Tokushima June 9, 2009
Posted by Dru in Japan, Shikoku, Travel.Tags: alcohol, Awa, Awa Odori, Awaji Island, Bizan, Bizansan, citrus fruit, cruise, dance, gondola, hiking, Iya Valley, Japanese dance, kansai, Kobe, Mt. Bizan, Muroto, Naruto, Odori, outdoor art, ramen, ropeway, Shikoku, Shinmachi, Shinmachi River, shochu, sudachi, sudachi alcohol, sudachi shochu, sweets, Tokushima, Tokushima Castle, Tokushima Central Park, Tokushima Chuo Koen, Tokushima Chuo Park, Tokushima ramen, Tokushima-jo, Tokushima-ken, Tokushima-shi
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Author’s Note: Dru’s Misadventures has moved to HinoMaple. Please venture on over there to read “Tokushima” complete with pictures. http://wp.me/p2liAm-bZ
Tokushima is situated in the north-eastern region of Shikoku. It is the major gateway to the island from Kansai. It is connected via Awaji Island to Kobe. Unfortunately, this city is very small and easily visited within a day or two. You can easily get out of Tokushima city and head to Naruto in the north; Iya Valley in the west; and towards Muroto in the south.
Tokushima is primarily known for one thing, and only one thing, the Awa Odori. It is a summer festival held in August. It is one of the most distinct and unique festivals in Japan. The Awa Odori is literally a traditional dance of the region. People dress up in the regions unique festival clothing and the dance can be heard for blocks. It is very difficult to describe the dance and it is something that must be seen in video to truly understand how complex, active, and interesting it really is. All over Tokushima city, you’ll be able to see statues, banners, art, and videos of the Awa Odori. You can even take a dance class at the base of Mt. Bizan. While the Awa Odori is the most famous thing about Tokushima, sudachi is the most famous gift from Tokushima. It is a small green citrus fruit that is similar to limes and lemons. It has a slightly stronger taste, but very refreshing. Beware that buying any sudachi sweets can be dangerous. They last a long time, but once opened, they “could” expire within a day or two. I would recommend buying sudachi alcohol and drinks, which are very popular.
There are only a few things to do in Tokushima itself. The most famous thing to do is to head up Mt. Bizan. There is a gondola that will take you from the base to the peak, but it runs every 15 minutes. You can also get a discount if you go in the evening. The top of the mountain is very beautiful and gives you a great view of the city. Heading up in the evening is worth the price, however heading up at full price may not be worth it for those on a budget. You can also hike up the mountain, and the peak offers various hiking paths. If you are an avid hiker, this is a great place to get started for a short day hike. Routes tend to be well marked and wind their way around the mountain. In May, you will also be greeted with beautiful flowers blooming around the peak station. If you are lucky, Mt. Bizan has over 1000 cherry trees, so the cherry blossom season is supposed to be extremely beautiful.
After Mt. Bizan, Tokushima Central Park is the next best place to visit. It is located on a hill behind the station. It can be a little difficult to reach as the station has only one entrance, to the south. The park is located north of the station. Once you find the park, it is a very nice place to visit. The entire park is the site of the ruins of Tokushima Castle. There are two routes to the top of the hill. While both routes are equally difficult, be aware that the main route may have some school kids running up as part of their training exercises. In all honesty, this park is better served to the locals. There isn’t too much to see. The view from the top of the hill, while nice, isn’t that great. It’s difficult to see much of the city as there are large trees surrounding the old courtyard. However, it is a good way to enjoy an afternoon in Tokushima.
Finally, walking along the Shinmachi River, south of the station, is a lot of fun. The parks along the river are very beautiful, and there is a lot of outdoor art to enjoy. You can even take a boat cruise around the city for only 100 yen. It takes about one hour to go around the city. You can also take a 4 hour cruise up to Naruto. The river is also conveniently located near the main shopping area. Shopping in Tokushima is sparse, to say the least. It is probably the smallest major city in Shikoku, so finding any major name brands would be very difficult. If you are looking for something to eat, I would recommend ramen. It is a local specialty and the local food maps, available in most hotels, show the locations of famous ramen shops. While it isn’t very different from other ramen shops in Japan, they tend to add slices of meat, and the soup base tends to be a little thinner and saltier, in my opinion.
Overall, I couldn’t say there is a lot to do in Tokushima city itself. However, there is enough to make it a good weekend trip. If you are just backpacking around Japan, timing a visit to coincide with the Awa Odori is the best way to go; otherwise it’s best to skip this city. I would definitely like to return someday.
このblogは英語のblog。もし私の英語は難しい、日本語のquestionは大丈夫。
2009 Sapporo Snow Festival (Part II) May 5, 2009
Posted by Dru in Hokkaido, Japan, Travel.Tags: Bugyo Chousha, castle, Eco Plaza, festival, food park, Hakodate, Hakodate Bugyo Chousha, half pipe, Hamamatsu, Hamamatsu Castle, HBC, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Broadcasting Company, Hokkaido Television, HTB, ice sculpture, japan, Korea, Odori, Odori Park, Oodori, Oodori Park, Sapporo, Sapporo Snow Festival, Sapporo-shi, sculpture, Seoul, Snow Festival, snow sculpture, snowboard ramp, station, Sungnyemun, train, train station
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Author’s Note: Dru’s Misadventures has moved to HinoMaple. Please venture on over there to read “2009 Sapporo Snow Festival (Part II)” complete with pictures: http://wp.me/p2liAm-al
Note: Any and all descriptions of sculptures and activities are for 2009. The sculptures are guaranteed to change, and some of the activities may also change. It’s best to check just prior to going.
5-chome brought a little ice and eco awareness to the festival. The first part was an Eco Plaza. This was essentially a place to put windmills and other eco friendly stalls. It was easy to forget this section as it was there to promote ways to save money and the environment. If I could understand Japanese a lot more, I would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it was too difficult at the time, and too cold, to really appreciate it. The main attraction was the Hakodate Bugyo Chousha. This is the original government building, located in Hakodate, to govern all of Hokkaido. It was destroyed but it is currently being rebuilt. It should be opened in 2010. The park is well known in Hokkaido. This sculpture was made out of ice, and lit up with various colours at various times to coincide with special shows. Unfortunately, they turned off the lights as I was about to start taking pictures. It was beautiful though, and how a large ice sculpture should look like.
6-chome was a place that I could easily forget. It was the site of the food park. One block where all they did was sell nice hot food for the hungry festival goers. I would avoid this block as a lot of the food didn’t look that good, and I was already full from dinner.
7-chome was the first site of the first non-commercial snow sculpture. They recreated, to scale, Sungnyemun. It is the main gate that allowed people to enter Seoul. Having been originally built over 500 years ago, it was a national treasure. Unfortunately, an arsonist burned the structure down in 2008 and the wooden structure was destroyed. The stone foundation was still standing, and thus they will be capable of rebuilding this beautiful structure. Thankfully, the Korean government did an extensive analysis of the structure prior to it being burned down, so they know how to rebuild it. Unfortunately, we don’t know when it will be rebuilt, but hopefully it will be sooner than later. While this is a non-commercial sculpture, it was sponsored by HBC (Hokkaido Broadcasting Company), so their name is featured in all advertising, and below the sculpture itself. In this day and age, it’s hard to get anything done without sponsorship.
8-chome brought another beautiful sculpture. Hamamatsu castle, located between Tokyo and Osaka, was recreated. While it isn’t the most beautiful castle, or the most majestic, it is, as any other castle in Japan, historical. I can’t help but feel it was recreated because they ran out of other famous historical buildings to recreate. I will admit that it was more beautiful and more detailed than Sungnyemun. This one was also sponsored, by HTB (Hokkaido Television). Behind Hamamatsu Castle, they had a mid sized snowboard ramp. They had small competitions and demonstrations for people to watch snowboarders in action. I doubt it was very special. I find watching a half pipe competition to be more exciting.
9-chome saw a large reduction in the size of the sculptures. A mid sized sculpture of a train and station was the main attraction. The only problem was that the station was hard to see, and the train was covered in fresh snow. I’m sure it could have looked better, but unfortunately, it seemed to have been rushed a little. Thankfully, the rest of this block was comprised of various other sculptures that were no bigger than 2 metres in height. Unfortunately, with so many people, it was difficult to take any pictures. I might suggest going before 10am, as the festival officially opens at 10am.
Information:
Sapporo Snow Festival (English): http://www.snowfes.com/english/place/index.html
Sapporo Snow Festival (Japanese): http://www.snowfes.com/
Sapporo Snow Festival (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo_Snow_Festival
Note: Part II of a 3 part series . (Part I) (Part III)
このblogは英語のblog。もし私の英語は難しい、日本語のquestionは大丈夫。
Sapporo February 17, 2009
Posted by Dru in Hokkaido, Japan, Travel.Tags: beer garden, Chitose, convenience store, festival, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Government Buildings, japan, JR Hokkaido, JR Pass, Kabukicho, matsuri, museum, Odori, Odori Park, Oodori, Oodori Park, park, Sapporo, Sapporo City Archive Museum, Sapporo Station, Shinkansen, Snow Festival, sulpture, susukino, vancouver, yuki, yuki-matsuri, yukimatsuri
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Author’s Note: Dru’s Misadventures has moved to HinoMaple. Please venture on over there to read “Sapporo” complete with pictures. http://wp.me/s2liAm-sapporo
This is Part V of a multi-part series chronicling my motorcycle adventure from Tokyo to Sapporo and back again.
Background: In 2007, I had finally gotten my Japanese driver’s license and a motorcycle. I had been an avid motorcycle rider in Canada before I came to Japan, so after 2 years of no riding, I finally bought a motorcycle and decided to go on a big adventure. I went from Tokyo to Sapporo by motorcycle and ferry. It was an adventure to say the least.
Leg 5 (Sapporo)
Sapporo is a beautiful city. It’s the biggest city in Hokkaido, but it doesn’t feel like such a big city. It’s quite similar to Vancouver. The streets tend to be wider than average Japanese cities, and the streets are all numbered. While the numbering is difficult to learn, it should get easier if you spend enough time in Sapporo. In Sapporo, addresses go by the block number and compass orientation, for example, 2N 3E and so on. It’s a little confusing at first, and since I only spent about a day in total in Sapporo, I didn’t get used to it at all. My initial impression would be that Sapporo would be very easy to navigate, but boy was I wrong. Going from Chitose to Sapporo wasn’t difficult. It was navigating Sapporo itself and finding my hotel that was a pain. I found Sapporo station relatively easily, but finding my bearings to get to my hotel itself was difficult. I ended up finding a convenience store to get directions. Convenience stores are my second choice for finding directions. They are everywhere in Japan. There was one problem. After getting directions, I got lost again, and asked a cop for directions again when I was close to the hotel. Once there, I parked my bike and wouldn’t touch it again for a couple days.
Getting to Sapporo is a lot easier if you are taking a train. The train station is not the centre of the town, but it is a major centre. Most of the city’s heart is located on the South side of the station. I took a look at the North, but it looked similar to any other business district of Japan, so I headed south. The first thing you will see is a nice open space with a few sculptures. The station itself is quite beautiful. It is very modern and suits the city’s spirit. It is a large brown and gray building with a large blue clock in the middle. There is shopping in every direction from the main entrance. If you go without enough clothes, there are many shops selling warm clothing. If you continue to look south, you will see many tree lined streets. It’s quite beautiful, and it might be even better in the snow. Heading south, you’ll run into the former Hokkaido Government buildings. It’s a wonderful park to visit with lots of green trees and a couple large ponds. I recommend taking a nice walk from Sapporo station and stopping at this site on your way to Odori Park.
By far, the most popular place to visit in Sapporo is Odori Park. It’s the most famous park in Sapporo. It is 1.5 km long and spans 13 blocks. It is also the centre of Sapporo. On one end is Sapporo TV Tower and on the other end is the Sapporo City Archive Museum. In the February, the Yuki-matsuri (Snow Festival) is held, and in the summer, several portables are built to create a large beer garden that spans a couple blocks. The Yuki-matsuri is the most famous event in Sapporo. I have seen pictures and it is quite beautiful. I will be heading there in February and will write about it in the future. I was a little early to attend the beer gardens, but I’m sure it would be a little overpriced, but wonderful. Each major Japanese beer label was in the process of building the gardens, so having your choice of beer wouldn’t be difficult. It looked much better than the Tokyo beer gardens because they are all in one place, and it’s easy to choose your favourite one. There is only one thing to know about Odori Park. It’s very boring if there is nothing happening, unless you are a kid. There are a few places where children can play all day and never get tired.
The final area of Sapporo that is of interest is Susukino. It’s regarded as the Kabukicho of Sapporo, a red light district. In this regard, it is considered a place to get sex, but in reality, it isn’t that bad. Like Kabukicho, it’s a reputation that is hard to shake. Being a “red light district”, it has the most restaurants in Sapporo. There is a famous ramen street where you can get Sapporo ramen. There are also many izakayas and countless bars. If you are looking for someplace to get a good cheap meal, this is the place. It is also one of the main locations for the Yuki-matsuri. I can’t really say too much about this place as I didn’t explore too much. If you do go, be a little more careful as things could be a little dangerous, in terms of Japanese danger.
Sapporo is a wonderful place to visit, and I definitely want to go again and again. If you can visit Sapporo directly, I do recommend it. If you are spending a couple weeks in Japan, and can afford the plane ticket, it’s worth it. If you have a JR Pass, I don’t recommend it because there are no Shinkansen trains that go to Sapporo. It takes too much time to get there by train at the moment. Hokkaido itself is quite easy to explore by train, so if you fly to Sapporo and have a JR Hokkaido pass, you can enjoy yourself for a full week or two and still have things to do.
このblogは英語のblog。もし私の英語は難しい、日本語のquestionは大丈夫。
