. And somewhat like Carlo's cooking, its simple structure puts a spotlight on the quality of the (very few) ingredients. No meat glue, no fancy techniques, just crab meat stuffed into a casing, delicately cooked, and sauced with itself.
Another interesting dish was our first one:
Shirako, lightly burned and served with a bit of dashi and olive oil. People at home seem to freak out about shirako (cod milt), and I even read one blog supposing that it was some kind of trick that the Japanese like to play on American tourists...After Corey Lee served it at Benu, suddenly it became some sort of symbol of bourgeois excess and foodie trophy. Never mind the fact that great Japanese restaurants in SF like Koo had been serving it to their regulars for years before places like Benu even opened. Ah yes, it's not a news story unless the 7x7/SF Chron crowd "discovers" it. (Hi Ed!). Anyway, ridiculousness aside, in Japan, it's food, plain and simple...a seasonal treat amongst many delicious seasonal treats. Having it torched was a new preparation for me, and the dashi and olive oil definitely put it into a different context.
Again, this being Hokkaido...chef served us an uni risotto. Given that uni pasta has been around at home, and even in (nicer) western kitchens for a little while now, you'd think that the leap to uni risotto would be an easy one. However, Picchu's uni risotto definitely had something to say. Instead of just being a creamy, savory, and rich flavor to give weight to the rice, here, it becomes a delicate balance of textures. At Picchu, the rice is more al dente than is typical, and it gives you the opportunity to contrast the texture of the uni versus that of the rice. It was a nice way to maintain all of what makes good uni good uni...
Quite a few more dishes came, and all of them delicious and interesting. *clicky* Best part about the meal is that it was really reasonably priced at 4,000Y per person. A good deal in any country for a chef's tasting menu. Foreign methods applied to local ingredients and sensibilities...tastes good to me!
3.31.2011
In Transit (Unrated Director's cut)
Now that I've had more than a few days of fun under my belt, it's time for me to lash out about my least favorite days on this trip. The trip has been amazing in so many ways, but not so much on days like these. And since Steph did such an awesome job with the timeline, I'll just add a little color commentary. Enjoy!
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!) A little light to start the day
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs Oddly empty flight...just like the flight in, but who knows, maybe people are just avoiding Tokyo?
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride Beware that unlike most other rail stations, once you pass the gate here, you only have one option for bento...and they were sold out of almost everything when we got to it.
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away At least I got to sit on my luggage...Steph was totally squished by the b-room. I wanted to kidney punch anyone who climbed over me (and everyone else) more than once. So looking forward to the shinkansen, but it was like a can of sardines in an 225F oven. One school aged dude in front of me was watching Bieber Music vids on his ipod touch the whole time, while his buddy next to him looked at fetishy girly magazines...Pretty sure you can guess which one disgusted me more [ed: As I write this, Steph just asked me "Are you sighing just at remembering this stuff?]
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score! Highlight of this stretch was our hotel room...too bad we had to use it to be online the whole time to figure out what to do next
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby MISERABLE
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure Clubbing hoes out in full effect waiting for trains home to start up!
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around no place to nap
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security) that one was whack, luckily we drank all of the good one.
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row I watch Battle Ship Yamamoto (again), and Partners: The Movie 2, she watches stuff with Katherine Heigl, we both watch Morning Glory...Harrison Ford is terrible in that.
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi 20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it) Don't be fooled by the nice pictures and seemingly nice accommodations, this is as business as it gets, more expensive than our $30/night place in Sapporo, except the combo soap/shampoo is on dispensers bolted to the walls. Internet is free, but hella slow and only in the lobby, and you have to ask for a new login every hour. Eats are pretty limited and a walk, but a local Doner Kebab saves the evening. Oddly, a super high proportion of italian places in the area (we're not that near the border are we?) plus a Thai buffet that looked oh so tempting... We wanted to do laundry, but there are no facilities in the area...to do it we took a tram ride into the city (15min) plus hiked another 35 min to a laundry. It's right next to a super discount grocery store and chinese restaurant that wasn't open. Nothing else in the area. If you ever get stuck there, maybe the russian deli would be a better option? After laundry, wanted to mail some heavy ass books home...but we missed the post office by 30 min. Boo. My hand will continue to be cut by the bag, and I'll have to carry that shit for a few more days. One consolation is that we hit up the local brew house for some delicious beers and tasty meatz.
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel I wanted to print out our train tickets, since there are clear instructions to do so on the ticket itself. Ask the front desk at this "business" hotel if we could print out our ticket. Clerk, with laserjet printer directly behind her says, "sorry, that is not possible, we are only allowed to print out our own stuff, and there is no printer available for the guests. However, please let me see your ticket? *I show her the .pdf*, Ah, yes, you should be fine, you can print out these tickets at the station. I've done so myself. "Okay", I say...and off we go!
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station. LYING BITCH! Our hotel couldn't possibly print our ticket for us, yet this random ass hotel right next to the station so kindly lets us print it out...doesn't ask for a charge, and they even ask if we'd like to use their internet for free. Umm, we're staying there next time.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi The most productive 2 hours online in the past 2 days. Speed and reliability = less headaches. Props to Starbuxo!
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late) And so the dominoes start to fall.
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later) Ugh, what happened to German reliability?
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop Die, Allied Schweinehund!, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs Eva, auf Wiedersehen!
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city) Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains. Ahhhh
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!) A little light to start the day
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs Oddly empty flight...just like the flight in, but who knows, maybe people are just avoiding Tokyo?
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride Beware that unlike most other rail stations, once you pass the gate here, you only have one option for bento...and they were sold out of almost everything when we got to it.
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away At least I got to sit on my luggage...Steph was totally squished by the b-room. I wanted to kidney punch anyone who climbed over me (and everyone else) more than once. So looking forward to the shinkansen, but it was like a can of sardines in an 225F oven. One school aged dude in front of me was watching Bieber Music vids on his ipod touch the whole time, while his buddy next to him looked at fetishy girly magazines...Pretty sure you can guess which one disgusted me more [ed: As I write this, Steph just asked me "Are you sighing just at remembering this stuff?]
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score! Highlight of this stretch was our hotel room...too bad we had to use it to be online the whole time to figure out what to do next
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby MISERABLE
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure Clubbing hoes out in full effect waiting for trains home to start up!
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around no place to nap
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security) that one was whack, luckily we drank all of the good one.
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row I watch Battle Ship Yamamoto (again), and Partners: The Movie 2, she watches stuff with Katherine Heigl, we both watch Morning Glory...Harrison Ford is terrible in that.
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi 20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it) Don't be fooled by the nice pictures and seemingly nice accommodations, this is as business as it gets, more expensive than our $30/night place in Sapporo, except the combo soap/shampoo is on dispensers bolted to the walls. Internet is free, but hella slow and only in the lobby, and you have to ask for a new login every hour. Eats are pretty limited and a walk, but a local Doner Kebab saves the evening. Oddly, a super high proportion of italian places in the area (we're not that near the border are we?) plus a Thai buffet that looked oh so tempting... We wanted to do laundry, but there are no facilities in the area...to do it we took a tram ride into the city (15min) plus hiked another 35 min to a laundry. It's right next to a super discount grocery store and chinese restaurant that wasn't open. Nothing else in the area. If you ever get stuck there, maybe the russian deli would be a better option? After laundry, wanted to mail some heavy ass books home...but we missed the post office by 30 min. Boo. My hand will continue to be cut by the bag, and I'll have to carry that shit for a few more days. One consolation is that we hit up the local brew house for some delicious beers and tasty meatz.
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel I wanted to print out our train tickets, since there are clear instructions to do so on the ticket itself. Ask the front desk at this "business" hotel if we could print out our ticket. Clerk, with laserjet printer directly behind her says, "sorry, that is not possible, we are only allowed to print out our own stuff, and there is no printer available for the guests. However, please let me see your ticket? *I show her the .pdf*, Ah, yes, you should be fine, you can print out these tickets at the station. I've done so myself. "Okay", I say...and off we go!
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station. LYING BITCH! Our hotel couldn't possibly print our ticket for us, yet this random ass hotel right next to the station so kindly lets us print it out...doesn't ask for a charge, and they even ask if we'd like to use their internet for free. Umm, we're staying there next time.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi The most productive 2 hours online in the past 2 days. Speed and reliability = less headaches. Props to Starbuxo!
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late) And so the dominoes start to fall.
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later) Ugh, what happened to German reliability?
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop Die, Allied Schweinehund!, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs Eva, auf Wiedersehen!
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city) Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains. Ahhhh
3.26.2011
In Transit
You know how during job interviews or small talk, people usually ask what you like to do? Well, I usually respond that I like to travel. And what do you know, I've been mistaken the whole time … Traveling is not fun, especially when you do it for 3 long days within a 5-day span. So correction, I like to discover and enjoy other interesting cities. Please let me know when someone figures out the whole teleporting thing.
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!)
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score!
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security)
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi 20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it)
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late)
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later)
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city) Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains.
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!)
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score!
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security)
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi 20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it)
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late)
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later)
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city) Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains.
3.11.2011
We're okay...
...but there were plenty of folks out there today who were far less fortunate. We, just like you, will be keeping them in our thoughts.
I'm deeply touched by everyone's concern, and for once I'm truly grateful for the internet. Just the thought of my family waking up in the morning (or middle of the night) to this kind of news, and then not knowing our status is something I've always feared. Luckily, at the very least, letting people know you're okay is easier and far more effective than ever before.
For some reason, as I've grown up, I've become jaded at the thought of earthquakes and natural disasters. I lived though '89 just fine, I've reasoned, so I've always kind of thought of people's earthquake fears (especially from those living outside of California) as blown out of proportion. Today, I can no longer think that way. One more thing I can not take for granted. As time goes by, and especially on my last few travels, I've come to realize just how tiny the world is. Whether it's in a good way (running into a friend on the street 5K miles from home), or a bad way, it just is true. When it comes to things "far away" I always have this perception of vastness, or largeness. But when you realize just how close everything really is, how connected we actually are, it becomes more and more difficult to think about what's happening as happening to "the other." There is no other, only parts of ourselves that we ignore or have yet to discover.
On a more positive note, life, safety, and the love of our friends and family...this is what carries us into the next day, and it is something I should be more thankful for, and hope to show more thanks for. I'm thankful for the fact that I'm in this with the love of my life, I'm thankful for our families for letting us be ourselves and loving us, I'm thankful for all of our friends, who make it their business to make sure that we're unhurt.
I pray for those who were hurt today and hope that the worst is over.
3.10.2011
earthquake in japan
we're pretty far from the epicenter of the quake (we're in sapporo, quake is ~240 miles northeast of tokyo), but we definitely felt it. for what felt like more than a minute. plus at least a couple more long aftershocks.
and as soon as realized what was going on, we both stationed ourselves under doorways. oddly though, no one else did. they just looked around and stood in the middle of the hallway.
and soon it was on all the channels we had.
we're ok. and seems like most others around here are too. just going about business as usual. hope the damage isn't much worse than what they're showing on tv.
and as soon as realized what was going on, we both stationed ourselves under doorways. oddly though, no one else did. they just looked around and stood in the middle of the hallway.
and soon it was on all the channels we had.
we're ok. and seems like most others around here are too. just going about business as usual. hope the damage isn't much worse than what they're showing on tv.
3.09.2011
Hokkaido
Our hotel room is the smallest one we've ever been in.
The latch on the door is falling off it's hinges.
The bedcover appears to be at least partially made from plastic.
The TV screen is smaller than the screens on our laptops.
We have to walk 2 blocks to steal Internet from another hotel's lobby.
It cuts out so much that it's taken 20 min to get this far.
It's freeeeeezing
I could not be any happier. For really reals.
I lub Hokkaido. BFF!
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