OliverB

It's been exactly 6 months since we've returned from Japan and a sense of longing has been looming over ever since.

I miss Japan already and I would do anything for a bowl of tokusei tsukemen right now!

I never got around to posting reviews as promised, but since this forum was such an asset in our planning and many of you were so helpful and generous with your advice and feedback, I thought you might enjoy seeing our photos of Japan, as we experienced it.

Enjoy!


Part 1 - Tokyo and Hakone ~ (we were crazy jetlagged so photos of Tokyo Round 1 are limited)

Part 2 - The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Part 3 - Autumn in Kyoto

Part 4 - Kansai: Nara + Osaka

Part 5 - Matsue, Shimane

Part 6 - Miyajima, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Tokyo Round 2

closetasfan

very nice photos. looks like you had a good time.

fivenue

you make me depressed with "6 weeks"

evergrn

thanks for posting. What were your favorite places?

SQFAN

Thanks for posting the links to the pictures. I like them. Certainly brings back memories for me.

Miyajima was the OP's highlight.

OliverB

That's a tough question!

Every destination felt so different and unique which is truly incredible for such a small country. I was probably most surprised at just how much Miyajima struck a chord with me, as I hadn't gotten that sense in the planning stages. We only stayed one night on the island, which in truth was all that was really needed from a touring point of view, but I could have easily spent another couple of nights immersed in it's beauty; reading, hiking, etc. The wildlife felt more wild than what we encountered in Nara and it was just so extraordinary to spend the night in Momijidani; waking up in our postcard-perfect ryokan set above the tumbling river at the foot of mount Misen to be greeted by Japanese deer on our front steps and wandering through ancient temples illuminated against the Seto Inland Sea at night. It was very inspiring!

Hakone was another unlikely destination that proved to offer much more than anticipated. We stayed at Gora Kadan which was lovely, though I didn't necessarily feel that it lived up to it's reputation and while we don't plan to return to Hakone anytime soon, we would likely chose to stay at the Fujiya on any future visits. That said, I was truly amazed at the abundance of high culture to be found in such a rural setting. I would consider the Open-Air Museum to be world-class and between POLA and Ōwakudani, the scenic walking paths along Lake Ashinoko by Moto-Hakone port, the many historic inns and onsens, I can appreciate why it's become such a beloved weekend destination for the Japanese. Koyo was truly spectacular when we visited in early October and the freshness of the air (that first crisp breath of winter) sailing over the colourful hillsides and maple covered valleys was etheral!

Although we found ourselves in Kanazawa under grey overcast skies and dense rain clouds looming overhead for much of our time, the city still left it's impression. Unfortunately due to logistics (we chose to stay in Kaga which is approx. 45 mins away) our experience was somewhat compromised by the inconvenience of having to drive back and forth multiple days. This is the one and only oversight that I made in planning and ideally, I would have chosen to spend the first night in Kanazawa (scheduling all sightseeing for the following day) and the next two nights in Kaga. As a result, we found ourselves with little to do one uncompromisingly cold and stormy evening during a torrential downpour while awaiting our dinner plans and wishing we had a nearby hotel room to rest and relax. We had just toured the architectural exhibit at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and ended up retreating to Starbucks for the better part of an hour to escape the wet bitter cold. We ended up cancelling our dinner plans and decided to return to our ryokan in the end. Had we spent at least one night in Kanazawa proper (and ideally under better conditions) I think our impressions of the city would have been drastically different. Kenroku-en was breathtaking, even in the rain. With the exception of Saihō-ji and the imperial villas in Kyoto, it was the most beautiful park that we visited in Japan. The castle park was impressive and we had a lot of fun wandering around and getting lost among the narrow pedestrian labyrinth streets of the old samurai district. The food and regional delicacies (especially the koubakogani) was another highlight. Otomezushi was as good as any of the Michelin rated sushiyas in Tokyo. The Kayotei was truly magical though and among my favorite of our ryokan stays. Our early morning hike through the misty Kakusenkei Gorge stands out as another trip highlight. As I type this out, I'm struck by just how awesome an adventure we had...

As far as destination ryokans, there were certainly two that stood out from all the rest and they could not be more different in just about every respect... Hoshi Onsen Chojukan in Gunma and Myojinkan in Nagano! I would wager a bet that we were very likely the first westerners to ever stay at the former, which was much more rugged and proletarian yet absolutely unequaled in it's natural beauty. The pictures will have to speak for themselves as I couldn't do it justice in writing - I'm not proficient enough of a wordsmith to illustrate the transcendent beauty of the setting. The food was simple and fresh in taste and preparation, yet so far exceeded the pretentious meals we were served at Gora Kadan. The innkeepers were very gracious yet barely spoke a word of English and service was not a focus of the experience; it's really a place to lose oneself and reflect inward and I can't think of anywhere else that we visited which more wholly and ideally embodies the spirit and traditional culture of Japan. Myojinkan lies somewhere at the opposite end of the spectrum. This is a place of pure indulgence! A luxurious onsen retreat in a picturesque valley with the most polished of service and refined culinary showcases. The design of the building itself is also quite inspired, blending traditional Japanese, European, and mid century modern touches. With the obvious exception of Tokyo, it's the one place that we felt we did not devote enough time to and we wished we could have spent an extra couple of nights. While we truly loved each and every one of our stays (with one exception which I'll get to shortly), we both feel as though we've experienced all that we set out to, and as "two drifters, off to see the world... there's such a lot of world to see" (or so the song goes) we don't necessarily feel as though we need to revisit any of the same places, with the exception of Myojinkan, which we'd be eager to return to!

Every place had it's highlights though. Driving through the snow-capped "Japanese Alps" was really exciting... our twilight temple walk through Higashiyama Teramachi was really memorable. My wife really enjoyed Takayama and felt it was, in many respects, a more authentic and less touristy and overcrowded version of Kyoto. I'm glad that we got to experience both. I loved our 160-year old grass thatched creekside villa with large outdoor deck alongside an ancient moss-covered waterwheel at Wanosato. It was a lot more rustic than I expected and due to the setting and time of year, we encountered more large alien-looking creepy crawlies than I would have liked to meet. Sitting beside the Irori hearth on frosty mornings and latenights drinking kappo sake by the fire while the room filled with a smoky haze was otherworldly; we felt like we were in a samurai film! And of course, the Hida beef in Takayama! Oh, the food... I can go on forever about the food! The best we've eaten in all of our travels around the world. Somehow over the course of 6 weeks, we never once tired of Japanese food and we haven't been able to bring ourselves to eat Japanese since! Tokyo and Osaka were the obvious culinary highlights, but each town offered something unique and interesting. Matsue turned out to be our favorite of the castle towns that we visited. One of our most fun and surreal memories was stumbling into this deserted piano bar where we got completely blotto; slugging whiskey and eating pocky sticks while belting out jazz standards with this drunk Japanese businessman in broken English while our cool bartender poured single malts and tapped the ivories all night ~ an "only in Japan" kind of experience!

Osaka was memorable for shopping and eating. We had an unparalleled view over the skyline from our comfortable suite at the St-Regis and some of our best meals were eaten in Osaka; from the superlative okonomiyaki we had at the out-of-the-way Kuro-chan to the transcendent hida beef millefeuille at Kahala, to my wife's favorite- Fujiya 1935. We happened upon a fairytale Christmas market in mid-November outside the Umeda Sky Building that looked like it had been transported directly from Dresden! I loved our ride up to the Umeda observation tower at night also- what a spectacular view! The aquarium was a bit of a let down from what I had read and nothing special but it offered some downtime I suppose. We sort of used Osaka as a transition point between adventures Our days consisted of leisurely meals and lots of shopping and walking around. We had zero interest in seeing any more temples or castle at this point (at least until Matsue) and didn't really plan for much else. It was perfect and much needed! Kyoto on the other hand, was a bit of a mixed bag (this commentary is completely out of order btw!) but I loved Arashiyama and enjoyed our neighborhood at the Hiiragiya where we moved to on our third night. The meditative shakyō ritual (tracing Buddhist scriptures with traditional brush and ink in Japanese calligraphy) to the sutra chanting monks at Saihō-ji moss temple was one of my wife's most memorable experiences. Exploring the Fushimi Inari shrine at dusk was also quite an experience but we'd otherwise seen so many temples and gotten our fill of kaiseki-ryōri by that point so the overall experience waned a bit. Had we traveled directly from Tokyo where the contrast between cities would have been so much greater, I think we might have enjoyed our time in Kyoto a lot more though I wouldn't say that it was significantly diminished. It just didn't feel as exceptional as I had imagined. The colours were magnificent however and we did enjoy our time. I'd like to return for sakura in a couple of years. We might plan for a couple of nights on our next visit and perhaps stay in Arashiyama this time or maybe somewhere along the Kamo River. Our suite at the Hyatt Regency over the first couple of nights was wonderful but we really did not enjoy the area that the hotel was located in.

The only part of the trip that was a bit of a downer for us was Nagasaki. We have an ex-pat friend living in Tokyo who explained that Nagasaki was a dying city (in terms of population, economy, etc) and boy was he was right. It didn't help that the ryokan we checked into on our first night was the filthiest, most dismal, depressing and unpleasant place we've stayed in all of our travels and that includes the cheapest and most rundown of roadside motels that we've shacked up in on Stateside roadtrips as last-minute decisions when there was no other options or vacancy elsewhere. We ended up transferring to a generic Best Western the following morning that could have been attached to any airport in the Midwest yet it felt like an opulent 5-star palace in comparison. The town itself was pretty enough and I'm sure that if circumstances were different, it might have been more enjoyable. We had been travelling for 5+ weeks at that point and we were growing weary. The weather was rainy and bleak. My wife got sick on the second day and we ended up staying in our room and watching American movies on Netflix. I think we had both gotten a little bit homesick at this point. The atmoic bomb memorial was sombering and while the setting didn't match the Kenzo Tange architecture of Hiroshima's more high-profile museum, I felt that it was much more thoughtful and contemplative and better realized overall. I actually wasn't impressed with the Hiroshima memorial at all. It was nice walking around the seaport and ancient bridges over the Nakashima river at night and it was neat wandering through one of the oldest existing Chinatowns in the world, but there was no nightlife to speak of whatsoever - even in Shianbashi where the concentration of bars and shops are found. The city just shuts down after dark; surely attributed to the disproportionate and shrinking population. It very much felt like a city in an economic depression. The cars were all pre-millenium. There is absolutely no integration of technology or modernization to speak of which is such a departure from the rest of Japan and somewhat ironic in light of the city's history as the sole port of trade during Japan's seclusion and isolationism. It was really the only time in our entire 6 weeks of travel where I can say that we actually felt bored. Also the food is absolutely awful. We were not a fan of the gloopy mucilaginous champon or sara-udon and the kastuera and castella (Portugese sponge cake) wasn't much better than a standard kitchen sponge, I would imagine. I think we were initially excited by the novelty of regional Chinese but that quickly faded and I don't think we ate a single memorable or noteworthy meal in the 3-4 days that we spent in Nagasaki. We admittedly didn't visit all of the sights we had planned for because the weather was so dreary and my wife wasn't feeling well but had we visited in the summertime and perhaps on a shorter and less ambitious trip, we might have left with a more positive outlook. I'm glad that we had the opportunity to see Nagasaki but we've no motivation to return. As soon as we got back to Tokyo, we felt refreshed and reinvigorated. all thoughts of home and our time away quickly vanished and we wished we had another week to spend in the city! Alas, it was our last night and the bittersweet close to the most extraordinary journey we've yet to undertake. I wouldn't have wanted to experience Japan any other way and we are so fortunate that we were able to take this trip together. I've posted in detail about Tokyo in another thread on this forum so I won't rehash what's already been written, other than to say that it's truly a city that provokes and inflames the imagination and we cannot wait to return. The Peninsula Tokyo may well also be our favorite contemporary urban hotel in the world... if only we could afford to return there every trip!

evergrn

Very nice! Glad you had a great time. You guys sure did a lot. Glad you loved Hakone and Miyajima... two of my favorite spots in Jpn. And of course, Tokyo. Tokyo will amaze you every time.

I can see how Nagasaki may have turned out to be a downer for you, your hotel issues aside. It's a unique city with an appealing setting/landscape and definitely worth a visit, but imho there isn't too much to see/do there. One day can be enough to see most everything within the city. Their Chinatown isn't much, and I agree with you about the food in Nagasaki. But there are some neat sights within a couple hours from the city. With regards to Fujiya Hotel, the common areas and especially the garden are very nice. But I will warn you that their rooms are rather dated and plus they don't have a nice big rotenburo (outdoor onsen) area like you'd expect from other places in Hakone. You mentioned Nagasaki being a dying place... but what about Kaga Onsen? That whole onsen area (Kaga, Katayamazu) is pretty dead and somewhat bleak.

OliverB

The rooms at Fujiya do look as though they could use a refresher (judging from the management photos online) which is a shame because the Jr Suites in particular could be exceptionally turned out for minimal cost if they tore out the shabby carpeting and linens and refurnished. The Flower Palace Suites look to be the best option. Comfy Lodge also looks like it's seen more recent refurbishing. Ultimately, I think we'd be willing to overlook the tiredness of the rooms (which does carry out to some of the main areas and public corridors as well) for the sense of history that the place exudes. I really enjoyed exploring the property and a friend of mine from the Bay Area who grew up in Tokyo and still has her family home there sold me on the restaurant's beef curry which was terrific and an interesting blend of Japanese-French preparation. We had actually tried to decline our 2nd dinner at Gora Kadan (the food was really really bad and didn't taste fresh!) to eat at the Fujiya instead but our nakai-san wasn't having it, ha! We ended up with two dinners that evening which was extremely awkward, especially since our nakai-san thought it would be best to sit beside us for the duration of the meal and watch us not eat the crummy food that he served. We kept explaining that we had already eaten and were not hungry at all. I think a big part of my disappointment at GK was the lousy food, but the rotenburo and private zen garden made up for everything! That was truly sublime and almost worth the stay alone. We admittedly did enjoy Gora Kadan very much as it was our first ryokan in Japan and the impressive modern architecture set against the sweeping mountain vistas was stunning, but after having experienced it already, I don't think we'd be inclined to pay the $$$ to return. If not Fujiya, we might also look into Yama No Chaya or Hakone-Ginyu as well for the onsen experience. That's not happening anytime soon though!

As for Kaga seeming dead and bleak, we didn't get that feeling at all - at least not from where we were situated at The Kayotei. The town itself was pretty lifeless I suppose, and we did wander through one afternoon for a quick lunch at a place that was supposedly known for their oysters from the Noto Peninsula, but otherwise all of our time was either spent at the Kayotei itself or the spectacular Kakusenkei Gorge, which was something out of a Miyazaki fantasy! I think that the time of year played a large factor as well- the foliage was so vibrant and the setting picturesque alongside the gorge and babbling stream, it really made the town come alive. I'm not that sure we ever ventured to the core of town where all of the onsens are located though. We did drive to a small port and overlook that was suggested by the inn to get photos of the Sea of Japan but we didn't really spend any time in the town of Kaga itself unless driving through to Kanazawa. I didn't get the sense that it was any different from other small rural onsen towns like say, Shimotakai in Nagano, but perhaps we were just secluded at The Kayotei and didn't get a stronger sense of place as a result. I really loved our stay there and our private rotenburo in the Higashiyama Suite overlooking the maple painted hillside was probably my next favorite after Gora Kadan. This discussion is really making me miss onsen now... I want to go back to Japan!!!

One thing I'll add is that the UNESCO villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama are an overcrowded tourist trap and waste of time. We took nothing meaningful from our short time there and regretted making the hour-long detour en route to Kyoto. The traditional thatched roof farmhouses that we saw at Hida Minzoku Folk Village were far more interesting and any claims that Shirakawa-gō is a "living" and "working" community is nothing but tourism hype. What we saw instead was a veritable theme park with congested parking lots filled with busloads of tourists that could rival Piazza San Marco at the height of summer, all being exploited by vendors (the so called thriving community) selling crappy soft-serve cones and other overpriced fast food snacks to the masses as they wandered around snapping photos. It was a complete waste of time.

Also definite for our next trip in mid-May: Kanaya Hotel and Nikkō National Park!

I'm trying to decide whether a weekend trip from Tokyo to Shizuoka at either Asaba or Yagyu No Sho would be worthwhile. I can't seem to get an accurate depiction of the town itself. I've read that it's quite beautiful but the photos that I'm seeing online don't reinforce this. Perhaps the ryokans are destination-worthy in and of themselves, but judging purely from photos online, they don't strike me as being essential visits when compared to any of the truly special places we stayed on our last trip. Is anyone familiar with Shizuoka and if so, what are your thoughts? Would it be a pretty town to visit in mid March or is it non essential?

We're planning for a full 2 weeks in Tokyo coupled with 2-3 nights in Nikko and possibly either a 3 night return to Kyoto for sakura or a weekend trip to Izu to experience something new... and for traditional onsen/ryokan which we miss dearly!

ksandness

The city of Shizuoka fits the quip, "It's a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there." There may be some nice rural ryokan or onsen in the vicinity, but I wouldn't put the city on the list of top twenty tourist destinations.

I revisited Nikko for the first time in 30 years last summer and enjoyed it. Both the JR route (transfer to the Nikko Line at Utsunomiya) and the private rail train from Tobu Asakusa take you past nice rural scenery on the way.

You could easily do an overnight in the area, with a day for getting there and looking around in the Toshogu Shrine part of the park (There's a circulating bus that goes around to all the sights) and a day for Lake Chuzenji (reachable on a winding road by bus) and your return to Tokyo.

By the way, I loved your photos. They made me want to jump onto the next plane to Tokyo.

OliverB

Thanks so much on both counts!

I feel the same way when revisiting our trip photos.

So 2 nights would be more than sufficient for Nikko + Nat'l Park?

Another option in place of Shizuoka would simply be to return to Hakone but to stay in the Ashigarashimo district. Yama No Chaya looks to be a pretty special place and I'm sure it would be lovely if timed with sakura. If we returned to the area, we'd likely treat it as a spa retreat and spend the majority of time at the inn, which is about 3 mins from Hakone-Yumoto Station. 1-2 nights max.

I'll ask my contact at Boutique JTB if she's familiar with either Asaba, Arai, or Yagyu No Sho ryokans as I'm curious whether or not they're destination worthy. The former dates to 1675 and is supposedly famous for it's Noh theater set over a large pond (with traditional Japanese rowboats accessible to guests) and surrounded by bamboo forest. It hosts intermittent performances throughout the warmer months which supposedly draw large crowds to the ryokan. It's also supposed to be a culinary destination but the photos online are a mixed bag - it could either be fantastic or meh. I'll have to get some first-hand feedback before deciding. I have been meaning to check out Yama No Chaya though and we already know that we love Hakone so it's a tough call!

Whatever we decide the idea is to spend a min. full two weeks in Tokyo with one weekend at an onsen ryokan (either Izu, Ashigarashimo/Hakone, or Kyoto) and a couple of days in Nikko.

Pureboy

Thanks for the trip report! My impression of Nagasaki from around 10 years ago was completely different. I spent a day walking around the city, taking in the view from atop the cable car, visiting the peace park and museum, strolling around Dejima, and felt it was the most criminally overlooked city in Japan that I've visited thus far. To me, the combo of gorgeous natural scenery, unique history, and (as you say) the A-bomb park and museum done far better than Hiroshima make it a must-see for anyone in Japan long enough to head south of Honshu. Also, I'm a sucker for Kyushu streetcar culture. I stayed in Chinatown, but honestly that was the least memorable part of the city.

ksandness

I haven't been to Nagasaki since 1978, but I found it to be a fascinating and exceptionally friendly city in a beautiful setting.

At the time I visited, advertisements on Tokyo trains were promoting Nagasaki as a tourist destination. The ads featured such "exotic" sights as brick houses and nuns. (Nagasaki has the highest percentage of Catholics in Japan.)

BuildingMyBento

Shizuoka city is no great shakes - unless you're a train enthusiast - but the area is known for green tea. Also, if you hop over a few stations east to the port of Shimizu, there's a market called Kashi no Ichi which had a section dedicated to tuna.

mapleg

Any chance of all at accepting that wager? There are a number of reviews in English on Tripadvisor.

Seriously though, enjoyed your photo's immensely and glad you finally posted them. I know you spent a lot of time researching your trip and from all I have read sounds like you had a great time.

OliverB

I mentioned that because at the time of booking, the innkeepers actually tried to convince us NOT to stay! Boutique JTB had told me that they did not understand why we wanted to visit the ryokan and were very confused by our travel plans, but perhaps that's because it was contrasted by all these other high end properties in more tourist driven locations. It was a major highlight, as I knew it would be from the photos I'd seen online - the valley that it's situated in is shockingly beautiful!