Return to New York and Tokyo

I'm back after a 2-week holiday in New York and Tokyo. I'm not going to do a blow-by-blow account, just a few thoughts here.

We flew Northwest because we 1) wanted to stopover in Tokyo, 2) were cheap and 3) didn't want to fly United. As a result, we had to change planes again between Narita and JFK, both ways. The almost 7-hour wait in Minneapolis was the worst. We were severely jetlagged and there was nowhere we could safely nap (it's not exactly Changi). If I had to do it again, I'd probably choose United or pay more to fly ANA. The only silver lining is that I have enough frequent flyer miles for another return flight to Tokyo now. Finally, if you've never used an American airline before, you're in for a bit of a shock.

New York

We stayed at the New Yorker, which is a nice Art Deco building that was featured briefly in Definitely Maybe (one of the rather pathetic range of films available on the SIN-NRT route - no personal entertainment system the other 2 legs of the journey) and probably other films too. We paid about S$400/night for a tiny room in this 3-star hotel. But everything is clean and works, and service while indifferent is not inefficient (describes also NYC service in general). The best thing about the hotel is the location: it's in mid town, and the subway stop is right outside. By the way, for the airport transfer, we tried both SuperShuttle and Airlink, and I would highly recommend not using SuperShuttle.

We bought Citypasses and did just about all the touristy stuff in NYC, since it was my mum's first trip there. We got a 7-day metrocard and used the subway and buses, only resorting to taking a cab once (part of the NYC experience after all). For the subway, I would suggest checking the MTA website whenever possibly for service advisories - you really don't want to spend more time than absolutely necessary in subway stations.

To get to Woodbury Common (not to be missed outlet shopping), the cheapest deal I found was with Express Trails so we went with that. Travel times are fixed though so we didn't get enough time at Woodbury at all. I'd pay more to go with a company that offers more flexible timing next time. The most amazing thing about Woodbury was that there was a queue outside the Coach outlet! LOL. As a result we didn't go in - no time! We went on my birthday, which was coincidentally the first day of the Memorial Day sale there, so there were some amazing further reductions.

We caught 2 musicals on Broadway, Spamalot and Avenue Q. I was pretty restricted when it came to choosing, because only one of the 2 major ticketing services allowed me to book from overseas online, and I wanted to make use of online discount codes. I'm not sure how I feel about Spamalot; I think it's not as funny as the movie, but fatigue at that point might have made it harder for me to enjoy the show. Avenue Q, on the other hand, is brilliant and everyone should catch it when it comes to Singapore later this year. One thing about Broadway theatres that surprised me is how tiny they are compared to the theatres in other cities I've been to, including the West End.

If some amazing airfare deal came up, I would definitely consider going to NYC again, if only for the sales :P What really irks me is the price of accommodations there. The best deals always go very early, so in order to save you really have to book well in advance. Even private hostel rooms.

Tokyo

When we arrived in Tokyo we were already pretty loaded with luggage, but we decided to buy the combination airport express train + stored value travel card in order to save money. On hindsight, the airport limousine coach would probably have been a better choice. With trains you always have to struggle with luggage, and the Japanese seem to prefer escalators to lifts. If I were coming straight from Singapore, I think the train would be ideal since my luggage would be pretty light. The bus is always the better choice when going home.

We stayed at Rose Garden Shinjuku, which I would say is almost a boutique hotel on the west side of Shinjuku, away from the shopping and the nightlife. It was relatively inexpensive for Tokyo: we paid S$238/night for a rather large room with twin beds and a huge bathroom. The nearest subway station is right across the road and just one stop away from Shinjuku station (you could quite easily walk there too). Service is good too - I highly recommend this place.

Since we'd both been to Tokyo before, our stay was considerably more leisurely. We explored Ueno, Odaiba and the Tsukiji market for the first time. We also made daytrips to Hakone and Nikko. What really spoiled our trip was the near non-stop rain. I really wished I had my proper raincoat and a pair of the rainboots that so many people there wore. Hakone wasn't much fun in the rain, and of course, we saw nothing of Mt Fuji at all. Fortunately when we made a separate trip up to Hakone on another day, to the Gotemba outlets, we did get a good view of it in the morning, when the weather was better.

The weather was appropriately excellent the day we went to Nikko, though. I like Nikko, though as far as pilgrimage towns in Japan are concerned, Koyasan is way more outstanding in terms of temples and scenery. I actually think I also prefer Kamakura, which despite the lack of impressive scenery, has some amazing temples. 

Ueno park is really nothing special out of cherry blossom season, but the National Museum there is well worth visiting. My must-see for the area is actually Ameyoko market on the other side of Ueno station. This was obviously where local housewives shopped! We had some inexpensive conveyor belt sushi and for the first time found Japanese dried scallops and mushrooms being sold in Japan. I'd recently paid $$$ for them at Isetan in Singapore, so we were in a good position to compare prices. The vendors were obviously used to Chinese customers - some spoke a smattering of Mandarin and/or Cantonese. You'll also find all sorts of dried Japanese seafood being sold here, including freshly shaved katsuobushi (bonito flakes). We picked up a bag and also some dried Hokkaido whole cuttlefish. We also found a budget supermarket where we stocked up on rice crackers.

Another good place to stock up on dried foods is surprisingly Tsukiji market. We arrived too late for the auctions, but we still saw the most amazing array of fresh seafood ever. Mouthwatering. At the edge of the market you will also find a few stalls selling dried goods, including seafood and mushrooms. We found a really good deal on dried scallops, but unfortunately the seller didn't have much left. At one stall we bought these dried baby squid after sampling them - yummy! We also picked up another bag of mushrooms. The guy selling them spoke good English and was able to explain the different grades to me. He was also quite good-looking! Hehe. 

Also at the edge of the market are several tiny sushi places. Amazingly there were long queues outside a few, so I guess they must be quite famous. We went into a quiet one and had some good sushi anyway. Since we didn't speak Japanese, they gave us a card with names in English and pictures. The 2 chefs made the sushi as we ordered. Really tasty, fresh and satisfying. My favourite was the akagai (red clam - looks like a giant cockle) sushi - I've never had such delicious akagai. I love akagai and they were all over the market.

Incidentally, all the sushi we had in Tokyo had plenty of fish on top. I had fresh raw uni (urchin) for the first time on this trip, and I can see how people can get addicted to it. It's not fishy at all, and is like the creamiest crab roe you've ever had (albeit with a more delicate taste) - melts completely in your mouth. One fish I kept looking for but didn't find was swordfish. I'm not sure why? I'm pretty sure I'd recognise it if I saw it. It's supposedly inexpensive in Japan, and I actually prefer it to tuna. 

Foodwise, on this trip we ate a lot of bentos, especially while on the long train trips, feeling very Japanese as we did! I also ate soba a few times. The Japanese like their soba really firm, beyond al dente, even. I know much more about Japanese food now then when I last went to Japan in 2002, and that really helps in trying new stuff.   

I mentioned Gotemba above. Going was really a last minute decision on my part. I'd initially intended to go to the newly opened Mitsui outlets at Iruma instead. The Mitsui chain has more Japanese labels, while the Chelsea Premium outlets more American and European brands. Chelsea also owns Woodbury, and when we arrived at Gotemba it looked a lot like Woodbury from the outside. My main reason for choosing Gotemba instead was that I'd got such a great deal at the Bottega Veneta outlet at Woodbury, I was really curious what the one at Gotemba had to offer. BV was obviously hugely popular in Japan, moreso than in the US. In addition, I have come to admit that as much as I admired Japanese fashion, I don't find their clothing labels very appealing. Just far too feminine and girlish for me. As it turned out, the shopping was much better at Gotemba than at Woodbury, in the sense that variety was much better, even if the prices weren't. It was also a lot quieter, and the shops didn't have the vaguely "lelong" feel of factory outlets either. No queues or madhouse crowds here.

One last note here about the rain and Japan. Half the population turned out carrying these transparent plastic umbrellas that went for just JPY500 at your nearest convenience store and of course we had to have one, never mind that it made lugging home all our stuff even harder. Eventually, we picked one up at Tokyu Hands (a chain of department stores for people into crafts and other cool stuff - I *heart* Tokyu Hands) for JPY350. Instead of the transparent type, we got a less common varient that was made of a white translucent plastic. All buildings will provide plastic covers for your wet brolly: slot your umbrella into the dispenser and pull it out sideways - no need to get rainwater all over yourself struggling to get the plastic on. A few shops provided you with reusable pastic jackets instead that you returned to the shop when you left. Finally, when it rains, most if not all shops that use paper carriers will actually put a plastic "poncho" over your paper bag. This is like an upside-down plastic bag with a slit on the top for your bag handles. The edges of the cover are taped to the base of your paper bag. No more disintegrating paper bags in the rain.