We now have an apartment for ten days to complete this leg of the adventure. In that time we hope to catch both semi finals, both finals, do some stuff in central Tokyo and fit in a few day trips.
Firstly have a look at our accommodation for the next ten days. It's a fifteen minute bus ride from Matsudo Station which adds time and expense to every trip into town which will be most days. Yagiri station is about 400 ms away but not on a direct line into Tokyo Central Station, so we'll have to work it out.
Here's the apartment.
The front door, toilet, bathroom from the kitchen. The spare bedroom
is round to the left.
Kitchen from the living/bedroom.
Living/bedroom.
Not brilliant but quite spacious for the two of us. We arrived on Friday evening and England are taking on the All Blacks in the semi final of the World Cup tomorrow.
Off on the train to Tokyo Station. There's lots of bars on the Heineken list that will be screening the game plus the fanzone with a capacity of 4800. The problem with the fanzone is that it's all standing, so we'll probably check out a bar. Just outside the station we are consulting Google maps when a young Japanese couple offer to help. He leads us to a place that they were going to called Celts which is an Irish bar.
His name is Casey and he grew up in South Wales where his father was working. He attended primary school there and one year of secondary school. So he is Max Boyce's "Welsh speaking Japanee". He joined us for the first half of the England game. We decided to come back here tomorrow for the other semifinal, but this time booking a table in advance. So many thanks to you Casey and your wife for being so helpful in the typical Japanese tradition. Here's the pub.
Actually this picture was taken about an hour before the Wales v South Africa game so the pub is not so crowded. There are a good number of TVs at various angles.
What a wonderful match! England completely dominated the All Blacks in a way that I have never seen before. Thoroughly deserved winners and now favourites to lift the cup. It would be brilliant if Wales could be there to join them in the final.
Let's all raise a glass to toast what was a truly historic performance by England. Most of you will remember the second semi final. A very different game with neither side really getting any ascendancy, tense, bruising and errors of pressure. After a goal each it always looked like a penalty goal would eventually separate the teams and when South Africa went three points ahead with five minutes to go, that was that and my dream of a Welsh World Cup turned to dust.
There is more to life than rugby, I tell myself and come on England.
Monday 28th October is today and the last day of our 21 day JR passes, so we better make use of them for the last time. The only must do thing that involves travelling and we can do in a day is Mt. Fuji.
There are advertisements for day trips on a bus from Tokyo station return at US$ 150 a head. Or, plan B. You go to the ticket desk at Tokyo station and reserve seats on the Shinkensen to Shin-Fuji station. Get out and catch the bus to Fujinomiya this takes half an hour and whilst you're there you can visit the World Heritage Site centre for the mountain that looms above you. You could also visit the major Shinto Shrine that is very close before catching the next bus to the Shiraito waterfalls. You now have as good a view of the mountain you could ask for. This first picture however is taken from bus station at Fujinomiya.
The forecast for the afternoon was rain, so we expected the cloud to build up and were happy to get shots like this. There was also a group of Cambodian French Canadians who were sort of tagging along with us because they didn't really know where they were going. One of them took this picture of Helen and me in uniform.
We walked down to the waterfalls. The first one you encounter is the Otodome falls. This is loud and crashing.
The other is a complete contrast. It's name is Shiraito which means threads of silk and you can see exactly why. The width of the fall is about 200ms and the drop about 25ms. Both falls are caused by the same geological conditions and originate as melt water from the snow on the mountain. The two falls are only 400ms apart.
This is the ultimate way to take your selfie. Selfie sticks can be cast into the dustbin of history. You simplify fly your camera laden drone into the correct position for your face and the background you want and bingo. This is just what a guy was doing with this drone.
As the afternoon progressed the cloud shroud diminished. We're to the west of the mountain so the sun is setting behind us and illuminating Fuji in fine style.
All we had to do was to bus back to Fujinomiya and hit the tracks back to Tokyo. The first connection was a bit tight and despite my warning them, the Cambodians managed to dawdle and get split up. I do hope they are back in Tokyo now. The cost of plan B? About five pounds off our IC cards for the bus rides, the rest was free or JR pass.
Firstly have a look at our accommodation for the next ten days. It's a fifteen minute bus ride from Matsudo Station which adds time and expense to every trip into town which will be most days. Yagiri station is about 400 ms away but not on a direct line into Tokyo Central Station, so we'll have to work it out.
Here's the apartment.
The front door, toilet, bathroom from the kitchen. The spare bedroom
is round to the left.
Kitchen from the living/bedroom.
Living/bedroom.
Not brilliant but quite spacious for the two of us. We arrived on Friday evening and England are taking on the All Blacks in the semi final of the World Cup tomorrow.
Off on the train to Tokyo Station. There's lots of bars on the Heineken list that will be screening the game plus the fanzone with a capacity of 4800. The problem with the fanzone is that it's all standing, so we'll probably check out a bar. Just outside the station we are consulting Google maps when a young Japanese couple offer to help. He leads us to a place that they were going to called Celts which is an Irish bar.
His name is Casey and he grew up in South Wales where his father was working. He attended primary school there and one year of secondary school. So he is Max Boyce's "Welsh speaking Japanee". He joined us for the first half of the England game. We decided to come back here tomorrow for the other semifinal, but this time booking a table in advance. So many thanks to you Casey and your wife for being so helpful in the typical Japanese tradition. Here's the pub.
Actually this picture was taken about an hour before the Wales v South Africa game so the pub is not so crowded. There are a good number of TVs at various angles.
What a wonderful match! England completely dominated the All Blacks in a way that I have never seen before. Thoroughly deserved winners and now favourites to lift the cup. It would be brilliant if Wales could be there to join them in the final.
Let's all raise a glass to toast what was a truly historic performance by England. Most of you will remember the second semi final. A very different game with neither side really getting any ascendancy, tense, bruising and errors of pressure. After a goal each it always looked like a penalty goal would eventually separate the teams and when South Africa went three points ahead with five minutes to go, that was that and my dream of a Welsh World Cup turned to dust.
There is more to life than rugby, I tell myself and come on England.
Monday 28th October is today and the last day of our 21 day JR passes, so we better make use of them for the last time. The only must do thing that involves travelling and we can do in a day is Mt. Fuji.
There are advertisements for day trips on a bus from Tokyo station return at US$ 150 a head. Or, plan B. You go to the ticket desk at Tokyo station and reserve seats on the Shinkensen to Shin-Fuji station. Get out and catch the bus to Fujinomiya this takes half an hour and whilst you're there you can visit the World Heritage Site centre for the mountain that looms above you. You could also visit the major Shinto Shrine that is very close before catching the next bus to the Shiraito waterfalls. You now have as good a view of the mountain you could ask for. This first picture however is taken from bus station at Fujinomiya.
The forecast for the afternoon was rain, so we expected the cloud to build up and were happy to get shots like this. There was also a group of Cambodian French Canadians who were sort of tagging along with us because they didn't really know where they were going. One of them took this picture of Helen and me in uniform.
We walked down to the waterfalls. The first one you encounter is the Otodome falls. This is loud and crashing.
The other is a complete contrast. It's name is Shiraito which means threads of silk and you can see exactly why. The width of the fall is about 200ms and the drop about 25ms. Both falls are caused by the same geological conditions and originate as melt water from the snow on the mountain. The two falls are only 400ms apart.
This is the ultimate way to take your selfie. Selfie sticks can be cast into the dustbin of history. You simplify fly your camera laden drone into the correct position for your face and the background you want and bingo. This is just what a guy was doing with this drone.
As the afternoon progressed the cloud shroud diminished. We're to the west of the mountain so the sun is setting behind us and illuminating Fuji in fine style.
All we had to do was to bus back to Fujinomiya and hit the tracks back to Tokyo. The first connection was a bit tight and despite my warning them, the Cambodians managed to dawdle and get split up. I do hope they are back in Tokyo now. The cost of plan B? About five pounds off our IC cards for the bus rides, the rest was free or JR pass.
What a super day. Fabulous sight well worth a visit.
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