We went on a practice run from Akasaka to Tokyo station today to make sure we knew where the Shinkansen was. We are doing the digital tickets for the first time linked to our suica and it’s a new process and a bit stressful. So we don’t want to be too early….but also need to leave time for if it fails.
After we worked out our pacing, I decided I wanted to find ramen street which is on the basement level of Tokyo station. We wandered for a bit, then started to see signage. Yay! It was still surprisingly difficult to find and I was surprised at the lack of signage. Then I spotted Ikaruga which was a highlighted eatery so I knew we were in the right place.
We had to use the ticket machine first (cash or travel cards only) then line up and the lining up process is very strict! You must follow all the rules.
We were the only non Japanese people in the line and in the restaurant and we were seated in about 10 mins so it was quick. About 5 mins later our “original ramen” came out. It was 1290 yen and was really good pork ramen. The broth was delicious.
After lunch we walked back up character street which was creepy as heck and I bought banana cookies. Very tasty. Not worth $12 AUD lol. But at least I succeeded in buying something gimmicky!
We were a bit knackered and peopled out after last nights efforts + the snow tomorrow so dinner was Burger King and an early night tonight.
We slept in again today (this hotel is really quiet so great for sleep ins!) and then headed off to Ginza. I have realised the jacket I brought is simply not going to cut it once we get to Nozawa…if I am not coping in 0C in Tokyo I sure won’t cope in -15C or worse there! Ginza had both a Uniqlo and a Gu store (sister brand of Uniqlo) and failing that a very pricy montbell store. I was out to get the “super warm padded” jacket from Gu rated for 0 down to -25C and was lucky enough they had it in stock! I had to buy it one size too big but for $90 AUD I’ll take it.
While in Ginza, we also gave pudding lab a go. We tried their most well known gimicky product which is called “100％プリンソフト” (100% pudding soft). It’s not exactly a soft serve ice cream, but more like pudding turned into a soft serve style by liquefying the pudding, then running it through a soft‐serve freezer machine so it comes out creamy, soft, and swirled. You also get to choose two accompanying sauces. It was expensive but I thought it was yummy.
After lunch and shopping it was nap time before a wander to Hie Jinja Shrine and dinner at my all time favourite restaurant Kobe Beef Kaseikii 511 Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511.
The shrine is apparently lovely during the day but we wandered over after they had closed to see the 90 Tori gates at night time.
Then we walked 10 mins to the restaurant. Among the 12-point scale, they exclusively offer Kobe beef rated BMS 11 or higher – an extremely rare grade representing just 0.1% of the approximately 800,000 Wagyu cattle produced worldwide each year. So…definitely expect to pay $$$ for that level of Wagyu. This is definitely a special occasion restaurant for us! I even had to bring a nice dress just to go here haha.
This was my third visit and we did notice changes this time! Everyone had a separate seating area and it was quite private (although you can hear people next to you). It’s also different to other countries where a degustation is very spread out….this was one dish straight after another. I think that may be a cultural norm though? Not sure.
I did the four course menu with sirloin and B did the same one but with ribeye :
1. Kobe-beef rillette
2. Appetizers
(Kobe-beef ham with smoked cheese
Red wine braised Kobe-beef
Marinated Tasmanian salmon)
3. Fruit tomato Salad
4. Kobe beef sushi
5. Kobe-beef minestrone
6. Kiln-baked Kobe-beef Sir-loin steak(150g)
7. Dojima Roll Cake
It was delicious! And so worth the cost. We continued our tradition of pairing with a French Pinot noir although I do note they seem to have shifted from having a sommelier to training their service staff in which wines to suggest. He did seem to know his stuff though.
After dinner we wandered down the road to champagne and gyoza again and had a few glasses of bubbles before we then walked 50m up the road to codename mixology which had very expensive but very tasty cocktails. We were able to sit at the bar and watch them make the drink which was definitely worth it.
Then it was home time and drunken sleep time for me 🙂
We slept in today after our big day trip yesterday and then headed to Imakatsu Akasaka which is a very well known katsu place walking distance from our hotel. This is their local (smaller) store which often has lines but we got in just before it got busy at about 11:45am. The katsu chicken was sooooo juicy! And delicious. And the set comes with refillable cabbage (use the white sauce on that) plus rice, pickles and miso soup. Yum yum yum.
After lunch I did a few hours of work (yay travel and online uni) before we headed to the only onsen/sento bath I could find that was both tattoo and woman friendly. Rah Tokyo, get with the times please! This was the same onsen we visited 6 years ago called “Mannen-Yu” and is very local but also one of the few tattoo okay ones. It’s down a weird, tiny alley in Korea town. We also had the super interesting experience of a drunk local coming in, throwing up and then being removed by very angry owners. Not often you see Japanese being angry in public!
After the onsen, we visited Shibuya crossing (and got a semi decent photo from the free shopping centre overpass) before we ventured up to Shibuya Sky. We also saw the Hachiko statue which had a very long line I chose not to join so I snapped this sneaky photo instead.
I did try getting into L Occitane cafe before we did the free overpass photo but they had no view seats and the food was stupidly expensive….so free overpass it was!
I pre bought our evening tickets for shibuya sky (6pm session) about 2 weeks before and it was a good decision as they were totally sold out for the whole day about a week ahead….when we left just after 7pm the line was absolutely bonkers. I did try for sunset at midnight on the day tickets were released a few weeks ago but they sold out in under a minute.
We got to see the sky view, ride the (slightly terrifying) glass sided escalators and almost freeze to death as no hats or beanies allowed. I thought my ears might fall off.
We didn’t realise they have a bar within the inside viewing gallery so I recommend have a drink at that bar…which included premium view seating if you make a purchase per person. Don’t buy the food! It was awful. Just grab a few cocktails and some hot chips to justify the seat usage.
Then we headed to the champagne and gyoza bar around the corner from our hotel which was delicious! It’s very small (about 15 seats) and even though I was exhausted the fact they had spare seats as we went past meant I wanted to give it a go! Minimum spend is 1 drink per person and the champagne of the day was REALLY good although not cheap. Can also say the gyoza were top notch. I want to go back here again when I’m a bit more alert lol.
We went on a visitor/tourist day trip with “VIP Japan tours today” which can be found at this link:
We met the bus at Shinjuku Post Office and it was all fairly easy, – small group, allocated seating, clear instructions, and we left exactly on time (I love you, Japan). The tour order got flipped because of traffic, so instead of finishing at Enoshima, we started there.
Enoshima Island was a beautiful first stop. It has that relaxed coastal feel, little streets you can wander, and plenty of spots to stop and take in the ocean views. The shrines are tucked into the greenery and feel unexpectedly peaceful for somewhere that apparently is so popular in peak times. And on a clear day, you can even spot Mt Fuji in the distance…sadly our day wasn’t clear.
We paid $5 AUD to use the escalators going up and walked back down the stairs. I considered it $5 well spent.
After that we headed to Kamakura and visited Hase-dera first. The gardens are gorgeous, the temple grounds have these sweeping views over Kamakura, and there is an eleven-headed Kannon statue although somehow we missed that? I was very happy to see some cherry blossoms though! Not sure how they are surviving in the middle of winter but I’ll take them.
Then we went to Kōtoku-in and the Great Buddha. You can also go inside the statue, which I didn’t expect to be so interesting…and now I can tell everyone I’ve been in Buddhas butt. It is just a quick peek, but was cool to see how they made all interlocking plates. It started to snow properly while we were at the Buddha (not that common here) so we went back to the bus a bit early and I got to feed a tiny wild squirrel that likes to hang out with the parking attendants.
Our last stop was Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine, walking through the big torii gate and into a space that’s all ponds, bridges and gardens. From there we strolled down Komachi Street as well which is apparently shoulder to shoulder in tourist season (spring and summer) but was nowhere near as busy in cold/snowy type weather. I ate a Buddha cake with custard which was tasty and felt slightly sacriligeous.
I was also very happy to get a new beanie here with proper ear coverage as I’m struggling with the cold!! It was 5C and snowed today….we aren’t even officially at the snow yet and I’m freezing.
The bus dropped us back in Shinjuku around 5:30pm and this time we were on the same side as Omoide Yokocho skewer alley (memory lane). We walked up and down to check the whole alley out as it wasn’t too busy, then we settled on a small bar that still had seats at the front counter. You have to squish in tight and they cook the food in front of you! We had chicken yakatori and a beef one as well….plus delicious plum umeshu with Soda. It’s also normal to have a seat charge here (about $3 each) so don’t panic about it being a bar scam if they have one when you visit.
Steps: 16590
Japanese food: Lawson fried chicken, miso soup, rice, octopus tentacles (for B), Buddha cake, yakatori and some umeshu in Soda.
Us: we know Google, we found about 57 of them this evening….
We did also find two lots of delicious ramen, the harry potter cafe, the magical “lord cat” in 3D in Shinjuku, a very dodgy walking street that was more in line with what you expect in Thailand and vending machine hot chocolate.
During the day we went for a walk from our Akasaka accomodation to find the Harry Potter cafe. Super gimicky and expensive but really interesting if you’re a HP fan.
After this visit I had a 1 hour uni lecture from 5-6pm and then we headed off to Shinjuku to try and work out our day trip pick up point for the next day. After some wandering and 57 different exits we did eventually work it out!
In relation to the somewhat dodgy street, Sakura Dori, or Cherry Blossom Street, is a vibrant lane in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, known for its lively atmosphere, diverse establishments, and neon-lit scenery.
Once known as one of Kabukicho’s more ‘dangerous’ areas, it has transformed into a popular spot for tourists and locals alike…while still having an awful lot of 18+ signs and “girl bars”. We ended up here by accident after visiting the 3D “lord cat”. The giant 3D cat billboard in Tokyo, better known as the “Shinjuku Cat” or “lord cat” and is one of those fun little surprises Japan is known for. It sits on the Cross Shinjuku Building just outside the East Exit of JR Shinjuku Station, and the curved 4K screen makes the calico cat look properly three-dimensional. It stretches, yawns, meows, and peers down at people below, with different routines running across the day, and it pops up every 15 mins between ads.
After we found the cat, we realised it was the opposite side of Shinjuku station to the famous skewer alley and I was not up for another trek back through that Shinjuku labyrinth. Instead we went down cherry blossom street and had dinner at “Kamakura” known for its ramen in a clear, French style broth.
Steps: 10733
Japanese food: 2 x ramen, 1 x gyoza, vending machine snaaaacks!!
Given this was a much longer plane trip than I’ve done since my back quit being supportive (both literally and figuratively) we decided to fly with Air Asia and have an airside stopover at KLIA2 including the samasama transit hotel. We also like air Asia as it is cheap with lots of upgrade options so I could get priority boarding, extra legroom, priority check in etc…and as always we found the service and airline pretty good.
The first leg was 5.5hrs Perth to KL. I had paid for priority check in, boarding and extra legroom seats which was a very good call as Air Asia seats are teeny tiny! We were able to snooze for small parts of that flight but as anyone who has been on a plane and is over the age of 10 can attest to…sleeping on planes is hard.
We then had about a 10hr stopover at KLIA2 in Kuala Lumpur so around 8hrs of that was used to sleep at the airside hotel (it takes 6 and 12 hr bookings). I woke up feeling pretty good from that sleep and being able to have a shower also helped. We had lunch at Ah Yum in the KLIA2 food court and I gave my chopstick helpers their first try out. I’m a fan, hopefully they mean I can eat food without wearing half of it now! I also like that these ones are a little more subtle than the cute panda and dinosaur ones they make for little kids.
Second leg was 7.5 hrs from KL to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. I did try for a flat bed “bid” upgrade but no luck. I’ve upped my bidding budget to try again on the way back lol. We had a sonic themed hedgehog themed plane! Both inside and outside.
Before leaving, we did online immigration registration and got a QR code to get through a bit quicker. However as I now use some fairly strong painkiller medications, it turned out some of them are illegal in Japan. I had to do a customs import request. It was a huge ordeal – specifically worded med cert, 4 page application, attaching photos of all meds and their boxes. Then having to wait to see if they would approve. Then when it was approved, I still had to go through the “naughty line” on arrival! Stressful but definitely not worth pissing off Japanese border control / police by bringing them in sneakily…and we were still through in under 2 mins. Just had to show the correct boxes to match to the paperwork.
As we arrived quite late into Tokyo (and had to deal with the customs narcotics declaration debacle) we did a private car transfer to the hotel (argh the cost was obscene) but it all went smoothly with Tokyo Porter.
We checked in just after midnight at the Hotel Risveglia in Akasaka. It’s a great area to stay as it’s cheaper than some of the more central locations but only a 5 min walk from the hotel to multiple train lines. So many good food places around here as well!
If you’re ever wondering how peri menopause makes brains do weird things….I researched our Tokyo hotel for ages for this trip. Read blogs, read online reviews, looked at train lines and access to places we wanted to stay, bed sizes (poor 6ft Brad), pricing and so on.
I finally settled on one after hours of research.
We arrived and B says “this is the exact same hotel we stayed in when we came here in 2020”.
Me: noooo I researched it so much, no way.
He was right lol.
Shout out to this hotel as it is affiliated with the Yamamoto luggage transfer service. So with 2 days notice we were able to fill out a slip, pay at the hotel and sent Bs rather large ski bag on to our accomodation in Nozawa. That will make the transiting part on trains a lot less stressful
Japan tip: We pre loaded our suica cards into our iPhone wallets before we left so that should make things nice and easy to get around. Just tap and go! Easy to add credit with Apple Pay as well
We recently did a 3 night stay at a lake view chalet at RAC Karri Valley resort. We had a 3 bed / sleeps 8 cabin for $490 a night and it was definitely a lovely view! the layout of 2 QBs, 2 singles and a bunk mostly worked out for us once we got through initial teen/tween dramas about who got the bottom bunk and could turn it into a fort lol.
On day 1 we checked in at 3pm and did some exploring around the waterfront plus our youngest tween holidayer had an awesome time swimming and jumping off the pontoon. We had dinner at the lakeside restaurant on site and while the food was really good…you were definitely paying a “location tax” for the pricing! The view from the table was beautiful however.
Day 2 we headed off as a group of 5 to ride the Pemberton tram! This was fully booked out a few days ahead so I was glad I had been organised and precooked. The trip out had some excellent commentary and then we wandered around the cascades for a little while before returning back on the tram. I definitely recommend this for tourists!
We headed to the Pemberton hotel for lunch afterwards (average….very average) then back for some more swimming, relaxing and tacos for dinner before movie night in the cabin. We stopped in at southern river chocolate factory on the way back to the resort….yum.
Day 3 we stayed at the resort all day and did the 3.2km loop walk up to Beedelup falls. It was a really pretty walk although steep in some parts and I had to stop a few times.
Some of us (not me) then went canoeing on the lake which was apparently great fun and a recommended activity for next time. Dinner was at the lakeside restaurant again (easy and no cooking) followed by games night. Team “Gen X” won!
Home time the next day! A lovely short stay in a beautiful region.
We came down on our own just for 4 nights this year Dec 18-22nd and stayed in a smaller “beach” cabin. It sleeps 5 allegedly but you would want to be a very snug and friendly 5! We think it was great for 2 adults and although it was a 3 min walk to the beach instead of 1 min we enjoyed the price drop. We would not have wanted to stay here with Jess and 2 teens….I think we would have come home with some very grumpy holiday participants in a cabin that small. This one is cheaper than the ocean cabin but also smaller, located more centrally within the park and has no included BBQ or oven. So trade offs for the cost.
This year we spent most of our time at the cabin or wandering around a local beach enjoying the disconnect – no wifi and no phone reception.
It was a good time to have a break from the news feed and algorithms full of terror, fake news and awful imagery. I definitely needed it. Aside from reading/drinking, we also visited part of the cape to cape track and walked the section along the cliffs over Conto’s Beach (contos cliffs) but gave up before we got 3.5kms down to Bobs Hollow/grotto. I couldn’t hack it in the heat and 7kms return was a decent trek. I was happy with our 2km effort.
We did go out and about on one day! Mostly so I could check my email for approval to travel from the Japanese government (confirmed!) in mid January. On our day trip we visited:
Swings and roundabouts – pizza is average but they do really quick and efficient service. They were also jam packed with people but it didn’t feel busy. I liked their sparkling (B liked their ginger beer on tap) and I got to pat people’s doggos because they are dog friendly.
Gabriels chocolates – we always visit here because it’s just so freaking tasty! As always the chocolate is amazing. So much better than that tourist trap other place….which we went to next since it’s 2km up the road. They also have baby lambs and two beautiful kelpies I got to pat.
Margaret river chocolate factory – it’s such a tourist trap but dammit they make tasty treats. We bought some Xmas presents and some chocolate covered pretzels here.
Then we headed back to Hamelin Bay and another 2 days of quiet time. This is our 5th year visiting and 4th year consecutively staying here after finally besting their phone ballot (that was the year I found out once you call someone 200 times on an iPhone it STOPS COUNTING) to get a cabin with dates in Dec or Jan. Will we be back next year? We have decided not to renew at this stage. It’s lovely and quiet but at $250-$350 a night it’s hard not to compare it to a villa with a private pool in Sanur, Bali for under $200 a night….also you can never get dates when we actually want them which is Dec 26-Jan 1st as it’s been booked out by the same people for 15 years.
So a couple more sunsets and pats of “Stingy” and home we went.
We are heading to Karri Valley with Jess and the kids for a few nights in Jan for something different. The cabin there is the same price as the ocean cabin for 5 at Hamelin Bay but MUCH bigger so hopefully less chance of teen/tween fights and Aunty Mel needing to hide in the bushes for quiet time lol.
So the nice thing about this villa is it’s inside the resort so we get the best of both worlds – room service and a gorgeous resort + private pool and quiet. I loved the quiet, the private pool and the very comfy lounges inside and outside! Don’t think I will pay Hyatt prices again (ridiculous) and will instead pay for villa experience without the need for resort amenities. I will make sure we are near the beach though.
Days 6-8 this time around were much of muchness…we slept in, ate lunch locally, read books or swam and then went to various happy hours and dinner each night. Which was exactly what I wanted! A large part of this trip was about a break for me from work/study.
Places in Sanur we ate at this trip included.
Naughty Nuri’s (western tourist pricing) – ribs and steak skewers good, so were the cocktails ✅
Pelisi at Alantara Hotel – lots of western food at resort prices but also indo stuff was well priced and tasty from the menu. Cocktails delicious and based in our hotel so easy to get to! ✅
The shed (formally named the men’s shed) was one of the few walkable places from our first accomodation this time. Very western and car focused but drinks well priced and food looked okay ✅
Happy hour in the Tree Top Bar at the Maya or breakfast. Can’t beat the view! We ate and drank here quite a few times and it’s a definite favourite ✅
Warung Mama Sanur – yummy food, good local prices. Soto Ayam and rendang were really good ✅
Hyatt beach bbq grill + free flowing drinks package with fire dance was GREAT! Not cheap but the food was delicious, the dance was impressive and the drinks were very….boozy lol. Definitely a lovely treat to engage with ✅
Cafe Batujimbar. Breakfast and drinks were western pricing but juices in particular were very refreshing and large ✅
Pizzaria: we just had a happy hour drink and their service was so, so bad. Apparently the food is good, and the pizza gets rave reviews ✅
Blue oven: Andaz Hyatt resort lazy dining but their sate ayam was delicious and the pizza was expensive but tasty ✅
Tandjung Sari: on the beach walk, nice view, definitely more pricey but really tasty indo food ✅
Pier 8 – lovely beach view and strong cocktails, food was nice but very pricey ✅
Annnnd the last one on the list is Izakaya Kuu at Maya Resort which has an amazing lunch offer of $8.5 AUD for ramen, 2 gyoza and iced tea at lunch! Super tasty ✅
So….just to be clear this place isn’t usually within our travel budget. It’s a one off to celebrate my 40th and my thesis submission for a PhD! We are staying at the Andaz by Hyatt in Sanur for the next few nights in a garden pool villa and it’s just lovely. We are now back on the main beach so everything is within walking distance again. On checkin the room wasn’t quite ready so we lazed by the “adult only quiet pool” and had some snacks.
At 3pm we checked in, and our villa is beautiful and quiet…as you’d hope. We have a private pool and are surrounded by mature trees and nature which is so calm and relaxing.
We went for a wander for dinner in the evening and headed 400m up the street to Warung Mama Sanur which had excellent rendang and Ayam Soto, as well as cheap soft drinks. This place came up a few times in my research for local eateries and I definitely recommend it if you’re down the south end of the Main Street.
I do want to mention somewhere….they are spending a huge amount of money fixing up all of the sanur footpaths on the main road which is fantastic. They are doing a really good and thorough job however it has made things a little bit tricky for me with my mobility issues. I just have to go slow. Once they are done it will be an excellent tourist selling point.
We also went on a bit of an adventure last night to test out Bali’s tourist medical systems lol. In under an hour and with a total cost of $45 AUD with no passport on me I got a prescription med I needed and only 1-2 awkward conversations to report back on for it…that was at 9pm at night as well! So probably a better experience than trying to get the same medication in Perth really.?
I woke up on day 5 to my 40th birthday! Yayyyyy old Mel!
We walked up to Cafe Batujimbar for some breakfast where B had fried rice and I had eggs and some very tasty juice. Not the cheapest option on the Main Street but very tasty fresh food, especially the squeezed juices.
Then it was pool time, reading in the sun and relaxation for the afternoon.
Dinner was a step away from local places tonight and instead we went to the Hyatt’s beach BBQ grill all you can eat. Cost is about $70 AUD but its buffet and includes all kinds of meat, sides, seafood and dessert. It was DELICIOUS! Really good quality food.
They also had fire dance performers with two live shows at 7:15am and 8am for diners. We added the drink package to our dinner too which came with unlimited cocktails, beer and wine.
Mel's Travel Blog 