{"id":5775,"date":"2014-04-30T11:47:37","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T10:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=5775"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:43:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T14:43:57","slug":"adventures-in-kansai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/30\/adventures-in-kansai\/","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Kansai"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F5775\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>As you may know, I have been working in the IJT Nagoya office for the past few months as an intern. Although part of my job has consisted of support for the Japan team (not making the coffee, thankfully), most of my time has been spent working to improve the IJT Destination Guides. This has involved researching all of the major (and many of the not-so-major) tourist destinations in the country, Google mapping <em>literally<\/em> <em>thousands<\/em> of attractions and restaurants, checking reviews, updating prices and contact details, reading hundreds of blogs and travel websites and so on and so forth. All this has given me a knowledge of Japan\u00a0roughly equivalent to having swallowed a Lonely Planet travel guide &#8211; although I won&#8217;t lie, I think some of the pages might have got a bit mixed up on the way down.<\/p>\n<p>With only three weeks left in Japan, however, it was time to\u00a0put away Google maps\u00a0and do some research &#8220;in the field,&#8221; starting with an action-packed three days exploring Nara, Yoshino and Hikone &#8211; some of the best travel that Kansai has to offer&#8230;beyond Kyoto&#8230;and Osaka&#8230;and Mt Koya&#8230;the region has a lot to offer.<\/p>\n<p>On the way to Nara I stopped in at Uji,\u00a0which is about 20 minutes on the train from Kyoto and 40 minutes from Nara, so makes a good stopping point between the two. Uji is primarily\u00a0known for Byodoin Temple. Even if you haven&#8217;t heard of it the chances are you&#8217;ve seen its likeness hundreds of times before since it&#8217;s on the back of the 10 yen coin. Since the temple has recently undergone renovation I decided to call in here to check it out, and I must say it was looking rather photogenic in the sunlight.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5776\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5776\" style=\"width: 468px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5776\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"Byodoin Temple\" width=\"468\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110022-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5776\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Byodoin Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unfortunately, even though it wasn&#8217;t even 10am yet there was over an hour&#8217;s wait to be able to go inside the temple&#8217;s &#8220;Phoenix Hall.&#8221; This hall is a veritable monument to longevity &#8211; still standing after almost 1,000 years!\u00a0Sadly I didn&#8217;t have the time to wait around so I didn&#8217;t get to see it this time. Nonetheless, Uji is a lovely town and well worth the visit to have a wander down the banks of the river and down some of the quieter side streets.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"468\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110014-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After stopping at Uji I continued my journey to Nara, which is a wonderful city and well deserving of any tourist&#8217;s attention. I had visited in February for the <a title=\"Japan\u2019s Top Five Fire Festivals\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/25\/japans-top-five-fire-festivals\/\">Wakakusa Yamayaki fire festival<\/a>, during which time I met some of Nara&#8217;s furry residents, saw the amazing great Buddha and explored Nara Park&#8217;s incredible temples and shrines.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5778\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5778\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"One for the Japan-inspired selfie competition?\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p1261304-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One for the Japan-inspired selfie competition?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5780\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1780615_10152215800313792_110894403_n-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5779\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5779\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1536734_10152215797858792_1249247893_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5779\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1536734_10152215797858792_1249247893_n.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"They say that if you can pass through the hole in this pillar in Todaiji Temple you'll become wiser. They say.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1536734_10152215797858792_1249247893_n.jpg 556w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1536734_10152215797858792_1249247893_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/1536734_10152215797858792_1249247893_n-390x293.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5779\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">They say that if you can pass through the hole in this pillar in Todaiji Temple you&#8217;ll become wiser. They say.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This time, however, my mission was to check out Naramachi &#8211; the &#8220;old town&#8221; area of the city &#8211; and to improve our section on Nara&#8217;s cafes and restaurants. Not bad for a day&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n<p>In Naramachi you can find the atmosphere of old Japan preserved without the crowds of the country&#8217;s\u00a0more well-known tourist haunts. Edo buildings line the streets, packed with oddball museums full of trinkets and crafts and wonderful little cafes housed in old-fashioned, &#8220;machiya&#8221; houses. I visited on a Friday during peak tourist season (with fabulous weather into the bargain) and I saw barely a soul &#8211; although the town&#8217;s most popular spots are always buzzing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5781\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5781\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5781\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"I highly recommend the 1,300yen lunch set with a drink, served at &quot;Kanakana&quot;\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110046-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5781\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I highly recommend the 1,300yen lunch set with a drink served at <strong>Kanakana<\/strong>, one of Naramachi&#8217;s trendiest lunch spots<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My hosts at the <strong>Guesthouse Naramachi<\/strong> (a hostel-cum-guesthouse in an old machiya with a wonderful atmosphere) were a lovely couple full of excellent recommendations and advice for the area. They\u00a0disagreed on which local &#8220;sento&#8221; (public bathhouse) was the best, so of course I had to try them both. For the record, my favourite was <strong>Asahi Sento<\/strong>\u00a0as it had the best selection of baths of different temperatures. The other was too scalding hot for my delicate foreign constitution!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5782\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5782\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5782\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"My room at the Guesthouse Naramachi\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4110098-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5782\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My room at the Guesthouse Naramachi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Saturday I made the two-hour journey into the mountains to Yoshino, which is claimed by many to be Japan&#8217;s best spot for cherry blossom viewing. By the end of the day I certainly felt that I had seen enough cherry blossom to last a lifetime!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5783\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5783\" style=\"width: 468px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"View from the Hanayagura Viewpoint\" width=\"468\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120225-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View from the Hanayagura Viewpoint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of course, it was busy. I arrived before most of the crowds and\u00a0still considered it busy &#8211; little did I know that by lunchtime there would be at least ten times as many people! Nevertheless the lovely\u00a0spring weather, scores of food stalls and general festival-like atmosphere mean that it is well worth the trip despite the crowds. A friendly\u00a0Japanese couple even bought me a cup of sake for no other reason than to be nice!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5784\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120171-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It is possible to catch a cablecar up the first section of the mountain or to take the bus to the top and walk down, but not wanting to queue for either (and emboldened by my cup of sake, perhaps) I decided to walk both ways. The way up takes about 3 to 4 hours at a leisurely pace, but isn&#8217;t too taxing and can be tackled by people of all ages. Along the way are several interesting temples, lots of nice restaurants and cafes, and abundant photo opportunities!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"468\" height=\"624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221.jpg 2250w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-720x960.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-1440x1920.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-390x520.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-780x1040.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120221-900x1200.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"468\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4120170-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Yoshino is a great place to include in your itinerary if you&#8217;ve just missed the cherry blossom season in Kyoto, since because of the altitude full bloom occurs here a couple of weeks later than in surrounding areas. Just make sure that you book a reserved seat on the Kintetsu express back to civilisation &#8211; I can tell you that the last thing you&#8217;ll want to be doing at the end of the day is standing on a crowded train for two hours!<\/p>\n<p>The final stop on my research trip was Hikone, a castle town in Shiga Prefecture located conveniently on the shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka. Hikone is famous for two things: Hikone Castle, one of only four castles designated a national treasure, and Hikonyan, the town mascot.<\/p>\n<p>I was surprised to find that the cherry blossom was still out in Hikone too, meaning that the castle was attractively wreathed in pink and white. Photogenic though that may be, this did also mean that it was heaving with visitors and there was a very long wait to get inside the castle donjon.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5787\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5787\" style=\"width: 468px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5787\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"Hikone Castle\" width=\"468\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130313-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5787\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hikone Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nonetheless, Hikone is a very picturesque town and the castle site is a lovely place to wander around &#8211; a good alternative to visiting Himeji Castle, which is currently undergoing major renovations. The recently revitalised &#8220;Old New Town&#8221; area is also lovely, and visitors can wander amongst nicely fitted-out boutiques and cafes along the Edo-style Castle Road.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5788\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5788\" style=\"width: 468px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5788\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314.jpg?w=468\" alt=\"Hikone Castle Moat\" width=\"468\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/p4130314-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5788\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hikone Castle Moat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The undisputed hero of Hikone, however, is &#8220;Hikonyan,&#8221; a charismatic cartoon cat who has stolen the hearts of the Japanese public. You&#8217;ve heard about <a title=\"Japanese mascot mania\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/19\/japanese-mascot-mania\/\">Japanese mascot mania<\/a> from IJT before &#8211; well, Hikonyan is the embodiment of that mania.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #404040;\">Hikonyan is\u00a0so outrageously popular in Japan that it\u2019s estimated that he single-handedly increased tourism to Hikone by about 200,000 people per year, and that his overall economic effect on the area so far is thought\u00a0to have been upwards of 3 billion yen (about 30 million USD). Hikonyan merchandise sales alone are supposedly worth 1.7 billion yen. Now that is impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5790\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5790\" style=\"width: 253px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/hikonyan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5790\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/hikonyan.jpg?w=253\" alt=\"&quot;Hiko&quot; comes from &quot;Hikone&quot; and &quot;nyan&quot; is the sound Japanese cats make\" width=\"253\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/hikonyan.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/hikonyan-253x300.jpg 253w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 253px) 100vw, 253px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5790\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Hiko&#8221; comes from &#8220;Hikone&#8221; and &#8220;nyan&#8221; is the sound Japanese cats make.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In my next post I&#8217;ll be exploring Okayama in south-western Honshu &#8211; where I encountered a man who\u00a0has a very unique kind of edible musical instrument. Stay tuned!<\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! As you may know, I have been working in the IJT Nagoya office for the past few months as an intern. Although part of my job has consisted of support for the Japan team (not making the coffee, thankfully), most of my time has been spent working [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2362],"tags":[1404,1778,1921,2179,2245,2267,2345],"class_list":["post-5775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-places-and-where-to-stay-in-japan","tag-cherry-blossom","tag-kansai","tag-nara","tag-the-best-of-kansai","tag-travel-in-kasai","tag-uji","tag-yoshino"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5775"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9029,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5775\/revisions\/9029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}