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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
hello Gerry Scott-Moore, and Harlan, thank you for the informative
replies. Interestingly you have both weighed in on NOT driving. Yet some of our best experiences in Europe (and England and Australia, where they do drive on the left (sheesh!) have been when we got out in the country in a rental car. Can anyone weigh in on the positive side of driving in the countryside in japan? The Legnos. In article , Colonel Legno wrote: We are thinking of traveling in the Japanese Alps in central Honshu in the vicinity of Takayama. We are thinking of spending a couple of days in Takayama and using this a base. Is this worthwhile. Can anyone recommend places to stay there. We stayed at Kuwataniya and the food was fantastic the onsen were great and it was marvelous. The Rickshaw Inn comes highly recommended by regulars we encountered. Across the street there was a very inexpensive business Hotel Hana we had to migrate to when our reservations ran out and we weren't ready to leave the town! We just walked in the lobby and got a room. This was when we started splitting stays in minshuku or ryokan and business hotes. Kobe? Business hotel. Osaka? Business hotel. Takayama? Ryokan. Any small town or area, we do ryokan. Can anyone report on the walk in Kiso Valley from Magome to Tsumago? Too hard! Actually, it's not but we were so damned pooped by the time we got there. If you're leaving from Kyoto, come MUCH earlier than you'd like or spend the night in Nagoya (where I've never been, but wonder about for the possiblity to travel south from there. We would like to tour Hakone. Any thoughts or suggestions on things to do? Is anyone familiar with the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone? I've stayed there and it's an impressive place. Very historic. We did the hot-diggity kaisekki dinner at the affiliated restaurant. The most expensive meal at close to $300, that we've ever had. And worth it, if you can imagine. We stayed three days on a great deal which we got by calling two days ahead of time and booking in the early part of the week. We should have stayed two. You have to spend a fair amount of time on buses and trains to get anywhere, and you'll be getting there with the herd more than likely. Fujiya is really not in a city per se. There's a few blocks of business and such, but that's it. Up the hill from there are what looks like some great old rustic ryokans where doubtless a gaijin would be a surprise, but if you have a little Japanese... It looks interesting up there. Any recommendations on places for westerners to stay in Ryokan? Take your chances. We've practically thrown darts (using the trad travel guides) and have almost always had wonderful experiences. We though Beppu sucked. We only stayed on evening, but we were imprisoned in that onsen on the hill which is supposed to be so gauche and bizarre. It's none of those in a fun way. Obviously we welcome any additional suggestions or accounts of experiences. Can anyone recommend other scenic regions on Honshu that we should consider? Read the guides. They have such wonderful stuff in them. It depends on what you like. We enjoyed all the major cities. If you're reading Frommer's, check the Okayama Prefecture Inn's it's a sorta membership think for 5 bucks or something. We stayed at Chiraishi Island, but the others look fabulous too. We would like to hear how feasible and difficult this is for non-japanese speaking/reading people to do something like this, navigating on our own. We understand the rail system is good, especially with a JR pass, but would expect that it is difficult to use to get out into the countryside. We understand that a car would be a great liability in the cities and would not intend to use it or keep it there. I wouldn't dream of a car anywhere. It's just too much additional misery and separation from the place and people. And left-side! Sheesh! The transit is great and it allows you to meet people. You need to spend a few days with a phrase book. Just a little will get you through 90's of your needs. You'll have to ask for a bathroom or water or "two beers" or something. So you might as well just learn a few of them. But even without a dab of Japanese you'll find people going to extraordinary lengths to accomodate you whenever and wherever. And so forth. ----- Another reply to your post advises you to spend some time with a phrase book to learn some basic phrases. Good advice. If you know no Japanese at all, look at "Japanese for Dummies." It's good basic stuff. It's not a pocket book, but you might consider taking it with you. The most useful expression for the traveler is "sumimasen", essentially "excuse me". If you have a question about anything, say sumimasen to a Japanese, and every person in hearing will turn and be ready for your question. If you don't know the question in Japanese and the person to whom you're speaking knows no English, you can often make yourself understood, as in "sumimasen . . . Yokosuka?" when you are standing in a train station and are looking for the platform for the Yokosuka train. Then when you reach the indicated platform, ask someone the same question. Harlan Unless you have a death wish, do not rent a car. Even if you are accustomed to driving in heavy traffic with a right-hand drive car, you will consume more time on the road than you would by taking the train and the occasional taxi. You can get to the countryside and some villages by train. Admittedly you would need four-wheel transportation to get to some of my favorite places. For some suggestions about where to go, see my article at http://softadventure.net/japan2003article.htm. We reached most of the destinations described there by train. Harlan |
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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
In article , Colonel Legno
wrote: Interestingly you have both weighed in on NOT driving. Yet some of our best experiences in Europe (and England and Australia, where they do drive on the left (sheesh!) have been when we got out in the country in a rental car. Can anyone weigh in on the positive side of driving in the countryside in japan? Hey, I've had great experiences in the states in a car too. I guess the main thing is that you don't normally think of travel as an *opportunity* for interaction with folks on a train or bus or taxi in the US. But it is just that in Japan. I've thought about renting a car in Japan to amble about as I please. And it appeals. Particularly when I don't want the time-restrictions of public transport. It would be nice to just "jump in the car and go", as I do at home. But I don't think it would work like that anyway. Here or anywhere, driving a car is about driving a car to me. That said, I wish you WOULD do it--so you can report back about how great it worked out and have me considering it anew. -- ///--- |
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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
Colonel Legno wrote:
hello Gerry Scott-Moore, and Harlan, thank you for the informative replies. Interestingly you have both weighed in on NOT driving. Yet some of our best experiences in Europe (and England and Australia, where they do drive on the left (sheesh!) have been when we got out in the country in a rental car. Can anyone weigh in on the positive side of driving in the countryside in japan? I've taken many trips in the Japanese countryside by car, and love it. For one thing, there are all the same 'good' reasons for driving as in any other country, so I probably don't need to go over all of those. But here's an example of something you can gain by driving in Japan that you can't by train. Picture yourself going down a highway in the countryside, fairly mountainous. Suddenly on your left you see this log cabin, US style. It's a coffee shop, so you stop in. Later on you're driving and there's this small, tiny temple off to the side; you'd never know it's there if you weren't driving, so you spend a few minutes to maybe eat a picnic lunch or snack there. Later you see a little restaurant; it's Japanese home cooking, a local's place, and while there are planty near the train stations, *this* one is in a small town that is miles from the nearest rail line, much less station. Certainly you'll need to familiarize yourself with as much Japanese (reading, if you can) as possible. But if you're riding a train and see a really cool place that you'd like to see, you often can't unless it's close to a station. All rail stations have parking; but they don't all have cars you can just walk up and rent. John W. |
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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
In article , John W.
wrote: Picture yourself going down a highway in the countryside, fairly mountainous. Suddenly on your left you see this log cabin, US style. It's a coffee shop, so you stop in. Later on you're driving and there's this small, tiny temple off to the side; you'd never know it's there if you weren't driving, so you spend a few minutes to maybe eat a picnic lunch or snack there. Later you see a little restaurant; it's Japanese home cooking, a local's place, and while there are planty near the train stations, *this* one is in a small town that is miles from the nearest rail line, much less station. Point well made. -- ///--- |
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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
Thank you John W.!!
This is just the kind of experience we had been hoping to hear about. Any more? Others wish to weigh in? -colonel and the mrs. ----- In article , John W. wrote: Colonel Legno wrote: hello Gerry Scott-Moore, and Harlan, thank you for the informative replies. Interestingly you have both weighed in on NOT driving. Yet some of our best experiences in Europe (and England and Australia, where they do drive on the left (sheesh!) have been when we got out in the country in a rental car. Can anyone weigh in on the positive side of driving in the countryside in japan? I've taken many trips in the Japanese countryside by car, and love it. For one thing, there are all the same 'good' reasons for driving as in any other country, so I probably don't need to go over all of those. But here's an example of something you can gain by driving in Japan that you can't by train. Picture yourself going down a highway in the countryside, fairly mountainous. Suddenly on your left you see this log cabin, US style. It's a coffee shop, so you stop in. Later on you're driving and there's this small, tiny temple off to the side; you'd never know it's there if you weren't driving, so you spend a few minutes to maybe eat a picnic lunch or snack there. Later you see a little restaurant; it's Japanese home cooking, a local's place, and while there are planty near the train stations, *this* one is in a small town that is miles from the nearest rail line, much less station. Certainly you'll need to familiarize yourself with as much Japanese (reading, if you can) as possible. But if you're riding a train and see a really cool place that you'd like to see, you often can't unless it's close to a station. All rail stations have parking; but they don't all have cars you can just walk up and rent. John W. |
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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
Thank you Gerry Scott-Moore We are leaning to driving, and will certainly post our experience, but we are in the early planning stage for a trip for next summer, so that feedback will be some time in coming. You write, relative to jumping in the car and going, "I don't think it would work like that anyway." Why not? With respect to interacting with others, it seems that one can do it in a variety of ways, be it stopping in a food shop or filling the gas tank or stopping at the quaint little temple that John W conjured up in his post. But I take your point, that if one is in a train compartment (do they have those, or are they seats in rows; that makes a difference in our experience) one has the opportunity for some extended conversation while going from point A to point B. Which brings up another question: how do you pay for gas? Do gas stations take credit cards as they do in the states and europe? I recall reading in an earlier post that when you drive into a gas station there is a crew that comes out to service your car and that they all stand by and wave when you drive out. Talk about interactions! thanks again -the colonel and the mrs --- In article , Gerry Scott-Moore wrote: In article , Colonel Legno wrote: Interestingly you have both weighed in on NOT driving. Yet some of our best experiences in Europe (and England and Australia, where they do drive on the left (sheesh!) have been when we got out in the country in a rental car. Can anyone weigh in on the positive side of driving in the countryside in japan? Hey, I've had great experiences in the states in a car too. I guess the main thing is that you don't normally think of travel as an *opportunity* for interaction with folks on a train or bus or taxi in the US. But it is just that in Japan. I've thought about renting a car in Japan to amble about as I please. And it appeals. Particularly when I don't want the time-restrictions of public transport. It would be nice to just "jump in the car and go", as I do at home. But I don't think it would work like that anyway. Here or anywhere, driving a car is about driving a car to me. That said, I wish you WOULD do it--so you can report back about how great it worked out and have me considering it anew. |
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Questions about vacation in Japan: Driving
In article , Colonel Legno
wrote: Thank you Gerry Scott-Moore We are leaning to driving, and will certainly post our experience, but we are in the early planning stage for a trip for next summer, so that feedback will be some time in coming. You write, relative to jumping in the car and going, "I don't think it would work like that anyway." Why not? In the US the open road is mine because I can speak the language and read the signs. Not so in Japan. I have very crude abilities in both. Nancy and I have only recently graduated to going into restaurants that ar missing all: Plastic food display, English-language menus, English-speaking wait-help. We actual have enough navigational skills to do this in Japanese. But as John described, many rustic restaurants won't be identifiable as such. Nor will much else. It may be interesting but it certainly won't be a jump-and-go situation. With respect to interacting with others, it seems that one can do it in a variety of ways, be it stopping in a food shop or filling the gas tank or stopping at the quaint little temple that John W conjured up in his post. But I take your point, that if one is in a train compartment (do they have those, or are they seats in rows; that makes a difference in our experience) one has the opportunity for some extended conversation while going from point A to point B. Rows. But mostly we get acquainted standing in lines, waiting for trains, on the trains and so forth. In all cases we have at least minimal interaction as part of getting the job done. -- ///--- |
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