Best countryside in Japan

[tidbits]

I know I can read the travel guide, but I would like to find out from FGs where are the best countryside that you have been. I wonder will most of you mention Hokkaido...

[Taro Toporific]

... I wonder will most of you mention Hokkaido...

Isn't that part of Russia?

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Let's Sado!
Actually, the empty-even-in-August white sand beaches and diving the cold water reefs in Sado Island is quite beautiful and strange. An added benefit is that Sado folks rather like gaijin.

[AssKissinger]

Having lived in Aomori for three years and having travelled over a lot of Japan I have to say that northern Honshu, Iwate, Akita and especially Aomori are by far my favorites. I especially recommend Shimokita There you can check out Osorezan (Mt. Dread) There they have an itako (blind witch) festival where you can see these 'witches' mumble in something that sounds like 'tongues' and commune with the dead. It's a very serious festival packed with bereaved parents hoping to catch word from a departed child. I've been twice. There's a lot of sobbing. Near Osorezan there's an amazing onsen called Yagen. Here's a pic. It's not in this picture but there's a pool next to this river. It's just a concrete box really. There are no workers there and no shower facilities. Men and women together, of course. Once I went with this English woman and she marched into the pool, buff of course, carrying a bottle of whiskey and it was full of these old fishermen. And she was stacked! Those guys were like 'damn!'. They ended up having us over for the best sashima I ever had, they caught it that morning. Then we all got drunk as monkeys at a cool street festival in a nearby tiny village. But the best thing about Yagen is that the onsen flows up from the river bed so you can climb into the river and feel a real nice mix of hot and cold water at the same time. Aomori also has Mt. Hakkoda ski mountain. Here's a pic
I went to college in Utah and compared to the skiing in the American Rockies it's not so great, the snow falls in incredible volumes but it tends to be a bit on the heavy side, and it just doesn't have the long runs. However, theres a ruggedness to it that makes it a really exciting place to ski. Every year, it seems this mountain claims another life. Near Hakkoda there is sukayu onsen. You ain't in Kansas anymore in that place. Rated one of the best onsens in Japan, again it's a mixed affair. Usually, there's nothing but men and a few old grannies but I've actually seen a couple of serious honeys in there. Almost had a heart attack, down boy! Don't stare. Glance. Don't stare. Glance. I know, I'm a geek! Ha ha ha.


Edited to change dead links and to refresh the pics

[tidbits]

Thanks, Taro and AK. Seems to be really interesting places. I haven't been to many places in Japan. Recently did some short trips to Nagano side- Tsumago and Magome old town. Went to Kamikochi (also Nagano)yesterday, anyone been there before? beautiful river with Japan Alps scenery. that is the most beautiful place I have seen in Japan so far, and I am still looking for nicer places.

[Caustic Saint]

AK, you need to write a travel guide. Seriously, dude, you seem to know interesting stuff about most every place in Japan. And the tales that go along with your info make for good reads. Get cracking, man!

[kotatsuneko]

grab that guide to japan by the gluck family, big black and red thing.. think its called japan inside out.. most detailed guide i ever found and have back home a good 15 or so..

places id go if i found / stole a lot of money...

shikoku - whole statlereasque treck

beppu for the women and baths tho the disease threat is a bit dodge in onsen these days

himeji for the villages and views

that place where theres a stone or something related to urashima taro

the neighbourhood miyamoto grew up in to see whats left of its influences on one of the most creative ppl in the world

nara especially to that place Alan talked about so fondly

nemuro as it just sounds so nice..

miyazaki as a dude i went to classes with, said it was a real nice place and did a lot of photos around it...

osaka to see just what it is that made konami make so many sweet games in the 80s/90s...

[Nagged]

Went to Kamikochi (also Nagano)yesterday, anyone been there before? beautiful river with Japan Alps scenery. that is the most beautiful place I have seen in Japan so far, and I am still looking for nicer places.

Tinateoh, I know I'm a bit late writing this, but Kamikochi is even better in Winter. Are you in Nagoya now? I know lots of places around here if you are interested.

If you have cold weather clothes, I can take you snowshoeing (I have spare snowshoes I can lend you). Winter Kitayatsugatake in Nagano Prefecture is very nice (but far away so I always stay overnight) Ontake is closer (okay for a day trip) but to get to the top in Winter needs some special gear.

When it's not winter, I go to places closer to home, usualy just an hour or two away by car or train. Send me an email if you are interested. (Check out my profile)

[cstaylor]

Just got back from a vacation in Ishikawa-ken. Noto is a nice, seaside area. The area is also known for urushi craftwork.

I enjoy the ocean more than the mountains, so this fit me perfectly. Plus Kanazawa is only an hour or so away by car, where you can see Kenrokuen Garden, one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan.

[GomiGirl]

where you can see Kenrokuen Garden, one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan.

Kenrokuen gardens are indeed gorgeous..

I have just come back from Yamanashi - spent the weekend in a lodge near Yamanakako and had uninterupted views of Fuji-san.. also great onsens near-by. The water sports were a bit cheesy with big swan paddle boats but we had a great time.

[AssKissinger]

[amdg]

I just got back from iriomotejima and it was a truly beautful place. Doesn't really feel like Japan though, more like Mexico/Cancun, but with everyone speaking Japanese.

But the locals were really glad to have an FG come and visit them!

[Taro Toporific]

But the locals were really glad to have a FG come and visit them!

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album ... 2c03f1.jpg[/img]

Was that anything to do with this?

(Source: Asahi Shimbun)
...A resort development project that descended on a sacred beach on Iriomotejima island aka "The Galapagos of Asia", is a blessing to the town mayor but could cause a "divine wrath" according to Kinsei Ishigaki, who heads the Iriomote Island Ecotourism Association. "The site used to be considered a sacred place where a god was to descend. If the project is forced upon us, it would not only be reproached by the world, it would invite a divine wrath.'' The center of the controversy is a four-story hotel that would be built on a pristine 800-meter stretch of white sand on Tsukigahama (moon beach), at the mouth of the Urauchigawa river, lined with evergreen Australian pine trees. Yellow-margined box turtles, an endangered species, also inhabit the area. The project by the Unimat group, known for its consumer credit business and office coffee vending machine services, is the first resort development on the island. Located 400 kilometres southwest of Okinawa's main island, Iriomotejima is dubbed the "Galapagos of Asia'' for its rich wild life. Ninety percent of the island area is covered with primitive forests of tropical and subtropical trees. Half of the island is designated a national park. It is also home to the indigenous Iriomote wild cat, under special government protection.

[amdg]

yep, you are spot on as usual. That's the hotel I stayed at and what you see in the picture is part of that pristine 800-meter beach. Actually they are still in the process of constructing the hotel, but it just opened for business this month, so I was one of the first people to stay there. Don't see what all the fuss is about (...other than inviting a divine wrath, whoops!), the hotel makes a superb effort to ensure that the surroundings are kept in their original state, and they do not tolerate any littering. Guests are asked to keep the curtains closed at night so that the lights don't disturb the turtles who come on up to the beech to lay their eggs. Anyway, its not like there aren't already a lot of buildings around the same area. Seems to be more of a case of "its OK for the locals to build there but not for anyone else".

[kotatsuneko]

Furano in Hokkaido is very nice, bout 1.5 hours by coach.. the scent of lavender sure knocks you out though!

[dimwit]

Cape Ashizuri in Kochi is amazing for it miles of completely overgrown roads. Plus it sports one of the best beaches in all of Japan

manjiro1.tripod.com/ ashiz.jpg

[Taro Toporific]

Cape Ashizuri in Kochi is amazing for it miles of completely overgrown roads. Plus it sports one of the best beaches in all of Japan

manjiro1.tripod.com/ ashiz.jpg

I was there during a typhoon like the coming Typhoon Namtheun and 8-12 meter waves were fun!

http://img69.exs.cx/img69/8281/ashiz.jpg

[prancer]

These pictures make me want to take a vacation.

[kotatsuneko]

heres some info on varios spots:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/PTG/

[Samurai_Jerk]

I know I can read the travel guide, but I would like to find out from FGs where are the best countryside that you have been. I wonder will most of you mention Hokkaido...

Are you kidding? Haven't read Alex Kerr's books. There is no countryside left in Japan. It's all concrete.

[james]

found these pics via reddit / imagur.

apologies if this has been posted already and for hotlinking. even after cutting the image in half, the dimensions were too large to host. if i'm feeling less lazy later, i'll cut the original into quarters.