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Descripcion
Odawara
,
Japan
Tránsito para
Hakone
written by
garisti
on April 1, 2008
from
Odawara
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Japan
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Descripcion
Hakone
,
Japan
Hakone (箱根; [1]) is a mountainous area west of Tokyo in Japan. The Hakone checkpoint on the historical Tokaido road marks the beginning of the Kanto region.
By train
The fastest and most expensive method of reaching Hakone from Tokyo is to take a Tokaido Shinkansen Kodama (こだま) train from Tokyo to Odawara, then transfer to the Hakone-Tozan Line for the run to Hakone-Yumoto (trains operated by Odakyu Railway). The one-way ride lasts one hour with a good connection, and costs ¥3430... but if you use the Japan Rail Pass, you need only to pay ¥300 for the Hakone-Tozan line.
Be aware that the JR East Rail Pass does not provide acess to the Tokaido Shinkansen and to make use of this pass you will need to ride the regular Tokaido Main Line to Odawara. From Tokyo, a convenient choice that is valid with the JR East Pass is the "Odoriko" limited express train service. These trains have bigger windows and better seating than the regular commuter trains, and seat reservations can be made. As of March 2007, there are at least four daily runs, arriving in Odawara one hour later; there may also be additional runs on certain days. All trains make a pickup stop at Yokohama, while a few also stop at Shinagawa and Kawasaki stations.
The affordable method of reaching Hakone from Tokyo is to take the Odakyu Odawara Line from Shinjuku station. The fastest train on the Odakyu Line is the Hakone (はこね) Limited Express train (特急 tokkyū), which runs twice an hour for most of the day. The 85-minute journey makes only two stops enroute and costs ¥2020. Note that some trains, called Super Hakone (スーパーはこね), use newer train equipment, while evening rush hour runs from Shinjuku are called Home Way (ホームウェイ). The slower Odakyu express train (急行 kyūkō) runs twice an hour at a cost of only ¥1150, reaching Hakone in two hours.
Rail connections can be made at Odawara from Nagoya (2 1/2 hrs), Kyoto (3 hrs) and other locations throughout Japan.
[edit] Get around
Modes of transport in the Hakone region are many and varied. Your options include:
* The scenic Hakone-Tozan Line mountain railway from Odawara to Gora via Hakone-Yumoto
* The Hakone-Tozan Cablecar up the mountainside from Gora to Sounzan
* The Hakone Ropeway from Sounzan down to Togendai on Lake Ashinoko via the boiling sulphur pits of Owakudani (section is closed for construction and shuttle buses are available)
* The Hakone Sightseeing Ships, decked out like Disneyland versions of pirate ships, sailing across the lake from Togendai to Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi
* And positively dull in comparison, the Odakyu Bus back to Hakone-Yumoto or Odawara
(Bear in mind that portions of the above circuit may close for a short period of time in the winter for maintenance. Shuttle buses replace the closed services.)
Most people opt for the Odakyu Hakone Free Pass, which includes a return trip from Shinjuku and allows unlimited use of all of the above forms of transport for several days. In addition, pass holders can receive discounts at many hot springs, museums, restaurants, and other locations by showing their pass.
The 2-day Weekday Pass is a particularly good deal at ¥4700 from Shinjuku, ¥3410 from Odawara, allowing travel Monday through Thursday. The Weekday Pass is not sold during summer and holiday periods. The regular 3-day Free Pass is ¥5500 from Shinjuku and ¥4130 from Odawara.
If you have a Free Pass or Weekday Pass from Shinjuku Station, you can use the Hakone Limited Express train by paying a surcharge of ¥870 each way.
[edit] See
Something's cooking at Owakudani
Something's cooking at Owakudani
The volcanically active Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, centered around Lake Ashinoko, is a popular tourist attraction well known for its onsen (hot springs) and its views of Mount Fuji.
* The Great Boiling Valley (大涌谷 Ōwakudani) is a volcanic hot spot full of sulphurous springs. Owakudani can be reached by cablecar from Sounzan and the lake.
* Hakone Jinja Shrine, nestled on the south shore of the lake, close to Moto-Hakone, is a picturesque Shinto shrine with torii gates in water.
* Lake Ashinoko offers beautiful views of Mount Fuji but only on a clear day. As many tourists have found out, a visit to Lake Ashinoko does not guarantee a view of the mountain. The lake is crisscrossed by cartoonishly decorated "pirate ships".
* Hakone Open Air Museum displays a wide variety of sculptures and artwork within a beautiful parkland setting. Includes a Picasso exhibition (paintings and pottery).
[edit] Do
No trip to Hakone would be complete without a dip at a Japanese hot spring (onsen). If you're staying overnight, your lodgings may include bathing facilities, but if not many hotels open up their baths to visitors for around ¥500 or so.
* Tenzan Tōjigō (天山湯治郷), Hakone-Yumoto, Chaya 208, [2]. Large, popular hot spring operation with indoor and outdoor baths, sauna, etc. Free shuttle bus from outside the bus station. Open 11 AM-8 PM daily. ¥1000/630 adult/child.
[edit] Eat
* Try the black jewel eggs (黒玉子) at Owakudani. Boiled on site, their shells are a mottled black due to a chemical reaction with the sulphurous water, but the inside is quite tasty. According to Japanese legend, every one you eat will add seven years to your life. 6 eggs (and hence 42 years) will set you back just ¥500.
[edit] Sleep
Hakone has many onsen ryokan, traditional Japanese inns featuring hot springs. Facilities vary widely, although prices are generally somewhat elevated (especially on weekends) due to the proximity of Tokyo.
* Kappa-tengoku Minshuku (tel. 0460-56121, 2 minutes on foot from Hakone-Yumoto station) is a well-located if slightly crumbling cheap inn featuring large open-air baths on the roof. Rates as low as 3300. Meals are optional and run 1470 for dinner and 840 for breakfast.
* Fuji Hakone Guest House 912 Sengokuhara, Hakone, Kanagawa. Tel 0460-46577, Fax 0460-46578, email:
hakone-@pop21.odn.ne.jp.
This is a very well located guest house popular with both Japanese and foreigners. The staff can speak English. Comfortable Japanese style rooms and breakfast are available as is a natural hot spring bath. Room rates are reasonable and the owners, Mr and Mrs Takahashi, are happy to offer signtseeing advice.
written by
garisti
on April 1, 2008
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Hakone
,
Japan
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Descripcion
Fuji
,
Japan
Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, 3776 meters) is Japan's highest mountain. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the mountain is located to the west of Tokyo on the main island Honshu.
Understand
A perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, the mountain is a near-mythical national symbol immortalized in countless works of art, including Hokusai's 36 Views of Mt. Fuji.
The Japanese always refer to Mt. Fuji as Fuji-san, but the -san (山) here simply means "mountain", and has nothing to do with the honorific san (さん) for people's names. "Fujiyama" is a misreading of the name, and is never used by the Japanese themselves — except in the set phrase Fujiyama geisha, a lament at how Japan is misunderstood in the West.
[edit] When to go
Climbing out of season
If you have the skills, climbing out of season can be an amazing experience — imagine being the only people on the mountain surrounded by snow looking out over an amazing landscape 3776m up! And you don't have to go all the way, as in good weather, the slopes of Fuji draw numerous people doing various sports activities. Note that the roads to the 5th station will be shut out of season so you will have a long walk up, and also if you intend to climb to the summit, it is necessary to advise the local authorities.
The official climbing season lasts for only two months, from July to August. Even during these months, when Tokyo often swelters in 40-degree heat, temperatures at the top can be below freezing at night and climbers must dress adequately.
Climbing outside the official season is not only technically illegal without police permission but extremely dangerous without alpine climbing experience and equipment. Nearly all facilities are closed in the off season. The weather, unpredictable any time of year, is downright vicious in the winter and there are cases of people being literally blown off the mountain by high winds.
Fortunately, there are a few options for those who are not fit enough to climb or who would like to get "up close" to the mountain in the off-season. The trails at the bottom of the mountain are less steep, and suited more for an afternoon hike at any time of the year. The nearby Fuji Five Lakes (Fuji-goko) has many attractions close to the mountain, and Hakone also provides spectacular views.
[edit] Get in
Main approaches to Mt. Fuji
Main approaches to Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji can be approached from all sides, but note that transport schedules are sharply cut outside the official climbing season in July and August. For up to date information, the city of Fujiyoshida maintains a Fuji access page listing current routes and schedules.
From Tokyo, the most economical approach is by Odakyu train from Shinjuku to Gotemba, although you will have to change trains and the price difference is rather minimal. The easiest and most popular option is thus to take a direct bus from Shinjuku to the trailhead at Kawaguchiko Fifth Station.
There are also Fuji-san climbing tours offered by numerous tourist companies through out Japan. These tours may include round trip bus fare, climbing guide, hut, dinner, breakfast (packed rice box), and a visit to a hot spring after the descent. Prices tend to be expensive though: a one-day "superman" tour costs around ¥20000 and a more leisurely two-day approach (including overnight stay) is over ¥30000.
[edit] By bus
The easiest option for reaching the slopes of Mt. Fuji is to take the Keio express bus from Shinjuku in Tokyo. The direct bus takes 2 to 2.5 hours, depending on traffic, costs ¥2600, and takes you directly to the start of the climb at Kawaguchiko 5th Station. To buy a ticket, take the west exit at Shinjuku station, then follow the circle of bus stops to the left. The Keio building is on the corner near stop 26, right across from Yodobashi Camera.
[edit] By train
There is no direct access to Mt. Fuji by train, but you can get pretty close and change to a bus for the rest of the way, and doing it this way allows you to use any of the ascent or descent routes. From Tokyo, the two main staging points are Fujiyoshida and Gotemba, while visitors from western Japan can opt for Fujinomiya (Shin-Fuji) instead.
[edit] Via Fujiyoshida
Fujiyoshida can be reached by taking the JR Chuo line to Otsuki and changing to the Fujikyu line. The Fujikyu line passes through Fujiyoshida to Kawaguchiko, from where hourly buses (50 minutes, ¥1700) shuttle to the 5th Station. If you are planning to walk from the foot of the mountain, Fujiyoshida is, also, the starting point of the Yoshida route. You will be able to visit Fujiyoshida Sengenjinja (shrine) on the way to the summit.
[edit] Via Gotemba
If heading for the Gotemba route (御殿場), Subashiri route, or Suyama route, take the JR Tokaido line from Tokyo through Odawara to Kōzu (府津) station then change train for Gotemba. Alternatively, if traveling from Shinjuku, take the Odakyu line to Shin-Matsuda and walk to the neighboring Gotemba line Matsuda station. This local train usually runs just once per hour.
During official climbing season there are direct buses from the Gotemba station to the Gotemba 5th station that take about 40 minutes and cost ¥1080/1500 one-way/return. Tickets to the Subashiri 5th station are ¥1500/2000 one-way/return. A bus for the Suyama route is ¥530 one-way. If you want to ascend and descend on different routes, you can purchase a 3-day round trip ticket for a little over ¥3000. Note that Gotemba buses run only during the official Fujisan mountain climbing season between July and August, but Subashiri route busses run till October and Suyama route busses run all year around.
There is also a bus to Kawaguchiko from the Gotemba station and a bus from Shin-Matsuda to the Kawaguchiko fifth station (¥3000 one-way).
[edit] Via Fujinomiya
Visitors coming from Chubu or Kansai may wish to opt for the southern approach via Fujinomiya (富士宮) instead. The nearest Tokaido Shinkansen stop is Shin-Fuji station (新富士駅). From Shin-Fuji station, buses cost ¥4500 return. If arriving on the ordinary Tokaido line, change trains to the JR Fujinomiya line at Fuji station.
[edit] By car
Take the Chuo Expressway from Shinjuku. Tolls around ¥2,500.
[edit] Get around
Once on the mountain the only way of getting around is on foot. The sole exception is horseback riding, available on the Fujiguchiko trail between the 5th and 7th stations only for the steep price of ¥12,000.
[edit] See
For merely seeing Mt. Fuji, it's better to maintain some distance. The most popular places for sightseeing tours of Fuji and surroundings are Hakone, to the east of Mt. Fuji towards Tokyo, and the Fuji Five Lakes, located just north of the mountain.
The Mt. Fuji Welcome Card is a free card that can get you discounts for various attractions and tours in the vicinity.
[edit] Do
Torii gate at the summit
Torii gate at the summit
No spot in this world can be more horrible, more atrociously dismal, than the cindered tip of the Lotus as you stand upon it. — Lafcadio Hearn (1898)
The thing to do on Mt. Fuji is, of course, to climb it. As the Japanese say, a wise man climbs Fuji once, and a fool twice, but the true wisdom of this phrase is usually only learned the hard way. Depending on your pace, the climb up will take 5 to 8 hours, and the descent another 3 to 4. An overnight climb in order to reach the top for the sunrise (go-raiko) is the most traditional thing, but you will probably be shuffling along in a slow-moving line for the latter stages of the ascent. Consider starting out in the late morning to reach the summit for the equally majestic sunset, with a tiny fraction of the crowds to accompany you. Afterward, you can try to sleep in a mountain hut (see below) and catch the sunrise if you like; two for the effort of one.
[edit] Preparation
An absolute minimum set of clothing for climbing Fuji would be:
* sturdy shoes (hiking boots if possible)
* rain clothing
* head cover
Gloves and warm, layered clothing are also strongly recommended. Other supplies you will need are:
* flashlight and spare batteries (if climbing at night)
* sunglasses and sunscreen (which will most likely be needed during the descent even if you climb at night)
* toilet paper
* Japanese yen, as the toilets are pay-per-use
* plastics bags to carry garbage and keep off the damp
* your camera for the spectacular views!
Also bring along at least 1 liter of water per person, preferably 2. High-energy snacks as well as a more substantial fare (rice balls and such) will also come in very handy.
[edit] Kawaguchiko route
The most popular starting point is Kawaguchiko 5th Station (河口湖五合目 Kawaguchiko Go-gōme, 2305m), which offers you a last chance to stock on supplies before heading out. The initial stretch through flowery meadows is pleasant enough, but the bulk of the hike is a dreary and interminable slog: the volcanic landscape consists of jagged red rock in varying sizes from dust to boulder, with the trail zigzagging left and right endlessly, and the hike just gets steeper and steeper as you progress. Actual rock climbing is not required, but you will wish to use your hands at some points.
The trail is well marked and in season you will find it difficult to get lost, as the trip is completed annually by 300,000 people and there may even be human traffic jams at some of the dicier spots. However, due to the danger of landslides do not venture beyond the trail; visibility may also be very rapidly reduced to near-zero if clouds roll in.
Once at the top, you will pass under a small torii gate and encounter a group of huts selling drinks and souvenirs; this being Japan, you will even find vending machines on the top of Mount Fuji. Yes, this is as anticlimactic as it sounds, but with any luck seeing the sunrise above the clouds will make up for it. You can also gaze into the long-dormant crater at the center of the mountain. Strictly speaking, this is not the highest point of the mountain; that honor goes to the meteorological station on the other side of the crater, an additional 30 minutes hike away and not really worth the trouble. A full circuit of the crater takes around an hour.
There is a separate path for descending down the mountain back to Kawaguchiko; be sure you take the right one! Do not attempt to run down the mountain; rolling down isn't fun, it's a long way to the nearest hospital, and you don't want to find out how much a helicopter medevac costs in Japan.
[edit] Gotembaguchi route
Gotembaguchi route
Gotembaguchi route
This is the longest and toughest access route from the fifth station, with Gotemba 5th Station (御殿場五合目 Gotemba Go-gōme) located at 1440 meters, nearly 900 meters lower down than Kawaguchiko.
There are separate routes for ascent and descent, which will take 7 and 3 hours accordingly. The path is clearly marked with signs, so night climbing is possible. For your own safety, it is not allowed to walk on the bulldozer path, which crosses pedestrian path several times. The climb from the 5th to the 6th station is over an enormous ash field, which formed during a recent eruption in 1707. Two mountain huts at 7th and 8th stations operate during official climbing season and also provide warm food (curry rice, ramen, soba, drinks etc). Beware of rocks from 8th station and above. It is essential to bring enough water supplies or buy water at the fifth station, because there are limited place to resupply.
Advantages of this trail:
* Less people, so you can go on your own speed and have more space to sleep at the mountain huts
* Mountain top is visible
* Can run down the ashed covered path from the seventh station.
* No rock climbing
Disadvantages of this trail:
* Fewer mountain huts
* During descent ash can make clothes and shoes very dirty
* Transportation to the fifth station is limited
[edit] Other routes
There are two other Fifth Stations at Subashiri (須走, 1980 meters) and Fujinomiya (富士宮, 2400 meters). Fujinomiya is the shortest route, but as it is on the "wrong" side you will not be able to see the sunrise before the summit.
Beside climbing from the fifth station, there are three routes from Sengenjinja at the foot of the mountain. They are Yoshida route, Suyama route, and Murayama route. Murayama route is the oldest climbing route, followed by Suyama route. These routes offers glimpse of history of Mount Fuji climbing and are being restored. Be warned, however, not to expect to see too many people climbing from these routes.
[edit] Buy, Eat and Drink
If you have an energy to haul food and drink, buy before coming to Mount Fuji.
Kawaguchiko 5th Station is the last place to have a meal or stock up on supplies without breaking the bank, although there's a bit of inflation even here.
All stations along the Kawaguchiko trail, as well as the summit itself, are equipped with mountain huts that sell drinks, candy (¥250 for a Snickers bar) and basic climbing gear (sticks, flashlights, raincoats, even oxygen canisters). If your climbing staff becomes a cherished companion, you can pay to have an official seal burned into it marking your arrival at every station, making a handsome souvenir (as long as you don't mind lugging it around with you). As all materials have to be hauled up by tractors, food and drink prices are high and rise the closer you get to the summit. For example, a vending machine at the summit sells drinks and cans of corn soup for ¥400.
Note that most huts will not allow visitors to stay within the (heated) huts without paying a resting fee, either ¥1000-2000 per hour or ¥5,000 yen for the entire night (see Sleep). Simple meals (curry rice and such), if available at all, will cost in the range of ¥1000.
The summit has fewer people staying overnight and many more people resting, so the price of a cup of tea or a bowl of noodles is somewhat more reasonable.
The huts also have extremely basic toilets, but they get the job done (¥200). Instead of the usual noxious sweet deodorant, some of these toilets use a pepper scent to mask the smell of the waste.
At the summit, you can set your postcards apart from the rest with a postmark from the highest post office in Japan (and perhaps the world). You might as well do a post-sunrise circuit around the summit, though, because the Mount Fuji post office observes strict bureaucratic protocol, and doesn't open until 8am. Next to the post office is a small shrine and a stand where you can purchase fairly nice embossed certificates with an Official Stamp to mark your ascent; remember, though, as they say on Mount Everest, you've only climbed the mountain if you make it back down as well.
[edit] Sleep
Huts from 7th station onward also offer primitive accommodations; reservations are strongly recommended if you plan on staying in these. Prices are pretty much standardized at ¥5250 a night for a very cramped space (one tatami mat or less) shared with the halitosis, funky boot juice and snoring of 150-500 strangers, plus an optional ¥1050/2100 for one/two meals.
* Hinode-kan, Kawaguchiko 7th Station, tel. 0555-24-6522, [1]. Notable primarily for having the only bilingual website on Mt. Fuji (but no regular bilingual staff). A stay costs ¥5250 per person, and there is space for about 200.
* Fujisan Hotel, Kawaguchiko 8th Station, tel. 0555-22-0237. The largest hut on the mountain, with space for about 500. In two separate but nearby huts, it's a far cry from a hotel, but unlike most others English is spoken here.
A full list of huts (in English) with phone numbers is available hereand here. Fujiyoshida's official website has more updated info on the Kawaguchiko trail's huts [2]
[edit] Stay safe
Mount Fuji is a real mountain and should be treated with respect. Near the top the air is noticeably thinner, which may cause altitude sickness and breathing difficulties. The hike to the top is taxing, but hypothermia strikes when waiting for sunrise at the goal, while injuries typically occur during the descent phase when you're tired. Especially after heavy rains landslides are also a possibility.
It is very cold on top. During summer, when at the mountain foot the temperature is a sweltering 35°C, at the top it will be 7°C during the day and less during the night (ice and frost are common sights throughout the year). If you choose to climb in around New Year, you could experience -30°C on the mountain top.
These warnings are not a joke: every year inadequately prepared people die on Fuji.
written by
garisti
on April 1, 2008
from
Fuji
,
Japan
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Descripcion
Nagoya
,
Japan
Nagoya (名古屋, [1]) is in Aichi prefecture, in the Chubu region of Honshu, one of the islands in Japan.
Understand
The hub of the Aichi region, Nagoya is Japan's fourth-largest city after Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka. The focal points of this sprawling agglomeration are Nagoya station (名古屋駅) to the north, Sakae (栄) to the east and Kanayama (金山) to the south).
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Not arriving via Centrair Airport?
* If you happen to arrive in Japan at Osaka's Kansai International Airport, Nagoya can be reached in no less than two hours by taking the Haruka limited express train to Shin-Osaka station, then changing to the Tokaido Shinkansen.
* A small number of air flights operate daily from Tokyo's Narita Airport to Centrair Airport, for the benefit of international passengers. Otherwise, Nagoya is no less than three hours away by taking the Narita Express limited express train to Tokyo station, then changing to the Tokaido Shinkansen.
Chubu Centrair International Airport, Japan's third major international gateway, is located on an artificial island 30 minutes south from the center of town. Facilities include two hotels and an onsen spa with views of the runways. Centrair opened in 2005, and this airport replaces the existing Nagoya airport, also taking over its IATA code NGO.
The best way of connecting between Centrair Airport and central Nagoya is the Meitetsu Airport Line. Limited expresses take just 28 minutes (¥980 plus a usually-optional ¥350 for a reserved seat) to cover the distance to the city. Note that Meitetsu trains are not free for JR Railpass riders.
[edit] Nagoya Airport
While all other companies have moved to Chubu, regional flights by J-Air still use the old Nagoya Airport (NKM), also known as Komaki Airport, to the north of the city. Shuttle buses (¥850) connect to Nagoya station in 28 minutes.
[edit] By train
Nagoya is located along the Tokaido Shinkansen route between Tokyo and Osaka. To the west are Gifu and Kyoto, and to the east are Hamamatsu and Shizuoka.
* A one-way ride from Tokyo is about 1 hour, 40 minutes via Nozomi (¥10780) and between 1 3/4 and 2 hours via Hikari (¥10580).
* From Kyoto, Nagoya is reachable in 36 minutes via Nozomi (¥5640) and between 36 and 55 minutes via Hikari or Kodama (¥5440).
* From the Shin-Osaka station in Osaka, Nagoya is 53 minutes away via Nozomi (¥6380) and between 53 and 70 minutes away via Hikari or Kodama (¥6180).
Thru Nozomi trains from western Japan reach Nagoya from Okayama (1 hr 40 mins, ¥10980), Hiroshima (2 hrs 20 mins, ¥13830) and Hakata station in Fukuoka (3 hrs 20 mins, ¥18030). It is slightly longer via the Hikari service; you will need to change trains at least once, either at Okayama, Shin-Kobe, or Shin-Osaka.
If you wish to sacrifice travel speed for savings, you can take advantage of the Puratto Kodama Ticket (in Japanese), which offers a discount for Kodama services if you purchase at least one day in advance. You get a reserved seat and a free drink on board. With this ticket a trip to Nagoya costs ¥7900 from Tokyo (3 hours; 2 trains per hour), ¥4100 from Kyoto (1 hour; 1 train per hour) and ¥4200 from Shin-Osaka (1 1/4 hours; 1 train per hour). A few early-morning Kodama trains cannot be used with this ticket.
Nagoya also serves as the terminal point for the hourly Wide View Shinano, a limited express train that runs from the mountain resort towns of Nagano and Matsumoto. Nagoya is reached in 3 hours and 2 hours, respectively.
Local trains from Tokyo take about 6 hours at a cost of ¥6090, requiring several train changes along the way. However, trips on local trains are more valuable if you purchase and use a Seishun 18 Ticket during the valid time period. Otherwise, consider using a bus starting from ¥5000, or step up to the bullet train for ¥7900 using the Puratto Kodama Ticket.
Remember that the Japan Rail Pass covers all journeys described above, EXCEPT for Nozomi trains.
Nagoya is also served by the Meitetsu and Kintetsu private railways. If coming to Nagoya from Osaka, a travel option that comes cheaper than the Shinkansen is a Kintetsu limited express service called the Urban Liner (アーバンライナー), which runs out of Namba station. The Urban Liner departs at 0 and 30 minutes past the hour, covering the journey in as little as two hours, but at a cost of ¥4150 each way. (The shinkansen, by comparison, makes the run from Shin-Osaka to Nagoya in under an hour for ¥5670). Japan Rail Passes are not vaild for the Urban Liner.
[edit] By bus
A cheaper method of reaching Nagoya is by bus. Day and night services run to Nagoya from most parts of the country, particularly from Kanto. For example, a night service from Tokyo to Nagoya on JR Kanto Bus costs ¥6420 one way (discounted trips ¥5000 each way), while daytime services cost ¥5100 one way. The trip takes roughly 6 hours to complete.
[edit] Get around
Nagoya is a big automotive industry center, and it shows. Trains and subways are less convenient than in Tokyo or Kansai, but more expensive. For those travelling with a JR Rail Pass, note that the train network doesn't have many stations in the city and you'll probably find yourself using the bus or subway alot, something your pass won't cover.
[edit] By subway
There are 4 main subway lines:
* The red Sakuradōri Line (桜通線) connects Nagoya Station to Sakae before curving south.
* The purple Meijō Line (名城線) runs in a loop around the eastern side of the city, connecting Sakae and Kanayama; the Meikō Line (名港線) spur branches from Kanayama to Nagoya Port.
* The yellow Higashiyama Line (東山線) connects Nagoya, Fushimi, Sakae, and Fujigaoka.
* The blue Tsurumai Line (鶴舞線) connects Fushimi and Osu Kannon, then goes south.
Subways run every several minutes between about 05:30 until about 00:30. Fares range from ¥200 to ¥320. A one-day subway pass is also available for ¥600 (although the multilingual city guides still quote the summer 2005 Expo prices of ¥600 for bus, ¥740 for subway, and ¥850 for bus & subway).
[edit] See
* Nagoya Castle (名古屋城 Nagoya-jō). Trumpeted as a famous landmark, particularly the two golden carp (金の鯱 kin-no-shachi) on the roof, but in truth recently rebuilt in concrete. The inside is an interesting enough museum (no pictures allowed) and the gardens surrounding it, nothing special. 500 yen for entry. To get there by subway, take the Meijo line and get off at Shiyakusho station. If you've seen other Japanese castles, you can safely give it a miss.
* Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮 Atsuta Jingū), Jingūmae station. This shrine houses the sacred Kusanagi no mitsurugi (草薙神剣) sword, one of the three Imperial regalia of Japan — but unfortunately nobody but the emperor and a few high priests get to see it. There are some 4,400 other artifacts on the grounds though and the shrine hosts some 70 festivals every year.
* Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1-1-1 Kanayama-cho, Naka-ku (next to Kanayama station), 052-684-0786, [2]. Closed Mondays, Tuesday through Friday 10am to 7pm, Saturday, Sunday, Holidays 10am to 5 pm. Like any world-class art museum, the MFA in Boston has far more in its archives than it can reasonably display. This sister institution is one way to make the most of the extensive collection. Student / Adult admission: 300/400 yen for the general collection, 900/1200 yen for special exhibits.
* Tokugawa Art Museum. Displaying some treasures of the Tokugawa family.
* Nittaiji Temple (日泰寺), 1-1 Hohocho, Chikusa-ku, tel. 052-751-2121, [3]. Among the 165,000 square meters of temple grounds is the 15 meter Gandala-style Taian Pagoda, which houses relics of the Buddha that were presented to Japan by the king of Thailand.
[edit] Do
* Higashiyama Park (東山公園 Higashiyama-koen). (Higashiyama-koen station). Features a zoo, conservatory, monorail, roller coasters, "sky tower" and a great deal of open space.
[edit] Buy
* Osu Market, subway Osu Kannon exit 2 (straight ahead one block, turn left into the temple grounds and go straight on through the gravelled temple area). A series of old style shopping arcades packed with mom-and-pop stores, 100 yen shops, traditional crafts, used computers and a fantastic range of clothing stores. There is a little bit of everything. Osu is the shopping area and Osu Kannon the temple just to the west side.
* Sakae is a good choice for your mainstream department store shopping, restaurants, and night-life. Take a walk atop Oasis 21 and get a nice view of the TV Tower.
[edit] Eat
Nagoya is big on miso, a sauce made from fermented soybeans and grain. You should not leave the city without trying misokatsu (味噌カツ), fried pork cutlet with a rich, red miso sauce on it.
The other Nagoya classic is shrimp tempura, particularly when wrapped up in rice and dried seaweed and turned into a handy portable package known as a tenmusu (天むす).
The city is also known for uiro, basically red bean jelly, a substance a little firmer than gelatin, with a subtle flavour.
Nagoya's noodle specialty is kishimen, a flat, broad noodle served in a miso or soy sauce broth. Available in most restauran-gai in shopping centres or close to major railway stations.
[edit] Budget
* Café de Metro, 1F Kanayama station (North Exit). Serves up basic curry and donburi dishes (including a decent misokatsu) for ¥480 with coffee/tea, or ¥680 with miso soup and pickles.
[edit] Mid-range
* Kanran aka Marche du Soleil, [4], map on the website. European style restaurant, near Osu Kannon subway station. Plenty of vegetarian options on the (available in English) menu - the organic vegetable sticks and vegetable pizza are good choices. Staff are friendly and speak a useable amount of English.
* Yamamotoya Sōhonke (山本屋総本家), 25-9 Meieki, B1F Horinouchi Bldg (on Sakura-dori not far from Exit 6 of the Nagoya subway station). The home of the classic Nagoya miso dish nikomi udon, consisting of thick, chewy, handmade udon noodles served in boiling hot miso sauce/stock. Fairly pricy at ¥1200 for a basic bowl and rather difficult to eat — diners are provided with bibs to protect themselves from soup spray — but the effort is worth it.
[edit] Splurge
[edit] Drink
There are countless izakayas around Kanayama station, both cheap chains and more upscale places.
Around Nagoya station are a lot of places for cheap drinking. Sakae is the big nightlife district, in a lose triangle formed by the Sakae, Yaba-cho and Osu Kannon stations. Sakae has a large red light district as well, but as with most of Japan there's no sense of danger so don't worry about drifting around.
For a foreign fix, try Shooter's close to Fushimi station, an American sports bar that attracts a mixed crowd with live music on Sundays, or The Red Rock, located directly behind the Chunichi Building in Sakae for your Australian pub experience. Hard Rock Cafe, also close to Hilton, serves the usual mix of rock music and American food.
[edit] Night Clubs
Nagoya has some of the best clubs in Japan, possibly second only to Tokyo. A lot of the Djs who play Tokyo also pass through Nagoya.
* ID club - the most popular and well-known club in Nagoya. In Sakae.
* Radix[5] - one of the bigger clubs in Nagoya, a lot of big house, jungle and dub Djs play here. Expect to pay from 2000-3000 yen, usually with a free drink included.
* Club Daughter[6] has something happening almost every night, so you'll never be stuck for something to do. Its a small place though, to western clubbers it may seem more like a basement party then a club and if you're going out on a monday or a tuesday, you may find it pretty empty. Fridays and Saturdays the place is normally packed. Drinks are about 600 yen each, entry varies, check on the site.
* Club JB's[7] is another good Nagoya club. Right around the corner from Club Daughter.
* J-Max [8] in Fushimi attracts foreigners and Japanese alike for your weekend dance event. Entry fee is usually 2000-3000 yen, with a couple of drinks included.
* the Underground in Shin-Sakae has two floors for one price, upstairs is hip-hop at maximum volume levels, while downstairs more dance music is played. Always a happy crowd without annoying bouncers, ladies pay 1500 and guys 2000 with 2 drinks included. Foreigners welcome.
[edit] Sleep
[edit] Budget
* Capsule Inn Nagoya (カプセルイン名古屋), 7F Kanayama 4-1-20 (on Otsu-dori near Kanayama stn), tel. (052)331-3278, [9]. Showing its age, but kept clean and still a perfectly functional capsule hotel. Reservations accepted and you're free to come and go, payment on arrival by cash or credit card. ¥2800 gets you a capsule for night, plus ¥800 if you want to sample the sauna/spa downstairs (there are no bathing facilities in the capsule levels) and ¥500 extra if you check-in after midnight. You get ¥300 off if you present a paper with the printout of the online coupon at check-in time. Hotel is men only.
[edit] Mid-range
* APA Hotel Nagoya Nishiki, 3-15-30 Nishiki, Chuo-ku (Sakae subway station, exit 2, one block forward), 052-953-5111, fax 052-951-7269. This business hotel is located in the middle of the Sakae dining and shopping district. The rooms are comparatively clean and the staff speaks English; internet access is included. ¥9800/single. [10]
* Meitetsu Inn Nagoya Kanayama (名鉄イン名古屋金山), 1-11-7 Kanayama, Naka-ku (Kanayama subway station, exit 6. Turn right at Daiei, left at Coco, look for the blue-and-white Japanese sign), 052-324-3434, fax 052-324-3435. This business hotel was built in February 2005 and has very clean rooms; in-room internet access and breakfast is included. The staff has some limited English ability. ¥6800/¥10,800/¥13,000 for single/small double/double [11] (in Japanese)
[edit] Splurge
* Marriott Associa Hotel, Nagoya Station (directly above Takashimaya Department Store). A three minute walk from a Nozomi Shinkansen train to a well-marked elevator portal takes you to the 15th floor check-in level. This often-full five star hotel (20,000 to 70,000 yen/night) is equipped with ten good restaurants, which tend to be jammed, but the adjacent office tower also has more than 20 restaurants on two levels ranging from inexpensive noodle eateries to high-end sushi places. Note that if you have a concierge room reservation, you need to go to the concierge level (35th floor) to check in. Rooms are extremely clean and comfortable.
[edit] Cope
Nagoya Tourist Information has branches in Nagoya and Kanayama stations.
The city's two Citibank branches for foreign-friendly cash withdrawals are in Sakae, and in the North Tower above Nagoya Station. Post offices may prove more convenient.
[edit] Get out
* Inuyama, with its picturesque castle, kinky fertility shrines, and nearby Meiji Village, is a short day trip from the city.
* Ise, home to Japan's holiest shrine, is within striking distance.
written by
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on April 1, 2008
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Descripcion
Kyoto
,
Japan
Nestled among mountains in Western Honshu, Kyōto (京都; [2]) has a reputation worldwide as Japan's most beautiful city. However, visitors will be surprised how much work they will have to do to see its beautiful side. Most visitors' first impressions will be of the urban sprawl of central Kyoto, around the ultra-modern glass-and-steel train station.
Nonetheless, the persistent tourist will soon discover Kyoto's hidden beauty in the temples and parks which ring the city center, and find that the city has even more than meets the eye.
Kyoto was the capital of Japan and the residence of the Emperor from 794 until the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the capital was moved to Tokyo. During its millennium at the center of Japanese power, culture, tradition, and religion, it accumulated an unparalleled collection of palaces, temples and shrines, built for emperors, shoguns, geishas and monks. Almost alone among Japanese cities, Kyoto escaped the Allied bombings of World War II, although it could be argued that the concrete redevelopment that turned 95% of Kyoto into an ordinary Japanese city did just as thorough a job.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Not arriving at Kansai or Itami?
* A small number of air flights operate daily from Tokyo's Narita Airport to Itami and Kansai, for the benefit of international passengers. Otherwise, Kyoto is no less than four hours away by taking the Narita Express limited express train to Tokyo station, then changing to the Tokaido Shinkansen.
* If you happen to arrive at Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport, Kyoto can be reached in no less than 80 minutes by taking the Meitetsu Airport Line to Nagoya, then changing to the Tokaido Shinkansen.
Kyoto does not have its own airport. The nearest international gateway is Kansai International Airport in Osaka. JR West's Haruka limited express train runs to Kyoto twice per hour (1 1/4 hours, ¥3490, no charge with Japan Rail Pass). Cheaper limousine buses run once or twice an hour to the south entrance of Kyoto Station (1 3/4 hours; ¥2300).
Most domestic flights land at Osaka's Itami Airport. Airport limousine buses run three times per hour to the south entrance of Kyoto Station (1 hour, ¥1280).
[edit] By train
Most visitors arrive at JR Kyoto station by Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo. Nozomi trains make the trip in approximately 2 1/4 hours and cost ¥13520. Hikari trains, which run less frequently and make a few more stops, cover the trip in around 2 3/4 hours, but only the Hikari and the Kodama trains can be used by Japan Rail Pass holders at no charge.
Travellers can also take advantage of the Puratto Kodama Ticket (in Japanese), which offers a discount for the all-stopping Kodama services if you purchase at least one day in advance. You get a reserved seat and a free drink on board. With this ticket a trip from Tokyo to Kyoto costs ¥9800 and takes 3 3/4 hours. Note that there is only one Kodama service per hour from Tokyo, and a few early-morning Kodama trains cannot be used with this ticket.
For travel in the Kansai region, a cheaper and nearly as fast alternative is the JR shinkaisoku (新快速) rapid service, which connects to Osaka, Kobe and Himeji at the price of a local train. Slightly cheaper yet are the private Hankyu or Keihan lines to Osaka and Kobe, or the Kintetsu line to Nara.
[edit] By bus
As Kyoto is a major city, there are many daytime and overnight buses which run between Kyoto and other locations throughout Japan, which can result in significant savings when compared to shinkansen fares.
The JR Bus Group (Japanese Website) is a major operator of the routes from the Tokyo area to Kansai. Buses operate via the Tomei Expressway (to/from Tokyo Station) or the Chuo Expressway (to/from Shinjuku Station). You can receive a discount of between 10 and 35 percent off the cost of the ticket if reservations are made at least 21 days in advance on most routes.
Other bus companies offer trips between Tokyo and Kyoto, but it should be pointed out that seat reservations for JR Buses can be made in train stations at the same "Midori-no-Madoguchi" ticket windows used to reserve seats on trains. Moreover, the Japan Rail Pass is valid on ALL JR buses operating from the Tokyo area to Kyoto. (Note that the pass is NOT valid on buses to/from Yokohama.)
From Tokyo, buses run to and from Kyoto in approximately eight hours. Major bus locations are as follows:
* Tokyo: Tokyo Station Yaesu Exit (東京駅八重洲口), with a few buses discharging at the Nihombashi Exit (東京駅日本橋口)
* Shinjuku: Shinjuku Station New South Exit (新宿駅新南口)
* Kyoto: At Kyoto Station, most buses stop at the Karasuma Exit (京都駅烏丸口) to the north, while others use the Hachijo Exit (京都駅八条口) to the south.
The following services are available: (Current as of January, 2007)
[edit] Daytime buses from Tokyo
There are two daily departures from Tokyo Station on the Tomei Expressway, departing at 10:20 and 12:20 in either direction.
There are two daily departures from Shinjuku Station on the Chuo Expressway, departing at 9:20 and 11:20 in either direction.
All runs cost ¥6000 one-way and ¥10000 round-trip.
[edit] Nighttime buses from Tokyo
The nighttime bus service from Tokyo to Kansai is called Dream. This route name has several variants.
* The Dream Kyoto is a bus that runs from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station via the Tomei Expressway. There are two nightly departures from Tokyo at 22:00 and 23:10, with a third departure at 22:10 on Fridays, weekends and holidays. Returning buses leave from Kyoto Station at 22:00 (Fridays, weekends and holidays only), 23:00 and 23:40.
* The Ladies Dream Kyoto is a special bus for women only, running from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station. The bus departs from Tokyo at 23:10, and departs from Kyoto at 23:00.
* The Chuo Dream Kyoto runs from Shinjuku Station to Kyoto Station via the Chuo Expressway. The bus departs from Shinjuku at 23:50, and departs from Kyoto at 23:10. An additional bus departs at 22:30 in either direction on Fridays, weekends and holidays.
* The Seishun Dream Kyoto-Nara runs from Tokyo Station to Nara Station via the Tomei Expressway, with a stop at Kyoto station. There is one nightly departure from Tokyo at 21:50, and one departure from Kyoto at 22:40.
* The Seishun Chuo Dream Kyoto runs from Shinjuku Station to Kyoto Station via the Chuo Expressway. It departs from Shinjuku at 23:10, with the return run leaving from Kyoto at 22:50.
The ride costs ¥8180 one-way and ¥14480 round-trip, except for the Seishun buses, which cost only ¥5000 one-way and ¥9500 round-trip. The notable difference is that Seishun buses use four-across seating found in standard buses, while the others use more comfortable and wider three-across seating.
* An overnight bus, the Harbor Line Kyoto, serves Yokohama. The bus leaves from Yokohama station's east exit at 22:40, with the return trip leaving Kyoto at 22:40. The cost is ¥7950 one-way and ¥14310 round-trip.
[edit] Get around
The sheer size of the city of Kyoto, and the distribution of tourist attractions around the periphery of the city, make the city's public transport system invaluable.
One of the easiest ways to plan a route is through Hyperdia, [3]. . This website contains station-to-station route plans, which reference public and private trains and subways as well as buses throughout Japan.
The Kansai Thru Pass (Surutto Kansai) stored-value card can be used on all means of transportation in Kyoto (and the rest of the Kansai region), with the notable exception of JR trains. You can purchase the cards in denominations starting at ¥1000 at any train or subway station.
[edit] By bicycle
Particularly in spring and fall, but at any time of year, getting around by bicycle is an excellent option. Cycling forms a major form of personal transport year-round for locals. The city's grid layout (copied from Xian), arranged between mountains on three sides, makes navigation easy. You can also rent bicycles in many places in Japan for a reasonable price. During the peak tourist seasons, when roads are busy and buses tend to be crammed beyond capacity, bicycles are probably the best way to navigate Kyoto.
Kyoto's wide, straight roads make for heavy traffic in many parts of the city, but it is possible to find back alleys that are quieter and offer better chances to happen upon all sorts of sightseeing/cultural gems. Riding on major roads is OK, especially if you are confident and used to riding with traffic on the road, rather than on the sidewalk and especially again if you are used to riding/driving on the LEFT-HAND side of the road. If you have no experience riding on the 'wrong'-side of the road, you may want to reconsider as a visit to a busy city may not be the time or place to experiment with a potentially dangerous activity.
* Kyoto Cycling Tour Project, ☎ 075-954-3636, [4]. A five-minute walk from the North Exit (the side with the buses and Kyoto Tower) of Kyoto Station, immediately turn left (west) and head down the street that runs between the station and the Post Office, continuing across the street and past the Kyoto Campus Plaza. Soon the street dead-ends and then you turn right and you will see the shop (orange awning) right away. Bikes range from ¥1000 to ¥2000 for an actual 27-speed mountain bike with city-tires on it; perfect for the average foreigner who is used to a 'real' bike in their home country. The following options can be added: bi-lingual cycling/walking map of Kyoto ¥100; light ¥100; helmet ¥200; back pack; ¥100; rain poncho ¥100. They can hold on to your luggage while you are riding. There are four other locations of KCTP and you can return your bike to any location, however you will incur a ¥200 charge if you return the bike to a location other than the one you rented from. Guided bike tours are also available ranging from ¥3900 (three hours) to ¥9800 (7.5 hours) than include guide, bike rental, lunch/snacks, accident insurance and admission to some attractions on the tour. Minimum of two people to guarantee departure/maximum of 10. A walking tour may be substituted in the case of inclement weather. Must reserve three days in advance if you want a tour. The map is excellent value for ¥100 - it is very easy to read and includes some sensible recommended itineraries. Don't worry if the mountain bikes sell out - Kyoto (like Tokyo) is a city with perfect kerb transitions so a 3 speed with basket and bell is fine, if a little bumpy on the river path.
* There is a bicycle rental shop across the street from the Keihan Demachiyanagi station. It is ¥300 yen for a day, ¥450 for a day and night, and ¥2000 for a month.
[edit] By train
The Keihan train line can be useful for traveling in eastern Kyoto, while the two Keifuku tram lines are an attractive way of traveling in the northwest.
[edit] By subway
Kyoto is criss-crossed by several subway lines, all of which are clearly sign-posted in English. Although the lines are run independently and prices vary slightly between them, transfers can be purchased at most of the ticket machines. The north-south Karasuma Line runs under Kyoto Station, and the west-east Tozai Line links up with it near the city center. Both are useful for travel in the city center but not really suitable for temple-hopping. The Tozai Line does connect with the Keihan Line, however, which runs parallel to the Kamo-gawa, and is convenient for reaching Gion and southern Kyoto; it also gets you within a short walk of many of the sights in eastern Kyoto. Across the street from the northern terminus of the Keihan Line is the Eidan Eizan line, which runs to Mount Hiei and Kurama.
The Hankyu Line starts at Shijo-Kawaramachi downtown, and connects to the Karasuma Line one stop later at Karasuma. It's useful for reaching Arashiyama and the Katsura Rikyu; it runs all the way to Osaka and Kobe.
[edit] By bus
The bus network is the only practical way of reaching some attractions, particularly those in north-western Kyoto. Many buses depart from Kyoto station, but there is also a bus station closer to the city center at Sanjo-Kawabata, just outside the Sanjo Keihan subway line. Most city buses have a fixed fare of ¥220, but you can also purchase a one day pass (¥500 for adults and 250 yen for children under 12) with which you can ride an unlimited number of times within a one day period. The day passes can be bought from the bus drivers or from the bus information centre just outside the Kyoto Station. This is especially useful if you plan on visiting many different points of interest within Kyoto. You can also buy a combined unlimited subway and bus pass for ¥1200.
Unlike most Japanese buses, Kyoto's buses have announcements and electronic signs in English. The municipal transport company publishes a very useful leaflet called Bus Navi[5]. It contains a route map for the bus lines to most sights and fare information. You can pick it up at the information centre in front of the main station.
[edit] See
Kyoto offers an incredible number of attractions for tourists, and visitors will probably need to plan an itinerary in advance in order to visit as many as possible.
[edit] North-western Kyoto
The Zen Garden at Ryoan-ji
The Zen Garden at Ryoan-ji
Visiting the vast temple complexes of north-western Kyoto can take the better part of a day. A suggested itinerary is to take the subway (Karasuma line) to Kitaoji station, and walk west along Kitaoji-dori. Daitokuji, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji and Ninnaji Temples are all on Kitaoji-dori, and about 15-30 minutes' walk apart. En route, you will see the giant "dai" (大) symbol burned on Mt. Daimon-ji, which can be climbed in an hour or so - look for the entrance near Ginkaku-ji (see below). If you're in Kyoto at night on August 16th, look up - you'll see the (大) aflame. Hirano Shrine is a short walk south along Nishioji-dori from Kinkakuji. If you still have time left at the end of the day, take the pleasant electric railway (Keifuku Kitano line) from Omuro to Katabiranotsuji, then take the JR Sagano line from nearby Uzumasa station back to central Kyoto.
* Daitokuji (大徳寺). A small and understated temple complex, boasting several small, secluded subtemples. Daitokuji is the quietest of the temples in north-western Kyoto, and if you visit it at the start of the day, you could virtually have it to yourself. Eight of the twenty-four subtemples open to the public (most days 9am-5pm), and each charges an admission fee (around ¥400). The highlight of the subtemples is Daisen-in, located on the northern side of the temple complex, which has a beautiful Zen garden without the crowds of Ryoanji Temple. Koto-in is particularly noted for its maple trees, which are beautiful in autumn. Nearest bus stop: Daitokuji-mae.
* Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺). The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuonji (鹿苑寺), is the most popular tourist attraction in Kyoto. The pavilion was originally built as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the late 12th century, and converted into a temple by his son. However, the pavilion was burnt down in 1950, by a young monk who had become obsessed with it. (The story became the basis for Yukio Mishima's novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.) The pavilion was rebuilt to look even more garish than before - extending the gold leaf covering it to the lower floor. The beautiful landscaping and the reflection of the temple on the face of the water make for a striking sight, but keeping the mobs of visitors out of your photos will be a stern test for your framing abilities (and a dilemma for your photographic honesty). Get there early if you can to beat the school groups. Visitors follow a path through the moss garden surrounding the pavilion, before emerging into a square crowded with gift shops. It's only a short walk from Ryōan-ji (below), making for an easy pairing (and study in contrasts). Open daily 9am-5pm, admission ¥400. Nearest bus stop: Kinkakuji-michi or Kinkakuji-mae.
* Hirano Shrine (平野神社). A small shrine, which is an especially popular destination during the cherry blossom season, setting up amusement and food stalls. A small park of cherry trees next to the shrine is hung with lanterns and drawings by local schoolchildren. Sufficiently far off the tourist trail to be worth a look. Admission is free. Nearest bus stop: Waratenjin-mae.
* Ryōan-ji (竜安寺). Famous for its Zen garden, which is considered to be one of the most notable examples of the "dry-landscape" style. Surrounded by low walls, an austere arrangement of fifteen rocks sits on a bed of white gravel. That's it: no trees, no hills, no ponds, and no trickling water. Behind the simple temple that overlooks the rock garden is a stone washbasin called Tsukubai said to have been contributed by Tokugawa Mitsukuni in the 17th century. It bears a simple but profound four-character inscription: "I learn only to be contented". There is a fantastic boiled tofu (湯豆腐 yudōfu) restaurant on the grounds, which you should be able to find by following the route away from the rock garden and towards the exit. It is slightly expensive, but serves delicious, traditional tofu dishes. The rest of the grounds are worth a look too - particularly the large pond. Open daily 8am-5pm (Mar-Nov), 8.30am-4.30pm (Dec-Feb). Admission ¥500. Nearest bus stop: Ryōanji-mae.
* Ninnaji (仁和寺). Another large temple complex which is often overlooked by tourists. Admission to the grounds is free, allowing visitors to view the 17th century five-storey pagoda, and the plantation of dwarf cherry trees (which are always the last to bloom in Kyoto, in early-mid April). However, visitors shouldn't miss the temple itself, which demands an admission fee of ¥500, and features some beautifully painted screen walls, and a beautiful walled garden. In the hills behind the temple, there is a delightful miniature version of the renowned 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Shikoku, which takes an hour or two (rather than a month or two). This can provide a delightful end to a day of looking at tourist attractions. Open daily 9am-4.30pm. Nearest bus stop: Omuro Ninnaji.
* Jingoji (神護寺). An overlooked gem among Kyoto temples, it is an ideal place to visit for those wanting to escape the tourist hordes. It is located in Mt. Takao in the north-western corner of Kyoto. In front of Kyoto Station, take JR Bus bound for Takao/Keihoku and get off at Yamashiro Takao Station (free with JR Pass), walk down a flight of winding stairs, cross a small bridge, and walk up for about ten minutes. Make sure you walk all the way to the back of the temple ground to a commanding view of the Kiyotaki River below wedged between two hills; here you can buy clay disks, which you throw down the mountain after making a wish. The temple is especially lovely in the fall, when the leaves all turn colors. Admission fee: 500 yen. Open: 9AM-4PM.
[edit] Western Kyoto
A walk through the bamboo forest, Arashiyama, Western Kyoto
A walk through the bamboo forest, Arashiyama, Western Kyoto
The Arashiyama (嵐山) area to the west of the city is dismissed in most Western guidebooks in a brief paragraph suggesting "other attractions". However, the area is rightfully very popular with Japanese tourists, and is well worth a visit. To get here, take the JR Sagano line from Kyoto station to Saga Arashiyama, or take the Hankyu Line from the city center to Katsura, and change to the Hankyu Arashiyama Line.
* The walk through a forest of bamboo to Nonomiya Shrine and Okochi Sanso (a traditional house, previously occupied by a Japanese silent screen legend), is a real highlight of a visit to Kyoto. No admission fee for the shrine, ¥1000 for Okochi Sanso (price includes a cup of matcha, traditional Japanese tea, in the tea garden).
* Feeding the macaque monkeys atop the mountain in Iwatayama Monkey Park, to the south of the river, is worth the entrance fee (and the demanding climb!). Don't bring food up with you, though - peanuts are on sale inside the shack on top of the mountains, and the monkeys are well aware of it. There's a pond next to the shack, and the monkeys seem particularly fond of the keeper's motorcycle, which is usually parked there. There's ¥500 admission fee to enter the park; peanuts cost extra, but you know the monkeys appreciate it.
* Just outside Saga Arashiyama station is the 19th Century Hall - a museum covering the unlikely combination of steam locomotives and pianos. Probably best to look at it from the outside, and listen to the amusing tinny music it blasts out.
* The picture-esque Togetsukyo Bridge spans the Hozu River, which usually has at least a bit of water in it. If you're interested in a cruise down the river, you won't have to look far - small and large boats, both rowed and motored, are waiting on either side of the river. Be sure to confirm how far and how long the trip goes, though. Some are as long as two hours, and others will do a quick turnaround in less then twenty minutes.
* Tenryu-ji (8:30am-5:30pm Mar-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Feb; admission ¥600) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism in Kyoto; it's also considered one of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples. Tenryu-ji was founded in 1334, but the current buildings all date from the last century - pleasant, but unremarkable. However, there is a lovely garden and pond, designed by the Zen master Musō Soseki, that is worth a look. The main gate is just beyond the busy intersection with the Togestu-kyo bridge.
Sharing a cup at Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
Sharing a cup at Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
* Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is omitted from virtually all guidebooks, but it's one of the true unknown gems of Kyoto. It was founded in the eighth century, and went through an unlucky patch for a millennium or so; by turns it was destroyed by flood, fire and typhoon, and had to move location a few times. Today, it sits in seclusion, far away from anything else. Two fierce statues guard the entrance. Once you're through the gate, though, you'll find over 1200 small (knee-to-waist high) statues, each with its own unique character - you'll see a cheerful boxer near the entrance, but you could spend hours checking out the rest, and you'll do it in relative seclusion, since this is well away from the tourist trail. The statues were carved in 1981 by amateurs under the direction of master sculptor Kocho Nishimura. Moss and forest have begun to reclaim the area, and if you've ever wondered what Angkor Wat would look like crossed with Japanese kawaii, this is your chance. By bus, take #72 from Kyoto station to Otagidera-Mae, or within Arashiyama, catch #62 or #72.
[edit] Central Kyoto
* Nijō Castle (二条城). Certainly one of the highlights of Kyoto. The series of ornately-decorated reception rooms within the Ninomaru complex is particularly impressive, and known for its "nightingale floors" - wooden flooring which makes bird-like squeaking sounds when stepped on. From the donjon of the inner castle, you can get good views over the castle layout, and the rest of the city. Open daily, 8.45am-5pm, with last admission at 4pm. Admission ¥600. Nearest bus stop: Nijojo-mae. Nearest subway station: Nijojo-mae.
* The Imperial Park is a large, peaceful area in the centre of Kyoto, centred around the Imperial Palace. The Palace itself is only open to visitors on pre-booked guided tours - English tours take place at 10am and 2pm Monday-Friday, and bookings must be made at the Imperial Household Agency, located to the west of the palace complex. The Palace is a reconstruction, though, and the Emperor doesn't actually spend much time there; don't consider it a priority. However, if you're in Kyoto for an extended amount of time, the park can make for a very pleasant afternoon, and it's large enough to let you forget the noise of the city outside the walls. It's home to 50,000 trees, including cherry, plum and peach tree orchards.
* The Museum of Kyoto is particularly worthwhile if you have a burning interest in ancient pottery, otherwise not really worth a visit. Open daily 10am-8.30pm. Admission ¥500. Located on Takakura-dori. Nearest bus stop: Shijo Karasuma. Nearest subway station: Karasuma Oike.
* Higashi and Nishi Honganji Temple are currently under construction, which is expected to be completed in 2008. The majestic main hall of Higashi Honganji, said to be the largest wooden structure in the world, can accomodate up to 5,000 people and is the headquarter of the Shinju Sect of Buddhism. From Kyoto Station, Higashi Honganji is a five-minute walk; Nishi Honganji, a 15-minute walk.
* Toji Temple is an oasis of calm near central Kyoto. Its pagoda is the tallest wooden structure in Japan. There are also flea markets at various times of the month.
* Kyoto Tower, just north of Kyoto Station, [6]. A sightseeing tower that provides views of Kyoto's urban sprawl. Open from 9 AM to 9 PM, adults ¥600.
[edit] Eastern Kyoto
Picturesque street near Kiyomizu Temple
Picturesque street near Kiyomizu Temple
Some of the most picturesque parts of Kyoto are located in the eastern region of the city, across the Kamo River. Visiting the main tourist attractions of eastern Kyoto will fill a full day - a suggested itinerary is to work north from Kiyomizu-dera to Ginkakuji, passing through Gion, and visiting Yasaka Shrine and Nanzenji before following the Philosopher's Walk to Ginkakuji.
* Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺). This temple complex, with a spectacular location overlooking the city, is a deservedly popular attraction, approached by either of two tourist-filled souvenir-shop-lined streets, Kiyomizu-zaka or Chawan-zaka. Admission ¥300. Open daily, 6am-6pm. Nearest bus stop: Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-zaka. Highlights of the temple complex include;
o The main hall's wooden veranda, supported by hundreds of pillars and offering incredible views over the city,
o Jishu-jinja, the love-themed shrine selling countless charms to help you snag the one you love, and featuring two "love stones" positioned around 18m apart which the lovelorn must walk between with eyes closed to confirm their loved one's affection, and
o Otowa-no-taki the temple's waterfall, which gives it its name (Kiyomizu literally means 'pure water'). Visitors stand beneath the waterfall, and collect water to drink by holding out little tin cups.
o mountain hike If you're up for a mountain walk, steer to the right-hand pathway instead of taking the left toward the Jishu-jinja. The path leads through a gate and winds up onto the mountain. You can walk up for a good hour and not reach the end of the path. Has lovely forest and great scenery, and makes for a nice short excursion out of the city traffic.
* Gion district (祇園). The flagstone-paved streets and traditional buildings of the Gion district, located to the north-west of Kiyomizu, are where you're most likely to see geisha in Kyoto, scurrying between buildings or slipping into a taxi. The area just to the north of Shijo-dori, to the west of Yasaka Shrine, is particularly photogenic - particularly around Shinbashi-dori and Hanami-koji. Sannen-zaka ("three-year-slope") and Ninen-zaka ("two-year-slope"), two stepped streets leading off from Kiyomizu-zaka, are also very picturesque - but watch your step, slipping over on these streets brings three or two years' bad luck respectively. At the northern end of Ninen-zaka is Ryozen Kannon, a memorial to the unknown Japanese soldiers who died in World War II, with a 24-meter-tall statue of Kannon. Admission is ¥200, including a lit incense stick to place in front of the shrine.
* Yasaka Shrine at the eastern end of Shijo-dori, at the edge of Gion, is the shrine responsible for Kyoto's main festival - the Gion Matsuri, which takes place in July. The shrine is small in comparison with many in Kyoto, but it boasts an impressive display of lanterns. Admission is free. Nearest bus stop: Gion.
* Maruyama Park is the main center for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto, and can get extremely crowded at that time of year. The park's star attraction is a weeping cherry tree (shidarezakura). Main entrance to the park is through Yasaka Shrine. Admission is free.
* Nanzenji, with its distinctive two-storey entrance gate (sanmon) and aqueduct, is another popular temple in Kyoto, but its larger size means that it doesn't seem as crowded as many of the others. Nearest bus stop: Nanzenji, Eikando-michi. Nearest subway station: Keage. Open daily, 8.30am-5pm. Walking around the temple complex and along the aqueduct is free, but there are three regions of Nanzenji that you can pay to enter;
o Sanmon - the two-storey main gate to Nanzenji Temple charges ¥500 for admission, and offers pleasant views over the surrounding area of the city.
o Nanzen-in Zen Temple - a small, but relaxing temple and moss garden behind the aqueduct, dating back to the 13th century, charges ¥300 for admission, and is probably only worth it if you have a particular interest in Zen Buddhism.
o Hojo - the abbot's quarters, is a more interesting building, with a small raked gravel garden and some impressive paintings on the sliding doors of the buildings. Admission is ¥500.
* The Philosopher's Walk (哲学の道 tetsugaku-no-michi) is the name given to a 2km-long path through north-eastern Kyoto, along which a philosophy professor, Kitaro Nishida, used to frequently walk. It is a surprisingly pleasant and relaxing walk even today, though you will undoubtedly share it with more tourists than Kitaro did. The walk runs south from Ginkakuji beside an aqueduct to Nyakuoji Shrine, many guidebooks suggest that the walk continues further south from there to Nanzenji, but this southerly section of the walk is less consistently signposted. The route passes several temples en route, notably Honen-in, a beautiful secluded temple with a thatched gate. Suggested route for the walk and surrounding area.
* Ginkakuji (銀閣寺, the Silver Pavilion) is at the northern end of the Philosopher's Walk. Much like its golden counterpart at Kinkakuji, the Silver Pavilion is often choked with tourists, shuffling past a scrupulously-maintained dry landscape Zen garden and the surrounding moss garden, before posing for pictures in front of the Pavilion across a pond. Unlike its counterpart, however, the Silver Pavilion was never actually covered in silver; only the name had been applied before the plans fell apart. Be sure not to miss the display of Very Important Mosses! Admission ¥500. Nearest bus stop: Ginkakuji-michi.
* Mt. Daimonji isn't much more than a hill, but it provides a breathtaking (and perhaps the best) view of the city. So if you're in the mood for a hike, this is a pleasant forest walk, taking a little less than an hour. At the summit, you can take a breather and check out the views over the city, or climb the steps and keep hiking through the forest at the top for hours, as long as you don't mind winding up far away from where you started. There's a clearly marked path up the mountain that begins near Ginkakuji. To reach the trailhead, turn left at the gates of Ginkakuji, and, before the stone torii (the iconic gate found throughout Japan), turn right and follow the path upwards. You'll soon be greeted with a map of the hill. If you don't know Japanese, don't worry, just follow everyone up the very-obvious path to the summit.
Back near Kiyomizu-dera and further to the southeast, along the Kamo River, are a few more sights:
* Sanjusangen-do is definitely worth a visit. It was founded in 1164 and became famous for its 1001 beautiful wooden and gold-leaf covered statues of Kannon, goddess of mercy, housed in thirty-three bays (sanjusan = thirty-three, gendo = bays) in the main hall.
* Kyoto National Museum [7] (9:30am - 5:00pm, closed Mondays; admission ¥500) is near Sanjusangen-do, and has a large collection of ancient Japanese sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, painting, and other artifacts. (It's quite similar to the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo/Ueno.) The Museum building is fairly grand, but the statue of Rodin's The Thinker out front is a bit out of place, as there's no Western art inside. It's seven minutes east of Shichijo Keihan.
[edit] Southern Kyoto
The torii at Fushimi-Inari-taisha
The torii at Fushimi-Inari-taisha
Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社 Fushimi-Inari-taisha). Another of Kyoto's often-overlooked jewels, about twenty-minutes to the south of Kyoto. Dedicated to Inari, the Japanese fox goddess, Fushimi-Inari-taisha is the head shrine (taisha) for 40,000 Inari shrines across Japan. Stretching 230 meters up the hill behind it are hundreds of bright red torii (gates). A visitor could easily spend several hours walking up the hillside, taking in the beautiful views of the city of Kyoto and walking through the torii, which appear luminescent in the late afternoon sun. Countless stone foxes, also referred to as Inari, are also dotted along the path.
Approaching the shrine, local delicacies are sold at the roadside, including barbecued sparrow and inari-sushi (sweetened sushi rice wrapped in fried tofu), which is said to be the favourite food of the fox. Watch your fingers as you go - the fox spirits are said to be able to possess people by slipping through their fingernails.
Admission is free. From the city center, take the Keihan line to the Fushimi Inari station, and the foxes will point you in the right direction.. Be warned, the shrine is located close to Fushimi Inari and Inari stations, but is nowhere near Fushimi station! You can also take the JR Nara line from Kyoto station to Inari station, which exits immediately opposite the entrance to the shrine. When you are done walking the entire path, you have to walk through residential streets to get back to the train station; if you get lost, listening for and walking toward the sound of the trains will help guide you there.
Fushimi Castle was a favorite of Toyotomo Hideyoshi. The original was dismantled in 1623, but a 1964 reconstruction went up in its memory with a small museum and gold-lined tea room.
Tofuku-ji To get there, get off on the way to Fushimi-inari shrine at Tofuku-ji station. Large temple complex with many small and beautiful gardens nearby. Famous for its garden, especially in the fall when the leaves turn into all shades from green to red. Not on the top-list of most of western tourists, so especially worth visiting during fall.
Video game giant Nintendo has its world headquarters in southern Kyoto. Sad to say, tours are not offered, and visitors are unlikely even to make it into the lobby; the best you'll be able to do is pose for a photo with the company logo on the plaza in front of the otherwise anonymous building.
[edit] Do
A highly-recommended walking tour is the "Walk in Kyoto, Talk in English" tour (16/over ¥2000; 13-15 ¥1000; under 13 free; no reservations, cash only). The tour is given by Hajime Hirooka, better known to the tourists as Johnny Hillwalker. During the five-hour English-speaking tour, Hillwalker shows tourists a large Buddhist temple, a few Shinto shrines, and workshops in the back alleys of the city. The tour operates rain or shine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between March and November, excluding public holidays. Departure time is 10:15 AM sharp outside the main (north) entrance of Kyoto station. See Johnnie's Kyoto Walking for more information.
[edit] Buy
Currently, Kyoto is enjoying even more popularity than usual with Japanese tourists due to the success of Japanese TV broadcaster NHK's series 'Shinsengumi!' (新選組!), a historic drama following a group of samurai who kept peace in the city in the 1860s. Consequently, among the most popular souvenirs from the city at the moment are the distinctive blue and white happi (shirts) worn by this group.
There is a nice selection of reassuringly non-tacky traditional souvenir shops around Arashiyama station in Western Kyoto, selling fans and traditional sweets. More tacky stores can be found in Gion and the approach to Kiyomizu Temple, selling keyrings, cuddly toys, and garish ornaments. Other traditional souvenirs from Kyoto include parasols and carved wooden dolls.
A more unconventional but colorful (and relatively cheap) souvenir are the wooden votive tablets produced by temples, which bear an image relevant to the temple on the reverse. Visitors to the temples write their prayers on the tablets, and hang them up within the temple.
Manga and anime enthusiasts should visit Teramachi Street, a covered shopping street off the main Shijo-dori, which boasts a large manga store on two floors, as well as a two-story branch of Gamers (a chain of anime stores), and a small two-story anime and collectables store.
Many ATMs in Kyoto do not allow non-domestic credit cards to be used, but ATMs in post offices usually do, so if you find your card rejected or invalid in an ATM then try and get to a post office to use their ATMs instead. A rough guide is the mastercard symbol - if you see it then that machine will probably allow foreign cards to be used. Another option is Citibank, which should work, too. There is an old standby international ATM at the top floor of Takashimaya Department Store at Shijo/Kawaramachi in the "Cash Corner." The bank of ATMs in the basement of the Kyoto Tower shopping center (across the street from JR Kyoto Station) also includes one machine where international cards may be used.
* Gallery Gado 27 Miyashiki-cho Hirano, Kitaku (on Kinukake no Michi, near Kinkakuji). 075-464-1655. Open everyday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Gallery Gado sells modern woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) with traditional themes. The gallery also has catalogs of the work of artists who are maintaining this art form. All prints are authentic woodblock prints; postcard-sized prints are available for ¥800, medium-sized prints for ¥2000-3000, and large prints for a few ten thousand yen. [8]
[edit] Splurge
In the shopping areas adjacent to Kiyomizudera (on the other side of the Kamo River), it is possible to purchase samurai swords and top of the line kimono. Do not be surprised if the prices for either item exceed ¥3,000,000.
Kyoto incense is also famous. It usually has a very delicate yet fragrant bouquet. Fortunately, incense is much more agreeable in price (¥400-2000).
[edit] Eat
Seafood on offer in central Kyoto
Seafood on offer in central Kyoto
If you've just stepped off the train and the first thing on your mind is a bite to eat, there are several restaurants on the tenth and eleventh floors of the Isetan department store attached to Kyoto station. Most of the offerings are Japanese, including a veritable Ramen village, with a few casual Italian cafes as well.
* Local specialties include: hamo (a white fish served with ume as sushi), tofu (try places around Nanzenji temple), suppon (an expensive turtle dish), vegetarian dishes (thanks to the abundance of temples), and kaiseki-ryori (multi-course chef's choice that can be extremely expensive).
[edit] Budget
* Musashi Sushi one of the oldest kaitenzushiya (conveyor belt sushi) restaurants in Kyoto, it is located directly across chain Kappa Sushi at the corner of Sanjo/Kawaramachi. All of the sushi is handmade, though it may take a while to see something new float by. Fortunately, the seats surround the chefs, so you can request whatever you want if you don't see something you like. Price: ¥120 per plate (usually 2 pieces per plate).
* Kappa Sushi is a chain kaitenzushiya (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant on the corner of Sanjo and Kawaramachi at the entrance to the Shinkyogoku/Teramachi covered mall. Lots of variety, but quality matching the price, this restaurant being the type to use machines to cut rice and fish. Price: ¥100 per plate (usually 2 pieces per plate).
* Kick-up Bar is a tiki-themed bar & grill outside the Keage Tozai line subway station and across from the Westin Miyako Hotel. They have the best meatball sandwich in Japan for ¥800 and loaded pizza made from homemade dough (medium for ¥1500)
* Santouka Ramen is a Hokkaido style ramen shop in the Sanjo-Keihan above-ground plaza & bus station. For about ¥900 they have excellent pork broth ramen. Don't forget the broth-boiled egg for ¥200. Look for the line outside.
* Mr. Young Men is a pleasantly grubby okonomiyaki restaurant downtown, at the corner of Shijo and the covered shopping street of Teramachi. Basic English menus are available. A basic dish of Osaka-style okonomiyaki will run about ¥800, although a few variations (including a bizarre cheese and potato version) are available for about the same price.
* Hati Hati is an Indonesian restaurant on Kiyamachi, near Takoyakushi. It has great food and atmosphere, but it's occasionally converted into a bar and a performance space for local bands and DJs at night on weekends. For really late night food on Kiyamachi, there is a cheap, open-air falafel cafe a couple doors down from Hati Hati that never seems to close.
[edit] Mid-range
* Kappa Sushi (on Pontocho) is a reasonably-priced (for fresh sushi) restaurant. They have an English menu which is, unfortunately, inferior to the Japanese menu. Specials change daily, but are generally on the pricey side. Sit at the sushi bar, and eat well-apportioned nigiri off of banana leaves with your fingers. Not a bad place to try real o-toro for ¥800 a plate.
* Cafe Rue Ribera is a new, very beautifully arranged and welcoming petit restaurant and bar that has just been open for a year. Opened by a very nice, welcoming woman who speaks very good English (having spent some time in England). Located just near Enmachi Station on the Sagano Line. Tel/Fax: 075-812-2351. Open 11:30am til 1:30am. Lunchtime 11:30am til 2:30pm. Closed Tuesdays.
* efish 798-1 Nishihashizume-cho 075-361-3069 (near the Idemetsu gas station, across the river from Keihan Gogo 京阪五条 station). 075-361-3069. Open every day, 11 AM to 11 PM (until 10 PM in the winter). This cafe, tucked away down a hidden side street, has a trendy ambiance and river views. For lunch, try the okra curry (¥850) or soup and bread set (¥650). [9]
* Siam (シャム)A tiny but wonderful Thai curry restaurant off Marutamachi-dori and near Nishioji-dori. The food is delicious; not too oily nor too thick, and spice levels are indicated on the menu. For 1000 Yen (about 10 USD) you can get salad, curry, and dessert such as fresh-made coconut pudding. Best of all is enjoying wonderful ambiance of a soft-lit room, decorated with lovely exotic paintings from Bali, listening to soothing music, while your wonderful meal is made right in front of you. Menu available in Japanese and English. (11:30-20:30)
* Fuka(麩嘉)Located west of the Imperial Palace and just a bit south of the Kyoto Prefectural Office, this old shop makes the best nama-fu (wheat gluten filled with sweet bean paste) in Kyoto and supplies many sweet shops and restaurants throughout the city. There might not be enough supplies to sell over the counter, so it is best to arrive early. Open: 9AM-5PM. Closed: Mondays
* Tengu A chain izakaya offering their own beer and good shared food with occasional seasonal specials. One is located underground with an entrance near the corner of Sanjo/Kawaramachi.
[edit] Splurge
* Pontochō (先斗町) is a narrow lane running from Shijo-dori to Sanjo-dori, one block west of the Kamo River. One of Kyoto's most traditional nightlife districts, the restaurants here run the gamut for super-exclusive geisha houses to common yakitori bars. Many have pleasant open-air riverside terraces. Rule of thumb is, any establishment with a menu and prices outside is OK, but others are best skipped.
* Mishima-tei: If you have a yearning for sukiyaki, and your pockets are deep, you must visit Mishima-tei at the junction of Teramachi-dori and Sanjo-dori. Here you will be bowed in and shown to your own private tatami room by your personal kimono-clad hostess. There, having helped you to order, she will prepare your sukiyaki feast on the hotplate set between you. Order the "premium beef", and the richly marbled meat will just melt in your mouth, and require almost no chewing whatsoever: it is delectable – and it should be since two of you will spend around ¥25,000 in less than an hour on 360 grams of beef and a few vegetables! In the butchers shop attached to the restaurant this beef retails at ¥50,000 per kilogram, and you can have fun devising a fantasy barbecue for you and a half dozen close friends where you would grill thick-cut steaks of this meat, washed down with a couple of bottles of 1982 Lynch Bages, for the modest outlay of ¥175,000 – a pleasant way to pass a Sunday lunchtime.
[edit] Drink
Kiyamachi, between Shijo and Sanjo, is packed with drinking establishments. There are the inevitable hostess bars with tuxedo-ed touts pacing out front, but there are also plenty of pubs and block-buildings full of idiosyncratic one room bars as well. Near the Sanjo end, keep an eye out for Pretty Space, also known as "Mushroom Bar", and be sure to compliment the owner on committing to the theme with his haircut. Also on that end of Kiyamachi is Rub-a-Dub, a one-room reggae bar that can either be an over-crowded mess or a box of delirious fun, depending on which record is on (and how much you like Red Stripe).
A good start to the evening would be A-bar, a hard-to-find izakaya close to the Shijo/Kiyamachi corners. Food is good and reasonable - daily sashimi specials and fried goods, especially. You share long tables with foreigners and locals alike; a friendly thing to do would be to pour beers (¥550 Yebisu) for your neighbors and Suei-san, the proprietor.
Bar Africa - bland, but if there's a football match from home that you need to catch, they have cheap Asahi jugs. Also, their foosball table is very well kept. Across from the Hub, infra.
No night in Kyoto is complete without the requisite after hours visit to all-night Ing (a.k.a., "Box Bar," or "the office"). Proprietor Hako-san will keep bringing you big bottles of Sapporo (¥600 each shareable bottle), happy to join for a drink when offered. Food there is always an option - tofu salad & potato pizza are good for the price (¥600). Get ready for Rolling Stones, competitive Jenga, sharing tables with odd drunk people, and clothes permanently soaked in smoke. Good luck finding it. If you see Hamid's Falafel you're on the right track. Ing is on the second floor of a building slightly south of Hamid's.
The Fushimi district is known for its sake breweries; tours are available at Gekkeikan.
British style pubs:
* The Hub: on the small streets connecting Kiyamachi to Kawaramachi, lots of TVs for sports, cheap beer (¥700/pint) (especially with a ¥500 membership) and more expensive imports; food, however, is mediocre. This is basically the headquarters for English-speaking tourists and gaijin residents for happy hour. If you want some inside information about where to go, where to eat, what to see, etc., ask a group here. One of the larger bars in Kyoto, it is a popular spot for happy hours and goodbye parties. The real draw is the foosball, darts tournaments, and, upstairs in the back, the pool table.
* Pig & Whistle: underwent a renovation last year, adding a more stylish whiskey bar to its original drinks bar. This is a popular spot, located right above the Sanjo Keihan subway station. If you hear live music, go on up; though it probably won't be great music, it will draw a crowd. Food here is also mediocre.
* Tadg's Pub: a bit less convenient (second floor on the corner of Shijo and Kawabata-dori), but great portions of food. Steer clear from their stuffy events like poetry readings and open mics, but definitely go for rugby games.
* Hill of Tara: a quiet Irish-style pub with good food. A bit more expensive than the frozen stuff from the Pig or the Hub, but a much mellower scene. In the Spring and Summer, they have a nice, though small, second floor balcony.
* McLaughlin's: a new food-focused Irish restaurant located on Kiyamachi between Sanjo and Nijo. Food is pricier than the others, but more creative. Good quality beers unfortunately served in thimble-like goblets.
* Kick-Up Pub: across from the Westin Miyako Hotel, a gaijin-friendly tiki-themed bar with fresh Bass Ale pints (¥800) and ice cold Asahi mugs (¥600). Not a problem if alone because the proprietors, Masuyo and Rick, speak both Japanese and English and are up for a good chat. See the Budget Food section for food information.
[edit] Sleep
Kyoto has a wide range of accommodation, much of it geared towards foreign visitors. During peak seasons, when accommodation is difficult to get, consider staying in Osaka. A thirty minute train ride from Kyoto Station to Osaka will cost you ¥540 one way.
[edit] Budget
[edit] Temple lodgings
Many temples in Kyoto own and run their own lodging complex known as shukubō (宿坊), usually located on or near temple grounds. The least known option of accommodation even among Japanese, shukubos are becoming popular with both Japanese and foreigners alike. Guests are often invited to participate in morning prayer service (otsutome) held at the temple. Unfortunately, most temple lodgings do not have English-speaking receptions, and curfews and check-in/out times tend to be strict.
* Myōren-ji Temple (妙蓮寺) - Three minutes by foot from Horikawa Teranouchi Stop on Bus # 9 and 12 (the former leaves from Kyoto Station, the latter, Shijo Karasuma Subway Station). Tel: 075-451-3527. Rate: ¥3,800 per person (including entrance fee to public bath). Facilities: in-room air-conditioner; no bath but a public bath is nearby; guests should bring their own bath towel and shampoo as the public bath only lends out mini-towels and soap. Check-in: 6pm; Check-out: 7 am.
* Hiden-in (悲田院)- in southern Kyoto near Fushimi Inari Shrine and Tofuku-ji Temple, 15 minutes by foot from Sennyuji-michi Stop on Bus # 202, 207, 208. Tel: 075-561-8781. Rate: ¥4,500 per person with breakfast. Facilities: rooms are separated by sliding doors only; maximum capacity: 20; one shared bath. Check-in: 4pm; Check-out: 10am.
* Rokuō-in(鹿王院) - near Arashiyama, six minutes by foot from Saga-Arashiyama Station on the JR Sagano Line. Only for female visitors. Tel: 075-861-1645. Rate: ¥4,500 per person with breakfast. Facilities: 10 rooms with a maximum capacity of 30; during peak season, guests travelling alone may be asked to share a room with another single guest; towels not provided; one bath. Crowded during autumn foliage season. Curfew at 7:30pm.
* Myōshin-ji Daishin-in(妙心寺大心院)- 10 minutes by foot from Hanazono Station on JR Sagano Line or 7 minutes by foot from Myoshin-ji Mae Stop on Bus # 8, 10, 26. Tel: 075-461-5714. Rate: ¥4,700 with breakfast. Facilities: 10 rooms with a maximum capacity of 50; in-room air-conditioner, kotatsu heating table in winter, shared bath and toilet. Lights out at 10pm.
* Myōshin-ji Tōrin-in(妙心寺東林院) - 10 minutes by foot from Hanazono Station on JR Sagano Line or 7 minutes by foot from Myoshin-ji Mae Stop on Bus # 8, 10, 26. Tel: 075-463-1334. Only accept reservations from foreigners if they are with a Japanese person. Rate: ¥4,700 with breakfast; ¥6,000 with breakfast and dinner; Shojin meal (Buddhist vegetarian)¥3,000 - ¥8,000; Shojin cooking class ¥3,000. Facilities: 10 rooms with a maximum capacity of 40; shared bath. Curfew at 9pm. Lights out at 10pm.
[edit] Other
* Bakpak Kyoto Hostel. Located in central downtown Kyoto between Kawaramachi and Gion, next to the Minamiza theatre. Rates from $20/night.Tel : + 81- 75 – 525 - 3144 [10]
* Budget Inn (near Nishi-Honganji, 7 min walk from Kyoto Station) [11]. A new, clean hostel owned by the same people as Tour Club. Both dorm and private rooms available. No curfew.
* Gojo Guest House (5 min walk from Keihan Gojo Station) [12]. A Japanese style hostel with a cozy cafe located in Higashiyama area.
* Hirano's B&B Kyoto (3 minute walk from the Karasuma-Oike subway station) [13]. A quiet and intimate B&B, near Nijo Castle. Guests experience being at home with a Japanese family.
* Ikoi-no-Ie [14] A Japanese-style guesthouse with all rooms private, no smoking (some are en-suite). Located right in the middle between Kyoto Station and the downtown (12 and 15 minute walk respectively). Bus stops and an underground/subway station for most Kyoto sightseeing spots nearby. Newly opened in February 2007.
* J-Hoppers Kyoto Guesthouse (8 min walk from Kyoto Station) [15]. A new and clean backpackers hostel guesthouse. 7 minutes walk from Kyoto central station. Dormitory bed 2,500 yen including tax. Rental bike 500 yen/day, Internet 300 yen/hour, No curfew, Up-to-date local information by native staff, managed by a trans-continental motorcyclist. TEL +81-75-681-2282, SKYPE:jhoppers
* K's House Kyoto, 418 Nayacho, Shichijo-agaru, Dotemachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku, (9 min walk from JR Kyoto Station, 4 min. walk from Keihan Line Shichijo Station) 075-342-2444 (fax 075-342-2440, email
info@kshouse.jp
), [16]. Opened in November 2003, this foreigner-friendly hostel has received favorable reviews for reasonable prices, cleanliness and amenities like Internet access and kitchens. English-speaking staff. Dormitory room ¥2500, twin/double/triple room from ¥2900, single room from ¥3500 (prices per person). The hostel itself can be difficult to find, as it is located down a narrow street off the main road.
* Kyoto Cheapest Inn [17] (Near Nijo castle, 1-3 min walk from bus stop Horikawa Marutamachi & Marutamachi Chiekoin) Claims to offer the cheapest accommodation in Kyoto. ¥900-2,000 (dormitory), ¥6,800 (private ensuite). Credit cards accepted, English available.
* Palace Side Hotel [18] is exactly where the name suggests: across the street from the Kyoto Imperial Palace and park, on Karasuma (near the intersection with Marutamachi). It's a Western-style hotel reminiscent of a much more expensive hotel that could use a good scrubbing. The staff speak fluent English, and the front desk is always open, as are computers with internet access in the lobby. It's often used by academic groups from nearby universities, though, so advance reservations should be made. There are discounts for stays of three or more days. S/D/Tw/Tr from ¥5040 - ¥10,500.
* Ryokan Hiraiwa (旅館平岩). Tel. 075-351-6748. [19]. A self-proclaimed ryokan (really a minshuku) catering almost entirely to the foreign market, in an old Japanese house plastered with English signs, warnings and tips. All rooms Japanese style. Traditional breakfast extra. Internet. Shared bathrooms, public bath half a block away. But it's cheap (¥4200 for a single, ¥8400 for a double, breakfast not included) and reasonably friendly. Slightly inconveniently located halfway between the station and the center of town (it's bit of a hike to either), take bus #17 or #205* from Kyoto Station pier A2 to Kawaramachi-Shomen (the third stop).
* Station Ryokan Seiki (5 min walk from Kyoto Station) [20]. Small but convenient. Doubles ¥9000.
* Tour Club (10 min walk from Kyoto Station) [21]. A friendly, clean hostel with both dorm and private rooms. The dorms have a 11pm curfew.
* Tani House (near Daitokuji). A 70-year-old traditional wooden house, a little shabby but cheap, mixed guests, from ¥1700 a night and you can rent cheap bicycles.
[edit] Midrange
* Gimmond Hotel Takakura-Oike-dori, Nakagyo-ku (2 min. walk from Karasuma-Oike subway station), 075-221-4111 (fax 075-221-8250, email
kyoto@gimmond.co.jp
). [22] A foreigner-friendly hotel, neat and tidy and good location. Discount for internet booking.
* Ryokan Shimizu 644 Wakamiya Agaru Shichijo, Shimogyo-ku (7 minute walk from JR Kyoto Station), Tel 075-371-5538, Fax 075-371-5539. [23] A modern style ryokan which is welcoming to foreign visitors. The owners are able to speak some English. En-suite facilities are provided and a Japanese style breakfast is available. There is a communal Japanese bath facility.
* Kyoto Tower Hotel Karasuma-dori Shichijo- sagaru. Shimogyo-ku (1 Minute walk from JR Kyoto Station, across the street), Tel 075-361-3212, Fax 075-343-5645. [24] Foreigner-friendly hotel, single rooms start at ¥8700, but the location across the street from JR Kyoto Station is unbeatable.
* The Kyoto Tower Hotel chain also operates the Kyoto Tower Hotel Annex, northwest of the station, and the Kyoto Dai-Ni Tower Hotel, east of the station. Singles at both of these hotels, which are a few minutes further away by foot from the Kyoto Tower Hotel, start at just ¥6500.
* Hearton Hotel Kyoto [25] Higashi no Toin Dori Oike Agaru, Nakagyo Ku, Tel 81-75-222-1300 Fax 81-75-222-1313. Mid range hotel close to Oike Karasuma Subway Station.
[edit] Splurge
* New Miyako Hotel (新都ホテル). 0120-333-001[26] The largest hotel in Kyoto with over 700 rooms, and the prices to match: starting at ¥10,000 for singles and ¥21,000 for doubles. But the location is unbeatable, it's just across the street and a few minutes' walk south of Kyoto station. If you get a room facing north, you'll be able to see the bullet trains coming into and out of the station, as well as the glass windows from the exterior of the Isetan department store that seem to reflect the sky if the weather conditions are just right. The new south wing opened in late September of 2005, with prices starting from ¥29,000 for doubles.
* Kyoto Hotel Okura, Kawaramachi-Oike, Nakagyo-ku. Tel:+81 75 211-5111. Fax:+81 75 254-2529. A large, modern and conveniently located hotel.
* The Westin Miyako Kyoto. 075-771-7111 Keage, Sanjo, Higashiyama-ku. [27] Established in 1890, this is the oldest Western-style hotel in Kyoto. It has over 400 rooms, starting at ¥33,000 for twins. (If you make a reservation through a travel agency, you may get a lower price.) It has about 30,000 square meters, and a few Japanese gardens, one of which,Aoiden (葵殿庭園) was built by Jihei Ogawa (小川治兵衛). The gardens can be visited by non-guests. It's near Keage Station (subway - Tozai Line), or you can take a shuttle bus from JR Kyoto Station.
* Hyatt Regency Kyoto. 075-5411-3180 644-2 Sanjusangendo-mawari, Higashiyama-ku. [28] yen;34,650 for twin room. Near Hichi-jo station (七条駅)on the Keihan line, or you can take shuttle bus from JR Kyoto station.
[edit] Get out
* Amanohashidate - literally "the bridge to heaven", it is considered one of Japan's top three scenic view (along with Matsushima in Miyagi prefecture and Miyajima in Hiroshima prefecture). It forms a thin strip of land straddling the Miyazu Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture, hence the name. Visitors are asked to turn their backs toward the view, bend over, and look at it between their legs.
* Himeji - about an hour by Shinkansen west of Kyoto, Himeji boasts a spectacular traditional castle.
* Miho Museum [29] - an hour southeast of Kyoto deep in the hills of Shiga prefecture. Building designed by I.M. Pei. Closed in winter.
* Mount Hiei - an ancient hilltop temple complex that traditionally guarded (and occasionally raided) Kyoto.
* Nara - less than an hour's journey by train on the JR Nara line from Kyoto station, this former capital has several temples and tame deer.
* Osaka - about half an hour from Kyoto by JR rapid train, this bustling city offers more retail opportunities and a central castle.
* Uji - the best tea in Japan and the Byodo-in temple.
* Kurama - less than an hour's journey by a local train from Kyoto Demachi-Yanagi station, small village of Kurama has real onsen (Japanese natural hot spring).
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Descripcion
Osaka
,
Japan
Ōsaka (大阪) is the third largest city in Japan, the central metropolis of the Kansai region and the largest of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto trio.
Districts
Osaka and the "808 Bridges" (八百八)
Many districts in Osaka derive their names from the Tokugawa-era bridges that were built during the city's reign as transportation hub for the country. Today, Yodoyabashi (淀屋橋) and Kyobashi (京橋) still retain their crossings, while the bridges in Yotsubashi (四ツ橋), Nagahoribashi (長堀橋)and Shinsaibashi (心斎橋) are long gone.
橋 (hashi, often pronounced -bashi, when affixed to a preceding name) is the kanji character meaning 'bridge'.
"Osaka" can mean either the larger Osaka prefecture (大阪府 Ōsaka-fu), covered in a separate guide, or central Osaka city (大阪市 Ōsaka-shi), the topic of this guide. The city is administratively divided into 24 wards (区 ku), but in common usage the following divisions are more useful:
* Kita (キタ, "north") — the newer center of the city, including the Kita ward (北区). Umeda (梅田) is the main terminal. Department stores, theaters and boutiques are clustered around JR Osaka Station and Umeda Station, which serves several city and private railways.
* Minami (ミナミ, "south") — the traditional commercial and cultural center, composed of the Chuo (中央区) and Naniwa (浪速区) wards. Namba (なんば, 難波) is the main railway station, and the surrounding area has the department store and showy shopping. Shinsaibashi (心斎橋) and Horie (堀江) is the fashion area. Dōtonbori (道頓堀) is the best place to go for a bite to eat.
* Semba (船場) straddles the line between Kita and Minami, and contains the business districts of Yodoyabashi (淀屋橋), Kitahama (北浜), Doujima (堂島) and Hommachi (本町).
* Tennōji (天王寺) or Abeno (アベノ, あべの, 阿倍野) — generally means the area around JR Tennōji Station and Abeno Station of subway and Kintetsu lines, located at south end of Tennōji ward. The ward was named after the historical Shitennoji temple. Tennōji Park and Zoo are in the area. To the west of Tennōji is Shinsekai (新世界), which was an amusement area in the past and has now become quite seedy.
Other important places include:
* Kyōbashi (京橋) — northeast of Osaka Castle, home to Osaka Business Park (OBP).
* Shin-Osaka (新大阪) — Shin-Osaka Station (the shinkansen and airport express stop)
[edit] Understand
If Tokyo is Japan's capital, one might call Osaka its anti-capital. With what you will call it so, however, is left much open to your own findings upon the visit to the city. Veiled much with a commercial-centric city touch, you may as well start from picking up the lively intonation of Osaka dialect, heard from the people as you ride on the escalators standing on the right, instead of the left in Tokyo; then discovering the contrast of popular food to eastern Japan, as you look for places to lunch. The deeper you get inside, and at the end of your stay, it is not completely impossible that you may have compiled your own original list of reasons covering from history, culture, sports, to business.
Osaka dates back to the Asuka and Nara period. Under the name Naniwa (難波), it was the capital of Japan from 683 to 745, long before the upstarts at Kyoto took over. Even after the capital was moved elsewhere, Osaka continued to play an important role as a hub for land, sea and river-canal transportation. (See "808 Bridges" infobox.) During the Tokugawa era, while Edo (now Tokyo) served as the austere seat of military power and Kyoto was the home of the Imperial court and its effete courtiers, Osaka served as "the Nation's Kitchen" (「天下の台所」 tenka-no-daidokoro), the collection and distribution point for rice, the most important measure of wealth. Hence it was also the city where merchants made and lost fortunes and received repeated cheerfully ignored warnings from the shogunate to reduce their conspicuous consumption.
During Meiji era, Osaka's fearless entrepreneurs took the lead in industrial development, making it the equivalent of Manchester in the U.K. A thorough drubbing in World War 2 left little evidence of this glorious past — even the castle is a ferroconcrete reconstruction — but to this day, while unappealing and gruff on the surface, Osaka remains Japan's best place to eat, drink and party, and in legend (if not in practice) Osakans still greet each other with mōkarimakka?, "are you making money?".
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
The main international gateway to Osaka is Kansai International Airport (ICAO: KIX), covered in a separate article. Domestic flights, however, some arrive at Osaka International Airport, more commonly called Itami Airport (ICAO: ITM), which despite the name hasn't had a single international flight since 1994. Itami is connected to the Osaka Monorail, but the monorail is expensive and traces an arc around the northern suburbs, so to get to the centre of the city you will need to transfer to a suburban Hankyu railway line. A more convenient option for most are the Airport Limousine Buses [1], which run frequently from Itami to various locations within Osaka and elsewhere in the region (including Kansai Airport), with fares starting around ¥500-600.
[edit] By train
Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen (新幹線) trains arrive at Shin-Osaka station, to the north of the city center. From Shin-Osaka, you can connect to the city center by using the Midosuji subway line, or connect to the local JR network for other destinations.
* From Tokyo, Nozomi (のぞみ) trains cover the one way ride in about 2 1/4 hours (¥14050); Hikari (ひかり) trains take about 3 hours (¥13750). With the Japan Rail Pass, there is no charge to take the Shinkansen if you use the Hikari service.
* From points west of Osaka, Nozomi trains run from Okayama (¥6060, 45 mins), Hiroshima (¥10150, 80 mins) and Hakata station in Fukuoka (¥14890, 2 1/4 hours). Japan Rail Pass holders can use the Hikari Rail Star (ひかりレールスター) service instead, which runs at a comparable speed to the Nozomi and makes a few more stops, but its trains are shorter (8 car trains, compared to 16 cars on the Nozomi).
* Slower Kodama (こだま) trains connect the rest of the stations on the Shinkansen route.
If travelling from the east without a rail pass, you can take advantage of the Puratto Kodama Ticket (in Japanese). This ticket offers a discount for the all-stopping Kodama services if you purchase at least one day in advance. You get a reserved seat and a free drink on board. With this ticket a trip from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka costs ¥10000 (a savings of about ¥4000) and takes four hours. Note that there is only one Kodama service per hour from Tokyo, and a few early-morning Kodama trains cannot be used with this ticket.
Several overnight trains make runs to and from the main Osaka Station. Of note are the Ginga (銀河) which runs daily to Tokyo, the Twilight Express (トワイライトエクスプレス) which runs into Hokkaido and terminates at Sapporo, and the Nihonkai (日本海) trains which run to Aomori in northern Tohoku.
During University holidays there are some additional overnight services to Matsuyama, Kochi and Fukuoka. As these are considered rapid services they can be very economical to use if you use a Seishun 18 Ticket.
There are many regional railway lines connecting Osaka to nearby cities:
* From Kyoto, JR offers fast, but slightly more expensive, shin-kaisoku (special rapid) trains to Osaka Station. The cheaper but slower alternative is the Hankyu Railway's limited express service. Both lines terminate in the Umeda area of Osaka. Keihan Railway offers Kyoto-Osaka trains. The Yodoyabashi terminal in Osaka does not connect directly with JR, but it is possible to transfer to the JR Osaka Loop Line at Kyobashi.
In Kyoto, Keihan and Hankyu trains do not connect with JR Kyoto station but both travel to stations which are more convenient for reaching the centre of the city. about 30 - 45 minutes.
* From Kobe, JR again offers slightly faster and slightly more expensive service than Hankyu. The third choice is Hanshin Railway, which is identical to Hankyu in terms of cost and similar in time, useful for getting to Koshien Stadium to see Hanshin Tigers games. All three lines go to Osaka / Umeda. about 20 minutets.
* From Nara, JR offers trains to Tennōji and Osaka Stations, and Kintetsu offers trains to Namba. Kintetsu station in Nara is closer to Tōdaiji and Nara Park. about 35 - 45 minutets.
* From Nagoya, an alternative to the Shinkansen is Kintetsu's premium limited express service, the Urban Liner (アーバンライナー) which goes directly to Namba. Trip times are as little as two hours each way, with departures at 0 and 30 minutes past the hour at a cost of ¥4150. In comparison, the shinkansen takes just under an hour for ¥5670.
Stations with the same name but belonging to different railway companies are sometimes very far apart. For example, the Nakatsu stations on the Hankyu and subway networks are about an hour's walk from each other, even though they look close on the railway map. Allow up to half an hour for walking between the various Umeda stations and about the same for the various Namba stations, especially if you are a first time visitor. In Kobe the Sannomiya stations belonging to JR and Hankyu are connected but Hanshin Sannomiya is across a street.
[edit] By car
It is generally a bad idea to use a private automobile to visit Osaka. Many streets do not have names, signs are usually only in Japanese, parking fees are astronomical, and Japan is a left-side drive country which may be frustrating for visitors from right-side drive countries.
[edit] By bus
As Osaka is a major city, there are many daytime and overnight buses which run between Osaka and other locations throughout Japan, which can result in significant savings when compared to shinkansen fares.
The JR Bus Group (Japanese Website) is a major operator of the routes from the Tokyo area to Kansai. Buses operate via the Tomei Expressway (to/from Tokyo Station) or the Chuo Expressway (to/from Shinjuku Station). You can receive a discount of between 10 and 35 percent off the cost of the ticket if reservations are made at least 21 days in advance on most routes.
Other bus companies offer trips between Tokyo and Osaka, but it should be pointed out that seat reservations for JR Buses can be made in train stations at the same "Midori-no-Madoguchi" ticket windows used to reserve seats on trains. Moreover, the Japan Rail Pass is valid on ALL JR buses operating from the Tokyo area to Osaka. (Note that the pass is NOT valid on buses to/from Yokohama.)
From Tokyo, buses run to and from Osaka in approximately 8 1/2 hours. Major bus locations are as follows:
* Tokyo: Tokyo Station Yaesu Exit (東京駅八重洲口), with a few buses discharging at the Nihombashi Exit (東京駅日本橋口)
* Shinjuku: Shinjuku Station New South Exit (新宿駅新南口)
* Osaka: Osaka Station Sakura-bashi Exit (大阪駅桜橋口)
The following services are available: (Current as of January, 2007)
[edit] Daytime buses from Tokyo
There are between six and eight daily departures on the Tomei Expressway in each direction. Buses from Tokyo Station depart at 7:10, 8:10, 9:10, 13:10 and 14:10. Return buses from Osaka Station depart hourly at 10 minutes past the hour from 6:10 to 9:10, and again at 14:10. There is also a 12:10 departure in either direction on Fridays, weekends and holidays.
Premium Buses, with added amenities described later in this article, depart from Tokyo and Osaka at 11:10 in either direction, with an additional 10:10 departure on Fridays, weekends and holidays.
There are two daily departures on the Chuo Expressway, departing at 9:40 and 11:40 in either direction.
There is also one daily departure from Yokohama to Osaka in each direction, leaving Yokohama station's east bus terminal at 10:30, and from Osaka at 10:50.
The runs cost ¥6000 one-way and ¥10000 round-trip. Premium buses incur an additional surcharge of ¥300 in either direction for second floor seating and ¥1300 in either direction for first floor seating. All buses are double-level and make rest stops en route.
[edit] Nighttime buses from Tokyo
The nighttime bus service from Tokyo to Kansai is called Dream. This route name has several variants.
* The Dream Osaka is a bus that runs from Tokyo Station to Osaka Station via the Tomei Expressway. There are two nightly departures from Tokyo at 22:10 and 23:50, with a third departure at 23:30 on Fridays, weekends and holidays. Returning buses leave from Osaka Station at 22:10 (Fridays, weekends and holidays only), 23:00 and 23:50. One bus continues to/from JR Namba and Tennoji stations.
* An additional Dream Osaka service leaves on Fridays, weekends and holidays from Tokyo Teleport and Shinagawa stations at 21:37 and 22:00 respectively. The return bus leaves Osaka at 21:50.
* The Ladies Dream Osaka is a special bus for women only, running from Tokyo Station to Osaka Station. The bus departs from Tokyo at 22:10, and departs from Osaka at 23:00.
* The Chuo Dream Osaka runs from Shinjuku Station to Osaka Station via the Chuo Expressway. The bus departs from Shinjuku at 23:40, and departs from Osaka at 23:50.
* The Seishun Dream Osaka runs from Tokyo Station to Osaka, JR Namba and Tennoji Stations via the Tomei Expressway. There is one nightly departure from Tokyo at 22:00, and one departure from Tennoji at 22:25 (leaving Namba at 22:55 and Osaka Station at 23:20). On Fridays, weekends and holidays, there is an additional departure in each direction, serving Osaka and JR Namba stations. It departs from Tokyo at 23:00 and departs from Namba at 21:55 (leaving Osaka Station at 22:20).
* The Seishun Chuo Dream Osaka runs from Shinjuku Station to Osaka Station and JR Namba Station via the Chuo Expressway. It departs from Shinjuku at 22:10, with the return run leaving from Namba at 22:55 (Osaka Station at 23:20).
The ride costs ¥8610 one-way and ¥15190 round-trip, except for the Seishun buses, which cost only ¥5000 one-way and ¥9500 round-trip. The notable difference is that Seishun buses use four-across seating found in standard buses, while the others use more comfortable and wider three-across seating.
* The Harbor Line overnight bus runs from Yokohama. It departs from Yokohama station's east bus terminal at 22:30, with the return leaving Osaka at 22:20. The cost is ¥8230 one-way and ¥14810 round-trip.
For the extremely brave and budget-conscious, there's the Seishun Mega Dream bus service, the cheapest route operating between the two cities. No more than 84 seats in a four-across seating configuration (2x2) with no recline are crammed into the double-level, four-axle bus, with a bathroom located on the first floor. Buses leave Tokyo every night at 22:50, with the return service leaving Osaka at 22:40. On Fridays, weekends and holidays, there are additional buses departing Tokyo at 21:40 and Osaka at 22:00. The fare is cheaper if you book at least one day in advance, costing ¥4000 for departures on Fridays, weekends and holidays, and ¥3500 for departures on all other days. Purchasing a ticket on the day of departure costs ¥4300 in all instances.
[edit] Premium nighttime buses from Tokyo
Premium Buses have been recently introduced on the Tokyo to Osaka overnight route. These buses provide upgraded amenities including more plush recliners, more legroom, air filtration and toiletries.
* The Premium Dream departs Tokyo station daily at 23:20, with the return trip leaving from Osaka daily at 23:40. On Fridays, weekends and holidays, an extra round-trip operates, leaving Tokyo at 22:20 and Osaka at 22:50. The ride costs ¥8910 one-way and ¥15790 round-trip for second floor seating, which features FM radios at every seat. More expansive first floor seating (of which there is only four seats) incurs an additional ¥1000 surcharge each way... but you do get your own television.
* The Super New Dream runs from Shinjuku Station to Osaka Station. It departs at 23:10 in both directions and costs ¥8910 one-way, ¥15790 round-trip.
[edit] By boat
There are ferry services from Osaka to Busan (South Korea) three times a week and Shanghai (China) twice weekly.
Osaka International Ferry Terminal [2] is located at Nankō (南港) in the Osaka Bay Area. To reach the port, take the New Tram from Suminoe-koen station to Nankōguchi (南港口).
[edit] Get around
The concrete expanse of Nishi-Umeda (West-Umeda)
The concrete expanse of Nishi-Umeda (West-Umeda)
The convenient Kansai Thru Card can be used on just about anything that moves in Osaka (as well as the rest of the Kansai region), with the notable exception of JR trains.
[edit] By subway
Osaka has Japan's second-most extensive subway network after Tokyo, which makes the underground the natural way to get around. The Midosuji Line is Osaka's main artery, linking up the massive train stations and shopping complexes of Shin-Osaka, Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Namba and Tennoji.
The signage, ticketing and operation of the Osaka subway is identical to its larger counterpart in Tokyo. However, the Osaka subway is more expensive, especially for short-distance travel.
[edit] By train
True to its name, the JR Osaka Loop Line (環状線 Kanjō-sen) runs in a loop around Osaka. It's not quite as convenient or heavily-used as Tokyo's Yamanote Line, but it stops in Umeda and Tennoji, and by Osaka Castle. Namba and Universal Studios Japan are connected to the Loop Line by short spurs.
[edit] See
Umeda Sky Building
Umeda Sky Building
* Osaka Castle (大阪城 Osaka-jō) [3]. Osaka's best known sight, although it's a concrete reconstruction that pales in comparison with, say, Himeji. Still, it's pretty enough from the outside, especially in the cherry blossom season when Osakans flock to the castle park to picnic and make merry. Open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, adult admission ¥600 (Children up to middle school free). Closed at the end and beginning of the year. The park can be accessed on a number of lines, but the castle is closest to Osaka-jō Koen station on the JR Osaka Loop Line. Naniwa Palace Site Park can also be found south to Osaka Castle Park.
* Osaka Museum of History[4] 1-32 Otemae 4-Chome Chuo-ku Open 9:30AM-5PM (on Fri 9:30AM-8PM) Closed Tue but on Wed instead if Tue is a Holiday (5min walk from subway Tanimachi 4-chome Station but also accessible via Osaka Castle or from JR Osaka-jō Station) An ideal place to learn all-abouts of Osaka's history. Enjoyable view over Osaka Castle and the OBP skyscrapers. Admission: ¥600
* Osaka Science Museum (大阪市立科学館) (walk from subway Higobashi Station or Yodoya-bashi Station, 500m and 900m to the west respectively) Closed on Mon and days after Holidays if not weekend. Big interactive activity center on several floors. Great for kids. Planetarium and cinema (with science films) downstairs. ¥600/300.
* Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル)[5]. 1-1-20 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku (10 min on foot from JR Osaka or Hankyu Umeda), Built in an attempt to upgrade Osaka's somewhat downbeat Kita district, the project wasn't quite the hoped-for commercial success but this bizarrely shaped 40-story, 173-meter building is still a city landmark. Take the escalator through midair to the rooftop observatory for an open-air view of Osaka, which is particularly impressive on a clear night. Observatory admission ¥700, open 10 AM to 10:30 PM daily (entry until 10 PM, varies by season). The basement features a recreation of a Meiji-era street, with a few small restaurants and bars in appropriate style.
* Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社) is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, with a history stretching back 1800 years. Its traditional architecture is unusual amongst Japan's shrines, and its park-like surroundings with the sacred bridge arching over a tranquil pond make it a restful break from the busy environment of Osaka. Best of all, it's free! Access is from the Nankai line station of the same name; local trains run from Namba station in central Osaka.
* Shitennōji (四天王寺), 1-1-18 Shitennōji Tennōji-ku (5 min walk from Shitennōji-mae-Yuhiga-oka Station on subway, or 15 min by walk to north from Tennōji Station), originally built by Emperor Suiko in 593 AD. Although the current buildings are mostly post WWII reconstructions, the temple is a rare sample which conveys the continental style (notably the positioning of the individual buildings inside the complex) of 6th - 7th century to our date.
* Japan Mint (造幣局) 1-1-79, Temma Kita-ku (15 min by walk from subway Temmabashi Station), [6]. It's not widely known even by people from elsewhere in the country that Japan Mint is actually headquartered in Osaka. For Osakans, Sakura-no-tōrinuke (桜の通り抜け, cherry blossom tunnel road) is a synonym for this facility, attracting a large number of visitors (close to 1 million in just 7 days) during a limited, planned week of mid-Apr. A must-see if you are fond of nature and happen to drop into Osaka in season. Admission free. Check for official announcement beforehand.
* Tsūtenkaku (通天閣). While the original tower was built early 20th century, the current "newer" version is designed by the same Prof. Naitō, who also designed Tokyo Tower. This landmark built in the middle of Shinsekai (新世界) area is a symbol of reconstruction of the City of Osaka post WWII.
[edit] Do
* Imax Osaka is home to the largest Imax movie screen in the world located in the Suntory Museum (next to Kaiyukan). English headphones are available for no extra cost. If you plan on going to Kaiyukan aquarium and Imax, you can purchase a discount ticket for both at either ticket office.
* Kaiyukan (Osakako, Chuo Line) [7] is one of the world's largest aquariums, with 11,000 tons of water and plenty of sharks, dolphins, otters, seals, and other creatures of the sea. The largest tank, representing the Pacific Ocean with 5,400 tons is nothing but overwhelming. On the weekend, musicians and street performers offer additional entertainment to people outside the aquarium. ¥2,000 for adults, ¥900 for children.
* Sumo Spring Grand Tournament (大相撲春場所), Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (approx. 10 min walk from subway Namba Station) [8]. The Osaka Tournament of Japan's national sport, sumo wrestling, is usually held mid-March annually at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. Check for schedules and ticket availabilities at the official Nihon Sumo Kyokai homepage. Ticket prices range from ¥3000 to ¥14,300.
* Universal Studios Japan, at Universal-City Station (JR Yumesaki Line, 10 min from Osaka), [9]. Japan's second-largest theme park. One-day tickets for adults/children ¥5800/3900.
* Tenpozan Ferris Wheel, next to Kaiyukan at Tempozan (天保山) area.There are Suntry museum,Kaiyukan (海遊館) - one of the biggest aquarium in japan,shops and a port of sightseeing boat. Open 10am to 10pm.
* Umeda Joypolis Sega, next to Umeda (Osaka) station, occupying 8th and 9th floors of the Hep Five building with arcades and a Ferris wheel at the top. From 11am to 11pm; ¥500-¥600 attractions.
* Spa World Just near Tsutenkaku Tower. Gender-separated European and Asian themed spas and saunas as well as a pool for the family with slides and fun. Open 24hrs. Regular prices are ¥2400 for 3 hours, ¥2700 for all day. Extra charge ¥1000 for stays 0AM-5AM. Watch out for the special ¥1000 deals offered from time to time, often in March.
* National Bunraku Theater, Nippombashi, [10]. One of the last places in the world where bunraku, a form of intricate puppet theater from the Edo period, can be seen live. The large puppets, which require three operators each, are accompanied by traditional music and narration, and act out great Japanese plays of the 1600s and 1700s. Transcripts in Japanese and synopses in English are provided.
* Osaka Siki musical theater, Umeda,in the Herbis ENT. Home of the Shiki Theatre Company.
* The festival hall in Nakanoshima, near Umeda, and the symphony hall in Umeda host modern and classical recitals, while Umeda Koma in Umeda, and Shin-Kabukiza in Namba host Enka performances. For more independent or underground music, try Banana Hall in Umeda or Big Cat in Amerika-mura.
o Zepp Osaka (POP clubs) , Nanko (Nanko_Kita 1-18-31,Suminoe_ku, near Cosmo-squair station. ).
o Blue Note (Jazz clubs)[11] Umeda.The branch of Blue Note in N.Y..
[edit] Learn
[edit] Work
The occupation of most resident Americans, Europeans and Australians is teaching English (as is the case in most of Japan). In recent years, the economy in the Osaka region has been relatively stagnant compared to Tokyo's: although there are jobs in law, finance, accounting, engineering and other professional fields in Osaka, demand for foreign professionals tends to be much higher in Tokyo (as is pay). Osaka does have several educational publishers that employ foreign workers, but these jobs require fluent Japanese language ability.
[edit] Buy
* Osaka's most famous shopping district is Shinsaibashi (心斎橋), which offers a mix of huge department stores, high-end Western designer stores, and independent boutiques ranging from very cheap to very expensive. Within Shinsaibashi, the Amerika-mura (アメリカ村, often shortened to "Amemura") or "American Village" area is particularly popular among young people, and is often said to be the source of most youth fashion trends in Japan. Near Amerika-mura,Horie (堀江) is shopping street of mainly Japanese brands shops. The many shops in Umeda are also popular among trendy locals, particularly in the Hep Five and Hep Navio buildings adjacent to Hankyu Umeda Station, although these shops tend to be too expensive to captivate most tourists' interest. In this area, new shopping buildings have been constructed recently. For example, the“E-ma” buildings next to Hanshin department store, and “Nu-Chayamachi” (Nu 茶屋町), opened in October 2005 near Hankyu Umeda station.
* For electronics, the Nippombashi (日本橋) area southeast of Namba, and particularly the "Den-Den Town" shopping street, was once regarded as the Akihabara of western Japan; nowadays, more people would rather shop at the new, enormous Yodobashi Camera (ヨドバシカメラ) in Umeda or BicCamera (ビックカメラ) and LABI1 in Namba, although Nippombashi still offers good deals on many gadgets and geekier PC components.
* For Japanese and foreign books, try Kinokuniya in Hankyu Umeda Station, or Junkudo south of Osaka Station.
* If you are a fan of Shochu you can buy it in the Sho-chu Authority shop in Namba Parks. There are hundreds of varieties of Shochu from all over Japan in crazy bottles. There usually is a selection of bottles to taste from (help yourself). Also sells Shochu pottery and glass as well as traditional snacks.
* The Official Hanshin Tigers (baseball team) Shop is located on 8th floor of Hanshin Department Store at Umeda.
* Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street (天神橋筋商店街 Tenjinbashi-suji Shōtengai) is said to be the longest straight and covered shopping arcade in Japan at approx. 2.6km length. The arcade is running north-south along Tenjinbashi-suji street, and is accessible from multiple subway and/or JR stations, eg. Tenma, Minami-Morimachi, Tenjinbashi-suji 6-chome, etc. Nothing meant for sightseeing, the arcade is a live exhibition of Osaka's daily life, open since Edo period.
[edit] Eat
Okonomiyaki - The DIY Food
Okonomiyaki Osaka style is usually do-it-yourself food at smaller, independent specialized restaurants. Tables are equipped with embedded hot plates and you'll receive a bowl of ingredients, which you are expected to cook on your own. However, in larger franchised chains the staff can often cook for you — and even in smaller places staff will usually gladly help if asked.
Should you decide to try your luck on your own, you might want to dress for the occasion: pork slices, the most common topping, are usually very fatty and tend to splatter grease all over the place.
In a nation of obsessive gourmands Osaka is known as an excellent place to eat, exemplified by the Osakan maxim kuidaore, "eat until you burst".
Some typically Osakan foods worth trying include:
* Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), fried cabbage cakes that resemble a cross between a pancake, pizza, and omelette.
* Takoyaki (たこ焼き), bits of octopus inside fried dumplings.
* Kushiage (串揚げ), skewers with various sorts of food (meet, vegetables, cheese, etc.) deep-fried in dough and served with a black sauce.
Okonomiyaki is best eaten in hole-in-the-wall restaurants, while takoyaki is best eaten from street vendors' carts, which can be found all over the major districts around nightfall. The best place to find kushiage is in Shinsekai, between Dobutsuen-mae and Ebisucho stations on the Sakaisuji subway line.
* Battera (バッテラ), is a block type sushi, with mackerel put on rice and squeezed very hard in a wooden box, cut into pieces when served. Battera sushi is a variant and direct decendant of primitive sushi, this one from Osaka is unique for its squary shape. A very popular sushi that can be found at not only sushi restaurants but also as take-aways or souvenirs at department stores and/or station kiosks.
The best place for exercising kuidaore is probably Dōtonbori (道頓堀) and neighboring Hōzenji-yokochō (法善寺横町) or Soemon-cho (宗右衛門町), the whole area containing nearly nothing but one restaurant after another.
Some of the more famous establishments here include:
* Kuidaore (食い倒れ), featuring a mechanical clown beating a drum, is one of the contenders for the title of the largest restaurant in the world. Each floor specializes in a type of food. Affordable, but more fun in a group.
* Kani Dōraku (かに道楽), easily identifiable by the giant mechanical crab waving its pincers about, specializes in crab. Good but moderately expensive.
* Kanso is a "can bar", a uniquely Osaka invention. The shelves stock a wide range of cans of food, from chili to curried sea lion. Once you've made your selection, the staff will open the can and supply you with a plastic fork or spoon to consume the contents. Beer (¥350) and cheap booze (¥300-400) is available to accompany your feast. It's beside Yotsubashi blvd. on the north side of the Dotonbori river - look for the plastic tarps. (Those are the walls.) There is often live music in the summer.
* Tako Tako King, north side of Dotonbori river and west of Midosuji. The best takoyaki in Osaka and the same goes for service too! A friendly staff that never take off their smiles, good prices, good food, good drinks, and a whole lot of fun, make this a great place to start off a night in the Shinsaibashi area. Look for the big red octopus wearing a crown.
In the Hanshin department store (Umeda) B2 Floor is Snack Park (スナックパーク), which offers okonomiyaki, takoyaki and a few surprises like doteyaki (どて焼き) - stew sinew of beef. It's open from 10 a.m to 8:30 p.m.
[edit] Splurge
* Harijyu (はり重) 1-9-17 Dōtonbori Chuō-ku, 06-6211-7777 11:30AM-9:30PM Closed on T except Dec [12] (partly English), Shabu-shabu or sukiyaki in Japanese tatami rooms. No reservations are taken except for large groups, so arrive early at nights (6PM or so) to be sure you get a room without waiting. Expensive, but not astronomical thanks to their direct involvement in butcher's. (Butcher's on ground floor, take-out obentō boxes are available.) ¥6300+ Credit cards accepted.
* Mimyu (美々卯) 4-6-18 Hirano-machi 06-6231-5770 11:30AM-10PM Closed Su. This inventor of udonsuki has turned the otherwise popular and affordable udon into a luxury hotpot (nabe) dish, served in its corporate secret soup. Shabu-shabu available, too. ¥5800+ for dinner.
Outside of Dotonbori, you may find:
* Tsuruhashi Fūgetsu (鶴橋風月), Hankyu Building 29F (next to Hankyu Umeda station), [13]. Good okonomiyaki as well yakisoba, with extra toppings (egg, cheese, etc.), all for a cheap price of ¥700-800, plus English menu and a nice view overlooking Umeda. Perfect!
Other budget alternatives would be:
* Saizeria is a very cheap Italian eatery chain with many restaurants not only in Osaka, but all over the nation. The food is simple but decent. Glass of wine ¥100. Typical meal ¥400. The cheaper dishes are actually better than the pricier ones.
[edit] Drink
* Common Style, 1-2-2 Nakazaki-nishi, Kita-ku, [14]. A cafe where foreigners can exchange information with Japanese about what interests them.
* Pig and Whistle - This British pub, on Midosuji in Shinsaibashi, serves as a meeting place for many local expats as well as Japanese locals.
[edit] Nightclubs
* Clube Joule, 2-11-30 Nishi-shinsaibashi, next to Sankaku (Triangle) Park in America Mura, [15]. Packed with trance lovers.
* Club Pure, Chuo-ku, Soemon-cho 2-3-12 Diamond Bldg. B1F, Tel. 06-2536-6278, (
info@club-pure.com
), [16]
* Club Heaven, Shinsaibashi. Tel. 077-510-0321. Gets very crowded when Club Pure and some other clubs are closing for the night. Very international crowd.
* Sam and Dave Shinsaibashi, 4F 1-3-29 Shinsaibashi Cyuo-ku Osaka Tel. 06-6243-6848.
[edit] Sleep
[edit] Budget
Hello Kitty room, Hotel Adnis
Hello Kitty room, Hotel Adnis
Backpackers have recently begun to use budget hotels around the JR Shin-Imamiya (新今宮) and subway Midosuji Line Dōbutsuen-mae (動物園前) stations, located in the southern part of the city center. Room quality varies widely and prices vary from 800 yen to 3000+ yen, but there are many options: see the Osaka International Guesthouse Area [17] for the full list of foreigner-friendly establishments.
* Hotel Chuo. 1-1-12 Taishi Nishinari-ku Osaka-shi.
* Hotel Taiyo, [18], 23-2-1 Taishi Nishinari-ku. Single ¥2100, twin ¥3100.
* Hotel Mikado, [19], 1-2-11 Taishi Nishinari-ku. Single 2100yen, Twin 4200yen. Internet, sauna.
More centrally located are capsule hotels, found near the major train stations .
* Capsule Inn Osaka, 9-5 Doyamamachi, Kita-ku (in the Higashi-Hankyu shopping arcade off Umeda station). Tel. 06-6314-2100, Fax 06-6363-3014, [20]. This is Japan's first capsule hotel, designed by noted architect Kisho Kurokawa and opened in 1979. Still open for business, happy to accommodate male foreigners with some semblance of a clue and a steal at ¥2700 for a night (or ¥3300 with entry to the spa). No women allowed.
* Asahiplaza Shinsaibashi, 2-12-22 Nishi-shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku (at Amerikamura). Tel. 06-6213-1991, Fax 06-6212-0954, [21]. A sauna is available, and there is a separate area for women. ¥2700.
* Daitoyo, 2-1-9 Nakazaki-Nishi, Kita-ku. (Near Nakazaki-cho station, Tanimachi-Line subway). Near Umeda, with branches at Namba and Juso. It has a hot spring spa, sauna, and a floor for women. ¥3200.
There are many business hotels in Osaka. Most offer single rooms.
* Esaka Central Hotel, 1-22-30 Esaka Suita-shi Osaka (2 min from Esaka station, Midosuji-line subway). Single ¥4500.
* Business Hotel OK, 1-10-11 Juso-higashi Yodogawa-ku Osaka, (3 min from Juso station, Hankyu line), Tel 06-6305-5021. Single ¥4500.
Last but not least, Osaka has its fair share of love hotels around the city.
* Hotel Adnis, Tennoji 5-5-15 (5 min from Kintetsu Uehonmachi stn), Tel 06-6761-0168, [22]. Love hotel with an S&M twist: check out rooms 303, done up like a commuter train, and room 501, the infamous Hello Kitty bondage room. Overnight stay from ¥6,500 (depending on room).
[edit] Mid-range
Typical Japanese business hotels are step up from a capsule and can be found everywhere. Examples include:
* Park Hotel Rinkai, Near Honmachi Station (Exit 28 from the Yotsubashi subway line, walk east for 5 minutes.) TEL 06-6444-0809. [23] A business hotel located in the center of the business district. Near Honmachi station offering access to 3 subway lines. Room prices are around ¥6000 for a single and 10,000 for a twin. Unfortunately, most of the staff can't speak English.
[edit] Splurge
* Hilton Osaka 1-8-8, Umeda, Kita-ku [24]. Across the street from JR Osaka station.
* Hyatt Regency, 1-13-11 Nanko-Kita, Suminoe-Ku [25]. A hotel opposite the World Trade Center and one of the higher end hotels in the area. This hotel is an official hotel for the Universal Studios Japan and one of the most expensive hotels in the city. A bit far away from the city centre with no direct subway line. Houses a chapel on its grounds too. Some Airline Crews use this one.
* Imperial Hotel 8-50, Temmabashi 1-chome, Kita-ku [26]. At riverside.
* New Otani 1-4-1 Shiromi, Chuo-ku [27].
* Rihga Royal Hotel, 5-3-68, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku [28]. Opened as the New Osaka Hotel in 1935, this landmark hotel proudly offers one of the best hotel services in town.
* Ritz-Carlton, 2-5-25 Umeda, Kita-ku (just down the street from the Sakurabashi exit of Osaka Station, behind the Central Post Office) [29] Japan's only Ritz-Carlton, pending the 2007 opening of a high-rise monster in Tokyo's Roppongi. This particular outlet was voted the best hotel in Japan several times, and has become known as one of the city's swankiest dining and meeting points. Rates start around ¥30,000 a night and rise skyward from there.
* Swissotel Nankai 5-1-60, namba,Chuo-ku, [30]. Next to Namba train and bus stations.
* Westin 1-1-20 Oyodo Naka, Kita-ku [31]. Next to the Umeda Sky Building.
[edit] Contact
* Opti Café is a surprisingly cheap internet café in Umeda. ¥100/30min. Yodobashi Camera department store's groundfloor, next to Excelsior Café. You are requested to register for membership but it doesn't cost anything.
* Y-net Cafe, Labi 1 Namba GF, Nambanaka 2-11-35, Naniwa-ku. First hour of use is free and no registration needed.
[edit] Stay safe
Osaka has a dangerous reputation (by Japanese standards), but is still remarkably safe for a city of its size, and the overall level of crime is as low as in Tokyo or other Japanese cities. However, some districts, particularly Shinsekai, may be a little dodgy at night and the Airin/Kamagasaki area — Japan's largest slum — south of Shin-Imamiya is best avoided at all times.
Incidentally, despite the movie stereotype of gangsters speaking in Osakan dialect, the actual base of Japan's biggest yakuza families is neighboring Kobe — and the most gang violence occurs in Tokyo. Unless you're dealing drugs, you're unlikely to get involved with the local mafia.
[edit] Get out
* Its location makes Osaka a perfect base for doing one-day trips to nearby cities like Kyoto (30 minutes), Kobe (20 minutes), Nara (40 minutes) or Himeji (1 hour). (Typical times shown on JR Trains available without extra express charges starting from Osaka Station.)
* The Expo Park in Suita, the huge commemorial park of the Japan World Expo '70, with its interesting Japanese Garden and Museum of National Ethnology.
* Church of light (茨木春日丘教会 Ibaraki Kasuga-oka Kyoukai)(Ibaraki), one of the masterpiece architecture by Tadao Ando.
* Minō Koen (Minō), a popular maple watching spot in autumn.
* The temples and lush greenery of Mount Koya, 90 minutes away by train, are an entirely different world and the perfect getaway when all the concrete starts to get to you.
* Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge is located near Kobe, about 40 minutes away by train.
written by
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on April 1, 2008
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Descripcion
Nara
,
Japan
Nara (奈良) [1] is an ancient capital city in Nara Prefecture, Kansai region of Japan.
Overshadowed by its more famous neighbor Kyoto, Nara is omitted from many a time-pressed tourist's itinerary. However, Nara is home to many important scenic and historical sites, and today preserves its main sights much more attractively than Kyoto within Nara Park and neighborhoods like Naramachi.
[edit] Understand
Along with the development of Heijyōkyō (平城京), the capital of Japan between 710-784 AD, Nara flourished under the influence of Buddhism, leading to the creation of an enormous number of cultural assets, buildings and books, many of which are preserved today. Nara has the largest number of buildings designated National Treasures in Japan.
While the Heijyōkyū Palace (平城宮) site turned into plain fields after the capital was moved to Kyoto, the shrines and temples were left on the east side of the palace (called Gekyo (外京)), and Buddhism remained influential throughout the following centuries. Another part of the area developed as a merchant town, notably in the Edo period, known as Naramachi (ならまち) today.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Nara does not have its own airport, so most visitors arrive via Kansai International Airport, or Osaka's Itami Airport.
From Kansai Airport, Airport Limousine buses run to the two Nara train stations every hour (¥1800, 1 1/2 hours). More frequent service is available by rail: If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can take the Haruka limited express to Tennoji station and then transfer to the Yamatoji line for the run to Nara (¥2390, no charge with rail pass). Otherwise, it's cheaper to take the Nankai Railway's Kūkō-Kyūkō (空港急行) express train to Shin-Imamiya, and then take the JR Yamatoji line from there (¥1510). Both trips take around 1 1/4 hours with good connections.
Limousine buses connect Itami Airport to the two Nara train stations for ¥1440; the ride takes about one hour.
[edit] By train
From Kyoto station, both the JR Nara Line and the private Kintetsu Kyoto Line will get you to Nara quickly. The Kintetsu Nara station is better located than the JR Nara station, but unless you want to take an all-reserved Tokkyū (特急) train which leaves twice an hour and runs to Nara in 35 minutes, you will have to change at Yamato Saidaiji (get onto a Kyūkō (急行)) for the last hop into town. The latter takes about 50 minutes depending on connection at Yamato Saidaiji. The trip will cost ¥610, plus an extra ¥500 on the Tokkyū. For Japan Rail Pass holders, JR's Miyakoji Kaisoku (みやこ路快速) runs from Kyoto to Nara in as little as 41 minutes (¥690, no charge with rail pass).
The fastest route from Osaka is to take the private Kintetsu Nara Line from Namba station. Kaisoku-Kyūkō (快速急行) trains run to Kintetsu Nara in 35 minutes (¥540). For Japan Rail Pass holders, JR runs two Yamatoji Kaisoku (大和路快速) trains each hour from Osaka, Tennōji, and intermediate stations on the Osaka Loop Line. The run to Nara is 44 minutes from Osaka and 31 minutes from Tennōji (¥780 and ¥450 respectively, no charge with rail pass).
If travelling between Kyoto, Nara and Osaka explore the Kansai thru-passs which enables unlimited travel for 2 or 3 days on private railways, buses and subways (not-JR) within the Kansai area.
[edit] By bus
As Nara is a major tourist attraction, there are a good number of buses that run between Nara and other locations throughout Japan, which can result in significant savings when compared to train fares.
The JR Bus Group (Japanese Website) is a major operator of the routes from the Tokyo area to Kansai. Buses to Nara operate via the Tomei Expressway (to/from Tokyo Station), and make a stop at Kyoto Station enroute. Seat reservations for JR Buses can be made in train stations at the same "Midori-no-Madoguchi" ticket windows used to reserve seats on trains.
You can receive a discount of between 10 and 35 percent off the cost of the ticket if reservations are made at least 21 days in advance on most routes.
The Japan Rail Pass is NOT valid on buses running between Tokyo and Nara. However, you can take a bus into Kyoto Station, which is covered under the pass, and change there for rail service on the JR Nara Line for the final run.
The following overnight services are available: (Current as of June 2006)
* The Dream Nara departs Tokyo Station every night at 22:00, with the returning service leaving Nara at 22:10. The cost is ¥8400 one-way and ¥15120 round trip.
* The Seishun Dream Kyoto-Nara departs from Tokyo Station every night at 21:50, with the returning service leaving Nara at from Kyoto at 21:10. This bus costs ¥5000 one-way and ¥9500 round trip. The notable difference is that the Seishun bus uses four-across seating found in standard buses, while the other uses more comfortable and wider three-across seating.
Both of these services reach Nara in about 9 1/2 hours.
[edit] Get around
The World Heritage Loop Line Bus Ticket [2] provides unlimited bus rides of the World Heritage Loop Line as well as any commuter lines in the designated area for ¥800 (adult) or ¥400 (children less than 12 years old) per day.
It is recommended to take buses for visiting Heijōkyū Palace Site, Tōshōdai-ji Temple and Yakushi-ji Temple.
Once within Nara Park, you can simply walk to almost all the other major sites.
[edit] See
If you only have one day to spend in Nara, focus on Nara Park. With more time, though, there's more to see. Three days in Nara provides suggestions for longer trips to the area.
[edit] In Nara Park
Yakushi Nyorai, Buddha of medicine and healing, at Todaiji
Yakushi Nyorai, Buddha of medicine and healing, at Todaiji
Lanterns at Kasuga Taisha
Lanterns at Kasuga Taisha
Most of Nara's sights, including temples, shrines and famously mercenary deer, are concentrated in Nara Park (奈良公園 Nara-kōen), a wide, pleasant space of greenery. According to legend, the god of the Kasuga Taisha came riding a white deer in the old days, so the deer enjoy protected status as envoys of the god; however, based on their current behavior, either the deer have lost the job, or the god has taken an extremely passionate interest in biscuits from tourists (¥150), empty food wrappers and harassing shopkeepers.
* Tōdai-ji (東大寺) is home to the Daibutsu (大仏), the largest Buddha statue in Japan and one of the largest in the world, appropriately, the Daibutsu-den, which houses it, is said to be the largest wooden building in the world. It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The giant front gate, Nandai-mon, is guarded by two fierce, awe-inspiring protectors. (It's also swarmed by deer, who know this is the best place to come looking for a hand-out.) Through the gate is a stone path leading to the outer walls surrounding the Daibutsu-den. Follow the signs to the left to enter the inner courtyard; if you happen to have a stick of incense with you, join the crowd around the incense offerings before you head onward.
o The Daibutsu-den (8am-4:30pm Nov-Feb, to 5pm Mar / Oct, 7:30am-5:30pm Apr-Sep; admission ¥500) also contains four other giant statues. Once you've taken in the Daibutsu itself, walk around it to the left to see the other statues, as well as a few old tiles and leftover relics. There's a stand inviting you to sponsor a tile in order to help with the upkeep of the temple, and English-language fortune scrolls (omikuji) are on sale year-round. Take a final look at the Daibutsu as you leave; don't let the souvenir stand be your last memory of this incredible sight.
+ Just before the souvenir area, behind and to the right of the Daibutsu, is a wooden column with a small hole carved through the bottom. Enlightenment is reportedly promised to anyone who can squeeze through this hole. In practice, this means a lot of kids have enlightenment in store (thanks in part to other kids who kick their feet to "help" them through), and all but the skinniest adults can only look on in envy.
+ To the right of the entrance to the Daibutsu-den is a statue of the Yakushi Nyorai. Though a bit scary-looking on first glance, it's actually a Buddha of medicine and healing. Touching a part of the Yakushi Nyorai and then the corresponding part of your own body is said to heal any ailments you have there.
* Kōfuku-ji (興福寺) (9am-5pm; admission to the Eastern Golden Hall ¥500) [3] has a three-story and a five-story pagoda; historically, the latter has contended with Kyoto's Toji for the title of Tallest Pagoda in Japan, although Kofuku-ji seems to have surrendered for now.
o Sarusawa-no-ike (猿沢の池) This small pond at the east end of Sanjō-dōri with Nara Park behind or Naramachi to its south is a very popular viewing spot for Kōfukuji.
* Nara National Museum [4] has one of the world's best collections of Buddhist art and changing exhibitions. The National Treasure Hall has an impressive collection of statues. Entrance fee ¥500.
* Ukimidō (浮見堂) A hexagonal building built on Sagi-ike (鷺池) Pond in Nara Park so that it appears to float on water.
* Kasuga Taisha (春日大社) is worth a visit for the beautiful approach, through the Kasuga-yama Primeval Forest (see below), more than the temple itself. What Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha is for torii, Kasuga Taisha is for stone lanterns. Notice the giant rack of sake barrels near the front gate and the fountain-statue of a giant buck. The temple is occasionally closed for services, but a walk around the outside is likely to be no less rewarding.
* Kasuga-yama Hill Primeval Forest (春日山原生林) is a gorgeous hill and wild, undeveloped forest leading to Kasuga Taisha and some of the other sights in Nara Koen. The path is clearly marked, though, so don't worry about getting lost. It's a magical, quiet walk at any time of day. If you're determined to feed some deer, save your biscuits for the ones out here instead of the loafers by Todai-ji.
* Isui-en Garden (依水園) (9:30AM-4PM, Entrance fee ¥650) [5] is located on the way to Kasuga Taisha Shrine from Kintetsu Nara Station. Enjoy the magnificently arranged garden with full of flowers, surrounded by all the rest of Nara Park.
* Shin-Yakushi-ji (9am-5pm; admission ¥500) can be reached through the forest; follow the signs from Kasuga Taisha. It's a single hall with twelve ferocious warrior statues (each with his own collection plate) standing guard by a Buddha of healing. The statues are quite impressive; this is as well-protected a Buddha as you're likely to find.
[edit] Other sights
* Nara City Museum of Photography is near Shin-Yakushi-ji, a couple blocks outside Nara Park. The steel-and-glass building sits as if reflected upon the linear pond that surrounds it. Inside, there are reasonably interesting exhibits of photography on local subjects like the Mount Wakakusa Fire Festival (see below).
* Yakushi-ji Temple (薬師寺) (9am-5pm; admission ¥500) [6]
* Gangō-ji Temple (元興寺)
* Heijōkyū Palace Site (Nara Palace Site) (平城宮跡)[7] (Suzaku Gate(restored) (朱雀門), Daigoku-den (under restoration) (大極殿))
* Tōshōdai-ji Temple (唐招提寺)
* Nara Century Hall, next to JR Nara station. Events, concerts, and musicals. Sometimes a flea market is held in front of the hall.
[edit] Do
* Naramachi is ten minutes on foot south of Kintetsu Nara station. The neighborhood, originally founded in the 8th Century when Heijōkyō was the capital of Japan, today contains several small museums, machiya (町家) (traditional Japanese merchant houses from Edo Period), unique cafes and restaurants and much more. (David Bowie is rumored to have owned a house here.) It's well worth the time to stop and do a tasting at Harushika (春鹿), Naramachi's fabulous Nihon-shu (sake) brewery.
o A morning walking tour (Naramachi Walker) leaves from the Tourist Information Center on the ground floor of Kintetsu Nara Station at 9:30. It's led by a professional English-speaking local guide. You will see old "machiya" houses and lively local alleys full of interesting sights. This area is not easy to see unless you know where to go. Seeing the area with a local guide is desirable. Tours cost ¥2000( ¥1500 for students, children under 15 free) and are available every Saturday in April-July and Sep-Nov, running from 9:30am to 12:30pm. No reservation required; just meet the guide by 9:25am in front of TIC at Kintetsu Nara Stn. The tour ends near Kasuga Taisha (or Kasuga Grand Shinto Shrine) in Nara Park. URL:http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~naramachiwalk
* Mount Wakakusa Fire Festival (Wakakusa-yamayaki), Nara Park - Wakakusayama. Night before second M on New Year, dry grass on the slopes of this mountain is set on fire by two temples. (Planned on 13 Jan for 2008.)
* Shuni-e (Omizu-tori) (修二会 (お水取り)), Nigatsu-dō of Todai-ji Temple (東大寺二月堂.) At nights every 1-14 Mar. An annual Buddhist memorial service that has been carried out first in 752 AD and continues today without one single break. Priests will run around the Nigatsu-dō carrying 1m large fire torches.
* Nara Tōka-e (なら燈火会) is a light festival held 6-15 Aug every year. 10,000 candles illuminate the area around Nara Park and major temples.
* Deer-horn Cutting Ceremony, at Roku-en (鹿苑) inside Nara Park. Every Oct. The deer have their horns cut to prevent people from being injured.
[edit] Learn
Three organizations offer free tours in English:
* Nara YMCA Goodwill Guides 0742-45-5920 (
eggnaraymca@hotmail.com
) [8]
* Nara Student Guide 0742-26-4753.
* Nara S.G.G. Club 0742-22-5595. [9]
[edit] Work
Nara features the typical range of English conversation schools, including a prominent NOVA near the Kintetsu station.
[edit] Buy
[edit] What to Buy
narazuke (奈良漬). A local specialty pickle made of various vegetables and fruit, traditionally melon cucumber (瓜 uri). The distinctive strong flavor comes from the use of sakekasu, the sediment of sake fermentation, and the pickle also has some residual alcohol. Shops are found on any of the shopping areas listed below.
Handmade writing brushes (fude,筆) and ink (sumi,墨). Nara is famous for its calligraphy brushes called Narafude (奈良筆), which are available in the specialist stores on Sanjō-dōri Avenue. However, as these brushes are made with a special kind of animal hair, they are expensive and rare, and customers will need to make a specific request for them. Other brushes sold in the specialist stores will be less expensive than Narafude, but still generally of reputable quality.
Nara Sarashi (奈良晒), or Nara fabrics, is another traditionally artisanal product of Nara. Originally made of boehmeria variation plants in the older ages, cotton has become the major material since Edo Period, mainly due to availability and cost. Towels, handkerchiefs, blankets, blinds and many other cloth material products can be found in stores located on Mochiidono Shopping street or in Naramachi area.
[edit] Where to Buy (Central City)
* Higashimuki Shopping Street (東向き商店街), a covered shopping arcade of about 250m stretching south from Kintetsu Nara Station, where many souvenir shops as well as restaurants can be found.
Yamazaki-ya (山崎屋) 5 Higashimuki Minamimachi (along the covered Higashimuki Shopping Street) 0742-22-8039. A well-known purveyor of narazuke.
* Mochiidono Shopping Street (もちいどの商店街), another covered arcade further into south, connecting from Higashimuki Shopping Street, is the main street leading to the center of Naramachi.
* Sanjō-dōri Avenue (三条通り), most shops are located within the apporx. 800m zone, between JR Nara Station and sounth end of Higashimuki Shopping Street, of this Avenue. Many souvenir shops, traditional writing brush (fude,筆) and ink (sumi,墨) stores, narazuke stores as well as various bars and restaurants are located on this avenue. Most of the major banks are found on this Avenue, too.
[edit] Shopping Malls
* Nara Family, 3 minutes walk from Yamato-Saidaiji station, [10]. One of the largest shopping malls in Kansai.
[edit] Eat
A local specialty is kaki-no-hazushi (柿の葉ずし), or sushi (usually mackerel and/or salmon) wrapped persimmon leaves, which actually originates from nearby Yoshino. Kudzu from Yoshino too is a very renowned product of Nara, which is used for making various food ranging from kudzu noodles (葛切り kuzu-kiri) to Japanese sweets (和菓子 wagashi). The thin wheat noodles (somen) from Miwa region (三輪そうめん Miwa sōmen) has a long history as old as Nara; the noodles are served either hot or cold.
* Sanshū-tei (三秀亭) (in the Isui-en Garden, 依水園) is worth a visit more for the attractive old house and garden than the menu, which consists of two very traditional dishes: mugi tororo (plain rice with ground yam, ¥1200), and unagi tororo (the same with grilled eel, ¥2500). Open 11:30AM-1:30PM only, daily except Tuesday.
* Hiraso (平宗), 30-1 Imamikadocho (south of Sarusawa Pond), 0742-22-3900 10AM-8PM Closed on M. [11] (Japanese only) A nice sampling of local foods such as kakinohazushi and chagayu ("tea gruel", but it tastes better than it sounds) are included in dinner sets miyoshino and heijou, around ¥2500. English picture menu available.
* Udon-tei (うどん亭), 6 Higashimuki-Nakamachi (inside Higashimuki Shopping Street arcade), 0742-23-5471 Daily 11AM-8:30PM. Served udon (thick wheat noodles) in various ways, hot or cold, plain or with tempura, etc, mostly less than ¥1000. Always fully packed with local people at lunch times. Suitable for time-savers and relatively small appetites. Sample display at front of entrance.
* Okaru (おかる), 13 Higashimuki-Minamimachi (inside Higashimuki Shopping Street arcade), 0742-24-3686 11AM-9PM Closed on W except if Holiday. A restaurant specialized in okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), the pan-fried cabbage cake with selection of meat. Okonomiyaki is definitely shortlisted on Kansai people's most beloved dishes. ¥530-1400. English menu available. Samples displayed at front.
* Yatagarasu (やたがらす), 13-1 Hayashi-kōji-cho, 0742-20-0808. Daily 5PM-0AM. Fresh poultry from local farms cooked and served in many different ways (eg. grilled, fried, even raw) with a variety of either local or other regional sake available. Budget around ¥2500 depending on your appetite.
* Nara Shōya (奈良庄屋), 48-5 Takama-cho (Keiwa building B1F), 0742-24-2151. Daily 11:30AM-2PM, 4:30PM-11PM. A branch of large chain pub restaurant with traditional food like raw fish (さしみ sashimi), sushi, tempura, yakitori available. Though little (except for sake) is Nara local, quality of food is excellent for a chain type of restaurant. The restaurant is always filled with a dynamic, yet agreeable mood.
[edit] Take-out
Alternatively, you can take out kaki-no-hazushi, which is actually very popular for domestic travellers. There are three kaki-no-hazushi stores that can be easily spotted around Kintetsu Nara Station. Packages of various size and combination are available.
* Hiraso (the same brand as mentioned above), close to the north entrance of Higashimuki Shopping arcade, next to a bakery called Douce.
* Nakatani Honpo (中谷本舗), inside the Kintetsu Station concourse.
* Honpo Tanaka (本舗たなか), in front of Bus terminal & Taxi zone above Kintetsu Nara Station.
Otherwise, a take-out sushi store, again in the Kintetsu Nara Station concourse named Maruchū (丸忠) has a selection of prepared packages ranging ¥400-1000 with good quality.
Another well-known culinary product is shika-senbei, a rice cracker sold around Nara Park. Don't try eating it yourself though — it's meant for the deer!
Note that closing times are generally as early as 10 PM in Nara.
[edit] Drink
Yamato-cha (大和茶) is the locally produced Japanese green tea which is healthy and tasty. There are also numerous sake brands, among which is Harushika brand, produced by one of the oldest existing sake breweries in Japan.
* Kuramoto Hoshuku (蔵元 豊祝), 28 Higashimuki (Nara Kintetsu building B1F / in the Kintetsu Nara Station concourse), 0742-26-2625. Daily 11:30AM-2PM, 4PM-9PM. Directly operated by a local brewery Nara Toyosawa. "Sake testing Set" (利き酒セット kikizake-set), including three small glasses of different homebrew sake by the brewery at ¥350. "Hoshuku Set" is a mini combi set with either a glass of Hoshuku brand sake or beer plus small snack dishes at ¥500. A popular drop-by place for people commuting back home on Kintetsu lines.
[edit] Sleep
[edit] Budget
* Ryokan Seikansō (静観荘), 29 Higashi-Kitsuji-cho (15 minutes south of Nara Kintetsu station, along Mochiidono Street), 0742-22-2670 (fax 0742-22-2670 ,
seikanso@chive.ocn.ne.jp
). Tatami mats, classical architecture, and a well-kept inner garden feature in this traōditional ryokan. The rooms are showing their age, but each features a samovar for tea and a small room with a table overlooking the garden. The shared bathrooms have been recently remodeled. Japanese/Western breakfast for ¥700/450 is served in the tatami dinning room. The manager speaks limited (but sufficient) English. ¥4200/person.
* Ryokan Matsumae, 28-1 Higashi-Terabayashi-cho, Nara, Nara Pref. 630-8362, ☎ 0742-22-3686 (
hanami626@yahoo.co.jp
, fax: 0742-26-3927), [12]. Located off Sanjo-dori, close to Sarusawa Pond and Gango-ji, about 7 minutes from Kintetsu Nara station or 15 minutes from JR Nara. The owners profess to be "familiar with Buddha statue carving" and calligraphy. ¥5250-5750 1 person without/with bath, ¥8820-9450 2 people, ¥13,230-14,175 3 people.
[edit] Mid-range
* Hotel Fujita Nara (ホテルフジタ奈良),47-1 Shimosanjō-cho (on Sanjō Avenue), 0742-23-8111 (fax 0742-22-0255)[13] A modern western style hotel, very conveniently located in the middle of JR and Kintetsu Nara stations. ¥7500-18000/room (wide variety of reservation/price plans available)
* Nara Washington Hotel Fujita Nara (奈良ワシントンホテルプラザ),31-1 Shimosanjō-cho (on Sanjō Avenue), 0742-27-0410 (fax 0742-27-0484)[14](Japanese only) A nationwide chain hotel of modern western style. Convenient location. All rooms equipped with free Internet access. ¥6900-16500/room
* Tempyō Ryokan (天平旅館), 9 Higashimuki-Nakamachi (situated inside the Higashimuki Shopping Street arcade) 0742-22-0551 (fax 0742-22-0553) [15](Japanese only) Budget type accomodation with both Japanese and western style rooms available. ¥6500-8000/person
[edit] Splurge
* Kikusuirō (菊水楼), 1130 Takabatake-cho, 0742-23-2001 (fax 0742-26-0025) Typical Japanese-style deluxe ryokan inn. ¥+/-40000/person depending on days and season.
* Nara Hotel (奈良ホテル), 1096 Takabatake-cho, 0742-26-3300 (fax 0742-23-5252)[16] Classic westernized style hotel of de luxe class, since 1909. ¥12000-90000/room.
* Hotel Nikko Nara 8-1 Sanjō-Hommachi (close to JR Nara Station) 0742-35-8831 (fax 0742-35-6868)[17] A JAL (Japan Airlines) group chain hotel. ¥10500-27000/room
[edit] Contact
Tourist information centers operate in Nara:
* Nara City Tourist Information Center (on Sanjo-dori) 0742-22-3900. 9 AM to 9 PM
* JR Nara Station 0742-22-9821. 9 AM to 5 PM.
* Kintetsu Nara Station 0742-24-4858. 9 AM to 5 PM.
* Sarusawa Pond 0742-26-1991. 9 AM to 5 PM.
[edit] Cope
[edit] Stay safe
The deer in Nara Park tend to be friendly and perhaps overly eager to eat shika-senbei (¥150) biscuits from the hands of tourists. Small children may be frightened to have the suddenly manic deer coming after them, so it may be best to feed the deer yourself and let the kids watch. While in the Kasuga-yama forest, steer clear of any deer which still have their antlers. They can be aggressive and their antlers can injure you.
If you are allergic to pollen, beware: the heaviest cedar pollen fluctuation in this area is usually from mid-February to April.
[edit] Get out
As the center of a plain dense with history, Nara makes a good hub for exploring the vicinity.
* Hōryūji (法隆寺) — A World Heritage site with an ancient temple complex housing some of the oldest existing wooden buildings in the world
* Kashihara (橿原) — the site of Japan's capital city, Fujiwarakyo (藤原京), before Nara.
* Imai (今井町) — part of contemporary Kashihara City, preserving full of old merchant houses dating back from Edo period.
* Asuka (飛鳥) — the homeground of Japan's earliest historical capital city, Asukakyo (飛鳥京)
* Yoshino (吉野) — the mountain area which comprises a part of another UNESCO World Heritage, and possibly Japan's most famous cherry blossom viewing spots
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on April 1, 2008
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Descripcion
Hiroshima
,
Japan
Hiroshima (広島) [1] is an industrial city of wide boulevards, criss-crossing rivers and a dense city center. It is located along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in the western Chugoku region of Japan. Although many only know it for the horrific split second on August 6, 1945, when it became the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack, it is now a modern, cosmopolitan city with a lot of great food and nightlife.
[edit] Understand
Those expecting to step off the Shinkansen into a pile of smouldering rubble may be in for a surprise, as Hiroshima has all the ferroconcrete and blinking neon of any other modern Japanese city and a population of more than 1,100,000 people. It is the financial center of the Chugoku region and most of west Japan. Automobiles are a major local industry, with Mazda's corporate headquarters nearby. There is also a busy naval port, Ujina.
Hiroshima was founded in 1589 on the delta formed by the Ota River, flowing out to the Seto Inland Sea. It became a major industrial center and one of Japan's larger cities in the Meiji period. During World War II, the Japanese military used Hiroshima as a communications and supply center, taking advantage of its position on the Inland Sea. It was left largely untouched by aerial bombing campaigns before the atomic bomb was dropped. It is estimated that 140,000 people were killed in the explosion and its aftermath. The survivors, known as hibakusha, were subjected not only to radiation-related diseases but severe discrimination from other Japanese, but have since been at the forefront of Japan's post-war pacifism and its campaign against the use of nuclear weapons.
Many visitors, especially Americans, may feel apprehensive about visiting Hiroshima. It's a friendly, welcoming city, however, as interested in Western culture as anywhere else in Japan, and the exhibits related to the atomic bomb are not concerned with blame or accusations. Tourists are welcomed with open arms. Bear in mind, though, that many of the hibakusha still live in Hiroshima. Even many young people may have personal ties to family members who lived through the atomic blast. As such, the average Hiroshima resident isn't likely to relish talking about it, although you needn't shy away from the topic if one of the chatty fellows around the Peace Memorial Park brings it up.
[edit] Orientation
JR Hiroshima Station is a 15 minute walk from the city center. If you arrive by Shinkansen, you will be at the back of the station, facing a silver Peace Pagoda on the top of Ushita-yama. If you cross under or through the station to the main side, you will see the taxis, trams and buses that lead to the city center. The front of the station also has the main tourist information office. If you feel like walking from the station, cross the river in front of the station and take the first right along the main road. You will be in the city center in less than 15 minutes.
Other visitors may arrive at the Hiroshima Bus Center (広島バスセンター), which is right in the center of the city, inside the Sogo department store. Hondori, a long covered shopping street, is a good landmark to use to orient yourself, and most sites are within walking distance from there. The Peace Park (平和公園 Heiwa Koen)is in the city center. Most trams and buses from the train station run past or close to the Peace Park. Across from Peace Park is the current Hiroshima Carp baseball stadium. Also just north of the city center is Hiroshima Rijo Castle (広島城)a rebuilt version of the original, but beautiful and a great place to relax or stroll. Across the street from the castle is Chuo Park (中央公園 Chuo-koen), where you can find groups picnicking and exercising in the biggest open space in the city.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) connects to domestic destinations in Japan. Both ANA and JAL offer flights from Tokyo Haneda and Sapporo Chitose airports. ANA also offers flights from Tokyo Narita, Sendai and Okinawa. There are also international flights to and from Bali, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei. Bangkok Airways also (since 2006) flies directly to Hiroshima from Bangkok.
Buses connect the airport to Hiroshima station (50 minutes, ¥1300).
[edit] By train
Hiroshima is a major station on the Sanyo Shinkansen line. It is 40 minutes away from Okayama (¥5860 by Nozomi) and 90 minutes from Shin-Osaka (¥9950 by Nozomi). Regular local and rapid trains on the Sanyo Line reach Hiroshima in as little as 6 hours (¥5460).
From Tokyo it is four hours via Nozomi; five hours via Hikari (change trains once at Shin-Osaka or Okayama). Be very careful about taking a Kodama for the last leg of the journey; Hikari and Kodama services are valid under the Japan Rail Pass, but the all-stations Kodama service will add up to two hours to your trip.
Cheaper but slower local services radiate out to other cities in the region.
The Hayabusa overnight sleeper train leaves Tokyo daily at 6 PM, arriving in Hiroshima at around 5:20 the next morning. A later alternative from Tokyo is to take the 10 PM Sunrise Izumo/Seto train to Okayama, then take the San'yo Shinkansen to Hiroshima, arriving around 7:30 the next day.
[edit] By bus
The New Breeze overnight bus runs from Tokyo to Hiroshima. There are two nightly departures in each direction: From Tokyo, departing at 20:00 and 21:00, with both buses arriving in Hiroshima at 8:00 the next day. From Hiroshima, departing at 19:00 and 20:00, with both buses arriving in Tokyo at 7:00 the next day. The trip costs ¥11600 one way, ¥21200 round trip.
Daytime express buses run from Osaka to Hiroshima. There are five departures daily, and the travel time is five hours each way. It costs ¥5000 one way, ¥9000 round trip.
There are also overnight buses from Osaka: The Sanyo Dream Hiroshima from Osaka Station and the Venus from the Namba bus terminal. Both buses take between 6 and 7 1/2 hours to make their journeys, and cost ¥5700 one way, ¥11000 round trip.
There are also two daily buses, and one overnight bus, from Kyoto. The daytime buses take 5 1/2 hours (¥5500 one way, ¥10000 round trip) and the overnight bus takes 6 hours (¥6300 one way, ¥11400 round trip).
Daytime buses also run from cities such as Okayama, Fukuyama, Takamatsu and Fukuoka.
[edit] By ferry
Ferries run from Hiroshima's Ujina Port, which also serves as terminus for several tram lines. Ishizaki Ferry operates daily boat service to Matsuyama in Shikoku, with some boats stopping in Kure (呉). The ride takes 70-80 minutes to reach Matsuyama and costs ¥6300 each way. Slower ferries depart on different schedules and arrive in about 2 1/2 hours at a cost of only ¥2700 each way.
[edit] Get around
[edit] By tram
Hiroshima city tram
Hiroshima city tram
Hiroshima is the last major city in Japan with an extensive tram (streetcar) network, Hiroden (広電). It's a slow but reliable way of getting around. The trams themselves are a mix of old rattle-traps and new "Green Movers", although both run on the same lines for the same fares. There's no difference other than the smoothness of the ride. (During the summer, open-air trams are an extremely rare but occasional sight.) Most lines start or finish at JR Hiroshima Station, and they run frequently during daytime and evening hours. Trips within the city are a flat ¥150, while trundling out all the way to Miyajima will set you back ¥280. One-day passes are available for ¥600 (¥300 children), or ¥840 (¥420 children) including the ferry to Miyajima.
[edit] By bus
Bus lines run through Hiroshima and out to the suburbs. Generally speaking, these serve areas more likely to be used by locals than visitors, but bus #30 does run to the Hiroshima Youth Hostel. Signs include English, and the bus depot is next to the tram depot in front of JR Hiroshima Station.
[edit] By sightseeing bus
Sightseeing buses run to a few of the major sights from JR Hiroshima Station at 9am, 10am and 1pm. Look for the bus stops and route maps on the shinkansen side of the station, near the Hotel Granvia.
[edit] By metro
The modern (if strangely named) Astram links the city center with its northern suburbs. It is useful if you want to visit the Hiroshima Asa Zoo, or watch a professional San Frecce J-League soccer game at the Big Arch stadium.
[edit] By bike
If you want to cycle around Hiroshima, walk left along the main street in front of the station for 5 minutes to the Nippon car rental shop, where you can rent bicycles for the day. Hiroshima is a great city for cycling. The paths along the many branches of the Otagawa River offer a much more enjoyable ride than the sidewalks. To their credit, though, most of the streets and sidewalks in Hiroshima are wider and less crowded than ones in Tokyo or Kyoto, so you'll at least have a bit more room to maneuver.
[edit] See
[edit] Atomic bombing
A-Bomb Dome
A-Bomb Dome
The following memorials related to the bombing are all clustered in Peace Memorial Park (平和公園 Heiwa-kōen), reachable by tram line 2 or 6 to Genbaku Domu-mae. Coming from JR Hiroshima Station, you'll see the Peace Park on your left and the baseball stadium on your right, just before crossing the Aioi Bridge - which was thought to be the target of the atomic bomb.
The International Exchange Office (Tel. 082-247-9715. Open 9am - 7pm May-Nov., 10am - 6pm Dec. - Apr.) near the center of the Peace Park can provide English-language information about any of the many statues and memorials that are dotted throughout the park.
Kannon statue draped with origami cranes, Peace Memorial Park
Kannon statue draped with origami cranes, Peace Memorial Park
* Hiroshima Peace Memorial. Better known as the A-Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム Genbaku Dōmu) is Hiroshima's best-known symbol. Formerly the Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall, it was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel and completed in 1915. The fanciful green dome in particular made the building a much-loved symbol in Hiroshima before the war. When the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, the explosion is thought to have taken place almost directly above the building. Its skeletal remains were among the few buildings left standing in the entire city. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 amid some controversy - the United States and China both voted against the nomination for reasons related to the war, and some Japanese continue to find it a disturbing sight. It has become a symbol of the city once again, though, and the benches around the building are as likely to be occupied by Hiroshima natives reading, eating lunch or simply relaxing as they are by tourists.
* Peace Memorial Museum (平和記念資料館 Heiwa Kinen Shiryōkan) (March - Nov. 8:30am to 6pm, Dec. - Feb. to 5pm, Aug. to 7pm. Closed 12/29 - 1/1) [2]. This heart-wrenching museum documents the bomb and its aftermath, complete with scale models of "before" and "after", melted children's tricycles and a harrowing recreation of a post-blast Hiroshima street. The first floor describes the events leading up to the bomb and attempts to give a sense of what Hiroshima was like before the war. The second floor contains a number of displays and artifacts related to the day of the bombing. Some of these are extremely graphic, evocative and - consequently - disturbing. The rest of the museum describes the post-war struggles of the hibakusha (bomb survivors) and the state of nuclear weapons in the world today. Entry costs a token ¥50, and audio guides are available for an additional donation. Be warned: a visit here, while by all means worthwhile, will ruin your day. Allow plenty of time afterward to decompress. Shukkeien (below) is a good destination for that purpose.
* The Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims is a saddle-shaped concrete memorial containing the names of persons who died from the bombing, "regardless of nationality". Under the arch is a flame which, it is said, will not be extinguished until the last nuclear weapons are gone from the earth. Beyond the cenotaph is a pond leading toward the A-Bomb Dome.
* Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (March - July, Sep. - Nov. 8:30am - 6pm, Aug. to 7pm, Dec. - Feb. to 5pm. Closed 12/29 - 1/1. Admission free) [3]. Next to the Cenotaph, this museum is dedicated collecting names and photographs of people who died in the blast. The entrance of the museum leads downward to a quiet hall for contemplation, and then back up again, to a set of kiosks with compelling stories and recollections from survivors (in English and Japanese).
* Statue of the A-Bomb Children. Perennially draped in thousands and thousands of origami paper cranes, folded by schoolchildren across Japan in memory of bomb victim Sadako Sasaki. Dying of leukemia in 1954, she was told an old folk tale according to which anybody who folds over 1000 cranes will have her wish come true; she managed 642 before her death in 1955 at the age of twelve.
[edit] Gardens and castles
Bridges in Shukkeien
Bridges in Shukkeien
* Shukkeien (縮景園). While not officially one of Japan's Top 3, this is a compact and beautifully landscaped Japanese garden well worth a visit. Despite more and more high-rises peeping over the trees recently, it can feel like an entirely different world. Little paths crossing ponds on bridges and winding their way around graceful teahouses and waterfalls. Open daily 9 AM to 6 PM, entry ¥250. Get there on tram line 9, stop Shukkeien-mae. It's behind the Prefectural Art Museum, and combined admission tickets are available. The garden is especially pretty in spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, in the fall with the Koyo, vibrant colors of the fall leaves, and in winter when the park is covered in a light dusting of snow.
* Hiroshima Castle (広島城 Hiroshima-Rijō). The castle is a fun place to walk around or jog around- there is a 1.5km running path that circles the castle grounds outside the moat. There is a small kids playpark on one side and its a nice place to sit and relax for a while. Kids have fun spotting the fish that swim in the moat as well as turtles. It's just across the street from Chuo Park. The grounds of the castle and the banks of the moat are great places to view the 350 or so cherry trees that come into bloom in early April. The castle museum is a ferroconcrete reconstruction of the 16th century, 5-story Donjon, well worth a look if you are interested in a bit of culture. There are amazing relics and armor to see (and try on!) as well as informative displays about the history of the castle and the city. The view from the top is worth the entrance fee all by itself.
o The castle grounds also house a monument to Chinese workers killed by the atomic bomb, which was not allowed into the Memorial Park for political reasons.
* Hijiyama-koen is a huge park to the south of JR Hiroshima Station, between two branches of the river. (Follow Ekimae-dori from the station to the southeast, and you'll walk directly into it.) There are the usual areas for sitting in the sun (and rather a lot of stray cats), but much of the park remains refreshingly undeveloped forest land. The Museum of Contemporary Art and the Manga Museum are within the grounds of the park, as is a futuristic long tunnel / escalator to the SATY grocery store / shopping mall / movie theater. One of the very few remaining structures from before the atomic bomb is also on the outskirts of the park. Walk up toward the park on the street branching off from the Hijiyamashita tram stop. You'll see a temple on your left. Just past the temple is a set of stone steps heading back toward the tram stop. At the top of the steps is a small house and an explanatory plaque. (Notice the vane at the top of the house, warped from the heat of the bomb.) Please note that while visitors are welcome in the front yard, the rest of the area is private property, including the house itself.
[edit] Other museums
* The Hiroshima Museum of Art (3-2 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Tel. 082-223-2530. Open 9am - 5pm, closed 12/29 - 1/2; admission ¥1200 adults, ¥900 high school students, ¥500 junior high and elementary school students) [4] was established by the Hiroshima Bank in 1978. The permanent collection covers European art from late Romanticism to early Picasso, including a couple of Japanese painters who painted in Western styles. It's a ruthlessly stratified selection: at least one painting by every Famous Artist of the period, but no major works by any of them. It's on the other side of Jonan-dori from Hiroshima Castle. Take tram lines 1, 2 or 6 to Kamiya-cho (a big intersection just before the Peace Park) and walk two minutes north. It's included in the route of the sightseeing buses that leave from JR Hiroshima Station.
* The Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art (2-22 Kaminobori-cho, Naka-ku, Tel. 082-221-6246. Open 9am - 5pm, until 7pm on Saturday, closed Sunday and 12/25 - 1/1. Admission ¥500, ¥300 for college students, children free) [5] has a good permanent collection of modern European art, including major works by Dali and Magritte, and a a few modern Japanese artists as well. Special exhibitions are of a generally high quality, ranging from Persian carpets to The Legend of Ultraman. It's located in front of Shukkeien, east of Hiroshima Castle, a couple blocks north of Jonan-dori and Hakushima-dori.
* The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art (1-1 Hijiyama-Koen, Minami-Ku, Tel. 082-264-1121. Open 10am - 5pm, closed Mondays, national holidays, Tuesdays after national holidays that fall on a Monday, August 6th, and 12/29 - 1/3. Admission ¥360 for adults, ¥270 for college students and ¥170 for other students; free November 3rd) [6] is probably the most worthy of a visit among Hiroshima's three art museums. There are a few famous Western names in its collection, including Andy Warhol and Frank Stella, but the real emphasis is on interesting modern Japanese artists working in their own styles, and the exhibition designers make creative use of the museum space. Special exhibitions cost extra. There is a sculpture garden outside that can be visited for free, and a decent city-view from the plaza near the museum's front steps. (Head past the giant sloping gate-sculpture.) See the directions to Hijiyama-koen above.
* The Manga Library / Museum is around the corner from the Museum of Contemporary Art.
* Mazda Museum (Mukainada-cho Shinchi 3-1, Tel. 082-252-5050) [7]. Mazda's corporate headquarters are a short distance outside of Hiroshima. They offer free tours every weekday at 9:30am and 1:00pm in Japanese, and 1:00pm in English. The tour is a must for any automobile fan. Space is limited, and they ask that you call first to make a reservation. If you have any serious technical questions then you should go on the Japanese tour and bring along your own interpreter. The English tour guides are not very knowledgeable. The tour will begin with a historical view of the Mazda company from its early days making three-wheeled trucks and cork, to the present day Renesis Wankel Rotary Engine. Highlights include the Mazda Cosmos (the world's first Rotary Engine car) and the 4-Rotor Mazda 787B, which is the only Japanese car to win at Le Mans. From there you will be taken to see how the design and build process works at their Ujina plant, and you will be taken onto the actual assembly line to see the latest Mazda vehicles being made. The tour concludes with a view of Mazda's attempts to make Hydrogen fueled cars and some of their concept vehicles. Take the San-yo line two stops east to JR Mukainada, head two blocks south, turn right and cross the street.
* Hiroshima's Transportation Museum. Located on the outskirts of the city, the transportation museum has many exhibits and interactive games. Outside, behind the museum, they have a track with many different, odd, funny and interesting kinds of bicycles to ride. It's great fun for children.
* Hiroshima Children's Museum and Library. Also a must-see for kids, with a planetarium on the top floor and full of fun scientific games for kids to play and learn from.
[edit] Do
* Hiroshima Family Pool. Open from July 1st-August 31st every year, this huge open-air pool is a popular place for kids and families to beat the heat. It becomes an ice-skating rink in the winter. Skates are available for rental, although they're pretty beat-up.
* Hiroshima Carp Professional Baseball. Hiroshima's entry in Japanese professional baseball, the much-beloved and bemoaned Carp play in a stadium across the street from the Peace Memorial Park. A new stadium is being built outside the city center for use in a couple seasons. While the team doesn't win much, the enthusiasm of the fans can hardly be faulted, and Hiroshima is as good a place as any to witness the fervor of Japanese baseball fandom. Get a seat in the bleachers, though, ideally on the right-field side - that's where the drums, chants and excitement are. (The reserved seats are oddly tame by comparison, and the left-field bleachers put you close to the area set aside for the fans of the visiting team.) Bleacher seats are ¥1500 and can usually be bought on the day of the game.
[edit] Learn
* Hiroshima International Center. Tel. 082-541-3777. In the Crystal Plaza building on the corner of Heiwa Odori (Peace Boulevard) opposite the Hokke Club Hotel. You can get free Japanese language and culture lessons here.
[edit] Work
Hiroshima features the standard array of English teaching opportunities, from JET (Japanese Exchange Teaching) to branches of the major eikaiwa like NOVA, Geos, AEON and ECC. Companies in the Hiroshima area hire contract workers from Southeast Asian and South Pacific nations for industries like ship-building, notably in Kure, a short distance from Hiroshima. Some non-Japanese work legally or under-the-radar as bartenders or sell jewelry in Nagarekawa.
[edit] Buy
The city center is packed with shopping areas. Across the street from JR Hiroshima Station is Fukuya, which has a good selection of English language fiction and travel books on the tenth floor. DeoDeo and Best / Yamada Denki are the major electronics stores. There's a towering Denki to your left as you exit JR Hiroshima Station, and a big DeoDeo on Aioi-dori close to the Peace Park.
Hiroshima has a few major department stores, including the aforementioned Fukuya and SOGO, which also has a good foreign language book section (6th floor), across the street from the Peace Park. For the latest in Japanese teen fashion, though, PARCO is the place to look. It's in a towering concrete block - just look up - on Hachobori and Hon-dori. Club Quattro is on the top floor of PARCO, and it plays host to most touring bands that deign to visit Hiroshima. The covered shopping streets of Hon-dori (本通り)have plenty of small shops for all purposes, especially clothing. SunMall, at the far end of Hon-dori, has CDs and Uniqlo, which has good, cheap clothing with larger sizes than most Japanese stores.
A tip for souvenir hunters on a tight budget: check out the fourth floor of the DeoDeo just off Hon-dori, next to the old Hiroshima Bank building. There is a 100 yen shop with an improbably excellent selection of distinctively Japanese souvenirs: pottery, sake sets, art, statuettes, signs and cheap ukiyo-e. It's on the left side of the store. Remember, nobody at home knows you only paid 100 yen for it!
[edit] Eat
Hiroshima is famous for its style of okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), which literally means "cook it as you like it". Often (and somewhat misleadingly) called "Japanese pizza", this is essentially a type of savoury pancake made with egg, cabbage, soba noodles and meat (or fish). It is grilled in layers on a hot plate in front of you and slathered liberally with okonomiyaki sauce and options that can include mayonnaise, pickled ginger and seaweed. It sounds and looks like a mess, but can be very tasty and filling if done well. Hiroshima style and Osaka style are the two competing types of okonomiyaki, and if you raise the subject of okonomiyaki with a local, be ready to state your preference between the two.
Hiroshima is also famous for its oysters and a maple-leaf-shaped pastry called momiji manjū (もみじ饅頭). Momiji is the leaf of a Japanese maple tree. Momiji manjū are available with a variety of fillings, including the more traditional anko (あんこ) or red bean and matcha (抹茶) or green tea. It's also available in cream cheese, custard, apple and chocolate flavors. Momiji manjū are considered the quintessential Hiroshima souvenir.
Hiroshima also has a lot of great Japanese and international restaurants, so you'll be able to find pretty much any kind of food you want in the city. If you're pressed for time on your way out of town, the sixth floor of JR Hiroshima Station has several restaurants, including STEP, a decent okonomiyaki joint with English menus. (There's also a McDonald's on the first floor of the tram side, and on the second floor of the shinkansen side.)
[edit] Budget
* Bikkuri Ramen (びっくりラーメン). The cheapest eats in town, at ¥180 for a, well, decent bowl of ramen. Take the price to ¥367 for six gyoza, or ¥598 to add a bowl of rice and some kara-age (fried chicken). There are two shops within a block of JR Hiroshima station, and a couple more near Hon-dori - look for the red and yellow '180' sign.
* Grazie Gardens (グラジエ ガーデンズ). A cheap and tasty Italian on Hondori near Parco department store. It's above a shop called Ships.
* Okonomi-mura (お好み村). 3-3 Nakamachi, Naka-ku. A two-story building packed with no less than 27 okonomiyaki shops. It's right behind PARCO, with a distinctive 'Okonomi-mura' arch out front. They all serve okonomiyaki, and they'll all start clamoring for your business as soon as you walk through the door. Figure on ¥1000 for a meal.
* Okonomi Monogatari Ekimae-Hiroba (お好み物語 駅前広場). Another okonomiyaki village, with almost twenty shops sharing the same floor, in a vaguely Edo-ish atmosphere. This one is across the street from JR Hiroshima station, next to the Fukuya department store and across from the central post office, on the 6th floor. (You'll see a banner sign outside.) Meals run about ¥900.
[edit] Mid-range
* Nanak, 2-2 Fukuromachi, Naka-ku, ☎ 082-243-7900. 10am-3pm, 5pm-10pm. Probably the biggest of Hiroshima's many good Indian restaurants. Individual sets are available, but ordering as a group is the best value. It's easily recognized by the uniformed fellow in the window booth facing the street, hard at work on the day's curry and oblivious to the passersby. English menus are available. Lunch sets from ¥700, dinner from ¥2300.
* Nono Budo, in the Sogo-Pacela Credo building. An all non-smoking, healthy "viking" buffet style Japanese restaurant in Pacela offering a ¥1575 for lunch (¥2100 for dinner) all you can eat & drink deal (no alcohol). A great selection of juices, teas, and coffees. If you want nomihōdai (飲み放題)(all you can drink) for alcohol, add on another 1900 yen. The menu offers a wide selection of curries, tempura, and other Japanese dishes, some made with organic products, most foods are made with ingredients from in and around Hiroshima.
* Roopali, Hiroshima-city, Higashi-ku, Wakakusacho 14-32, ☎ 082-264-1333. 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm; Sundays 11:30am-9:30pm. The best food in the under-developed area on the shinkansen side of JR Hiroshima station - coming out of the gates, head up to the main street and turn right. It's about a block away. A wide range of curries are on offer, and there is plenty to eat for vegetarians. The thali sets are good and filling. Comprehensive English menus are available, and it's kid-friendly to boot. If you're just arriving in Hiroshima on an empty stomach, you can't get much better than this. Sets from ¥2000.
* Spicy Bar Lal's, Hiroshima-shi, Naka-ku, Tatemachi 5-12, ☎ 082-504-6328. 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm. Indian and Nepali cuisine, with several good course dinners for individuals and pairs. Befitting the name, they're specific about their spiciness: you can choose a strength from 1-100. Basic English menus are available. It's just off Hon-dori, near the post office. Lunch sets from ¥880, dinner sets from ¥2100.
[edit] Splurge
* Floating Oyster Boat, Kanawa. Hiroshima is famous for oysters and this high class floating restaurant offers the highest quality oysters and seafood all year round. Wait staff serve in Kimonos and the view is romantic and relaxing. Located just across Peace Boulevard, South of Peace Park. Expect to pay ¥7,000-¥15,000 per person not including drinks.
* Shabuchin Shabu Shabu dip fresh meat and vegetables in a hot sauce to lightly cook it before dipping it in a savory sauce to eat. Small, friendly, family run shabu shabu restaurant in fashionable Jizo-dori. They make their own sauces and all the ingredients are of high quality and superfresh. Expect to pay from ¥3,000-¥5,000 per person including drinks.
* Sumojaya Takabayama Chanko Nabe- the food of sumo wrestlers is a filling, fun and healthy dish for anyone to enjoy, especially on colder days. Expect to pay ¥4,000-¥8,000 per person including drinks. Much cheaper lunch deals available.
[edit] Drink
Nagarekawa hosts the highest concentration of bars in Hiroshima, but there are a host of quiet wine bars on Hakushima-dori, and plenty of foreigner-friendly pubs around the giant PARCO building. Yagenbori-dori street is full of bars and clubs that are spread across all the floors of the high-rise buildings along the street.
* Kulcha is a popular bar just off Hondori. If you're walking towards Parco from Rijo-dori, take a right at Andersens. Walk one block down (past Daiei supermarket) and turn left. The bar is on the right. It's frequented mainly by foreign teachers and tourists and is known for its monthly theme parties and televised rugby and soccer games.
* Mac Bar is another bar worth visiting. The bar owner is chatty and has a substantial collection of rock CDs. He's only happy to take requests. Mac Bar is located in the Nagarekawa district, so be careful going there alone.
* Molly Malone's is another popular foreigner hang-out on Chuo-dori, across the street from PARCO. (Look for the giant orange neon .AU sign - that's the view from the windows inside the bar.) Rugby and soccer games are also shown here. It has a good menu of pub food, desserts and imported beer.
Saijo, in Higashi-Hiroshima, is famous for its sake and the annual Sake Festival in October. For a small admission fee, attendees can drink their fill of sake from local breweries. In short order, the festival area turns into a wild (yet reasonably well-behaved) display of public drunkenness involving people of all ages. Outside the festival area, tours of sake breweries are also available. Box-like wooden sake cups are available as souvenirs for your visit.
[edit] Sleep
[edit] Budget
* Business Ryokan Sansui, 4-16 Koami-cho Naka-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshime Pref. 730-0855, ☎ 082-293-9051 (
sansui@ccv.ne.jp
, fax: 082-233-2377). Located a fair hike from JR Hiroshima Station but only a few minutes away from the Peace Park. The owners ask for reservations to be made three weeks in advance. Take tram 2 or 3 to the Koami-cho stop. ¥4200 single, ¥7500 double, ¥10,500 triple.
* Capsule Inn Hiroshima (カプセルイン広島), Yagenbori 4-6, ☎ 082-248-0101. Available only for male visitors. In the Shintechi Entertainment District, halfway between JR Hiroshima station and the Peace Memorial Park; on Aioi-dori, after M5 Kanayama-cho tram stop, turn left at the corner with a post office. Enter the sixth small street on the left. (There are actually two hotels on the both sides of the street.) Has a decent sento (hot bath) for guests. While many sento disallow tattooed guests, this one is fine with them. ¥2300 per capsule, ¥100 per hour for checking in early, and another ¥100 to put your passport/valuables in the safety deposit box behind the front desk.
* Hiroshima Youth Hostel, ☎ 082-221-5343, [8]. About the cheapest accommodation available in Hiroshima; the rate includes sheet and air conditioning charge. Off the beaten path, but well worth the savings. They do lock the doors at midnight, though. Take Bus #30 from JR Hiroshima Station. ¥2000 per night.
* Mikawa Ryokan, 9-6 Kyobashi-cho, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Pref. 732-0828, ☎ 082-261-2719 (fax: 082-263-2706). About 7 minutes from JR Hiroshima Station. Has a dodgy claim to the title of "ryokan", but it's cheap. ¥3675 single, ¥6300 double, ¥9450 triple.
* Minshuku Ikedaya, 6-36 Dobashi-cho, Naka-ku, ☎ 082-231-3329. The rooms at this minshuku are clean, bright, and pleasant. The staff speak enough English to get you checked in, although you may not see a trace of them afterward. Take tram lines 2 or 6 to the Dobashi stop and walk about two minutes; look for the "Ikedaya" signs outside. Single rooms with/without bath from ¥4200 to ¥5775; double rooms from ¥7350 to ¥9450.
[edit] Mid-range
* Comfort Hotel Hiroshima (コンフォートホテル広島), 3-17 Komachi. Conveniently located near the Peace Park and opposite the Chuden-mae tram stop.
* Dormy Inn. Centrally located along Heiwa Odori, this is a comfortable and friendly full-service hotel with Western rooms, free laundry facilities (with soap) and a great Japanese style sento bath for guests to enjoy any time of day.
* Hiroshima Grand Intelligent Hotel, 1-4 Kyobashi-cho Minami-ku, 732-0828, ☎ 082-263-5111 (fax: 082-262-2403), [9]. A big (twelve floors), pleasant Western-style hotel on the other side of the Ekimae bridge from JR Hiroshima Station. Breakfast is served for ¥1350 buffet, ¥600 toast set. LAN internet access is available in every room. Rooms from ¥6195.
* Hiroshima Intelligent Hotel Annex, 3-27 Inari-machi Minami-ku, 732-0827, ☎ 082-263-7878 (fax: 082-263-7892), [10]. About halfway between JR Hiroshima Station and the Peace Memorial Park.
* Ikawa Ryokan, 5-11 Dobashi-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Pref. 730-0854, ☎ 082-231-5058 (
ikawa@go.enjoy.ne.jp
, fax: 082-231-5995). Take tram 2 or 3 from JR Hiroshima station to the Dobashi-cho stop. ¥5775-4725 single rooms with/without bath, ¥9450-8400 double, ¥14,175-12,600 triple.
* Toyoko Inn Heiwa Odori, [11]. An affordable business hotel on Heiwa Odori, and within walking distance from the Peace Park. Also has a small shuttle from Hiroshima Station. This is one of several Toyoko Inns in Hiroshima.
* Via Inn (Tel. 082-264-5489; single rooms from ¥6195) [12] is a tall business hotel with tiny rooms but a fair number of amenities. It's tucked away behind the Hiroshima Post Office, next to JR Hiroshima Station. Head between Kohi-kan and the Daily-In convenience store to find the front desk.
[edit] Splurge
* Hotel Granvia (1-5 Matsubara-cho, Minami-ku; Tel. 082-262-1111. Single, double and twin rooms from ¥10,700 - ¥20,200.) [13]. Located right outside the shinkansen gates of JR Hiroshima Station, this will be the most convenient hotel for any late-arriving travelers, but like the station, it's 10-15 minutes away from downtown and the Peace Park.
* Rihga Royal Hiroshima (6-78, Motomachi, Naka-ku, Tel. 082-502-1121. Single, double and twin rooms from ¥13,000 to ¥ 30,000.) [14]. Centrally located near Peace Park in the middle of downtown, near the Hiroshima Carp stadium, this is a luxury hotel. It is the tallest building in Hiroshima. Baseball fans take note: this is where visiting teams stay when they're in town, so the lobby is a good place to pick up autographs.
[edit] Contact
There are two 24-hour internet cafes next to JR Hiroshima Station. GIGA is on the sixth floor of the building immediately to your left as you walk out of the station. It serves free drinks and soft-serve ice cream for about ¥500 per hour. Just as for an "open seat". On the other side of the street, on the fifth floor of the building next to Fukuya and across the street from the post office, is the elegant A'precio, which serves an even wider variety of free drinks, ice cream and hot soup, and includes a pool table toward the back.
[edit] Stay safe
Hiroshima has a rough reputation among Japanese people from other cities, thanks largely to the 1971 Bunta Sugawara gangster classic Battles Without Honor and Humanity (also known as The Yakuza Papers) and its four sequels, which were filmed here. In reality, though, it's much safer than any large Western city. As with most places in Japan, scams and petty theft are virtually non-existent. The nightlife district does have its share of prostitutes, sex clubs and rip-off hostess bars, but to no less extent than Tokyo or Osaka. There have been a few surprise police raids on bars that offer dancing after 1am, in accordance with a semi-obscure local law about public immorality that Hiroshima suddenly feels compelled to enforce - probably in order to catch people who are in the country illegally. Japanese citizens are generally allowed to leave right away, but foreigners have been made to stand in line to have their paperwork checked. If you find yourself in one of these situations, just stay calm, show the police your passport, and you'll be allowed to leave without any trouble.
[edit] Cope
Mother and child, Peace Memorial Park
Mother and child, Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima is a safe and friendly city, so travelers shouldn't have any problems out of the ordinary. The average English level among Hiroshima residents is relatively high for a Japanese city, particularly around the Peace Memorial Park. Directions to the major sights are also very clearly sign-posted in English throughout the city.
As mentioned above, visiting the sights related to the atomic bomb can be an intense experience. If you only have one day set aside for Hiroshima, you'll naturally wind up spending most of it at the atomic bomb memorials. For your own peace of mind, though, try to set aside time to relax and reflect in other parts of the city - either at one of the pleasant, sprawling parks around the city center, such as the one around Hiroshima Castle or Hijiyama-koen, or if your time is short, during a walk along one of the riverside trails, which are easy to reach from anywhere in the city.
Hiroshima is a very popular school trip destination for Japanese kids, and you're virtually guaranteed to be accosted by kids working on school projects, asking you (in halting English) where you're from, what your name is and whether you think nuclear bombs are a good thing. Good luck coming up with a snappy answer, but if their teacher is around, you can trying asking them back whether Japan would have used the bomb if they had come up with it first.
[edit] Get out
* Miyajima is an easy day-trip from Hiroshima - only a short tram and ferry trip away. It's one of the Three Great Views in Japan and has a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Itsukushima Shrine and the famous floating torii gate. It also offers some terrific hiking opportunities.
* A longer ferry ride could take you to Matsuyama for a day at the famed Dogo Onsen.
* Iwakuni, about 45 minutes away by train, features the famed Kintai-kyo samurai bridge and a scenic castle reconstruction - as well as a U.S. Marine Corps Air Station.
* Onomichi, a hillside town of temples and Japanese novelists, 75 minutes away by train.
* Okayama is the other major transit hub for the region, about 45 minutes by shinkansen, and it offers access to the museums and canal of Kurashiki.
* Aki no Kofuji. Off the beaten track, old style Japanese village, a great hike and wonderful views.
written by
garisti
on April 1, 2008
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Preparacion
Nikko
,
Japan
Nikkō (日光) [1] is a small town to the north of Tokyo, in Tochigi prefecture.
Understand
Magnificent enough?
A famous Japanese saying proclaims Nikko wo minakereba "kekkō" to iu na. Most tourist literature translates this as "Don't say 'magnificent' until you've seen Nikko", but there's another dimension to this Japanese pun: it can also mean "See Nikko and say 'enough'."
The Nikko tourism board put their own spin on the famous saying: "Nikko Is Nippon."
The first temple in Nikko was founded more than 1,200 years ago along the shores of the Daiya River. However, in 1616, the dying Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made it known that his final wish was for his successors to "Build a small shrine in Nikko and enshrine me as the God. I will be the guardian of peace keeping in Japan." As a result, Nikko became home of the mausoleums of the Tokugawa Shoguns, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Unlike most Japanese temples and shrines, the buildings here are extremely gaudy and ornate, with multicolored carvings and plenty of gold leaf, and show heavy Chinese influence. Some sense of dignity is restored by a magnificent forest of over 13,000 cedar trees, covering the entire area.
However, for all of the grandeur the shoguns could muster, they're now over-shadowed in the eyes of many visitors by a trio of small wooden carvings on a stable wall: the famous three wise monkeys.
The fastest and most convenient way to access Nikko is on the private Tōbu Nikkō Line (東武日光線) [2] from Tokyo's Tobu-Asakusa station.
Tōbu Railway runs all-reserved limited express services, known as Tokkyū (特急) trains, to the area. These trains, which use Tobu's "SPACIA" railroad equipment, have comfortable, reclining seats, with vending machines available on most trains. One service, called Kegon (けごん) runs directly from Asakusa to Nikko in the morning, and back to Asakusa in the afternoon. There is one daily departure from Asakusa at 7:30 am, and depending on the season, there may be an additional departure at 9:30 am. The other service, Kinu (きぬ), departs from Asakusa more frequently, but branches off to Kinugawa so you will need to transfer at Shimo-Imaichi station (下今市) to a local shuttle train for the final 10-minute run to Nikko. This train is timed to meet the Kinu arrival. Both the Kegon run, and the Kinu run with transfer, take about 1 hour and 50 minutes.
In addition, Tōbu Railway offers two convenient passes for Nikko, which can be used only by visitors to Japan.
1. All Nikko Pass [3] allows unlimited buses and train access in the Nikko and Kinugawa area and includes some discounts for nearby attractions, but does not include entry to the shrines. Valid for 4 days, cost ¥4400. Recommended for visitors coming to see Nikko's lakes and falls.
1. World Heritage Pass [4] covers a round-trip to Nikko and Kinugawa and includes admission to the shrines. Valid for 2 days, cost ¥3600. Some discounts for Kinugawa Theme Park are also included.
See
View of Shoyoen, Rinnoji Temple
View of Shoyoen, Rinnoji Temple
For the sights in the temple area, it's best to buy a combination ticket (社寺共通拝観券, ¥1,000) that covers Toshogu, Rinnoji and Futarasan, as separate admissions are ¥600 each. You can buy this at any of the three sites. Guides can be arranged (Tel. 0288-54-0641) for the three sites at ¥5500 for 1-20 people.
* Tōshōgū (東照宮). (8:00am-4:30pm Apr-Oct, to 3:30pm Nov-Mar) The burial place of dynasty founder Tokugawa Ieyasu and the most extravagant of the lot. Ieyasu was buried here immediately after his death, but the present complex was only built in 1634 on the order of his grandson Iemitsu. The shrine took 2 years to complete with the efforts of 15,000 workers.
o After two flights of steps you will reach the Sacred Stable, housing a white horse. The most famous symbol here is the carving of the three wise monkeys, who "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil". They're part of a curious series of carvings about the life cycle of a monkey, from giddy childhood to fearful old age. Nearby, you can also find an interesting approximation of an elephant, carved by an artist who had clearly never seen one.
o Yakushi-dō Hall (薬師堂), the Hall of the Medicine Buddha, is known for a dragon painting on the ceiling. A monk is usually on hand to speak (Japanese only) and strike a special block whose sharp, piercing sound is said to be identical to the cry of a dragon — not quite the roar of English legend but an attention-getter all the same.
o Yomei-mon Gate (陽明門) is an incredibly ornate gate with over 400 carvings squeezed in.
o To the right of the main hall is the way to Ieyasu's tomb, entry to which costs an extra ¥520. Look out for another famous carving, this time of a sleeping cat (nemuri-neko). There are 200 stone steps, and steep ones at that; and then you finally reach the surprisingly simple gravesite itself.
* Taiyuin-byō (大猷院廟). (8:00am-4:30pm Apr-Oct, to 3:30pm Nov-Mar) After completing Toshogu, Iemitsu himself was buried here. Smaller in scale (but not by much), this is generally held to be artistically superior to its predecessor.
* Rinnō-ji Temple (輪王寺). (8:00am-4:30pm Apr-Oct, to 3:30pm Nov-Mar) [5] Known for its three large Buddha figures, the real reason to visit is the beautiful and peaceful Shōyō-en Garden (逍遥園). Note that the garden charges a separate ¥300 admission, which also gets you into the temple's treasure hall (宝物殿 Hōmotsuden).
* Futarasan Shrine (二荒山神社 Futarasan-jinja). (9:00am-4:30pm Apr-Oct, to 3:30pm Nov-Mar) [6] Directly to the west of Toshogu and the oldest structure in Nikko (1617). The shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Nikko's three holy mountains Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyoho and Mt. Taro.
There are a few other sites near the temple area:
* Shinkyō (神橋). This much-photographed red bridge separates the shrines from the town of Nikko. In feudal times, only the shogun was permitted to cross the bridge, and even today it's barred from pedestrian traffic — although there's a 4-lane highway rumbling right past. You can get a nice view from the sidewalk, but to set foot on the bridge and look down into the gorge below, you'll have to buy a ¥350 ticket from the booth nearby.
* Kanmangafuchi Abyss. A long series of jizo protector statues on the side of a hill, some adorned with hats and bibs, some crumbling with age, with a river, small waterfalls and rapids below. Legend says that the statues change places from time to time, and a visitor will never see them in the same order twice. It can be tricky to find - at Shinkyō, instead of heading up the steps to the temple area, follow the road around to the west (to the left, if you crossed over the bridge) and walk a short distance - look for signs along the way.
* Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park (Tel. 0288-53-6767; open 9:00am-4:30pm, closed Tuesdays). Built for the Emperor Taisho in 1899, the former imperial villa also served as a hide-out for Hirohito during World War II. It's next to the Botanical Garden.
* Nikko Botanical Garden (Tel. 0288-54-0206; open 9:00am-4:30pm, closed Mondays and Dec.-mid-April). Has plenty of the local flora and gardens that were said to be favorites of the Emperor Taisho. It's now an adjunct to Tokyo University.
Budget
There are several campsites in Nikko, although only Narusawa (0288-54-3374) and Ogurayama (0288-54-2478) are open year-round; several others run from April to mid-November or July to August.
* Daiyagawa Youth Hostel (大谷川ユースホステル). Tel. 0288-54-1974; [7]. A cosy and very friendly place which can be a bit narrow at times, but it's the obvious choice for budget travellers with ¥2730 for a bunk bed. The owner is very hearty and is happy to lend guide books and answer questions. Either walk about 10 minutes uphill on the main street or take the bus to the tourist information centre, from there take the first right and follow the road up the river for a few minutes. It's a bit tucked away and directly at the Daiyagawa river.
* Catnip Bed & Breakfast (キャット二ップ). Tel. 0288-54-3120; [8]. This comfortable family-run B&B is a fair hike from the station but the 40 minute walk is beautiful and the owners promise you a free beer on arrival. Alternatively you can take the #6 bus or arrange to be picked up from the station. The rooms are spacious and charming, with shared bathrooms. A bargain at ¥5000 per adult or ¥4000 for children for the first night, there is a ¥1000 discount for each subsequent night and a hot breakfast is included in the price. The owners speak fantastic English.
written by
garisti
on June 18, 2007
from
Nikko
,
Japan
from the travel blog:
Viaje por Asia
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Tokyo
Tokyo
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Japan
* Take a boat ride on the Sumida River from Asakusa.
* Enjoy a soak in a local "sento" or public bath. Or one of the onsen theme parks such as LaQua at the Tokyo Dome (Taito) or Oedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba.
* Go to an amusement park such as Tokyo Disneyland or the more Japanese Sanrio Puroland (in Tama), home to more Hello Kittys than you can imagine.
* Check out the hip and young crowd at Harajuku's Takeshita-Dori (Takeshita Street) or the more grown up Omotesando.
* In the spring, take a boatride in Kichijoji's lovely Inogashira Park, and afterwards visit the Ghibli Studios Museum (well-known for their amazing movies, like Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke), but you will need to buy tickets for these in advance at a Lawson convenience store.
* Sing karaoke at any karaoke box in town!
* Lose yourself in the neon jungle outside major train stations in the evenings. Shibuya and east Shinjuku at night can make Times Square or Piccadilly Circus look positively rural in comparison - it has to be seen to be believed.
* Take the Yurikamome elevated train across the bay bridge from Shimbashi station to the bayside Odaiba district, and go on the giant ferris wheel - the largest in the world until recently.
* Take a stroll through the Imperial Palace's East Gardens (open to the public daily at 9am, except Fridays and Mondays).
* Have a picnic in a park during the cherry blossom (Sakura). Unfortunately Sakura only lasts for about a week.
----
Understand
The following tour starts and ends at Tokyo Station, contrasting the Tokyo of old with the Tokyo of new. In this tour you will visit the following major destinations:
* Tokyo Station
* Imperial Palace and the East Gardens in Chiyoda
* Sensōji Temple in Asakusa
* Odaiba
* Shinjuku
[edit] Prepare
You will need to get a Suica or PASMO fare card worth at least ¥3000 to be safe. Either type of fare card can be obtained at the nearest train station.
If you have a Japan Rail Pass when entering the country, you can just walk through the barriers when entering and exiting the JR system and flash your pass to the guard. However, you should purchase a ¥3000 fare card in any case.
[edit] Go
You can do this itinerary on any day except Mondays, Fridays, and major holidays, when the East Gardens are closed.
[edit] Begin: Tokyo Station (東京)
Time yourself to arrive at Tokyo station at around 10:00 AM. If you wish, arrive earlier to experience the end of the morning rush hour. Exit towards the Marunouchi North Exit (丸の内北口), where if you are lucky, you will see one of the many special exhibitions that are constantly put on display.
Exit the station to your left and walk until you are at the center of the exterior of the station. Here is where the first stark contrast between old and new can be seen: On one side you can see brand new skyscrapers... and on the other side, the red brick facade of Tokyo Station.
[edit] Imperial Palace
Kitanomaru Park, Imperial Palace
Kitanomaru Park, Imperial Palace
You will see a very wide street that proceeds straight out from the center of the station, this is Miyuki Dōri. Proceed walking down the right side of the road until you reach the moat, Wadakura-bori. After walking through what is certain to be a lot of vehicular traffic, it is a slow transition into serenity as you pass the moat and come across the Wadakura Fountain Park.
After spending a few moments at the fountains, continue across the final road, Uchibori Dōri, to the Imperial Palace Plaza. Walk around the edge of the plaza, and you will soon find everything rather calm, as the transfer into old Tokyo has been made. Standing at one of the large gravel intersections, look around and see the contrast once more.
Backtrack yourself to where you entered, and turn left, walking north on Uchibori Dōri until you reach the Ōte-mon Gate (大手門), which leads you into the public East Gardens.
Browse through the main path of the gardens, picking up a beverage from a vending machine, purchasing a gift, and if lucky, hearing the screams of the Imperial Guard practicing kendo close by.
Continuing on the main path, you will reach a flower garden, where you should be able to see a large sign pointing you to Hirakawa-mon Gate (平川門), the north exit of the East Gardens.
With your jaunt through the Imperial Palace complete, turn right as you exit Hirakawa-mon and walk a short distance to the entrance to Takebashi station (竹橋) and, using your Suica or PASMO card, take the Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line one stop to Ōtemachi station (大手町).
Follow the underground arcade towards the JR Lines until you reach Tokyo Station. Flash your Japan Rail Pass, or if you don't have a rail pass, use your Suica or PASMO card. This is a nice opportunity for a quick snack at one of the many food stands before continuing on.
[edit] Sensōji Temple
Kaminarimon, Sensōji
Kaminarimon, Sensōji
A quick entry to Modern Tokyo can be found as you walk up to Platform 4 for the northbound Yamanote Line. Here, board one of the green-colored trains that arrive every 2 to 3 minutes.
The Yamanote Line is the most prominent rail line in Tokyo, with quick service, and a loop that runs around the entire city. All announcements on the Yamanote line are in both Japanese and English, with computer monitors that show information such as connections at the next stop.
Take the Yamanote Line to Ueno (上野), then walk out and down the stairs, where you'll whip out your Suica or PASMO card once again and board the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, taking it to the terminal stop of Asakusa (浅草).
Proceed out of Exit 1, 2 or 3, and look for the large Kaminari-mon Gate (雷門), which is your signal to the road that leads to Sensōji Temple. This road, which is Nakamise Dōri, includes a covered arcade of specialty stores and food shops. Pass these initially, and the usual crowds that form around them, and come back to visit a few upon returning.
When you get back to the area around Asakusa station, don't forget to look across the river for a look at the Golden Turd, also known as the Asahi Beer brewing factory.
[edit] Odaiba
Fuji TV, Odaiba
Fuji TV, Odaiba
Now after a totally classic experience, it's time to head in a completely opposite direction. Enter Asakusa station and follow the signs for the Toei Asakusa Line, which is another subway line. Take any train to Shimbashi (新橋) and then transfer upstairs to the Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ) light rail line. (You'll need your Suica or PASMO card for both.)
After skimming past some skyscrapers, you will see the Rainbow Bridge on your left side. Then the train makes a 270-degree right turn and enters the bridge for the crossing into Odaiba, the man-made island that boasts a completely new scene in Tokyo.
One of the main attractions here is the Fuji TV Building. But one of the more interesting ones is the Toyota pavilion, which can be reached by getting off the Yurikamome at the first stop, Odaiba Kaihin-Koen (お台場海浜公園), then taking a nice walk on the bridge across the expressway. Eventually you will come upon the complex, a part of Palette Town, which includes Toyota, as well as a Lawson convenience store. Inside the Toyota pavilion you can test-drive new Toyota vehicles if you have an international drivers license, or simply push a button and have automated elevators and conveyors present a vehicle to you. The other end of the Yurikamome is on the other side of the complex; board it here with your Suica or PASMO card and take it a few stops to Daiba (台場) to access the Fuji building.
The Tokyo Teleport station (東京テレポート) of the Tokyo Waterfront Railway, aka Rinkai Line, is located within the vicinity of the Fuji building.
[edit] Traveling to Shinjuku
If you've progressed at a steady pace, it should be close to dusk by the time you enter the Rinkai Line. The last stop on the tour is a place which shines with nightlife, Shinjuku.
In the past, getting from Tokyo Teleport to Shinjuku was a bit tricky depending on whether or not you had a Japan Rail Pass. Although Rinkai Line trains continue directly to Shinjuku station, you travel over two separate railways (Tokyo Teleport to Osaki on the Tokyo Waterfront Railway, then Osaki to Shinjuku on the JR Saikyo Line).
Now, it's very easy and straightforward: If you have a Japan Rail Pass, DO NOT USE IT. Use your Suica or PASMO card for this leg of the trip. The Japan Rail Pass is not accpted for travel over the Tokyo Waterfront Railway, however if you use your fare card there will be no problems.
Have a bite to eat in the station, if you want, or see what kind of eateries you can find, cheap or expensive, in Shinjuku itself!
[edit] Shinjuku
Head to the east exit of Shinjuku station to begin in front of the giant television monitor at Studio ALTA, one of Tokyo's major meeting places. If you are courageous, follow the train tracks north and attempt to plunge into Tokyo's red-light district of Kabukichō (歌舞伎町)... you'll see bright signs for it just to the right of the Shinjuku Prince Hotel.
If you've had enough, walk south to Kōshu Kaidō (甲州街道) to enjoy the panoramic views of the rest of Shinjuku at ground level overlooking the train tracks, including the large Takashiyama Times Square building.
[edit] Returning
Saikyo Line platform at Shinjuku during the evening rush
Saikyo Line platform at Shinjuku during the evening rush
Shinjuku is the country's busiest train hub, but don't stray in Shinjuku too late, as, like the rest of the country, train services stop at midnight!
To return to Tokyo Station, you can take the JR Chuo Line across, or do the same using the Marunouchi subway line.
If you are returning elsewhere, you can take the JR Yamanote Line, or several subway lines, including the Marunouchi, Toei Shinjuku or Toei Oedo line.
[edit] Straying
If you want to stray a bit from the route, take a moment to inhale the world's largest pedestrian crossing, which can be found at Shibuya station.
---
Understand
The following is a hectic whirlwind tour of Tokyo, which will take you to:
* a sushi breakfast (Tsukiji)
* one of Tokyo's best museums (Ryogoku)
* a serene shrine (Harajuku)
* shopping hysteria (Shibuya)
* the Tokyo of the future and the bath of the past (Odaiba)
* Tokyo's best-known nightlife district (Roppongi)
While it is technically possible to complete in one day, you're going to be pretty tired and approximately ¥10000 poorer by the end, so splitting this up into bite-sized portions is advisable. Lots of detours from the main itinerary are provided, pick and choose the ones that sound interesting.
Due to its length and complexity this is not really suitable as a layover tour. If you have less than half a day to spare, you're better off sticking to the Ueno or Asakusa districts, both within easy reach of Narita airport — see Classic Tokyo, Modern Tokyo for a sample route through Asakusa.
[edit] Prepare
There's a lot of travel involved, so a ¥2000 Suica or PASMO fare card (available at any train station) will let you zip around the city easily without needing to queue up for tickets at every stop.
[edit] Go
The tour can be done on any day of the week except Monday, when the Edo-Tokyo Museum is closed. On Sundays you'll miss the Tsukiji tuna auction, but the freak show in Harajuku may compensate.
[edit] Morning
Daiwa Sushi, Tsukiji
Daiwa Sushi, Tsukiji
In the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Ryogoku
In the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Ryogoku
* Start off your day bright and early with a visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Tourists are no longer allowed into the tuna auction without special permission. If you want to get there early enough to see the tuna being offloaded from the boats, you'll have to cab it before 3 AM (note: no auction on Sundays!), but if you just want to see the market in action it's much cheaper to just take the first train (underground) in the morning a little past 5 AM to Oedo Line Tsukiji-seijo, or Hibiya Line Tsukiji, but this is a little further away. Be sure to eat a sushi breakfast at Sushidai or Daiwa Sushi for around ¥3000. If you just want to eat, you can show up a little later, but beware: queues can be long on weekends.
o Tsukiji Honganji (築地本願寺), near the Hibiya line station, is a rather atypical Japanese temple built not from wood, but from heavy stone and concrete. The interior, full of wafting incense and resplendent with gold, is still worth a quick peek.
* Hop on the Toei Oedo Line to Ryogoku and the Edo-Tokyo Museum (exit A3/A4), one of the best in Tokyo, which will give you an excellent grounding in the history of this city from the Edo era of samurais and geishas to modern-day postwar Tokyo. Admission ¥600, open from 9 AM, closed Mondays.
o Right next door to the museum is the Kokugikan, Japan's most famous sumo wrestling arena, where tournaments are held three times yearly. A visit to one of the sumo stables nearby can be interesting, but must be arranged well in advance.
[edit] Afternoon
Meiji Jingu, Harajuku
Meiji Jingu, Harajuku
Fashion victim in Yoyogi Park
Fashion victim in Yoyogi Park
* Board the JR Sobu Line at Ryogoku.
o If you're feeling geeky, you can stop just a few stations away at Akihabara and plunge into one of the world's largest electronics retail districts. You can also find oodles of software, games, comics and various mixes of the two here. Remember that most everything here is aimed squarely at the Japanese market, so voltage (for hardware) and operating systems (for software) may not be compatible, and the language in the manuals certainly won't be — check out the export retailers like Laox for international versions.
* Ride all the way through central Tokyo to Yoyogi, then change to the Yamanote Line and ride one stop south to Harajuku. Immediately to the west side of the station is the majestic Meiji Shrine, one of the largest and most serene in Tokyo, located down a wide foot path into a forest of tall cedar trees. Once at the shrine entrance, rinse your hands and take a sip of cleansing water (Note: Do not drink the water. Take the dipper in your right hand and pour water over your left hand. Change hands and pour water over your right hand. Change hands again and pour water into your cupped left hand, transfer the water to your mouth, rinse and spit---yes, spit--out the water into the trough at the foot of the fountain. Again, rinse your left hand, rinse the dipper to clean it, then put the dipper back on the rack.), then enter the shrine. Here you can make a wish (remember to throw a coin (a five-yen coin is preferable) into the money box as an offering. Also, notice the other worshippers bow and clap twice to call the gods) or buy a votive plaque (ema) to write a wish on. If it's a weekend outside winter, the odds of catching an elaborate Japanese wedding ceremony here are pretty good.
o On Sundays only, there's a ceremony of a different sort going on outside the shrine entrance and in nearby Yoyogi Park when the unofficial Tokyo freak show is held: here you can catch punks, gothic lolitas, bloodspattered surgeons and other bizarre subcultures showing off to each other and the gaggle of photographers.
* Backtrack to Harajuku station and cross to the east side, where an entirely different vista will present itself: right across the road is Takeshita-dori, the nexus of Tokyo's teens, home to the world's heaviest concentration of Hello Kitty goods and other forms of extreme cuteness. Kawaiiiiiiiiii!
* Walk through the narrow winding street and take a right at its end onto Meiji-dori. The next intersection is Omote-sando, a tree-lined boulevard occasionally compared to Paris' Champs-Elysées, with trendy boutiques and snooty cafes priced almost as high as the original.
o Feeling a little peckish? Stop at Tenya on Meiji-dori (on the right side before the Omote-sando crossing) for a ¥500 bowl of tempura and rice (天丼 tendon).
* Cross Omote-sando and keep walking past the Condomania shop. A few blocks down take a right to cross under the Yamanote train tracks, and after this you are now officially in Shibuya, Japan's capital of cool. The shops here change at a blistering pace nearly as fickle as Tokyo teen fashion, but a few long-termers along the road include the OIOI (say "marooee") fashion mall and the seven-story Tower Records music and book store, where foreign (read: English) books can be found on the seventh floor.
* At the end of the road you will find Shibuya station and Hachiko, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. If you want to explore Shibuya a little more, make a sharp right here to stroll down the pedestrian street Center-gai. Along the street one shop worth a stop is Tokyu Hands, a DIY department store that retails absolutely everything imaginable (and some things that aren't), and otaku certainly won't want to miss out on manga/anime superstore Mandarake.
[edit] Evening
Fuji TV, Odaiba
Fuji TV, Odaiba
Propaganda, Roppongi
Propaganda, Roppongi
* When night starts to fall, board the Metro Ginza line to Shinbashi and change to the Yurikamome line to the artificial island of Odaiba. This futuristic all-automated train-bus-monorail is an attraction in itself, especially the approach to Odaiba via a 270-degree loop that propels the train onto the Rainbow Bridge. There's lots of futuristic architecture here, including the spectacularly bizarre Fuji TV building, and even a copy of the Statue of Liberty by the seaside.
o If your quota of shopping still isn't full, detour from Odaiba-Kaihin-Koen station to the mindboggling Venus Fort, a recreation of Venice inside a shopping mall, complete with artificial sky and Italian mayors giving speeches from balconies.
* After all that sightseeing it's time to take a dip. Get off at the Telecom Center station and cross the parking lot to Oedo Onsen Monogatari, Tokyo's spiffiest spa complex done up to look like the good old Edo days. Get a locker key, pick a yukata bathrobe of your choice and change into it, then head out into the spa armed just with the key. There are restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and various Edo-era amusements, all of which can be paid with your key. Entry after 6 PM costs ¥1900.
* Re-energized, you can hop on the Yurikamome and ride back to Shiodome. Change here for the Toei Oedo line to Roppongi. If you haven't had dinner yet, take exit 4 and walk a few hundred meters to Roppongi Hills, where you will find countless eating and shopping options in superslick surroundings. Try the tonkatsu (deep-friend pork cutlet) at Katsukobo Wako (NB1F) or the curry udon at Konaya (NB2F).
* Wash down dinner with a beer or seven in one of Roppongi's innumerable watering holes. These change with bewildering rapidity, but Gas Panic and Lexington Queen have been around forever. For a more upmarket clubby experience, check out Space Lab Yellow, another reliably quirky standby, or Velfarre, which still claims to be Asia's largest disco.
* When morning comes, stagger onto the first Oedo line train to Tsukiji for a sushi breakfast, and start the tour again!
written by
garisti
on June 13, 2007
from
Tokyo
,
Japan
from the travel blog:
Viaje por Asia
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