Akita Prefecture)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Japan Contents 2 ............ Getting to Japan Highlighted area shows Tohoku and North Kanto. 4 ............ Diversity of Tohoku & North Kanto 8 ............ Favorite Moments 12 .......... The Best of Tohoku in 3 Days 16 .......... The Best of Tohoku in 1 Week 20 ......... Exploring Lake Towada (Aomori prefecture) 24 ......... Kakunodate (Akita prefecture) 27 ......... Lake Tazawa & Nyuto Onsen (Akita prefecture) 28 ......... Tono (Iwate prefecture) 32 ......... Sendai (Miyagi prefecture) 35 ......... Matsushima (Miyagi prefecture) 36 ......... Nikko (Tochigi prefecture) 40 ......... Kusatsu & Ikaho Onsen (Gunma prefecture) 44 ......... Tokyo 46 ......... Sapporo (Hokkaido) 50 ......... Yamagata prefecture 55 ......... Fukushima prefecture 60 ......... Ibaraki prefecture 65 ......... Photo Gallery The articles and photos of p. 6 to p. 47 are featured in Frommer’s Japan day BY day. The hotels, restaurants, attractions in this guide (from p. 6 to p. 47) have been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. The listed information is up to date as of October 9, 2012. The listed information (prices, hours, times, and holidays) is subject to change. The listed telephone numbers are for when calling within Japan. When calling from outside Japan, add the country code of 81 and drop the 0 before the area code. Some of the listed websites are in Japanese only. Credit cards are abbreviated as following: AE: American Express, MC: Master Card, DC: Diners Club, V: Visa. The cities of Sapporo and Tokyo are not in Tohoku or North Kanto. 2 3 Cities in the U.S.A. with Direct Flights to and from Japan Atlanta (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport), Boston (General Edward Lawrence Getting to Japan Logan International Airport), Chicago (Chicago O’Hare International Airport), Dallas (Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport), Denver (Denver International Airport), Detroit (Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport), Guam (Guam International Airport), Honolulu (Honolulu International Japan has four international airports. Narita International Airport handles the highest Airport), Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport), Los Angeles (Los Angeles International number of flights to and from Japan. Located on the outskirts of Tokyo, Narita is the Airport), Minneapolis (Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport), New York (John F. Kennedy airport to use if you’re traveling to anywhere in Japan’s north and east, which includes International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport), Portland (Portland International Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, and Chubu. You’ll also want Narita f you’re looking to do Airport), Saipan (Saipan International Airport), San Diego (San Diego International Airport), San business in or see the sights of Tokyo and its surroundings. Kansai International Airport Francisco (San Francisco International Airport), San Jose (Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International handles the second most number of international flights. Located on the outskirts of Airport), Seattle (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport), and Washington D.C. (Washington Dulles Osaka, the nation’s second largest city, the airport is a convenient gateway to west Japan’s International Airport). Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara in addition to south Japan’s Kyushu and more. Central Japan International Airport, or Centrair for short, is located between Narita Airport and Kansai Airport. It’s perfect f you’re traveling to central Japan. Furthermore, it offers easy access to Nagoya and Nagoya Station where the Shinkansen bullet train stops. Tokyo International Airport, or Haneda Airport, is a domestic hub. It has been handling more international flights since 2010 when a new international terminal was added. Airlines Operating Direct Flights to and from Japan Japan Airlines .................... http://www.jal.com/ All Nippon Airways .......... http://www.ana.co.jp/asw/wws/us/e/ United Airlines .................. http://www.united.com/ American Airlines............. https://www.aa.com/ Delta Air Lines ................... https://delta.com/ Hawaiian Airlines ............. http://www.hawaiianair.com/ Korean Air ........................... https://www.koreanair.com/ Airports in Japan Handling Direct Flights to and from the U.S.A. Asiana Airlines .................. http://flyasiana.com/ Singapore Airlines............ http://www.singaporeair.com/ Narita International Airport ........................ http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html Malaysia Airlines.............. http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ Kansai International Airport ....................... http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/index.asp China Airlines...................... http://www.china-airlines.com/ Central Japan International Airport........... http://www.centrair.jp/en/index.html Tokyo International Airport......................... http://www.tokyo-airport-bldg.co.jp/en/ The listed information is up to date as of October 9, 2012. It is subject to change. Direct flights from San Jose: From January 2013. Direct flights from Denver: From March 2013. 4 5 Diversity of TOCHIGI Tohoku & North Kanto prefecture Tohoku and North Kanto are in Japan’s northeast. Comprising nine prefectures, the area is popular with many travelers because of its diverse range of natural and cultural 栃木県 offerings. Each prefecture presents unique natural spectacles with each new season Rinno-ji Temple. and has sights that speak of Japanese culture and the area’s rich history. Courtesy of Mount Nikko Rinno-ji Temple. AOMORI GUNMA prefecture prefecture 青森県 群馬県 Lake Towada. Courtesy of Tohoku Regional Environment Office, Ministry of the Environment. Kusatsu Onsen. AKITA YAMAGATA prefecture prefecture 秋田県 山形県 Kakunodate. Mogami River. IWATE FUKUSHIMA prefecture prefecture 岩手県 福島県 Chuson-ji Temple. Courtesy of Chuson-ji Temple. Mount Bandai. MIYAGI IBARAKI prefecture prefecture 宮城県 茨城県 Zuihoden Hall. Courtesy of Zuihoden. Fukuroda Falls. Tohoku & North Kanto 8 tohoku favorite moments 9 Mimmaya Mutsu Bay N Lake A Jusanko 339 P 280 4 A Area of Map SEA OF J Favorite Moments Noheji Lake Tokyo JAPAN Tsugaru Ogawara Aomori No region was hit harder by the earthquake that struck 101 Goshogawara 338 103 4 on March 11, 2011, than Tohoku, and a large swath of countryside along the Mt Iwaki Misawa coastline was rendered uninhabitable by the tsunami, which swept some towns Kuroishi Towada AOMORI 454 almost entirely away. In spite of this, its naturally resilient residents have taken Hirosaki TOWADA-HACHIMANTAI Hirakawa NATIONAL PARK Hachinohe great strides to return to their daily lives. The following tours lead through both 101 9 T o Lake 45 h o natural areas and historic sites that were not directly affected by the quake or k Towada u E x 103 flooding. Although you may have some reservations about traveling here, it’s p 7 r e s 395 s important to remember that every dollar you spend in Tohoku goes a long way w he Ninohe no y Odate a i a Kitaakita y ch sw Kuji toward helping locals recover, and that none of these itineraries are considered a s re H p Noshiro Kazuno x unsafe or off-limits. Plus you’ll be rewarded with spectacular mountain scenery, E 281 282 national parks, and hot springs in abundance. 4 AKITA 7 285 Hachirogata Mt. 45 Lagoon 105 Hachimantai Hachimantai Oga TOWADA-HACHIMANTAI 101 7 NATIONAL PARK 455 Katagami Mt. Iwate Mt. Komagatake IWATE 340 Lake 6 Morioka Akita Tazawa 46 Miyako A Senboku 106 ki 7 ta 46 5 E x 341 p Kakunodate re Mt. Aomatsuba s s w a y Daisen 396 340 45 13 Hanamaki 4 Yurihonjo Yokote Kamaishi 107 Tono Kitakami Nikaho Mt. Yakeishi 108 Oshu 107 397 Ofunato Mt. Chokai Yuzawa 4 343 1 Rikuzen Takata 45 Ichinoseki 1 Taking in the splendor of 284 Kesennuma Chuson ji’s Konjikido Pavilion 457 398 2 Browsing the Asaichi Dori Morning Market 346 3 Basking in the glory of Zuihoden Hall Kurihara NORTH > previous page Nyuto Onsen’s spas are tucked deep in the forest. this page A sightseeing boat plies the 4 Hunting for “kappa” on their PACIFIC tranquil waters of Lake Tazawa, one of Japan’s highest and deepest. stomping grounds 45 OCEAN Osaki 5 Strolling back in time through 47 Kakunodate’s Samurai District 108 398 MIYAGI 1 Taking in the splendor of Chuson-ji’s 2 Browsing the Asaichi Dori market. Down- 6 Gazing into the placid alpine waters 346 Ishinomaki Konjikido pavilion. One of Japan’s most elabo- town Sendai’s market is open all day long, of Lake Tazawa Matsushima Higashimatsushima rately decorated traditional structures, this gilt and will give you a sense of the sorts of things 7 Soaking in the therapeutic waters 4 8 Ojika mausoleum in Hiraizumi is close to a thousand locals buy for their daily meals. It’s also a great of Nyuto Onsen 2 Peninsula 3 Tagajo years old. Painstakingly restored in the 1960s, it place to sample some regional delicacies. See 8 Island hopping around Matsushima Sendai Sendai 0 25 mi contains the mummies of several of Japan’s most p. 14, 2. 9 Getting away from it all with a trip to Natori Bay famous warriors. See p. 13, 2. Shirakami Sanchi 0 25 km 10 tohoku favorite moments 11 > Visitors purifying themselves before entering Chuson-ji Temple. 3 Basking in the glory of Zuihoden Hall. to seeing the remains of his castle in nearby This stunning example of traditional funereal Aobajo Park. See p. 34, 4. architecture, created in the 17th century to 4 Hunting for “kappa” on their stomping memorialize one of Japan’s greatest warlords grounds. Famed throughout Japan as a cradle and local legend Daté Masamune, is a feast of folklore stories, the city of Tono is a great for the eyes and a fascinating window into the place to learn about the kappa. They’re the age of samurai. It’s also a great steppingstone amphibious creatures once believed to haunt > The deep, serene forest around Nyuto Onsen. rivers and lakes throughout Japan—and that Volunteering in Tohoku Nyuto Onsen. This incredibly out-of-the-way gave kappa maki sushi its name. See p. 28. spot is popular among those in the know for The 2011 tsunami destroyed vast sections a reason: This is Japanese spa bathing at its to accept the tasks assigned to you.