Tokyo hotels vs. Baiyoke Sky: it’s time to change Bangkok and Pattaya to Tokyo and Kyoto

It can’t be doubted that Thailand is a wonderful place. It is not good to restrict yourself with the only even so eminent and splendid site, the Kingdom of Siam. For more look through Economy Class Vacation in Pattaya. Although South Eastern Asia is a giant area, concealing fantastic Cambodia with the wonders of Angkor Vatt in utter jungles, my new destiny was super-modern Japan. It also happened thank to Air company special offers. Not only shit happens! The air tickets to Japan were one third of the price.
Fortunately Japan and Thailand Hotel Reservation Services are similar in the Net. So having looked through asiarooms I found a few suitable hotels in Tokyo. Again I followed the rule “we visit a country not a hotel.” Apropos the prices were not so frightening. I could choose among many $50-100 rooms. Still in comparison to cheap Bangkok ones I was not quite happy. The same money was for staying in Kyoto which I could not miss going to Japan.
As a matter of fact the idea to visit Japan had come to me as I was interested in the world traditions of bath procedures. But if I had great personal experience visiting such perfect places as Russian banya, Finnish sauna and Turkish hamman in their native countries, I had known Japanese bath ‘sento’ only going to Japanese-like bath places. For more look through my Banya vs Sauna or Spa blog. Hieroglyphs solely reminded me there of the native country culture and traditions. And even on the customary Japanese giant wooden baths became faintly visible the note: ‘made in China’. I could not miss such a chance. So a visit to the hot springs between Tokyo and Kyoto was not less important than a tour to the ancient capital of the Land of the Rising Sun.
First we intended to have a cool trip: Nara, Nikko Hot Spring in Japan, Kamakura, Yokogama and, of cause, the trek to Mount Fuji. But it is too much for an 8-day tour. We decided to see the two biggest cities and enjoy a short stay at the ocean shore. And then see what happens.
But some of us cried that they would not come back home without mounting the most famous peak in Japan – Fujisan. Still it was not included in our program because of two reasons: you can watch the mount from everywhere and the time was not for Fuji. The best period is from July to August when all the buses and railways work and the routes invite tourists. It is too hard to trek to the height of 3776 meters by yourself. Speaking in advance, I notice that a friend of mine, idiot Fuji-fan, nevertheless, ascended the peak without a camera. He took only a camcorder with low-charged batteries and managed to get lost on the way back. So his feat impressed his girlfriend solely who had to company him everywhere. They had a bad quarrel because she got exhausted. Secondly there were no pictures left.
The Narita International Airport in Tokyo disappointed me. I still remain an old Don Muang fan and even the new Bangkok gates - Suvarnabhumi Airport - don’t touch me much. However Narita service is great. Tourists are given free Tokyo maps which are easy to read and quite useful to find the hotel. Here the transfer from Narita Airport to the Tokyo hotel by train is more expensive than the taxi from Bangkok to Pattaya (or bus to Trat). For more look through: Thai girls have nothing in common with Pattaya girls. or Koh Chang Archipelago’s 52 coral Islands: Maak, Wai, Hood and Kham as residence of snorkeling and lonely hearts and Koh Larn - the easiest way to visit a tropical island and not to leave Pattaya for a long time. It was once we regretted about $270 JR Pass. It happened that JR Pass is valid in JR trains only: in the centre of Tokyo there are Yamanoto, Sobu and Tuo lines. It has an advantage if you travel through Japan from Narita to Tokyo and from Tokyo to Kyoto, Yokogama, Kamakura and Nikko. It’s not valid in Tokyo Metro. And if you are not going to live in the train it’s better to pay for each journey and walk a lot. It’s pleasant even in Tokyo city. The parks are nice but the architecture is quite ordinary. Cycling in Kyoto is the best.