SAS have started flying a new route direct from Stockholm, destination Hong Kong. The flight time is 10 hours and 20 minutes. For a weekend destination it is some distance to cover, however, Hong Kong have not been this close to Scandinavia before. Boarding my 07 a.m. flight from Kristiansand to Oslo. First leg is Kristiansand – Oslo, then it is Oslo – Stockholm before the direct flight to Hong Kong. My bag is packed and a stop at the lounge in Stockholm, complimentary Priority Pass, makes for a relaxing start to the flight. SAS flight 963 ready for departure with an upgraded Airbus A330. View from row 44 on the plane. Getting two economy seats is not too bad on a flight like this. After a few hours you will master 537 different positions to relax in. Welcome to Hong Kong! Already at the airport you are greeted with best wishes for Chinese new years and special promotions in the shops. At the airport terminal the Marco Polo hotel have a guest service counter and provide a shuffle bus connection to the hotel. Convenient and a nice bus that takes about 30 minutes. Nice architecture at the Marco Polo […]

The post Destination Hong Kong appeared first on Weekendstop.

Being here in Tokyo I am amazed how smart the city is, how good everything works and I am truly convinced that Tokyo is a smart city to visit. Being here you will soon understand and go along with how this city just flows. I have bought myself a PASMO card and filled it up with 5000 yen. This card can be used for traveling with trains, buses, metro, shops, vending machines, coin lockers and parking lots. This makes traveling around Tokyo easy and hassle free. As you can see I am often on a train going visiting the different areas of Tokyo. A new day has begun and I am ready for more exploring. To be really smart here I need a smart watch and since I have the iPhone a Apple Watch is the right gadget to get. The Apple Store in Omotesando was closed so now I am at Bic Camera next to Tokyo Station. At the supermarket you use gray baskets to collect your groceries in the shop. When you are finished the cashier scans your items and place them in a identical yellow basket. This shows that you have payed for your items and can […]

The post Tokyo is a smart city to visit appeared first on Weekendstop.

Thursday night and now it is time for dinner and a show in Tokyo. First up is a traditional restaurant located in Shibuya before attending a show in Roppongi at Roppongi Kaguwa. Eating out in Tokyo means fresh ingredients and a wide range of courses to choose from. Open kitchens where the food is prepared in front of you, several small dishes makes trying new courses a great experience. Expect to wait in line outside the most popular restaurants. Be prepared for a menu only in Japanese and limited English. Mr head chef preparing the order on a grill. Sitting around the kitchen area makes dining out a social experience. First course served, lamb from the grill. Hotpot is up next. Make sure you take your time, eating out in Tokyo is a social food experience that should not be rushed. Samsung have decorated the street for Christmas with a million galaxy lights. In Norway a Christmas three is found in the woods, here it is more fancy design, marry Christmas. This seems like the right area, this guy straight out of kill bill smoking a cigarette is heading the same way. Here you get all traditional Japanese entertainment in […]

The post Dinner and a show in Tokyo appeared first on Weekendstop.

Yet again back to Japan, leaving cold Norway and arriving in Tokyo to stay a few days. Now I am getting used to Tokyo life. This time I will se more of the city, as always visit my favourite places and give you some photos of what can be seen around this amazing city. First leg of my flight takes me from Kristiansand (KRS) to Oslo (OSL), from Oslo to Copenhagen (CPH) and then the following day i am arriving in Tokyo at Narita (NRT). This is a convenient way to travel from northern Europe to Japan. Here is the first photos, enjoy.   Starting in Kristiansand, going to Oslo, relax in the new star alliance gold lounge before heading to Copenhagen airport and doing the same. Nice Scandinavian interior. Long tag for my bag. This time with a lot of space for christmas shopping. The new gold lounge at OSL airport. To me it looks more like a Gold Waiting room with people and chairs lined up. The space is too crowded and I think they have tried to fit too many places into a limited area. Wing view from the SAS airbus departing daily from Copenhagen. The flight […]

The post Arriving in Tokyo appeared first on Weekendstop.