Japan Countryside

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The forests and ponds around Beppu were really nice, and the atmosphere as a whole was very calm and relaxing.

I have to give credit to the city itself too, even though you asked about the countryside. The city feels close to the nature and has natural ponds even inside the city. A perfect place to go rest in the evening after a day of hiking.

small is relative.

japan is larger then germany. and the island of honshu is about the same size as the united kingdom.

>>854962

that's not really true, I'm looking at a map right now and japan is definitely smaller than germany, and I can't find "honshu" but i'm asumming it can't be bigger than Japan so Japan can't be bigger than england.

Can we cool it with all the faggot weeb threads? take it to /a/

>>854967
Japan is 377,930 km2
Germany is 357,114 km2

UK is 242,900 km2
Honshu (main island of japan) is 228,962 km2 so just a little smaller, but japan is by far bigger than England in total, as well as bigger than Germany

Not the guy you replied to but know the facts before you write bullshit refuting a correct post

>>854967
educate your self on map projections, and realize just how distorted Mercator's is

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>>854830
Yakushima

>>854967
>Can we cool it with all the faggot weeb threads? take it to /a/
Stuff like this doesn't belong on /a/.
It belongs on /trv/, unless you were talking about the size of the country, it might belong in /jp/.

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>>854830

>>854982
Definitely seconding this. Travelled through most of Japan while living there and no place could match Yakushima nature-wise.

Not OP, but I decided to skip some time in the cities to visit some more places in the countryside during my Japan trip. Which city is more skippable: Hiroshima or Kyoto? i was thinking of spending three days in Kyoto and two days in Hiroshima including a side trip to Miyajima.

>>855625
Those are HUGE cities, far from being countryside Japan. If you want countryside in the Kyoto area I recommend you go down to the Kumano area, but even that is not the real countryside Japan that you might find in the right areas of Shikkoku, Hokkaido or Touhoku. North of Hiroshima you have the whole Matsue area which OP also addressed, some nice countryside to be found there I guess.

>>855634
could, you like, reread my post? But thanks for the Matsue and Kumano tips, I'll look into it

>>855641
Ah I'm sorry. None of them are skippable IMO, three days in Kyoto is not really enough anyway, and Miyajima is one of the most beautiful places in Japan, alongside the Peace Museum which is amazing.

>>855588
>>854982
What time of year did y'all go?

>>855643
so, should I shave some time off Tokio then? Those are the four cities I planned:
3 Days Kyoto
2 Days Hiroshima
8 Days Tokio (With side trips to Kamakura and Nikko)
2 Days Osaka (One day for Nara and my plane is departing from there, so I have to spend the night there anyways)

>>855644
Summer, winter is impossible due to heavy snowing in much of the island, and you obviously can't climb. Go in August to see the sea-turtles.

>>855646
It depends on what you're going to Japan for.
If you like parties or bars Osaka and Tokyo are great, otherwise you can cover the "essential" parts of Tokyo in 3-4 days, and take maybe a couple more for the side trips.
You could also cut Osaka, visit Nara as a side trip from Kyoto (the next stop on the train after Nara is Uji, which is a beautiful town, and the next is already Fushimi which is southern Kyoto, it's a 20-30 minute ride).

IMO Osaka doesn't have many attractions except really nice people and great atmosphere (Osaka castle doesn't take that long to visit), but I know some people here love the place.

>>855649
Obviously you could also expand a lot on side trips from Tokyo- Nikko, Chuuzenji, Kamakura, Enoshima, Hakone, Fuji and the five lakes are all great, and there's plenty more.

>>855650
>>855649
I would cut down on it, but since my flight is leaving from there, I'll have to be there anyways, so I figured I'd check it out.

Uji looks really nice and since I am a tea fan, I'll definitely check it out thanks!

Yeah, one stop I was thinking was Hakone for two days, right after Tokio so I'll get the nice contrast in there.

Geez, there's so much stuff, 22 days seems like a really short period..

>>855647
>Go in August to see the sea-turtles.
Ooh.. I really want this.
How many days should be cut off to be able to experience the place?

I'm limited to 23 days

>>855666
It really varies. It's a small island but the transportation is really bad. If you want to see the main attraction you could cover them in 2 days really.
Most people like to hike to the Joumon Sugi (oldest tree), but due this will probably force you to add an extra day due to the transportation. I think you can get a lot of info on the hiking routes in Japan Guide.

If you have a car/hitchhike you could cut a lot of time and get to some great attractions, some of the best beaches have ZERO transportation to them, so you'll have to rely on hitchhiking or car if you want to see sea-turtles or get tanned. It's surprisingly easy to hitchhike there, since people are really nice.
Also, some people might recommend the onsens in the island, I didn't find them to be especially great, there should be some nice ones that are far away from towns, but you'll need a car to get to them (I stayed in a hostel with a German babe, and the neighbor who had the hots for her offered to drive us around the island for an entire day).

>>855666
Could it work as trip where you leave Kagoshima early, go to Yakushima and sleep one night, then return to Kagoshima mid-day next day?

>>855674
Oh, alright.. I think I'll make it a trip with 2 nights, then.
Is it possible to find hostels on the island, or do I have to reserve someting in advance?

>>855675
>>855676
You can take a night ferry from Kagoshima to Yakushima, it's cheap as fuck and I slept fine (you sleep on one carpet with everyone else on the ferry, but you get a blanket).
As for hostels, I booked in advance, if you're going during summertime it may be hard to book on the spot, since there aren't that many hostels in every town and they're pretty far apart (and no transportation in the evening).

>>855634
just for reference, most of the cities are fucking huge. If it's not a huge fucking city, it's probably a tiny village. So people that say japan is all concrete really haven't stepped out of the beaten path at all

Japan is very foreign, nature wise. The forests are a lot different from european or NA ones because of distance and relative age on a volcanic island. It feels very primeval.

Japan would have been a very scary place for hunter gatherers 9k years ago

>>855679
>night ferry
As far as I can see according to Japan Guide (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4651.html), a car ferry leaves every morning, with a cost of around 4000 yen each way.

>>855681
Here are all the methods of transportation to Yakushima and back:
http://www.yakumonkey.com/2007/06/transport-to-and-from-yakushima.html

Remember to book in advance, the booking might be in Japanese so ask here and people will help (it's generally pretty hard to get around Yakushima without Japanese)

>>855682
I didn't quite understand the ferry thing in the bottom.

It says:

>Note: The Yakushima Maru ferry line was discontinued on 31 Jan 2012. It was replaced with the old Hibiscus service. It's cheap but there's a reason for that - check out the timetable!

But there's two "cheap" ferries listed.

>>855685
It's pretty simple. At the beginning there used to be 2 ferries:
Yakushima Ferry Hibiscus (the older one) and Ferry Yakushima 2.

Ferry Yakushima 2 is still around, and makes the trip in 4 hours (8,000 yen round trip).

Many years ago, The Yakushima Ferry Hibiscus was replaced by Yakushima Maru Ferry, which was similar to Yakushima 2.

Yakushima Maru Ferry was discontinued in 2012 and replaced with Yakushima Ferry Hibiscus coming back from the dead.

So now you have Ferry Yakushima 2 and Hibiscus, just like at the beginning.

>>855686
Also Hibiscus is 6,500 round trip, and takes the whole night to make the trip (because it stops for most of the night on tanegashima where you can get off to sleep or stay to sleep on the boat)

>>855687
>>855686
Alright, thanks a lot.
I had a hard time decoding that, haha.
Thanks a lot for the website as well as the information you have provided me with thus far, really.

Is there anything you would personally recommend in Yakushima?

>>855688
Sure, you're welcome!
Yakusugi Land is great, I recommend taking the longest route you can (2.5 hours), since the deeper you go, the bigger the trees get.

The best attraction is probably Shiratani Unsuikyo, also has several different routes, but make sure you at least get to the Princess Mononoke forest, which is amazing (I think you'll need at least the 4 hour route). If you're going to Joumon Sugi you can combine the trips, but it means you have a day of trekking past that point (you can sleep in huts), I can't say much since I didn't go there,

As for minor attractions on the island, the waterfalls are not very impressive, the Yakusugi Museum and the Environmental Culture Village Center are pretty nice and available, so check them out if you're near.
If you have a car the Kigen-sugi is nice at the edge of Yakusugi Land.
Banyan garden is not impressive at all and the mosquitoes are terrible.
Also you should check for festivals in Miyanoura, I was there during a festival and it was very unique.

The best tip I can give you is to enjoy the way, even a ride around the island is really beautiful and allows you to see different terrains and views, and there are lots of unique animals there (weirdass deers, monkeys, etc.)

BTW, if you like climbing, Yakushima mountains are considered to be some of the craziest places to climb in Japan.
And whatever you do, DO NOT take the guided tour, it's Japanese only (I spent a whole day translating for tourists) and redundant.

>>855691
Also, if you're taking Hibiscus, you should know you will need a taxi to get to the port, get as close as you can to it by train, and they will have taxis there. It has a pretty great view of Sakurajima, but there's not much else to do there except wait.
Kagoshima is considered a very nice city (many Japanese high schools go there for their field trips and such), but I only visited Sakurajima personally.

>>855691
Sweet!

Will add Yakusugi Land and Shiratani Unsuikyo (Including Mononoke-hime-no-Mori).

Don't really think I'm going to bother with Joumon Sugi, though. Also going to avoid any heavy climbing, as I'm sort a sort of heavy guy,

Might want to see the waterfalls, probably depends on how much time I want to dedicate to it when I'm there.

Will definitely keep a heads-up for the festivals.

Perhaps you could clear something up for me: On Google Maps there's a Kagoshima, both on main land Japan, but also on the island containing Yakushima (Is that actually the name of the island?). When referring to Kagoshima, is that the one on the mainland, where the ferry goes?

Cheers.

>>855693
It's probably confused because municipal Yakushima and Tanegashima are considered in Kagoshima prefecture, but no one actually thinks about it that way. Kagoshima is the city of Kagoshima in the mainland, one of the biggest port cities in Japan and the final stop on the Shinkansen, you aren't going to miss it

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>>855693
I lied.
I can find 4.
It's the one in the top left that is home to the ferries, right?

>>855694
Haha, alright.

Thanks a lot, man, and have a continued nice day/night, wherever in the world you may be..!

I've tried and make a time table for what I'd like to do; is this plausible?

The time span is 28th July -> 21st August

1 - Leave home
2 - Home -> Tokyo
3 - Tokyo
4 - Tokyo (Akihabara)
5 - Tokyo
6 - Tokyo / Nagoya (Science museum)
7 - Nagoya (Korankei)
8 - Nagoya -> Kyoto
9 - Kyoto
10 - Kyoto (Day-trip to Nara)
11 - Kyoto -> Osaka
12 - Osaka (Aquarium and Osaka Castle (Kaiyukan))
13 - Osaka -> Okayama
14 - Okayama
15 - Okayama -> Hiroshima
16 - Hiroshima (Peace Memorial Park)
17 - Hiroshima -> Fukuoka
18 - Fukuoka (Canal City Hakata)
19 - Fukuoka -> Kagoshima
20 - Kagoshima -> Yakushima
21 - Yakushima
22 - Yakushima -> Kagoshima
23 - Kagoshima
24 - Kagoshima -> Tokyo
25 - Tokyo -> Home

>>855695
The one on the top is the city of Kagoshima, the other three say "Kagoshima prefecture" in Japanese, so it's just labelled that these islands belong to the prefecture.

Are there any really wild lonely places in northern japan?

I live in S Korea and there's just too many people everywhere. Russia is too difficult to visit because of visas. Need to get away from people.

>>855821
>Are there any really wild lonely places in northern japan?

Hokkaido. Hokkaido. Hokkaido.

Most of the island is absolutely fucking empty. No people. No roads. If you want to get out in the wilderness, get lost, and get eaten by a bear, Hokkaido it is.

>>855812
If anybody have any ideas as to what I could cut to get some extra days, it would be appreciated.
I would like to climb Mt. Fuji Which requires 1 night.

>>855853
>any ideas as to what I could cut to get some extra days

Okayama is a rather small city with not all that much to see. If you don't have a specific reason for going there, you can probably cut out the full day you have scheduled for day 14. You can then use this day for your Fuji climb.

If it were me, I'd also consider cutting a day from Hiroshima. In and of itself it's not terribly interesting. You should be able to cover it in one full day. I'd use the day I saved to go to Miyajima (day trip from Hiroshima) or Koya-san (day trip from Osaka).

>>855858
Sounds like a great idea, would especially like to visit Koya-san!

Miyajima is that Itsukushima? I heard they had a beatufiul shrine (Also a UNESCO World Heritage thingy).

>>855858
Tried updating it. I've decided to choose either the aquarium or the castle (of course both if I have time).

1 - Leave home
2 - Home -> Tokyo
3 - Tokyo
4 - Tokyo (Akihabara)
5 - Tokyo
6 - Tokyo -> Mt Fuji (Climb)
7 - Mt Fuji -> Shizuoka -> Nagoya
8 - Nagoya (Korankei + Science Museum)
9 - Nagoya -> Kyoto
10 - Kyoto
11 - Kyoto (Day-trip to Nara)
12 - Kyoto -> Osaka (Castle or Aquarium)
13 - Osaka (Day-trip to Koya-san)
14 - Osaka -> Okayama (Kibi plain)
15 - Okayama -> Hiroshima (Peace Memorial Park)
16 - Hiroshima (Day-trip Itsukushima)
17 - Hiroshima -> Fukuoka
18 - Fukuoka (Canal City Hakata)
19 - Fukuoka -> Kagoshima
20 - Kagoshima -> Yakushima
21 - Yakushima
22 - Yakushima -> Kagoshima
23 - Kagoshima
24 - Kagoshima -> Tokyo
25 - Tokyo -> Home

>>855860
>>855863

Koya-san is definitely worth it, plus this gives you another night in Osaka (more interesting nightlife there than in Okayama or Hiroshima to be sure). And, yes, Itsukushima=Miyajima.

As for Osaka castle, it's OK, i.e. sort of interesting. I say "sort of" as it's a reproduction, and an obvious reproduction at that. If you have the time (and are really into Japanese castles), Himeji is a much better alternative. As for how either of them compares to the Osaka aquarium I can't say as I've never been.

>>855863

>>855874 here again. If you're interested in Akihabara-style places, check out Nipponbashi (AKA Den-Den town) when you're in Osaka. It's a lot more real than Akiba (i.e., not 100% devoted to tourists) and has a good number of interesting shops.

>>855874
>>855882
Will check out Nipponbashi, haven't heard about it before!

Which city has the best night night life in your eyes? Tokyo? Osaka?

Also; what to do at night? Are people friendly enough to talk to you if you're alone and visits a bar or such? (I'm going alone) Where I'm from, people are easily included in a group.

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I have pics from 2008 of:
Fuji/Hakone
Kanazawa
Koya-san (Buddhist Ryokan)
Shirakawa-go (Minishuku !)
Takayama

Also have Kyoto, Tokyo and a little bit of Osaka.

Unfortunately, mootles had a stupid spastic shitphase and now I can't upload any pics without re-coding them because of some imaginary "Error: Your image contains an embedded file." garbage.

>>855961
do you maybe have them uploaded somewhere else (or could do so)? Like flickr, facebook something like that?

>>855968
No, I'm kinda emo about uploading all of my pics...

>>855970
W-Why are you complaining about not being able to upload them, if you wouldn't anyway?

>>855975
I would post some for fellow Anons that are interested (I've done so before on /trv/), but I don't feel like uploading all of my things... you know...

>>855976
how about just the best/essential then? What I would be personally most interested in is Hakone, Kanzawa and Koya san. But only if you want to kind anon

??????!

>>855992
Same as this guy.
Would mainly be interested in Koya-san and Hakone, though.

>>855992
>>855997
>??????!
N-n-no weeabooing pls, Anon-kun...

Ok, I am uploading a few random pics from my folders to imgur.
If you want some info, just ask, I'll be drinking and staying here for another few hours.

Hakone: http://imgur.com/a/sDm3U#0

Will upload some of Koya-san and Kanazawa in about half an hour (or less).

>>855999
Thanks Anon, great pictures.

So, I'm going to Japan for about a month, but I have no idea what to bring my sister back from Japan. I really don't want to bring her an "I <3 Tokyo" shirt or something stupid like that.

>>855999
??????!

anyways, love the pictures!

Where did you stay in Hakone? A hotel, Ryokan, Hostel? Also would you recommend the Buddhist stay? I was thinking of doing it, but it was quite a high price tag, with around 100-150$ per night, so I don't really if it's worth it.

Sorry, this took WAY longer than expected.
I hope you didn't seppuku in the meantime.

>>856006
I brought my dad a Rolling Stones tongue T-shirt back, probably not what he expected. But he loves the band and wears it every now and then when he's riding around his motorbike.

>>856002
>>856007
I didn't actually stay there, but it was a one-day-trip.
Here are a few Kanazawa pics:
http://imgur.com/a/HwqAV#0

The garden and Ikko Ikki castle are really cool to look at, but hard to take photos of since it's often very labyrinthine.

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>>856020
And here are some Koya-san pictures and the buddhits temple/ryokan I've slept at:
http://imgur.com/a/YG9YC#0

>>856020
>I brought my dad a Rolling Stones tongue T-shirt back, probably not what he expected. But he loves the band and wears it every now and then when he's riding around his motorbike.

Haha, I was more thinking of something special to Japan, which you can only get there. Fun about your father, though, haha.

>>856020
>Fuck and roll
What the hell are those pictures of those women?

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>>856022
Well, I didn't expect to bring my dad a Stones T-Shirt from Japan either. hah

Here are some Takayama pics:
http://imgur.com/a/kpKjo#0

Not too much, since I was still suffering from jetlag and was very apathetic about everything (it was the 3rd or 4th out of 27 days). However, at the end of the day/the next day I was full on HYPE for Japan and the rest of the trip was truly amazing.
The ones inside a bus are while traveling to Shirakawa-go.

>>856023
To check if local womansfolk fuck and rolls, of course !

>>856026
>To check if local womansfolk fuck and rolls, of course !
So hooker photos or what?

>>856029
No, just JAV stuff you could order via the tele thing.

>>856030
Ah, alright.

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>>856031
Spoiler: I actually did order some at my hotel in Osaka, because I wanted to see how it is handled by the receptionist.
However, it was pretty discretely billed.

I guess if they are good at one thing, it's discretely billing your filthy stuff.

>>856032
Here are some Shirakawa-go pics.
http://imgur.com/a/3o9Hu#0

Unless I get some specific requests/questions, this will be my last post.
There also is a picture with my shade in it in this album.

>>856035
At what time of year did you visit Sharakawa-go?

>>856037
May through June I was in Japan, so probably early June.

>>856021
>>856020
>>856035
thanks for the pictures! I might have missread this, but you did stay at a buddhist temple for a night didn't you? would you recommend it?

>>856047
I've spent at one at Koya-san.
And yes, I very much would recommend it. It's an interesting experience.
They also have a morning prayer at 5 or 6 o'clock that you can voluntarily participate in.

>>855896
>Which city has the best night night life in your eyes? Tokyo? Osaka?

Probably Tokyo as it's much bigger, but they're really both about the same.

>>855896
>Are people friendly enough to talk to you if you're alone

It depends where you go (i.e., if this is what you want then stay away from formal restaurants, chain restaurants, and noisy places). If you go to a neighborhood izakaya or bar they will certainly talk to you -- how far this goes depends on your Japanese and/or their English. FWIW, I've always found neighborhood places to be very friendly (especially in Osaka).

BTW, if you like to drink be sure about the alcohol policies of temples (if you decide to overnight at one). Most won't allow any alcohol of any kind, and many refuse to serve meat. Because of this (and the generally very expensive "stay at a temple!" prices) I've always stayed at local business hotels -- cheaper, better food, friendlier people, and you don't have to get up at 5:00 a.m. to do manual labor. But that's just me.

>>856070
>how far this goes depends on your Japanese and/or their English.
I hope they know better English than I know Japanese, haha.. Thanks for the tips, man.
Will definitely try to find somewhere local.

- Is a tie as a headband mandatory?

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Has anyone ever seen the Ban-ei races in Hokkaido?
It's supposed to be a really old tradition and is basically a like tractor-pull race but with enormous roided draft horses and weighted sleds.
Seems like a really neat thing to see if you're trekking in the area and also before the tradition dies out.

I don't mean to hijack the thread or anything, but I figured if there's already a Japan thread up I may as well ask here:

My girlfriend and I are going to Japan at the end of the year, but I can't find much info about where to go/what to do in Shikoku, other than the main sights. Has anyone been off the beaten track in Shikoku, or any recommendations while we're there?

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>>856107
I have seen Ban-ei race in Obihiro. A racetrack is in 2 km west from Obihiro Station. The race is held on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday every week. The price of an admission fee was 100 yen.
Obihiro is featureless city in Hokkaido. However, a pork bowl (Buta-don) and delicious confectionery are famous. The butter-sand of Rokkatei is worth eating.

>>856114
>where to go/what to do in Shikoku

I haven't been yet, but am interested in going so have done some research. The major thing there is the 88 temple trek; there are also 4 original castles scattered around the island. Apart from these the only other "major" attractions are some hiking and whitewater rafting, although if you're there too late in the year the latter probably won't be available (too cold). From what I've gathered Shikoku isn't too easy to get around using public transportation -- while it's doable, you lose a lot of time with it (weird schedules, waiting around for connections, etc.). If/when I go I'll certainly rent a car. If any anons have been there and can confirm/contradict any of this, please do so!

>>856174
Marusei butter-sand! 100x better than Shiroi Koibito IMHO.

>>856107
No, because that shit is animal cruelty just for entertainment.

>>855874
Himeji Castle is under renovation currently. I was planning to go there this past month, but opted not to. They say you really can walk around the castle, literally. Scaffolding is put up and so you can't even get a good picture from the outside. Always double check these things before going. I typically get sabotaged by maintenance and renovations whenever I travel... more often than average people do.

bumping for interest

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>>854830
Tottori Sand Dunes
tojinbo
Lake Mashu
Kamikochi
Mount Aso Caldera
Yoro Park
Toyama Bay's bio luminescent beaches

Not really landscape per se, but Ueno Zoos escaped animal drill in Tokyo that they do every February is fun

>>856035
Hey bro could you post some of your Tokyo pics please

So my father had 150 dollars and 150 euros he hadn't used and thus gave them to me.

Can these be exchanged at the japanese airport for a decent rate?

>>858118
You won't generally get decent rates at airports, but for only that amount of money, it's hardly going to matter. Just change them at the airport for convenience.

>>858118
Don't change money at airports in Japan. Very bad rates.

>>855961
I went to Takayama for 3 days in 2012 and absolutely loved it after coming down from Tokyo. Beautiful scenery, relaxed atmosphere and a blast to get around on bicycles.

>>858133

nah don't listen to this faggot. I changed money at the airport once thinking the same thing. I usually don't give a fuck about small amounts like that but holy fuck you get shafted as fuck I had no idea how bad it could be, if I can ever avoid it in the future I will.

Just exchange them at your bank before you go, that's the best way to get a good exchange rate.

>>855863

Skip Tokyo (Akihabara is fucking boring)
Skip Nagoya
One more day in Kyoto (make sure it's not week end)
Skip Osaka Aquarium, unless it's a rainy day
Okayama: I assume you want to see Koraku-en and the castle, which is a good reason to go
Skip Fukuoka (Canal City, it's just a shopping center)

generally, check www.japan-guide.com to check what you want to see and for travel tips

Since you go in summer: check whether you want to visit one of the many festivals

>>858291
>>855863

since you have more time now, you can go to more smaller places.

I recommend Kurashiki, it can be reached from Okayama by local train:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5750.html
I recommend to see the Ohashi house there, very relaxing
Kurashiki is about half a day worth, you could combine it with Koraku-en in Okayama.

Instead visiting Fukuoka, you could make a stop in Kumamoto (it's a Shinkansen stop on the way to Kagoshima)
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4500.html
and visit the Hosokawa Residence if you are interested in traditional Japanese houses like I am

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>>856006

this is what you could bring home for her:
http://www.asakointeractive.jp/inden-ya/award/

>>858206
What's the best place to change it then?