Kitakanto Area

Jeg elsker hvor praktisk JR-passet er, da det kobler sammen alle interessante steder via Shinkansen. Det blir bare dyrere og dyrere... nyhetene rapporterte at prisen vil øke igjen i oktober, så jeg må bruke det nå 😂 Klook har gjort kjøpet enkelt og praktisk. Jeg mottok passet på under 5 dager via DHL 👍🏻

Veldig god valuta for pengene og enkel å bruke. Bare løs inn på JR Train Centre på Narita lufthavn. Personalet er vennlig. Kan brukes på Narita Express og alle JR-tog i Tokyo by. Jeg brukte det selvfølgelig til Echigo Yuzawa og nøt høyhastighetstoget daglig.

Jeg hadde en veldig hyggelig samtale med herr Ge fra Shanghai. Han har bodd i Japan i 25 år og kjenner godt til turistattraksjonene. Opprinnelig skulle vi bare shoppe i Shibuya i Tokyo sentrum på den tredje dagen, men etter å ha snakket med ham, fant vi ut at Harry Potter-museet i Nerima-distriktet kunne besøkes på fire timer. Vi endret umiddelbart reiseplanene våre, og det beriket virkelig minnene fra turen. Vi har vært i Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan i Osaka og Harry Potter-museet, og jeg anbefaler virkelig et besøk til Harry Potter-museet. Det er mer avslappende enn fornøyelsesparker hvor man stadig står i kø for attraksjoner. Hele området gir en fantastisk opplevelse, med så mye å se og et rikt innhold. Butikkene med suvenirer er også veldig interessante og kan ikke sammenlignes med det ene området i Universal Studios Osaka.

Vi dro på omvisning i Kyoto med Thea. Gruppen vår var på rundt 10 personer og varte i omtrent 2,5 timer. For en flott måte å se og forstå Kyotos historie på. Både min 9 og 12 år gamle datter elsket omvisningen, enda mer enn kitsune-verkstedet vi deltok på tidligere i dag. Thea var fantastisk i hvordan hun ga gruppen tid til å ta bilder, be ved forskjellige helligdommer hvis vi ønsket det, og hjalp til med å ta fine familiefotografier. Tips: Bestill en tid omtrent en time før solnedgang slik at du kan se noen av templene i dagslys, men også se Gion om natten med lanterner.

Jeg valgte turen med stor omhu da jeg reiste til Tokyo med barna mine. Valget mitt var virkelig utmerket. Det var også en stor lykke å møte guiden Kanazawa Seiga. Vi skulle møte opp ved Tokyo stasjon kl. 08.00, og siden hotellet vårt var i Ariake-området, måtte vi stå opp tidlig for å gjøre oss klare. Jeg var nervøs for å komme for sent mens vi tok bussen, men jeg var så takknemlig for at hun holdt kontakten med oss via KakaoTalk underveis og ga oss veiledning. Jeg var også veldig takknemlig for at hun kom og hentet oss da vi gikk av bussen og skulle til møtestedet. Heldigvis rakk vi bussen akkurat kl. 08.00, noe jeg var takknemlig for. På veien snakket hun mye morsomt og smilte lystig, og jeg var stolt over at min yngste, som jeg trodde ikke hørte etter, lyttet nøye til alt guiden sa og fortalte meg det. Jeg trodde vi ikke ville få se Fuji-fjellet, men det var så klart og tydelig at jeg var utrolig fornøyd med turen. Hun tok også bilder med stor entusiasme og ga god veiledning, noe som var veldig bra. Jeg vil definitivt bestille igjen neste gang! Takket være henne hadde vi en fantastisk tur.

A refreshing escape from Tokyo as it offers a perfect mix of nature, culture and great food.The local seafood was fresh and delicious. Seaside park was a bit disappointing as now is the season for the flower hills but since the park is big so still a nice walk in the green forest. There is fun fair and play ground for children but no time to play. Overall, exploring scenic parks, visiting temples and shrines, taking in the ocean views, Ibaraki offers a different side of Japan that's well worth discovering.

Since it was nemophila season at Hitachi Seaside Park, and traveling there independently from Tokyo would be quite inconvenient, I decided to book a Klook day tour. Our guide was Elsa, a soft-spoken Chinese girl. The journey from Tokyo took about two hours, and our first stop was Oarai Isosaki Shrine and its torii gate by the sea. The shrine has over a thousand years of history, and its outer courtyard offers a serene view. A long staircase leads down to the sea, where you can see the torii gate. Elsa helped us take some beautiful photos! Afterwards, we went to Nakaminato Fish Market for lunch. The market isn't very big, but even though it was a weekday, there were many tourists, and we waited a long time in line for lunch! We almost missed our meeting time, so we asked Elsa to help us communicate, and she even assisted us with picking up our food. We were very grateful to her! The last stop was the main event: the nemophila flower fields. Hitachi Seaside Park is vast, so we paid extra to take the park tram to the flower fields, where we took many photos and explored. It was truly spectacular and beautiful! We were fortunate to have a wonderful guide and fellow tour members. Everyone gathered on time, and we all rested quietly on the bus, enjoying a pleasant day together!

The tour leader was great and emphasized the importance of being on time, mentioning that the bus would leave otherwise. This reminder was very helpful, and everyone was on time today, February 2nd. Lunch was delicious. The snow tubing and sledding in the morning were a lot of fun. The weather was great, with light, fine snow falling. We had a lot of fun. The strawberries were delicious, and we ate so many we were stuffed. The tofu skin making experience in the afternoon was fantastic. It was my first time making tofu skin myself, and it was a lot of fun. Today's itinerary was wonderful. We were constantly eating and on our way to eat, haha. It was an excellent trip. The tour leader and guide were Taiwanese, very helpful, and helped me take photos. They were very nice. This trip was great, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to play in the snow.

I’ve joined quite a few tours labeled as “small group,” but they often end up being larger than expected but this one truly delivered. The group was genuinely small, which made the whole experience feel more relaxed and enjoyable. We visited three locations, and I really appreciated how the guide gave us the freedom to explore each place at our own pace. As a solo traveler, I loved being able to wander around and discover things on my own while still getting helpful recommendations from the guide on where to go. One tip: make sure to check the flower calendar for Hitachi Seaside Park before booking, as different flowers bloom throughout the year. I was hoping to catch the nemophila, but during my visit, only the daffodils were in bloom, which were still beautiful in their own way. Overall, this is a great tour if you enjoy a balance of guidance and independence. I highly recommend it, especially for solo travelers who value flexibility.