Travel Journal

My last visit to Hong Kong was almost 25 years ago and I couldn’t wait to revisit this buzzing city as a two-night stopover on the way up to Japan from Auckland. Hong Kong is an easy and interesting stopover with both Cathay Pacific and Air NZ on your way to or from Asia and Europe. I was quickly reminded how green and lush this city is, with all the tall buildings surrounded by beautiful hills and gardens. Despite recent turmoil, it felt very safe, much cleaner than I had remembered and with world class shopping and dining options, amongst equally good local restaurants and markets. If you haven’t been before or recently, then put it on your list.

With the value of the yen making Japan an incredibly affordable destination at the moment, at certain times of the year this does mean that they are struggling with overtourism. We travelled in August, quiet due to the heat, humidity, and chance of typhoons; one of which followed us closely for the first few days, but we managed to avoid! The benefit to going either in summer or winter is the chance to avoid the tourist crowds. Should spring or autumn suit you best, then the local tourist boards are working hard to inform travellers of some of the less visited sights in or near the city centres, several of which offer equally impressive or unique experiences. For example, when in Kyoto, we visited the Jingo-ji Buddhist temple. A 30-minute bus ride from the city centre, and then 400 steps up, just one monk and his son live here. The buildings and the views from up here were spectacular and we were the only visitors there. There is also an excellent restaurant on the way up Mt Takao, Momiji-ya which prides itself on authentic Japanese cuisine with a stunning riverside outlook.

When travelling up to Kanazawa, we stopped about 30 minutes to the south in Komatsu (yes, the home of the diggers and earthmoving machinery). The highlight of this small town was the visit to the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute. Set in their brewery amongst rice paddy fields, we enjoyed a tasting of five different sakes all matched with a food tasting. Sake can be enjoyed either cold or warm and it was interesting to learn about the complexities of the flavours.

In addition to the sake tasting, we enjoyed other interactive experiences too, such as a ramen making class in Kyoto, samurai experience near Kanazawa and my favourite in Tokyo was a visit to the teamLab Borderless immersive digital art museum. A series of rooms with ever changing digital art moving through them and meaning that the room you just came out of will have a different display just a few minutes later.

Much is made of the cherry blossom season in Japan, in the month of March/start of April, but to avoid these crowds, most of the year you can either enjoy the numerous gardens and greenery in full bloom or depending on the location, plum tree season (before cherry blossom) or red leaf season (particularly the maples, in autumn/early winter).

Changing hotels every night was a great opportunity to not only experience a range of 5-star options in each city but also the different locations they were situated in too. My favourite in Kyoto would be the Okura Okazaki Bettei, just outside the city centre in a peaceful spot with breathtaking views of temples and gardens. In Tokyo, it would be The Peninsula in Ginza with its location at the bottom end of Ginza overlooking the Imperial Gardens. You can explore so much of this area on foot with the added convenience of a metro/train station just 100m away too.

We travelled by private minivan in the cities, limited express and bullet train between cities and by JR/metro in Tokyo. The intercity trains offer excellent space, although luggage needs to go overhead which is why between the major cities most people use the overnight luggage transfer option and take an overnight bag for short stays in between. On the bullet train we travelled in both tourist class (excellent legroom and reclining seat) and gran class. Gran class is very similar to premium economy on a flight. The coaches have significantly fewer seats with a 1-2 configuration. The seats have leg rests and recline much further. The coaches are staffed and offer a complimentary boxed meal and unlimited drinks (including alcoholic).

Ending our trip in Tokyo was the perfect chance to save shopping till then. The Ginza district offered everything I was after, from touristy gifts for my young family to my favourite high street clothing stores to huge tech and gaming stores; and should your budget stretch to it all the luxury boutiques too.

Cash is still a necessity in both countries and helpful to have as soon as you arrive, for example taxis in Hong Kong are still cash only.