Japan Trip Part 1

We have done quite a bit of travelling since we moved to Beijing, and I really should write a little about the trips! Not only would we then remember what happened, I can try to avoid the travel mistakes we may have made. And if I ever travel to the same places again, maybe I don't have to research as much.

So last week we went to Japan. It was the National holiday 国庆 in China, and combined with the Moon Festival on Sunday, became an 8-day long holiday. It is the peak travel week, and there are many places you should avoid due to the crowds:
http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/182000-visitors-and-other-china-golden-week-records-419951

Photo taken from the Great Wall. Actually someone from the government came out to say that the Great Wall looked crowded only because of the 'camera angle'. Not sure what angle should've been used instead.

Anyway, so we decided to leave China and to avoid the crowds, and we chose to go to Japan. It turned out not to be the best timing because Japan and China decided to fight over the Fishing Island 钓鱼岛 again, as they seem to have been doing every 10 years or so. For over two weeks before the holiday, there were protests outside the Japanese Embassy in Bejing and other cities. In Bejing, streets around the Japanese Embassy were blocked and people were marching and throwing eggs at the Embassy for over two weeks. (Where do all these patriotic people come from? I really think most protesters show up for the free lunch) People are boycotting Japanese businesses, trashing Japanese cars, and I think even some Japanese car owners got beaten.

Most of the Chinese tour groups cancelled all trips to Japan. I didn't feel these political maneuvers have anything to do with tourists like us. But it did for our plane ride there. Probably because of all the flight cancellations, they cancelled our 8am flight altogether and we had to fit onto the 11am flight. Instead of sitting together, Randy, Curtis and I ended up with 2 middle and 1 aisle seats, none of which were together. I guess most Japanese businessmen would rather sit next to a whining child than to give up their window seat, so although Curtis and Randy ended up sitting next to each other, I could not sit with them. 

Looking sad next to the guy who won't give up his window seat.

But the plane ride was only 2 1/2 hours long, and soon we landed in Osaka.

Notes to self:
Plane tickets were booked on elong.com, since they take all the visa/master/AE/Discover cards. Plane tickets were 12650RMB for one adult and two kids (Japan is not cheap!)
We flew by China Air - or Air China? It was 中国国际航空公司
Beijing airport terminal 3 seems much prettier than terminal 1 and 2. 1 is domestic and probably the ugliest, and I think the only one with black taxis hanging outside the gate. However, terminal 3 is too big, and you have to walk a lot more than terminal 2, and I kind of hate taking a bus to board the plane, which we had to do.