Japan
(13 Apr 2007 to 22 Apr 2007)
I went to Japan with Avis and Wendy. I was responsible to keep the money and paid all bills for the whole tour. Every day, I calculated the expense and counted the amount at least once a day. My mobile phone was very useful. I used it to make 2G voice call, 3G video call and send sms message. I also kept all expense records in it. It was also our alarm clock, mp3 player and digital camera. All of us could not speak Japanese very well. Everytime I got trouble in buying train tickets or asking directions (when we got lost), Avis gave me a hand and Wendy shot me with her camera. Many thanks to Avis and Wendy. In the Hida region, every dinner, we had "Hida" beef, every meal, we had "Hida" meso (not cooked in any container, only on a piece of leave).
13 Apr 2007
Hong Kong airport -> Osaka Kansai airport -> Kyoto
Stay in Hiraiwa Annex minshuku
When we arrived Kansai airport, we went to the Yasaka Taxi counter, waited for another passenger coming out from the airport customs. Then the taxi driver drove us
to
Hiraiwa Annex minshuku in Kyoto. We arrived the
minshuku at 23:00 
. We had
a Japanese bath there 
and then
went to bed 
.
14 Apr 2007
Kyoto -> Takayama
Stay in Sosuke minshuku
We woke up at 06:00, took a bath, left Hiraiwa Annew minshuku, walked to Kyoto train station with luggages (very tired). We wanted to buy train tickets from Kyoto to Nagoya and Nagoya to Takayama. Due to the Takayama Spring festival, the train from Nagoya was very full, only non-reserved seats were available. We bought rice-bun in a convenient shop at the train station and we had beef rice and noodle
inside
the
train station 
. We
arrived Takayama at noon. We walked from the train
station to Sosuke minshuku (very tired again), left the luggages there
and went out. It was very crowded in
the street 
. We took
many photos for the festival 
. Then I
had a large
basin of noodle for lunch 
. We
visited a dispensary 
and
Circle K 
. The
room in the Sosuke minshuku was very nice 
. After
having bath 
, we had
a rich dinner 
. The
dinner started very early at
17:30 because all guests 
wanted to
go out for the Takayama Spring
festival. The atmosphere was so hot 
. We took
many photos 
and
Avis's
camera was out of order. After the parade finished, we
found many many stalls in a street . People
bought food 
and
played games 
in the
street. Then we went back to the minshuku. I
calculated our expense and checked our balance. We took
bath and had a supper before sleeping.
15 Apr 2007
Takayama
Stay in Sosuke minshuku
I took a bath before having breakfast
. Then we
went out again for the
Spring festival. We met a blessing team in blue uniforms 
. The
team
members walked along the street 
. They
blessed the shops with music
instruments and greetings. The shopkeepers gave them money. Later,
we met another team. We found many interesting things in the morning
market 
. For
example, different colour of "Hida" dolls signified
different
things say health, wealth, ... 
We
enjoyed free tea and free food in the
market 
. There
were
some families having picnic along the river near the morning
market 
.
Afterwards Avis and Wendy went shopping in the old streets 
. I
walked
around. We planned to meet in the red bridge at noon when the
Spring festival dance started. I did not meet them there. I
watched
the dance with other travellers. I made a 3G call to Sylvian so that
she could watch the dance 
. As it
was very crowded 
, Avis
and Wendy could not reach the red bridge, they stayed in another
side of the bridge and watched me through the digital camera display
with zoom mode turned on. Finally, we meet. We drank "Hida" milk and
had noodles. We
collected Shiragawa-go bus tickets before we went back to Sosuke
minshuku. In the afternoon, Avis and Wendy went shopping in a outlet
and old streets. They found that the red bridge (which was extremely
crowded a few hours ago) was empty. I looked for another minshuku
Banri, but failed. I went back to the minshuku, had a bath and talked
with
other guest. Avis and Wendy did not show up at dinner time, every staff
and guest asked about them. Finally, they come back with food and new
clothes. After dinner 
, I took
bath, checked expense and balance. We ate
strawberry, yogkut and milk
before we slept. I liked this minshuku very much. In the bathroom, I
took bath
together with guests from Japan, Australia and Swiss. I enjoyed
speaking Japanese and English in the bath tub. In the dining room
and living room 
, we
shared travel experience with guests from Taiwan,
Philiphine, ...I also discussed how to speak Japanese with
an Australian guest.
16 Apr 2007
Takayama -> Shiragawa-go
Stay in Kouemon Kataribe minshuku
After having bath and breakfast, we went out and looked for free foot bath
, tried
to repair Avis's camera and shopping. On the way back to
Sosuke minshuku, we said goodbye to the Swiss guests who would go to
Shiragawa-go a few days later. Due to some misunderstanding, the staff
failed to drive us to the bus terminal, we had to go there by taxi.
Before the staff called a taxi for us, Avis and Wendy caught a taxi.
They were very smart lucky. In the bus terminal, we
met the Taiwan guests. They were also going to Shiragawa-go. When we
arrived Shiragawa-go, we kept our luggages in Kouemon Kataribe
minshuku 
. We had
a
quick curry lunch and then went up stairs 
to
the view point (lookout) 
.
We took
photos 
and had
ice-cream in the view point. Then we went down through
another road. We met the Taiwan guests again. We visited "Nagase
House" 
,
temple 
and
museum. Then we went back to the minshuku. We took
bath, had "Hida" beef dinner 
. The
room was very warm because there was fire inside the heater 
.In
mid-night, we went out the main
street, very quiet and cold. Apparently, Shiragawa-go was a very old
style village. Indeed, the facilities (eg toilet) in the village and
inside the minshuku were very high-tech. Many guests left some messages
in the minshuku guestbook. It was said that the minshuku master and his
wife were very talkative and nice. However, we did not meet the master,
we only saw his quiet second daughter. She did not talk to us and did
not give us rice when we requested some more.
17 Apr 2007
Shiragawa-go -> Takayama
Stay in Banri minshuku
After breakfast, Avis and Wendy went out to take photos. I watched a guy (who wanted to be the next chief of village) and his team requesting village people to vote for him
. I met
the Taiwan guests
again. They told me their minshuku was very great. The master's wife
was a great performer and the master's daughter was young and
beautiful. They showed me their photos and I knew that they had a
wonderful
stay. We went back to Takayama by bus. The staff of tourist office
asked Banri minshuku to pick us. There was a heater under the
table 
, it was
very warm to sit near the table. Banri minshuku master's wife
recommended us to have lunch in a sushi restaurant. It was great and
not expensive. We used our spoken Japanese and body language to order
what we want. We bought stamps in the post office, food and drinks in a
supermarket, souvenirs, had free foot bath 
. I took
all the things back
to Banri minshuku while Avis and Wendy went on shopping. I took bath,
checked our expenses and counted our money in the minshuku. That night,
we had 150g "Hida" beef dinner 
. Before
sleeping, we drank milk, ate
strawberry and natoo (terrible but healthy soya bean). Avis and Wendy
wrote post cards and I just sign my name without any word.
18 Apr 2007
Takayama -> Gero
Stay in Mikinosato ryokan
I took a bath before having breakfast. Banri minshuku master fried the eggs for us when he knew that we didn't eat raw eggs. He also took out some decorations when we took photos for his minshuku
. He
drove us to
the train station. I read books and looked after the lugguages, Avis
and Wendy paced
around. We drank "Hida" milk before we got on the train to the "Hida
Hagiwara" train station. The Mikinosato ryokan shuttle bus was waiting
for
us and another guests. We had lunch in the Minkinosato restaurant 
and
found that most guests were local old people (except us) 
. The
ryokan
staff could not
speak English at all. The onsen was very great. There were 15
activities in the spa 
. I met
some nice Gero local citizens in the spa.
I like Mikinosato ryokan very much because it was not expensive, the
dinner was a big one 
and
the spa was great. After dinner, we had spa
again. I took photos for myself when the spa was empty 
.
19 Apr 2007
Gero (Hida Hagiwara train station) -> Gero (Gero train station)
Stay in Hikiya minshuku
We had spa before having breakfast. When we checked out, I found that the charge amount was wrong. I asked the staff to calculate again and we save some money. The shuttle bus took us to the "Hida Hagiwara" train station. Then we went to Gero train station, kept our luggages in the bus office and lockers. We visited free onsen
,
several
free foot baths 
, onsen
temple 
, gallery
(with free massage chairs
inside) 
, had
ice-cream. The we had noodle lunch in a restaurant. The
staff of the restaurant was a middle-age man. He was very kind.
Although he could not communicate with us, he tried to introduce
tourist spots to us. When we paid the bill, he returned 50 yen more to
us. I gave him a 50-yen coin, but he wanted me to keep the coin. In the
afternoon, we
collected our luggages and then the Hikiya minshuku boss picked us. He
served us some welcome snacks and drinks 
in the
beautiful minshuku 
. He
also introduced the facilities of the minshuku to us include a quiet
small
house 
, fish
pond 
,
field 
and
Japanese garden 
. While I
enjoy bathing,
Avis and Wendy took photos, sat on big chairs in the field for good
views 
, fed the
fish 
, enjoy
music in the small house 
, .... It
was also a
very big dinner 
.
We had yaki-niku 
. With
some colourful spot light, the
Japanese garden
was very beautiful. We enjoyed having dessert and beautiful view of the
Japanses garden in
the dark living room (we turned off all lights) 
. The
minsuku couple
were
very nice. They provided excellent service and prepared us food so that
we had something to eat in mid-night or in trains.
20 Apr 2007
Gero -> Nagoya -> Matsusaka
Stay in Taiya ryokan
As usual, I had a bath before having breakfast. Before we left the minshuku to the train station, we walked around. Master's wife suggested to drive us
to town
earilier so that we could have a short
tour in Gero. However, we preferred to stay there because it was a very
beautiful and comfortable minshuku. Master's wife then rushed to take
out a hammock and hung it in the field 
. They
were really a nice couple.
We went to Matsusaka through Nagoya by train. We left our luggages in
the Taiya ryokan 
. We had
Matsusaka beef lunch in "Cow Silver" which was
recommended by "Choi Loun" 
. In the
afternoon, we visited fortress 
,
supermarket, CD shop, snack shop... When I had communication problem
with Japanese girls (students), Avis helped me again. We went back
ryokan, took a bath and had Matsusaka beef steak and beef sashimi
dinner 
.
21 Apr 2007
Matsusaka -> Arima Onsen
Stay in Yamato ryokan
We went from Matsusaka to Tsuruhashi by Kintetsu Ltd. Exp (not JR). Then we got on JR Osaka Inner Loop Line train from Tsuruhashi station to Osaka station. We walked from Osaka station to Umeda bus station with our big luggages. We went to Arima Onsen by bus. We did not have lunch, just had rice-bun in the bus. The Yamato ryokan car was waiting for us in the bus station. Yamato ryokan was a small ryokan located in one side of a road, in the other side of the road, it was a big big hotel. An old woman of the ryokan explained us the facilities of the ryokan, onsen coupons. She tried very hard to communicate with us by writing Kanji (Chinese characters) and by showing us English, Japanese and Korean maps ?! Then we went out and had afternoon tea in a cafe. Avis and Wendy enjoyed onsen in a public bathing shop. I went back to take a bath in the ryokan
. The old
woman liked Avis and Wendy 
. When it
was
dinner time and they were not back, she requested me to make telephone
call. She thought that they were teenager-students and I was their
teacher. We enjoyed Kobe beef dinner in our room 
. After
dinner, it was
time for me to had a bath in the public bathing shop 
. I met a
group of
Indian guest in the bath 
and I
talked with some local Japanese guys and
children 
. When I
went back ryokan, we did our evey night routine jobs.
I wrote diary, listed out all expense items, checked our money. Avis,
Wendy and I wrote post cards.
22 Apr 2007
Arima Onsen -> Shin Kobe -> Himeji -> Kansai airport -> Hong Kong
Staff of Yamato ryokan drove us to the train station. In the train station, I could not buy train tickets without Avis's help. We went from Arima Onsen to Shin Kobe by train. Then we went from Shin Kobe to Himeji by another train. We kept our luggages in a shop and in lockers. Then we visited Himeji Castle
. After
that, we bought airport bus
tickets.
Then we had rice and noodle lunch. Finally, we got on bus to the Osaka
Kansai airport and went back home.
Please note that flight tickets and personal expense (eg souvenirs) were not included.
More photos below :
I went to Japan with Avis and Wendy. I was responsible to keep the money and paid all bills for the whole tour. Every day, I calculated the expense and counted the amount at least once a day. My mobile phone was very useful. I used it to make 2G voice call, 3G video call and send sms message. I also kept all expense records in it. It was also our alarm clock, mp3 player and digital camera. All of us could not speak Japanese very well. Everytime I got trouble in buying train tickets or asking directions (when we got lost), Avis gave me a hand and Wendy shot me with her camera. Many thanks to Avis and Wendy. In the Hida region, every dinner, we had "Hida" beef, every meal, we had "Hida" meso (not cooked in any container, only on a piece of leave).
13 Apr 2007
Hong Kong airport -> Osaka Kansai airport -> Kyoto
Stay in Hiraiwa Annex minshuku
When we arrived Kansai airport, we went to the Yasaka Taxi counter, waited for another passenger coming out from the airport customs. Then the taxi driver drove us
to
Hiraiwa Annex minshuku in Kyoto. We arrived the
minshuku at 23:00 
. We had
a Japanese bath there 
and then
went to bed 
.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Yasaka shuttle taxi (3000 yen
each) |
9000 |
594.0 |
| Total |
9000 |
594.0 |
14 Apr 2007
Kyoto -> Takayama
Stay in Sosuke minshuku
We woke up at 06:00, took a bath, left Hiraiwa Annew minshuku, walked to Kyoto train station with luggages (very tired). We wanted to buy train tickets from Kyoto to Nagoya and Nagoya to Takayama. Due to the Takayama Spring festival, the train from Nagoya was very full, only non-reserved seats were available. We bought rice-bun in a convenient shop at the train station and we had beef rice and noodle
inside
the
train station 
. We
arrived Takayama at noon. We walked from the train
station to Sosuke minshuku (very tired again), left the luggages there
and went out. It was very crowded in
the street 
. We took
many photos for the festival 
. Then I
had a large
basin of noodle for lunch 
. We
visited a dispensary 
and
Circle K 
. The
room in the Sosuke minshuku was very nice 
. After
having bath 
, we had
a rich dinner 
. The
dinner started very early at
17:30 because all guests 
wanted to
go out for the Takayama Spring
festival. The atmosphere was so hot 
. We took
many photos 
and
Avis's
camera was out of order. After the parade finished, we
found many many stalls in a street . People
bought food 
and
played games 
in the
street. Then we went back to the minshuku. I
calculated our expense and checked our balance. We took
bath and had a supper before sleeping.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Hiraiwa minshuku for 3 people
(stay 1 night without any meal) |
12600 |
831.6 |
| Train from Nagoya to Takayama
for 3 people |
28290 |
1867.4 |
| 3 Rice-bun in train station
convenient shop |
330 |
21.8 |
| 3 Beef rice and noodle in train
station |
1650 |
108.9 |
| 3 Fire-gun beef cake in Takayama
street |
1500 |
99.0 |
| 3 Bottles of Hida milk |
300 |
19.8 |
| Noodle lunch for 3 people |
1500 |
99.0 |
| Drinks in Circle K convenient
shop |
714 |
47.1 |
| Baked small eggs in stall |
500 |
33.0 |
| Fried mixed vegatable in stall |
500 |
33.0 |
| Total |
47884 |
3160.6 |
15 Apr 2007
Takayama
Stay in Sosuke minshuku
I took a bath before having breakfast
. Then we
went out again for the
Spring festival. We met a blessing team in blue uniforms 
. The
team
members walked along the street 
. They
blessed the shops with music
instruments and greetings. The shopkeepers gave them money. Later,
we met another team. We found many interesting things in the morning
market 
. For
example, different colour of "Hida" dolls signified
different
things say health, wealth, ... 
We
enjoyed free tea and free food in the
market 
. There
were
some families having picnic along the river near the morning
market 
.
Afterwards Avis and Wendy went shopping in the old streets 
. I
walked
around. We planned to meet in the red bridge at noon when the
Spring festival dance started. I did not meet them there. I
watched
the dance with other travellers. I made a 3G call to Sylvian so that
she could watch the dance 
. As it
was very crowded 
, Avis
and Wendy could not reach the red bridge, they stayed in another
side of the bridge and watched me through the digital camera display
with zoom mode turned on. Finally, we meet. We drank "Hida" milk and
had noodles. We
collected Shiragawa-go bus tickets before we went back to Sosuke
minshuku. In the afternoon, Avis and Wendy went shopping in a outlet
and old streets. They found that the red bridge (which was extremely
crowded a few hours ago) was empty. I looked for another minshuku
Banri, but failed. I went back to the minshuku, had a bath and talked
with
other guest. Avis and Wendy did not show up at dinner time, every staff
and guest asked about them. Finally, they come back with food and new
clothes. After dinner 
, I took
bath, checked expense and balance. We ate
strawberry, yogkut and milk
before we slept. I liked this minshuku very much. In the bathroom, I
took bath
together with guests from Japan, Australia and Swiss. I enjoyed
speaking Japanese and English in the bath tub. In the dining room
and living room 
, we
shared travel experience with guests from Taiwan,
Philiphine, ...I also discussed how to speak Japanese with
an Australian guest.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| 3 Portions of fake fish balls in
morning market |
180 |
11.9 |
| 3 Bottles of Hida milk |
300 |
19.8 |
| Noodle lunch for 3 people |
1700 |
112.2 |
| 3 bus tickets from Takayama to
Shiragawa-go |
12900 |
851.4 |
| Strawberry, milk, yogkut,
biscuit from supermarket |
1048 |
69.2 |
| Total |
16128 |
1064.5 |
16 Apr 2007
Takayama -> Shiragawa-go
Stay in Kouemon Kataribe minshuku
After having bath and breakfast, we went out and looked for free foot bath
, tried
to repair Avis's camera and shopping. On the way back to
Sosuke minshuku, we said goodbye to the Swiss guests who would go to
Shiragawa-go a few days later. Due to some misunderstanding, the staff
failed to drive us to the bus terminal, we had to go there by taxi.
Before the staff called a taxi for us, Avis and Wendy caught a taxi.
They were very smart lucky. In the bus terminal, we
met the Taiwan guests. They were also going to Shiragawa-go. When we
arrived Shiragawa-go, we kept our luggages in Kouemon Kataribe
minshuku 
. We had
a
quick curry lunch and then went up stairs 
to
the view point (lookout) 
.
We took
photos 
and had
ice-cream in the view point. Then we went down through
another road. We met the Taiwan guests again. We visited "Nagase
House" 
,
temple 
and
museum. Then we went back to the minshuku. We took
bath, had "Hida" beef dinner 
. The
room was very warm because there was fire inside the heater 
.In
mid-night, we went out the main
street, very quiet and cold. Apparently, Shiragawa-go was a very old
style village. Indeed, the facilities (eg toilet) in the village and
inside the minshuku were very high-tech. Many guests left some messages
in the minshuku guestbook. It was said that the minshuku master and his
wife were very talkative and nice. However, we did not meet the master,
we only saw his quiet second daughter. She did not talk to us and did
not give us rice when we requested some more.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Sosuke minshuku for 3 people
(stay 2 nights with 4 meals) |
56700 |
3742.2 |
| Dry beef and post card in a
convenient shop |
766 |
50.6 |
| Taxi from Sosuke minshuku to bus
stop, 2 minute drive |
640 |
42.2 |
| Curry lunch for 3 people |
2600 |
171.6 |
| 3 ice-cream |
750 |
49.5 |
| Nagase House entry fee for 3
people |
900 |
59.4 |
| Total |
62356 |
4115.5 |
17 Apr 2007
Shiragawa-go -> Takayama
Stay in Banri minshuku
After breakfast, Avis and Wendy went out to take photos. I watched a guy (who wanted to be the next chief of village) and his team requesting village people to vote for him
. I met
the Taiwan guests
again. They told me their minshuku was very great. The master's wife
was a great performer and the master's daughter was young and
beautiful. They showed me their photos and I knew that they had a
wonderful
stay. We went back to Takayama by bus. The staff of tourist office
asked Banri minshuku to pick us. There was a heater under the
table 
, it was
very warm to sit near the table. Banri minshuku master's wife
recommended us to have lunch in a sushi restaurant. It was great and
not expensive. We used our spoken Japanese and body language to order
what we want. We bought stamps in the post office, food and drinks in a
supermarket, souvenirs, had free foot bath 
. I took
all the things back
to Banri minshuku while Avis and Wendy went on shopping. I took bath,
checked our expenses and counted our money in the minshuku. That night,
we had 150g "Hida" beef dinner 
. Before
sleeping, we drank milk, ate
strawberry and natoo (terrible but healthy soya bean). Avis and Wendy
wrote post cards and I just sign my name without any word.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Kouemon Kataribe minhsuko for 3
people (stay 1 night with 2 meals) |
25200 |
1663.2 |
| Sushi Lunch for 3 people |
5725 |
377.9 |
| Strawberry, milk and yogkut in
supermarket |
713 |
47.1 |
| 15 stamps in post office |
1050 |
69.3 |
| Total |
32688 |
2157.5 |
18 Apr 2007
Takayama -> Gero
Stay in Mikinosato ryokan
I took a bath before having breakfast. Banri minshuku master fried the eggs for us when he knew that we didn't eat raw eggs. He also took out some decorations when we took photos for his minshuku
. He
drove us to
the train station. I read books and looked after the lugguages, Avis
and Wendy paced
around. We drank "Hida" milk before we got on the train to the "Hida
Hagiwara" train station. The Mikinosato ryokan shuttle bus was waiting
for
us and another guests. We had lunch in the Minkinosato restaurant 
and
found that most guests were local old people (except us) 
. The
ryokan
staff could not
speak English at all. The onsen was very great. There were 15
activities in the spa 
. I met
some nice Gero local citizens in the spa.
I like Mikinosato ryokan very much because it was not expensive, the
dinner was a big one 
and
the spa was great. After dinner, we had spa
again. I took photos for myself when the spa was empty 
.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Banri minshuku for 3 people
(stay 1 night with 2 meals) |
29400 |
1940.4 |
| 3 Train tickets from Takayama to
Hida Hagiwara |
2220 |
146.5 |
| Pineapple Hida milk and
chocolate Hida milk in train station |
300 |
19.8 |
| Lunch in Mikinosato restaurant
for 3 people |
4880 |
322.1 |
| Total |
36800 |
2428.8 |
19 Apr 2007
Gero (Hida Hagiwara train station) -> Gero (Gero train station)
Stay in Hikiya minshuku
We had spa before having breakfast. When we checked out, I found that the charge amount was wrong. I asked the staff to calculate again and we save some money. The shuttle bus took us to the "Hida Hagiwara" train station. Then we went to Gero train station, kept our luggages in the bus office and lockers. We visited free onsen
,
several
free foot baths 
, onsen
temple 
, gallery
(with free massage chairs
inside) 
, had
ice-cream. The we had noodle lunch in a restaurant. The
staff of the restaurant was a middle-age man. He was very kind.
Although he could not communicate with us, he tried to introduce
tourist spots to us. When we paid the bill, he returned 50 yen more to
us. I gave him a 50-yen coin, but he wanted me to keep the coin. In the
afternoon, we
collected our luggages and then the Hikiya minshuku boss picked us. He
served us some welcome snacks and drinks 
in the
beautiful minshuku 
. He
also introduced the facilities of the minshuku to us include a quiet
small
house 
, fish
pond 
,
field 
and
Japanese garden 
. While I
enjoy bathing,
Avis and Wendy took photos, sat on big chairs in the field for good
views 
, fed the
fish 
, enjoy
music in the small house 
, .... It
was also a
very big dinner 
.
We had yaki-niku 
. With
some colourful spot light, the
Japanese garden
was very beautiful. We enjoyed having dessert and beautiful view of the
Japanses garden in
the dark living room (we turned off all lights) 
. The
minsuku couple
were
very nice. They provided excellent service and prepared us food so that
we had something to eat in mid-night or in trains.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Mikinosato ryokan for 3 people
(stay 1 night with 2 meals) |
27225 |
1796.9 |
| 3 Train tickets from Hida
Hagiwara to Gero |
1530 |
101.0 |
| Store 3 luggages in a bus office |
900 |
59.4 |
| Store bags in one locker |
300 |
19.8 |
| Noodle lunch for 3 people |
2500 |
165.0 |
| 3 Ice-cream at free foot bath |
960 |
63.4 |
| Total |
33415 |
2205.5 |
20 Apr 2007
Gero -> Nagoya -> Matsusaka
Stay in Taiya ryokan
As usual, I had a bath before having breakfast. Before we left the minshuku to the train station, we walked around. Master's wife suggested to drive us
to town
earilier so that we could have a short
tour in Gero. However, we preferred to stay there because it was a very
beautiful and comfortable minshuku. Master's wife then rushed to take
out a hammock and hung it in the field 
. They
were really a nice couple.
We went to Matsusaka through Nagoya by train. We left our luggages in
the Taiya ryokan 
. We had
Matsusaka beef lunch in "Cow Silver" which was
recommended by "Choi Loun" 
. In the
afternoon, we visited fortress 
,
supermarket, CD shop, snack shop... When I had communication problem
with Japanese girls (students), Avis helped me again. We went back
ryokan, took a bath and had Matsusaka beef steak and beef sashimi
dinner 
.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Hikiya minshuku for 3 people
(stay 1 night with 2 meals) |
50400 |
3326.4 |
| 3 Train tickets from Gero to
Matsusaka |
20970 |
1384.0 |
| Matsusaka beef lunch for 3 people |
6600 |
435.6 |
| Snacks in supermarket |
933 |
61.6 |
| Snacks in snack shop |
247 |
16.3 |
| Total |
79150 |
5223.9 |
21 Apr 2007
Matsusaka -> Arima Onsen
Stay in Yamato ryokan
We went from Matsusaka to Tsuruhashi by Kintetsu Ltd. Exp (not JR). Then we got on JR Osaka Inner Loop Line train from Tsuruhashi station to Osaka station. We walked from Osaka station to Umeda bus station with our big luggages. We went to Arima Onsen by bus. We did not have lunch, just had rice-bun in the bus. The Yamato ryokan car was waiting for us in the bus station. Yamato ryokan was a small ryokan located in one side of a road, in the other side of the road, it was a big big hotel. An old woman of the ryokan explained us the facilities of the ryokan, onsen coupons. She tried very hard to communicate with us by writing Kanji (Chinese characters) and by showing us English, Japanese and Korean maps ?! Then we went out and had afternoon tea in a cafe. Avis and Wendy enjoyed onsen in a public bathing shop. I went back to take a bath in the ryokan
. The old
woman liked Avis and Wendy 
. When it
was
dinner time and they were not back, she requested me to make telephone
call. She thought that they were teenager-students and I was their
teacher. We enjoyed Kobe beef dinner in our room 
. After
dinner, it was
time for me to had a bath in the public bathing shop 
. I met a
group of
Indian guest in the bath 
and I
talked with some local Japanese guys and
children 
. When I
went back ryokan, we did our evey night routine jobs.
I wrote diary, listed out all expense items, checked our money. Avis,
Wendy and I wrote post cards.| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Taiya ryokan for 3 people (stay
1 night with 2 meals) |
43575 |
2876.0 |
| 3 Train tickets from Matsusaka
to Tsuruhashi |
8400 |
554.4 |
| 3 Train tickets from Tsuruhashi
station to Osaka station |
510 |
33.7 |
| 3 Bus tickets from Umeda to
Arima Onsen |
3990 |
263.3 |
| 3 Rice-bun |
330 |
21.8 |
| Afternoon tea for 3 people |
2800 |
184.8 |
| Total |
59605 |
3934.0 |
22 Apr 2007
Arima Onsen -> Shin Kobe -> Himeji -> Kansai airport -> Hong Kong
Staff of Yamato ryokan drove us to the train station. In the train station, I could not buy train tickets without Avis's help. We went from Arima Onsen to Shin Kobe by train. Then we went from Shin Kobe to Himeji by another train. We kept our luggages in a shop and in lockers. Then we visited Himeji Castle
. After
that, we bought airport bus
tickets.
Then we had rice and noodle lunch. Finally, we got on bus to the Osaka
Kansai airport and went back home.| Expense Item |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| Yamato ryokan for 3 people (stay
1 night with 2 meals) |
48900 |
3227.4 |
| 3 Train tickets from Arima Onsen
to Shin Kobe |
2160 |
142.6 |
| 3 Train tickets from Shin Kobe
to Himeji |
7890 |
520.7 |
| Store one luggage in a shop |
300 |
19.8 |
| Store two luggages in two lockers |
800 |
52.8 |
| Himeji city entry fee for 3
people |
1800 |
118.8 |
| 3 Bus tickets from Himeji to
Osaka Kansai airport |
9000 |
594.0 |
| Rice and noodle lunch for 3
people |
1950 |
128.7 |
| Total |
72800 |
4804.8 |
| Expense Items |
Yen |
HK Dollar |
| 13 Apr 2007 |
9000 |
594.0 |
| 14 Apr 2007 |
47884 |
3160.6 |
| 15 Apr 2007 |
16128 |
1064.5 |
| 16 Apr 2007 |
62356 |
4115.5 |
| 17 Apr 2007 |
32688 |
2157.5 |
| 18 Apr 2007 |
36800 |
2428.8 |
| 19 Apr 2007 |
33415 |
2205.5 |
| 20 Apr 2007 |
79150 |
5223.9 |
| 21 Apr 2007 |
59605 |
3934.0 |
| 22 Apr 2007 |
72800 |
4804.8 |
| Total |
449826 |
29689.1 |
Please note that flight tickets and personal expense (eg souvenirs) were not included.
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