Dear Friends,
Please join me on an upcoming trip to beautiful Japan!
A little about the trip:
Overall, I am trying to strike a balance between showing you
some famous sites, but introducing you to lesser known sites
that are equally spectacular. Right now, Japan is suffering from
over tourism in some well known areas, but there are also
amazing destinations that would be grateful for our tourist
dollars and we won’t end up standing in lines with hundreds of
other tourists. I have built some “free days” into the last week
of the itinerary so that you have the option to make day or
overnight trips on your own if it is important to you to visit
more areas outside Tokyo like Kyoto, Hiroshima or Enoshima
Island. For those of you that want to stay with me, I will use
those days to show you some interesting and fun things in the
greater Tokyo area. I will be treating you to 2 fun experiences:
a hands-on sushi making class, and a night of bowling! I will
even treat you all to the first round of beverages at the
bowling alley - which we will buy out of a vending machine 😯!
There will also be the option to add a 2 hour kayak tour through
Tokyo for $50 paid to the kayak company. No experience is needed
and all equipment is supplied. They even have complete rain
outfits if necessary.
I can’t wait to introduce you to the amazing, diverse city of
Tokyo. Tokyo is huge! There are some well known spots, and many
you may not have heard of. I look forward to showing you my
favorites! We will also venture outside of Tokyo via bullet
train! Our first stop will be the charming, 1300 year old
village of Shibu Onsen. Shibu Onsen is famous for its 9
different hot mineral springs. It is said that if you bathe in
all of them, you will leave with good fortune:) Our lodging in
Shibu will be in authentic, Japanese style rooms. Bring an open
mind and enjoy the experience. When we check into our Inn, we
will be given Japanese robes to wear as we explore the village
and try all 9 of the hot springs. I can’t wait to get a group
photo of all of us in our robes under the town landmark arch!
Shibu Onsen is located very near the area where we will take a
light hike and visit the Japanese Macaques (Snow Monkeys).
We will get 2 nights at a temple in beautiful Nagano (sight of
past winter olympics). Gorgeous Zenkoji Temple is our
destination for 2 nights. The monks will welcome us and cook us
breakfast and dinner each day. Joining them for sunrise
meditation is optional. We will also travel via train to another
city and see a National Heritage landmark; Matsumoto Castle. We
will have a professional tour guide to help us see the area.
Most of the expenses are covered in the tour price, but a few
are not such as airfare. Please book a flight to Tokyo Haneda
(HND) airport as a first choice, Tokyo Narita (NRT) is a 2nd
choice. Haneda is closer. I haven’t booked my flight yet, but my
strategy is to try to arrive at Haneda in the afternoon. It
seems to work best for me in combatting jet lag. If you are
looking for assistance, the tour company will help you. If you
are looking for a bargain, Japan Airlines has launched a new, no
frills airline called ZipAir. I have heard that flights are as
low as $350 each way from LAX.
You will need money for commuting via trains (except the bullet
trains which are covered in the tour package). I will teach you
how to load train fare on your phones and how to pay for your
train rides. Commuting is very inexpensive. Some of the rides
will be about $.60, with an average of about $1.30 per ride.
Your phone is your ticket and your phone will work without you
getting roaming charges, and you don’t need wifi. I will be with
you for all of our outings and will show you how to navigate the
amazing, public transit system. Many tours will have you riding
charter buses to move around, but I chose to use public transit
for this tour. One of the most beautiful things about Japan are
the people. Some of the most impactful experiences I have had
involved trying to find my way using the trains. On this tour
you will see firsthand that even with a complete language
barrier, people will go out of their way to make sure that you
get on the correct train. I will lead you through the famous
Shinjuku Station, the world's busiest train station at 3.6
million people per day! You will be amazed at how spotlessly
clean it is and how punctual the trains are.
For the meals that are not covered in the tour package, I hope
you will join me at some of my favorite spots where you can
order off the menu. Because of the current exchange rate, I
think you will be amazed at how little you will spend on food. I
have a favorite place to grab a small salad and a green smoothie
that costs the equivalent of about $1.75! Really! There are 2
“nicer” places that I want to take you and those are only about
$10 for a meal!
Once the tour is fully booked, I will reach out to you to
schedule some meetings so that we can get to know one another
and talk about our plans. I am sure you have many questions!
Cheers!
Chef Shannon
