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Train Journey To Find Flowers (Pt 1)
27 September 2008 |
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Let's go for a panoramic rail trip with flowers and more flowers, as well as the best view of cherry blossoms in Japan with the biggest Koinobori in the world, from southern Kyushu to Mt. Yoshino of Nara to Boso.
The trip to find flowers begins in Kagoshima. Take the southern local line and catch the Nanohana Deluxe rapid train that runs 90 km between Kagoshima-Chuo and Makurazaki. The well-designed train has big windows and benches for visitors to enjoy the scene outside as it heads for Ibusuki. You get a wonderful view of Sakurajima and Kinko Bay as the train travels along the seaside to Satsuma Peninsula. Nanohana Flowers which the train is named after grow along the railway and greet travelers when they bloom in season. After travelling for about 50 minutes, the train arrives at Ibusuki, which is famous for its hot spring. Apart from that, there are flowers galore as you get off the train. A 1-minute-walk from the station brings you to a shop that serves Satsuma cuisine of black pork and free-range chicken. The Tonkotsu set lunch is 1580 yen (S$ 21) and features kakuni black pork with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The teppanyaki of free-range chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper but is awesome tasting. The free-range chicken steak set lunch costs 1380 yen (S$ 18.30).
Next visit a sunamushi onsen which is famous in Ibusuki, with its curative benefits using the heat of hot springs under the sand. Enjoyed since the Edo period, the Japanese-style sauna bath,is believed to speed up metabolism and is good for detoxification. If you want to pamper your pet, trip to Kuroki Veterinary General Hospital which as a sunamushi onsen for animals! Appointments are needed to treat pets for about 10 minutes and costs 1500 yen (S$ 19).
Next, visit the biggest lake of Kyushu, Lake Ikeda, with a shoreline of 15km. Home of the mysterious legend of Issie, the area holds many beautiful flowers along the lakeside in spring, including corn poppy which bloom until Golden Week. Stay over in town at a hotel called Ginsho. Its relaxing atmosphere is very impressive especially with its flower decorations for a sense of the season. Some rooms offer a wonderful sea-scene of Kinko Bay,and cost 17850 yen a night (S$ 237). The hotel has an open-air bath so visitors can imagine they are taking a bath in Kinko Bay and Osumi Peninsula while the spring water is gentle on the skin. Dinner is served in hotel restaurant which serves takezake - sake in a bamboo container warmed by hot spring from the bottom of the pot and hot spring eggs. The unique taste of Ibusuki continues with the menu of seafood, free-range chicken hot pot called "satsuma nabe" and handmade fried fish cake in the11 course meal.
To find more flowers in Kagoshima get on a bus at Ibusuki and travel for 30 minutes to Flower Park Kagoshima. The famous flower park is cozy and features thousand of flowers and plants well-arranged in lovely patterns. Next, head for Makurazaki from the nearest station which happens to the southernmost JR station in Japan. It’s a quiet station and offers a view of the Kaimondake volcano, also known as Fuji of Satsuma, on the local line train. The scenes of spring through the train window are impressive and include the view of rice planting in season. Traveling for 50 minutes brings you to Makurazaki, the terminal of Ibusuki Makurazaki Line. You’ll find a port town with very fresh catch and bonito fish is said to be extra-tasty in Makurazaki. A shop called Manbo which is near the fishing port is famous for bonito cuisine which can also be found all over the city as bonito is a specialty of Makurazaki. Spring is the best season for the first bonito.
Bonito donburi is popular as you can try different parts of bonito. A set of bonito donburi costs 800 yen (S$ 10.80) and includes fresh, raw bonito and bonito skin which tastes like meat. People who know their fish make it a point to visit Makurazaki and have bonito.
Alternatively, travel to Gunma and catch a trip of panoramic torokko train. The trip starts at Asakusa Station on the Express Ryomo that runs between Asakusa and Akagi Station in Gunma. The train heads for Tatebayashi first and takes about an hour. But it will be a scenic journey passing the Tone River before reaching Tatebayashi. Sightseeing spots here include the biggest collection of Koinobori in the world. The Koinobori Festival runs every year in Tatebayashi and is on until May. It’s just15-minute-walk from the station for a panoramic view of koinobori and an adult costs1000 yen (S$ 14). Nearby the exhibition area is a restaurant called Maru-naka Udon and since Tatebayashi is famous for udon this can’t be missed. This shop is very popular as the family who run it make udon by stepping on it. Udon with soup stewed with ribs from Joshu's pork and shiitake or Niku-jiru (meat soup) udon costs 750 yen (S$ 10). There’s also tempura udon which uses seasonal vegetables.
Next, they go to the terminal of Express Ryomo, Akagi Station. and change to the local line for the Jomo Electric Railroad with views of Mt. Akagi as the train speeds along. At Ogo Station catch the Furusato bus which offers a 200 yen (S$ 2.7) ticket to go anywhere around Mt. Akagi, such as Akagi Shrine which is 15 minutes away. From the town area catch a taxi to the hotel - Hatago Chujikan, Akagi onsen hotel. There are a total of 14 rooms but it’s the many kinds of cherry blossoms around the hotel as well as in the hotel, that will make the stay worthwhile. Some rooms which a Japanese style with tatami mats, offer a hinoko bath. Dinner is served in the room featuring specialties of Gunma, especially the mountain vegetables around the hotel and high quality marbled Akagi beef.
The trip to find flowers by train continues by torokko train. You can go from Akagi Station to the terminal - Omama Station or walk there from town for about 10 minutes. The Watarase Keikoku Railway offers the torokko train to Godo on a 500 yen (S$ 6.70) ticket on the Express Hanamomo (Peach tree). The windowless train with free seating runs on Friday, Saturday and holidays, just once a day for a 38 km stretch between Omama and Ashio that is lined with many cherry trees along the way as its winds past Watarase River. At Godo Station which is between Gunma and Tochigi which is 45 minutes of travelling there's the Peach Tree Festival featuring pink peach flowers just outside the station. You can also enjoy green tea Urasenke style at the station and souvenirs of Joshu called yaki manju.
Another panoramic train-trip is a day trip to Boso. It starts at Goi Station in Uchibo and travels by the Kominato Line, a local line. You can enjoy flowers along the railway as the train travels slowly. Get off at Takataki after travelling for 40 minutes from Goi. The quiet station in the countryside offers Lake Takataki which is a 5-minute walk from the station. The area is filled with the scent of cherry blossoms as you pick up a boat to go around the lake. A cycle boat for 2 persons costs 900 yen (S$ 12.10) for 30 minutes. At Takataki Station head for the terminal of Kominato Line, Kazusa-nakano Station and get off to go hunting for bamboo shoot. |
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