Tokyo: Side Trips

Japan is a small country, no larger than the state of California. With that in mind, it's well worth taking a few side trips to enjoy some of Japan's other sights when visiting Tokyo.

Japan's public transit is second to none, and the shinkansen (bullet train) makes visiting anywhere in the country a snap. The trains are quite pricey, but the good news is that as a tourist you can get a special pass allowing you to use the train for one low price for a set period. Inquire at any train station: they're easy to get and very practical.

From there, some of Japan's must-sees within a reasonable distance include:

1. Hiroshima -- the site of the infamous atomic bomb, Hiroshima includes a museum to that effect as well as a peace park. The famous story of Sadako reigns supreme here, and you'll likely see many paper cranes Japanese school children have sent to the park in her memory.

2. Kyoto -- Japan's cultural center. It's busy and a very touristy location, but also very beautiful with many sights well worth seeing.

3. Mount Fuji -- if you decide to climb Japan's hugest and inactive volcano, make sure you arrange to arrive at the top for sunrise. Everyone else does too, so you won't be alone, and the end result is well worth it.

Whatever you do, make sure you take advantage of that Japan Rail Pass -- there's too much in Japan not to see it!

Destination of the month: Tokyo

I've had Japan on the mind, so I wanted to throw out a few ideas about places to stay, eat, and see in Japan's largest city (and one of the world's largest too!).

Tokyo is mind-boggling, not just due to its size but the millions of people crammed into every nook and cranny. They all seem to know exactly where they're going, too, making it easier to figure out how the crazy crosswalk things work: just follow a local (or more likely, a crowd of them).

If you hit Japan during the summer, one of the first things you're likely to notice is the humidity. It hits you the second you step out of the overly air-conditioned airport, a blast of heat, moisture, and smog: not the most pleasant thing in the world. Tokyo at night, on the other hand, is significantly more pleasant, albeit still very warm -- you'll definitely want a hotel with air-conditioning.

Regardless, Tokyo is a lot of fun to explore, and over the next week we'll discover why!

#7: Takayama

Most people don't think Japan when they think skiing, but buried in the heart of the Japanese alps is the well kept secret of Hida Takayama. The city (composed of the characters takai -- high -- and yama -- mountain) is a relatively small city often refered to as Little Kyoto (Kyoto being Japan's cultural and historic centre).

Like Kyoto, Takayama is loaded with temples, old streets, and history; unlike Kyoto, it's a small, sparsely populated (for Japan) area -- as long as you don't try to go during festival weekend in April, when the population of this small city literally triples overnight.

Looming over Takayama is Mount Norikura, known through Japan for its fantastic skiing. There aren't a lot of actual ski resorts, but Takayama makes a great base from which to explore the mountainside: buses run frequently, carrying you up to the mountain's peak. The region receives a great deal of snow during the winter months and can get quite chilly. Japanese skiing enthusiasts flock to Norikura because, unlike Japan's other mountains, it's actually a wonderful natural skiing spot!

Again, Takayama isn't for hardcore skiiers. But if you're looking for a ski holiday with lots of exploration and culture thrown in, it's the ideal spot!

Love Hotel

All this talk about Japan and hotels has me thinking of another peculiarly Japanese phenomenon: the love hotel. Yes, you read that right. The politest way to describe these things is as hotels that would generally have an hourly rate. They’re weird places. And yet, some tourists love to visit them. After all, they’re clean, affordable, spacious (as opposed to Japanese capsule hotels, where you basically sleep in a coffin), and certainly interesting.

In keeping with the Japanese idea that it’s only dishonorable if someone catches you at it, love hotels are completely anonymous. Your license plate is hidden when you park outside, and you never see the people who take your money, bring room service, etc. Most love hotels have themes. Some are distinctly weird (for example, you may find yourself in a classroom with a bed, complimentary schoolgirl costumes included). Others are just really nice hotels that happen to be... for love.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a bit of a laugh and a cheap place to stay, you might want to think about finding one of these places. After all, who will ever know?

Ryokan ni ikitai desu ka?

Speaking of hotels, I’ve been thinking about a few of the places I’ve stayed, and THAT got me thinking about a completely unique place to stay: a ryokan. Ryokans, for those who don’t know, are Japanese guesthouses -- traditional hotels. They’re wonderful for many reasons: they tend to be less expensive than a western hotel, they provide something of the authentic Japanese experience, and they’re usually clean and neat. Of course, they have a few drawbacks too, most notably that some of them have curfews -- but you can usually circumvent that problem by simply letting them know what time you’ll be in. Because the guest houses are typically owned by families, they aren’t staffed twenty-four hours a day, and they just want to know when they can lock the doors.

At any rate, if you’re thinking of heading to Japan, it’s well worth considering a ryokan. The Japanese Guest Houses website (http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm) offers descriptions of typical ryokans, reservation forms, and lets you search Japan for guest houses. The types of ryokans they describe include:

1. Standard Ryokan: No frills, low-atmosphere, with Japanese-style rooms: a ryokan experience “on the cheap.”

2. Modern Ryokan: Has all the modern conveniences of a hotel, but with Japanese rooms and baths. Closer to a hotel than a traditional ryokan.

3. Traditional Ryokan: Low on modern conveniences but high on culture and atmosphere.

4. Minshuku: Inexpensive and personalized traditional Japanese experiences, although they tend to be small and drafty

These are just a few of the options out there. It’s well worth staying in a ryokan if you’re traveling to Japan, even if only for a few nights!