Travel plans/Winter 2014

From WikiDotMako

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.

2/13 Tsuyazaki → Naoshima

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

Also useful is the:

2/14 Naoshima → Takamatsu

  • Travel: Boat trip to Takamatsu (1-2h)
  • Day: Exploring Naoshima
  • Evening: Udon and Staying in Takamatsu
  • Public bath in Takamatsu: http://busshozan.com/

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.

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.
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