Japan Scrapbook

[Rezz]

A snake slithering out of a drain in Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. It wasn't part of an exhibit...

[PranK]

1 hour ago, Rezz said:

A snake slithering out of a drain in Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. It wasn't part of an exhibit...

I'M FREE!!!

[funkymonkey]

Google tells me that's a Japanese Rat Snake... 2m long? Man I think Australia has traumatised me to think all snakes are dangerous unless they're pythons.

Also...

"16 years later..." is that a record on SAU @PranK?

[Rezz]

Yep around 2m long or thereabouts. 

I made another post in the photo diaries 17 years later lol. I swear it has not been that long!

[Rezz]

G.G.C. (Gibier German Cook) restaurant in Motomachi in Kobe:

A tiny 2 floor restaurant that was founded in 1976. The original couple who owned/ran it retired and sold the business to a corporation who pretty much tried to keep it the same as it was. 



Lots of lesser known (to me anyway) German beers available. 

Venison with vegetables. The meat came from deer from Hokkaido. The chef told us that there's a whole industry around the use of all parts of the deer from the antlers to the hooves. Sure enough, directly accross the street from this restaurant is a shop that sells all manner of utensils, clothes and objet d'art all made from deer skin, bones and horns.... also owned by the same corporation. The venison was super tender 😋

Various decorations, a lot of which were quite old, no doubt from the original owners.

A nice pilsner too which I'd never seen before. 
It's well worth a visit but check the opening hours, they're closed on Wednesdays, only open 11:30am - 3pm on Mondays and Tuedays, 11:30am-3pm for lunch and 5pm-11:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-9pm on Sundays. Last order is 30mins before close.

Edited May 20, 2024 by Rezz

[PranK]

16 hours ago, funkymonkey said:

Google tells me that's a Japanese Rat Snake... 2m long? Man I think Australia has traumatised me to think all snakes are dangerous unless they're pythons.

Also...

"16 years later..." is that a record on SAU @PranK?

Yeah, I reckon it is. 

[Predator1]

Anyone visiting Tokyo? If so, hit me up. Be keen to have a beer or 10

[r32-25t]

I was there at the beginning of May 

On 30/5/2024 at 3:59 PM, Predator1 said:

Anyone visiting Tokyo? If so, hit me up. Be keen to have a beer or 10

 

[funkymonkey]

Might be there for work later in the year. Wouldn't mind catching up with you fellas - can't have too many beers, but will consume copious amounts of takoyaki while executing an asian squat on the side of the road while you blokes sort out your hangovers.

[Rezz]

4 hours ago, funkymonkey said:

Might be there for work later in the year. Wouldn't mind catching up with you fellas - can't have too many beers, but will consume copious amounts of takoyaki while executing an asian squat on the side of the road while you blokes sort out your hangovers.

Wait, wat. Are you coming to Kansai?

[Rezz]

Don't want to side track from the thread too much (don't want to upset the thread starter's run from 2007) so here's some old rusted Nissan Laurels in a parking lot in Nishinomiya, Hyogo-ken:

[r32-25t]

On 7/6/2024 at 4:03 PM, funkymonkey said:

Might be there for work later in the year. Wouldn't mind catching up with you fellas - can't have too many beers, but will consume copious amounts of takoyaki while executing an asian squat on the side of the road while you blokes sort out your hangovers.

Wasn’t a fan of takoyaki, love okonomiyaki though 

[R3N3]

Gday,

im in japan late August for work. My conference is in Sapporo but I have given myself 3 full days to explore in Tokyo. I’d love to get to Daikoku but it seems it’s not the easiest to get to? Any recommendations on how to get there?

otherwise I am keen to check out the nismo factory and maybe go to an upgarage while I’m there. Other than that I’m keen to explore some cafe’s and food places..

if anyone is familiar with some cool places in Sapporo would be great too!

 

[r32-25t]

If you don’t have a car you can’t get to daikoku , so you’ll need to rent a car which means you’ll need an international driving permit 

nismo you can get there via public transport but one leg will be via bus and then a walk 

[R3N3]

2 hours ago, r32-25t said:

If you don’t have a car you can’t get to daikoku , so you’ll need to rent a car which means you’ll need an international driving permit 

nismo you can get there via public transport but one leg will be via bus and then a walk 

Thanks. I was looking to book a tour to daikoku, not sure if anyone has done that before?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

2 hours ago, r32-25t said:

international driving permit 

5 minute job, at a NRMA branch.

Not sure how easy it is in NZ for @R3N3 

[R3N3]

6 minutes ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

5 minute job, at a NRMA branch.

Not sure how easy it is in NZ for @R3N3 

Pretty easy here too. I just don’t want to take up too much of my time getting rental, returning it etc. the lazy part of me wants to just pay someone to take me lol.

[r32-25t]

On 28/6/2024 at 11:17 AM, R3N3 said:

Pretty easy here too. I just don’t want to take up too much of my time getting rental, returning it etc. the lazy part of me wants to just pay someone to take me lol.

Apparently they’ve been cracking down on these “tours” as they are far from legit 

[R3N3]

7 hours ago, r32-25t said:

Apparently they’ve been cracking down on these “tours” as they are far from legit 

I didn’t end up doing any tours or going to any meets in the end. I’m actually on a flight back to Tokyo now, transiting back to NZ.

Japan was amazing! I loved Tokyo, although it was very hot and humid. The conference was in Sapporo in the north, which I didn’t get to explore as much as I would have liked but the climate was much cooler (and nicer)

Best parts of the trip:

checked out Nismo, which was cool but was quite a long way from inner tokyo, so I combined with a trip to Upgarage (and found some nice 3-piece SSR and Work wheels I nearly bought)

the food and coffee was great, I found a Michelin star Ramen restaurant in Tokyo and it was amazing (and cheap) several nice cafes and bakery’s 

fireworks festival in Edogawa in Tokyo which was really cool

I ended up walking nearly 60km in 4 days in Tokyo, so definitely got around a bit. I can’t wait to come back!

[Rezz]

On 01/09/2024 at 2:52 PM, R3N3 said:

I didn’t end up doing any tours or going to any meets in the end. I’m actually on a flight back to Tokyo now, transiting back to NZ.

Japan was amazing! I loved Tokyo, although it was very hot and humid. The conference was in Sapporo in the north, which I didn’t get to explore as much as I would have liked but the climate was much cooler (and nicer)

Best parts of the trip:

checked out Nismo, which was cool but was quite a long way from inner tokyo, so I combined with a trip to Upgarage (and found some nice 3-piece SSR and Work wheels I nearly bought)

the food and coffee was great, I found a Michelin star Ramen restaurant in Tokyo and it was amazing (and cheap) several nice cafes and bakery’s 

fireworks festival in Edogawa in Tokyo which was really cool

I ended up walking nearly 60km in 4 days in Tokyo, so definitely got around a bit. I can’t wait to come back!

Any photos?

The humidity is something else in the cities. +1 for Hokkaido, was there in July 2023 driving around 2/3rds of the island in a rental and the weather was far better, although it dropped to about 15 deg up in Wakkanai (the place where you can see Sakhalin Island on a clear day) during the day which was unexpected. Sapporo was great, will definitely go back there for the snow festival.