Trip Overview–Japan Spring 2016 (16 Days through Nakasendo Trail, Japanese Alps, Kanazawa, Shirakawago, Takayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Kyoto)

This is an overview of our trip through Japan in May/June 2016. In 16 days, we hiked part of the Nakasendo trail from Magome to Narai, visited Matsumoto, crossed the Japanese Alps, visited Kanazawa, Shirakawago, Takayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima and ending with a short stay in Kyoto.

The following table summarises my itinerary and where I stayed.

Day 1  (24 May 2016)

Travel from home to Nagoya Airport. Forward our main luggage to the next hotel after Nakasendo and Alpen Route, i.e. our hotel in Kanazawa.

Travel by train to Nagoya. At Nagoya, take a train to Nakatsugawa and then travel by public bus to Magome.

Where I Stayed: Tajimaya at Magome.

Trip report – getting to Magome

Day 2  (25 May 2016)

Walk from Magome to Tsumago along the Nakasendo trail in the morning.

After check in and short rest, walk the Tsumago to Nagiso trail.

Tip: Use the luggage forwarding service between Magome and Tsumago. Drop off backpacks in the morning at Magome and collect them when we arrived at Tsumago, on the same day.

Where I Stayed: Fujioto Ryokan at Tsumago.

Trip report – Morning in Magome

Trip report – Nakasendo Walk from Magome to Tsumago

Trip report – Nakasendo Walk between Tsumago and Nagiso

Trip report – Review of Fujioto Ryokan

 

Day 3  (26 May 2016)

Take train from Nagiso to Narai to drop off our backpacks at Iseya Ryokan. Walk across Torii Pass from Narai to Yabuhara before taking the train back to Narai.

Note: There is No same day luggage forwarding service available between Tsumago and Narai. So we dropped off our backpacks at Narai before doing the reverse hike across the Torii Pass from Narai to Yabuhara.

Where I Stayed: Iseya at Narai.

Trip report – Morning in Tsumago

Trip Report – Nakasendo walk between Yabuhara and Narai

Trip Report – Review of Iseya Ryokan

Day 4  (27 May 2016)

Short walk from Narai to Kiso-Hirasawa, famous for its lacquer ware, before leaving the Kiso Valley (and the Nakasendo trail) by train to Matsumoto.

See Matsumoto Castle. Sign up for the free tour of the castle conducted by volunteers at the castle site.

Check out Nawate Street and Nakamachi Street for eateries and souvenirs.

Where I Stayed: Richmond Hotel Matsumoto at Matsumoto. The hotel is conveniently located within walking distance to the train station and castle.

Trip Report – Morning in Narai

Trip Report – Nawate Street in Matsumoto

Trip Report – Matsumoto Castle

Day 5  (28 May 2016)

Leave early from Matsumoto and travel by train to Ogizawa.

Travel through the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route from Ogizawa to Toyama.

The main attraction is the magnificent scenery of the Tateyama Mountain Range and the snow corridor in spring. In 2016, the snow corridor is open to pedestrians from April 16 to June 22.

Travel by Shinkansen from Toyama to Kanazawa after completing the Alpine Route.

Tip: Leave early as it takes about 6 hours to enjoy the Alpine Route, excluding travel time to and from the start and end points.

Where I Stayed: Hotel Nikko Kanazawa at Kanazawa. This high-rise hotel is conveniently located and connected to the Kanazawa train and bus station via an underpass.

Trip report - Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

Day 6  (29 May 2016)

A full day to explore Kanazawa and try the fresh seafood!

Must see sights include the Kenroku-en Garden, one of the Three Most Beautiful Gardens in Japan.

After seeing the garden, stopped by at the nearby 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art to view the free exhibits.

In the afternoon, visit Omicho Market, the Samurai district and the Higashi Chaya districts. Visit a few gold leaf craft shops at the Higashi Chaya districts.

Tip: Buy the 500 Yen Bus Day Pass if doing a lot of sightseeing within Kanazawa. It would be more convenient than using coins to pay for each bus ride.

Where I Stayed: Hotel Nikko Kanazawa at Kanazawa.

Trip report – Exploring Kanazawa

Day 7  (30 May 2016)

Travel from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go (a UNESCO World Heritage village) by public bus.

After exploring Shirakawa-go, take the public bus to Takayama.

Tip: Bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawago needs advance reservation. There are lockers at Shirakawago bus station but we chose to forward our main luggage to Takayama a day prior to our trip.

Where I Stayed: Best Western Hotel Takayama at Takayama. This hotel has western-style rooms and is conveniently located within walking distance to the Takayama train and bus station. It is also within walking distance to the key sights and eateries in Takayama.

Trip report – Visiting Shirakawa-go

Trip report – Enjoying Hida Beef at Ajikura Beef Yakiniku Restaurant

Day 8  (31 May 2016)

A full day to explore Takayama.

Tip: Must try the Hida beef! Yakiniku style is best.

Where I Stayed: Best Western Hotel Takayama at Takayama.

Trip Report – Exploring Takayama

Day 9  (1 June 2016)

Do a day trip to Kamikochi National Park from Takayama by public bus.

Stay at Hirayu Onsen to enjoy hot spring baths after a day of hiking in the national park.

Where I Stayed: Hirayu No Mori at Hirayu Onsen.

Trip Report – Day trip to Kamikochi National Park

Trip Report – Hirayu No Mori

Day 10  (2 June 2016)

Travel by public bus from Hirayu Onsen back to Takayama and make a half day excursion to Hida-Furukawa. Take the Satoyama cycling tour (weather permitting). Hida-Furukawa is also known for its canals with koi.

Where I Stayed: Oyado Koto No Yume in Takayama.

Trip report – Enjoying Hida Beef at Maruaki and trip to Hida Furukawa

Trip report – Review of Oyado Koto No Yume Ryokan

Day 11  (3 June 2016)

Travel to Kyoto by train from Takayama.

In the afternoon, visit Nishiki Market and Teramachi area for some shopping and dinner at Ichiran, one of the most popular ramen restaurant in Kyoto.

Explore Kyoto’s Gion district at night.

Where I Stayed: Ibis Style Kyoto Station at Kyoto. This hotel is conveniently located next to Kyoto Station. 

Trip report – Takayama to Kyoto by train.

Trip report – Nishiki Market and Ichiran Ramen

Trip report – Gion at night

Day 12  (4 June 2016)

Explore Arashiyama with its famous bamboo groves and Tenryu-ji Temple. Thereafter, travel by train/taxi to visit Kinkakuji Temple, the Golden Pavilion.

Travel by Rapid Service train and Shinkansen to Hiroshima in the evening.

Tip: Buy the Kansai Hiroshima Pass.
Leave main luggage at Ibis hotel before the trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima.

Where I Stayed: Toyoko Inn Hiroshima-eki Minamiguchi-migi in Hiroshima.

Trip report - Arashiyama

Trip report - Kinkakuji Temple, the Golden Pavilion

Day 13  (5 June 2016)

Visit the following in the morning:

•Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
•Memorial Cenotaph
•Hiroshima Peace Park
•Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims
•Statue of A-Bomb Children
•A-Bomb Dome

Try the Hiroshima version of the Okonomiyaki for lunch.

Travel to Miyajima in the afternoon.

Tip: Miyajima is best enjoyed in the evening, night and early morning without the day-trippers. So an overnight stay on the island, in a ryokan or hotel with half board is recommended.

Where I Stayed:  Mizuha-so Ryokan in Miyajima.

Trip report - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Trip report - From Hiroshima to Miyajima

Trip report - Review of Mizuhaso Ryokan

Day 14  (6 June 2016)

Enjoy the morning in Miyajima before the crowd come in.

Tip: Try the fresh and grilled oysters in Miyajima. 

Travel back to Kyoto by Shinkansen. Enroute, stop by Shin-Kobe for Kobe beef at Wakkoqu, a teppanyaki beef restaurant located just across the street from the Shin-Kobe Shinkansen Train Station. MUST make advance reservation!

Where I Stayed: Ibis Style Kyoto Station at Kyoto. There are many eateries around the Kyoto Station. Try the Katsukura, one of the most popular Tonkatsu (breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet) restaurant.

Trip Report – Wonderful Morning in Miyajima

Trip Report – Kobe Beef Lunch at the Wakkoqu

Trip Report – Tonkatsu dinner at the Katsukura

Day 15  (7 June 2016)

Visit Kyoto Imperial Palace in the morning.

Tip: Visit to Imperial Palace needs advance booking and passports for identification.

Make a half day trip by train to Uji for matcha and also to visit the Mimurotoji temple for its 10,000 hydrangea plants that blooms in June.

Visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine on the way back from Uji in the evening.

Where I Stayed: Ibis Style Kyoto Station at Kyoto. There are many eateries around the Kyoto Station. Try the Tenichi, one of the most popular Tempura restaurant.

Trip report – Kyoto Imperial Palace

Trip report – Uji and Mimurotoji temple

Trip report – Fushimi Inari Shrine

Trip report – Tempura dinner at Tenichi

Day 16  (8 June 2016)

Visit Yamazaki Distillery and taste their whiskeys!

Tip: Visit to Yamazaki Distillery needs advance booking and payment of 1000 Yen per person for the whiskey tasting. Worth every yen!

In the afternoon, free and easy before taking late flight home. We chose to spend some time in Higashiyama District with the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the shopping streets nearby.

Trip report – Yamazaki Distillery

Trip report – Kiyomizudera Temple and Higashiyama district

 

Some other points and comments about the above itinerary

Why did I chose the month of May to do the above?

One of the considerations is the weather in Kyoto and Central Japan. April is the cherry blossom season and is one of the best times to visit Japan. However, we had experienced cherry blossom season in Japan last spring. So there is no desire to experience it again, together with the higher hotel rates (expect double to triple) and crowds. June is the start of the rainy season and July and August will be hot and humid! Hence May is the ideal time for the above itinerary. May is a good time to see greenery and spring flowers along the Nakasendo Trail.  The daily temperatures averaged around 20 degrees C in the day and only slightly cooler at night. Snow corridor in Murodo is only open in April to June. 

 

Why so few days in Kyoto? No Osaka?

Autumn is also one of the best times to see Kyoto, with the fall foliage. We are planning another trip to Kyoto in November later this year! Hence we chose to limit the number of days in Kyoto and leave the best fall foliage viewing destinations for our next trip.

Luggage Forwarding Service or Takuhaibin is a convenient service for sending parcels, luggage and various other types of goods from door to door nationwide. Delivery is usually on the next day, and costs are moderate. We made use of this service to make our travels much more pleasant and enjoyable. No need to lug our only suitcase up the trains, buses, elevators and through crowded stations and malls. Worth every yen spent! I will definitely use this service again in my next Japan trip. We have to decide what is needed for the next one to two days and put those in a daypack before sending the rest of our stuff in a suitcase off to the next hotel, in the next city.  The staff at the hotels we stayed in helped to arrange the forms and luggage transfer to the next hotel. The hotels are also willing to store our luggage before check-in and also after check-out.

Local cuisine is one of the things to enjoy while visiting a country. Japanese cuisine is one of the yummiest and comes very well presented too. I will write more about the food we tried and restaurants we visited in the later posts. Many regions and cities have their local specialities. We try to experience them if we could.

Japan is trying to make the country tourist friendly and free wifi are available in some areas that tourist frequent. However, connection is spotty and may not be available when we need them most. We bought Prepaid Data SIMs for use in my smartphone and use tethering to share with my travelling companions.  Many plans are available at this econnect website. Armed with portable internet access at all times, I can refer to Hyperdia on my smartphone to check up trains times, routes and platform information on the go.  

For long travels across cities, e.g. Kyoto to Hiroshima, rail passes can potentially save money. It is also for convenience. There are many to choose from at the JR West website and can be confusing as to which is the most suitable. For the itinerary above, the rail pass that was most suitable was the Kansai Hiroshima Pass, valid for 5 days, cost 13,000 Yen when booked online before arrival in Japan.

Lastly, a word about hotels and ryokans/minshukus.

I booked my hotels about 6 months before my travel dates. Rooms in Japanese hotels are very small by comparison to other countries and there are more smoking rooms than non-smoking rooms. Also, more single and twins rooms than doubles. So, I booked early (with free cancellations at Booking.com) to get the non-smoking rooms and also the rooms with large double beds. Be careful about double beds. Some hotels market their super-single sized beds as small doubles! One of my main criteria for hotel is location. Preferably, within walking distance to train and bus stations. Also, there are more eateries and shops found around the stations.

Ryokans and minshukus in the small rural villages along the Nakasendo Trail like Magome, Tsumago and Narai are limited. So, I need to book well ahead of the trip. Most do not offer online booking and those that do so, have it in Japanese language only. I don’t speak or write Japanese. I use google translate to send short simple email messages to make my bookings. It works! These ryokans and minshukus also operate on trust. Most did not ask me for credit cards or advance payment to hold the rooms. It is my responsibility to inform them about any needed changes and cancellations, way ahead of time. And payment is by cash only in the small villages.

Half the fun in going for a do-it-yourself vacation is in the planning. With the above plan, the 16 days trip through Japan went without a hitch and was truly amazing and enjoyable. More details about the trip are in the trip journal.

Hope you find the above itinerary and trip overview useful.

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Nakatsugawa and Magome – starting point of my journey along the Nakaseno Trail

24 May 2016

The above picture shows Magome, the starting point of our journey along the Nakasendo Trail. Magome is one the two restored and preserved Edo-period way stations on the Nakasendo highway in the Kiso Valley. To get to Magome, we flew into Nagoya’s Chubu Centrair International Airport and took a series of trains and buses.

We arrived at Nagoya’s Chūbu Centrair International Airport in the morning after a red-eye flight from Singapore. Clearing the immigration was fast and efficient. Signs of things to come while in Japan. There was a couple of administrative activities to be done before we head to the airport’s train station. First up, luggage forwarding of our suitcase to our hotel in Kanazawa. This cost 1,952 yen per item and left us hands-free to enjoy our journey with only daypacks until we arrived at Kanazawa 4 days later. Next up, collect our e-connect data SIM card from the post office that we had pre-ordered a few days before the trip. It took about 15 minutes of fiddling with my phone to get the data connection working, although the instructions given in the package was very clear. Maybe, I was still groggy after the flight. Then, we went to test our Pasmo prepaid smart cards (bought during the previous trip in Tokyo) at a grocery store within the airport. It is usable in this part of Japan too! The clerk at the store helped us deposit up some yen into our cards.

At the train station, a friendly gentleman in a beige uniform came to ask where we were going and offered information on how to get there by train. He is probably a tourism ambassador stationed at the airport to assist visitors. It is good that Japan is making the country more visitor-friendly. He was slightly surprised when we told him our destination was Nakatsugawa. I guess not many international tourists ventured into that part of Japan. He confirmed that our Pasmo cards can be used to pay for the tickets. With that, we topped up more money into our Pasmo cards using the automatic ticket machine (there is English language interface for selection) and off we went.

Travel by Meitetsu Railways express train from the airport to Nagoya Station took 30 minutes, followed by a slow local JR train ride into Nakatsugawa. It was about 2 PM when we arrived at Nakatsugawa. This town is one of the post-towns along the old Nakasendo Trail linking Kyoto to Tokyo in the old days. With modern development, it has lost most of its charms when compared to towns like Magome, Tsumago and Narai. Now, Nakatsugawa served as a gateway into these towns in the Kiso Valley for most visitors like us. Our plan was to have lunch at Nakatsugawa before taking the next available bus into Magome, the starting point of our journey along the old Nakasendo Highway. Using google maps, we headed for one of the listed restaurants near the station. This town, in the middle of the day, was like a ghost town. All shops and restaurants were closed. We met some other disappointed tourists, lugging their heavy backpacks and suitcases, also searching for something to eat. All we could find was a convenience stall and a small Udon stall  inside the station itself. Bus from Nakatsugawa to Magome runs hourly, so we decided to eat what we could find while waiting the next bus leaving at 3.20 PM. So our first meal in Japan consists of a bowl of hot Udon noodles topped with a raw egg and a pre-packed food from the convenience store, shared among the two of us.

Packed food from the convenience stall.

It takes skill to open the packaging correctly so you can eat the contents without messing up your hands. 3–steps instructions were provided. The local Japanese women in the station were watching us in amusement as we struggled with the packaging. Fortunately, we did not embarrassed ourselves too much.

The bus to Magome left as scheduled, right on the dot. We were to experience this again and again in Japan. If you think the Swiss trains and buses runs like clockwork, Japan is just as good! Come to think of it, both countries makes good precision watches!

Taking the local bus was easy. Enter through the middle door, take a numbered ticket from the machine showing where you board. There were stops announcements along the journey. Press the bell to signal the driver that we want to alight. Show ticket to driver at the front and pay the fare as shown on the blue board overhead.

Fare to Magome costs 560 Yen. Cash only.

We got off the bus at Magome, together with almost everyone else!

This was what greeted us. Wow! Rural Japan.

View from the bus stop at Magome.

Entrance to Magome town, located up on the small hill. Magome is the 43rd post town on the ancient Nakasendo Highway that connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Kyoto.

 

Magome is one the two restored and preserved Edo-period way stations on the Nakasendo highway in the Kiso Valley. The other being Tsumago. We will be staying in the Magome for the night to recuperate from our long journey and night flight before embarking on the Magome to Tsumago walk along the old Nakasendo Trail the next day.

Entering the town, we could see an old wooden notice board, located near the masugata, an almost 90 degrees bend in the path leading the town and sloping uphill. Further on, a working water wheel and the endless gushing of clear mountain water through the drain that runs through the entire town. Amazing feeling of travelling back in time to ancient Japan.

The “main street” of Magome runs for about 600m, with stone pavements and old shops, minshukus and ryokans lining both sides. As we walked up the pavement, looking out for the Tajimaya Ryokan, where we will stay for the night, the soothing constant gushing sound of the running water in the drain accompanied us.

Tajimaya Ryokan welcomed us with a pot of hot green tea and some snacks in our Japanese style rooms. After a brief rest, we decided to go explore Magome before our dinner at 6 PM.

 

Entrance to Tajimaya Ryokan.

This stuffed creature (Ryokan’s icon) was staring at us when we took off our shoes and put on the ryokan’s slippers at the hallway.

 

Traditional fireplace and pot in the main lobby.

 

Shared facilities in Tajimaya, including bathrooms, gender separated.

 

Main street of Magome – outside another popular guesthouse in Magome.

For a short while, Magome was swarmed with tourists. They soon disappeared with their tour guides and Magome in the late evening and night was back to the tranquillity.

Magome is a popular destination for day-trippers who came in tour buses, chaperoned by their guides and spent only a short time to browse through the shops.

That’s the way I like it. Peaceful, tranquil and romantic.

Beautiful cat outside one of the store.

Traditional way of life.

 

One of the sake stores. The ball of cedar twigs hanging over the door and under the roof means local sake is in the store.

Restored Kosatsuba or official notice board at Magome, near the start of trail to Tsumago. In former times the notice board was the means of pronouncing decrees from the shogunate.

 Fire-fighting equipment at Magome.

 

Spring flowers galore.

 

We explored Magome till it was time for our dinner.  We walked into the common dinning room on the ground floor and were greeted with a table set full of food! Mostly locally grown and sourced ingredients were used in this spread.

Our first kaiseki (a traditional, multi-course dinner) in this trip at Tajimaya Ryokan in Magome.

 

After the meal, we took a walk to see Magome at night. It was beautiful and kind of different from the Magome in the day. Totally deserted and I was half expecting to see a ninja appearing on the roofs.

 

There is nothing really to do after dark except for a hot bath in the Japanese style shared bathroom and then go to bed early. Some ryokans have a small Japanese style shared bathroom that can be used privately. Unfortunately, not in Tajimaya. For those that don't like to sit naked while bathing with other people, chose a time when everyone has finished their bath and you may have the bathroom to yourself.

Alternatively, just quickly get used to this custom in Japan. Especially since we will be visiting more onsens later.

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Morning in Magome, Nakasendo post-town

25 May 2016 

Woke up slightly after 4 AM in the Tajimaya Ryokan, where we stayed in Magome. It could be the brightening sky or the birds chirping outside the window that woke me up earlier than usual. I could not get back to sleep anymore and just laid on the futon, placed on the tatami mat floor, and listened to the birds and sound of gurgling water flowing through the drain outside.

The view from my room at Tajimaya Ryokan.

 

These nesting house swifts are a common sight in Magome and other Japanese houses in the Kiso Valley.

 

The ryokan serves breakfast at 7.30 AM.  We had planned to do a morning walk and photo shoot before that. It was drizzling slightly earlier on but the sky soon cleared as we left Tajimaya.

We walked in the direction of the bus stop that we came from yesterday. I wanted to see the beautiful landscape of paddy fields again.

 

Magome in the morning.

The “light that burns all night” and the waterwheel near the entrance to the Magome Town.

 

Beautiful red leaves in Spring!

The path that led to the padi fields also heads towards Ochiai, another post town along the old Nakasendo Highway.  We met some school children on their way to school. They greeted us with a cheerful “Ohayō gozaimasu” as they walked pass. What politeness. 

Newly planted Japonica rice. May is the season of rice planting. 

Spring flowers a plenty.

 

Heading back to ryokan for breakfast.

 

 Tajimaya serves the morning breakfast in the common room.

Japanese breakfast with some Western-style items.  A filling meal of rice, miso soup, pickles, grilled fish, seaweed, tofu, eye roll, ham, green salad, mashed potatos, small piece of sausage. Green tea and coffee!

 

Old drawing of Tajimaya on the wall. It looks pretty much the same today.

Relaxing the room after breakfast before doing the Magome to Tsumago walk later.

 

Wild flowers.

Koi pond at the upper end of Magome town, near the start of the 7.8km Nakasendo Trail to Tsumago.

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