JR Rail Pass Tokyo-Sapporo-Nagoya route

Whatever happens is always for the best :)

This trip I did not intend to travel from Tokyo to Sapporo and then to Nagoya. But it happened.

Day1: Bangkok - Narita

                

The plane shook a lot while landing. The pilot decided to take off again after unfolding the landing gear and circling around for about 30 minutes. The strength of the shaking felt like the plane might flip. Then staff announce that because of the strong wind, even though the weather outside the window was clear at that time.

        Get JR pass and use it as the first day on N'EXT train to travel from Narita airport to Tokyo station. Drop off at Tokyo station and change to Yamanote Line heading to Ueno station.

        Walk from Ueno station to the hotel. The trick is to use Google map and select wheelchair accessible to avoid stairs while you are carrying luggage. I stay at Tokyo Ueno Touganeya Hotel, a budget hotel that allows guests to leave their luggage after check-out. Very generous of them.

        I went out to get some fresh air. Around the hotel there were some restaurants that were open until late at night. And there are many office workers in the restaurants there enjoying life after work.

 

Day2: Tokyo - Hokkaido
    

Ueno --> Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto --> Hokkaido.
|Hayabusa 1 | 6:38-10:53 | Travel time: 4hr15min
Transfer at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto into Hakodate Liner for HAKODATE.

From Ueno to Shin-Hakodate takes 4hr15min. Then transfer to Hakodate Line for HAKODATE and take the train around 20 mins, will arrive at Hakodate station.


| Hayabusa 1| Travel time

    

 Hakodate is a charming town. Love this little city which has everything you need, fresh seafood, good air, nice view, beautiful scenery from the top of the  mountain, good transportation including a tram which is good for environment.

 

Activities:

• Fort Goryokaku is a star-shaped fort, western style, in the city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. 
• Tropical Botanical garden is where you can see monkeys in an onsen. However, the monkeys are living in such poor conditions, they look unwell and so tiny. Save money and time and just find something else to see.
• Mout Hakodate, take the bus to the last stop and then queue for the ropeway, which will take you to the top of Mount Hakodate. The night view is also a great idea to see the colorful city lit up at night. 
• Bus No.1 line Mt. Hakodate Climbing Bus (from Hakodate Station to Mt. Hakodate, 1 way 30 minutes) Stop number 4 from in front of Hakodate Station.
• Recommended place to stay: Premier Hotel Cabin President, near the station, not too expensive, good sized rooms. But communicating in english wiht the staff is a bit difficult.

Day3: Hakodate - Sapporo and Return to Tokyo

Hakodate - Sapporo - Tokyo 

Travel time: | 6:02-21:23| Travel time: 3hr48min + 7hr56min Soooooo Longgg journey!!

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Hakodate - Sapporo

| Hokuto 1 | 6:02-9:50 | Travel time: 3hr48min 

Sapporro - Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

| Hokuto 14 | 13:27-16:58 | Travel time: 3hr31min 

time between train 28 min

Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto - Tokyo

| Hayabusa44 | 17:26-21:23 | Travel time: 3hr57min

        First, I hesitated and fussed over whether to take the early morning shinkansen to Sapporo or sightsee within Hakodate and then return to Tokyo. Desire finally overcame me and I appeared in Sapporo. 

        It was a shower raining, I visit Odori Park and stop at Clock tower. Then walk a bit from Clock Tower to TV Tower. Take an elevator to admire the view from Sapporo TV Tower, a Sapporo landmark. Take the same route as Odori Park. The ground floor has subway connections to JR Sapporo. 

PS: For TV Tower, use the same direction as Odori Park,  The ground floor has a subway which connects to JR Sapporo.

I spent time in total for Day3 = 3hr48min + 7hr56min ... OMG 😵

Day4: Tokyo - Nagoya GHIBLI PARK

Tokyo to Nagoya Tokyo - NagoyaHikari 501 | 7:03-9:01 | Travel time: 1hr58min

Nagoya - TokyoHikari 660 | 18:31-20:12 | Travel time:2hr 19min

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"Ghibli Park is located within Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park. The five areas of Ghibli Park are Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, Dondoko Forest, Mononoke Village, and Valley of Witches."

Ticket is on sale 1-2 months in advance
This is how I travel from Tokyo to Aichi prefecture:

JR Pass | Hikari 501 | travel time: 2hrs
1) I started from Ikebukuro station to Tokyo station, then get Shinkansen to Nagoya station.

Local train| Travel time: 55 min
2) Drop off at Nagoya station then walk to no.9 subway Higashiyama Line , take Local towards Fujigaoka. Destination is Fujigaoka station, price around 370Yen
3) Get off at Fujigaoka station, then walk out from the station and change to Linimo line towards Yakusa. Destination is Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station, price 300Yen
4) Get off at Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station, then follow the sign to Ghibli park around 5 mins walk.

GHIBLI's warehouse & Hill of Youth

GHIBLI's warehouse & Dondoko Forest

Day5: Famous Hekelun Cafe & Roppongi Hill

    Hekkelun Coffee is famous for its puddings. (And the famous grandpa who did every step himself.) I arrived around 2pm and sure enough, the pudding was sold out. But I still enjoyed the atmosphere, chatting and getting to know the Japanese people sitting at the bar counter next to me.
In the evening, the whole city was lit up with lights. People came out to celebrate and enjoy the decorations.

Day6: Shinjulu - Kabukicho

I found this gem by accident in the heart of Shinjuku. It's inside a hotel and when you step in you feel very different from outside. The interior of the shop has a comfortable and elegant atmosphere. The chef kindly showed me the ingredients and allowed me to take photos while the food was being cooked. 

Day7 : Goodbye Japan

“The most delicious onigiri is at Toshima,” I read from the internet. So I planned to eat it because it was my last day in Tokyo. Unfortunately I didn't come fast enough. Even though the store wasn't open yet, there were (almost) hundred of people queuing up. I gave up because I didn't want to miss my flight.

Luckily, I found a local sushi restaurant that wasn't crowded when I was there. After the bill came, I was surprised at how cheap it was. And the queue outside was already very long.

Till we meet again.