Keikyu Misaki Maguro Ticket 京急三崎まぐろきっぷ

Last weekend I discovered a day package ticket that makes for a great day out in a small town called Misaki in Kanagawa. The ticket is called the "Maguro (Tuna) Kippu (Ticket)" and includes:

1) Return ticket on the Keikyu main line starting at either Sengakuji or Shinagawa station to Misakiguchi station.
2) Unlimited use of Keikyu buses in the Misaki area.
3) Sushi set lunch at a restaurant of your choice within the information booklet.
4) A ticket to either go to the aquarium or a hot spring at one of three Keikyu Hotels in the area.
Cost: 2980JPY

                                   

From Shinagawa Station, take a Keikyu Line Limited Express train bound for Misakiguchi 三崎口駅. From Misakiguchi, go to bus stop number 2 and take the next bus and get off at Misakiko 三崎港, which takes about 10-15min.

 You should see the port at the bus stop.

We chose this sushi place for lunch. Its on page 15 in the booklet, and marker 13 on the map.

 Our set lunch was delicious (beer was extra).

 After lunch we took a bus from the same stop to Jogashima Island 城ヶ島. After crossing the bridge, get off at the first bus stop and follow the signs to the trail that leads along the back of the island towards the lighthouse. We didn't know places like this existed in Japan!

The walk takes about 30 or 40 min. to the other side of the island. 

Upon reaching the lighthouse, we followed the signs to the Jogashima Keikyu Hotel and with our final ticket, used their open air onsen for about an hour.

 From the hotel, its a short walk around the right side of the hotel across some bridges to a very small town. Follow the street to the left which is very narrow with lots of souvenir stands. From here you can get the bus back to Misakiguchi station where you first started (about 30min.)

  From the station, grab the next limited express back to Shinagawa.

(Tip; the trains bound specifically for Shinagawa tend to have nicer seats!)

Abroad! New Zealand's beautiful South Island

New Zealand is one of the most peaceful and beautiful countries I've ever been to, and the South Island (even in the middle of Winter) shouldn't be missed.

The cheapest (not necessarily the easiest) way to get there is to fly into Christchurch International Airport. We were trying to save money so we flew on Air Asia, the worlds top rated Low Cost Carrier for the past 3 years. We got the flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Kuala Lumpur LCC Terminal in Malaysia, had a fun 2 day layover exploring the city, and took the next flight from KLIA to CHC.

Australian Outback!

If you don't have the time and have loads of cash to spare, Air New Zealand flies from Narita to Auckland directly, where you can connect to just about anywhere else in the country using Air New Zealand or Jetstar, another popular low cost airline.

The easiest way to get around the South Island is by rental car. New Zealand is full of inexpensive rental agencies, you just have to be prepared to take a car that's 1 or 2 generations old. Pictured below is our Subaru Lancaster from the "Rent-a-dent" agency outside Christchurch Airport. It cost about $600NZD for just over a week and included chains, awd, and full insurance.

When driving through the south island, remember that the maximum speed is 100kph outside towns and cities and that it does take a while to cover long distances over 2 lane roads. During winter, many roads and passes require chains and officials will stop your car and update you about any serious road conditions that lie ahead. That being said, the roads were in excellent condition, and traffic for the most part was very light.

The route we did was essentially a circle around the South Island that went something like this:
Christchurch, Queenstown via 79 and 8, Te Anau (Milford and Doubtful Sound, Fijordland National Park), West Coast (Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers), Arthur's Pass, Christchurch.

Outside Christchurch, State Highway 8

Lake Tekapo

Queenstown

Outside the Homer Tunnel, Avalanche "Safe" Zone

Milford Sound (Cruise from 50 to 75 NZD)

Doubtful Sound (Day Tour from Te Anau 150 NZD in Winter)

West Coast, usually very rainy though

Franz Josef Glacier, in poor weather

A Kea who flew to meet us outside Franz Josef

Upon arrival back in Christchurch we found that the city centre is still blocked off to the public due to safety and demolition concerns. Coming from Japan where buildings didn't fall or collapse due to the actual Tohoku Earthquake, it was a bit of a shock to say the least.

Don't let this put you off though. The country has a lot to see and do, especially if you love the outdoors.

つなげよう、日本 JR East Japan Pass

Due to the major earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Tohoku region of Japan, tourism has dropped off considerably to the area. Many people are concerned about the coastline damage, as well as the nuclear plant in Fukushima.

Many of the areas remain unaffected, especially in northern Tohoku. To boost tourism, JR East has offered a 1 day pass for a very reasonable price:

10,000 JPY for 1 day
Unlimited trains including Shinkansen and Limited Express trains.
Use period: 2011.6.11 - 6.20, and 2011.7.9 - 7.18
Seat reservations: 2 times


Advice! Get to the station early if you can't get seat reservations. We left from Tokyo Terminal, and by the time we hit Omiya (station 3 on the Tohoku line) people had to stand in the doorway areas).

On our trip we went to Hiraiizumi in Iwate-ken, which used to rival Kyoto as a cultural capital.

Takkoku no Iwaya

Genbikei Gorge

Motsuji Temple and Garden

Peaceful Gardens

A wish for a DS at Chusonji
Konjikido at Chusonji Temple; a beautiful national treasure that you can't take pictures of (its inside!!)

Our route went something like this starting from Ichinoseiki Station (serves the Tohoku Shinkansen Hayate and Yamabiko trains)
1) Mazda rent-a-car from the station (you can take buses but a car is a better idea in this area)
2) Genbike Gorge
3) Takkoku no Iwaya (temple built into a cave and a very old big buddah)
4) Motsuji (amazing garden)
5) Chusonji and Konjikido (many small shrines and a giant golden hall, a national treasure)

If you have time, stop in Sendai on the way back and try Gyutan or Cow Tongue at one of the many shops outside the Shinkansen gates!

Please support Tohoku! I plan on volunteering later this summer, perhaps that will be the next post...

A bizarre slow trip through the middle of Kyushu

Coming from the Tokyo area, I was initially surprised as to how infrequent the train system is in Kyushu (excluding the newly opened Shinkansen track of course). That being said, most people use the train to move from city to city, and hence take the more expensive "limited express" models. If you're like me, and are using the Seishun 18 Kippu, then getting from Hakata, Fukuoka to Kagoshima proved to be a bit of a challenge.

2 - 4 car trains were the norm!

At only 300km, Kyushu doesn't seem that big, and with only 5 transfers listed on my Hyperdia guide, it looks easy. Then you realize that you're traveling from 7:10 to 17:46!

Hakata 7:10 -> 9:51 Kumamoto 10:10 -> 10:46 Yatsuhiro 11:09 -> 12:22 Hitoyoshi 13:21 -> 14:47 Yoshimatsu 15:45 -> 16:37 Hayato 17:05 -> 17:46 Kagoshima

Not our train, but steam train??? Only in Kyushu.

Despite the long periods of waiting after Kumamoto, the reason it takes so long is due to the leg between Hitoyoshi and Yoshimatsu. Upon arriving at the platform we saw what appeared to be an old "classic" train, with box seats, curtains, a bar, and lots of dark wood. Turns out that this was the "local" train over the mountains; the catch is you had to pay 500 yen extra for a seat (we stood!)
The train is more of a tourist train, and stopped at 3 stations while going through the mountains so people could stop and take pictures of the view....and the train as well.

It was fun, but not the easiest or fastest way to get there in terms of local trains.

The ride was worth it. Sakurajima!!
We got around Kagoshima by rental car ;)

Kanazawa and the Seishun 18 Kippu

We all know that traveling within Japan can be very expensive if you don't plan ahead. Pricey Shinkansen tickets, express trains, and airfare can really put a damper on a potentially fun trip. Then there's the night bus, which is affordable, but can be so uncomfortable that you'll need to crash out as soon as you arrive at your destination in the morning (or walk around groggily drinking coffee and hating everyone). However, there is another way.

The Seishun 18 Kippu basically means "young persons ticket" yet has no age restrictions. It costs 11,500yen and can be used only on JR Local (Kakueki-teisha or Futsu-rensha) or Rapid (Kaisoku) trains. The pass can be used for 5 days within 3 periods of the year:

Spring: 1 March - 10 April
Summer: 20 July - 10 September
Winter: 10 December - 10 January

The ticket acts as an "all you can ride pass" for 5 days, but can be split amongst friends. At the beginning of the day, the ticket is stamped at the first station you enter and is valid until 23:59 on the same day. If you are traveling with a friend, you can get the ticket stamped 2 times in 1 day as well etc. So technically, 5 friends could travel from Tokyo to Osaka (about 9 hours) for just 2300yen per person!!

My journey took me from Ueno Station at 5:13 to Kanazawa Station at 15:30 via Niigata/Joetsu route with one friend. We got to see things like this:

In the mountains of Niigata

The Eastern Sea along the Hokuriku Line

Lots of farmland and snow

Upon return we left Kanazawa at about 9:30 and via Nagano, Matsumoto and the Chuo Line, we made it back to Ueno at about 21:30. We got to see things like this:

Beautiful mountains and fresh snow
A local stop outside Nagano with arguably the best view from a station ever

Arguably, the journey does take quite a while, but if you come prepared with a book, ipod, and most importantly food and drink, the journey can be quite enjoyable.

In Kanazawa itself we saw the main sights such as:

Kenrokuen Garden, one of the top 3 in Japan

Neighbourhoods like Naga-machi which are original and very old

The ultra modern Kanazawa Museum of Contemporary Art
Kanazawa Castle

Kanazawa is like a smaller version of Kyoto which can be seen in one or two days, and has very few tourists in the Winter, which makes the sights seem even older and even more special. This city combined with the 18 kippu is a perfect way to experience an older version of Japan which is hard to come by when you live in Tokyo.