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Adventures of a Global Wanderer
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Location Date South America 1487289600 Asia 
1475362800 North America 1466636400 Europe 1443826800 Africa 1253833200 -
Location Date China 1475362800 Japan
1475276400 Uzbekistan 1388275200 South Korea 1376521200 Singapore 1376434800 Indonesia 1376434800 Malaysia 1376262000 Brunei 1375743600 Taiwan 1359936000 Philippines 1359590400 Vietnam 1328313600 Cambodia 1327708800 Thailand 1327363200 Hong Kong 1221951600 Pakistan 1193875200 Oman 1193180400 United Arab Emirates 1193007600 -
Location Date Kawasaki
1475276400 Hakone 1475190000 Kyoto 1475103600 Himeji 1475103600 Nikko 1475017200 Shiraoi 1474930800 Utsunomiya 1474930800 Sapporo 1474844400 Kanda 1474758000 Hakodate 1474758000 Yokohama 1474671600 Kamakura 1474671600 Nagasaki 1368313200 Fukuoka 1349218800 Isahaya 1349132400 Huis Ten Bosch 1349132400 Saga 1349132400 Kanzaki 1349132400 Tosu 1349046000 Kumamoto 1348959600 Hiroshima 1348873200 Miyajima 1348873200 Tokyo 1313190000 Osaka 1299024000 Kobe 1298851200 Nara 1298764800
For my last night in Japan I was staying in Kawasaki to be close to Haneda Airport. I had planned on arriving in the afternoon to visit the Daishi Temple but everything had been pushed back on this trip so I had to cut it.
On arrival at Kawasaki I followed my map but couldnt find the hotel so had to ask in another hotel where it was.
For this final night I was trying a Business Cabin. This was an alcove that had extra room for a small table and chair, and a locker to change into your robes. Unfortunately there was no plug outlet to charge batteries and phone by the bed but instead by the desk.
The alcoves alternate between an upper and lower eating half the space of the adjacent cabin. I'm glad I had the upper or I would have the noises of the person in the upper in the cabin beside.
The facilities were quite nice and a good place to relax for my final night. Again it was men only in this hotel.
For my final night and birthday dinner I had a tempura bento box I'd bought earlier and had to open the 135ml Sapporo Beer can before the flight.
I woke by 5am and was out by 630 to get to nearby Haneda Airport. Keikyu Kawasaki station is a short walk from the hotel and the rain made a comeback for my final departure.
Ticket was 370Y and I only had 364Y in coins so I had to break a 1000Y bill to buy the ticket.
First I had to get my boarding card. The JAL counter spent almost 8 minutes looking up the China visa rules on their terminal and had to call their supervisor over to understand correctly. I didnt have a China visa but you are allowed a 72 hour visa on arrival in certain conditions which I met.
With boarding card in hand next I had to return my pocket wifi in the mail with the prepaid envelope. I had great service the entire time, faster than connection times back in Canada.
I had 994Y left in cash and wanted to exchange to Chinese Yuan. The minimum value for exchange was 100 Yuan so I had to use another paper 1000 Yen to make 1700 Yen.
This left me with 149Y. I wanted to buy a water bottle for 150Y to clean out my coins so a person gave me the extra 1Y!.
Boarding the flight it seemed quite empty by the gate. On board the flight was almost deserted. It seemed like a ghost plane with barely nobody on board.
How is it possible that a flight between the two most crowded countries and two biggest cities had almost nobody on board???
It was a four hour flight so I took the opportunity to watch Shin Godzilla, a remake of a Japanese classic.
It was more a psychological drama about government officials trying to contain the damage and US-Japan relations. Godzilla was feeding off spent radiation dumped in the ocean so was radioactive and invincible to all weapons.
The US wanted to drop a nuclear bomb on the city creating an emotional undertone of the US dropping a third atomic bomb on Japan.
On descent into China I thought we may fly over Hong Kong or Shenzen. We saw urban development but pressed against farmland.
China has adopted a 72 hour Visa on Arrival in certain airports if certain conditions are met
- transit to a third country, not returning to point of origin
- must depart from point of entry
- can not transit thru Shanghai or Beijing for flight connections
I met the conditions as I was in transit from Japan to Canada and had an outbound flight to Hong Kong
At the arrivals hall I looked for the visa counter but didnt see anything. I asked someone who didnt speak much english and wasnt sure. He directed me to one counter but she responded NO and slammed her shutter closed.
He inquired again and told me to stand in the 'special lane'.
The person asked again for my visa so I repeated visa on arrival. Then she called a police officer over so this was turning out to be fun!
He walked me over to the police office and I was given a form to fill out. Then he took my passport, walked to the other side of the hall to scan my passport.
The waiting continued and he came back to ask for my hotel details. Finally my passport was returned with the 72 hour visa stamp.
Guangzhou is not a popular entry point for foreigners so they were a bit confused about the procedures and disorganized. After a 30 min somewhat worrysome delay I was legally in China and off on my way!
On arrival at Kawasaki I followed my map but couldnt find the hotel so had to ask in another hotel where it was.
For this final night I was trying a Business Cabin. This was an alcove that had extra room for a small table and chair, and a locker to change into your robes. Unfortunately there was no plug outlet to charge batteries and phone by the bed but instead by the desk.
The alcoves alternate between an upper and lower eating half the space of the adjacent cabin. I'm glad I had the upper or I would have the noises of the person in the upper in the cabin beside.
The facilities were quite nice and a good place to relax for my final night. Again it was men only in this hotel.
For my final night and birthday dinner I had a tempura bento box I'd bought earlier and had to open the 135ml Sapporo Beer can before the flight.
I woke by 5am and was out by 630 to get to nearby Haneda Airport. Keikyu Kawasaki station is a short walk from the hotel and the rain made a comeback for my final departure.
Ticket was 370Y and I only had 364Y in coins so I had to break a 1000Y bill to buy the ticket.
First I had to get my boarding card. The JAL counter spent almost 8 minutes looking up the China visa rules on their terminal and had to call their supervisor over to understand correctly. I didnt have a China visa but you are allowed a 72 hour visa on arrival in certain conditions which I met.
With boarding card in hand next I had to return my pocket wifi in the mail with the prepaid envelope. I had great service the entire time, faster than connection times back in Canada.
I had 994Y left in cash and wanted to exchange to Chinese Yuan. The minimum value for exchange was 100 Yuan so I had to use another paper 1000 Yen to make 1700 Yen.
This left me with 149Y. I wanted to buy a water bottle for 150Y to clean out my coins so a person gave me the extra 1Y!.
Boarding the flight it seemed quite empty by the gate. On board the flight was almost deserted. It seemed like a ghost plane with barely nobody on board.
How is it possible that a flight between the two most crowded countries and two biggest cities had almost nobody on board???
It was a four hour flight so I took the opportunity to watch Shin Godzilla, a remake of a Japanese classic.
It was more a psychological drama about government officials trying to contain the damage and US-Japan relations. Godzilla was feeding off spent radiation dumped in the ocean so was radioactive and invincible to all weapons.
The US wanted to drop a nuclear bomb on the city creating an emotional undertone of the US dropping a third atomic bomb on Japan.
On descent into China I thought we may fly over Hong Kong or Shenzen. We saw urban development but pressed against farmland.
China has adopted a 72 hour Visa on Arrival in certain airports if certain conditions are met
- transit to a third country, not returning to point of origin
- must depart from point of entry
- can not transit thru Shanghai or Beijing for flight connections
I met the conditions as I was in transit from Japan to Canada and had an outbound flight to Hong Kong
At the arrivals hall I looked for the visa counter but didnt see anything. I asked someone who didnt speak much english and wasnt sure. He directed me to one counter but she responded NO and slammed her shutter closed.
He inquired again and told me to stand in the 'special lane'.
The person asked again for my visa so I repeated visa on arrival. Then she called a police officer over so this was turning out to be fun!
He walked me over to the police office and I was given a form to fill out. Then he took my passport, walked to the other side of the hall to scan my passport.
The waiting continued and he came back to ask for my hotel details. Finally my passport was returned with the 72 hour visa stamp.
Guangzhou is not a popular entry point for foreigners so they were a bit confused about the procedures and disorganized. After a 30 min somewhat worrysome delay I was legally in China and off on my way!
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