Check Out This Classic Toyota in Tokyo

This is a throwback post to June 2017 when I visited Tokyo, Japan.

My friend and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi to look for its signature bottle opener and t-shirts. While she was busy choosing t-shirts, I went gallivanting to the car park at the back.

In one of the parking lot was this cool looking Toyota:

The car was gleaming black and well maintained. I wonder which year was the car made in.

I suppose the owner must have invested much effort to preserve the car. He surely must be a car lover.

Such a beauty indeed!

8 Random Observations About Japan

Here's a throwback post on eight random observations when I visited the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo in June 2017.

1) Standing on different sides of the escalator

Despite being in the same country, people in Osaka (Kansai region) stand on the right side of the escalator whilst in Tokyo they stand on the left.

This photo was taken at one of the metro stations in Osaka: 

See what I said about people standing on the right in Osaka ...

Unfortunately I didn't take any photo of the metro escalator in Tokyo to show you that they stand on the left side.


2) Many senior citizens in Kyoto

I notice that there are many senior citizens in Kyoto compared to Osaka and Tokyo. Maybe because Kyoto is not a busy city compared to the other two and therefore would make a better retirement place.

The older generation in Japan are generally strong and healthy, probably due to the amount of walking and cycling that they do. Genes play a huge part too. Wish I had some Japanese genes for my old age.

These senior citizens are also useful. Each time I got lost in Japan, they were the ones who gave me directions, and without speaking a  word of English at that. We just used sign language. I tell you, the senior citizens would make good volunteers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

An elderly couple at a bus stop in Kyoto.

3) Needs more laundromat or coin laundry

Japan has many vending machines and coin lockers to store your luggage, but certainly not enough laundromats.

I went to do my laundry at one of the laundromats in Tokyo on a weekday evening and I had to queue. That annoyed me because laundomats are supposed to be less busy on weekdays.

If I had the resources, I would open a chain of laundomats in Japan, seriously.

Another thing ... all instructions at the laundomats are in Japanese, here's an example: 

Even the instructions on the detergent box is in Japanese:

Thankfully I could figure out the instructions because I use the laundromat weekly at my home. After all, how different can laundromat instructions be even from different parts of the world. 

Enough of vending machines and more laundromats please.

4) No stray dogs or mongrels

I notice there were hardly any stray dogs or mongrels in Japan. 

I saw a homeless man in the Roppongi area in Tokyo and he had an Akita breed which is the same breed as the infamous Japanese dog, Hachiko. The guy's dog didn't look thin or malnourish and I wonder how he sustains the dog.

Here are photos of local folks with their pet dogs:

Twosome in a pram.
(Photo was shot in Kyoto)

Pet poodle going for a stroll. 

(Photo was shot at the Dotonbori area in Osaka)

5) Dustbins are difficult to find

You would have probably heard this before from people who have returned from Japan, that Japan is very clean and rubbish bins are difficult to find.

So if you're visiting Japan, remember to keep a plastic bag in your bag at all times to store litter until you find an avenue to dispose of it properly.


6) Road names are in Japanese

We were looking for the Arashiyo-beya sumo stable in Tokyo which is located in a small alley. Google Maps was erractic that morning and we kept walking in circles. In the end someone helped to show the directions.

Despite having the address of the sumo stable with me I still couldn't find the place because the addresses on houses and office blocks look like this:

How to find the road name like this ...

7) Fascination with France

I was surprised to hear music from the Les Miserables soundtrack being played in the Tokyo metro stations. Was expecting to hear Kitaro or some traditional Japanese music, hehehe.

Since we're talking about music in the metro stations, I also heard the sound of chirping birds being played at the stations, probably to help keep the crowd calm during rush hour commute in the crowded trains.

Many of bakeries in Tokyo also sell French pastries instead of Japanese ones. Not sure how close the pastries are in taste compared to original French pastries sold in France though. Maybe the locals are fedup of Japanese pastries and prefer boulangerie et pattiserie ala Japonais.

One of my Japanese colleague had his wedding photoshoot in Paris because he claims his wife is a francophile. Vive la France!

Subway tracks in Tokyo.

8) Small dwellings

The flats that we booked via Airbnb in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo were tiny and suitable for small sized Asians or midgets. If you're a big, burly person, perhaps it's wiser to get a hotel room instead and hope their hotel rooms are not as small as their flats.

Just to give you an idea, the average size of the flats we stayed in was around 250 sq ft. That's just enough space for a double bed and perhaps a 2-seater sofa and a coffee table. A small kitchen and a bathroom is also part of that small space.

Japan probably needs bigger flats in the future considering that the younger generation are getting taller and bigger.

Nudity, Equality and Bushes of the Female Kind at the Onsen

I'm a strong believer that we should buy experiences over possessions. It was because of this belief that I made it a point to visit an onsen during my visit to Japan in June.

I wanted the experience of being completely naked in public together with other naked people. Call it public nudity if you will, albeit amongst the same gender.

After doing some research about onsens. I decided on the Maenohara Onsen - Saya-no-Yudokoro in Tokyo.

This is the facade of the building:

Main entrance:

At the entrance of the building is the shoe locker:

Reminds me of traditional Chinese medicine shops.

I chose locker Number 026 because I was born on 26 January (easy to remember in case I get overwhelmed by too many naked bodies in the onsen):

After you've placed your footwear into the locker, insert JPY100 into the coin slot and you'll be able to remove the key. 

When I entered the building, I saw a common area at one corner with tatami mats where customers were lying down and chilling in their yukata. Some were sitting on massage chairs getting a good massage. I suppose they must be cooling off after soaking in the hot onsen.

(Note: I didn't take any photos from here onwards because I felt the customers may not like it. The other obvious reason is because the nakedness soon began).

The receptionist explained to me the rates, asked me whether I had a towel and needed to rent one, etc. At that point the only thing I could remember was her telling me to "go to the room with the red curtain".

The red curtain looked like the ones hanging from the doorway of traditional Japanese restaurants. The blue curtain was entrance to the male onsen and red curtain was to the female onsen (Question: What if a particular customer is colour blind? Muahahaha).

My heart was beating fast, curious to see what's behind the red curtain.

When I entered the room there were naked women everywhere - young, middle aged, old, fat, thin, obese and anaeroxic - they were all there.

The area was divided into two main areas, i.e. lockers on one side and dressing tables on the other side. Both the areas were covered in tatami mat.

There was a massage room where you can get a massage (book in advance) and toilets too (remember ... you're not supposed to pee while soaking in the onsen).

Everyone was doing their own thing - drying their hair, putting on clothes, applying makeup, etc.

I chose a locker and placed my items into it while observing what the other ladies were doing.

The girl beside me removed all her clothes, placed them into the locker, locked it, strapped the key on her wrist and walked to the onsen with only a face towel in her hand. It was as if getting naked was second nature to her.

It was then that I realised I had brought a bath towel which was too big for an onsen. The correct size is a face towel. So I decided to go in without any towel at all, which I thought was a brave thing to do because even some of the regulars use a face towel to cover their bits.

After removing my clothes and placing it in the locker, I walked to the pool area and met a local lady who could speak English. I asked her what I needed to do before entering the onsen. She was happy that it was my first time and explained that I needed to rinse myself first before soaking in.

After splashing myself with water from a giant tempayan, I went to survey the pools.

The indoor pools were actually jacuzzi hot tubs complete with water jets and all. There was also a sauna which was too hot that I came out after just a couple of minutes.

The outdoor pools were from the hotsprings. The water was yellow-ish in colour which means it contains minerals that's good for the body. The two unique pools that I liked were:

a) A pool with ankle high water which allowed you to lie down in the water.
b) An area with a few giant tempayan which you can climb in and squat till the water reaches your neck.

The outdoor pools were my favourite because I felt serene lying in a nice warm water amidst the trees and breeze. I came out and sat under the sun occasionally to avoid getting prunes on my fingers and toes.

After spending a good 1.5 hours soaking myself, I went to the communal bathing area to wash up. There was a stool to sit while you wash using a hose. Cleaning liquid like body soap, shampoo and conditioner were also provided. Some regulars brought their own bath kit.

After getting dressed, I went to reception to pay.

My receipt:

Costs JPY 870 for unlimited session at the onsen.

They gave me a card where I can collect stamps each time I visit:

I left the onsen feeling light headed and went to Tully's at the AEON mall opposite for a latte:

Caffe latte, JPY360. Taste was not great.

My observations/thoughts about the onsen:

1) Initially I though only senior citizens go to the onsen. But I saw people of all ages there.

2) An onsen is usually a place where elderly women gather to gossip. So I was surprised to see men in their 20s and 30s there too. No, I didn't go into the men's onsen. I saw those fellas at the reception area.

3) Not everyone has the guts to go full monty in public, due to one reason or another. My travel partner chickened out at the last minute and decided to go shopping instead. Maybe she didn't want to see me naked.

4) Bushes of the female kind - Some of the women didn't bother to shave. Their bushes were long and thick like wire. I was amazed to see one who had it so unkempt that it looked like a crows nest, no kidding. Me? I had a Brazillian before going to Japan knowing that I'll be visiting the onsen. I was perhaps the only one who was as clean as a baby :-)

5) Equality - Whether we're aneroxic, obese, rich, poor or anything in between, we're all equal in an onsen.

Wages of a Part Time Restaurant Staff in Tokyo

If you're wondering why things are relatively expensive in Japan, take a look at what a part time kitchen staff/floor staff earns in Japan:

Photo was taken from one of the notice boards at Shinjuku station in Tokyo.

The pay of JPY1,050 per hour is equivalent to the wages of a full time assistant manager or manager in Malaysia! Do the math and you'll know what I mean.

However this rate of wages for a kitchen staff/floor staff is justified due to the high cost of living in Japan. Imagine if their wages is low, people won't be able to survive.

So if a part time restaurant helper already earns this much, I wonder how much a manager earns in Japan? Probably equivalent to the wages of a CEO in Malaysia? Just kidding ... but who knows.

The Most Expensive Train Ride of My Life - Kyoto to Tokyo on the Shinkansen

While planning for my trip to Japan, I had decided to take the bullet rain (Shinkansen) from Kyoto to Tokyo for the sake of experiencing it.

The Shinkansen is one of the most efficient and safest trains in the world with no fatal accidents in its history.

Just to give you an idea of why it's called a bullet train, the 450km journey between Kyoto and Tokyo can be completed in approximately 2 hours. That's how fast it moves.

But safety, efficiency and speed comes with a price, and that's why this ride has become the most expensive train ride of my life.

So how much did the ride cost?

A whopping JPY13,080 for the 2 hour journey!

(JPY13,080 is equivalent to approximately MYR500 which could have bought me a return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Bali or someplace else).

Take a look at the ticket for the most expensive train ride of my life:

We purchased our tickets from the ticket counter at Kyoto Station because we wanted to pay using our credit cards so that we don't have to touch our cash. Money exchange bureaus are difficult to find in Japan, you know ...

Tickets can also be purchased from the ticket vending machines:

We bought non-reserved seats because it's cheaper compared to reserve ones.

[Tip: Since it was a weekday and low season in Japan (we went in June 2017), purchasing non-reserved seats poses a low risk of not finding a seat on the train. However if it's the peak season, perhaps it's better to get a reserved seat or risk standing throughout the journey.]

After purchasing our tickets, we made our way to the turnstills that leads to the Shinkansen tracks:

After inserting our tickets into the turnstills and collecting them back, we made our way to the platform to wait for the train.

Non-reserved seats are in Cars 1 - 3:

Soon the train arrived and I started to get excited:

The type of train was the Nozomi 226:

The train interiors were bright and clean:

The seats were wide and comfortable, even better than airplane seats.

Just like on an airplane, the Shinkansen also had stewardesses who went around selling food:

Prior to the trip I had read that food sold on the Shinkansen is nothing to shout about. So I had pre-packed a ginger pork burger from McDonald's for lunch:

A most delicious burger, cannot be found in Malaysia of course. 
Price: JPY 200

I had also bought a can of Kirin Ichiban to accompany my burger:

Japanese beers are just so delicious!

After wolfing down the burger and beer and cleared the rubbish, I started dozing off. The ride was smooth and almost noiseless - would put anyone to sleep after that burger and beer.

Soon I woke up with a start and realised that I had fallen asleep on the middle aged guy seated on my right.

Interestingly he didn't push me away, said or did anything when I fell asleep on his shoulder. So it's true that Japanese people do fall asleep on each others shoulder in the subway.

After about 2 hours, we arrived at Tokyo Station.

The cleaning crew were already waiting when we arrived. In typical Japanese style they thanked us one by one as we alighted from the train.

I stayed back a few minutes to watch them clean the train in 7 minutes. Watch this video to see how they do it.