Travel plans/Winter 2014: Difference between revisions

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* [http://japan-attractions.jp/festivals/namahage-sedo-masturi2014/ Namahage Sedo] child scaring festival (Akita Feburary 7-9)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/festivals/namahage-sedo-masturi2014/ Namahage Sedo] child scaring festival (Akita Feburary 7-9)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/nature/akita-inukko-festival2014/ Akita Inukko] snow dog sculpture festival (Akita Feburary 8-9)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/nature/akita-inukko-festival2014/ Akita Inukko] snow dog sculpture festival (Akita Feburary 8-9)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/festivals/yokote-snow-festival-kamakura-bonden-2014/ Yokote snow festival] with kamakura and bonden (Akita February 15-17)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/popculture/new-wave-artists-2014-from-the-public-entry-exhibition/New Wave Artists] at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum (Tokyo February 19-March 7)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/popculture/new-wave-artists-2014-from-the-public-entry-exhibition/New Wave Artists] at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum (Tokyo February 19-March 7)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/food/amakusa-festival-of-food-2014/ Amakusa Festival of Food] (Amakusa February 15-16)
* [http://japan-attractions.jp/food/amakusa-festival-of-food-2014/ Amakusa Festival of Food] (Amakusa February 15-16)

Revision as of 01:21, 8 February 2014

Overview

  • 2/8-2/11 Tokyo
  • 2/11 Tokyo → Tsuyazaki
  • 2/12 Kurokawa onsen → Kurokawa onsen
  • 2/13 Tsuyazaki → Naoshima
  • 2/14 Naoshima → Takamatsu
  • 2/15 Takamatsu → Hakone?
  • 2/16 Hakone → Yokote
  • 2/17 Yokote → Tokyo
  • 2/17-2/20 Tokyo

Tokyo

Staying in an AirBnB place.


2/11 Tokyo → Tsuyazaki

  • Travel: Tokyo → Tsuyazaki (8h)
  • Day: Stop for food/activity on the way
  • Evening: Stay in Tsuyazaki


2/12 Tsuyazaki → Kurokawa onsen

  • Day: Visit shochu distellery
  • Travel: Must leave by 1pm to make the last bus to kurokawa onsen
  • Evening: Onsen and stay in Kurokawa


2/13 Tsuyazaki → Naoshima

  • Travel: Tsuyazaki → Naoshima (6h?)
  • Day: In Tsuyazaki for onsen, stop along the way?
  • Night: Hostel on Naoshima and I <3 Yu


2/14 Naoshima → Takamatsu

  • Travel: Boat trip to Takamatsu (1-2h)
  • Day: Exploring Naoshima
  • Evening: Udon and Staying in Takamatsu


2/15 Takamatsu → Hakone

  • Travel: Takamatsu → Hakone (5h)
  • Day: Stop in Osaka for Umeshu Convention
  • Evening: Onsen in Hakone


2/16 Hakone → Yokote

  • Travel: Hakone → Yokote, Akita (5-6h) (Vaughn to Tokyo)
  • Day: Early day: Visit to a Wine Onsen?
  • Evening: Kamakura festival in Akita!


2/17 Day 7: Travel: Yokote → Tokyo

  • Day : More snow festival in Yokote
  • Travel: Yokote → Tokyo
  • Night: Back in Tokyo

Tokyo

Reserved an Airbnb room in Shinagawa.

Itinerary

We'll definitely check out:

Naoshima
Osaka (Plum wine festival)
Akita (igloo festival)
Tsuyazaki (Shochu distillery/1000gen)
  • Day 1
  • Day 2
  • Day 3
  • Day 4
  • Day 5
  • Day 6
  • Day 7

To do

  • Onsen (hot spring)
  • Artsy villages
  • Maybe extreme snow
  • Watch kabuki
  • Watch sumo
  • Buy plates

Ideas of places to go

1) Here is a list of winter festivals in Japan during the time we will be there including:

2) Gods and monsters:

  • Yokai town in Sakaiminato, Tottori prefecture, Chugoku region : http://www.sakaiminato.net
  • God's conference town in Izumo, Shimane prefecture, Chugoku region
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Izumo
The conference is in October, so gods won't be around when we go.

3) Industrial places

4) Nature

5) Craftwork

6) Alcohol

  • Suntory Shirasu Distillery in Yamanashi サントリー白州蒸溜所
  • Kirin Karuizawa (wine and whisky) in Nagano
  • Asahi Beer factory in many places, including Hakata in Fukuoka and Nagoya in Aichi.
  • Many Syochu distilleries in Kyusyu.

7) Food

  • Natto factory in many places including Chiba and Akita.


Note: The government of Japan maintains this list of important intangible folk cultural properties. Several refer to events that occur during our window:

Rokugō Kamakura (六郷のカマクラ行事) in Akita on February 11-15.
the Mona Satoimo Festival (茂名の里芋祭) which is a kind of potato festival in Chiba on February 19-22.
if you like oni, there is the Oni Festival of Toyohashi Shinmei Shrine (豊橋神明社の鬼祭) on February 10-11
the Spring Hoe Festival of Higoshi Shinmei Shrine (樋越神明宮の春鍬祭) on February 11.

Suggested routes

  • It takes about 6 hours to get to Fukuoka (northernmost prefecture in Kyusyu) from Tokyo in Kanto area.

Idea 1 (Mika: a bit ambitious) South to North

Day 1: Kagoshima/Yakushima
Day 2: Nagasaki
Day 3: Beppu or Fukuoka
Day 4: Sanuki or Izumo
Day 5: Akita
Day 6: Hokkaido (floating ice tour)
Day 7: Back to Tokyo

Idea 2 (Mika) Mid to South to Mid

Day 1: Nagoya
Day 2: Naoshima
Day 3: Shikoku or Izumo/Sakaiminato
Day 4: Kyusyuu 1
Day 5: Kyusyuu 2
Day 6: Izumo/Sakaiminato or Hida
Day 7: Tokyo


Idea 3 (Mika) Mid to South to North

Day 1: Naoshima
Day 2: Kyusyu 1 (short udon stop in Takamatsu and okonomiyaki stop in Hiroshima)
Day 3: Kyusyu 2
Day 4: Kyusyu 3
Day 5: Osaka
Day 6: Akita
Day 7: Tokyo

Idea 4 (Mika) Mid to South to North

Day 1: Naoshima
Day 2: Kyusyu 1: Kurokawa onsen (short udon stop in Takamatsu and okonomiyaki stop in Hiroshima)
Day 3: Kyusyu 2
Day 4: Osaka
Day 5: Tokamachi (Vaughn to Tokyo)
Day 6: Akita
Day 7: Tokyo


Idea 5 (Mako)

2/11 Day 1: Travel: Tokyo → Kurokawa onsen (8-9h); Day: Stop for food/activity on the way; Evening: Onsen and stay in Kurokawa
2/12 Day 2: Travel: Kurokawa onsen → Tsuyazaki (3-4h); Day: Open; Evening: Stay in Tsuyazaki
2/13 Day 3: Travel: Tsuyazaki → Naoshima (5h); Day: In Tsuyazaki w/ Shochu tour; Night: Hostel on Naoshima and I <3 Yu
2/14 Day 4: Travel: Boat trip to Takamatsu (1-2h); Day: Exploring Naoshima; Evening: Udon and Staying in Takamatsu
2/15 Day 5: Travel: Takamatsu → Tokamachi (7h); Day: Stop in Osaka for Umeshu Convention; Evening: Snow festival in Tokamachi
2/16 Day 6: Travel: Tokamachi → Yokote, Akita (8h) (Vaughn to Tokyo); Day: Early day in Tokamachi for snow festival; Evening: Kamakura festival
2/17 Day 7: Travel: Yokote → Tokyo; Day: Snow festival in Yokote

Idea 5-1 (Mako)

2/11 Day 1: Travel: Tokyo → Kurokawa onsen (8-9h); Day: Stop for food/activity on the way; Evening: Onsen and stay in Kurokawa
2/12 Day 2: Travel: Kurokawa onsen → Tsuyazaki (3-4h); Day: Open; Evening: Stay in Tsuyazaki
2/13 Day 3: Travel: Tsuyazaki → Naoshima (5h); Day: In Tsuyazaki w/ Shochu tour; Night: Hostel on Naoshima and I <3 Yu
2/14 Day 4: Travel: Boat trip to Takamatsu (1-2h); Day: Exploring Naoshima; Evening: Udon and Staying in Takamatsu
2/15 Day 5: Travel: Takamatsu → Hakone? (5h); Day: Stop in Osaka for Umeshu Convention; Evening: Onsen in Hakone
2/16 Day 6: Travel: Hakone → Yokote, Akita (5-6h) (Vaughn to Tokyo); Day: Early day: Visit to a Wine Onsen? Evening: Kamakura festival in Akita!
2/17 Day 7: Travel: Yokote → Tokyo; Day: Snow festival in Yokote

Regions in Japan

  • There are 8 main regions in Japan. In general, it's cold everywhere in Feb but it's colder in Chubu, Tohoku, and Hokkaido. There's a mountain range in the middle of Tohoku/Chubu region; west of the mountain range is very snowy.
  • There are onsen, temples/shrines, good food, sesame, and vending machines pretty much everywhere. The whole country is made of volcanoes.

Accounting

  • Mika: 166GBP for Tokyo Airbnb Feb 8-12.
  • Mika: 480GBP for 3 JR pass.