Tag Archives: japan

From Kyoto to Hyogo

August 8, 2020 admin

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

Tokyo

Costco in and around Tokyo

October 20, 2017 admin

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.

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!

Oita

Beppu, Yufuin and Oita

April 23, 2017 admin

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.

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!

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.

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.

Shizuoka

A journey into the Shizuoka countryside

September 16, 2014 admin

One of the best journeys out of Tokyo and to the surrounding prefectures is a two day tour of Shizuoka. The prefecture hosts much natural beauty, including the stunning Izu region. A little bit farther than Izu is some of Japan’s most rural countryside and one weekend we enjoyed a lovely drive into Tamagawa.

The drive out of Shizuoka can be a beautiful journey, traveling through Tokyo’s rainbow bridge and through the central areas of the region; before heading onto the Shizuoka Prefectural Road 64 all the way into the countryside.

One of my favourite parts of this journey is the countryside roads off of the highways. The journey is often littered with small hamlets built around winding, thin streets; thus as we noticed we did not see or hit a convenience store for at least 10km at times.

Once in Tamakawa, we stayed at the excellent camping centre owned by the prefectural government. This is approximately 40 minutes away by car from the Shizuoka central area.

The journey will take at least 2 and a half hours from Tokyo, traveling 180km of beautiful countryside along the way.

Recommended for a nice, long weekend.

Miyazaki, Oita

Takachiho to Oita, Beppu Hot Springs

July 9, 2014 admin

Kyushu, as mentioned in our previous article, is one of the most beautiful prefectures in Japan. With hundreds of miles of rolling hills and glorious green countryside; having a visit to this prefecture on your Japan visit itinerary is very worthwhile.

Japan has some of the most safe and modern roads in the world. The roads in Kyushu are amongst some of the most fun to drive. One such journey to take is a trip from Takachiho, in the Miyazaki prefecture, to the North East of Kyushu; Oita-ken. The Oita prefecture is famous for its onsens. Japan is a very seismically active country and Kyushu is particularly volcanic, this therefore makes for some of the most glorious hot springs in the country.

In Takachiho, one of the spots well worth visiting is the Takachiho Shrine. There are not many hotels in the local area, but from the central town to the shrine takes only five minutes and the roads in the area are quiet and fun to navigate. A short walk will also take you to the Takachiho Gorge, which is amongst the most beautiful spots to visit in the entire country. Not often visited by tourists because of the location, with a car this is achievable. The Gorge has an area where you will be able to hire a boat and sail alongside the river and has some of the most excellent photo opportunities.

From there, a trip to Amano Iwato Shrine (882-1621; telephone: 0982-74-8239) takes approximately 15 minutes.

From Takachiho, you can visit Oita in approximately three hours. The roads – despite not being highways – are a joy to drive. Once you drive into Oita, the first port of call would be visiting The Hells (874-000); a selection of hot springs in different shapes, colours and varieties. Beppu itself is a city, so expect the roads to be busy and be on the look out for road signs, if you get lost and off the main streets in the city centre, expect a tricky trip to where you need to be.

One trip worth taking is just outside of Beppu, in another hot spring resort called Yufuin. Yufuin is less touristy, so the hotels are a little cheaper and better quality. A trip from Beppu to Yufuin only takes 10 minutes. With a car this is highly recommended.

At Yufuin, enjoy driving up and down the main street in the town. This is a traditional Japanese village and the shops and architecture are designed in a style of that era. Finally, take a quick stop off at Kinrinko. The lake is famous for its morning mist, but this can only be seen prior to 11am.

Driving in Japan – explore the land of the rising sun