One of the first things I noticed in Japan was that nearly every purchase comes with a plastic bag – regardless of if it seems necessary or not! The first thing I wanted to learn how to say in Japanese was “I don’t need a bag”, and it was probably one of the most used phrases in my time in Japan.
Continue reading “How To Say ‘I Don’t Need A Bag’ In Japanese – Refusing Plastic Bags Politely”What Kind Of Shoes To Wear In Hokkaido (Winter)
If you’ve never lived in a cold area before where it snows, you may find yourself in the same boat we were in before we arrived in Hokkaido – that is having no idea what kind of footwear you should get! Continue reading “What Kind Of Shoes To Wear In Hokkaido (Winter)”
Where To See Nightingale Floors In Japan
Nightingale floors or Uguisubari ( 鴬張り ) as they are known in Japanese, are a type of floor that makes a squeaking/chirping noise when walked on.
For those who want to experience a genuine Nightingale floor on their trip to Japan, it can be difficult to find out where they exist Continue reading “Where To See Nightingale Floors In Japan”
Campervan Day 6 – Kamikochi and Takayama
After getting an early start from the roadside station where we stayed (Okuhida-
Popular with hikers and nature lovers, Kamikochi is a national park with resorts which can only be accessed by bus. It’s only open from around Mid April to November each year as it closes for the winter, so plan accordingly.
What’s at Kamikochi? We had seen that this place has some absolutely breathtaking scenery and was recommended in particular to check out the Autumn leaf foliage or
It’s a remote area full of hiking trails, resorts, and a few sightseeing spots. You can stay overnight at one of the resorts at Kamikochi.
There is no access to Kamikochi by car – the closest you can get is to park in one of the two designated car park areas, and then get a bus into the area. If you’re planning to take public transport there, check out your other access options
We parked at the Hirayu parking spot (also known as Akandana parking area) which was just a short
The parking areas cost around 600 yen for the whole day parking. We got a round trip ticket for the bus which was 2050 yen per person (and is actually valid for 7 days for those who plan on staying overnight). The bus and timetable information can be found here for the Hirayu/Akandana Parking area and here for the Sawando Parking area (Japanese only but you can use google translate).
There is a main information centre at Kamikochi where you can get more information on the walking tracks in the area, as well as a few shops selling snacks and meals.
We chose to do a short loop and walk to the main bridge, and finally catch a departing bus from the Taishoike bus stop.
A good half-day/ several hour
There is some really beautiful scenery along the walks and we even saw some monkeys.
There is a restaurant and shop at the Taishoike stop and we had ice cream while we missed our return bus back. You must wave the bus down and be on the correct side of the road, or else they won’t stop!
We left Kamikochi after lunch and headed off for Takayama.
Takayama is a historic town where some streets still retain the ‘old’ feel of Japan. In
Look out for stores with a ball hanging above the door – this means they sell or serve sake (alcohol).
Takayama is very touristy so free parking is pretty much unheard of. We parked at the Hida Takayama Town Museum where parking was 150 yen per 30
Sanmachi Suji (三町筋) is a short walk away within 200m and these are the old streets that are of Edo style with many merchants and sake breweries along them.
There are many museums and some you can look around free of charge. We also went to check out the Miyaji Heritage House (it’s free entry) – but unfortunately it was closed. This building only seems to be open on weekends, but could be an interesting visit if your trip happens to align with its opening hours.
After an express look at Takayama, we were on our way to our next destination, the Shirakawa-go Road Station (道の駅 白川郷) where we spent the night.
Honmon-ji Shrine and Rengetsu Cafe – Exploring Around Ikegami
We took the day to explore by foot around our surrounding area in Ikegami.
One of the big sights around Ikegami is apparently the Ikegami Honmon-ji Shrine (池上本門寺), so we decided to check it out.
The place seemed nearly deserted, but a sign at the front let us know we were in the right spot. Continue reading “Honmon-ji Shrine and Rengetsu Cafe – Exploring Around Ikegami”
First post!
Yep, this is our first post. Nothing special here.
We’ve setup this blog as a knowledge dump and diary of sorts for our travels over Japan.
We realised that some regular day to day tasks work differently here so decided to keep track of them in hopes that we could save others the trouble.
As we figure things out for the first time and struggle through these daily activities we’ll dump them in a post for all to find and maybe answer some questions along the way.