Wow...I just realized I know nothing about Japan....
Aug 9, 2022, 2:16 am
#31
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Earth
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Posts: 683
You mean there's no truth in advertising?
When you visit the Taj Mahal it looks great on the outside, but when you go inside it stinks. One reason being all the people taking off their shoes if I recall correctly. Lack of air circulation now that I think about it too.
When you look behind the Taj Mahal there's a bunch of garbage by the quasi-river. It's ugly and "unclassy." Apparently Indians don't care about the environment so much...just the singular spot.
Oh wait...Incredible India!
traffic, pollution, noise...what are you talking about?
--
I remember my earliest scuba dives and it didn't take much to impress me. As my dive count and breadth increased...i spent much more time "reading between the lines" of dive site reviews / descriptions. For what might impress some, would not impress me. And even then there were times I would be disappointed. The nature of the beast.
With that said, I'll be on the move at a good clip in Japan...so can't be disappointed for too long.
I do realize Japan loves ranking things...3 best ____, top 100 _____, National Park, QUASI National Park....
so...how have you been disappointed / deceived in your Japan travels??
Nov 6, 2022, 7:57 pm
#33
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Boston, Jo'burg, HK
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Lifetime Diamond, CX Gold, Mrs. Pickles travels for free
Posts: 13,163
It's probably easier to get a private audience with the Pope than a reservation at Saito if you're not an insider.
Dec 27, 2022, 1:10 pm
#34
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Earth
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Posts: 683
well..planning the actual trip now, and due to more time in other places...sadly..at the moment, less days then I want in Japan.
10 nights total in Japan.
I've cut out Shikoku. The windy roads would only add to my stress burden for a first timer driving in Japan.
So only Okinawa and Kyushu now. Final answer? 6 nights on Kyushu - 5 camp, 1 hotel. 4 nights on Okinawa - 3 camp, 1 Hyatt Seragaki? Contrast...simple to lux. That's my style quite often.
Not even sure if I can go much beyond Northern Kyushu. Identified numerous awesome looking sites in the North to keep me busy.
On the plus side...identified numerous awesome looking campgrounds in both places. So Japan is coming into focus more. I'll consider this a JapanCamp beachhead. Maybe in 2025 I can have a much longer Japan only camping trip that covers more of the island.
Outdoorjapan.com is a nice website with many specific campgrounds noted by area.
As a consolation I was able to watch this series...and it has some great overhead shots/narration of the Seto Island bridges, cycle ways. And Shikoku in general.
10 nights total in Japan.
I've cut out Shikoku. The windy roads would only add to my stress burden for a first timer driving in Japan.
So only Okinawa and Kyushu now. Final answer? 6 nights on Kyushu - 5 camp, 1 hotel. 4 nights on Okinawa - 3 camp, 1 Hyatt Seragaki? Contrast...simple to lux. That's my style quite often.
Not even sure if I can go much beyond Northern Kyushu. Identified numerous awesome looking sites in the North to keep me busy.
On the plus side...identified numerous awesome looking campgrounds in both places. So Japan is coming into focus more. I'll consider this a JapanCamp beachhead. Maybe in 2025 I can have a much longer Japan only camping trip that covers more of the island.
Outdoorjapan.com is a nice website with many specific campgrounds noted by area.
As a consolation I was able to watch this series...and it has some great overhead shots/narration of the Seto Island bridges, cycle ways. And Shikoku in general.
Jul 7, 2023, 2:11 pm
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Earth
Programs: whatever it takes
Posts: 683
Well..it's on like Donkey Kong!
Got air tickets in and out, and reserved my rental car through Budget Japan. And picking up at FUK airport (After overnighting in town - get my bearings, get SIM chip)
Arrive Fukuoka late Sept. 13 nights (4 at hotel - on start and end and couple nights at an inn by Seto Island bridge area)...before flying to Okinawa.
So...selecting target campsites and a specific Kyushu route now. Then I'll look at Wester Chugoku. Other then a brief foray into Shikoku from the North...I've decided to leave it out -- too mountainous / curvy for me anyway right now. I may yet even cut that out....if I fly to Hokkaido for a few days instead. A scouting trip for a future longer stay. Haven't decided on this yet.
I've noticed a lot of Kyushu campgrounds are in open fields...and often in a "free camping zone" (Not $$ free, just means no specific site #). Kind of like this - but could be a much larger field with possibly many more tents all crammed together - often in a less attractive area. This is the SNOW PEAK Okuhita campground near Mt. Aso. This one does have specific camp site #s -- at least per their website map. Snow peak is an camp gear vendor. Bought one of their items before in USA but then returned it -- too small. It was quality. A chair I think. Does that mean the CG is quality? This CG actually is sited pretty well...apart from being in just a big field -- with no privacy / tree breaks whatsoever. Not my style of camping. LIke a little more shade. Likely relates to Japan communal style of living / culture. Maybe I will visit just to see their gear store.
Fresh off 2+ months of car camping in California / Nevada....but have to slim down gear cause flying, and planning is not so easy for Japan. There's the language barrier of course. (Thank you Brave browser auto-translate, yes I know Chrome - but I don't want to use Google's snooping browser) But also I have no detailed printed atlas -- like I have with US States (Benchmark Atlases!) or Australia (latter being after Japan). My Japan atlas is more high level. Better then nothing. I will have Budget English GPS in car supposedly...not sure how easy/effective that is. Anyone care to comment?
Then I'll have my laptop (I don't use a SICKphone) which I can use with my external hotspot to use Google Maps/Earth/Rome2Rio, etc...
I've decided not to try and bother reserving anything online for the most part...just drive and go. Which could be problematic on weekends - which are my first two camping days! Because reserving online doesn't seem to be the easiest thing to figure out (I've tried a couple places -- but no dice).... No central website like recreation.gov or reservecalifornia.com (CA State Parks), etc...unless I'm not aware of something.
In some cases I will just call to reserve - if it looks like they speak simple english. LIke my first campsite....run by the SAGA Prefecture. And it is on the North coast...so "easy" to get to. Just drive the highway to the coast, go West..and I'll eventually get there. hahahah! And with a snazzy youtube video with music....hey...I'm sold. Also a slick website with english translation (Not browser translation)
https://www.hadomisaki-camp.jp/
This campground has all 3 styles of Japanese/Kyushu campsites -- private walk-in style, free area style (Seen this in some Australian CGs too), and auto style (Similar to most US campgrounds, campsite right next to your car)
Looks like I'm going counter clockwise. Saga / Nagasaki prefecture first, then Mt Aso, then Kagoshima area (Kirishima NP), then up the Eastern coast to Oita, before heading into Chugoku.
Doing Saga/Nagasaki prefecture has one advantage I realize -- it's a smaller area...so the chances of getting lost / disoriented are even slimmer...and not for long. I will bust my chops there, then head over to the main part of Kyushu. I will not enter Nagasaki City...400,000 people isn't huge and I could probably figure it out, but enough people, I'd rather avoid it. Besides, this isn't a trip to see Japanese big cities, been there done that. Obviously...I will get some exposure...but keep it to a minimum.
In some ways.....I think this is going to be super easy. It seems only more difficult in my mind. The distances are much shorter then in the USA, signs have English quite often. Drove quite a bit on the left side last year in Europe...so used to that (Again). OF course -- it is much more dense then the USA...and density brings complexity. I will have driven in Malaysia for several days prior to landing in Japan - more left sided driving. I drove in Taiwan last year...so a little more attuned to seeing asian characters on road signs. The surface area of KYUSHU per Wiki, is almost identical to TAIWAN. Just realized that. So..I'm going to Taiwan, with Japanese characteristics. Hahahahahah.
Got air tickets in and out, and reserved my rental car through Budget Japan. And picking up at FUK airport (After overnighting in town - get my bearings, get SIM chip)
Arrive Fukuoka late Sept. 13 nights (4 at hotel - on start and end and couple nights at an inn by Seto Island bridge area)...before flying to Okinawa.
So...selecting target campsites and a specific Kyushu route now. Then I'll look at Wester Chugoku. Other then a brief foray into Shikoku from the North...I've decided to leave it out -- too mountainous / curvy for me anyway right now. I may yet even cut that out....if I fly to Hokkaido for a few days instead. A scouting trip for a future longer stay. Haven't decided on this yet.
I've noticed a lot of Kyushu campgrounds are in open fields...and often in a "free camping zone" (Not $$ free, just means no specific site #). Kind of like this - but could be a much larger field with possibly many more tents all crammed together - often in a less attractive area. This is the SNOW PEAK Okuhita campground near Mt. Aso. This one does have specific camp site #s -- at least per their website map. Snow peak is an camp gear vendor. Bought one of their items before in USA but then returned it -- too small. It was quality. A chair I think. Does that mean the CG is quality? This CG actually is sited pretty well...apart from being in just a big field -- with no privacy / tree breaks whatsoever. Not my style of camping. LIke a little more shade. Likely relates to Japan communal style of living / culture. Maybe I will visit just to see their gear store.
Fresh off 2+ months of car camping in California / Nevada....but have to slim down gear cause flying, and planning is not so easy for Japan. There's the language barrier of course. (Thank you Brave browser auto-translate, yes I know Chrome - but I don't want to use Google's snooping browser) But also I have no detailed printed atlas -- like I have with US States (Benchmark Atlases!) or Australia (latter being after Japan). My Japan atlas is more high level. Better then nothing. I will have Budget English GPS in car supposedly...not sure how easy/effective that is. Anyone care to comment?
Then I'll have my laptop (I don't use a SICKphone) which I can use with my external hotspot to use Google Maps/Earth/Rome2Rio, etc...
I've decided not to try and bother reserving anything online for the most part...just drive and go. Which could be problematic on weekends - which are my first two camping days! Because reserving online doesn't seem to be the easiest thing to figure out (I've tried a couple places -- but no dice).... No central website like recreation.gov or reservecalifornia.com (CA State Parks), etc...unless I'm not aware of something.
In some cases I will just call to reserve - if it looks like they speak simple english. LIke my first campsite....run by the SAGA Prefecture. And it is on the North coast...so "easy" to get to. Just drive the highway to the coast, go West..and I'll eventually get there. hahahah! And with a snazzy youtube video with music....hey...I'm sold. Also a slick website with english translation (Not browser translation)
https://www.hadomisaki-camp.jp/
This campground has all 3 styles of Japanese/Kyushu campsites -- private walk-in style, free area style (Seen this in some Australian CGs too), and auto style (Similar to most US campgrounds, campsite right next to your car)
Looks like I'm going counter clockwise. Saga / Nagasaki prefecture first, then Mt Aso, then Kagoshima area (Kirishima NP), then up the Eastern coast to Oita, before heading into Chugoku.
Doing Saga/Nagasaki prefecture has one advantage I realize -- it's a smaller area...so the chances of getting lost / disoriented are even slimmer...and not for long. I will bust my chops there, then head over to the main part of Kyushu. I will not enter Nagasaki City...400,000 people isn't huge and I could probably figure it out, but enough people, I'd rather avoid it. Besides, this isn't a trip to see Japanese big cities, been there done that. Obviously...I will get some exposure...but keep it to a minimum.
In some ways.....I think this is going to be super easy. It seems only more difficult in my mind. The distances are much shorter then in the USA, signs have English quite often. Drove quite a bit on the left side last year in Europe...so used to that (Again). OF course -- it is much more dense then the USA...and density brings complexity. I will have driven in Malaysia for several days prior to landing in Japan - more left sided driving. I drove in Taiwan last year...so a little more attuned to seeing asian characters on road signs. The surface area of KYUSHU per Wiki, is almost identical to TAIWAN. Just realized that. So..I'm going to Taiwan, with Japanese characteristics. Hahahahahah.