[handsofsteel]

Fuji
There are many ways to go to Mt Fuji from Tokyo which can be googled. We however, chose the bus for the convenience of a direct transfer as also for the multiple options in terms of time of departure and arrival. (All buses have a wc to boot). Tickets are readily available at the Shinjuku bus terminal (upgraded Majestic for those familiar with Bangalore)
Cost wise and time - both bus and train are similar.
Mt Fuji is a part of the five lakes which are some way off Tokyo. It's a day trip. The common places to sight see are from the banks of Kawaguchi-ko, or via Hakone. The easiest, and many say, the best view is from Kawaguchi-ko. So, it was a no brainer for us. Besides, all five lakes can be accessed for a 360 deg view of Mt Fuji by the various buses that start and end at the railway station. It is advisable to take a two-day pass (you only get a two day pass) over a single ticket as it makes the bus service a hop on hop off ride. Bear in mind that Fuji-san, as the locals call it, is notoriously fickle. My colleague visited a week later and stayed for two days at Kawaguchi-ko, could not get a single sighting. We, on the other hand, were blessed.
FujiQ Highlands is an amusement park set at the foothills of the mountain which we planned to go. However, the rides, being Guinness record holders (4 of these), were.. in our opinion..a bit to much for the children who however, could not be dissuaded. With a heavy heart, we struck it off our list. But, our first glimpse of the park, awakened the sleeping child within us and we decided to make a dash for it too.. As it transpired, we could complete 3 out of the 4 world record rides before the park closed at 6:30pm. As no cameras/loose objects were allowed in the park, the rides could not be captured on film. It, however, will remain a lasting memory.

[handsofsteel]

Tokyo
Truly one of the world's greatest megapolises, the amount of sights and activities are mind boggling. We settled for a spread appealing to all palates and packed it into 5 full days..
Took a 72hr metro pass at the airport and used it to the hilt. On expiry, took another 1 day pass for the sheer flexibility offered. Enough said, now for some pictures.

Barrels of Sake for the departed at the Meiji Shrine


The Tokyo Tower - modeled after the Eiffel Tower (actually taller than the Eiffel), this lost it's relevance due to the rising skyline which in turn left to the erection of the 624m Tokyo skytree




Traditional samurai armor at the Tokyo National Museum



ASIMO by Honda. Daily 15 minute shows at the Miraikan Science and Technology museum on Odaiba. A worthy visit for everyone.


Life changing Ruminations by the pond


Japanese version of the Indian Vehicle Puja




The Honda N Box-Japan's largest selling car.. It's everywhere


Random shot


Honda PCX 150- Will it ever come here?


Sleeping quarters on the actual ISS- International Space Station(you sleep vertically-tethered)


External view of the ISS


Tokyo skytree


The rainbow bridge at night


Sumo wrestlers after a practice session


Statue of liberty replica with the rainbow bridge as a backdrop


The replica is 11m tall


Kaminari gate


Asakusa


This was the days into the trip - an average of 20,000 steps a day at Tokyo

[handsofsteel]

My Birthday Gift
On return back home, found this waiting for me..





Why Versys?
1. Wanted a big bike adv.. most cost effective option out there.
2. No frills (electronics and gizmos)
3. Agreed the v Strom is better equipped.. But at 1.5lakh lesser (with offers), this was just too hard to beat (+never liked the V Strom's headlamp cluster)
4. Did consider the Benelli trk502.. But only for a fleeing instant.. Till better sense prevailed.
5. Ownership reviews of colleagues and on this forum (@Crazydriver, @redliner etc)
6. My usage profile - on road throughout - did not justify other features available on the competition.
7. The overall looks - Killer

[vb-saan]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thank you for sharing!

[handsofsteel]

Note to mods:
Just saw a thread with exactly the same name dealing with a visit to Tokyo.
Could you kindly rename my thread to
"20 days in Japan - braved a Typhoon, bought a bike"

[CarManMotorcycl]

The more I read or hear about Japan the more I want to visit them, there are many things to learn from them with respect to their country's cleaniness, punctualness and their ability to comeback from a disaster(2011 Tsunami). When my father was in Mazda, he used to meet many Japanese engineers from the plant in Japan and my father used to say that they were one of the nicest people around and they were so easy to have conversation with even though their English might be a bit broken. To this date my dad follows everything that his seniors from Japan thought him and that is the reason why he is on the rise year after year! You could say he is an Indian-Japanese on how organised he is.

[sramanat]

Mods, please acquiesce with the OP and change the title :-).
I looked at it and thought there has been a corona virus outbreak in Japan and the government has declared 20 days holiday.

@handsofsteel, wonderful photos. Japanese deers seem well behvaed. I think we should teach the deers that roam the roads near IIT Madras how to use zebra crossing. They eat from trash and I once saw one trying to hump a deer statue opposite to the caner institute. (sarcasm)

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by sramanat

Mods, please acquiesce with the OP and change the title :-).
I looked at it and thought there has been a corona virus outbreak in Japan and the government has declared 20 days holiday.

@handsofsteel, wonderful photos. Japanese deers seem well behvaed. I think we should teach the deers that roam the roads near IIT Madras how to use zebra crossing. They eat from trash and I once saw one trying to hump a deer statue opposite to the caner institute. (sarcasm)

Believe me, being an alumnus of iitm, that was the first comparison I drew too

[AZT]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Imagine my surprise when a few minutes later, the guy called up and told me that the 'Chief Manager' had agreed to waive off all charges except the mandatory 3k being charged by the airline. Along with GST and sundries, I paid approximately 12k (for 4 people) for changing the date on the tickets. This beget the question as to why did the call centre ask me to pay up the exorbitant amount? The head office shrugged off this question with a simple answer, "unko ye sab nahin pata rehta". To compensate me further, I was given a voucher of rs2600/- which went a long way in assuaging my guilt.

This was great to read. Compensating you further with a 2600 voucher was just icing on the cake. Can you share which aggregator this was

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by AZT

This was great to read. Compensating you further with a 2600 voucher was just icing on the cake. Can you share which aggregator this was

Please check your PM.
However, the aggregator's response when I was looking for rescheduling my return flight (due to the en masse cancellation) left much to be desired.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Please check your PM.
However, the aggregator's response when I was looking for rescheduling my return flight (due to the en masse cancellation) left much to be desired.

I don't have exact figures but cancellation charges must make a big chunk for the airlines and the aggregators. I've heard so many people losing almost the entire ticket price, reading your story was a good change.

[SJQIL87]

Nice travelogue! Pictures are beautiful
I was stunned by the picture of deers crossing the road through Zebra lines.
I think they learned it through experience. I also noticed such kind of behavior from some dogs but they don't use zebra lines but are extremely careful while crossing roads by looking both sides and then crossing. I think they have a good sense of that matter than humans.

[driven646]

Great Report - I've been fascinated by Japan of late and am very keen to visit - having spent a lot of time checking Japan travelogues on YouTube.

My cousin who is my travel buddy is keen on Amsterdam for our upcoming trip in late Summer - he likes lively places and imagines Japan to be staid and boring.

I'm doing my best to convince him for Japan and will definitely refer to your post for information if we choose Japan.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by driven646

Great Report - I've been fascinated by Japan of late and am very keen to visit - having spent a lot of time checking Japan travelogues on YouTube.

My cousin who is my travel buddy is keen on Amsterdam for our upcoming trip in late Summer - he likes lively places and imagines Japan to be staid and boring.

I'm doing my best to convince him for Japan and will definitely refer to your post for information if we choose Japan.

Japan is anything but staid. As I said, it has something for every palate. The wild spots will complete with the wildest. Tokyo is another city that never sleeps.

[mpksuhas]

Thanks for the detailed description about places and planning. I would be disturbing you in near future for additional details if required.