 | Japan Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 194 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Miscellaneous Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (194)
 | |  |  | Sendai - a most friendly city | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
Sendai lies on the east coast of Honshu island, north of Tokyo. The town was destroyed during WWII and has been built up since.
We spent three days here and came to really love this town. It felt really clean and somehow wider than Tokyo, where one can feel crammed sometimes. Here there were big avenues and some space to breathe, as well as some small cute alleys with miniature restaurants. The town served as the base for visiting famous Matsushima( see other tip), a short train-ride to the north, but is well worth a visit in itself. The covered shopping arcades in the town center offer endless shopping possibilities, the adjacent restaurant alleys promise culinary discoveries, we had some great food here, and the whole town itself was a very friendly place.
Only one thing was a problem, most maps were not really accurate, so it took us some time befor we foiund our way around.
Sendai is also a university town with lots of students and also foreign exchange students.
It is also famous for its Tanabata Matsuri (see other tip).
In the pic, one of the tiny resaturant alleys adjacent to the shopping arcades. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Takayama - The high mountain town | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The town of Takayama is a bit "off the beaten path" even though it gets its fair share of visitors, esp during the twice-annually festivals in spring and autumn.
Takayama (Taka=high, Yama=mountain) is located on the Japanese island of Honshu (often referred to as the main island, since most of the important cities are located here) in the highland mountainous area west of Tokyo in Hida district.
Travelling there by train you will have splendid views over tha mountains and mountain streams. Have your camera ready! The train that runs there is called Wide View Hida, and is driven by diesel, not electricity.
In Takayama town you can visit the remaining old quarters, have a bite at the many great restaurants, shop for Saru Bobos (a kind of faceless red doll) or maybe visit the Festival Floats exhibition.
The town's two annual festivals are known all over Japan and visitors crowd during these times. We didn't go there during festival time, and even though that might be interesting, I totally prefered the town without a million extra tourists around..:-)
Just outside Takayama is the Hida Folk Village, with farmhouses from the area on display. Very very interesting!! (see following tips)
For more info on Takayama, I found a great website...adress below.
In the picture: me at one of the morning markets where the mountin wonem come to sell their fruits and vegetables. I was actually asking for winter apples here, but it was too early in the season, so we got nashi (japanese pears) instead. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.hida.jp/e-taka.htm
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| | | | Izu hantó, the Izu peninsula | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Izu peninsula is located south of Tokyo on the east side of Honshu island. The peninsula is famous for its many hotspring resorts. The volcanic activity is abundant here, hence the many hot springs, or as they are called in Japanese, onsen.
Atami, at the base of the peninsula is a very popular travel destination for people in Tokyo.
We went down to Shimoda town all the way down the peninsula. From here we took some hot spring trips and also visited a marine center and got some lovely views of the ocean. The landscape of the peninsula itself is also amazing with the typical lsch green hills and the occasional steam from a spring rising above.
The railroads on the Izu hantó are private so you cannot use your Rail Pass if you have one, but must buy special tickets.
If you center your visit in Japan around Tokyo, but want a nearby getaway Izu should be perfect, it's close by and offers such scenic beauty.
We went in october, which seemed somewhat off season, but the hot springs are operating of course even though the beaches weren't that busy. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Rural life in Japan has much to offer! | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Did you know that just about every town and village in Japan has some thing to boast about? After living in a village of 3000 people in southern Oita Prefecture, I have discovered that I can see the world's longest handmade rope, the largest water wheel in Japan, the Niagra Falls of Japan, boiling springs of water (and mud!), and many other fascinating wonders of Japan - all off the beaten path. Because the cost of traveling within Japan is so high, many travelers never quite make it out of the "big" cities of Tokyo, Osaka, or Fukuoka, but if you have the chance, make way for the travel agent and find out what is available right outside the city limits.....and you might just find the refreshment for your soul that you were looking for (that is, escape from taking in all your daily minerals by breathing smog). Leave a Comment
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on October 28, 2004
on June 15, 2004
