Come along with me and share the excitement as I explore the world researching freelance articles. These blog posts offer short chunks of travel that you can digest quickly as well as plenty of photos so you get the picture. You'll have some fun, make discoveries, and pick up great ideas and information for your own vacations. Think of me as your canary in the coal mine. For even more travel inspiration, visit my BERKELEY AND BEYOND website at http://www.berkeleyandbeyond.com.
The vibrant Shinjuku area of Tokyo is filled with attractions, and though it was cancelled due to the pandemic the 2020 Olympics were scheduled to be here. The area is also a popular choice because it is centered around a busy Bullet Train station. I checked into a hotel for just one night, and I definitely absorbed the energetic flavor of the area and managed to see quite a bit.
3-2-9, Nishi-shinjuku, 03-3343-3111. Well located, this bustling hotel is just a short walk from the famous Shinjuku section of town. Though it had the smallest room I encountered during my visit to Japan, it manages to include a deep furo soaking tub in each teeny, tiny bathroom . . . and the price is right. I enjoyed meeting the robot valet that hangs out in the lobby in between room service runs, and many small shops operate on the floors below the lobby. During my visit to Japan, I stayed at many sister properties, and all of them provided a white cotton nightgown that buttons down the front--something I started looking forward to each night. And here, a buffet breakfast was served on a high floor permitting lovely area views.
Occupies 39th-52nd floors. Celebrated for being designed by famous architect Kenzo Tange, this skyscraper might be even more famous for its supporting role in the movie Lost in Translation. Even if you don’t stay here, you’ll want to stop in for a drink at the New York Bar on the 52nd floor. Its cool 65-foot-long, four-lane indoor pool--where Bill Murray took a dip in the movie--has floor-to-ceiling windows offering stunning views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji, and a glass pyramid-shaped ceiling allows in natural light.
stroll through Shinjuku
The walk from the hotel to the train station passes an intriguing collection of shops and restaurants. Along the way, the back alley streets are highly interesting. Known as Golden Gai, these narrow streets are lined with small bars with just a few seats. Some are at ground level, while others are positioned up steep staircases, and many are open only to locals. It is on one of these streets that my companion and I found a big bank of vending machines, and the equivalent of US$2 popped out a darling miniature vinyl dog that looked just like her own at home making it the perfect souvenir.
Located in the Times Square area adjacent to the train station, this is considered to be the area’s best department store. Exhibitions and Japanese goods are on floor 11, while a food hall occupies the entire basement and restaurants occupy the top three floors (12-14) referred to as Restaurants Park. After zipping through several of the shopping floors, I headed to the basement and zeroed in on a scrumptious almond croissant from Maison Kayser to take back to my room for dinner. My drink was a bottle of the hotel’s Mt. Fuji spring water.
basement food hall at Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo, Japan
Near the train station. Tu-Sun 9am-4pm; closed M. 500 yen. Stretched over 144 acres, this former imperial garden became a national garden after World War II. The park holds native and traditional gardens as well as French Formal and English Landscape gardens, plus a spectacular Taiwan Pavilion that perches beside a serene pond.
Thur-M. 1,100 yen. Located off the beaten path in a suburban district of Shinjuku, this slim 5-story white building is devoted to displaying the larger-than-life and avant-garde works of artist Yayoi Kusama. Installations include her newish "infinity room" series (an Instagram sensation), polka-dot paintings, and sculptures. Note that visitors are limited to only 200 per day.
polka dot shoes by Yayoi Kusama, displayed at SFO airport in San Francisco, California
cat cafes
In Japan living space is at a premium and most landlords do not permit pets, so cat cafes are a popular and ingenious solution. Patrons pay an hourly fee (usually about US$10 per hour) for a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy amid free-roaming cats.
Located in the center of Shinjuku, the Calico Cat Cafe opened in 2007 and has about 20 cats representing 17 breeds. Rules include not waking a sleeping cat and not bringing catnip in to the cafe.
Note that the first cat cafe in the U.S. opened in Oakland, California in 2014.
Like most U.S. cat cafes, Cat Town adopts out the cats.
tour at Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery in Sendai, Japan
Built in 1969, this is Nikka Whisky’s second distillery. Masataka Taketsuru, who learned whisky-making in Scotland, started the company and makes what has been called the father of whiskey--Nikka Whisky. The Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo distillery is located in a foggy glen surrounded by mountains and is adjacent to two rivers, including its famous source of pristine water, the Nikkawa River. Both malt and grain whisky are produced here. An educational tour of the refinery includes strolling the lovely grounds and viewing a scenic pond with swans. As an overview of production is presented, tour groups enter several buildings, including the kiln tower, mash house, and still house.
still at Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery in Sendai, Japan
The hour-long tour concludes with a tasting, where whisky descriptions vary from “fruity and rich” for the Single malt Miyagikyo to “woody and mellow” for the Coffey Grain. I liked them all. The tour is conducted in Japanese, but audio guides in English, Chinese, and Korean are available.
tasting at Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery in Sendai, Japan
tasting at Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery in Sendai, Japan
Nakanohashi Ave. 1-8-3 (several more locations are in Morioka), 0120-733-130.
entrance to Azumaya Soba Shop in Morioka, Japan
The all-you-can-eat cold soba noodle experience at Azumaya Soba Shop involves wearing a special apron, sitting on the floor on a tatami mat at a low table, and then eating small portions of noodles served in lacquered wooden bowls that are stacked up as they are emptied. Guests are allowed to dump the liquid soup in a special bowl so that they have more space in their tummies for noodles, and are encouraged by chanting servers to eat more and more--as much as they can. Near the end, fellow diners sometimes join in the chant. Service does not stop until the diner puts the lid on their final bowl, meaning they have had enough.
noodle servings at Azumaya Soba Shop in Morioka, Japan
diners at Azumaya Soba Shop in Morioka, Japan
This is not just dinner, it is a contest called wanko soba. The record here is 500 bowls of noodles eaten by a man from Osaka, and 570 bowls eaten by a local Morioka woman. Each bowl holds only a few noodles, and 15 bowls--which is equivalent to an ordinary full bowl of soba--is average. The Noodle King in my group downed 100 bowls!, while I managed only 19. Part of the fun is that the empty bowls are stacked up beside each diner, and as the meal winds down people try to eat more and more. A few spices and toppings are provided for taste, and soba soup or tea is served when the contest is over. Once popular all over Japan after World War II, this eating sport remains particularly popular in this area. A few other area noodle houses also provide the same fun.
American Noodle King David Lang at Azumaya Soba Shop in Morioka, Japan
tea service at Azumaya Soba Shop in Morioka, Japan
tie-died cloths in rinse bucket at Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing
in Hachimantai city, Japan
At this oldest geothermal area in Japan, which dates back almost 50 years to 1966 and is located in an area famous for skiing, visitors can watch as professionals dye fabric with geothermal steam that uses energy from hot springs and contains a perfect balance of hydrogen sulfide. This is the only place in the world where public thermal dying is done. It is an eco-friendly process, and it creates the perfect gradation of colors. At the Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing facility, visitors can try their hand at dyeing handkerchiefs or small scarves. The process involves tying fabric squares into cigar-like shapes, then dipping them in color, steaming them in a geothermal oven, and finally unwrapping them to the delight of all.
instructor holds sample tie-died cloth with starfish design at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
instructor holds sample tie-died cloth at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
tie-died cloth based on photo in book at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
instructor demonstrates dipping tie-died cloth at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
student dips tie-died cloth at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
thermal steam oven at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
instructor displays student's tie-dyed cloth at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
After, participants enjoy coffee or tea in the cozy AlpenRose cafe and gift shop, where the instructor irons each scarf to lock in the color and where lovely tie-dyed pieces are displayed, some of which are for sale.
exterior of AlpenRose cafe at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
cup of tea at AlpenRose cafe at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
instructor irons student projects at AlpenRose cafe at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
young boy delivers finished student projects at AlpenRose cafe at
Geocolor: Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing in Hachimantai city, Japan
Enjoy pizza, do some forest bathing, and overnight at an onsen
Oirase National Park
This has been a national park for 80 years and is a protected nature zone. It is particularly beautiful in winter.
visitor center in Oirase National Park in Aomori, Japan
Oirase Gorge, Lake Towada, and Tsuta no Mori offer giant ancient trees, moss banked streams and mountains along with blissful silence. This gorge has three sections--the white-branched beech trees, the moss-covered rocks, and the waterfalls.
road through Oirase Gorge in Oirase National Park in Aomori, Japan
A beautiful walking trail in Oirase National Park leads up an easy incline from the visitor center to Lake Towada. The trail follows the clear Oirase Keiryu stream and passes the ancient Choshi Otaki waterfall. In winter, when walking in slippery snow can be treacherous, my group was taken by bus along the main road through the park and let out at various sights along the way. Any time, a nature guide enhances the experience.
river through Oirase Gorge in Oirase National Park in Aomori, Japan
frozen waterfall in Oirase Gorge in Oirase National Park in Aomori, Japan
Lake Towada in Oirase National Park in Aomori, Japan
Not too far away but still seemingly out in the boonies, it is quite a surprise to find Ortolana set within a Scandinavian-style building and serving a first-rate pizza with cracker-thin crust. Pizzas are cooked in a rustic stone oven and come in several varieties, including vegetarian, as well as apple or other seasonal fruits (for dessert). The spectacular roasted potatoes are a don't miss.
interior of Ortolana pizza cafe in Aomori, Japan
server fills table at Ortolana pizza cafe in Aomori, Japan
apple pizza dessert at Ortolana pizza cafe in Aomori, Japan
sprouted red onion at Ortolana pizza cafe in Aomori, Japan
Within range for overnighting, the hilltop European-style mountain resort onsen Hotel Jogakura is surrounded by virgin beech forests. This scenically-situated onsen features a hot spring with both a sleek modern indoor bath and a rustic rock-lined outdoor bath. It has 31 room and presents beautifully served traditional farm-and-sea-to-table Japanese cuisine--the chef himself selects locally-caught ocean fish daily at the market. My delightful dinner here was punctuated with the excitement of seeing a furry golden Japanese marten hunting in the snow for its own dinner outside the dining room window.
western tatami room at Yudanka Onsen Yoroduya ryokan in Nagano, Japan
The large-yet-cozy Yudanka Onsen Yoroduya is a traditional ryokan inn with an authentic Japanese atmosphere and onsen hot baths. Traditional tatami rooms are the rule, but a western variation is available. My room was essentially a tatami room with raised beds--it had tatami flooring, sliding doors, and an enclosed deck where I could look out over the town and surrounding mountains. Guests here are asked to keep the deck doors closed because wild monkeys roam the area. A large bathhouse is constructed from the sacred tree of Mt. Koya--Japanese Umbrella Pine--and has morning hours for men and evening hours for women. Baths include a Momoyama Bath and an open-air bath, as well as private baths at an additional fee. Waters are effective for wounds, burns, pruritus cutaneous, rheumatic diseases, movement disorders, chronic eczema, female disorders, postmenopausal syndrome, and neuralgia. The night I stayed here I was simply too tired and used the pink deep tub in my room instead, which also pumped in the hot mineral water. I noticed that the next day I perspired heavily and deduced that was the mineral salts at work.
Onsen etiquette requires quiet talking. Bathers are usually required to be nude, and tattoos are usually not permitted. More helpful onsen information.
appetizer plate at Yudanka Onsen Yoroduya ryokan in Nagano, Japan
outdoor onsen at Yudanka Onsen Yoroduya ryokan in Nagano, Japan
in-room deep tub at Yudanka Onsen Yoroduya ryokan in Nagano, Japan
sunrise from room balcony at Yudanka Onsen Yoroduya ryokan in Nagano, Japan
