Japan Observations - Day 3
We traveled from Tokyo to Takayama, and then spent half day at Takayama.
- When possible, stack up the purchases and get tourist tax refund. Simple sunscreen purchase is 857 vs. 780. But you need to spend a minimum of ¥5,000 to qualify for tax refund. It adds up eventually.
- Sent the luggage from our Tokyo hotel to Kyoto hotel via luggage transfer (takkyubin). It was reasonably priced, and we loved the convenience of carrying minimum luggage for the 2 night side trip to Takayama.
- Shinkansen experience to Nagoya was nice. It’s nice that they run throughout the day with almost 10-15 minute frequency. It’s quite expensive though - almost same cost as a flight if not more. It’s so silent in the Shinkansen - easy to catch some sleep.
- It was neat to see Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen. I was initially planning a day trip to Fujikawaguchiko but ditched it because of the amount of travel and the low changes of actually sighting the Fujisan in sprint. We were lucky to get a clear day on our Shinkansen day.
- Shinkansen was so fast that I could not see the windows of another Shinkansen passing right next to us in our opposite direction. But otherwise, it never felt like we were traveling at insane speeds because of how stable the ride was. You could almost say that shinkansens are boring (in a good way).
- My watch showed negative altitude most of the time in Tokyo and on the way to Nagoya.
- Pedestrian crossing light is accompanied by bird chirp like sounds. Japanese soundscape is made up of such sounds or jingles. They are distinctive.
- English is rare among the Japanese. If you have a question, better find someone who interacts or works with tourists on a daily basis. Like the ticketing agent at the train station, cashiers at shops, etc.
- If you have food restrictions, small towns are going to be trickier.
- Food is more expensive compared to India. In India, food can be very cheap if you eat at local joints. Less than 100 rupees if you eat simple stuff. 500 mL water bottle can cost about 120 yen in Japan.
- It was amusing that unreserved car was less crowded than reserved on our Nagoya to Takayama train.
- Tourist centres are genuinely useful. We did the stamp collection activity at Takayama thanks to their info - visited a bunch of places based on their suggestions and and got a nice sarubobo doll as a reward.