traveling through Japan

[Hiroyuki]

Difficult to answer...

I've been to Hokkaido twice, and I think if you go to Sapporo and Hakodate, your craving for food will be satisified. You mentioned lavender fields. You probably mean the ones in Furano 富良野, right? It's far from Sapporo and Hakodate...

I, for one, don't like to go to Osaka (just another big city). Kyoto and Kobe are much better (just my opinion).

[Jason Perlow]

I, for one, don't like to go to Osaka (just another big city).  Kyoto and Kobe are much better (just my opinion).

Kyoto is also very pretty, but is known for its Ryokans, not its restaurant culture.

[Yuki]

Difficult to answer...

I've been to Hokkaido twice, and I think if you go to Sapporo and Hakodate, your craving for food will be satisified. You mentioned lavender fields. You probably mean the ones in Furano 富良野, right? It's far from Sapporo and Hakodate...

I, for one, don't like to go to Osaka (just another big city). Kyoto and Kobe are much better (just my opinion).

Yeah, we probably need to get a one week Jr Pass to travel around Hokkaido. Hokkaido seems totally different from the big city Tokyo, so it would be a good place to get a different view of Japan. I heard the seafood there is really good too.

If I don't get to Kyoto, Kobe, and Osaka this year, I could always go next year.

[ecr]

We had a limited glimpse of Hokkaido when we visited Japanese friends in Sapporo a few years ago. That was fall, and the leaves were turning, the air was brisk --- perfect nabemono weather (which our hosts prepared at home). Hokkaido's scenery is unforgettable and the seafood *is* spectacular. One day we drove north to a beautiful hot spring, stopping on route at a low mountain pass for potatoes. (Hokkaido is famous for them.) It was the strangest thing --- at the top of this pass, overlooking a valley, a very popular rest stop devoted to produce. Golfball-sized yellow potatoes any way you like them (baked and topped with the freshest butter were best --- served in single-purpose potato-ball holders), and corn on the cob. On the way to the hot springs we also passed through, and stopped at, vineyards and a small cheese production facility. After soaking in the indoor-outdoor hot spring baths we turned east to Otaru, a Monterey (CA)-like former canning town. (Better preserved and less touristy than Monterey though.) Where we had an amazing sushi dinner and some delicious boiled crabs. Would have liked to spend the night there to fit another couple meals in.

The part of Hokkaido we saw that day reminded me, strangely, of the American midwest (better food though). I would love to explore more of Hokkaido's coast (our friends were born and raised on Hokkaido's west coast and had some specatular photos of the area), the north, and the islands off of the northeast edge.

[torakris]

July?

Definitely Hokkaido....

the weather is better, the scenery is better, the seafood is better....

if I was going to Kansai, I would pass right by Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto and go straight to Nara.....

[torakris]

the Hokkaido foods thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=19824&st=0

[torakris]

maybe this can help:

http://web-japan.org/trends/feature/fea040415.html

[Hiroyuki]

Would like to stay in family "hotel" or ryokan, would it be hard for us to book a room without knowing Japanese and an agent?

If I want to go overseas for sightseeing with someone else, I will have a travel agent organize a tour especially for us.

[smallworld]

Yuki, any other season and I'd recommend Osaka and the Kansai area. But in July, Hokkaido sounds good.

Osaka may have great food, but otherwise there isn't much of interest to visitors, so you'll likely bore your parents. Kyoto also has fantastic food and lots of stuff to do, but Osaka, Kyoto, and the rest of the Kansai region are notorious for their hot, humid summers. Since you'll likely have a chance to go again, I'd suggest you do Hokkaido this time and visit Osaka next year(and make sure it's in the spring or fall).

Never been to Hokkaido, but I've heard that much of the seafood is way better in the winter (in terms of flavour, variety and availability). You might want to concentrate on other stuff- Hokkaido is famous for it's farms, especially dairy and, as already mentioned, potatoes and corn. Apparently the butter, cheese and ice cream are all good, and there are plenty of farms to visit.

Genghis Khan, a Mongolian style lamb hot-pot, is also supposed to be good.

As for accomodation, it's possible to book a room without an agent but it takes a bit of searching. There are a few associations that can help you.

The Japanese Inn Group lists a few places in Hokkaido:

http://www.jpinn.com/

The Welcome Inn Reservation centre has several:

http://www.itcj.or.jp/search/pref/hokkaido.html

Both of the above groups will make the reservations for you, so Japanese is not necessary.

A few more lists of accomodations (you may need to make your own reservations, but because these places are listed on English-language sites there's a good chance that you can reserve in English):

The Sapporo Sightseeing Guide lists a few places in Sapporo:

http://www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp/cgi-bin...te=spETOUR_STAY

The Japan National Tourist Organization lists 46 places throughout Hokkaido:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/SH/search/accommodat...su=2&city=C0201

[ecr]

In Sapporo, a visit to the Sapporo brewery would also be in order. Lots of great kitschy souvenirs in the gift shop. The restaurant serves Mongolian hot pot.

[Yuki]

It turned out that we are going to both places now......

July 9 - 17 - Hokkaido Area (with parents)

July 17 - 23/24 - Osaka and its surrounding (not bringing our parents, they need to work and fill up the bank account )

Thanks for all your advice!

[smallworld]

Hokkaido AND Osaka- perfect!

Check out the Eating in Kansai thread for more ideas about Osaka:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=5369

[Yuki]

We are going to rent a car and a small lodge house(with kitchen) in Furano, Hokkaido. Looking forward to shop in the market and cook. I think it would be wise to bring a kitchen knife and some basic seasonings.

[Hiroyuki]

Furano! I wish I could go there.

I found a site containing a photo gallery and a slide show:

http://www2e.biglobe.ne.jp/~shelty/index/

Enjoy!

***

ONE MORE THING:

DON'T FORGET NIIGATA, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CARE FOR SKIING

http://www.snowjapan.com/

COME TO YUZAWA, THE SNOW COUNTRY!!

Edited June 8, 2004 by Hiroyuki (log)

[dougery]

I haven't been to Hokkaido myself but it sounds much more interesting than Osaka. I enjoy the farmland and the smaller towns much more than the cities and I have been dying to visit the villages up north (didn't nato originate up north?). But I have to admit, Osaka is the home to the best okonomiyaki in the world (japanese pancakes) But... if you ever plan on heading south... Shikoku island is the place! The best udon in the world is in Shikoku and also Bonito underbelly... I'm getting hungry.

[Hiroyuki]

1.  (didn't nato originate up north?).

2.  Osaka is the home to the best okonomiyaki in the world (japanese pancakes)

3.  Shikoku island is the place!  The best udon in the world is in Shikoku

1. nato? You mean natto (fermented soybeans)? Natto originated in Mito, Ibaraki prefecture.

2. As for okonomiyaki, we also have Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

3. I'm a huge fan of Sanuki udon originating in Kagawa prefecture in Shikoku.

[Akiko]

It looks like my family is going to meet in Okinawa next spring. All of us live in different places around the world now but most of my Aunts and Uncles still live in or around Naha. So we are regathering to all be together. I'm so excited.

I'm just as excited about being back in Japan for the first time in 7 years...

I'll probably spend a good amount of time in Tokyo visiting friends.. and then spend the next 7 days making my way down to Osaka where I'll catch a flight to Okinawa. But where to go in those 7 days? My husband and I have both lived in Japan before so we've done the sightseeing in Kamakura and Kyoto... although, I'd like to go back to Kyoto on this trip to do more food related activities (the market, some special restaurants, etc). But what else should I look into?

I've been to Hida Takayama before but my husband hasn't, and since I love onsen, I'm thinking of scheduling that into the trip too.

Does anyone have special places between Tokyo and Osaka they'd like to share?

Most Appreciated

[torakris]

How about the Fuji-Hakone area?

I took my parents there this past spring and if the weather is nice there are some really gorgeous views. You can ride various kinds of trains including the romance car, cable cars, ropeways,etc. There is a great deal called the Hakone free pass that for one price you have free admission to all transportation (including the above mentioned trains as well as some boats and buses) and reduced discounts admissions to various places. There is a wonderful outsoor sculpture museum in Gora, right at the intersection of the Tozan train line and the cable car that leads to the ropeway.

The passes are good for either two or three consectutive days and there are cheaper prices on weekdays I believe. There are also a number of hotels/ryokans in the area as well as plenty of onsen where you could spend the night.

take a look here for a lot more information:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_014.html

there are lots of links to links, keep following them

thereis really a lot to see in the area in cincluding parts of the old Tokkaido road, Owakudani (sulphur springs) and of course gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji.

[mjs]

Instead of taking the normal Tokyo-Osaka route, how about heading west to Kanazawa and work your way down from there. I really enjoyed visiting the Noto Peninsula and Wajima. Wajima has fabulous food and is a renowned for lacquerware.

[Akiko]

Thanks Torakris and mjs.

My husband and I began dating each other in Japan and I have very fond memories of going to Hakone with him and some other friends. I've wondered about retracing our steps there but trying to decide whether we will do that or see more of Japan that we haven't seen yet is a hard decision!

mjs, I'm going to have to google noto peninsula and wajima. I don't know anything about either place!

I'll let you know what I find.

Thanks again,

Akiko

[Hiroyuki]

mjs, I'm going to have to google noto peninsula and wajima.  I don't know anything about either place!

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If you decide to go to the Hokuriku region, you'll have to change trains at Echigo Yuzawa station. Why not learn about Niigata too?

[Foodie_Penguin]

It looks like my family is going to meet in Okinawa next spring.  All of us live in different places around the world now but most of my Aunts and Uncles still live in or around Naha.  So we are regathering to all be together.  I'm so excited.

I'm just as excited about being back in Japan for the first time in 7 years...

I'll probably spend a good amount of time in Tokyo visiting friends.. and then spend the next 7 days making my way down to Osaka where I'll catch a flight to Okinawa.  But where to go in those 7 days?  My husband and I have both lived in Japan before so we've done the sightseeing in Kamakura and Kyoto... although, I'd like to go back to Kyoto on this trip to do more food related activities (the market, some special restaurants, etc).  But what else should I look into?

I've been to Hida Takayama before but my husband hasn't, and since I love onsen, I'm thinking of scheduling that into the trip too.

Does anyone have special places between Tokyo and Osaka they'd like to share?

Most Appreciated 

←

How about going to Mie-ken, specifically the area around Toba and Matsuzaka? The Toba area is famous as the place where cultured pearls were first made and you can see the women diving for the oysters. Also, you can buy first quality pearl jewelry at a fraction of the price.

Don't forget to go to see the famous "married rocks" just out in the ocean in Toba.

If you're both beef lovers, there's Matsuzaka beef, like the famous Kobe beef.

I'm kind of biased since my Mother is originally from Mie-ken.

Foodie Penguin

[Hiroyuki]

I just ran across this set of newly published books called Furusato no Katei-ryouri (Hometown Homestyle cooking), it is not  broken down into regions rather types of cooking. Each of the 20 books has a type of food as the theme and then breaks in down into the variations by region. Not all of the books seem to break down into regions however...

here is the website:

http://www.ruralnet.or.jp/zensyu/furusato/

←

I found this site:

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%83%B7%E5%....B2.A1.E7.9C.8C

The problem is that it's in Japanese and and the links are far from perfect. But anyone can contribute to this site.

[torakris]

I love wikipedia and have both the English and Japanese versions bookmarked. The English one has some good information on Japan but of course not nearly as detailed as the Japanese one...

I hadn't used it for regional foods, honestly hadn't even thought of looking, thank you Hiroyuki that specific link is a great help to me!

[jg488]

Dear eGullet members,

I was hoping you could give me some advice regarding my upcoming trip to Japan. My friend and I (both 30 year old single men) will be visiting from October 20-30. We fly into and leave from Tokyo. The itinerary isn't set, but right now I'm thinking that we'll take the train straight to Kyoto for the fire festival (Kurama-no-himatsuri), spend a few days there, then go somewhere else for two days(Takayama?), then finish the trip in Tokyo.

Most importantly, we want to enjoy as much of Japan's cuisine as possible. We'd also like to have some outdoor activities like hiking and maybe cycling. And we'd like to experience different types of accomodation (ryokan and minshuku).

We are watching our budget, but are willing to splurge, especially for a few outstanding meals.

I would welcome any advice on our itinerary, places to eat, and places to stay. Specific contact info (especially email) would be really helpful, because I think we should probably book things in advance. Neither of us speaks any Japanese, so it might help to point us to places that can accomodate english-speaking tourists.

Thanks so much for your help!

Josh

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