ANA to Hokkaido - Autumn Snow, Seafood and the Art of Onsen Appreciation

[yflyer]

There was a large promenade and beach running along the Odaiba waterfront. This was the perfect place for an evening run.



I headed out of the hotel and headed down the steps to the waterfront.



I ran along the beachfront promenade...



There were herons in the water...



I reached an old island fortification, and old Edo-era battery, previously armed with cannon to defend against ships coming from the West.



The diamond shaped structure of the battery was still clearly visible...



...as were the cannon mounts.



This was now a public park. I did a loop of the fortifications and retraced my steps back to the Hilton.

On the way back, I passed the pier, which I noticed this futuristic looking boat, which I had also coincidentally seen on a previous trip to Tokyo!



There was also a miniature Statue of Liberty in the park.



The origin of this statue was quite interesting: In 1998, as part of the "Year of France in Japan", the 1/4 scale replica of the status of liberty was transported from it's original location in Īle aux Cygnes, along the River Seine to Odaiba. It proved so popular that when the original replica was transported back to Paris after 1998, a replica of the replica was installed in Odaiba in 2000 as a permanent feature.

Total distance that day was 5km, from the Hilton Odaiba to the old gun battery, then back to the Hilton.



This would become my preferred daily running route during my stay at the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba!

[yflyer]

While in Tokyo, we spent a day at DisneySea...



Like other Disney resorts, this was an attraction with beautifully imagineered (tm) grounds and a wide range of rides and attractions.

Many of the rides at DisneySea had a nautical theme, such as "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"...



...while others, like the "Tower of Terror", or "Soaring: Fantastic Flight" were encores of popular rides at other Disney theme parks.



I was particularly impressed by this replica ship, which housed a restaurant and bar, and also served as a backdrop for outdoor stage shows.



There was also an educational element to this theme park, where guests could learn about the golden age of discovery and many historical facts about Leonardo Da Vinci, and early explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan



There is a lot of online information about how to make the most ouf of a day at DisneySea. One thing the online guides will tell you is that there are inevitably long queues for rides at DisneySea, and the guides weren't wrong. From previous Disney theme park experience, we knew that the right ride strategy was needed in order to get the most of of the day.



When we were there, it was quite a busy day and many of the regular queues for popular attractions had queue times upwards of 90 minutes. That was nuts. We were all resigned to a day of queuing, however the ever resourceful Mrs yflyer had unearthed some very useful tips and hints online that amounted to a cheat code for some of the top attractions at Disney Sea.

For example, there were some rides where it was possible to join a "single rider" queue to fill up gaps in the ride which would otherwise go empty. Of course this meant you might be split up from your party, but to us it was no big deal to take a ride separately, so we used the single rider queue for top rides like the Indiana Jones ride, and that literally saved us 90 minutes in the queue.



For some other other rides, where there was no concept of a single rider queue, it was possible to purchase express lane tickets for a particular timeslot to avoid the queue, and that is what we did.

In the evening we headed to the SS Columbia for a snack and a drink...



There was a proper bar in the SS Columbia...

[yflyer]

After a day trekking around the theme park it was nice to finally sit down and relax over drinks...



My martini, complete with Mickey Mouse cocktail pick, really hit the spot...



Outside the SS Columbia, one of many character shows was taking place.



We decided to skip the daily fireworks as it would take place too late in the evening, and instead heading back to our hotel just after dusk.



My overall impressions of DisneySea? I thought this was well up to the standards set by Disney for their theme parks, with the only caveat that the rides here (As well as Tokyo Disneyland) seemed slightly smaller in scale than their US equivalents at Disney World in Orlando.

For adrenaline junkies, the rollercoasters here might be a little tame, but the quality of the rides, and the wonderful staff, could not be faulted. My personal favourite ride was "Soaring: Fantastic Flight", with "Tower of Terror" coming a close second.

Special mention to the guests at the theme park. The park was very crowded and busy, but everyone was courteous, considerate and in good spirits, with none of the nastiness and unpleasantness one occasionally encountered in these types of crowded situations. There were orderly queues for everything, even the F&B.

I was also quite amused that a huge proportion of visitors to this theme park had purchased, and were wearing, the appropriate Disney headgear, whether Mickey Mouse ears or other Disney headgear. Disney must be making a fortune on merch here!

We enjoyed ourselves, and managed to ride on all the rides we wanted to without spending too long in queues (The right strategy as outlined previously, was key to this).

[yflyer]

One of the most remarkable attractions we visited on this trip was TeamLab Planets.



This was a very popular attraction, and an experience unlike anything we had ever encountered.

I would describe it as immersive installation art that you walked through and experienced with all five senses.



You experienced it barefoot...



...and visitors were told to expect to get wet at least up to the knees.



To me, this whole installation was a work of genius.



Rather than say more, I would give this attraction my highest recommendation as a uniquely novel and immersive experience, and urge the reader to experience it for themselves if in Tokyo.

[yflyer]

The reknown Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was on tour in Japan while we were there.



Mrs yflyer managed to snag tickets for one of their highly sought after Tokyo concerts. The concert was at Suntory Hall, in the Akasaka district of Tokyo.



Suntory Hall was well known in the world of classical music for its excellent acoustics and history of performances by great artistes and orchestras.

We arrived outside the hall fairly early to soak in some of the pre-concert atmosphere.



The exterior of the hall was quite unassuming, as it was built partly underground. In fact, it appeared to be hidden in plain sight. It was right next to the ANA Intercontinental Hotel, in the Ark Hills complex, and I had stayed in the hotel previously, but I never knew that Suntory Hall was right there.

Conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, who was involved in the design of the hall, had performed there, along with other great conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, as well as great pianists like Sviatolav Richter and Maurizio Pollini.



The concert, with guest conductor Andris Nelsons, would begin at 7 pm, and doors to the hall would open at 6.20 pm.



Shortly before 6.20pm, lines began to form at the entrance.



At 6.20pm, a music box-like chime appeared above the entrance to play a tune...



Doors were then opened...



What a lovely hall...



The shape of the hall was like an Amphitheatre, resembling the Philharmonie in Berlin, with the audience surrounding the stage and performers.

[yflyer]

The Hall had a no photo and no video policy, so I have no pictures of the concert or the performances...



The concert programme for the evening...



The concert opened with a work not listed in the programme, Bach's famous Air on a G String, played by the orchestra in memory of the late Seiji Ozawa, the great Japanese conductor who passed away earlier in the year, in February 2024.

Maestro Ozawa had a long relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic, and had conducted them on many occasions. The audience was requested not to applaud after the piece. I remember feeling very moved by this beautiful piece of music, incomparably played by the Vienna Philharmonic strings, with their uniquely rich and burnished tone. It was especially poignant because of the occasion and context, and was an experience I will never forget.

After that, it was time for the superstar Japanese violinist, Midori, to play one of the great 20th century concertos, Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.1, which she played with both lyrical beauty and savage intensity when the music required it. Her encore was the famous Preludio from J S Bach's Violin Partita No.3, a real crowd pleaser.

After the internal Andris Nelson returned to conduct the orchestra in Mahler's 5th Symphony, a masterpiece that took one on a real emotional rollercoaster, and was also one of my favourite orchestral works. This was a spacious, spinetingling reading, which really showcased the orchestra's virtuosity. An unforgettable evening...

The closing moments of Mahler's 5ith Symphony from this concert, can be found on the VPO's Instagram, here...

[SQ218]

Glad you enjoyed Takayama. Should venture there in winter for another different feel with the snow.

Did you know that you can run over the Rainbow bridge? During the day only. I believe it is closed in the evening to foot traffic. There is also the Team Lab Borderless recently re-opened in the new development area of Azabudai Hills.

[yflyer]

After the concert, we headed to the nighlife district of Shimbashi for supper...



Shimbashi was called "salaryman central" for a reason. There was a lot to gawk at, and lots of places to eat...



This was an impromptu supper, so we didn't have a place to in mind to dine...we just picked a random restaurant that looked inviting and walked in...



It was interesting to soak in the loud, boisterous atmosphere of Shimbashi, where everyone around you was eating, drinking and having a good time...

[yflyer]

The next day, we headed to Haneda for our flight to Hakodate, where we would begin the Hokkaido leg of our trip.



Our flight was NH553 HND-HKD, operated by ANA 787-8 registration JA819A, an 11 year old aircraft. Departure time today was 9.45am with scheduled time of arrival 11.05am, and actual flight time just over 1 hr.



This was a domestic configuration 787 with business class laid out 2-2-2...



...and economy in 3-3-3...



Seat pitch was ok...



No seatback IFE screens...



Recline wasn't great, but then this was just a 1 hr flight. But at least the armrests were the old style thick variety, rather than today's skinny ones.



Interesting tray table design, with a circular cutout for cups...

[yflyer]

Refreshments were served after take-off...



Fold down screens in the cabin played a Japanese news program.

Coffee and tea was served...



They also had beef consomme onboard, which I simply had to try. This hit the spot...



Clear blue skies today...



Complimentary wifi was available! Great!



Some streaming entertainment as well...



...along with live TV...



Airshow map...



Cockpit view...



Actual flight time today was 1 hour 7 minutes.

[yflyer]

Approaching Hakodate Airport...



We flew alongside the airport before banking left for a landing towards the west on Runway 30, the airport's single 3000m runway.



At the gate...



This was compact airport, and the main gateway to Southern Hokkaido...



An old style Arrivals board was located just outside the arrival area. I noted the Russian/Cyrillic text on the board...



I learned later on that Hakodate Airport's other claim to fame was that in 1976, Soviet defector Viktor Belenko landed his MIG-25 Foxbat at this very airport.

[yflyer]

It was a bracing cold morning in Hakodate when we emerged from the terminal. We waited for the airport bus...



This was a quick and easy 20 minute bus ride from the airport to the JR Station in the city.



From there we took a taxi to our hotel, La Jolie Motomachi, just a 6 minute car ride away.

There was a bit of drama when we arrived at the hotel.

When we entered the lobby, Miss yflyer no.2 realised that she could not find her phone. Oh no...

We are a family of Apple iPhone users, so I had activated the "Find My" function, which tells you where other phones, devices and Airtags are. It showed that her phone was still at the JR Station. Was the phone still on the bus from the airport?

While Mrs yflyer and Miss yflyer no.2 stayed at the hotel, I frantically caught another taxi back to the JR station, hoping that the bus would not leave for the return trip back to the airport. If it did, then I would have to follow!

I arrived back at the JR station and hopped out of the cab. I spied a bus at the other end of the station carpark, and I began to race after it. But I was too late, it had just pulled out of the station.

At that point I was feeling a bit despondent. Would I now need to catch a bus or taxi back to the airport to track the phone down?

But then I looked at my iPhone and saw that "Find My" still showed that the phone was at the JR Station!

But where? Was it in the office? At lost and found? I wandererd around the large station carpark.

Then I noticed the taxi rank in the middle of the carpark. There must have been about 20 taxis there. Could it still be in the taxi that fetched us to the hotel? Did our cheerful, smiling cabbie rejoin the rank after dropping us off?

I headed to the taxi rank and began peering into each taxi. The drivers there looked surprised. Who was this man wandering around, and what was he doing? I told myself that next time I took a taxi, I would take a picture of the license plate (Which I didn't this time round).

Then I spotted a man who I thought looked like the driver who had dropped us off. He was standing outside one of the cabs. I went up to him to ask for help. But amazingly he did not recognise me, although he had just dropped me off. He didn't speak much English either. I started to have doubts as to whether he was the driver.

But the amazing thing about the iPhone's "Find My" function is that the app pointed me in the direction of Miss yflyer no.2's missing phone as I walked around, and eventually I found myself next to his cab. Then there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes! He opened the rear car door, and there was the phone, nestled in the back seat close to the seat belts. It must have fallen out of Miss yflyer no.2's pocket!

Relief! I thanked the driver and caught another taxi back to the hotel.

This was actually the 2nd time she had lost her phone on this trip. The first time was in DisneySea, when she misplaced her phone in the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" ride. On that occasion, we were also saved by "Find My", which told us the phone was still somewhere in one of the capsules of the ride. At DisneySea the staff were excellent: They told us to wait, while the DisneySea staff inspected each capsule of the ride with torchlights as pax got off each capsule at the end of their ride. Incredibly within 10 minutes the phone was located and returned.

Lost phones seem to be a recurring theme for us...thankfully there has been a happy ending on each occasion so far.

SInce this latest incident, my first question to everyone after getting off any transportation is: "Do you have your phone?" followed by a scan of the back seat of the vehicle...

Now that Miss yflyer no.2 and her phone were reunited, we could start our exploration of Hakodate!

To be continued!

[yflyer]

Glad you enjoyed Takayama. Should venture there in winter for another different feel with the snow

Yes, Takayama was great! I would definitely want to return again if the opportunity arose. Would love to visit in winter too, Hokkaido especially.

Did you know that you can run over the Rainbow bridge? During the day only. I believe it is closed in the evening to foot traffic. There is also the Team Lab Borderless recently re-opened in the new development area of Azabudai Hills.

No I did not know that. I wish I did! I really enjoy crossing bridges on foot!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

Our hotel in Hakodate was the La Jolie, located in the quiet neighbourhood of Motomachi.


This was a charming, intimate mid-range hotel, located in a quieter part of Hakodate, but within walking distance of many attractions, including the Mount Hakodate Ropeway, and the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse shopping and restaurant complex. There were nearby eateries and a tram stop was not far away.

The lobby...



Non-alcoholic refreshments were available to all guests from 3pm-9pm.



Our room was one of the larger rooms on a high floor.



The room was setup for triple sharing. While not luxurious, I found the room to be very comfortable.



Our room had a small balcony...



...with nice views of the surrounding area.



There was a separate wardrobe area...



The bathroom...



Tub and shower...



Complimentary use of a washing machine and dryer were available, as well as an ice machine and microwave in the lobby.

[yflyer]

The grand piano in the lobby was in good condition and was available for guests to play on...



...between the hours of 11am and 5pm.