[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 31 January 2016]

10 October 2015, Saturday

In October 2015, my friend and I decided to make a short getaway to Tokyo, taking advantage of cheap promo airfares by Scoot and American Express. The return air ticket was only S$454.81, including two-way check-in baggage of 20kg. The flight timing was not bad too – departing Singapore at 12:45am and arriving at Taipei at 5:20am, before departing Taipei again at 6:35am and arriving at Tokyo Narita Airport at 10:45am.

This would be my third visit to Tokyo. Japan is one of my favourite countries in the world and I love Tokyo for its vibrancy and energy. For this trip, we decided to spend one night at Lake Kawaguchi and the remaining three nights in Tokyo city. I had previously visited Lake Kawaguchi during my first visit in 2010, but I didn’t spend much time then, so I was eager to go back again.

Upon arrival in Narita Airport Terminal 2, we bought train tickets for the Narita Express to Shinjuku. The one-way ticket costs ¥3,190 (approx. S$37.50) and it would take 1 hour 16 minutes to reach Shinjuku. Like all trains in Japan, the Narita Express ran like clockwork and arrived precisely at 12:23pm. The seats were comfortable and the train wasn’t crowded at all.

After disembarking, we made our way to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal to catch our express bus to Lake Kawaguchi. When we first exited Shinjuku station, we were a bit lost and we took some time to find our bearings, because Shinjuku is the busiest railway station in the world, with over 200 exits. It is MASSIVE.

After finally managing to locate the bus terminal, which was nestled at the back of a building, we hurriedly paid for our tickets, which were ¥3,500 (S$42) for a two-way ride. We almost missed the bus as it bus departed promptly at 2:10pm. It was a standard tour bus with 4 seats on each row, but it was sufficiently comfortable and the ride was smooth.

We arrived at Lake Kawaguchi at about 3:55pm. From there, we walked to our accommodation, K’s House Mt. Fuji. It was only about 15 minutes away on foot and we didn’t have much difficulty locating it. The sky was cloudy and the temperature was a cool 14.8 degrees Celcius.

For K’s House, we booked a Deluxe Dorm and it cost ¥3,300 (S$39) per person for one night. During my last trip to Tokyo, I had stayed at K’s House in Tokyo and I liked it, so I suggested trying the K’s House here as well.

The dorm room here consisted of six beds, and it was like capsule style, with double-decker bunk beds stacked next to each other. There was a locker beneath the beds where you could lock your bigger bags. Inside the “capsule”, there was also a smaller locker where you could store your smaller bags or belongings when you sleep. It was also well furnished – with clothes hangers, power sockets and a lamp inside. I found the “capsule” to be spacious and comfortable, and it was not too small or claustrophobic. Overall, I would say that it is good value for money.

After settling down, we went out in search of dinner. The friendly staff at K’s House had recommended a noodle shop called Kosaku so we decided to give it a try. It was about 20 minutes walk away from our hostel and we arrived at 5:25pm. The restaurant was huge and it was already packed with the dinner crowd. We managed to get a table and it was one of those low tables where you have to sit on the tatami floor. Almost all the patrons were locals and families with kids.

Their specialty was a noodle called “houtou”, which is like a fat ban mian or dao xiao mian noodle. I ordered a spicy pork houtou (¥1,600 / S$19). It wasn’t exactly spicy and tasted more like kimchi flavour. It was served in a huge hotpot and it was very filling, with generous portions of pork, mushroom and pumpkin. It was quite yummy.

After dinner, it was already dark outside and most of the shops were closed. We visited a supermarket before going to an onsen nearby called Kaiun no Yu. The admission fee was ¥900 (S$11) for adults. It is a must to visit an onsen when you are in Japan! It is a good way to unwind and relax and it is a quintessential Japanese experience.

After the onsen visit, as we walked back towards K’s House, we chanced upon a baseball centre where you could practise your swing for ¥300 (S$3.50) and hit 25 balls. There were a few others playing it and it looked fun. I decided to give it a shot. However, I failed miserably and only hit two out of the 25 balls. It wasn’t as easy as it looked!

After I stepped out, I realised that I had chosen the fast lane (110km/hr), when I should have gone for the beginner’s 80km/hr lane instead. No wonder the others could hit the balls more easily! Despite my terrible score, it was quite fun and I enjoyed it. There was also another lane where you could practice pitching instead of batting. The guy looked like a pro and he hit the target every time. Impressive.

After that, we went back to K’s House and retreated into our capsules for a good night’s sleep. End of Day 1!