Mt. Fuji

Today we rented a car in Tokyo and drove outside to Kofu and Mt. Fuji and back to
Tokyo. I don't know if I would recommend it unless you have someone with you to help. We were lucky to have 2 business associates from NEC to help us get started. First of all no one at the rental office spoke English. Second, although we had navigation with the car it was in Japanese and we would never been able to program it. Our friends from NEC help at the rental desk and then pre-programmed all our destinations. While driving the voice was in English. Once we got past that, driving was really easy. If you can drive on the left side the traffic was good and signage was in Japanese and English. Our friends went with us to Kofu and then we were on our own.

The picture above was taken from the car on the expressway back to Tokyo. It had been raining and there was a mist in the mountains that made it look like a traditional painting of Japan. It was a beautiful sight.

Too much rain and clouds

Close to the top of Mt. Fuji

Map showing how close we were

We had planned to see Mt. Fuji but with the rain it was in the clouds. So we had to punt and we decided to drive as far up Mt. Fuji as possible. The road was good and you can drive almost to the top. In the summer you can hike the rest of the way to the top. It is closed this time of year because of the rain and chance of mudslides. We drove to the end of the road and parked to walk around and of course have a beer or two.

We also got a pleasant surprise on the way up there. I saw something like this on the news. It may have been the same place. There was a section of the road with groves cut into the pavement. When the tires of the car went over the grooves the tires played music. It was really cool.

     

Gmail Blocked in China

Just a heads up to everyone. While in China Gmail was blocked and some Google apps were blocked as well. If you are using Gmail to contact anyone while in China have a second option.

1st Full Day, Beijing

Kevin and I began our 1st full day in Beijing by going to the Forbidden City and The Temple of Heaven. We had no idea but it was also a national holiday, China National Day. There was security everywhere with baggage checks along the sidewalk at checkpoints and entering the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square was packed with people waiting for the flag raising ceremony. There seemed to be over a million people in the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square most with flags and a miniature flag on their faces. It was a pretty awesome site.

I forgot how big the Forbidden City is. Walking from building to building and into another open square and more buildings beyond that. The only thing that had changed from my last trip there years ago is that you can't go into the buildings. Now you must look through an open door and take your picture. There is a huge moat around the Forbidden City and after seeing the inside we walked around the outside of the moat.

The Temple of Heaven was just as beautiful as  when I went there before. The picture of the main temple is what most pamphlets of Beijing have on the cover. Just like the Forbidden City I was disappointed that you can't go into the buildings. The Temple of Heaven is a sacred site and sacrifices were held there for good crops and harvest. Also, it is in the center of a beautiful park so take time to see the ~150 acres.

China National Day

Tiananmen Square

Temple of Heaven

Despite the crowds and the inside of the building being closed I would still recommend seeing these sites as well as the Great Wall on any visit to Beijing.

Kevin and I went out for Chinese food last night and we ended up in Beijing. After the 12 hour flight we were given a transit hotel with a 72 hour visa for our 23 hour layover. After dinner we go back to the hotel to crash as I stayed up the entire flight to get on sleep schedule. Tomorrow we tour the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven and will be in Tokyo tomorrow night. I guess tomorrow night is sushi night.

First Stop on Our China/Japan Adventure, SkyPark SFO

Well, we are on our way. We drove from Sacramento to San Francisco this morning and dropped the car at SkyPark SFO. They were expecting us, so check in was easy and only took a few seconds. Got on the shuttle and we were dropped off right in front of the terminal. After we checked in for the flight we still had enough time to go to the Centurion Club Lounge and relax before the 12 hour flight.

The Centurion Club is offered to AMX members as part of the annual card fee. Food, drinks, WiFi are included with no charge.

 Next post will be from Beijing.

How Could I Forget to Bring That Thing on My Vacation?

I write this blog to not only share some of the destinations I have been to but to hopefully make travel a lot easier for you.

My father was a Flight Engineer in the Air Force and always followed a checklist when doing almost anything. In travel that was the best thing he could have taught me.

Have you ever started a vacation or business trip and found out you forgot to bring something critical or just annoying?

I never go on a trip without first checking my checklist of items to bring. I usually categorize the checklist by:

• Critical/Must Have
• Things that can't be replaced easily like Passport, Drivers License, Medications, Credit Cards, Glasses
• Should Have
• Things that can be replaced but may be expensive like Camera, Sun Glasses, Chargers, Power Adaptors, Noise Cancelling Headphones
• Nice to Have
• Things that can easily be bought at your destination like Toothpaste/brush, Razor, Swimsuit, Hat, Sunscreen, Aspirin  
• Collateral
• Print off all reservations with confirmation codes. They can be used in case of a dispute.
• Airfare, hotels, car rental, etc
• Misc
• Stop newspaper, hold mail, pay bills, etc

I use Excel but a word document or similar will work. Even a notepad will do.

A checklist is easy to do and the earlier you start the better. Create one before your next trip, save it as a template and modify it as time goes on. You can use the checklist on every trip. Get all your items on the checklist ready before the trip and the day of your trip check each item off as you pack it.

Hopefully this will save you time and aggravation with a less stressful start to your vacation.

Beginning the China/Japan Adventure

Friday my son Kevin and I leave for China and Japan. The purpose of the trip is the Japanese Grand Prix but we'll also be in Beijing and Tokyo seeing as much as possible. In previous posts I mentioned several options for parking at SFO.  This time we are using SkyPark.

SkyPark is an easy option for parking at SFO and less expensive. Where long term parking at SFO is $25/day I can have valet parking at SkyPark for $19/day. I don't have to worry about finding my car when I return and SkyPark will take me to my terminal and back with my car waiting for me when I get back.

There are other off-airport parking companies. Do a little research and find one best for you.

Read my previous post on parking options which will help you make the best decision.

• Off-airport parking 
• Renting a car each way
• Stay and park hotels