March 2017 - Vikingess Voyages

Monday, March 27, 2017

[Hotel Review] Remm Roppongi - A night in the Town that never sleeps

11:23:00 PM
Tokyo is a gigantic city and when you visit for the first time it can be hard to decide which area of the metropolis you want to use as your base for exploration. One of the areas often preferred by tourists is Roppongi, highly renowned for its bustling nightlife and fancy nightspots. Last week I had the chance to stay a night at Remm Roppongi, a brand new hotel centrally located in Roppongi scheduled to open March 30th, 2017.

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Sunday, March 26, 2017

TV Interview: Norway and the World Happiness Report - ZIP!世界幸福度ランキング ”世界一幸福” ノルウェーどんな国?

12:58:00 PM
This week the annual World Happiness Report was released by UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and Norway came out as number 1. As a Norwegian living in Tokyo I had the chance to talk about this topic with a couple of Norwegian friends on the Japanese TV-program "ZIP!". A short clip from the show can be seen below.

今週発表されました世界幸福度ランギングで出身地ノルウェーが世界一に選ばれました。その結果について日本テレビの番組「ZIP!」でノルウェーについて語る機会がありました。ご興味ある方はどうぞ見てみてください( ^ω^)ノ

番組の内容:
世界幸福度ランキングでノルウェーが1位に輝いた。世界幸福度ランキングは、国民1人あたりのGDP、社会的支援などを数値化しランキングにしたもの。日本は51位。ノルウェーはどんな国なのか?面積は日本とほぼおなじ面積で人口は500万人。公共教育は大学まで全て無料。留学生には家賃も全て出してくれるという。企業側も残業をさせない働きかけをしている。長期休暇も休暇手当という制度があり、法律で決まっている。出産・育児は有給で1年間休むことが出来、どちらの性別でも使えるという。
「TVでた蔵」より

The program is mostly in Japanese (except for one interviewee who uses English), but for those who don't the content in Japanese the things we discussed largely concentrates on the following points:

  • It is common for Norwegians to enjoy a large range of activities after work hours, and generally people like to do fun activities (This stands in stark contrast to Japan, where people usually reserve their weekdays for work only).
  • Working culture: In Norway it for employees to leave the office as soon as the official work hours are over. If the employees won't leave it often happens that their managers will ask them to leave (In Japan, on the other hand.
  • Maternity Leave: In order to ensure that both parents are able to spend time with their newborns Norway has adopted a law making it mandatory for both the mother and the father to take out maternity (/paternity) leave. The total period of the maternity leave is one full year (fully paid), but it is up to the couples themselves to decide how to split it.



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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

[Hotel Review] Renewal Opening at Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku Serviced Apartments & Hotel

2:31:00 PM
These days it is getting popular with staying at an apartment rather than hotels partly thanks to the rental of private residences, in Japan known as minpaku (民泊). If you're one of those who prefers the convenience of a private apartment but doesn't want to stay in a private residence there are also some alternatives out there like Hundred Stay Serviced Apartments & Hotel located a couple of minutes walk from Otsuka station in the popular Shinjuku area of Tokyo.

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Saturday, March 18, 2017

Sightseeing in Saitama: Day Trip with Kimono Rental in Kawagoe

5:10:00 PM
Just a 30 minutes train ride from Ikebukuro in the northern part of Tokyo lies Kawagoe, a charming little town in Saitama prefecture. You’ll be surprised to find that this little town once was a flourishing castle town, and that it still contains a large collection of houses dating back to the Edo period – this has in fact helped Kawagoe gain its nickname “Little Edo” (子江戸). I have had the pleasure of visiting Kawagoe a number of times through my job as a hotel consultant, but this time was my first time to enjoy the atmosphere of the traditional area of Kawagoe while wearing the traditional Japanese outfit kimono.

Monday, March 13, 2017

Sightseeing in Izu: Mount Omuro (大室山)

11:16:00 PM
The Izu peninsula offers a range of outdoor experiences like sandy beaches, snorkling, cherry blossom spots and so much more. During my recent trip to Izu we drove through the whole east side of the peninsula, and on our way we stopped by Mt. Omuro (大室山, Ōmuroyama), an inactive volcano known for its magnificent view of the Izu Peninsula, including the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Fuji.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Sightseeing in Izu: Sakura Viewing at the Kawazu Sakura Festival (伊豆河津桜まつり)

11:20:00 PM
Picture from Izu-Sakura
Spring is on its way here in Japan, and with spring comes yet another cherry blossom (sakura) season. While it is still too early to see the sakura here in Tokyo there are other places further south in Japan where the sakura already is in bloom, and one of them is Izu, a peninsula to the southwest of Tokyo.

Sunday, March 5, 2017

[Hostel Review] Tokyo's First Owl Hotel - Meeting Hachi the Owl at WISE OWL HOSTELS TOKYO

7:39:00 PM
These days there are a variety of accommodations opening up in Tokyo that have very specific points of focus. One of these unique hostels is Wise Owl Hostel Tokyo, where - like you might have guessed - you can actually meet an owl. Hachi the owl is waiting for you in the reception, ready to welcome you along with the rest of the staff. I've visited the hostel a couple of times, and had the pleasure of experiencing the atmosphere there first-hand.

Update: Wise Owl Hostels just opened up their second hostel in the Shibuya area. You can check out their availability here.


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About Me

Adventures ofAnette


A modern day shield-maiden who loves to explore the unbeaten paths of the world. From her base in Tokyo, Anette takes on both rural and urban challenges, and goes by the motto "No challenge too big, no adventure too small"!
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