Japan

After a super long flight, three and a half movies and a few hours of sleep, we were excited to arrive at Narita Airport.

We picked up a WIFI dongle for our phones, tested out the awesome vending machines and caught the train into Tokyo. Taking the underground wasn't nearly as confusing as I thought it might be.

We had a couple of hours to kill at Shinjuku Station and we'd heard you could get amazing views of the city from the nearby MetropolitanGovernment Building which has two free observation decks.

We caught the ear-popping lift to the South Observatory on the 42nd floor which had a full panoramic view. You could see all the way to the Tokyo Skytree on one side and to Mount Fuji, if it was a clear day, on the other.

It was then time to head back to Shinjuku Station to catch our next train to Hikone. Tom had booked special tickets so we could sit up front in the Romancecar.

We ordered bento for lunch on the train which came served in adorable train boxes with chopsticks in a little train case at the side. The food was delicious and I had a little bottle of sake with it.

After a scenic little ride, we arrived in Hakone-Yumoto where we caught the Tozan Mountain Railway up to Gora. The train has to make three switchbacks to climb up the steep slopes.

After a short hike, we arrived at our hotel where we fell in to bed and slept for about 12 hours straight.