>Heading back to Japan sooner than I thought. I feel very thrilled and privileged to be invited by JNTO to be part of their media trip to Tokyo Disney Resort. We will get a go at the brand new Monsters Inc. ride in Disneyland. When I went last November, the queue for Monsters Inc stretched to 4 hours, to our dismay and disappointment! We had to skip this – who could queue 4 hours? So I am glad to be able to try the ride out now. KH is green with envy because he thinks I won’t even have to queue – yes the perks of being part of a media group!

Also in the itinerary, a look at the beautifully themed (and very upmarket)Miracosta Hotel at Disney Sea) and a backroom look at the new Cirque du Soleil show in Tokyo Disney Resort.

I plan to extend my stay in Japan for a couple of days because no visit to Japan is complete without a dip in an onsen, preferably in a ryokan far from the madding crowd.

It took me a while to find the perfect spot. And this is in the remote valleys of Tochigi prefecture, 3 hours away from Tokyo and one and a half hours away from Nikko. It will take me at least 2 changes of train and bus to get there. What place, KH asked, would be worth the hassle of so many transport connections, just to stay for a night and then repeat the journey the next day in all haste to make the flight home?

I will not say more for now except that it is a very special, unique place among onsen ryokans in Japan. I have tried to search for this in the conventional travel books and come up empty. It promises a very interesting travel accommodation experience. And for me, travel is really all about the experience. So hassle or not, I’d go far to find these experiences.