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Round Trip Of Peninsula In Spring Time (Pt 2)
1 March 2008 |
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Spring is around the corner in Japan Hour! This week, go spring-time travelling and enjoy the best seasonal cuisine as well as gorgeous scenery. Arrive at the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita and begin your journey from there. Start off in Chiba, go around the peninsula and end at Kujukuri.
Take the Uchibou line and travel along Tokyo Bay. A 40 minute ride takes you from Chiba to Kisaratsu, a well known spot for shell collectors. Arrive at the coast where shell collecting is a profession here. Other than shell collecting, residents rely on sardines which are fished and dried here.
Go seafood hunting next and try out a clam lunch set. The white oriental clams are cooked in butter on top of a fire. The clams are ready to eat when their shells pop open - overcooking it will cause the flesh to become too hard.
Take the Uchibou Line and go further south. Alight at Tomiura and be greeted by a sea of yellow when visiting a rapeseed field. Go right into the field and pick some blossoming flowers for free. After that, head to Tateyama and take the bus to the southern tip of Bousou. Soon, you'll be able to see the ocean as the bus travels along the cape.
Nojimazaki lighthouse is located at the southern tip of Bousou. Head inside to get a great view of the ocean nearby. Then, take a 15 minute walk to your hotel. Hotel Kiyoto is a cosy 8-room hotel with Japanese styled rooms and western styled beds.
Take a dip in the hot spring before going for dinner. A seafood kaiseki course including Bousou beef and rice cooked with sea bream. This flavourful course is offered in the hotel's Spring Break plan.
Continue your journey and head to your next stop in Katsuura. Visit Katsuura fishing port and check out the day's catch. Katsuura is famous for its skipjack fishing and their August hauls are ranked number 1 in Japan.
Head to a restaurant recommended by the fishermen to try out their skipjack meal. The fish is mixed with rice and two types of kelp are put on top before the fish stock is poured in. This meal is also known as "fisherman's chazuke" as this is what fishermen commonly eat when out on their fishing boats.
Next up, take the Soto Bousou Line to Mobara. Visit Mobara Park - one of Japan's famous sakura spots with around 3000 sakura trees in the park. The wide range of sakura that can be found in the park attracts flower lovers from all over the country. Travel to the last stop of your journey - Kujukuri - by hopping on the bus from Oami Station. Start off in Beppu, the famous hot spring town in Kyushu's Oita province. The things that come to mind when asked about Oita are hot springs, skipjack, mackeral and lounders. This place is good for enjoying wonderful food and dips in their hot springs.
Go around Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita province, a historical city with Buddhism as its main religion. From Beppu station, take the bus and head for Kunisaki. A 50 minute ride away is the castle city of Kitsuki.
When you get there, visit Kichiki Junior School, the city's state school. From there, you will be able to see the castle. Head off for the castle's viewing tower and enjoy the splendid views. On a fine day, you can even see the Sada Cliffs in Ehime province.
Head to a 300 year old restaurant, Wakaeya next for a meal. The chef's specialty is a sea bream chazuke which has brought much happiness to many people over the years, thus the nickname "happiness". The stock is seasoned with sesame and soy sauce before it is added to the fish and rice and diluted with green tea.
After lunch, continue the trip to Kunisaki and check out on arrival at Kunisaki city, life in the 10th century BC Yayoi Period. Yayoi Village was unearthed in the late 40's and it has been recreated to show how ancient inhabitants lived. The house was built by digging a shallow hole in the ground before building walls and a ceiling above.
Dock at the Kunimi fishing port which is located at the northern tip of the peninsula. The hotel you will be going to is a famous hot spring resort. After a 20 minute ride, arrive at Akane and head to your hotel - Kunimi hot spring. It is a moderately priced hotel and offers three types of rooms - Western, Japanese and cottage. The cottage is like a village with a spacious interior and the natural scent of wood.
For dinner, try out Kunisaki's famous octopus full set. Start off with sashimi and blowfish tempura. They're cut into bite sized pieces and fried with tempura batter. A 3-fish set costs around 1000 yen ($S14).
The next day, head back to the seaside, but make a U-turn just before and head south to Bugohakada where your next destination is a nostalgic village. This shopping street was very popular back in the 60's. Most of the old buildings were preserved and turned into nostalgic attractions for tourists. Drop by an electrical appliance shop and take a look around.
Your next stop is in the Kunisaki Peninsula. A famous attraction there is a stone Buddha which reflects the religious passion of the villagers. This Fudou-myo-o statue rises 100m in height and depicts the moment when Fudou-myo-o became Buddha.
Finish off your trip with a visit to a hot spring in Beppu. A 50 minute trip from Atami takes you up to the highlands of Izu-kougen, a famous sakura spot. Izu-kouen is famous for its natural beauty and a variety of outdoor activities. Head into a Japanese tea house with a Kyoto-style interior design. It offers additive-free snacks and beverages.
Hokkawa hot spring is a romantic seaside hot spring that was once a fishing port. It costs 600 yen (S$ 8.5) per person. After your dip in the hot spring, proceed to your next stop in Atagawa. Nishiki is famous for its big bowls of food and one of its best loved dishes is minced mackerel rice. The mixed seafood bowl has 10 varieties of seafood in it and is bound to satisfy your tummy.
Head further south by heading to the terminal of Izu Express and travel by bus to the hotel in Miharashi-dai. The hotel is a seaside resort of Gin-no-umi and it is located in Shitaru in South Izu... where the next part of your adventure continues. |
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Bousou is adored for its warm climate. |
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Spring is a great season for shell collecting but only within a certain period. |
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It is said that eating the first catch of skipjack will bring longevity. |
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Mobara's seasonal specialty is their sakura (cherry blossoms). |
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Kujukuri means "99 miles". |
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The castle city of Kitsuki was once a prosperous castle city in the 17th century Edo period. It was also the region's political and economical centre. |
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Octopus fishing is very common in Kunisaki. |
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The biggest stone Buddha in Japan is in the Kunisaki Peninsula. |
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Try some dessert such as pink dango dipped in sakura sauce in a japanese tea house in Izu-kougen. |
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Kurone-iwa is a public hot spring in Hokkawa. |
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Atagawa is famous for its variety of hot spring facilities and the temperature of the original hot spring can reach up to 100 degrees. |
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By purchasing a bus pass, you can have unlimited travel by bus in Shimoda. |
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