It's too warm today!

Today I tried to have a walk between 10 and 11 (am), but it's unbearable outside today. I don't know the temperature, but it is very humid and sunny. Luckily we asked for a late check-out so I will have the room until 15.00. I don't think I am going outside before that time...

Speaking about heat... Some days ago, when browsing through some shops, I found a stall with lots of different "heat-controllers" for children (and grown-ups that can't stand the heat.. :-)). You can get ties, pillows, small cloths, wristbands etc... etc... which you can put in the fridge. I also found small bags with some chemical inside. When you hit it, something inside will burst and the bag will become ice-cold. I can remember we had those when I did sports (long time ago... :-)), but I haven't seen them in the shops at home. They may have it, but I can only guess they are expensive. Here they cost only 0,5 GbP. Needless to say, I bought some.

At 15.00 there is going to be a festival here in Tsukuba. I don't know what it involves, but somebody told me they are going to close some of the roads and there will be stalls where you can buy food and all kinds of things. We are going back to Tokyo tonight, but will have a look at the festival before we return.

London Fashion Week, fall 2009

I am going to work backstage at this event! :-D

A sight-seeing around Tsukuba

Our group had three buses leaving Tsukuba at 08.30. First stop was Mt. Tsukuba Shrine Station. We took the cable-car, which reminded me of “Fløyen” in Bergen, to the top.







It was steaming hot down at the station so it was VERY nice to get up in the mountain where it was a little bit cooler. From the top of the cable car we walked for 15-20 min. to Nyotaisan Station where there were a rope-way (hanging in the air, similar to Ulriken in Bergen). The rope-way took us down to Tsutsujigaoka. From there we drove in about an hour to Mito Drive-in where we got Japanese lunch. Surprise, surprise! I am not sure about what I ate and to be honest, I didn’t taste everything…




After lunch we drove in 30 min. to Yamasa fish marked. The marked was a little bit disappointing as there were no live fishes/crabs, like in Hakodate. It didn’t smell very nice, while in Hakodate it smelled nothing! Maybe because it was 12 degrees c. in Hakodate and 30 in Yamasa???








Well, I lied… there were some live “sea-things”: Oysters! I don’t think I have seen oysters before, so it is difficult to compare, but the others said those oysters were the largest they have ever seen! The people who ate it said it was impossible to eat the whole thing in one “slurp”! I have never tasted oysters and didn’t today… Lots of people ate/slurped and it looked… sorry… disgusting…







After the fishmarked we had to drive for one hour to get to Hitachi Nippon Mining Museum. For those interested, I am sure it was great, but I have to admitt I was tired and my interest for mines have never been great..  I walked very quickly through it and then went out in the garden. Much more peacefull and lots of well-manicured trees!

I don't know what this means, but I liked it... :)

I was very happy when we arrived to Tsukuba after 1,5 more hours in the bus! Where exactly I have been today? I don’t know… around Tsukuba… 

Negishi restaurant in Tokyo

is located in Sotobori Dori, close to Nikko Ginza hotel. The restaurant is not fancy, more like a café, but the food was very nice. You can choose between different grilled meat complimented by tororo (grated jam), rice and ox-tail soup. Everything was delicious except from the tororo, which had a very slimy consistent without taste. The restaurant claims that the menu is very healthy.

OMG!!!!!

Today, when I went for a walk, I "bumped" into this small shop. First I thought it was "fake", but after browsing around for... eeeeewwww... well.. some time... looking inside the bags and purses, looking for stamps etc.. etc... I found that it had to be original. Haha, after all, with all the designer-stuff the Japanese are buying, it has to END somewhere when they get tired of it! :-D And it ends here, in this shop... Some of it looked a little bit used, but most of it looked perfectly new! And the prices? OMG... I have been looking for a brown bag/purse for a long time and I found it here! Normally I am not very fond of LV as it "flashes" too much (in my opinion), but these purses didn't look very LV and they were what I have been looking for.

I also bought the white Ferragamo. That neither "flash". I would never have bought it full price, as it's not that usable, but I got it for... hahaha... 25 Gbp (it had some scratches, but not much. The steel also has to be polished.)! The reason why I like Ferragamo is that it is very good quality and I HOPE LV is the same. I have a Ferragamo-bag I bought 5 years ago. I have used it VERY much, all over the world, at planes, airports, trains, buses, cars... you name it... and it still looks very good. There are a few scratches here and there, but it doesn't look *used*.


And the price for the small LV was 45 Gbp. and the big 250 GbP. I saw a red LV on sale... I MIGHT NEED that too... :-D

The shop is very close to the hotel. Unfortunately it's kind of difficult to explain, but I can try... If you go from Tsukuba Express. Go to Q1 center, follow to the next shopping-center (J-something, can't remember the name) and follow that shopping-center to the end. At the corner go straight ahead (over the road) and follow the buildings there. After walking for about 5 min. you should see a 7/11 at the left side of the road. The shop is the house before the 7/11. Hmm... I think this is the direction... :)

High-tech Japanese toilet

Food-hall in Japan

Yesterday I went to the food-hall for lunch. Oooooh, I LOVE the Japanese food-halls. There
are lots of small stalls where they make food, so it is always fresh. And the best, you always get small "tasters". I am never afraid of eating anything in Japan, the hygiene is the best here!

This is for my father! :-D

I couldn't bring those owls home!

(There is a story behind this... My father is one of the wisest man I know. As a symbol I started collecting owls for him. He now has owls from all over the world! Haha, I don't know if he really LIKES the owls, still he always gets one every birthday and Christmas... Poor man... At least I always have something to give him! :-))

Okura Frontier Hotel Tsukuba, Tsukuba 4*

Not exactly Conrad… A little bit sad compared. In another way, it is perfectly ok and we have wired internet connection.

The hotel is very close to the railway-station. We had planned to take a taxi, but looked at the map at the railway-station and found it there. It was 5 min. to walk!





You have to pay 1000 yen (about 5,5 GbP) a day to get an international TV-card! And no, we are not in Japan to watch television! :)

The rooms are ok, but the bathroom is very small. On the other hand, who wants to stay at the bathroom all day? :)



The toiletries are dispenser soap, shampoo, conditioner and facial wash. You also get tooth-brushes, combs etc...etc... Good hygiene is very important in Japan!



There is a fridge/minibar. I stuffed some food into it and it worked perfect (not too small) and it is cold enough.



There is a pool here and it costs 1000 yen. So far I haven't used it, but I may try it out later. It is big and there are lots of swimmers using it. It looks like a pool for professional swimmers.

The breakfast is ok. Not Conrad-standard, but egg (you will get your own egg cooked while waiting) and bacon, ham, salad and Japanese breakfast.

Who said it is expensive in Japan?

You can eat very cheap and very expensive in Japan. We have eaten sushi and tempura twice for about 20 GbP for both of us!

For a strange reason I don't like the sushi I get here in Japan. I think there are two reasons why. 1. It smells very heavy of vinegar (which is in the sushi-rice). 2. The fish-slices are too big. 3. Sometiems you don't know what you have gotten and I don't like surprises.

Today I decided to buy myself some lunch at the supermarked.

I got all this and 2. l. of water, 1 l. of Coke and two small bottles of water for about 15 Gbp! And yes, it was too much. I only ate 1/3... :-D We have a refridgerator at the room, luckely... :-D

One thing I LOVE with Japan is that I am never afraid to get sick when eating here. Everything is so clean and tidy.

Shopping in Tokyo

The prices are pretty much the same as in Europe and USA, some of the European brands are even a little bit more expensive, but they are also more expensive in the USA. Like Ferragamo, as I am always looking for, are less expensive in Europe than in Japan and USA.

It’s only in Tokyo they have 4-5-6 Hermes and LV shops (I don’t know how many, but I have seen at least 4 Hermes at different places in Tokyo!) As I said previously, it also now looks like it can be possible for a size M. to get clothes in Japan.





You get Chanel, Burberry, Ferragamo, Hermes, LV, Prada… everything… They even have a Harrods!



I have always thought that Ginza was the place to shop. It is, but nearly everywhere you can find nice shops with most of the high-ends designers. Some places are even better than Ginza because they are not that busy.

You can find perfume and cosmetics everywhere. Kanebo, Shiseido and Shu Umuera are made in Japan. You can get Kanebo and Shiseido cheaper than home, but they are sold under another name. Kanebo is sold as Lunasol. I never saw any Kanebo-products, only Kanebo signs and Lunasol products. I bought some Lunasol last time I was in Japan and I am going to buy some more now.



This is the floor-plan from the Sony-building. The Sony building is a 7 floor building where you can try and see all the newest Sony-products. They have one floor with overseas products, more expensive, but with English manuals and international key-board etc... You also get a 1 year warranty. I fell in love with a VERY small Vaio-pc, in fact, it is the lightest notebook in the world! I haven't seen it in Norway yet, so don't think it has come..... I WANT IT! :-D

Tokyo today, compared to 2006.

I don’t know if this is only something I am feeling or if it is true, but in my opinion something has changed. The people seems to be more international now. More people speak English, they do not have the Japanese politeness and it looks like they are beginning to gain weight! Mostly people are very thin, but I can also see some thicker people in between. Last time I did only see the slim once! I haven’t been browsing for clothes yet, but had a little “sneak-peak” today and it looks like the clothing sizes also are bigger. I don’t feel like an elephant longer! :-D Last time in Tokyo, in 2006, I didn’t buy anything because they didn’t have my sizes! (I am a 38-40, an European M

The Conrad Tokyo, Tokyo 5*

This picture is taken from the Hamarikyu Garden. Look at the contrast, the tea-house and the big, big, big buildings around. Very typical Japanese!

When we arrived we were escorted up to the 28th. Floor, where the reception was. It looks like lots of the Japanese hotels are on top of office-buildings. This hotel is located at floor 28-37!

I had booked this hotel through the hotels web-site as they had an offer, stay two nights, pay for one. I would not have choosen this hotel if it hadn’t been for the great offer, as I think it is too much to pay about 400 GbP for one night!

We had an executive room, with access to the executive lounge.

We arrived at 10.30 and the room was not ready. We were asked to take a seat in the lobby-bar. We asked if it was possible to go to the lounge, but she said it was full!?! Strange… It was also strange that we weren’t escorted up there to check in, as that was included. Well, I refused to pay 10 Gbp. For a drink in the lobby-bar when I knew it was free upstairs…

We went for a walk and came back after 1 hour and the room was ready. And what a room! It was some of the best rooms I have ever had!

Inside the little red box at the picture above... :-D

And the toiletries? Shiseido…. 70 ml. Bottles, replased twice a day… The soap, shampoo and conditioner were…. Lovely…. The bodylotion was kind of strange, like water! Maybe because it is very humid in Tokyo, at least in the summertime, and a more “milky” lotion would have felt very greasy in the heat? The “Conrad bathing-duck” were placed at the bath-tub.





We also got two “Conrad-bears” at turn-down the first afternoon. (I have heard that people are collecting these bears!) Sweet!



The breakfast in the executive lounge were very good with salmon, ham, serrano-ham, sausages, beacon etc.. etc… The were a cook making eggs too! We also got cupons to get breakfast downstairs. The breakfast there were continental, but nice. Although I prefered the breakfast upstairs.

The hotel does not have free wireless internet and you have to pay about 15 Gbp. To use the pool! This is insane if you have paied 400 GbP for a night! You are allowed to use the spa-facilites like steam-room and sauna for free (not treatments), but not the pool.

This hotel is a definite 5*, BUT I never got the very good feeling as I got at the Corintia in Budapest. I was expecting that, as it had gotten very good reviews, it was expencive and because it is in Japan, but I was a little bit disappointed.

This small tree was in the lobby at our room. And yes, it is "real" (not plastic)!

Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool 4*

After check-in we were escorted to our room. The man who escorted us wanted to show us the high-tech shower, the problem was, he didn’t know how to use it!

This hotel is supposed to be a “chic boutique-hotel” and it is said that is it the celebrities first choice. It is a 4*, but incredible expensive. The rack-rate is 150 GbP for a double-room without breakfast!







For my liking, this hotel was too minimalistic. We had a good laugh when we opened the closet and ther were only 2 hangers there! VERY minimalistic! There were also no place for the soap to be, so it was kind of “sliding” around the basin, not very chic…

The bath-room was nice (apart from the soap-thing) and the toiletries were REN-products. VERY NICE!





So what’s wrong with this hotel? The lacking of service… Every day there were something. The first day we ordered one chicken-salad and one sandwich. After we had ordered the waitress confirmed the order: “Two sandwiches?” We corrected her and she wrote it down, we thought. After 30 min. we got… guess what? Two sandwiches… We said we ordered one sandwitch and one chicken-salad and the waiter (another one) looked at us with an empty look, mumbled something and took one of the sandwiches away. Not an excuse! After waiting for 30 min. we decided to take the sandwich, we were not ready to wait another 30 min. We asked the waiter to give us the sandwich and he gave it to us without an excuse at all! To get the bill was another 15 min… The restaurant were nearly empty so I don’t understand why it took them so much time!

At the first afternoon we found an used underwear at the floor. YACK! When we went out for dinner I went to the reception and told them. The woman there looked at me, with the same emtpy loook as the waiter, like this was perfectly normal. I then said she may wanted to tell the house-keeping and her answer were: “Will you bring it down for me?” :-0 I was SHOCKED! I said I did not want to do that, and that I exepcted it to be taken care of when we went for dinner. It WAS taken care of, but NO excuse! This was not the only “insident” with house-keeping. Every day we had to ask for either water, toiletries or towels! One day I asked the front-desk to bring all three, as they had forgotten. She asked me if there had been anybody there at all, and I said yes, they had done the bed. When I came back we had gotten only towels…

This is NOT mine...

Breakfast was good, if it hadn’t been for the very slooooooow waitresses. I can understand it was busy, but to wait for 20 min to get butter one day, 20 min. for toast another day, and 20 min. for coffee is too much for me.

I can fully understand that things can happen everywhere, the problem is when they don't know how to take care of it WHEN it has happened.

I don’t know if this hotel treat everybody the same, or maybe the celebrities get a higher level of service? When I went out I could understand there were something going on as the people at the front-desk were “tip-toeing”. I was right…. I don’t know WHO it was (I am not familiar with English celebrities), but a man, from the pavement outside the hotel, came in to get his autograph! I wonder if this important man found used underwear at his room… 

The good thing with this hotel was the REN-products (when we got them), the free wireless internet, the DVD player and the close location to where we were going. I am NOT going to stay here again. Next time in Liverpool I will try the new Hilton, whitch is going to open in sept. 09.