Hi folks,
Well I arrived back Tuesday. I just want to add a final thanks to those who replied to this thread – I printed the thread off and took it with me! We tried to visit as many places as we could.
We stayed at the Heathrow Renaissance the night before. We had a drink with Bono from U2 in the bar (well we sat at the next table and exchanged a few pleasantries). I had to laugh, for a guy who said he likes to blend in, wearing sunglasses indoors at night is a sure way to bring attention to yourself. We also literally bumped into Gordon Ramsey in the terminal the following day.
The flights were excellent (VS900 and 901). It was nice to be sat in a 2, rather than a 3 abreast config. We usually get Mr or Mrs morbidly obese sitting next to us taking up 1.5 seats!
We used the limousine bus to/from NRT. If only National Express was as efficient! Taxi prices were a tad extortionate, so we didn’t use them and stuck to the buses, trains and underground.
As for the Park Hyatt, all I can say is WOW! The views from the New York Grill were nothing short of spectacular. Food was great, room was great (we had a great view of Mt fuji), and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The prices were a little eye-watering, but that was expected. There were a lot of photographers around for the first few days, all trying to photograph Rowan Atkinson who was also staying at the Park Hyatt (is he popular in Japan?) but they didn’t cause too much bother, just asking if we’d seen him around as we were leaving/arriving at the hotel.
The location in Shinjuku was brilliant, with great access to the transport system. For the first few days we stayed local, on day 3 we met up with my Japanese friend, and that really opened up Tokyo to us for the remainder of our stay. He took us to places we’d have never found on our own.
Highlights for me were seeing the Asakusa temple and Meiji Shrine, experiencing the Shibuya crossing, shopping in Harajuku, a few visits to the Dubliners pub and seeing the Parrotts (a Beatles tribute act) play in the Abbey Road bar in Roppongi.
No downsides apart from when Kel asked for my credit card in Ginza outside the Chanel shop…it took a right beating that day let me tell you!
Incidentally NRT is a great airport, speedy transit through on arrival and equally speedy on departure. On arrival back at LHR we were greeted with a 40 minute delay on stand as the air bridge couldn’t dock with the aircraft. Nice! Not Virgin's fault of course.
Anyway, we’re planning a trip back next year, this time down to the Osaka area for a few days then back up to Tokyo.
Thanks again,
S
