5 Popular Japanese Travel Destinations

Japan's mix of traditional and modern high tech attractions entice many to these isles. With your flight, travel insurance and accommodation organised, excitement awaits!

Tokyo

If one wants to experience the buzz and excitement of a major world megalopolis, look no further than Tokyo. One could spend considerable time just sitting and people watching, taking in all the movement of this thriving city. Not only is Tokyo teeming with people, it's also teeming with things to do. Riding the subway can be quite an experience, particularly in peak hour. Platform attendants with special apparatus help to wedge every last person they can into the brimming train. The busy Shinjuku is abuzz with flashing lights, sounds and shopping. Ginza is the upmarket shopping area, while Akihabara is the place for the latest Japanese technology gadgets. Don't forget Mickey Mouse and friends nearby at Tokyo Disneyland!

Kyoto

You won't have trouble filling in a day of temple visits in Kyoto. Planning ahead might be a good idea, to see what can actually be packed in! Kinkakuji (the Golden temple) and Ginkakuji (the Silver temple) are a couple of standouts. One can dress up in traditional attire, for a photo shoot as a Geisha (or Maiko, as the young Geisha are called). You may possibly see the real thing over a sundowner, as Maiko make their way by carriage to visit clients as dusk approaches.

Osaka

Osaka is known for its industrious citizens (but then again, so is most of Japan!) and pulsating nightlife. The local dish is okonomiyaki, a thick savoury pancake topped with Japanese mayonnaise and special okonomi sauce. Eat this at a dedicated okonomiyaki restaurant and the chef will pour the ingredients onto the hotplate at your table, returning in time to turn it over to cook the other side. Osaka aquarium is definitely worthy of a visit, with its impressive display of penguins and giant deep sea crabs. Osaka Castle Park and Universal Studios Japan are other options.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima's name is forever etched into the world's mind as the sad victim of the first atomic bomb used in World War Two. A sombre but impressive museum remembers the tragedy, and encourages the world to do likewise. While Hiroshima will never forget its past, nowadays it's a vibrant city offering much of the big city appeal of Tokyo and Osaka, but without the crowds. If you've enjoyed Osaka's okonomiyaki, try Hiroshima's. The local twist includes yakisoba noodles in the mix.

Sapporo

The capital of the northern island of Hokkaido, Sapporo offers something different from its sister cities in Honshu. Hokkaido offers fresher air and fresh seafood, and can be considered Japan's version of "the outback". Sapporo is the starting point for rural adventures. In Sapporo itself, summers are commonly enjoyed in big beer gardens in the centre of town, as live music sets the scene. In wintertime, Sapporo's Ice Festival, with fantastic ice carvings, is a major highlight.

Cheap Travel Insurance is easily organised, and leaves you to fully enjoy your holiday.

Adventure Travel In Peru - Climbing El Misti

Sitting on top of the world, looking down on creation...

I don't remember the rest of the song and we were over 10,000 feet short of the top of the world but it was a pretty good view anyway. Finally, a dream of about two years was completed. I made it to the top of El Misti, the volcano right outside of Arequipa, Peru, that had been calling my name since I first saw it about two years before. I tried to climb it as a day hike then but failed due to a very late start and not being used to the altitude, reaching only about 15, 500 feet. I still think it can be done as a day hike so that is a future goal.

I had been waiting eagerly for my friends Jason and Lisa, SCARAB (Southern California Adventure Racing Buddies) members from Los Angeles, to get to here. We had been communicating by email for months as they were on a round the world trip and we wanted to get together when they came through Peru. Our schedules kept changing but at the last minute they meshed and we were able to meet a couple of times in Arequipa. I arranged the use of a Suzuki 4x4 and Jason and I made plans to climb El Misti on Saturday and Sunday. Lisa decided to relax in Arequipa so we drafted her to be our chauffeur as it is not safe to leave a vehicle at the trailhead. We did some quick shopping, and after getting lost on the way to the trailhead, we arrived safely and were ready to start hiking at 12:30 pm. We were told that it was a five hour climb to the campsite but we were hoping it would be less because that would have meant arriving at camp about the time it got dark. I also realized that we were on a different trail than the one I had attempted two years before so it was a totally new trail to me (there are three routes up to the summit).

We were well matched, my year of living at 8,800 feet and hiking regularly at altitudes of over 12,000 feet made up for my age and Jason's (relative) youth and three weeks of high altitude hiking in Peru made up for his living at sea level in L.A. We followed an easy trail up to the campsite at about 15,000 feet, arriving there in three hours and 10 minutes. We were glad that we hadn't left earlier and had to just sit around in the cool wind. This also gave us hope that the supposedly five to seven hour hike to the summit should be less than that. We had also been told to expect temps as low as zero degrees so were thankful that it was warmer than normal. Helped by the cloud cover it didn't get below 30 degrees, so we were plenty warm in our 20 degree bags and my cheap Wensel tent.

After we got camp set up, Jason suggested scouting out the trail to the summit, as we planned on leaving about 5:00 in the morning and weren't sure if we could find it in the dark. We easily found the trail and hiked up about 20 minutes to another campsite; the people there said they planned on starting for the summit at about 2:00 am. By the time we got back down to our camp, the wind had died down and it felt warmer, especially after hot chicken noodle soup with tuna, cheese and bread and some tea. I used my soda can stove, which worked fine, after removing the windshield; I guess it needed a bit more air at that elevation too. Our campsite neighbor, a Frenchman suffering from the altitude wasn't looking too good, we found out he didn't attempt the summit. We were still below the clouds so got a great view of Arequipa as the lights came on and the quarter moon illuminated Misti above us. By 7:00 pm we were in our sleeping bags, hoping to get a good night's sleep before the 4:00 am alarm.

Following a breakfast of instant oatmeal, we were on the trail at 4:45 in the morning, climbing by headlights, with very little trouble following the trail. We could see the lights of other climbers, which seemed a long ways above us. Again it was a fairly easy trail, not too much sand (unlike the trail from my previous attempt) and enough large rocks to make it interesting, but also harder to see the trail. By this time I was deeply regretting my forgetting my gloves as I hurriedly packed for the trip but Jason said his hands were warm enough and let me use his - thanks Jason!

About the time it got light, we caught up to two other groups that had started earlier but were climbing very slow. One of the guides asked if one of his team members could follow us up so Steve joined us, again a very good match as we were all climbing at the same slow steady speed, taking very short breaks every so often. We soon lost sight of those below us and never saw them again until we got back down to their camp; unfortunately they had to turn back and were not able to reach the summit. When we were about a half hour away, we could see a large group standing on the summit. They had gone up a shorter route on the backside; we met them later after they had explored the crater. We finally got some sunlight when we reached a saddle between the summit and the crater, which really felt good. We had been climbing up the dark side, away from the sun, which made it very cool but we were also treated to a great view of Misti casting a shadow over miles of landscape when the sun rose on the other side. At 8:55, after crossing a couple of small snow patches and a couple of sandy stretches, we were on the summit at 19,100 feet, four hours and 10 minutes from camp. We marveled at the huge iron cross, about 20 feet high that was up there. It was constructed in sections; each about three feet long. I couldn't have carried even one section up there. We were hoping that it had been helicoptered up so that weren't totally put to shame by the super humans it would have taken to carry all the pieces up there.

After taking a lot of pictures of the almost unreal landscape offered by the crater, black sand, light rocks and snow, and a few more of neighboring 19,925 foot Chachani, we went down to the saddle and ate a light snack. Both of us were feeling good, no altitude problems but to keep it that way we decided to forgo exploring the crater and headed back down. We didn't hire a guide for the climb but were fortunate that Marcio, my guide friend, went with us to the trailhead and pointed out the route up to us. Steve's guide explained the route back down to camp. No need to hike down, just go over to the dark gray sand slope and "ski" down that, lots of fun! We stopped at Steve's camp and left him there with his teammates who were packing up, and then continued on down. We made it down to our camp in about two hours; we would have made it faster except we stopped to take a lot of pictures of our fun descent! After a simple lunch (should have brought another package of soup), which finished all of our food except a little trail mix, we broke camp and headed on down. There was no rush because Lisa wasn't scheduled to meet us until 4:00 pm. We had expected on being at the summit about noon, instead we were back at camp by 11:00 am. After a couple of final photos at the trailhead, we decided to walk down the dirt road, getting almost to the highway before meeting Lisa and Marcio. That gave us plenty of time to talk about our next adventure, after they finish their trip. Of course Chachani is calling our names, there are also two 6,000 meter mountain peaks on the way to Cotahuasi where I live, Coropuna at 21,075 feet and Solimana at 19,985 feet. And then there is my plan for a two week bike ride, all between 9,000 and 16,000 feet.

Looking down on creation...

Japan Travel - Rotary Group Study Exchange Goes to Japan, Article Two

The international organization known as Rotary promotes yearly travel that all people between the ages of 26 and 40, male and female, and of all backgrounds - should know about - because it is a Rotary-funded six week study aboard and anyone can apply to be a part of this significant life experience. If you are this age group - you could enjoy the kind of experience that is described in my notes in this article. To find out more about the program go to the international Rotary website and search for GSE - Group Study Exchange - and contact your local Rotary Club for more information.

Our adventures continued:

April 13th -- Wednesday:

Nope, no women in this Rotary Club, or English either - and they translated my speech by cell phone -- it's all an experience. After Mrs. Tanaka served me a splendid breakfast - she said that the coffee was from Seattle, the cereal from Switzerland, the jam from Germany, the almonds from California, and the Balsamic from somewhere else - the avocado was definitely from here - Mr. Tanaka and I headed down the road about 40 minutes to a more rural town called Ukiha to visit the Ukiha Rotary Club. I laughed, even though I don't understand the language - going to a Rotary meeting is like going to church because the world over they do they same format.

This Club was about 40 members - and like the others, they open the meeting with a song - in Japan, with what we know as Glory, Glory Hallelujah, which they consider to be religious recognition. Tamaki Oi came with us for the visit - and it was fun to meet her because she will be on the incoming team when this District sends their team to us next year. The drive down and back reminded me of a drive to Gilroy from home in California - two mountain ranges on either side, one more rolling and velvet-like, and the other sharper mountains, with green fields in between. It's expensive to belong to Rotary in Japan - they tell me that their dues are $250 a month - but they don't do fundraising projects, they write checks. Mr. Tanaka asked me to speak about including women - imagine my reluctance - and he says that this is a theme of their Governor. So - I asked for questions at the end of my speech - and one guy asked me if I knew of Soroptomists - in other words, women could join that club instead.

Yahoo....we're going to a famous hot springs this evening -- I'd be happy to see every hot springs on Kyushu, and I understand that there are a lot of them. It's helping me to recover from the jet lag.

As the evening turned - it was delightfully inspired - when the girls - Teiko Tanaka, her daughter, Ai and I went out to dinner. We went to a French restaurant that served us one lovely selection and then another. The food here - and the small dishes that please the eye and the pallet with thoughtful detail -are in French cuisine as well as Japanese. We talked for a long time about the role of women in Japanese society and the changes that are occurring. Women here see the same dilemmas, and these are worldly women who have a cross cultural point of view. The conversation continues in a long soak in the hot springs - a charming spot that is in the mountains and overlooks the valley. We first wash, as is the custom, and then go outside to the shallow pool with big boulders surrounding it that forms the basin for the mineral water. It's good to bathe in the intimacy. It's 1PM by the time that we fall in bed. The other team members have had a good day too.

April 14th -- Thursday:

A really full day is in store today - a sightseeing day. We gather at about 10AM at Izumi's house - and the team is glad to see each other after going separate ways yesterday. We pile into Hiroshi (Mr. Tanaka's) Toyota mini-van and off we go. The first stop is in Tanoshimaru at the Wakatakeya Sake Brewery. We sit Japanese style around a big brown wooden table with a Japanese flower arrangement in the middle - a large bowl with camellia branches standing and pink blossoms. What they serve us is all delicious and made from some of the sake production - like the soup was made from the separation of the rice and the sake, and the dessert was a plum that was also from making sake. The sweet little cups are filled with clear sake - and later unfiltered sake - which we all agree is the best, and we all took home bottles for later from the shop.

We drove for forty-five minutes or so - and were headed to Akizuki and the castle ruins there. Marvelous - it was a picture perfect town, and we walked the length of the market street that was lined with blossoming cherry trees. There were vendors and charming shops all along the way, and the stone walls and bridges of the old castle. We lingered for quite a while and took in the peaceful nature of the village, walked up the long stairs through the old castle gate, took lots of pictures because it was so pretty, laughed and enjoyed being together. The cherry blossoms were floating down in the wind like it was snowing, and the green hills were vibrant. We stopped at the ice cream vendor because he thought that Antonio was Tiger Woods - and all laughed. We commented that we liked the way that life feels in Japan.

Down from this street, we ducked into Takagi Kyusuke Shoten for Kuzu-kiri. In case you are wondering what that is - it's a noodle made from a tree root that is a starch, and you dip it in a molasses type broth to eat with your chopsticks. It was a famous little store, and we enjoyed tea with the Kuzu-kiri - and as Izumi said, this is the real Japan. We're blessed because we're starting to understand that we are seeing things that are only possible because this is the home of our hosts that know where all the good stuff is - and show us the inner parts of their culture and land. As we head down the road again leaving Akizuki, we stop to take in a bridge that is a thousand years old and water tumbling over the rocks below it - with abundant greenery touching the edges.

Again a little less than an hour in the car - and we arrive in Dazaifu, at the very famous Dazaifu Shinto Shrine. We learn that Shinto is not a religion, but a way of asking for more intelligence for the mind. We're treated to an unusual experience - we walk up the side steps onto the floor of the shrine, with all of the decoration before us - and Izumi has arranged for a special ceremony for us with the priest. It's a blessing, and since it is in Japanese, we don't understand what they are saying - but they bless some palms and invite us to place them on the alter. We stopped at the front of the shrine to see the "flying plum tree" (because legend says that it flew there from another island), and a thousand year old tree with a huge base. And then walked across a famous bridge back into the village.

Now we were going to dinner - I thought that the Japanese didn't eat that much until today. We drove again for about an hour to Ogori - to Ogori Tsuzumi. This was a special occasion arranged by our hosts. It wasn't a restaurant that is advertised - it is the hobby of a man who was the president of a well-known company for ten years who retired, and now cooks for special groups. We were warmly greeted - and came into a room of Japanese style tables. We were first going to learn how to make soba noodles - and with a big bowl in front of him, we were invited to join the chef to start with the buckwheat flour, add water, mix to cornmeal consistency, knead - and then roll with sticks until very thin, cut with a sharp knife - to make the noodle. The chef was very precise about the thickness and getting the dough into a square. Harry, Monica, Julia, Antonio and I all took turns in the preparation. Harry learned to feel the dough to see if it was all the same thickness.

Then, dinner - a start with the sake poured in a bucket for dipping with the ladle, and many plates to follow - highlight by the soba noodles. The plates were particularly pretty and the sake cups were bright colors - and we filled each other's cups. By now we've been sitting on the floor Japanese style for about fours hours today - and our American butts and hips are moaning - while we notice how comfortably our Japanese hosts sit. We laugh a lot at dinner because Hiroshi does amazing magic tricks that leave us all spellbound. How did he do that? The dollar bills floated from one person's hand to another - and the chopstick moved on the table and he didn't even touch it - and after holding Julia's watch in his hand, with firm concentration, the time has moved forward by an hour - and the spoon bends when none of us can budge it.

In this group we don't need to understand all of the conversation because there is just good humor and fellowship. The chef is delighted that we are pleased by his creations and everyone bows many, many, many times on the way out the door. It's been a day that no tourist would have encountered - and it is only thanks to the gift of the network of Rotary - and each of my team members individually makes that comment to me - that we have experienced this incredible day.

This article is a series -- so read on -- and many days follow in our splendid adventure!