Photos taken in May, 2011
in Gokayama, Toyama

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Photos taken in May, 2011
in Shirakawa-go, Gifu

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Tsubame City in Niigata Prefecture has numerous metalworking factories and is world-famous as an area producing metal house wares and Western tableware. Take part in a sightseeing tour that takes in Tsubame City's industry and culture, all explained by an English-speaking tour guide!

Date
Saturday, 5 November 2011

Maximum number of participants
8 persons (first-comer basis)

Cost
Free (does not include meals and entry fees)

Conditions of participation
English or Japanese speakers resident in Japan (not including Japanese nationals); willing to fill out a survey on tour completion

Duration
Approximately 5 hours

Meeting place & time
Tsubamesanjō Station, 12:30 p.m.

Tour transportation
Minibus taxi

Tour program
Tsubamesanjō Station --> Food sampling at Seabura Ramen (Meal cost of JPY 700 borne by guest) --> Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum (Entry fee of JPY 300 borne by guest) --> Hand-hammered Copperware Works --> Bargain Outlet Shop --> Kokujōji (Gogō-an and Sengando Suspension Bridge) --> Drop off either at hotel in the Teradomari Onsen/Yahiko Onsen/Tsubamesanjō Station area or at Tsubamesanjō Station.
For details on each of the places visited on this trial tour, please read the article here.

Regarding accommodation
For guests considering staying overnight, we recommend hotels in the Teradomari Onsen/Yahiko Onsen/Tsubamesanjō Station area. (Please note that accommodation fees are not included.)
・Click here to book accommodation in the Tsubamesanjō area
  Our recommendation: Tsubamesanjo Washington Hotel
・Click here to book accommodation in the Yahiko Sanjo area
  Our recommendation: Yahiko Grand Hotel
  Our recommendation: Minoya
・Click here to book accommodation in the Teradomari Onsen area
  Our recommendation: Sumiyoshiya

[Applications and enquiries]
Please apply via email, stating your name, nationality, passport number, age, address and telephone number.
JTB Kanto Corp. Sales Sanjo Branch Office
Persons in charge: Kuwahara, Tanaka, Kibushi
Business hours: Monday - Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
E-mail: sanjyo_eigyo3@kanto.jtb.jp　Telephone: (0256) 35‐7222

If you wish to carry out the above tour course of your own accord, we recommend the below sightseeing taxi plan.
Chartered Sightseeing Taxi Plan (Duration/meeting place & time/tour program are all as listed in the above trial tour.)
[Taxi company] Chuetsu Traffic Taxi (Telephone: 0256-38‐2801)
[Taxi fee] One chartered mid-size taxi: JPY 14,750
Notes:
*Does not include meals and entry fees.
*Taxi fee is to be paid directly to the driver. Meals and entry fees are to be paid at the respective establishments.

The Mito Koumon Festival got its start back in 1961 when a jidaigeki (period drama) movie in the famous Mito Koumon series, Mito Koumon, Suke-san, Kaku-san, Oabare, was shot on location here in Ibaraki Prefecture. During production, actor Ryunosuke Tsukigata, who portrayed Mito Koumon himself, paid a visit to Mito City Hall in costume as the titular character. Thus the Koumon Festival was born, and the first "Mito Tanabata Koumon Festival" was held in August, 1961.

These days the festival is still held every August on the first weekend of the month (including Friday). Over the course of the festival, over 4,100 fireworks are shot into the sky over Lake Senba, and other events like float displays and portable shrine parades, a Mito Koumon parade, and a carnival performed by the locals.

Date: August 5 (Friday) - 7 (Sunday)

Location: August 5: Lake Senba
August 6-7: North of JR Mito Station

Time: August 5 (fireworks display): 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
August 6-7: 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. (see flyer below for details)

Good news, everybody! The Tsukiji Market's tuna auction has been reopened for tours!

The massive earthquake on March 11 was centered on the northern Tohoku region, but it still shook Tokyo pretty hard. The weeks to follow also saw a number of hardly comparable but somewhat substantial aftershocks. Out of safety and liability concerns, the Tsukiji Fish Market decided on March 14 to close its famous early morning tuna auction to tourists. Now, some months on and without any major aftershocks, the doors have reopened to those of you energetic enough (or jet lagged enough) in the morning to get up at the break of dawn and make your way down to the market. Some of the details have been altered, so let me give you a breakdown below:

Number of Visitors
The number of visitors permitted has been changed from 140 to 120 per day, on a first come, first served basis.

Reception
Reception is still handled at the Fish Information Center 1st floor (near the Kachidoki Bridge entrance), but the time has changed from 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Tour Operation
Visitors will be broken into two groups of 60. The first group will be taken into the auction from 5:25 - 5:50 a.m. and the second group from 5:50 - 6:15 a.m.

As always, the rules like no touching the fish and no flash photography (taking pics without flash OK, of course) apply. The market welcomes you to visit but also asks you to keep in mind that this is a (very busy) place of business and its workers' bread and butter, so please remain mindful and respectful if you decide to check it out.

For more info about visiting, here's the official site:
http://www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/english/market/tsukiji.html

Sunrise Tours that visit Tsukiji (outer market, not the tuna auction):
http://www.japanican.com/tours/list.aspx?kw=tsukiji

Hotels in Tsukiji:
http://www.japanican.com/hotels/List.aspx?ar=A03&sar=130108&so=c

2nd day in Kamikochi, we walked from Kappabashi bridge to Myojinike pond. We stopped at Kamonjigoya to eat the famous iwana (river trout) grilled over an irori.

Iwana is well grilled for 40 minutes. You can eat a whole fish.
It tastes great and go with beer!

Grilled iwana with salt (900 yen)

Kamonjigoya was built in 1880 by Kamonji Kamijyo. He was a good hunter and knowledgeable mountain guide. He guided Walter Weston, a British missionary and mountaineer who introduced the 'Japan Alps' to overseas.

Photos taken on July 17, 2011
at Kamikochi, Nagano

Kamikochi Hotels and RyokanKamikochi

Kamikochi Train & Hotel PackageVisit the pristine mountain resort of Kamikochi with this discount travel package. This package includes round-trip transportation from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, the entrance to the Kamikochi area, via limited express train (approx. 3 hours). It also includes a 2-day bus pass for local transportation in Kamikochi.

2-Day Matsumoto/Kamikochi (Japanese Alps) Train & Hotel Package (Kamikochi Myojinkan)

2-Day Matsumoto/Kamikochi (Japanese Alps) Train & Hotel Package (Kamikochi Shimizuya Hotel)

I stayed in Kamikochi, Nagano last weekend. I woke up at 5 a.m. and went for a morning walk. What a nice morning!

Photos taken on July 17, 2011
at Kamikochi, Nagano

Kamikochi Hotels and RyokanKamikochi

Kamikochi Train & Hotel PackageVisit the pristine mountain resort of Kamikochi with this discount travel package. This package includes round-trip transportation from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, the entrance to the Kamikochi area, via limited express train (approx. 3 hours). It also includes a 2-day bus pass for local transportation in Kamikochi.

2-Day Matsumoto/Kamikochi (Japanese Alps) Train & Hotel Package (Kamikochi Myojinkan)

2-Day Matsumoto/Kamikochi (Japanese Alps) Train & Hotel Package (Kamikochi Shimizuya Hotel)

The Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival is a Gion Festival celebrated every year in Saitama Prefecture's Kumagaya City. Historically a rice and red bean dish called sekihan would be prepared to ward off illness and pray for health, but in Kumagaya this traditional dish was replaced by paper fans, called uchiwa, which accounts for the current name of the festival. Participants are welcomed to take part in pulling the massive floats and playing taiko drums and festival music. Those new to Japanese festivals and finding themselves a bit shy of jumping right into the thick of things are encouraged to visit the information center.

Visitors may want to note that the festival float displays and parades on the 7/20 (from 7 p.m.), 7/21 (from 1 p.m.) and 7/22 (from 8 p.m.) are of particular interest.

Date: July 20 (Wednesday) - 22 (Friday)

Access: North of JR Kumagaya Station.

The 61st annual Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival will be held in the city of Hiratsuka in Kanagawa Prefecture's coastal Shonan area from Friday, July 8. The festival features about 500 brightly colored decorations, and in the main area near JR Hiratsuka Station, there are about 80 ornate decorations that are over a staggering 10 meters tall. Hiratsuka's local flavor comes through with many of the decorations featuring popular athletes, characters and animals.

Date: July 8 (Friday) - 10 (Sunday)

Time: Until 7:00 p.m.

Access: The main area of the festival is the Shonan Star Mall shopping arcade outside the North Exit of JR Hiratsuka Station.