Travel plans/Spring 2017

This is for the ohanami trip.

Schedule

3/25-30: Tokyo (started blooming 3/21)

3/30-31: Fukuoka (start blooming 3/22)

3/31-4/2: Shikoku (start blooming 3/25)

4/2-4/4: Kyoto/Nara (start blooming 3/30)

4/4-4/5: Gifu? TBD -> Tokyo

4/6: Home

Tokyo

• 3/25-30
• Airbnb (reserved)
• Rikugien

Fukuoka

• wikivoyage on Kitakyusyu

• 3/30: Leave early in AM; go to Fukuoka-shi for our first ohanami at Maitsuru Koen; take a shinkansen back to Kitakyusyuu to check in; Yozakura at castle (~21:00); get food and maybe onsen
• 3/31: walk around Mojiko if we have time; TOTO Museum (opens at 10AM); head out (see below)
• To stay: TBD
• To do:

picnic at Ogura Castle in Kitakyusyu

visit TOTO Museum

visit Mojiko "retro": maybe skip if we want to go somewhere else on 3/31 like Itsukushima.

visit Maitsuru koen: note this is in Fukuoka-shi while the others above are in Kitakyuusyuu

Shikoku

• 3/31 afternoon: take a train to Hiroshima; eat okonomiyaki; take a train to Mitoyo-shi; Yozakura at Asahi Sanrin Koen
• 4/1: Hike up Shiudeyama; picnic; take a train to Kotohira; onsen
• 4/2: Hike up Kotohira shrine; picnic; head out (see below)
• To stay: TBD (weekend, so book early)
• Mitoyo-shi in Kagawa for Shiudeyama: best spot in Shikuko, it seems.
• Near Mityo-shi in Kagawa for Kotohiragu: famous shrine for having many stairs. Also, good onsen
• Mitoyo-shi in Kagawa for Asahi Sanrin Park
• Takamatsu-shi in Kagawa for Ritsurin Park: we've been there. More udon time?

Kyoto/Osaka/Nara

• 4/2 afternoon: udon stop in Takamatsu; head to Osaka; Yozakura at the castle or the park
• 4/3: Go to Nara; hike up Yoshinoyama; come back to Osaka for yozakura
• 4/4: Stop in Kyoto for Maruyama koen; head out (see below)

• Maybe stay in Kyoto or Osaka and make day trips?
• To stay: TBD
• Kyoto

Maruyama koen

• Osaka

Osaka Castle

Banpaku Park

• Nara

Yoshinoyama

1000 year old tree?

Hasedera? 1000 sakura trees.

Gifu or Yamanashi (or skip this and spend an extra night in Kyoto etc)

• 4/4 afternoon: go to Kofu-shi or somewhere around there to check in; take a train and hike up to the old tree; come back for onsen
• 4/5: head back to Tokyo; maybe in stop in Saitama for more trees?
• Those two trees are regarded as one of the oldest and best sakura trees in Japan:
• Neodani Usuzumi Sakura: in Gifu.
• Yamataka-Jindai Sakura: in Yamanashi; a bit out of the way but doable.　Lots of onsen in a nearby town.

Tokyo Places

Bars:

• Y & M Kisling - 7th floor in Ginza, very upscale
• Anthem Bar (Ansemu) in Ginza - 3.71
• Bar Bennfiddich (Absinthe Bar) - 9F Yamatoya Building, 1-13-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku - 3.67
• Bar ODIN - Excellent for shochu and cocktails - Two locations in Yebisu and Ginza - 3.64
• Kamiya Bar - Asakusa - Famous for an herbaly Japanese brandy - 3.56
• Star Bar - Ginza and Kyoto - High-end formal cocktail bar, very famous, very pricey - 3.78
• Ishino Hana - Classy Place in Shibuya - generally requires reservations, ¥500 cover - 3.86 - Phone: +81-3-5485-8405

There's a nice list of ceramic shops here:

• Marco Polo (1-36-13 Uehara, Shibuya-ku; 81-3/3466-1523)
• Kou (1-1-19 Uehara, Shibuya-ku; 81-3/3398-9679)
• Tsuchi-No-Hana (5-11-22 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku; 81-3/3400-1013)
• Toukyo (20-5-13 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku; 81-3/3797-4494)
• Zakka (6-28-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; 81-3/3409-6768)
• Party (2-9-2 Komaba, Meguro-ku; 81-3/3467-6830)
• Gallery Shun (Sun Palace Bldg., 1st floor, 4-2-49 Minami Azabu, Minato-ku; 81-3/3444-7665)

Onsen:

• Sakura Onsen near Sugamo Station is apparently most excellent during ohanami season