From famed heritage sites like Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine to the electronic mecca of Akihabara in Tokyo, this accessible adventure perfectly captured Japan’s one-of-a-kind blend of tranquil ancient beauty and vibrant futuristic innovation, all while keeping warm indoors! Join me as I recap an unforgettable expedition across central Japan to the sprawling capital city during one of its most magical seasons.

Stopping at Historic & Scenic Spots Along the Way

My wintry trip commenced in Osaka where I marveled at historic Osaka Castle dressed in glittering white snow before catching a local train bound for Kyoto. This ancient city overflowing with temples and shrines was even more breathtaking dusted in delicate flakes. I strolled along quiet paths surrounded by vermilion-colored torii gateways in Fushimi Inari Shrine, the evening light casting an ethereal glow.

After warming my numb fingers over green matcha tea in a tiny cafe along the Kamogawa River lined with weeping willows, I departed Kyoto on an evening bullet train to Matsumoto in the Japan Alps. Emerging from Matsumoto Station before sunrise the next morning, the regal bright white facade of Matsumoto Castle set against the navy wintry sky took my breath away. Later that day when I journeyed deeper into the mountains, I was awestruck by snow-capped jagged peaks stretching as far as the eye could see while riding through the Norikura Highlands on a local bus.

Cityscapes Blanketed in White – Tokyo & Beyond

Catching the limited express Super Azusa service, I was whisked back through the countryside to Tokyo in just over 3 hours. Stepping off at Tokyo Station, I emerged from the basement into a chilly winter night with the glimmering red Tokyo Tower visible in the distance. I made my way to my cozy hotel in Asakusa, eager to explore this district oozing with traditional charm and history in the morning.

As fat snowflakes tumbled from the steel gray skies, I strolled past ancient temples like the 7th-century Sensoji Temple with little shops and restaurants beckoning from narrow alleys along the way. I stopped into small galleries tucked away on side streets and sampled freshly made wagashi, ornate Japanese confections sculpted to look like seasonal flowers and scenery.

No trip to Tokyo is complete without a pilgrimage to the famous Shibuya Crossing, and it certainly didn’t disappoint on a brisk Saturday just before New Year’s Eve. Joining the orchestrated chaos of pedestrians crisscrossing what is often cited as the world’s busiest intersection, I gazed up in awe at giant video screens on dizzyingly tall buildings all competing for attention. That evening, I reveled in the infectious energy of Shinjuku’s bustling izakaya pubs where I toasted to new adventures and unforgettable winter memories over piping hot sake with new friends.

Before this magical journey came to an end, I dedicated an entire day to wandering the fascinating subcultures of Tokyo by rail, from the anime wonderland of Akihabara to cat cafe-lined alleys in Asakusa. I’ll never forget watching the sun set over the city skyline from the Tokyo Skytree on my last evening, the sprawling metropolis sprinkled with the first gentle snowfall of the year as trains connecting neighborhoods zoomed below.

Key Takeaways from Central Japan & Tokyo by Train & Bus

Transport – Seamless rail and bus networks make traversing central Honshu and Tokyo surprisingly simple, especially with the Japan Rail Pass. From the shinkansen bullet train to local lines, rely on public transportation to maximize time and experiences.

Clothing – Dress in warm layers with waterproof shoes and bring a lightweight down coat. Temperatures hover around freezing with wind, snow or rain likely during winter. Masks are recommended too as the Japanese tend to mask up when ill.

Accommodation – For urban stays, central hotels near train stations provide convenience while ryokans, traditional inns, in countryside locations offer cultural immersion. Capsule hotels are budget-friendly options in cities.

Food – Indulge in winter season specialties like nabe hot pots, ramen, and decadent wagashi sweets. Convenience stores carry budget-friendly ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and hot drinks for on-the-go needs.

Packing – In addition to cold weather apparel, bring durable shoes for walking, portable chargers, credit/debit cards usable abroad, and copies of passport/travel documents. Travel light between destinations via train and bus with a carry-on size bag.

Conclusion

Japan dazzles year-round but I’m utterly smitten by its understated wintry beauty. Crisp skies juxtapose exquisitely with rich culture and heritage, from sacred ancient sites to the excitement of Tokyo’s city streets. Seamless public transit enables adventure-packed days that end under cozy kotatsu tables in traditional inns. I can’t wait to return to central Japan and Tokyo soon to explore more wondrous travel destinations across its islands – by bullet train and local bus, of course! I hope you enjoyed this Winter 2014 Central Japan & Tokyo by Trains & Buses, Day post.

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Nagoya Station is a major transportation center, serving bullet train (shinkansen) lines, regular JR trains, Meitetsu trains, Kintetsu trains, and a subway station. Following lunch in the form of ekiben bento trays, we boarded the JR Chuo Main Line’s Shinano limited express. During this picturesque 2.5-hour journey, we traversed the majestic Kiso Valley and descended into the Japanese Alps.

As soon as we arrived at Kiso-Fukushima, a hot spring village in Nagano Prefecture, it had just begun to snow. We reached our traditional ryokan inn following a brief taxi ride. After completing the check-in process, we donned yukata garments and unwinded in the onsen springs, which were brimming with minerals, prior to indulging in a kaiseki dinner featuring regional specialties.

Day 2 Hiking the Nakasendo Trail

After indulging in a sumptuous breakfast prepared in the traditional Japanese manner at our ryokan, we mounted a portion of the renowned Nakasendo route for a stroll. During the Edo period, a trade route existed between Kyoto and Edo (present-day Tokyo) that traversed the Alps. A popular activity in the Kiso Valley is traversing the hills along the original stone pathways that traverse the hills, which are in close proximity to the remarkably preserved villages of Tsumago and Magome.

Following a twenty-minute journey from Kiso-Fukushima to Nakatsugawa Station via the JR Chuo Main Line, we boarded a local bus and arrived in the village of Magome after thirty minutes of meandering bus travel. After conducting an investigation of the historic wooden edifices that have been converted into shops and inns in Magome, we proceeded to Tsumago village via a 5-mile segment of the Nakasendo trail.

Amidst the chirping of birds and the sole sound of our own footfall the woodland stroll was serene. Decades-old stone inscriptions delineated the pathway. Three hours later, we descended into Tsumago, pausing en route to admire shrines and breathtaking vistas. Featuring its pristine thatched-roof structures and conspicuously absent electricity lines, this picturesque village is even more fortified against intrusion than Magome.

After purchasing steaming green tea and some snacks at a small shop we boarded another bus and returned to Nagiso Station via the JR Chuo Main Line in fifteen minutes. From Kiso-Fukushima where we collected our belongings we took a limited express to Matsumoto a castle town located beneath the Japan Alps.

From Matsumoto to Karuizawa on Day 3

The magnificent old samurai stronghold referred to as “Crow Castle” is the source of Matsumoto’s notoriety. We spent the morning observing Matsumoto Castle, which was situated amidst snow-capped mountains, with its striking crimson bridge and imposing black walls serving as our focal points. The castle’s moon-viewing chamber provides sweeping vistas.

Lunch was enjoyed at Matsumoto’s Nawate-dori, a riverfront thoroughfare flanked by restaurants and shops that were once historically significant structures. Sanzokuyaki, which consists of chicken marinade and skewered barbecue, is the regional specialty. We visited vendors selling handicrafts and mementos prior to assembling our possessions and boarding the Shinano, a limited express train, at Matsumoto Station.

We traveled by train for an additional scenic half-hour to reach the upscale mountain resort of Karuizawa. We rented bicycles for the purpose of exploration after settling into our lodging in close proximity to the station. The tree-lined alleyways of Karuizawa are lined with boutiques, cafés, and galleries. While perusing the shops, we took pleasure in the crisp mountain air.

That evening, we dined at a neighborhood restaurant serving shinshu soba, which are buckwheat noodles served chilled with dipping sauce or heated in broth with tempura. Following that, we indulged in a beverage in the hotel lobby and a hot spring bath to conclude the evening.

Kusatsu Onsen and Karuizawa Outlet Mall on Day 4

We commenced the day by boarding a bus from Karuizawa Station to Kusatsu Onsen, a renowned hot spring resort in Japan. After a 30-minute mountainous journey, one arrives at the medieval settlement encircling mineral-rich volcanic springs. The primary hot spring area, Yubatake, contains a substantial timber structure that chills the spring water for use in bathing.

The streets of Kusatsu, which are lined with traditional inns, bathhouses, and souvenir stores, were ours to explore in the morning. We traveled to the Netsunoyu Bathhouse in order to fully experience the therapeutic waters. We then enjoyed lunch consisting of regional specialties such as sansai mountain vegetable tempura and onsen tamago eggs, which are cooked gently in springs.

We proceeded to Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, one of the largest outlet complexes in Japan with over 200 stores, upon our afternoon bus return to the city. We strolled through the establishments stocked with discounted products by brands including Adidas, Burberry, Beams, and Shiseido.

We dined at a neighborhood izakaya tavern in the heart of Karuizawa. We conversed while enjoying sake and yakitori skewers regarding the subsequent phase of our journey: the bullet train to Tokyo the following morning.

Tokyo by Bullet Train on Day 5

Prior to packing and departing, we indulged in one final plunge in the hotel’s onsen. We enjoyed ekiben bento dishes on the train and yaki-manju buns stuffed with red bean paste at Karuizawa Station for dessert.

Using our Japan Rail Passes, we rode the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train on the Nagano Shinkansen line. Accelerating to a maximum of 160 mph, the pristine white train swiftly propelled us across the picturesque landscape and out of the mountains.

We embarked on a 1.5-hour journey, transferred to the Joetsu Shinkansen at Takasaki, and spent an additional hour in Tokyo. We made our way through the throngs of passengers at Tokyo Station to the Marunouchi exit, where we signaled for a taxi to our Shinjuku hotel.

Shinjuku, the principal commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, is adorned with colossal edifices and brilliant neon signs, upon which we fixed our gaze that evening. Warm sake and sashimi were passed to us via conveyor belt. We were extremely satisfied with our wintertime excursion throughout the heart of Japan, and we were looking forward to exploring Tokyo’s shops, monuments, and cuisine for the next few days. I hope you like this Winter 2014 Central Japan & Tokyo by Trains & Buses, Day …

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Breakfast @ Rokurinsha

Rokurinsha is a well known ramen shop in Tokyo Station serving tsukemen. It is located outside the fare gate at the Tokyo Station Ramen Street. You can’t miss it as there will always be people queuing outside the restaurant.

We queued for 30mins to get our seats. As decided to split up 2-2 and sat separately at the counter rather than wait for a table. Again here you place your order and make payment at the machine, then give your tickets to the staff.

We went for the special needles with shredded pork and a whole soft yolk egg which was ¥850 for 330g of noodles. If you prefer the original version without the pork it was ¥740. And for those who want extra noodles, it’s ¥100 for 50% more. Frankly there is no need to upsize. The regular size is very substantial. After you are done with your tsukemen, you can add water to the broth and drink the soup. And remember to add the yuzu powder. It tastes good!

Some say Rokurinsha serves the best tsukemen, but DS said that while it is good, the tsukemen at Aoba which he ate the day before was even better. I didn’t try the one at Aoba and so cannot compare. But I enjoyed both my noodles at Aoba and Rokurinsha.

Takashimaya & Pokémon Center Tokyo DX

Takashimaya Nihombashi Store is about 10mins walk from Tokyo Station. We headed there at mid morning for shopping. Must buys for me when in Japan are Cle de Peau cosmetics and Issey Miyake. As usual, first thing when I arrived at Takashimaya is to get the tourist “Hello Kitty Card” which give foreign visitors a 5% discount.

The kids headed directly to the Pokémon Center Tokyo DX which is located at level 5 of the East Building of Takashimaya. At the entrance, you are greeted by a giant Snorlax. On one side of Snorlax is the Pokémon Center Tokyo DX, and on the opposite side is Pokémon Cafe.

There are so many cosplay soft toy pikachu here that are so cute. I was so tempted to get one for myself . Btw, the Hello Kitty Card cannot be used here and tax free has to be done at the store rather than the Takashimaya Tax refund counter.

Pokémon Cafe

We had a 12.30pm lunch reservation at Pokémon Cafe. Each reservation had a 90min dining time only, so you need to be punctual. The 90min starts from your reservation time, not your arrival time. If you come late, you will have less time.

Pokémon Cafe does not accept walk-in patrons so if you want to eat here, prior reservation made via the internet is a must. Our reservation did not come easy. While it is not difficult to get a reservation on weekdays, weekends, especially during lunch time gets booked out minutes after the reservation window opens. Reservations open one month earlier at 6pm Tokyo time. Maximum 4 pax per reservation. So if you are more than 4, you need 2 reservations and may not get to sit together. I had camped myself in front of my computer to go in exactly at 6pm Tokyo time to make my reservation. After I was done, I went in again and found that most of the brunch and lunch slots for 4 pax were gone. So if you want to eat here, either come on a weekday or if you must come on a weekend, then you need to be like me and put some effort in making the reservation.

Also there are some limited items that are only available with pre-order when you make your reservations. They have the chef and waitress pikachu mascots with chains (¥1620 each) and plastic folders. The plastic folders come in a set of 3 (¥756). These items are available only to those who dine at the cafe and pre-ordered when making online reservations. You can’t buy them at the cafe.

There is discount if you preorder the donuts as a package with these limited items. A set of mascots and folders together with a box of 4 donuts cost ¥5,184. So we ordered 2 of these sets and another set of keychains and folders as all three kids including DS1 who could not join us for this trip wanted them too. And the donuts were not only cute, but were yummy too! If you buy the donuts as take out they cost ¥2592.

You are advised to arrive 15mins before your dining time. For our 12.30pm booking there was already a queue at 12.15pm. Upon entry to the restaurant we were first greeted by a row of plants shaped like Pokeballs.

We were booked for area A. Different dining slots get different areas. Area C is a long table which is shared (see photo below). Our area A are individual tables for 4 by the window. There is another section on the inside with no windows separated by the shelves in the photo below from Area C.. I think that section maybe Area B.

We sat down at our table and saw the 2 large pikachu below. I couldn’t resist taking a photo before ordering our food

Our preordered souvenirs and donuts were already prepacked and on our table when we were seated. Love this Japanese efficiency! On our table each person gets a paper table mat that you get to bring home. So to prevent dirtying it, we kept them immediately! . The menu is a red tablet.

I had the Halloween themed Not-so-scary pikachu plate (¥1706) which consist of omurice, and steak patty. If you want the plate, you can order the meal with the plate to take home (¥2894).

DH and DS both had the pikachu curry rice (¥1598)

DD has the Halloween themed Gastly menchi katsu (minced meat patty) burger which came with fries and a cup of soup. (¥1,706).

We each ordered a drink. You only get a plastic coaster (which you can bring home) if you order a drink. So we were entitled to 4 coasters. We had a choice of the special Halloween coaster or regular specific Pokémon coasters. We decided to have 2 of each. You can’t choose the specific Pokémon’s. It’s by chance. We got a Pikachu and a Jolteon which evolves from Eevee.

DH had a hot Eevee latte, DS and I each had a Pikachu ice latte. We bought our coffee with the mug/glass as the kids wanted them. The coffee cost ¥756 without the mug/glass and ¥1836 with mug/glass.

DD had the Ditto’s Ombré Fruit Tea (¥918). This was an interesting drink. There is a light on which the glass sits on which changes colour and that got reflected onto the drink. DD says that this Pokémon changes colour so it is so apt for the drink to do so too.

Only DD had a dessert. And she went for the Mimikyu Chocolate Banana Crepe. She loves Mimikyu, the Pokémon that did not feel loved and crave to be loved and so try to dress up like Pikachu. The chocolate and banana crepe was lovely. And the dessert looked so cute too. How not to love this dessert and this character?

After our meal, a friend came to visit! Yes! It’s Eevee! The fella was so cute! It makes me smile just to think of it now. Yes, we did not understand what the host was saying, but heck! What does it matter? Eevee came round to all the tables to shake hands and take photos. But you need to be quick. I was a little too slow and did not get a good picture of Eevee and the kids. Well another excuse to come again next time!

This was truely an enjoyable experience. The food were decent on the palate for a themed restaurants. And they were definitely so cute. The whole experience was great! Highly recommended for Pokémon fans!

BTW, they gave us new mug and glasses rather than the ones we used. We also bought additional plastic folders of a different design from what we preordered. A set of 3 cost ¥756. We bought 3 sets for the kids including DS1 who could not join us on this trip.

Shopping & Afternoon Tea @ Daimaru, Tokyo Station

By the time we left Pokémon Cafe, it was time for DS to head back to the hotel to pick up his stuff to go to the airport. DS is still doing his National Service and he was a last minute addition to our trip. He could only be away for 9 days (5 days plus 2 weekends) from the army, but we had already booked a 10 days trip. So he was leaving a day earlier than the 3 of us. DH accompanied him to Haneda airport while DD and I continued our shopping and eating.

We went to Daimaru at Tokyo Station and shopped until we were so tired we needed an afternoon tea break. We finally found a cafe within Daimaru which did not have a long queue called Burdigala. DD had the creme brûlée and ice coffee set (¥1188) while I had the mont blanc and ice coffee set (¥1350). I have fallen in love with mont blancs recently. DH got joined us for a coffee (¥680) when he came back from the airport. So nice to be able to rest our feet and enjoy so sweets in the mid afternoon.

Dinner @ Numazu Uogashizushi, Tokyo Station

We went to Numazu Uogashizushi at Kitchen Street in Tokyo Station for dinner. There is a large sushi counter which greets you as soon as you enter. It was full when we arrived at 7.15pm.

There were tables beside the counter top. But it felt cramped here. As we had made reservations, we were shown to the back of the restaurant given one of the low tables inside. It was nice and private here. Very cosy. We picked this based on reviews that it is reasonably priced and good. I was looking forward to good sushi here.

DD and I decided to have the Minati Mori Komachi set (¥2,660). It came with 6 pieces of bite size sushi (chutoro, sea urchin, salmon roe, shrimp, and shellfish) and 3 types of sashimi (Horse Mackerel, Tuna and white fish). Every item was so fresh. The bite size sushi was just right for me. My favorite was the horse mackerel sashimi. DH pinch on my sashimi because it was so good!

DH went for the Uogashi Nigiri set (¥2480). It had 11 pieces of sushi, and one of which was a whole conger eel. The rest of the 10 were chutoro, maguro, egg, shrimp,squid, uni, salmon roe, salmon and 2 types of white fish. These were full sized sushi. This set came with a salad.

DH couldn’t resist getting a sake(¥1140), and so he did.

The sushi here were really fresh and good and so reasonably priced too. This is going to be on my list of must eat places in Tokyo from now on!

Next up: Day 10 – Around Tokyo Station

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Tokyo Metropolitan Marunouchi @ Tokyo Station

We had a 5plus flight to catch on this last day. So the plan was to have a lazy sleep in, do some last minute shopping, have lunch, then head for the airport. We ate a box of the Pokémon donuts we bought the day before for breakfast. The second box we were bringing home for DS1 the biggest Pokémon fan in our family but who unfortunately cannot join us on this trip. The donuts were quite nice.

We were back to the Hotel Metropolitan Marunouchi in this trip. We have not stayed here for our last 2 trips to Tokyo. We figured it’s location at Tokyo Station is more convenient for the places we were visiting on this trip.

This time, we booked 2 double rooms for the first 3 nights of our stay since there were 4 of us. Then we switched to a triple room when DS went back yesterday.

As mentioned in my earlier post, the luggage we sent from the airport when we arrived was already waiting for us when we checked in. The Ghibli Museum tickets which our agent sent us was also here already. All these were brought out for us even before we asked for them. They were all well recorded in their system. We did have a little hiccup with processing my credit card initially but it worked when I changed to a different card.

The double rooms we had for the first 3 nights had a queen bed which was placed right by one wall as it was a relatively small room. But the room still had everything that we needed. Previously we had stayed in the king room and twin room which were bigger. But for this trip we figured the Queen was good enough. The deco was still what I remember from a few years ago. Simple modern.

The triple room on our last day was a twin room with an extra rollaway bed. It was a bigger room than the queen but with a third rollaway bed, there was little walking space. It is ok for a night or 2 but may get uncomfortable on a longer stay.

When we switched rooms, all we needed was pack our bags and leave them in our original rooms. Then we just returned the keys to the front desk around 10am and arranged to pick up the keys to our new room at 2pm. When we came back, all we needed was get the keys to our new room from the front desk. Our bags had already been moved to our new room. DH forgot to pack his hair cream and had left it in the original bathroom. We were pleasantly surprised that they brought the bottle of hair cream over to the new room for him too and it was placed in a similar position on the new bathroom vanity. Amazing service and attention to details!

The best thing about this hotel is its location. It is right at Tokyo Station which is so convenient to food and transport. I will never hesitate to stay here again. Experience here on every of our stay has been always good.

Shopping @ Tokyo Hands, Tokyo Station

It is always a joy to browse around Tokyu Hands. They have such an array of goods from kitchen to lifestyle to novelty items and cards and gifts. You name it they have it is how I describe Tokyo Hands. I bought some small all-occasion gift cards. Tokyo Hands have lots of variety of those and they are all pretty and come in so handy and useful with presents.

I also came across a series of greeting cards that open up to a 3D decorative item. Eg a Christmas card that open to a Christmas tree that you can display. A card with the chinese zodiac caught my eye, and I decided to buy it as a decoration for the table at home on Chinese New Year. This is such a great idea for a greeting card. Normally you will throw a greeting card away. But in this instance, you can use it as a decorative item …how practical!

I was at Tokyu Hands when I received a message from my sister to get her a Kyocera ceramic knife. She says that it is so useful but expensive in Singapore. It is cheaper in Japan. I found it in Tokyu Hands and since I was at it, decided to buy one for myself too…haha. It may be cheaper in shops like Don Don Donki, but since she did not tell me earlier, there was not enough time to go search for a cheaper options elsewhere. ‍

Sukiyaki @ Moritaya, Marunouchi

DH and I have been wanting to have sukiyaki in Japan after having it in Kyoto on one of our previous trips. We don’t get good sukiyaki in Singapore. There are 2 styles of Sukiyaki, Kansai style (which we had in Kyoto) and Kanto style (what they serve in Tokyo). Kansai style sukiyaki is where the beef is seared in the hot plate before a thick gravy is added. Kanto style is more soupy as the beef is cooked in a slight broth.

We decided to have our sukiyaki at Moritaya because it is on the top floor of Marunouchi Building, 5mins walk from Tokyo Station and most importantly, because they serve Kansai style sukiyaki here. We were considering whether to have dinner or lunch and decided on lunch because lunch was cheaper , and also because the restaurant has a good view of the Imperial Palace, and we won’t be able to see at night. We had reserved a table with view of the Imperial Palace. That cost an extra cover charge of ¥2000 per table. We thought it was worth paying for, so we just went for it.

We went for the ¥6000 per pax sukiyaki set which comes with both fatty and lean wagyu. We were first served with an appetizer.

The waitress started preparing our sukiyaki. First she broke an egg into each bowl and beat the egg. The beaten egg was to be used as a dip for our beef.

Then the cooking begins. She started by scattering some sugar in the pan. Next she rubbed a piece of beef fat all over the pan to grease it before searing the wagyu. Then she poured a thick sukiyaki sauce all over the beef and let it simmer.

Each sliced of perfectly cooked wagyu was then placed in each bowl of beaten egg and passed to us. The beef was so tender it melted in our mouth. We were served rice, miso soup and pickles to go with our sukiyaki.

Next the waitress proceeded to cook the tofu and vegetables. The tofu and vegetables were arranged neatly in the pan, some sugar was scattered all over, and sukiyaki sauce was added to the dish for it to simmer. When the vegetables were almost cooked, the vegetables were pushed to a side of the pan and she added the beef. She then served us the wagyu, tofu and vegetables in our egg bowl.

Then came our last round. It was again, vegetables and wagyu, but had additional noodle and a chewy dango like dumpling. Again after they were cooked, she served it in our egg bowl.

We came to the end of our sukiyaki meal. The final course was dessert which was a slice of musk melon, 2 Kyoto grapes and 2 slices of kiwi per person. The fruits were all very sweet. I just don’t understand why we can’t get such sweet fruits in Singapore.

With the ice oolong tea that I had (hot tea was complimentary) and the additional ¥2000 cover charge for the window table, our total bill was ¥24,354. An expensive lunch but was so good. It satisfied my craving for Kansai style sukiyaki. Dinner would have been much more expensive. This was DD’s first time eating sukiyaki and she loved it. I doubt she will ever eat sukiyaki in Singapore after this fantastic meal.

Back at Tokyo Station

Walking back to Tokyo Station, we come to the front of the Tokyo Station Building. The last time we stayed around here, the Tokyo Station building was under refurbishment. Today, all refurbishment work had already been completed. It was a beautiful building.

Entering Tokyo Station through Marunouchi entrance brought us to Kajitsuen, a speciality dessert and fruit store. As we still had time, we decided to give ourselves a last dessert treat.

I had the ice cream sundae with musk melon. Comparing what I had last year at Takano, I must say I prefer what I had eaten at Takano during last year’s trip better. Kajitsuen serve this musk melon sundae with vanilla ice cream but Takano serves it with a musk melon sorbet which was so much better. DD had a different dessert. I can’t remember what it is now.

DH as usual just had coffee and shared my sundae. Our total bill came up to ¥3358.

Honestly, I would have preferred to have dessert at Kiyobashi Sembikiya which is also at Tokyo Station. But we did not have much time and Kajitsuen was on the way back to our hotel. Moreover, there is always a queue at Sembikiya, and we did not have time for that.

After dessert, it was back to our hotel to get our stuff before we headed out to the airport.

To Haneda Airport

We decided to take the train to Haneda Airport since it was the fastest option , and DH having taken it with DS the day before said that it was easy. We had previously always take taxi if our flight depart from Haneda Airport.

There are 2 train lines that you can take from Tokyo Station- Keihin-Tohoku line or Yamanote line. My impression is that Yamanote line is always very crowded and Keihin-Tohohu line seems newer. So we took the Keihin-Tohoku line to Hamamatsucho (¥160) which is only one station away from Tokyo Station on the rapid train. At Hamamatsucho, we had to change to the Tokyo Monorail Rapid for the Haneda International Building. We had to top-up our train ticket with another ¥490 at the ticket machine here. We just slotted our old ticket into the ticket machine, top up, and a new ticket was dispensed. It was easy. Our whole journey to the airport took only about half an hour. Much faster than if we were to to take taxi (~45mins) or Airport Limousine Bus (~60mins). We have decided that we will take train to Haneda Airport henceforth! Cheap, fast and good!

Return Flight on SQ Premium Economy

On our return flight, we were on SQ Premium Economy. This was the first time we were trying Premium Economy so I did not know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise, our check in bags got the same priority tag as Biz class so they will come out earlier. There was also priority boarding.

Premium Economy had leather seats and there was more legroom. The TV screen was bigger and the headphones provided were same as biz class.

The seat recline slightly more than Economy and they provided an amenity pack which consisted of a pair of socks and toothbrush and toothpaste.

We had the option to elect Book-A-Cook and we did. My understanding was that if you don’t you get the same options as Economy when onboard. But don’t expect proper plate and service like in Biz class. It was a prepackaged tray like economy. Just remember that premium economy is economy plus and not business minus.

Overall it was a pleasant experience. More comfortable than Economy because the extra legroom and additional slight recline did make a difference. If we do not wish to pay for Business in future and still want some additional comfort, Premium Economy will be an option.

This concludes our 10 Days Autumn trip to Japan. If you ask my kids what was the best thing on this trip, their answer will be “Food!”

We will be leaving for our family trip to North Island, New Zealand, tomorrow. This time all 3 kids will be with us.

But before I get to that, I have a few posts on hotels and eating in Hong Kong to share as I had made several one night trips to Hong in 2018. Stay tuned!

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