Japan in winter means plenty of delicious winter foods. And the journey all over Japan to look for the delicacies of the season begins here. It’s useful to stay at inexpensive inns without meals but offer dream service, look gorgeous and is cheap.Use the saved money to spend on your favorite cuisine and eat the delicacies of the season to your heart’s content.

The Winter journey selection starts via Mishima from Tokyo, then 20 minutes by Izu Hakone line to the Izu Nagaoka hot spring area. It’s known as an old hot spring town in the home of hot springs Izu. Stay at Ebisuya so named because of a pine tree growing from the roof of the inn The 100 year old pine tree is in fact growing from a rock  and since the trunk has grown into two trunks, it’s called “a couple pine tree”regarded as a good luck symbol. It’s also a useful landmark to the inn established in 1920. It costs 7,000 yen (S$ 105) per night without meals. The town itself is beautiful and you can visit a strawberry farm with a unique kind of strawberry grown there. Big fruits that are sweet are the characteristics of Akihime which you can pick and eat all you can in 30 minutes. Since Izu is a warm place, it is full of blossoms and has even an orchid park with about 500 kinds orchids. Don’t forget to enjoy the open air hot spring called Nagomi no yu.

For dinner visit popular Japanese restaurant called Uotake which is  proud of serving fresh seafood. The authentic lobster course is a must, with the full lobster course consisting of very fresh sashimi, hot pot of lobster,locally caught fish, like red snapper and squid. Uotake also runs a fish shop next to the restaurant so you know you are getting fresh catch at low prices all the time. The meal which also includes stewed lobster costs  6000 yen (S$ 90) per person. Return to the inn for a relaxing bath which can be reserved at night time.In the morning, head to the beach and have breakfast there. The  tranquil seashore of Uchiura Bay offers tasty breakfasts. A blue-roofed building is quite popular.with a famous local restaurant run by Mrs. Kikuchi for 30 years.

There’s stewed alfonsino in a 7-dishes alfonsino menu that is 1500 yen (S$ 23) as well as the barracuda set menu that is 1000 yen (S$ 15). After breakfast, head to Arashima Island in Uchiura Bay for a great viewing spot of  Mt. Fuji. For the next adventure, take the Meitetsu train from Nagoya to the south in Chita peninsula, an area known for wild takifugu (pufferfish). Head first to Tokoname one of the best pottery towns in Japan. Chimney pipes for pottery make this an interesting place to see as well.Among the many pottery studio is one long-established since the Edo era, Kakuzan Toen. The workshop was converted into a gallery to display works and has a pottery class that is open for tourists. Try making a rice bowl or coffee mug instructed by the master and his successors. It will take about 1 month to complete as they will be glazed and baked. Continue the trip to Utsumi by train where there will be a car from the inn waiting at the station. The inn is located at Utsumi hotspring where there is also a popular beach. The local fishing port is for landing locally fished wild torafugu (pufferfish).The Japanese style inn Kohanso is on the beach and was established
in Meiji era.It boasts of a great sea view,hot springs and purely Japanese style rooms.

There are 19 rooms in the inn and all rooms have ocean view. The price is reduced to 9,800 (S$ 147) from 25,000 yen (S$ 375) per night for staying without 2 meals.  The open air hot spring can be reserved for a relaxing bath time without strangers. There’s also the wood bath and the half open air bath. Guests enjoy freshly squeezed vegetable juice twice a day and free squid grilled in front of the guests.

The dinner menu at the inn is 11 dishes of fresh seafood but go out for dinner at Ryousen and the fugu course. The stylish restaurant established 12 years is  proud of the wild torafugu menu under owner chef Mr. Niwa with 23 years of experience in cooking and is regarded as the best chef to handle fugu in Chita peninsula.  He goes to the fish port to choose the best fugu and only the big torafugu of more than 1.5 kg in weight can serve his purpose. The meal includes spring onion wrapped fugu sashimi, but have a side order of grilled milt that’s very big and with a pleasant aroma,  Next on the standard menu, deep fried fugu which you can have with sake that isflavoured with the fugu fins. The main dish is hot pot full of ingredients, with heaps of torafugu..The last dish is rice porridge that’s full of flavour. Ryosen’s legendary full fugu course is 10,500 yen (S$ 158). Next morning, go to Chidorigahama beach which is a ride on the bus for 30 minutes. Head to Morozaki at the end of the peninsula for the morning market near the fish port. You can pay1,000 yen (S$ 15) for the whole tray of fish and enjoy some free tasting. For great home cooked sea eels which can be found at the market try the local restaurant near the market, called Hisaya. The sign may say “okonimiyaki(meat/seafood and vegetable pancake) and tea” but there’s also braised sea eels cooked by the owner. The sea eels set menu is 950 yen (S$ 14) for a generous portion.  After breakfast, head to the tip of the peninsula where there’s an observation deck for a view of the boundless expanse of the ocean.

Next place to visit is associated with famous singer Hibari Misora. It’s 2 hours 20 minutes by express train from Ueno station. Stop at Iwaki station in Fukushima prefecture a scenic town by the Pacific Ocean. Dinner could include sea toads which are in season during winter. But first, catch a bus from the station and visit the deserted winter beach with the light house and photographic monument of Hibari Misora built in 1990 which will play “Untidy Hair”, Hibari’s last song  The Shioyazaki light house which is still active also served as the model of the famous song and movie. Wait at the lighthouse as the inn’s car can pick you up anywhere from the city.

The name of the inn is Shin Tsuta and it is a 30 minutes drive along the beach, before you reach theYumoto hot spring with a 1300 year of history . The  excellent Ryokan has a Ujo Noguchi gallery named after the poet who loved this inn and not only had a long stay but also helped the front desk of the inn. ”A little cuckoo” room is the room singer Hibari Misora used to stay in with her mother and guests can stay in this room upon request. There are rooms in the new building which is spacious and is half of the normal price for a stay without meals, or 9800 yen (S$ 147). There’s a bath room and an open air bath so it’s perfect for a family. Running until March 2nd are up to  60 events or classes hosted by each inn as the area is hosting a hot spring expo called Hula, for the movie “Hula Girls” that was set in Iwaki Dinner at the inn is 13 dishes of fresh seafood such as fresh sashimi and grilled abalone. But go out for dinner at a well known restaurant located near Onahama fish port, called Ippei. The Sea toad menu is their speciality and there are various priced courses as well as other seafood such as crab. The freshly caught sea toad is served with vinegary sauce and Shark fins sprinkled on top, with a side of the liver of sea toad.

There’s hot pot with the soup made of sea toad liver which gives the soup its colour and its name - “muddy sea toad hot pot”. The full course of sea toad is 4200 yen (S$ 63).

Have breakfast at Onahama sea port again where you can find many kinds of fish that you can buy home. Try a local restaurant that local fishermen go to for a set menu with 7 or 8 dishes at 1500 yen (S$ 23) and have fish that’s in season.