|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
Every Saturday
7.30pm
Every Sunday
8.00am, 1.00pm |
|
|
|
|
|
The Best Trip For Long Vacation (Pt 1)
29 March 2008 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
It's a touch of gold this week, with ideas for family trips. The first trip starts with an hour's ride on the Shinkansen from Tokyo. Arrive at the Hamamatsu Station in Shizuoka Province. Hamamatsu earned metropolitan status in April 2007, but it's what's on the outskirts that are spectacular. Take a bus from the station and head for the Nakadajima sand dunes. They are awesome as they stretch over 4km and some stand 600m high. It's the 3rd biggest dunes in Japan compared to the Tottori and Kujuku sand dunes.
The sand dunes are formed by winds blowing over the surface pf the sand, forming the beautiful patterns that are the biggest attraction for visitors. The wind and vast plain is also the best place to go kite-flying. In fact there is a Kite Festival held every year from 3rd to 5th May in Hamamatsu, attracting up to 800,000 visitors. There’s a kite fighting contest which is part of a tradition which began 430 years ago and enthusiast who will fly kites that are up to two or three metres long. Visitors get to view displays of kites from past competitions, rare models collected from around Japan and take part in a workshop where experts will teach you how to make kites.
Move on from the dunes by train, to the lake. Lake Hamanako covers an area of 70 square km and the water is a mixture of seawater and fresh water. This makes it just right for eels which are served at a local favourite lakeside restaurant called Tasuke. The set meals consist of eel from Lake Hamanako which is first barbequed to make the fish oil more aromatic, then it’s steamed until the meat is firm. The restaurant will marinate the eels with homemade sauce before roasting it, a process that’s repeated three times before the eel is served separately from the rice. All the rice sets include a sashimi side dish and soup. After lunch, try your luck at the Hamanako Fishing Resort which has three ponds open for fishing. Rent fishing rods and bait and head off to the pond which offers many fish for anglers, including trout.
Even a beginner can fish and get a catch, and if you catch no more than 5 trout, you can take them home for free. Next hop on the Tokaido Line, for a ride to Gamagori city in Aichi Province. It’s worthwhile to take a short tour of the area which is home to the famous Umakan doll house founded in the 1900s. The store has its own workshop where all puppets are handmade in the traditional way of Aichi. Visitors can also try on the Samurai costumes at the doll house for just 500 yen (S$7) and take a photo in costume with the life-sized puppets. Staying over in Gamagori should include a stay at a hot springs hotel that offers luxury and style.
The hotel offers a pick-up service in a luxury Jaguar limousine, to start the experience right. It’s just 10-minutes from the town centre to the hotel which is elegant and spacious. Look out too for the owls which are one of the natural inhabitants of the region and the hotel's symbol. The 6 years old hotel is located at Nishiura Hot Springs, facing Mikawa Bay. It’s a scenic spot with rooms that are Japanese styled and with huge space that offers a sense of openness. All the rooms have ocean views, overlooking Mikawa Bay.
Dinner is served in the room and is a mix of Japanese and Western. The fusion cuisine is made with the best local ingredients such as freshly caught needlefish which is served as sashimi and Hiratsume crab which is a local specialty and is called the H-crab because of the H mark on its shell. There is also hotpot made with fresh seasonal clams but prepared using a Western recipe. Dinner is a10-course meal with a great variety of local cuisine that’s a wonderful feast for any family gathering.
The hotel also offers an open air hot springs bath, with a great view. End off at the fresh seafood market where there is fresh fish such as top grade big-eye tuna, shellfish, and dried seafood to be found. The freshly caught fish is usually sliced at the market where you might be lucky enough to have a nibble of. You can also try clams charcoaled and served right at the counter. For a different adventure start from Shinjuku where you take the Odakyu Line to Isehara. The bus will enter the town with an approach to the Oyama-aburi Shrine.
The shrine which has a spectacular gate was a sacred place for people but it's now a tourist attraction. The area is relaxing with greenery all around, clear water and air that is refreshing. Buildings are also in retro style architecture which are a treat to the eye, and more! There is an old style sweets shop and a store which offers Oyama tops. These tops originated in the mid-Edo era and were made as souvenirs during Oyama pilgrimages. The belief is that as the top spins it brings wealth and fortune.The shop has been with the same family for eight generations and the current owner has been making tops for 60 years. The top shop also offers a workshop for visitors who can try their hand at decorating the tops or learning the fine art of top spinning. At meal-times, don’t miss out on what’s famous about Oyama - bean curd.
The place to head for is Kogawaya... which was founded in the Edo period and still retains its charm.The bean curd Kaiseki is served at the shop. The bean curd hotpot can be eaten with chopsticks and is excellent tasting with a strong soybean flavour. Part of the reason is the use of spring water to make bean curd, which only three stores in Oyama do so. At Kogawaya selected soybeans are used, along with quality production special plate arrangements and flavourings according to the season.
There is an 8-course set which includes steamed bean curd made with Oyama produced fresh eggs and offer a wonderful flavour when. served hot. There’s also fried bean curd which is smooth inside and crunchy outside, and dessert which is bean curd pudding.
Next stop, Tsurumaki-onsen Station that heads for the hot springs, just look out for pink flamingoes which gave the town its name. Jinya Hot Spring is the oldest hot spring in town. It’s quite well-known as it has staged many Shogi Chess Celebrity Games, and a visit to the outdoor pool, with a towel and a drink costs 1700 yen (S$ 24).
The next stop is Odawara which was once a castle city with the castle’s foundations are built from huge stones which still can be found around the place.
A visit to the castle comes complete with a costume rental service nearby so you can be photographed as an ancient princess or a samurai. While in Odawara stay at the Gora Hot Spring hotel which recently opened. The resort which is close to the station is already famous for its hot spring variety and seafood menu. After choosing your kimono, head off to your room which can either be Japanese or Western styled. The bath is the focus, there is one with a beautiful mountain view, a large pool filled with refreshing spring water and private baths.
Dinner is a buffet of shabu-shabu, freshly made –to-order sushi and tempura served in the dining room. There is also Western style teppanyaki or a bean curd set meal course, all served at the same price. The next day board the Daiyusan Line and head for a place that‘s a favourite among children- where Kintaro met Tengu, the God of the Mountains, or Minami-ashigara. The home of the popular legend also houses Saijoji Temple, another stage of this legend. Amidst the huge trees, look out for Tengu who looks like a crow, and was transformed from a monk who wanted to protect the temple says legend. Clogs can be found at the temple as a tribute to Tengu.
The largest, probably in the world, can be found here and weighs three tons. Back at the town centre there is a Japanese sweets shop founded in the 1900s.There is a variety of sweets as well as rice cakes with three type of fillings, miso and two sweet bean pastes. Stop by for a snack before heading to Ashigarayama, the home of Kintaro, where visitors can find Taigo Rock which Kintaro used to practise his martial arts and even left a dent in after pressing it hard, and Kabuto Rock which was once put on Kintaro's head, according to legend. Right next to it is Kintaro's home and further up, a Kintaro waterfall. Yuuhi-no-taki is 23m in height and its water flows to numerous pools.
The final suggested trip also starts from Shinjuku, but taking the Chuo Line to arrive at Kobuchizawa, a mountain area with views of Yatsugatake and the Southern Alps. Take a shuttle bus from the station to the resort hotel, Rezonare located in Yatsugatake. It’s a huge place with cool modern architecture designed by the world famous Italian architect Mario Bellini. At check-in, guests are given a long activity programme list, including a horse-riding tour in the forest. A stay at the resort which is like a town of its own, means guests need not venture far.
There are a total of 22 different stores at the resort so it's a great place for shopping. Pick up some lunchboxes from the shops and take them for a picnic during the horse-riding tour. Apart from Japanese rice-balls and tempura, guests can also get sandwiches and oven-fresh pizzas. The adventurous can take a taste of deep fried college potatoes served topped with ice-cream, homemade apple honey and sprinkles of black sesame. As the shops are also open to the public visitors can sit out and dine by the tables and chairs available all around the resort or on hammocks, especially in May, when the road will be decorated with flowers for lunchbox picnics that the family with love. |
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
- |
Kite-flying is so popular in Hamamatsu there is a society and a kite festival held every May and you can take home your own hand-made kite. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
Great scenery and great food, especially fresh eel wait at Lake Hamanako |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
Eels from Hamanako are different from most and the unique sauce at Tasuke makes the difference to the eel rice served. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
Gamagori city in Aichi Province is a place renowned for great seafood. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
A visit to Isehara should include a visit to the Oyama top shop and the workshop next to the store,where the tops are made. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
When eating the Kaiseki bean curd, blanch the bean curd in the soy milk, before eating. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
Tsurumaki-onsen is not far from Tokyo and is convenient spot for a quick relaxation getaway and hot spring bath. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
- |
All the tea houses at the Rezonare resort are also open to the public. |
|
|
