My dad had a bunch of Asia Miles rewards points that were expiring in October 2006, and he offered them to me if I wanted to make a trip to the Far East. While my brother and I had just visited Japan in April, I thought this would be a great opportunity to attend the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, which just happens to be one of my favourite F1 circuits. Not only was this going to be the last chance to watch an F1 race at the Suzuka circuit, since the Japanese Grand Prix would move to Toyota’s Fuji Speedway in 2007, but after we booked our tickets, Michael Schumacher — the most accomplished driver in Formula 1 history — announced that he was going to retire at the end of 2006, and we just happened to have tickets to one of the last chances anyone would get to see Schumacher race in Formula 1!
The highlight of the trip was obviously the F1 Grand Prix, but I also wanted to explore more of Japan than we did last time. I built an itinerary around the race weekend that had us staying two days in each of the cities I wanted to visit: Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. It worked out wonderfully! We bought a Japan Rail Pass which allowed us to travel by train anywhere in Japan for a one-time fee, and the hotels we stayed at were very accommodating and conveniently located, so it was fairly easy to hop from city to city. We spent a total of 11 days in Japan and it was really a fantastic trip. Japan has become such a comfortable place for me to visit that I’m sure I’ll be going again!
I wanted to visit Hiroshima for two reasons: firstly, a Japanese travel agent here in Canada told me it was a beautiful and scenic city; and secondly, I wanted to visit the historic site where the atomic bomb had been dropped. The city was very charming and we found lots to do. There was lots of great shopping, and I even bought a Tag Heuer for a great price and the hard-to-find Nikon 18-200mm lens on my first day. The A-bomb memorial site was very moving and I learned a lot, so I’m very glad I went. I would definitely visit Hiroshima again.
A City View of Hiroshima 780 x 522 | 
Starbucks Was Our Home Base 780 x 522 | 
The A-Bomb Dome 780 x 522 |
Cenotaph for A-Bomb Victims 780 x 522 | 
Memorial for A-Bomb Victims 780 x 520 | 
The Sublime O-Torii Gate 780 x 390 |
Itsukushima Shrine 780 x 390 | 
Walking Towards the Shrine 780 x 522 | 
A Temple at Itsukushima 780 x 522 |
Another View of Itsukushima 780 x 780 | 
A Five-Story Pagoda 522 x 780 | 
Hello Kitty is Adorable! 780 x 522 |
I wanted to visited Osaka because it’s a big urban centre, plus it’s mentioned in the Cowboy Bebop song, “Mushroom Hunting.” We visited the majestic Osaka Castle and walked around the shopping district in the evening, but I got the feeling that we weren’t quite finding the best that Osaka had to offer. I enjoyed my time in Osaka, but I’d like to learn more about what there is to do before I try visiting again.
Admiring Osaka Castle 522 x 780 | 
Inner Walls of Osaka Castle 780 x 519 | 
“Is that your minkey?” 522 x 780 |
Approaching Shiten'no-ji Temple 780 x 522 | 
Shiten'no-ji Temple 780 x 522 | 
Statues at Shiten'no-ji 520 x 780 |
Night Shopping in Osaka 521 x 780 | 
Anybody need a bike? 780 x 522 | 
Ah! Margherita Pizza! 522 x 780 |
Kyoto is a great city that blends the very old with the very new. There are lots of ancient and historic shrines, palaces and castles, plus there’s lots of shopping, food, and other things to do in the evening. It was raining on our first day in Kyoto, but we still managed to visit some of the major sites, like Kyoto Tower, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, and Ginkakuji Temple. Our hotel, the Westin Miyako, was nicely situated in a scenic part of the city and it was next to the subway station so it was really easy to get around. Kyoto is a charming city and will probably always be on my itinerary whenever I go to Japan.
Outside Kyoto Station 780 x 522 | 
Overlooking Kyoto 780 x 522 | 
Night Life on Shijo St. 780 x 522 |
Teramachi Street Shops 780 x 520 | 
Back at Termachi St. 780 x 520 | 
Fortune Telling on Shijo St. 780 x 519 |
A Kyoto Subway Station 780 x 522 | 
The Westin Miyako Hotel 780 x 521 | 
Kyoto Palace Tour Guide 780 x 522 |
Kyoto Imperial Palace Garden 780 x 522 | 
Raindrops Falling on a Pond 780 x 522 | 
Overlooking Ginkaku-ji Temple 780 x 521 |
The Ginkaku-ji Trail 522 x 780 | 
Bird-Watching in Kyoto 522 x 780 |
Nagoya is the closest major city near the Suzuka Circuit and that’s where most out-of-towners attending the race were staying. Hotels were fully booked but we were fortunate enough to find rooms in the Hotel Nagoya Associa Terminal, which was a nice place to stay and conveniently located next to Nagoya Station. We didn’t explore Nagoya too much and stayed close to our hotel, venturing just far enough to find a McDonald’s, since most of our weekend was spent at the Suzuka Circuit.
Getting to Suzuka from Nagoya was a pain. On a good day, it would probably take about an hour, but on race weekend, you needed about three hours! Transportation was well organised but the sheer volume of people meant we had to wait in very long lines before we could get on a bus to the circuit. We missed a couple of events, like the first practice session on Saturday and the drivers parade on Sunday because we underestimated how much time we’d need to get there, but the important thing is that we were there for qualifying and the race. We also had lots of time to explore the grounds of the circuit which was very busy with neat shops and manufacturer booths, and we even took a ride on the iconic Suzuka ferris wheel — a definite highlight of the trip! But most of all, being at Suzuka was an experience in itself. My brother and I would look at each other and say to ourselves, “we’re actually here!“ so it was a lot of fun.
In Front of Nagoya Station 522 x 780 | 
Saved by the Golden Arches 520 x 780 | 
Transfer at Shiroko 780 x 520 |
Finally Made it to Suzuka! 780 x 519 | 
Suzuka Billboards 780 x 521 | 
Go-Karts at Suzuka 780 x 522 |
The Exalted MR2 Spyder 780 x 522 | 
The Suzuka Ferris Wheel 522 x 780 | 
The Suzuka Starting Grid 780 x 521 |
Walking Around the Track 520 x 780 | 
Photo-Op with a Teddy Bear 780 x 520 | 
Look at All the People! 780 x 521 |
Protecting Baby Ears 780 x 520 | 
Getting the Kids Involved 520 x 780 | 
Trulli Makes an Appearance 780 x 519 |
25% Off Renault Gear 780 x 522 | 
Conflicting Allegiances 780 x 520 | 
Ferrari Fans Stake Their Claim 780 x 522 |
Our View on the Left 780 x 522 | 
Our View on the Right 780 x 522 | 
Opening Lap of the Race! 780 x 520 |
Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari 780 x 522 | 
Felipe Massa’s Ferrari 780 x 520 | 
Alonso in the Renault 780 x 522 |
Nico Rosberg in the Williams 780 x 522 | 
Ralf Schumacher’s Toyota 780 x 520 | 
Button in the Honda 780 x 520 |
Let Schumacher Through! 780 x 780 | 
Schumacher enters the S-Curves 780 x 522 |
I love being in Tokyo. It’s such a modern city and it’s huge! This time we stayed in Ginza, which is the heart of the Tokyo shopping district and just one stop away from Tokyo Station, so the location was perfect. We arrived on the Sunday night just after the race. With my brother and I still wearing our red Ferrari shirts, we were stopped several times by people on the train and in the city asking us about the outcome of the race. That was pretty funny.
On our first day, we went to some of our favourite spots, like Akihabara to shop for electronics stuff, Ueno so we could look for something at Yodobashi Camera, and Shibuya to enjoy a decadent sundae at Nishimura Fruits & Parlour. On the second day, we squeezed in a quick trip to Tokyo Tower before coming back to our hotel and getting ready for the flight back to Canada in the evening.
Something funny happened though when we were in Akihabara. Out of nowhere, these five girls in cute yellow outfits came up to us with cameras and started taking our photos. And we took photos of them. This went on for about five minutes. Then they walked down the street and a crowd started to gather around them as people became curious. They kept taking photos of anyone who approached them. It looked like some sort of promotional stunt because they were giving out something (not sure what) and there was a TV Asahi crew following them, along with a photographer. We followed them for about 20 minutes before deciding to go ahead and do our own thing, but we never really found out what that was all about. It was very, very funny! I love the sense of humour they have in Japan. That entertaining little experience was definitely a highlight of our Tokyo trip.
Ginza at Night 780 x 521 | 
Outside Ginza Station 780 x 522 | 
Louis Vuitton @ Ginza 780 x 522 |
The Chanel Store 780 x 520 | 
Ginza Photogramm 2006 522 x 780 | 
The JR Yamanote Line 780 x 522 |
Not Sure What’s Going On 780 x 520 | 
The Centre of Attention 780 x 520 | 
They’re Always Taking Photos 780 x 520 |
Those Pandas Are Great! 780 x 520 | 
They’re Having Fun 780 x 519 | 
What It’s All About 780 x 522 |
Smiling for the Audience 780 x 519 | 
Love Those Orange Batons 780 x 519 | 
Lotus Plants in Shinobazu Pond 522 x 780 |
Daddy Checks on the Little Guy 780 x 521 | 
Posing in Front of Tokyo U 522 x 780 | 
A Modified Toyota Supra Turbo 780 x 522 |
A Mid-90’s MR2 Turbo 780 x 520 | 
After Sunset at Ueno Park 780 x 522 | 
Shrine to the Goddess Benten 780 x 522 |
Outside Ueno Station 780 x 522 | 
The Shibuya Crosswalk 780 x 522 | 
Traffic in Ginza 780 x 522 |
I Love New Tokyo 780 x 522 | 
A Convenient Purse Holder 780 x 520 | 
Tokyo Tower 522 x 780 |
Bird’s-Eye View of Tokyo 780 x 522 | 
Something by Tokyo Tower 780 x 521 | 
More Stuff By Tokyo Tower 780 x 522 |