TacoCat’s Travels #282 (Tokyo): Roadtrip to a Mountain Adventure! 🚌

I'm currently recounting our anniversary trip to Tokyo back in Feb 2023! It'd been at least 3 years since we visited Tokyo and the last time was pre-covid so we decided to go back and find some new places to explore while revisiting our favourite hot-spots.

Last week, we passed by a few dog-friendly restaurants after leaving Joypolis and ended up exploring this retro-looking arcade!

The arcade looked really cool and although we didn't actually grow up here it's like we were hit in the face with a wave of nostalgia seeing all these old machines and shops.

There were lots of old interesting machines and manga posters around as well, it was like a retro gaming experience.

After that we went for a very enjoyable Thai massage before getting takeaway tendon for supper. Anyway, we finished that day so on to the next!

7 Feb 2023. Tuesday.

I teased a little bit about what we would be doing last time but we were going on a special excursion today!

We were going on a group tour to the mountains so we had to be up bright and early to go to the meeting spot. We headed to the train station where we were supposed to meet, in the hopes of getting some breakfast first.

This was probably the earliest we'd woken up, and I was surprised to see the station empty. Even the shops had yet to open.

The only shop that was open was this bakery thankfully, so we could get some delicious fresh bread for breakfast.

They had quite the selection, and if you've seen my foodie post before you know Japanese bakeries are on another level. They were pretty pricey though so we only bought two things.

After that we headed to the street and encountered some salary workers on their way to work. It really felt like the city was slowly waking up for the day.

We were supposed to get picked up by the tour bus by this huge LOVE sign and we were early so we took the time to take some nice photos.

It seems like we somehow manage to find these LOVE signs during our trips by accident since we never actually set out to find them.

While waiting we enjoyed our fresh bread from the bakery which unfortunately wasn't warm anymore with the wind blowing.

We bought one savoury bread which was a ham and cheese croissant, and it was really good! I think it would've been so much better if it was warm and crispy though. 

We also bought a sweet bun which was the chocolate croissant. This was also good but it felt like the chocolate inside wasn't melted at all; it was literally still like blocks. I'm not sure if that was the intention or they expected people to heat it up and let it melt. I don't think the weather was that cold that the chocolate inside the bun had gotten hard.

After about 15 minutes or so, our coach arrived at the designated time. 

We were in a group of about 20 or so people and our guide gave us some printouts about the place we were going to be visiting - Gunma!

We also had these vouchers for souvenirs we could use at select shops in a town we would stopping in.

After some explanation the guide gave us some time to rest since we had quite a journey ahead on the road so we all took a nap.

I tried my best to nap but also spent some time watching the scenery go by. We came across this place with huge balls that I think contained petroleum gas.

The sky was very clear today as we drove further out from the city.

After about an hour or so we stopped at a rest stop so everyone could go for a bathroom break. 

Here's the map of Gunma; a mountainous, landlocked prefecture on Japan's Honshu Island. I think it's famously known for hot springs and ski resorts.

I think this was my first time at a Japanese rest stop. Sean used to rave about the rest stops in Japan so I was excited to see what was so great about it. But first, time to visit the restroom.

There were quite a few shops at the rest stop as well, and we had about twenty minutes or so to go have a look.

On the way there we saw this cute doggo!

There were some interesting gachapon machines here and I couldn't resist. 

As with most Japanese rest stops and stations there was a special stamp! Unfortunately I didn't have my notebook with me but thankfully they had a form there for something so we used it for the stamp instead.

It actually came out really nicely! One tip I'll give tourists visiting Japan is always bring an empty notebook with you to collect these unique stamps! 

Sean was right though, the rest stop was quite nice, with an information counter, some shops and even a full-fledged food court!

They had quite a lot of stalls and I was a little tempted to get a quick snack but we were going to have lunch upon arrival at the ski resort.

There was also a mini department store selling all kinds of souvenirs.

After a quick look around it was time to head back onto the bus!

We could see the mountains in the distance now, it felt like we were pretty high up altitude-wise.

There was quite a lot of snow on the ground too, which confirmed it.

This reminded me of a game I played before, with all the trees around and snow on the ground.

It was such perfect weather too, with the blue sky and the sunlight reflecting off the snow.

There were quite a few turns as we drove higher and higher up the mountain to the ski resort.

Finally we arrived at Tambara Tokyu Resort, surrounded by all the snow on the ground. It was pretty cold, but the sun definitely helped keep us warm.

There were two sections to the resort, the first was for shops and a restaurant, and the second section in the back for renting equipment.

We were to meet our guide at the restaurant for lunch first before heading off to the slopes.

Our guide showed us to the restaurant and they had designated tables for our group.

It said restaurant but I guess it was more like a canteen or cafeteria. 

After we were shown to our tables and accounted for, it was time to eat!

There was a big buffet table for us to have our lunch and they had quite a selection of dishes, from fried finger food to salad, seafood and desserts.

I was craving something warm after being blasted with cold wind outside, and was so relieved to get some aromatic curry rice.

They also had free flow crab legs which I guess is the most value you can get from this meal. I think I tried one since I've never actually had crab leg before but I didn't really enjoy it.

So this was what I ended up having for the first round. It was honestly pretty good but nothing spectacular. I was just glad for some warm food to be honest.

The view was quite lovely though, we could see other people having fun on the slopes; skiing, sledding and snowboarding.

After we finished lunch, it was time for us to hit the slopes! But I think I'll save that for next time. Here's a sneak peek:

Thanks for reading!

To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!

Check out my previous post in this series!

TacoCat’s Travels #281 (Tokyo): Doggy Cafes and Retro Arcades 🐶