Sunday, January 9, 2011

Japan Day 11 - Toya to Noboribetsu (7 Dec 2010) *part 1*

Events:
0600 : wake up, saw light snow from window. went back to sleep.
0715: wake up
0740: walked outside the hotel to take photos of the snow
0800-0840: breakfast at hotel
0910: checked out of Toya Kanko Hotel
0918-0930: took hotel provided shuttle from hotel to the Toya train station
1005-1041: train journey from Toya station to Noboribetsu station
1050-1100: took cab from Noboribetsu station to Noboribetsu Dai-ichi Takimotokan hotel
1136-1145: took bus from Noboribetsu onsen station to Date Jidaimura (Edo Ninja Themepark)
1215-1240: lunch
1435: boarded bus from Date Jidaimura back to Noboribetsu onsen station
????: hotel staff brought us to view 2 other rooms, since Alf kept hitting his head at the doorway at our current room.
????: Alf went onsen, while I roamed about in the hotel, surfing wifi at the lobby, and then watched tv in room.
1800-1900: dinner at hotel

Expenditures:
1910yen: cab from Noboribetsu station to Noboribetsu Dai-ichi Takimotokan hotel
220x2=440yen: bus from Noboribetsu onsen station to Date Jidaimura
2900x2=5800yen: entrance fees for Date Jidaimura
2200yen: lunch at Date Jidaimura
220x2=440yen: bus from Date Jidaimura to Noboribetsu onsen station
298yen: rice + sweet and sour prawns from 7-11

Other entries for this day: Part 2












Buffet breakfast at hotel


Very enthusiastic hotel staff waving Singapore flag when we boarded the hotel's shuttle van to the station




Toya station


Wait here outside Noboribetsu train station  for the bus to Noboribetsu Onsen.  The board shows the bus schedule.

Noboribetsu train station


We found out that we just missed the bus, so we decided to take a cab instead.  Before boarding, I asked the driver roughly how much would it cost to go to Daiichi hotel? He replied "1910yen" confidently.  I was puzzled why did he quoted such a number and not a general number like 2000yen or something...but anyway, since it's around 2000yen so we just boarded.

We took a cab instead



 Upon arriving at the hotel itself, our cab fare was 1910yen EXACTLY!!! Yes, we did saw the meter jump along the way so it wasn't a fixed price.  This driver must be driving this route so many times he knows the price so well. Haha.


The hotel where we stayed at Noboribetsu

 After checking in, we decided to go take the bus to the Edo Mura 

walking along Noboribetsu Onsen, towards bus station





Poor hubby, he kept banging his head on the bus, ryokan rooms...etc..

Bus schedule at the Edo mura







Toilet




















2 comments:

  1. Hi Sam
    I am planning to spend 2 nights at Noboribetsu.
    From your photos, i dont see people in the street, is it too early in the morning or the town very small?
    Do you enjoy the stay at Dai-ichi Takimotokan?

    Thanks
    OBL

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  2. Most of the empty street pics u see are of the Ninja themed town called Jidaimura. I think we went on a lull period cuz it was pretty empty at Lake Toya too.

    2 nights at Noboribetsu sounds abit much to me tho. Unless you are planning to visit the Ninja town, Aqua themepark and Bear zoo in Noboribetsu?

    Personally I prefer small traditional ryokans where the dinner is served in our rooms. But Dai-ichi is a very large hotel and their dinner is buffet style in their large hall. The hotel is good for people who are bringing along their family since everything is under-1-roof and they have a large selection of hotspring baths...but it's too touristy for me.

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