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
- 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
- Osaka
- 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
