It was my first time coming to Tokyo via Haneda and I am not a fan. Firstly the timing of the flight and the in-flight services are messing with normal biological clock. The cabin light was dimmed close to 12pm and I found my seating position very uncomfortable. I basically did not sleep well. The flight time was an hour shorter than projection which meant breakfast was at about 3am SG time. We landed at 520am and despite the long immigration queue, I was out by 610am.
During landing announcement, the mentioned ground temperature was 9 deg C. Surprisingly it was comfortable enough for me to remove my ultra light down. I was cranky as I did not get to shower. The wait time for the shower room at the international arrival was 100 minutes (32 people in the queue). Madness! I had never need to queue for my previous shower rooms at Kansai Airport and Narita Airport.
The domestic check-in for my next flight to Tottori was surprising as they only needed to scan my luggage tag from SG. Lucky I did not remove it as I was expecting that I would get a new luggage tag. After domestic check-in, there was special transfer bus instead of public bus. It was already the gate areas after I alighted and the only lounge inside the gate areas which has shower facilities is closed for renovation. Sianz to the max :( Although the weather was comfortable enough for me not to sweat, I wanted to wash my face to take nice photos sigh..
I will definitely get fat from this trip. Barely 4 hours after breakfast on air, I had kakiage udon while waiting for my Tottori flight haha.. My excuse was because of the weather. I basically slept through the flight from Haneda to Tottori. Nothing much was missed as only one drink was served in-flight.
Upon exiting the plane, the walkway to the gate areas at Tottori Sakyu Conan Airport is already lined with framed Conan illustration. Yeah.. it is going to be a start of exciting trip indeed. Despite being dubbed the least populated prefecture, the airport is actually very modern, clean, and comfortable. It was not crowded and I met my guide easily after exiting. He had me try miso clam soup which was served for free just at the waiting area. In order to prevent this post from becoming too long, I will not discuss much or put photos of the airport. I will have a dedicated post for that. I just would like to summarise it that there are many interesting things to take photos with although they are not as many as what I expected. Well, I have to remember that this is an airport after all. Haha.. There is a souvenir shop full of Conan merchandises. I was already so tempted to start shopping but I had to remind myself that I just arrived and I should be patient as there may be more amazing merchandises at Conan town.
My tour guide surprised me that he was using his personal car to drive me around in order not to waste time waiting for public transport. The airport is not linked to the city by rail and there are buses to the city. The bus timing is coordinated with flight timing so it will be inconvenient if flight is delayed (my flight arrival was late by about 10 mins) and after spending time taking pictures. Lol.
Tottori Castle Ruins
We went to Tottori Castle Ruins first and I am so happy that sakura trees are still around here in Tottori. Yay!! I totally expect that sakura season is over and I hate to go during crowded times so I always think that I will never get to experience sakura season in Japan. This is a very nice surprise. Experiencing those sakura petals falling down when the wind blow is surreal. This is something that photos cannot capture so I am very happy to experience this.
I was so distracted and excited with the sakura that I did not take any photos with the actual castle ruins. Although honestly, I think the name 'ruins' is an overstatement. There is no leftover building structure and all I can see are the remaining stone walls and steps. Or perhaps I was simply not paying attention. Jinpukaku is also just at the 'foot' of the castle ruins.
After that we dropped by to the hotel first. My guide was so kind and helped to try my luck if I could check in earlier. I declined since I had to pay for early check in. On the way to a lunch place that he recommended, I asked to stop at Lawson first to collect my Megane Ichiba spectacles. Haha I am amazed that I was able to somehow collect it without his help. I simply showed the print out and the Lawson staff helped me to retrive. Fiuh... We had lunch at a traditional restaurant which according to my guide is famous as it has been there for many years. Obviously with everything only in Japanese, I don't know what the restaurant name is. Haha.. I had beef bowl and the beef pieces were more like steak type rather than the Yoshinoya type. I am not a food connoisseur so I don't know if it is good or not. What important to me is that I enjoyed it. Hehe..
We discussed about plan for tomorrow. With weather forecast rain on Sunday, I simply have to switch my plan to go to Mt Mitoku tomorrow. It irks me but no point complaining about the weather that I have no control of. I learn that my guide actually lives in Okayama which is a 2 hour drive from Tottori City. It does not make sense to make him drive to Tottori and then go to Kurayoshi (which is a 1 hour drive for him) to go to Mt Mitoku. Thus I offered to meet him at Kurayoshi instead. I told him not to worry that it would be find for me to just board the train alone since it is a direct train anyway. He helped me to see the schedule and to buy the train ticket for tomorrow because surprise surprise: the train station at Tottori is not using IC card yet o_0 Hahaha... Well something new to learn.
Since on my last day in Tottori my guide will only be available for half a day and I have to return to the city from the sand dunes by myself, my guide brought me to sand dunes by public bus. Yay! Finally I learnt how to navigate bus system in Japan -something that I never know despite having visited Japan a few times. He parked near the Library which is near the Cultural Hall. Ooh la la.. just like the train station, the bus also is not using IC card yet. Looks like I will not be able to avoid handling coins here.
I learn that we board bus from the back door and take a ticket from the machine. The ticket will have the bus stop number to compare against the bus fare on the screen when we alight later. So if let's say my ticket number is 2 when boarding, the fare displayed under number 2 when I alight is the amount that I need to pay. Since there is no IC machine, the bus has a coin exchange machine next to the machine to drop the fare. It was confusing for me at first to know which machine is for which.
Tottori Sand Dunes (Tottori Sakyu)
Tottori Sand Dunes (Tottori Sakyu) is amazing. Having used to fake sands in Singapore, it is nice to step on real sand which is very fine in texture. The sand dunes open to Japan Sea so the wind brr... I had to wear my jacket. With eyes, the sand dunes do not look that huge. Once you start walking, WOW.. Yes all those sand will trick our eyes. Climbing the Umanose is really physically challenging since there is nothing to hold and sand is not exactly something solid to step on. I did not fall haha.. Well the 'hike' was worth it as the view and breeze from the top was amazing. Sadly I was so tired after that hike that I did not walk towards the sea. Of course I would like to take photos there but the thought of having to climb back that dune (from the opposite direction now) was simply impossible after the lack of sleep in the plane.
We walked across the sand dunes towards paragliding school which my guide has a friend working there. Sadly, it does not seem to be the paragliding school that I sign up with for Monday. My guide's friend is currently away on business trip as we found out from the people working there. While finding the bus stop to return to the city, we dropped by at Kodomo no Kuni which was not open. We just played a little bit at the locomotive outside.
My guide is really kind. Although my hours with him had ended, he offered to bring me for dinner if I would love to since he also had to have dinner. No extra fees whatsoever as he said "Business time is over and I ask you as a friend". Wow. He brought me to a sushi restaurant called Hokkaido. I am not a sushi fan and I never eat sushi before when I am in Japan. This time I am open to explore whatever my guide recommends so yeah. I just followed whatever he ordered. Most were hits and only the last two I did not like. Nevertheless, it was amazing: the rice just had a nice amount of vinegar goodness, the overall quality of the sushi was great, and the price was reasonable. The both of us spent a total of ~$30 which is like what I usually spend per person in a sushi restaurant in Singapore. Before returning to the hotel, we went to a supermarket for me to buy mineral water and bread for breakfast.
Now I am back in the hotel and the room is quite spacious compared to APA hotel rooms that I read in Tokyo. I thought I had a broken aircon as it was blowing hot air. I was contemplating between asking the front desk about it vs too lazy to change room. In the end I decided to call them and I was told that since the weather is still cold, the aircon is functioning as a heater. Whaaat... This is what happens when a trip is done with poor research. Lol.. Some reviews of APA hotels actually state this but I think the hotel should have the courtesy to inform this unique policy.
Time to rest now and I thank God for the amazing birthday present today. Although I learnt that there was nothing special in travelling on birthday, I really had an amazing day and experience at Tottori. I have a great guide, I was already so happy at Conan airport, I finally get my desert experience at the sand dunes (since I don't foresee myself going to the Middle East to experience a desert), I had great meals, and I get to see sakura.
Things cannot be perfect but I shall not let these imperfections ruin my trip. I think my guide's photography skills are as bad as my sister's. All my feet get chopped off in the photos :'( He is already so nice to me with his car without any extra charges for me so I should not be complaining. He is also very flexible with the itinerary change because of the weather and I am very grateful with that. So let's just enjoy another day of adventure tomorrow.
Upon exiting the plane, the walkway to the gate areas at Tottori Sakyu Conan Airport is already lined with framed Conan illustration. Yeah.. it is going to be a start of exciting trip indeed. Despite being dubbed the least populated prefecture, the airport is actually very modern, clean, and comfortable. It was not crowded and I met my guide easily after exiting. He had me try miso clam soup which was served for free just at the waiting area. In order to prevent this post from becoming too long, I will not discuss much or put photos of the airport. I will have a dedicated post for that. I just would like to summarise it that there are many interesting things to take photos with although they are not as many as what I expected. Well, I have to remember that this is an airport after all. Haha.. There is a souvenir shop full of Conan merchandises. I was already so tempted to start shopping but I had to remind myself that I just arrived and I should be patient as there may be more amazing merchandises at Conan town.
My tour guide surprised me that he was using his personal car to drive me around in order not to waste time waiting for public transport. The airport is not linked to the city by rail and there are buses to the city. The bus timing is coordinated with flight timing so it will be inconvenient if flight is delayed (my flight arrival was late by about 10 mins) and after spending time taking pictures. Lol.
Tottori Castle Ruins
We went to Tottori Castle Ruins first and I am so happy that sakura trees are still around here in Tottori. Yay!! I totally expect that sakura season is over and I hate to go during crowded times so I always think that I will never get to experience sakura season in Japan. This is a very nice surprise. Experiencing those sakura petals falling down when the wind blow is surreal. This is something that photos cannot capture so I am very happy to experience this.
I was so distracted and excited with the sakura that I did not take any photos with the actual castle ruins. Although honestly, I think the name 'ruins' is an overstatement. There is no leftover building structure and all I can see are the remaining stone walls and steps. Or perhaps I was simply not paying attention. Jinpukaku is also just at the 'foot' of the castle ruins.
 |
| The river between the city (on the left) and the castle ruins (on the right) |
 |
| Sakura!!! |
 |
| More sakura!!! |
 |
| Jinpukaku |
We discussed about plan for tomorrow. With weather forecast rain on Sunday, I simply have to switch my plan to go to Mt Mitoku tomorrow. It irks me but no point complaining about the weather that I have no control of. I learn that my guide actually lives in Okayama which is a 2 hour drive from Tottori City. It does not make sense to make him drive to Tottori and then go to Kurayoshi (which is a 1 hour drive for him) to go to Mt Mitoku. Thus I offered to meet him at Kurayoshi instead. I told him not to worry that it would be find for me to just board the train alone since it is a direct train anyway. He helped me to see the schedule and to buy the train ticket for tomorrow because surprise surprise: the train station at Tottori is not using IC card yet o_0 Hahaha... Well something new to learn.
Since on my last day in Tottori my guide will only be available for half a day and I have to return to the city from the sand dunes by myself, my guide brought me to sand dunes by public bus. Yay! Finally I learnt how to navigate bus system in Japan -something that I never know despite having visited Japan a few times. He parked near the Library which is near the Cultural Hall. Ooh la la.. just like the train station, the bus also is not using IC card yet. Looks like I will not be able to avoid handling coins here.
I learn that we board bus from the back door and take a ticket from the machine. The ticket will have the bus stop number to compare against the bus fare on the screen when we alight later. So if let's say my ticket number is 2 when boarding, the fare displayed under number 2 when I alight is the amount that I need to pay. Since there is no IC machine, the bus has a coin exchange machine next to the machine to drop the fare. It was confusing for me at first to know which machine is for which.
Tottori Sand Dunes (Tottori Sakyu)
Tottori Sand Dunes (Tottori Sakyu) is amazing. Having used to fake sands in Singapore, it is nice to step on real sand which is very fine in texture. The sand dunes open to Japan Sea so the wind brr... I had to wear my jacket. With eyes, the sand dunes do not look that huge. Once you start walking, WOW.. Yes all those sand will trick our eyes. Climbing the Umanose is really physically challenging since there is nothing to hold and sand is not exactly something solid to step on. I did not fall haha.. Well the 'hike' was worth it as the view and breeze from the top was amazing. Sadly I was so tired after that hike that I did not walk towards the sea. Of course I would like to take photos there but the thought of having to climb back that dune (from the opposite direction now) was simply impossible after the lack of sleep in the plane.
 |
| Photos do not do justice to the vastness of this natural phenomenon or how high that umanose |
 |
| There is an oasis! This is real and not a fata morgana. |
 |
| Ripples that form when the wind is blowing at certain speed |
My guide is really kind. Although my hours with him had ended, he offered to bring me for dinner if I would love to since he also had to have dinner. No extra fees whatsoever as he said "Business time is over and I ask you as a friend". Wow. He brought me to a sushi restaurant called Hokkaido. I am not a sushi fan and I never eat sushi before when I am in Japan. This time I am open to explore whatever my guide recommends so yeah. I just followed whatever he ordered. Most were hits and only the last two I did not like. Nevertheless, it was amazing: the rice just had a nice amount of vinegar goodness, the overall quality of the sushi was great, and the price was reasonable. The both of us spent a total of ~$30 which is like what I usually spend per person in a sushi restaurant in Singapore. Before returning to the hotel, we went to a supermarket for me to buy mineral water and bread for breakfast.
Now I am back in the hotel and the room is quite spacious compared to APA hotel rooms that I read in Tokyo. I thought I had a broken aircon as it was blowing hot air. I was contemplating between asking the front desk about it vs too lazy to change room. In the end I decided to call them and I was told that since the weather is still cold, the aircon is functioning as a heater. Whaaat... This is what happens when a trip is done with poor research. Lol.. Some reviews of APA hotels actually state this but I think the hotel should have the courtesy to inform this unique policy.
Time to rest now and I thank God for the amazing birthday present today. Although I learnt that there was nothing special in travelling on birthday, I really had an amazing day and experience at Tottori. I have a great guide, I was already so happy at Conan airport, I finally get my desert experience at the sand dunes (since I don't foresee myself going to the Middle East to experience a desert), I had great meals, and I get to see sakura.
Things cannot be perfect but I shall not let these imperfections ruin my trip. I think my guide's photography skills are as bad as my sister's. All my feet get chopped off in the photos :'( He is already so nice to me with his car without any extra charges for me so I should not be complaining. He is also very flexible with the itinerary change because of the weather and I am very grateful with that. So let's just enjoy another day of adventure tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment