Hyogo, Kyoto

From Kyoto to Hyogo

Kyoto is arguably one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations and is particularly popular for Japanese tourists, for its stunning scenery, ancient history and relative convenience for travel for any visitor in Japan. In my time in Japan, I have explored and seen much of Kyoto several times but I hadn’t previously explored north of the prefecture, up towards the coast of the Sea of Japan. After reading about some of the small townships in this area including Ine and Amanohashidate, I was particularly excited at the prospect of driving around the area. It should be noted that whilst Kyoto is very easy to reach by bullet train, going towards the further north of the city is indeed a rarity for international tourists as it is rather tricky to reach this area without a vehicle.

We visited Kyoto during the coronavirus crisis of 2020, and the city was indeed very quiet in comparison to normal and we felt that we could enjoy the more famous temples and sights without the hustle and bustle of tourists bumping in to us. It was a particularly pleasant way to start the trip and we visited our favourite temple, Kiyomizudera, before settling in for the night for our long drive north.

Venturing North of Kyoto

What is most interesting about our little trip, is the journey up towards our first stop, Amanohashidate, has very little along the way other than a few interesting places to eat a quick bite. I was rather surprised that the roads are nowhere near as comfortable or modern to drive in comparison to other cities in Japan. Of course the roads are still fantastic for the average European traveler, but these were noticeably less well looked after than other parts of the country.

Amanohashidate
Amanohashidate

The journey from Kyoto towards Amanohashidate takes at least two hours, and from there we spotted a stunning sandbar that sprawls out across the bay. There is a cable car from which you can visit the top of a small mountain and overlook a wonderful view down to the sea and spot the impressive sand bar. It’s worth noting that this stop can be achieved in less than an hour, as there’s plenty more to see elsewhere.

North Kyoto

Our destination was to be Kinosaki Onsen, one of Japan’s most famous hot spring resorts, and this is still quite some way away from Amanohashidate, so time is short.

One of my most favourite things to do when driving in Japan, is to take the scenic coastal route and the view over the ocean here is beautiful, with several beautiful spots to stop along the way.

Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki Onsen river lights
Kinosaki Onsen river lights

Kinosaki Onsen, a beautiful hot spring resort surrounded by sea and the mountains, is a 1300 year old village with dozens of public baths that each has a certain superstitious meaning, for example, hot springs for successful business and safe pregnancy can be found on your travels here. One of the most charming things about Kinosaki is that it is not uncommon to see people roaming the streets from bath to bath wearing a yukata (a light cotton kimono that is very comfortable in hot weather) as they reach their next hot spring.

There are several affordable accommodation options here, which often include food, but if you are to venture out to the city at night you can also pick a great value dining option.

Hyogo

In my previous visits to Hyogo, I had only really been away of Himeji and Kobe, so my knowledge of the prefecture was rather limited to the south. I was particularly excited to view some cities in the centre of the prefecture including the stunning town Izushi, famous for its clock house. I planned to take in the famous Takeda Castle – surely an inspiration for several anime films – and this was all achievable on the route down to Kobe for where we were to spend our evening.

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Hyogo

This is a highly recommended route to take as it gives ample opportunity from morning to evening to stop off, rest, see some interesting sights and still reach Kobe by evening to enjoy the world famous cuisine in a lively, modern city.

The journey south takes 3 and a half hours, so it’s certainly not a short drive but the roads are noticeably better than the other side towards the north in the Kyoto prefecture.

Izushi is a quaint little town to stop and have some soba noodles, explore the local castle and chat with friendly locals. The clocktower is particularly famous and the locals are very proud of it.

Izushi
Izushi

 

Kagawa, Takamatsu, Tokushima

Tokushima, Kagawa, Takamatsu and Awajishima

Takamatsu, Kagawa and Tokushima

Shimane is one of Japan’s most popular areas for local tourists to visit, not just because of the outstanding cuisine on offer, but because of numerous famous sights on the island. Tokushima, on the east side of Shimane-ken, is most famous for the Awa Odori festival in the summer, but also is well known for the Naruto whirlpools.

Naruto

 

Everything in Shikoku is fully reachable by car, in fact the best way to explore this part of Japan is in a vehicle. The roads are clean, fast and certainly less busy than other parts of the country, and thus a journey around Shikoku-ken is one of the most enjoyable places to drive.

Reaching Tokushima is very easy, but the most appropriate way to visit is by plane, as the Shinkansen does not directly stop in Tokushima. From Tokushima airport,  the capital of the prefecture Tokushima City is easily reachable. Whilst there is not a ton of stuff to do there, Naruto is not too far away and it is a beautiful coastline town, with amazing fish restaurants and stunning views over to Honshu. In addition, here is where the start of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan’s most famous bridge and the longest.  If you were to drive over to Tokushima from Honshu (the surrounding Osaka/Kobe areas), the Akashi Kaikyo bridge is a must do. It’s approximately 3000 yen for one trip, so plan accordingly.

Ritsurin Koen
Ritsurin Koen

Naruto is most famous for its whirlpools, and prepare for this in advance. The schedule for the whirlpools are set, and they are best at certain times of the year depending on the season. On the particular day we were there, that was approximately midday. It is recommended to take a boat to view the Naruto whirlpools, and the whole experience is rather “Star Wars-esque” as you travel to the whirlpool area in a glass bottom boat. From there, you can also see some of the strange movements of the whirlpool from the deep.

From Naruto, it’s recommended to take a trip to Takamatsu city. Along the way you’ll travel through Sanuki, which is famous for sanuki udon, a delicious noodle dish loved by the Japanese.

Upon arrival to Takamatsu, there are a few must-see sights, but it does depend on the season. If you’re in the area for sakura, it’s worth seeing Ritsurin Koen, a beautiful expansive park in the centre of the city. The gardens are very well kept, and there’s a short boat ride that you can take if you’d like.

A drive up to Yashima makes for a fun trip, and is a short stop from Takamatsu city. The view over Takamatsu is incredible, and you can purchase small discs to throw off of the top of the Yashima mountain. This is symbolic of an old Japanese samurai story, when the warriors threw their swords off of the side of the mountain to celebrate victory after a famous battle.

Yashima
Yashima

From there, and time should permit, it’s recommended to take a visit to Kompirasan, a huge complex of temples and dozens of staircases to reach the top. There are 785 steps to reach there, and that can take around an hour for even the fittest of visitors.  Along the way there are numerous places to stop for a drink or bite to eat. Kompirasan actually sits on the border of Japan’s smallest prefecture, Kagawa, so you’ll be able to see three of the four prefectures in Shikoku with this itinerary.

The view from the top is incredible and a must do.

From there, you’ll probably be short of time if you complete all of the above in one day. For us, we took a night trip back to our hotel in Naruto, with a plan to explore Awajishima for the following day.

Awajishima

Like many cities in Japan, Awajishima is very famous for food, with seafood being one of the area’s most famous offerings. After taking the journey to the island by bridge, there is a very long highway that can take you right through the middle of Awajishima. 

Along the way, there are numerous sights to see, including the fantastic Akashi Kaikyo park, which just sits south of the Akashi Kaikyo bridge. This is a must visit, it only takes a couple of hours but the gardens in the park are stunning and there is an array of interesting and exotic flowers and plants to see.

Finally, the bridge on the way back is one of the highlights of a journey to Awajishima. The bridge itself is 1991 metres long, and is the longest suspension bridge in the world and is a must do on any itinerary to this area of Japan.

Yamadera
Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata

Tohoku – Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata

Tohoku, in the North of Japan, is one of the country’s most rural countryside areas. As with much of Japan, the roads here are well-surfaced and easy to navigate, with plenty of highway options so that you can drive from A to B quickly.

On this particular trip, we decided to begin our journey in the Iwate prefecture, in the Hanamaki area, which is famous for onsen baths as well as acre upon acre of rice fields. The plan for this trip was to travel from Hanamaki in to Yamagata – visiting numerous onsen areas along the way, bordering the Miyagi prefecture – before wrapping up the journey in Sendai and the shinkansen back to Tokyo.

Tohoku Map

Leaving Iwate towards Yamagata will see you drive through numerous small villages; through these always pay attention to the roads and keep your speed well down as the local villagers tend to conduct most of their daily activity near the vehicles streaming by.

The first port of call for this trip was a visit to Oyasukyo Daifunto. The drive there is relatively easy, but the climb down to the site certainly isn’t. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to reach the bottom, from where you can see a brilliant view of the bridge overhead amongst the clouds of sulphur-full smoke puff from the ground in this highly volcanic area. It’s a well recommended trip as you head south towards Yamagata.

From Oyasukyo Daifunto, we opted to take the scenic route through Miyagi to Naruko Onsen. This is the first time in all of my years in Japan that the satellite navigation decided to take the car through a gravel only road for approximately 6-7 kilometers. It was certainly unexpected and not exactly welcomed from the other passengers, but I have to say the journey over the rocky road added to the excitement of the day.

Oyasukyo Daifunto
Oyasukyo Daifunto

Next up on our visit was a trip to the stunning Ginzan Onsen. If you are able to, I would highly recommend staying at a hotel in this area but unfortunately this onsen region is very difficult to book into a ryokan. If you are not able to, a short walk through the area is beautiful; and a great place to grab a watermelon juice and a snack. The area was founded on an old silver mine in Yamagata, and caters for those who wish prefer to stay in an old-style themed area of Japan during their stay.

Ginzan Onsen
Ginzan Onsen

We decided to then head to Zao Onsen, a famous ski resort just south of Yamagata city. A couple of hours further of a drive, taking us right through Yamagata City brought us through the winding roads of Zao and a stop over for the night in Zao, famous for the local baths. This area is highly recommended during the winter, but equally beautiful in the summer and certainly less busy.

Yamagata is famous for it’s cherries, so the next day we decided to go pick “sakuranbo”. In Tohoku you will often find places where you can pay a flat fee and spend 30 minutes pulling fruit from the tree and eating an unlimited amount. Certainly worth trying at least once.

Yamagata cherries
Yamagata cherries

We found a spot just outside of Zao Onsen, which was a very convenient stop over for our trip in to Yamagata City, where there are a few famous buildings worth driving through as well as a small yet vibrant city area packed full of restaurants.

The next must stop is a visit to Yamadera (Risshakuji). This is a cluster of stunning shinto temples clumped together on a mountain, which is no easy feat to climb in itself. Expect to spend at least 2-3 hours here as you’ll see some of the most incredible views in all of Japan.

Yamadera
Yamadera
Yamadera
Yamadera

The final leg of our journey took us to Sendai station, with the remaining stretch of the trip completed by highway.

Tohoku is a beautiful place where you can enjoy the scenery during any season of the year. The winter provides brilliant ski and deep snow, autumn leaves are particularly famous and summer and spring are gorgeous for nature. A must visit if you have long enough during a trip to Japan.

Mie

Mie – Matsusaka, Ise, Shima

Mie Prefecture is a region of Japan located in the Kansai area and is easily reachable by car, train or airplane from places such as Nagoya or Osaka. The most convenient way to explore Mie is with a vehicle and the roads are often quiet and quick. The highlight of the Mie Prefecture and the most famous place to visit is Ise Jingu (Ise Temple), which covers two very large areas of the Ise City. The first, and largest, otherwise known as Naiku is very famous and historic to all Japanese people. Much of the Naiku temple is off limits to visitors, but it is an important place of worship for the Japanese and has history emanating from Imperial reigns hundreds of years ago. The second, Geku, is a smaller area but equally beautiful and an important stop on your trip around Mie.

Ise Jingu

It is recommended to hire a car from either Osaka or Nagoya, to reach Mie. Visiting from Nagoya will mean an excellent journey through Matsusaka. This is an area of Japan most famous for its beef, but also the remnants of Matsusaka Castle. The quality of the beef in Matsusaka is considered second to none, whilst considered rather fatty to foreign visitors, it is delicious and some restaurants in this area will cater for a luxurious evening meal, whereby you can enjoy your beef as a steak or sukiyaki. Both are equally delicious and recommended.

Mie Prefecture

If you time your trip well, you can capture the end of the day visiting the Matsusaka town area and then stop for dinner, before heading off to your next location which should be Ise. Nagoya to Ise via Matsusaka would take approximately two hours. It’s approximately 40 minutes by car to Ise from Matsusaka, and arriving there late would give you a whole day of exploration of the local sights.

As mentioned, Geku and Naiku are the most famous areas of Ise, but there is plenty elsewhere to see. A favorite spot is Oharaimachi, a long road of shops selling traditional gifts and souvenirs (omiyage), and you can enjoy plenty of snack food such as Ice Cream and food on a stick. You can even drive through this road, albeit it is frowned upon and generally too busy to make an easy drive through. We did this by accident and it was certainly amusing seeing the locals confused!

Oharaimachi
Oharaimachi

From there, a short journey out to the coast will take you to Futamiokitama Shrine (Meito Iwa). This is famous for its frog statues as well as a few rocks out at sea. Parking here at the right spot will cost 1000 yen but if you spend 2000 yen in the souvenir shop you will get your money back. Save your omiyage shopping for this spot!

A drive of around 45 minutes will then take you to Shima. At this point you will have an option to go through Toba, which would take an additional 30 minutes or so, but you could also plan that stop for the way back. Toba is a nice city with plenty to do, it is most famous for pearl farming (such as Mikimoto Island) but also has plenty of restaurants with excellent seafood.

Shima too is also famous for seafood, more specifically abelone, and it is also famous for the G7 Summit at which the likes of Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and David Cameron attended with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. The food at the hotel (The Classic) is excellent and highly recommended. This hotel is certainly a 5* establishment, so expect to pay a lot of money depending on the time and the season.

G7 Mie
G7 Mie

Shima also has Ago Bay, an island cluster off of the coast which is great for a photo opportunity and a nice drive around winding roads through Shima Peninsula.

Mie certainly makes for a great short trip. You also have the option of a visit to Wakayama Prefecture, one of our favorite places in Japan, or head into Kyoto for a history fuelled experience of the Far East.

Nagasaki, Saga

Nagasaki and Saga

A visit around the island of Kyushu in Japan is a trip not to be missed, and it is a journey that can easily be made by car if you have the opportunity to drive when visiting the land of the rising sun.
Nagasaki, located in the west corner of the island of Kyushu, is famous for the devastation of years gone by from the nuclear bomb that had been dropped on the city during the war; but it today is more famous for its stunning food, diverse people and culture and impressive history, with the city being one of the few places in Japan that foreigners were allowed to visit many hundreds of years ago.
Saga is perhaps the quietest prefecture within Kyushu, but it is also not to be missed with some stunning historic places to visit, such as one of Japan’s most famous three temples.
Nagasaki Saga
A trip to Nagasaki will likely start out with a flight into the airport. Note, that the airport is quite some distance away from the city centre (approximately 45 minutes drive), but there is ample opportunity to secure a hire car at the airport if necessary.
The Nagasaki city centre has dozens of impressive sights and sounds to see. Perhaps the most famous spot to drive to would be a visit to Mount Inasa, one of Japan’s most famous night views and an easy trek of a few kilometres to the top from the city centre.

Mount Inasa
Mount Inasa
While in the city centre, you should also take time to visit the Nagasaki Peace Park. There is plenty of parking available nearby and 20 minutes at this location is more than enough, unless you opt to visit the museum. From there, a short drive to Glover Garden makes for a pleasant visit, whilst you may decide to see Dejima (the only area at which foreign people could visit Japan) and also Kofukuji or Sofukuji temple.
Nagasaki and Saga are also famous for their onsen (hot spring baths), and the opportunity to try one should not be missed. Perhaps the area’s most famous onsen spot is Unzen or Ureshino, but places such as Obama on the Saga coast also provide plenty of options.
Places of note to visit (other than Takeo Onsen) include Sakura-mon, Takeo City Library and also the stunning 3000 year old tree next to the city library makes for a quick viewing opportunity.
From Takeo, the next port of call should be on the east coast of Nagasaki and Saga, to stop off at Yutoku Inari Shrine, a famous religious landmark in Japan. The Yutoku Inari Shrine is located very close to Kashima, which offers some dining options but perhaps the best place to eat would be a little further down the coast south of Kashima, where you can eat fresh seafood and in some places can even cook this yourself on a BBQ.
Yutoku Inari
Yutoku Inari
From Kashima, it’s only an hour or so in to Mount Unzen. This is a very famous active volcano in Japan but presents you with some of the best batheing opportunities in all of the country. If you have an opportunity, a quick drive to Unzen Jigoku (Unzen Hell) makes for an interesting – albeit smelly – experience!
Also keep a look out for the 16 famous fruit bus stops along the journey! Definitely a fun spot to take a picture or two.
Unzen_Fruit
Along the way there are plenty of spots to stay for the night, but Unzen does have some rather lovely hotels.
Finishing your trip at Unzen will also leave you only an hour or so out away from Nagasaki airport when it is time to return home.
Nagasaki and Saga are definitely worth visiting if you have a long trip to Japan and are also a pleasant drive, too.

Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi
Hyogo, Kansai

Awajishima

Awajishima, famously known for being an island between Kansai and Shikoku, makes for a beautiful journey by car and a fantastic way to break up a journey traveling around the major cities of Kansai; for example Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto.
A drive to Awaji Island will still take the best part of an hour plus from Osaka and 30 minutes from Kobe, but when arriving at this island that is a part of Hyogo Prefecture, you will be able to cruise along the longest suspension bridge in the world, Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge (Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi).
From one end of the bridge to the other takes around 10 minutes and is rarely that busy so you will have a relatively quick journey across. If traveling from Kansai to Awajishima, immediately on the other side of the island is a small port with numerous excellent seafood restaurants and even a Starbucks if you need a quick coffee fix.
The area is well known for earthquakes and Awaji is believed to be the epicentre of the great Kobe earthquake of 1995 that killed thousands of people. The bridge itself is believed to have moved more than a metre during the quake and was actually in the middle of construction during this time.
When on Awaji Island, there is plenty to see and do and the area is known for its agriculture and beaches. There is the famous Ohama Beach on the east alongside Goshiki Beach, and both can be reached quite easily by vehicle.
If you are in Kobe for a day trip, a ride along the bridge to Awaji is highly recommended – a must do!

Tokyo

Costco in and around Tokyo

Having a car in Japan doesn’t just entitle you to travel around this wonderful country, but also in-the-city convenience.

It’s certain that one of the real benefits of car ownership in Tokyo is the ability to get out of the city to find a bargain. Space in Tokyo is scarce, so many of major companies set up shop slightly outside the city and particularly those companies who are looking for warehouse space.

Costco is one of many American companies that has proved to be a real success in Tokyo. Since moving to Japan, Costco has expanded all over the country and in Kanto alone Costco has founded 11 stores.

One of my favorite ways to spend a weekend is to jump in the car and get out of the city and a visit to Costco is no different. If you’ve got space in your car, you will even be able to pick up some cheaper electronic equipment to take home.

Searching for your closest Costco in Tokyo is surprisingly something that’s not that easy to find online, with Google Maps currently not able to find all of the different stores within your local vicinity and therefore I have published this map.

Costco in and around the Tokyo Area
Costco in and around the Tokyo Area

On the map above you will find a numbered list of all of the stores and therefore should be able to clearly identify where your closest Costco is.

Key:
1) Makuhari
2) Kawasaki
3) Kanazawa Seaside
4) Iruma
5) Shimisato
6) Zama
7) Tamasakai
8) Chiba New Town

Happy shopping!

Hokkaido

Noboribetsu

Noboribetsu, a short drive away from Sapporo in the Iburi Subprefecture of Hokkaido; is a famous onsen town in the southern part of the island.

On our trip, our first port of call was a visit to the stunning river town of Otaru, north of Sapporo. This is well worth a day trip to explore, take in some of the local sights and meet the friendly locals.

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From there, it was on to Noboribetsu. This city is well worth a visit during the winter months, so that you can appreciate and enjoy the beautiful onsen on offer. A drive to Noboribetsu will take you through many little villages with markets, great food restaurants and places to stop off to explore.

Wakayama

Wakayama

Wakayama Prefecture is often considered one of Japan’s most under rated prefectures to visit. It’s surrounded by the well known Osaka, Nara and Kyoto; so it’s easy to understand why many ignore a trip to Wakayama on their itineraries. But travelers could well be missing out if they ignore Wakayama. From the stunning Koya-san, all the way to the far south of Wakayama Prefecture; there’s plenty to see here.

A trip from Kansai International Airport to Wakayama City will take only 30-40 minutes by car, depending on traffic. The best thing about arriving by plane to Kansai Airport is that there is an array of options for your rental car; from Budget to Nissan rent-a-car, so be sure to research in advance to find the best value option for your trip.

From Wakayama City, you have plenty of options on your travels. One thing to remember about this prefecture is that there are surprisingly few highways, so always anticipate well in advance if you are short on time. Wakayama City has the very pretty castle; worth a visit if you can fit it in.

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On our excursion, we planned to first reach Koya-san. This mountain has a stunning graveyard and a town full of beautiful buildings to explore. It’s very accessible by car and you should have no problem finding parking or places to drive around.

We then decided to head to Shirahama, the most famous beach resort in all of Japan. The drive there is a very pleasant one and the scenery when you arrive will match. There is a good reason why Shirahama is paired with Hawai’i’s Waikiki beach!

The following day we decided to head down to Nachi Taisha on the southern coast; the route there is full of stunning beach views as you can see below.

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Expect to spend at least three to four hours driving on your way back to Wakayama City, so always leave plenty of time to navigate.

Wakayama is one of the most pretty places to explore by car in all of Japan. Highly recommended.

Oita

Beppu, Yufuin and Oita

Having previously visited Oita Prefecture a couple of years ago and really enjoying myself; I decided that the time was right to re-visit Oita, taking a familiar route but stopping off at some new places along the way.

After flying in from Kita-Kyushu and having good intentions to visit the Fujien Kawachi Wisteria Gardens (which wasn’t open in late April 2017 for good reason, the Wisteria wasn’t even in bloom yet) we decided to take a slightly different route and head to the Kunisaki Peninsula instead. The roads in northern Kyushu, much like the rest of Kyushu, are excellent for driving. Clean, safe and relatively quiet during the April season.

The first port of call on our trip traveling from Kita-kyushu airport was to the Usa-Jingu shrine in Oita, Usi; this stunning little complex of beautiful shrines and buildings is a must do in the area. Prepare to drive for at least 2 hours to reach the Kunisaki Peninsula. Once at Usa-Jingu – which is the main shrine for hachimangu jingu in Japan – you will find some wonderful scenery for strolling around. You should allocate at least an hour of your day for visiting this stunning area.

From there, you may choose to visit Makiodo or other areas of the Kunisaki Peninsula – the Rokugo Manzien temples are some of Japan’s most famous – before heading on to your next destination. Our next stop was to the world famous onsen town of Beppu.

Beppu has so much to do and to enjoy. You can find several “hells”, known as Jigoku in Japanese. These are naturally occurring hot springs that are often with different colour water, smells and/or nature surrounding them. Parking is very easy to find in this area, so when driving around Beppu you should find stopping your vehicle relatively simple and cheap.

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After enjoying a wonderful meal and evening in Beppu, the following day saw us drive for a wonderful breakfast at Jigokumushi Kōbō Kannawa (Jigokumushi Kobo Steam Cooking Center), where you will be able to cook your food on the heat of the onsen. A great side trip is a short drive away, to Takasakiyama Monkey Park where you can find hundreds of cheeky monkeys (macaques) on top of their own mountain. A wonderful day out!

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A recommended itinerary from there is to drive to the pretty town of Yufuin and set up camp there. You will find it tricky to get around by car around Mount Yufu/Yufuin and so keep this in mind if you are reliant on your vehicle.

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After Yufuin, you may choose to head to Oita City, the main city in Oita prefecture. There are plenty of shops and restaurants here.

After Oita City, we decided to stop by Kitsuki town; a delightful little village on the way to Oita Airport. From there you will find many shops and a pretty little castle to explore.