Traveling Japan
Sunday, 25 May 2008Want to travel Japan? Here’s a broad starting point.
Arriving in Japan + Getting around the regions
There are two major international airports in Japan. The largest is Narita (NRT), which is outside Tokyo. The newest is Kansai (KIX) which is on a manmade island in Osaka Bay.
The Shinkansen, Japan’s bullet train, links the major points of interest in Japan, running from north of Tokyo through the capital past Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Osaka, and further southwest to Hiroshima and points beyond. Trains run frequently (every 20 minutes or so) but tickets can be as expensive as flying. A JR Rail Pass is a good value, especially when getting around Tokyo and traveling by Shinkansen.
Kantou / Tokyo / Narita (NRT)
Narita handles almost purely international flights. Domestic flights for Tokyo are through Haneda.
Narita is not in Tokyo; it is in the neighboring prefecture Chiba. Thus, it takes a bus or train ride to get into Tokyo, which usually lasts an hour or so. If you’ve got a transfer to a domestic flight out of Haneda, make sure to budget at least two hours between landing and departing.
Kansai / Osaka / KIX
Kansai International Airport (KIX) handles international and domestic flights. The older Osaka airport, Itami, continues to handle some domestic flights as well as short-distance international flights.
KIX theoretically serves the whole Kansai region, but is about an hour south of central Osaka, which makes it 2 hours away from Kobe and Kyoto.
Kansai is a hodge-podge of different train companies that seem to differ by prefecture (and are useless in Kyoto, which you can get to but can’t get around by train). A good map and pocket change is a better way to travel than with a rail pass in Kansai.
Hiroshima and Kyushu
I’ve never been, but these places aren’t close to Kyoto or Tokyo. A few extra days in the capital or cultural center of Japan are worth more than a long round trip and single night in Hiroshima.
Hokkaido and Okinawa
The extreme north and south of Japan are definitely worth the visit, but are journeys in and of themselves. There are many package deals that tour companies such as JTB sell to both places, which make it easy to get a round trip flight, hotel, and rental car, which you’ll definitely need to get around both places.
Tokyo
Tokyo is the capital of Japan. The emperor has a nice spread that’s semi-off-limits, and the government has a very tall building with a free observation deck. But what’s most interesting is at the street level and the distinct microcosms that erupt at each station along the central green loop line (JR Yamanote-sen). Highlights along the way are:
- Ginza – expensive shopping district. Japan’s trophy wives congregate here to show off their new Gucci hand bags. You’ll notice them because they all have long straight black hair – a rarity in other parts of Tokyo.
- Ueno – there’s a great park here with cherry blossoms that are gorgeous in the spring time. There’s also a zoo and a statue of a samurai walking his dog and museums.
- Akihaibara – this is the tech district of Tokyo. New and old electronics can be found in niche stores. The Maid Cafes are also interesting sub cultures to visit.
- Shinjuku – One of the busiest stations in the world – it processes over 3 million people a day. There are two parts to this district, which are literally separated by the train tracks. The west side is home to the tallest buildings in Tokyo, including the aforementioned government twin towers with the free observation deck (you can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day). The east side is the red light district of Tokyo which is full of cabaret and host clubs, capsule hotels, panty vending machines, and all of the fetish frivolities Japan is stereotyped for.
- Harajuku – there is a bridge close to the entrance to the neighboring park where all of the cos-play freakers hang out, especially on Saturday.
- Shibuya – the famous crosswalk from Lost In Translation is here, along with some large department stores.
- Ropongi – clubbing, clubbing, clubbing, and a giant spider statue outside of the newly completed Ropongi Hills.
Other places that come highly recommended are Asakusa for a traditional feel, the fish market in the morning, the NHK studios, and Studio Ghibli’s theme park (home of Totoro).
It’s easy to spend 3 – 5 days in Tokyo and not run out of things to do or places to see. A lot of the charm of Tokyo is getting lost in the city and being surprised by what you find.
Osaka / Kyoto / Kobe / Nara
The only thing that Tokyo doesn’t have to offer (at least in large quantity) is traditional Japanese culture. For that, Kansai is the place to be.
Kyoto is like Prague – a very well preserved slice of culture from several hundred years ago. There are enough temples and shrines and museums and world heritage sites to keep you busy for at least a full week, though two or three nights is probably sufficient.
Getting around Kyoto is most easily done on foot or by bicycle. Just north of Kyoto station is a Muji department store that rents bicycles for a reasonable price. With a bicycle and a map of the city, you can easily schedule your day by randomly choosing three sights to see and leisurely making your way around to each. If your random number generator is broken, check out Ginkakuji (the golden temple) and Kiyomizu (the temple up on the hill). The river that runs through Kyoto has wide banks on either side that are also good for cycling.
Nara doesn’t get much publicity, but Nara Koen (Nara park) is a nice afternoon with it’s domesticated deer that roam about freely as well as a huge bronze Buddha. Horyuji temple which is close by is the oldest wooden structure in the world and worth a visit as well.
Osaka is good for shopping, but in the end is just another big city. Spend your time in Tokyo and Kyoto. If you make it to Kobe, the large population of foreigners makes for good eating, and supposedly the city is good for shoe shopping as well.
Okinawa and Hokkaido
Okinawa is Japan’s Hawaii, except that the islands were formed from coral, not volcanic activity. This makes for gorgeous diving and snorkeling, strangely shaped islands, white sand beaches, and poor surfing. The main island, also called Okinawa, is most beautiful about and hour north of Naha, the capital, in Onnason. Another 30 minutes further north is Nago, which has a world class aquarium.
If time permits, the outlying island are even more rewarding. Miyako is a flight away, but there are ferries that run between Okinawa and Tonaki and Tokashiki, two smaller outlying islands that offer a unique slice of Okinawa culture, which is an interesting slice of asian influences, the longest life expectancy in the world, an abundance of pork, their own brand of alcohol (awamori), and a quiet seaside lifestyle.
Make sure to enjoy a cold mug of Orion beer while in town, Okinawa’s native beer.
Hokkaido is much more of a melting pot, having been colonized by people from all over Japan over 100 years ago. If you go to Hokkaido, you have to indulge in the onsens there, or natural hot spas. They come in all sizes: big and small, developed and naturally occurring, one-man baths beside a river, holes you dig yourself in the beach of a lake with volcanic activity below it, seasize baths only accessible at low tide; the list goes on.
The seafood in Hokkaido is also the best in all of Japan, with specialties like giant crab and sea urchin (uni). Enjoy with Sapporo, the local beer that’s famously exported around the world.
Summary
Here’s a few recommended schedules for getting around Japan:
- 4 days or less – Just Tokyo should be sufficient. You’ll spend at least a day traveling to Kyoto and getting situated, so traveling might not be worth it.
- 7 days or less – Tokyo and Kyoto should be sufficient; you definitely won’t be bored, and there will be plenty left over for your next trip to Japan!
- 7 days – alternately, you could spend this time nicely in Okinawa or Hokkaido for 3 – 4 nights and the rest of your time in Tokyo.
- 10 days – Tokyo and Kyoto will be easy. From Kyoto, you can also take day trips to Nara (highly recommended), Osaka, and Kobe (equally recommended).
- 14 days – Use your JR rail pass to go everywhere the Shinkansen goes and let the train system show you around Japan. Ideally, Tokyo through Kyoto on to Hiroshima.
Happy travels!
Comments