Tasmania to Tokyo – Kyoto – Day 74 can be found here.
4:40 am comes way too soon. Particularly as I didn’t get to bed til close to midnight, having wanted to squeeze in one visit to a genuine Japanese onsen (hot bath) before departing.
Radiohead put it best: “You do it to yourself, you do, and that’s what really hurts…”
I knock back some extra-sweet strawberry yoghurt and toss the last of our gear into various suitcases. We are not within any of our weight limits for our ANA flight, and we don’t care. Whatever they charge us, we will pay it.
That may be the least of our problems with ANA – we found out a few days earlier that the first and last names on our booking are reversed, and that there’s no way to change that within their system.
We’ve been told to mention this when we get to the airport, but will we still be able to board? It seems like this is a major issue for those on international flights, but less so for those travelling domestically.
(For those not aware, the family name often comes first in Japan and Korea – which reflects the importance that both cultures place on family and collective harmony.)
I’d also forgotten to check out from the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Kyoto the night before. Thankfully, that process is also quick and painless. We had three meals and a round of drinks there, and the balance comes out to somewhere around USD$350. Works for me.
After wheeling out our luggage, I check the Go app to see if I would have been able to page a van at this time of morning. None are available, so we’re very glad that we pre-shipped some of our luggage and arranged the ride with Dice in advance.
Dice arrives precisely on time in his large-but-not-massive van. Japanese mini-vans are laid out to be extra comfortable for mid-row passengers at the expense of cargo room. No matter – we are able to wedge our two large suitcases in front of the captain chairs.
I’d thought we’d need to put our carry-on suitcases on top of those chairs, but they fit nicely in the cargo area. The end result leaves myself and Dice mildly squashed in the front seats, but he doesn’t complain.
It’s a 50 minute drive to Osaka Itami Airport. Our daughter manages to sleep during much of the trip.
We enter the South terminal and it’s time for the moment of truth. First stop, the check-in terminals – we’ve already checked in online by using the reversed names, but I don’t want to get to the bag drop counter and find that we’ve missed something. So we start with checking in. (Again.)
Next, the bag drop – but there’s someone in front of the bag drop redirecting the non-Japanese passengers to a staffed desk. This is probably a good idea. I’m not sure how well I’d manage a bag drop terminal in Japanese especially as – after peeking at the screens – we don’t see a language option.
We then line up to speak to an agent. Despite our checked bags being over the included 20.0 kg weight limit at 23.8 kg and 20.3 kg (with the scale registering -1.0kg when empty) we have no issues checking our bags at no additional charge. As for our names? “Don’t worry about it,” says the agent.
So we don’t. (But we do.)
Our carry-on allowance is theoretically 7 kg for both the carry-on suitcase plus a backpack. We’re closer to 14 kg combined but see no one weighing carry-ons and decide to brazen it out, at least until the gate.
The whole process takes perhaps 20 minutes or so, and this with multiple school sports teams coming through at the same time. Very efficient!
Security is also quick and painless, and then we go forage for second breakfast at the airport Starbucks:
Croque monsier – just the bundle of grease my body needs to get through one more flight
I spend a moment lost in translation as I attempt to ask for those little cardboard drink trays. But when I ask for a tray, I’m given a cafeteria tray that clearly isn’t meant to leave the dining area. They offer bags, and I’m skeptical – but they genuinely have bags that properly carry drinks:
Will wonders never cease?
It’s a long walk to the gate, but no trouble finding seating. Long lines at the bathroom, but we still manage to get through before boarding.
And speaking of boarding – we have no issues getting on the plane. No one takes a second look at our luggage and the reversed names are completely ignored. Phew!
Farewell, Osaka!
It’s a surprisingly massive plane, with each row in economy being nine seats across. I think they changed the aircraft at some point after we booked, because we initially booked as two and two. Normally we do that only on smaller planes where seating is four across.
No matter – I promptly fall asleep for the next hour.
Hello, Hokkaido!
Our arrival unwinds like a well-worn clock. And then I get to see my favourite sight in the world – a sign with my name on it.
Regrettably, this is one expensive sign – we paid Club Med USD$500 for our private transfer up to Kiroro Grand. This made plenty of sense when we had nine suitcases and weren’t sure whether their regular bus would be able to take us, but less sense after we forwarded three large bags ahead of us.
But, you know what? I’m not going to sweat it. We will need the private transfer on the way back, and we really had no interest in hanging around the airport for an extra two hours while waited for the group shuttle to the resort – assuming our flight wasn’t delayed, or we ran into other issues along the way.
I have previously expressed a personal rule that I will gladly pay double a reasonable cost of a transfer if it’s easy. And that’s exactly what this is – easy.
I try (and fail) to take some photos as we drive up the scenic roadway, ocean to one side and mountains to the other – snow piling higher as we climb. It’s quite striking. You’ll have to take my word for it.
We arrive shortly after 12 pm. Oat at Reception is waiting for us, and he has yuzu welcome drinks ready to go.
The Kiroro Grand lobby
The premise of the Club Med Kiroro Grand is almost identical to that of the Club Med Charlevoix and – we presume – the other Club Med ski resorts in Europe and around the world: an all-inclusive resort that serves as a base for world-class skiing.
The second floor seating area
Oat gives us a comprehensive tour of the property, showing us where we need to go to pick up our rental equipment, and where the various pools, wellness centres, and so forth can be found. He also gives us the Resort’s WhatsApp number, which we can text to check if our room is ready.
The boutique
Oat does warn us that – at this time of year – there are a lot of ladybugs in the resort. They try to deal with them as they are spotted, and we can call housekeeping if they bother us.
The central bar
Unlike in Club Med Charlevoix – where the restaurant is separate – the central bar area merges with the restaurant seating to create one massive common space. (Though this seems to reduce the amount of running between couches that we saw at Charlevoix.)
The Theatre area, which connects into seating for the bar
I specifically ask about the Teens Club – aka Junior Club, or Kids Club for the 11 to 17 year olds – and Oat says it will be running during our stay due to the large number of teens they are expecting over Easter. This was one of our issues with our last visit to Club Med Charlevoix, as they didn’t have enough teens to run one. (Though how are you supposed to get teens to take part if you don’t run them?)
Low-poly animals are a recurring theme at Club Med resorts – there is a low-poly beaver and deer at the Club Med Charlevoix
Something worth mentioning – with rare exception, you should assume that everything I describe is completely overwhelmed with children and families. They are everywhere. Though – thankfully – they seem to be neither too loud or too destructive at this particular Club Med.
Let’s not talk about my personal pet peeve – people using their phone’s speakers in public. But there seems to be no rule against it, nor would we be prepared to remind people of said rule if one existed. That would take our entire trip.
My own words come back to haunt me: “Don’t forget to pack your patience.”
We thank Oat for the tour, and head out for lunch.
It’s all done as separate stations, with some foods made to order and others buffet style. Some of it is good, and some is a bit more hit-and-miss.
I quite like the pizza and the chicken, but my wife finds the salad bar underwhelming and ramen station a nuisance as you’re supposed to use tongs to add noodles back into a strainer in boiling hot water, leave them to warm up, remove them into a bowl then add sauce and condiments while attempting to balance any other items you’ve picked up earlier on a plate. Note to self: do the ramen station as its own course.
It can take time to figure out what each resort does well, so we’re hopeful that we’ll find some favourites over the next few days.
From here we head to the ski rental shop, which is surprisingly quiet. We soon have three separate GOs (Gentle Organizers, in Club Med speak) help us with our ski and snowboard selection.
They really seem to know what they are doing, and it takes perhaps 15 minutes from when we walk in until we are depositing our equipment in our room’s lockers.
One minor point of annoyance – specialized gear is only available at an upgraded cost. So if you ski / board at an intermediate or advanced level, expect to spend an extra USD$10 – 20 per day per person. Rentals worked out to roughly USD$225 per person for four days, which isn’t terrible.
We haven’t heard from Kiroro’s WhatsApp number so we head down to Reception to ask whether our rooms are ready – and they are.
The Kiroro resort complex was first built back in the mid-90s. It was later bought by Club Med, renovated and re-launched in 2023 but there are still elements that show their age – the bathrooms in particular.
In contrast, Club Med Charlevoix opened in 2021 but was built from scratch, and so that building has a much newer look and feel to it.
Still, this should suit our needs adequately. We’re particularly pleased that our rooms are right next to each other, and that we seem to have our own wing, next to the laundry and the ice machine.
Naturally, the one time when we don’t need to do laundry is the first itme we walk into a completely unused laundry room
One strange discovery, however – the sheet doesn’t seem to cover the bed.
This could become a nuisance in the middle of the night, so I speak to Reception to see what they can do.
A few of the housekeepers come by and asks, “Make up two small beds?”
I try to explain exactly what we want but there is a significant language gap – Chinese to English in this case, and Google Translate struggles to convey the concept of: “I would like you to change the sheets so that each bed has its own set of sheets, but please keep the single king-size top blanket as it is.”
After much back and forth, we eventually compromise on, “Make up two beds.”
We take some time to settle in and do reading / writing / homework. Easter break is coming up for the kids, so we’re trying to wrap up what we can to take it easy before flying home. Strange to think that we’ll be packing up for our big flight in just a few days time.
The schedule says that Teens Club meets at the Theatre around 3:30 pm, so we head back down – there are definitely some kids around, but no sign of Teens Club.
I ask one of the GOs who very helpfully explains that Jesse is currently running the kids club, and should be there close to 4 pm. Sure enough, Jesse comes over right around 4 pm and the kids vanish. I breathe a sigh of relief, as I know this was something our son hoped would materialize.
And what do two parents do when there isn’t parenting to be done? Well, the Kakurega – Kiroro’s recently-added ‘Gourmet Club Bar’ – seems like an excellent place to start.
Can you spot the door in the panel on the left hand side?
We enter through a hidden passage, and here we are:
I’m amazed that it’s this quiet – but I’m not complaining.
It’s lovely to have some time to sit, sip, read, and unwind for a while.
I have the yuzu no kaze:
While my wife has the silk cut:
We hang out at Kakurega until roughly 4 pm, when we realize that we never set a time for the kids to meet up with us. However, we know from the schedule that they are due for Kahoot – a type of quiz game – in the Theatre at 6 pm, so we make our way there.
We also purchase a bottle of wine from the bar, which entitles us to a reserved couch for the Aurora circus show tonight. We know from past experience that Club Med’s shows can be packed, and this is the one that looks the most promising during our stay.
(We receive the equivalent of 100 Euro in resort credit for being Club Med Gold members so this seems as good a use for that as any.)
We briefly meet the kids at 6 pm but they are fully ensconced with Teens Club at this stage, so we agree to meet them back at the Theatre at 8 pm. Not only will the parents get an afternoon together, we get the evening too!
But first we head to Excursions / Ski Lessons desk to see what the kids’ options are in terms of lessons – we had hoped that perhaps there might be a group of teen snowboarders, but unfortunately our son would be with the adults for his lessons. Similarly, our daughter would be on her own with the younger kids as the cut-off for the older group is 12.
We did not have the chance to confirm what the kids wanted in terms of lessons before they vanished into the Teens Club black hole, and we tend to take it easy on our first day so we elect to hold off on booking anything for the time being. It’s not a bad idea for everyone to try out the rentals first before committing to a lesson just in case the sizing is off.
(There are also other options in terms of forest trekking, family walks and so on but skiing / snowboarding is the main draw here, so we figure we’ll start with that.)
Off for dinner!
There are some solid options here – the lamb chops are particularly good.
The premium bar is closed from between 7 and 8 pm, so we head back to the Theatre area for an Aperol spritz. A talent show for the Mini Club (Kids Club) soon starts – and goes, and goes, and goes.
It’s great that they give each kid their time in the spotlight, but we soon start to wonder if the Aurora show is going to start on time. At least we don’t have to sit there the whole time to hold our prime spot!
But shortly after 8:30 pm – a few minutes behind schedule – the talent show wraps, and the GOs set up for the Aurora Show. We go in search of our reserved couch, and find our bottle of wine set up for us.
We do appear to have picked the wrong spot, however – the couch in front of us is completely covered in children. They are well behaved for the most part, though some seem intent on climbing over the back of the couch by going through our space. We shut that down immediately.
And where are the parents? Who knows. As I’ve noted previously, Club Med seems designed for parents who want to vacation with their children, but not with their children.
The Aurora circus show soon gets underway, and it’s quite good:
But not quite at the same level as Club Med Charlevoix.
Which is fair enough – Club Med Charlevoix has dedicated circus instructors.
And access to the full roster of Cirque du Soleil alumni.
But Kiroro’s show is still, very good. Also worth remembering that all of these GOs have day jobs – ski instructors, receptionists, bartenders and so on – beyond these performances!
The Aurora show also perhaps lacks that signature ‘bonkers’ aspect that I so enjoy at Club Med Charlevoix. Where are the on-stage fireworks and mind-control rituals?
There are – I’m pleased to see – some silver unitards
But overall, a very solid show. It was a long day, but I’m glad we saw this one – it’s likely the only show we’ll see while we’re here.
It’s now well past our bedtime at this point – so it’s time to call it a night.
And what does tomorrow hold? Well, hopefully some skiing. But given it’s been 15 Celsius (60 Farenheit) for the past few days, what kind of skiing will it be?