Being A Broad Discussion Board

Highway Buses

2010-02-11T14:03:18Z

Believe it or not, highway buses (快速バス, kaisoku basu) are sometimes the best transport option in Japan. Particularly when traveling to and within the countryside, roads are much more useful than train lines.

Highway buses can be both double-deckered (with about 5 rows below and 10 rows above) or traditional-style buses (with about 15 rows). The seat arrangements can be 2-2, 1-1-1, or 1-2. There are normally always four seats together in the back row of the bus. Many companies advertise the level to which these seats recline on their websites.

Sometimes there is a toilet within the bus and sometimes not. If there is no toilet (and, most of the time, even if there is a toilet), the bus will make regular stops at rest areas every two to three hours.

On overnight buses, some bus lines provide blankets and/or slippers.

JR bus tickets for travel anywhere in the country can be purchased at any Midori no Mado-guchi (the Green Window at JR Stations).
Other bus lines have different ways of selling tickets depending on your departure location and destination. (Enoden Bus tickets can be bought through JTB for a fee of 310 yen, for example.)

Tickets for the buses that leave from the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal (新宿高速バスターミナル) can be bought in their office.

Here are some useful links:
Highway Bus Information Page- http://www.bus.or.jp/e/index.html
Japan Guide on Highway Buses- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2366.html
JNTO’s Highway Bus FAQ- http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/transportation/auto/bus.html
JR Bus Kanto- http://www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/bus_route_e/
Nishitetsu Bus (Kyushuu)- http://www.nishitetsu.co.jp/bus/highway/gb/
Kyushuu Highway Bus- http://www.rakubus.jp/english/rosen/kmt_bep_yfn.html
Nohi Bus (Takayama)- http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/index.html
Willer Bus- http://willerexpress.com/bus/pc/3/top/?aid=184

Planning a weekend trip to Osaka

2010-11-07T20:07:45Z

I have never been there before but I’m really looking forward to going. Any advice on places I should visit?

Machu Picchu in Peru- safe to travel alone?

2009-11-26T11:59:16Z

Hi Ladies

I am having an urge to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. Maybe it is a temporary urge, and I might get over it. At the momemt just wondering if it is safe for a woman to travel there alone.

The scenery there seems fascinating. Check out on internet if you like. What I would like to do there is just to sit quietly and enjoy the scenery.

Thank you for any thoughts.

Some photos from internet of Machu Picchu:
http://dismanibus156.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/machu-picchu.jpg

http://crfranke.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/machupicchuexhibit3-10.jpg

http://www.colorado.edu/geography/class_homepages/geog_3251_sum08/09_Machu_Picchu.jpg

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~abroad/photos2006/images/PCpics/Machu_Picchu.JPG

Summer camp recommendations?

2010-07-06T18:20:14Z

Hi, I’m new to Tokyo and to Being A Broad! Can any forum members recommend a summer camp for my two non-Japanese speaking boys?

I’ve found Nanbo Discovery Camp (http://www.discoverjapan.co.jp) and English Adventure (http://www.english-adventure.org). Any others that I should know about? I’d be grateful for any personal experiences or suggestions!

Thank you,
Cherie

Festivals/Fireworks in Tokyo this summer?

2010-07-27T09:46:19Z

Hi Tokyo broads!

I’m taking my mum to Tokyo this summer (we’ll be there on 13th & 14th August) and I wondered if any of you knew if there were any festivals or fireworks displays worth going to? I don’t know so much about Tokyo, but I’d like to take her to something special.

Any ideas appreciated! Thanks!!

Ali

WWOOFing?

2010-05-12T12:27:28Z

I’m considering joining Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF). I have a few questions if anybody out there can answer -

If you have WWOOFed, or know someone who’s WWOOFed, what’s the time commitment? Is a 2 week stay too short? Also, am I mad to go in August? Is there work to do on farms at the height of summer?

Thanks for any advice!

PS for those who stumble over this message and don’t know WWOOF - http://www.wwoofjapan.com/

Off the beaten track travel suggestions?

2010-03-18T19:32:27Z

I’m looking for some suggestions for places/events to visit in late Autumn this year, for a friend. Ideally something quirky or not the obvious typical touristy sites.
I have a few ideas of my own in Kansai, but I’m severely lacking in info for the rest of Honshu. It’s a family trip, but all members are adults, and at least one of them has been in Japan once before and has also studied the language somewhat.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Lisa

Good agent for travel within Japan?

2010-03-15T16:05:43Z

Hi,

I am looking for an English-speaking agent who can customise a trip around Japan for a friend. She knows where she wants to go (Tokyo-Nikko-Hakone-Kyoto-Nara-Tokyo) and how long she wants to spend in each place, so she is looking for someone who can book travel & accommodation & put it all together for her. Can anyone recommend an agent?

Weekend Break from Tokyo—Hakone

2010-02-11T16:01:05Z

Hakone can be done as a day-trip from Tokyo, but its whirlwind of requisite transport (bus, boat, ropeway, funicular, train, switchback) could leave your head spinning. For a more relaxed weekend trip, spend the night in a traditional ryokan or hotel.

Hakone is easily accessed via the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku (1.5 hours). The Hakone Free Pass (http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/hakone_01.html), which includes transportation between Shinjuku and Odawara as well as unlimited use of transport in the area and discounts on entries to some attractions, provides a savings of at least 3,000 yen. With the Free Pass, you can use Odakyu’s limited express Romance Car (http://www.odakyu.jp/english/rc/index.html) to get to the terminal stop Hakone Yumoto (箱根湯本) for an additional small fee.
You can reserve tickets up to 30 days in advance of the departure date. If possible, try to reserve a seat in the “Observation Car”—the first car on the train. To buy the Free Pass and book tickets, visit the (English-speaking) Odakyu Sightseeing Service Station (http://www.odakyu.jp/english/center/index.html) in Shinjuku Station.

Moving in a clock-wise direction, upon arriving at Hakone Yumoto, you can immediately employ your Free Pass on a Hakone Tozan Bus bound for Moto-Hakone (元箱根). The buses leave from Stop #2 (http://www.hakone-tozanbus.co.jp/bs_10122.html) outside Hakone-Yumoto Station and the trip takes about 50 minutes. At Moto-Hakone, Hakone Shrine is clearly visible as well as Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖) with its beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. The nearby Hakone Checkpoint Musuem (箱根関所資料館, Hakone Sekisho Shiryoukan) is a reconstruction of the checkpoint on the Old Tokaido Highway. It is open from 9:00-17:00 and costs 300 yen to enter. There is a discount for Hakone Free Pass holders.

From Lake Ashi, catch a pirate boat (the Free Pass is only valid on the pirate-style boats) across Lake Ashi to Togendai (桃源台) Port. At Togendai, there is a rest area with a reasonably-priced cafeteria and views over the lake.

Next a ropeway (http://www.hakoneropeway.co.jp/tohgendai.html) whisks you first to Ubako (姥小, don’t get off) then up to the boiling sulphur farm area of Owakudani (大湧谷). At Owakudani, there is a 25-minute “Nature Trail” that leads uphill through the unnatural landscape. As a snack, try the black eggs cooked in the sulfurous boiling water. If you eat one, it is said to add seven years to your life!

Moving on from Owakudani, the ropeway finally terminates at Soun-zan (早雲山) from where you board the cable car for the 1.2 km (5 minute) trip to Gora (強羅). At Gora, the Hakone Tozan Train Line can take you back to Hakone-Yumoto. Alternatively, you can get off at Chukoku no Mori stop and take a wonderful break from the transport obstacle course with a visit to the Hakone Open Air Museum (箱根彫刻のもり美術館, http://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/english/index.html). With one of the world’s largest collections of Henry Moore sculptures, an interesting building housing Picasso ceramics and works by hundreds of other artists (Rodin, Giacometti, Miro, Maillol, etc.), the museum is fantastic to explore on a fine day. It is open from 9:00-17:00 from March to November and until 16:00 the rest of the year. The cost to enter is 1,600 yen and there is a discount for Free Pass holders.

Links in English:
-Hakone Zenzan National Park (http://www.hakone.or.jp/english/)
-JNTO Hakone Leaflet (http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:RwPxow80NBcJ:www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-307.pdf+jnto+hakone&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk)
-Hakone.navi (http://www.hakonenavi.jp/english/)
-att.Japan (http://www.att-japan.net/modules/tinyd0/rewrite/tc_30.html)

Weekend Break from Tokyo—Miho Museum, Hikone Castle and Kyoto

2010-02-11T15:46:24Z

If you’re feeling adventurous and ready for a night bus, one off-the-beaten-trek adventure is Kyoto, the Miho Museum and Hikone. There is a competitive night bus market between Tokyo and Kyoto. For cheaper though less comfortable seats, Willer/123 Bus has an English website (http://willerexpress.com/bus/pc/3/top/;jsessionid=677ED64BD1EB31C1C3777F54549229A6.ap22bus2) for easily reserved tickets. JR buses (http://www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/bus_route_e/) tend to be slightly more expensive but also more comfortable. You can buy tickets for any JR Bus at the “Midori no Madoguchi” at any major JR Station. Most buses leave from Tokyo Station’s Yaesu (八重洲) Exit (http://www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/bus_stop/etc_map.cfm?code=130019).
Arriving at JR Kyoto Station bright and early in the morning, you can either have a look around the town or immediately hop on the JR Tokaido line to Ishiyama (石山) Station. From there, it’s easy to catch the 50-minute Teisan Bus (800 yen) to the Miho Museum (Bus Number 150 from Stop Number 3). It’s a decidedly rural ride that will make you feel like Tokyo is far, far behind you. Here’s the bus schedule from Ishiyama to Miho: http://www.miho.or.jp/english/inform/time.htm.

The Miho Museum (open from 10:00-17:00, admission 1,000 yen) was designed by I.M. Pei and completed in 1996. Its collection comes from a single family and covers Japanese, Middle Eastern, Chinese and south Asian art. To enter, you must walk or take a golf cart through a quarter-mile futuristic tunnel. The museum itself feels airy and light even though 80% of the structure is actually underground.
Make sure to check the website before setting off as the museum is closed during winter and on Mondays. Once you get back to Ishiyama, Hikone (彦根) is further up and around Lake Biwa on the JR Tokaido line.

Japan has a fascination for lists and, though Hikone Castle on the shores of Lake Biwa doesn’t make the prestigious “Top Three Castles” List (those are Himeji, Matsumoto and Kumamoto), it has been designated a National Treasure (along with Inuyama, Himeji and Matsumoto). It was also a proposed World Heritage Site in 1992.
Hikone Castle was completed in 1622 by the Ii family, who ruled as daimyo over the town. Much of the castle is original and there is a beautiful view of Lake Biwa from the top floor. Entry to the castle (open from 8:30-17:00) is 500 yen, though the grounds are free. To get back to Kyoto, it’s just a little less than an hour on the JR Tokaido line. Or, if you want to go directly back to Tokyo, Maibara (米原) is the closest shinkansen stop (22 minutes from Hikone).

What to Eat:
Omi Beef, in keeping with Japan’s list-craze, is one of the top three Tajima long-haired black cow meats (the others are Kobe and Matsuzaka beef). It is produced in the Hikone region and is famous for its “health” qualities (i.e. quite lean despite being very tender meat). The best ways to eat it are in sashimi, shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. There are a variety of Omi Beef restaurants in Hikone. The tourist information center near the Hikone Train Station (open from 9:00-17:00) can steer you toward the restaurants in your price range.

Links in English:
-Miho Museum (http://www.miho.or.jp/english/)
-JNTO Leaflet on Hikone and Lake Biwa (http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:A-vvpGhsk8UJ:www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-502.pdf+hikone+jnto&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk)
-Hikone City Website (http://www.city.hikone.shiga.jp/english/index.html)
-Blog J. Castle on Hikone Castle (http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/36-Hikone-Castle)
-Blog Deep Kyoto on the Miho Museum (http://www.deepkyoto.com/?p=1398)