Travel plans/Winter 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 which includes: JR Tokaido / Sanyo Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakata; JR Train to Futuma Station (the 鹿児島本線 train); Then #5 Bus to Tsuyazaki-bashi (14 mins, 13 stops)run by Nishitetsu Bus. The bus and trains run until midnight.
• Day: Travel mostly but maybe stop for food/activity on the way?
• Evening: Stay in Tsuyazaki

If we leave on a 6am train on the fastest train, we can be in Tsuyazaki before 1pm. We should try to leave on an early train and then try to spend a big chunk of the day in a stop along the way. Hiroshima for some bomb tourism and okonomiyaki?

In Tsuyazaki, we'll stay in an amazing guest house run by friends of Mika's college friend Takara who now lives in the US and won't be there.

Vaughn will leave Tokyo around noon and should be able to arrive in Tsuyazaki by 7.

Dinner and an onsen or similar in Tsuyazaki?

2/12 Tsuyazaki → Kurokawa onsen

• Day: Visit shochu distellery in Tsuyazaki
• Travel: #5 Bus to Futuma; Train Futuma → Hakata; Train Hakata → Aso; Bus Aso → Kurokawa-onsen
• Evening: Onsen and stay in Kurokawa

Bus from Aso to Kurokawa onsen leaves Aso: 10:28, 11:28, 12:28, 14:40, 17:12. We must leave Tsuyazaki by 12:50 to arrive in Aso at 16:35 to make the last bus.

• Stay in this ryokan?

2/13 Kurokawa Onsen → Naoshima

• Travel: Kurokawa onsen → Naoshima (6h?)
• Day: Onsen in the morning and, if there's time, maybe stop along the way?
• Night: Hostel on Naoshima and bath at I ♥ Yu

Naoshima (WV) is an incredible island with wonderful contemporary art. We'll spend the whole day of the 14th there.

I ♥ Yu is open until 21:00. We should try to make the 18:53 ferry in order to go there.

Afternoon and evening ferries leave Uno at: 20:25, 18:53, 17:10, etc.

We'll plan to stay in Dormitory in Kowloon (ドミトリーin九龍) right in front of Miyanoura port, behind a 'snack' bar, ☎ +81 87-892-2424.

Useful links for the day:

• Naoshima ferry schedule
• Naoshima bus schedule

2/14 Naoshima → Takamatsu

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

Takamatsu (WV | WP) is major port city in Shikoku and the udon capital of the planet. Gird your loins fellow travelers.

This public bath in Takamatsu looks interesting.

There are many famous udon places but recommendations include:

• Tsurumaru (手打ちうどん 鶴丸), 古馬場町9-34 (About halfway between Kataharamachi Station and Kawaramachi Station on the road running along the Kotoden Line.)
• Kawafuku at 2-1 Daiku-machi
• Waraya (91 Yashima-nakamachi, Yashima), a 19th-century farmhouse-turned udon-ya that's popular
• Ichidai (12-3 Nishinomaru-cho, Takamatsu), a bright, bustling lunch spot near the main train station

Maybe stay at Takamatsu Century Hotel (¥2200/night)?

2/15 Takamatsu → Hakone

• Travel: Takamatsu → Hakone: Train Takamatsu to Shin-Osaka (3h); Shin-Osaka → Hakone (~3.5h)
• Day: Stop in Osaka for Umeshu Convention
• Evening: Onsen in Hakone

En route from Takamatsu, we'll stop in Osaka for much of the day to visit The 8th Tenmatenjin Umeshu Convention. The address for the convention is:

2-1-8, Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi 530-0041

2/16 Hakone → Yokote

• Travel: Hakone → Yokote, Akita (WV | WP) (5-6h) (Vaughn to Tokyo)
• Day: Early day: Visit to a Yunessun for a wine Onsen?
• Evening: Yokote snow festival with kamakura and bonden (Akita February 15-17) Kamakura festival in Akita!]

According to the official festival website, the igloos are in action 18:00 to 21:00 so we should plan to be there before the igloos are shut down.

The two nearest trains along the railroad are: Yuzawa (Akita) and Omagari.

• A potential place to stay (business hotel): http://rurubu.travel/A02/05/0508/050801/0520301/2216008/list.html?ref=regular

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:

• Hachinohe Enburi folk festival and dance (Aomori February 17-20)
• A whole series of drift ice festivals in Hokkaido
• Yuki doro snow lantern festival (February 8-11)
• Namahage Sedo child scaring festival (Akita Feburary 7-9)
• Akita Inukko snow dog sculpture festival (Akita Feburary 8-9)
• Wave Artists at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum (Tokyo February 19-March 7)
• Amakusa Festival of Food (Amakusa February 15-16)
• 8th Tenmatenjin Umeshu Convention (Osaka February 15-23)
• Tokamachi Snow Festival (Niigata February 14-16) including "giant snow sculptures and stage performances; and the Nakasato Setsugen Carnival, in which a local ski resort is covered in candles to create a surreal, beautiful scene; and the Muko-nage Festival, where young men who have married during the past year are thrown into snowdrifts."
• Kite-flying contest at Tsuda no Matsubara (Kagawa February 9)
• Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival (Yamagata February 7-9)

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.

• Shibu onsen kanaguya: A model inn for Spirited Away. http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/HOTEL/32044/32044.html

3) Industrial places

• Ashio Kozan in Tochigi, Kanto region(famous for pollution in the past): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashio_Copper_Mine
• Syutoken gaikaku housuiro in Saitama, Kanto region: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Area_Outer_Underground_Discharge_Channel
• Shimano Bicycle Museum in Osaka.

4) Nature

• Takachiho in Miyazaki, Kyusyu region: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Takachiho
• Yakushima (World heritage site) in Kagoshima, Kyusyu region: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Yakushima

5) Craftwork

6) Alcohol

• Suntory Yamazaki Distillery in Osaka サントリー山崎蒸留所 http://www.suntory.co.jp/factory/yamazaki/

• 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

• Kikkoman Syochu factory tour in Hyogo (http://www.kikkoman.co.jp/enjoys/factory)

• 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.