Nabana-No-Sato Winter Illumination Tours

Following on from the Kobe Luminarie, `Asunaro Tours` is offering trips to Mie Prefecture`s most beautiful winter illumination, Nabana-No-Sato.

Nabana-No-Sato

Nabana-no-sato Winter Illumination

Tour 1:
Cost: Y5,500
Operation Days:
- December 8,9,15,16,17,21,22,23,24
- January 1,2,3,5,6,12,13,14,19,27
- February 2,3,9,10,11,14,16,17,23,24
- March 1,2,3
Length: 1 day
Includes:
- Roundtrip bus fare and inter-area bus travel between Kanazawa/Kaga Stations and the light-up area.
- Stop offs at Jazz Dream Outlet Mall (4hours), Nabana-no-sato Winter Illumination (2.5hours, includes entry fee to the Begonia Garden)
Departs: Kanazawa Station West Exit 7:30am (next,Kaga Station)
Returns: Kanazawa Station (last stop via Kaga Station) 23:30

Tour 2:
Cost: Y8480
Operation Days:
- January 19,20,22,26,27,29,31
- February 2,3,6,8,9,10,11
Length: 1 day
Includes:
- All-you-can-eat lunch at Gamagoori Orange Park (ebi-fry,beef steak,crab,pork shabushabu,kishimen noodles, chirashi-zushi sushi, etc winter`s best foods)
- Nabana-no-sato Winter Illumination (3hours, includes entry fee to the Begonia Garden)
Departs: Kanazawa Station West Exit 8:30am
Returns: Kanazawa Station 23:30 : This tour departs from & arrives at Kanazawa Station only

Again, for bookings and further information, go to your local Hokutetsu Bus office or contact Hokutetsu Koukuu on 076-242-3337. Pamphlets available at Hokutetsu stations and bus offices.

Kobe Luminarie Tours

Winter in Japan = snow. Right?

Wrong. Winter in Japan = snow and illuminations!

Hokutetsu/Komatsu Bus company are offering several great-value day/weekend trips out to some of Japan`s most fantastic illumination events, and it`d be a shame to miss out Listed below are the details for the Kobe Luminarie ones:

Kobe Luminarie

 Kobe Luminarie
By far one of Japan`s most famous illuminations, the Kobe Luminarie is held every year in memorial of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. It is on from December 6 – 17th, 18:00 – 21:00. Expected to be very crowded on weekends in particular, so anticipate queuing and moving around the display in lines on weekends (unfortunately).Tour 1:
Cost: Y4500
Operation Days: Every day from Dec 6th – 17th
Length: 1 day
Includes: Roundtrip bus fare from Kanazawa/Kaga stations to Mitsui Outlet shopping Park, and on to Kobe Luminarie event area.
Departs: 7am Kanazawa Station (West exit) (next,Kaga Station)
Returns: 24:00 Kanazawa Station (last stop,via Kaga Station)
The itinerary is completely free-plan, so you can do your own thing until departure time from the Luminarie

Tour 2:
Cost: Y16,980
Operation Days: Every day from Dec 7th – 17th
Length: 2 days/1 night
Includes:
- 1 night`s accommodation for 1/2persons per room at Chisan Hotel Shin-Osaka (9pm-9am, western room,breakfast included)
- Roundtrip and tour bus fares from Kanazawa/Kaga Stations, within Kobe City, Osaka City, and to and from Mie and Aichi prefectures
- Day trip to Kobe Harbourland (free plan exploring), and Kobe Luminarie (free plan)
- Day trip to Aichi & Mie prefectures, Outlet Mall Jazz Dream, and Nabana-no-sato Winter Illumination (entrance fees included, free plan)
Departs: Kanazawa Station West Exit 7:30am (next,Kaga Station)
Returns: Kanazawa Station (last stop) 22:30

For further information, or to book one of these tours, you can go to your local Hokutetsu Bus office, or phone Hokutetsu Koukuu on 076-242-3337. On booking the tour, you will need to pay either 20% of the fee as a deposit, or the whole sum upfront. The pamphlet for these `Asunaro Tours` is available at Hokutetsu Kanzawa Station, and other Hokutetsu stations and bus offices, and it may help to have it on you for simplicity-sake when booking

In addition, MKBus Tours is offering a rather no-fuss roundtrip tour for Y3800 (excl Y100 donation to the Luminarie), departing December 8,9,15 & 16th from Kanazawa Station West Exit 8am, and returning there at 24:15. See the link below for the bookings procedure (telephone and furikomi):

http://www.mktour.net/contents_daytrip2.html

KIX Round-trip Ticket Special

The holiday season is fast approaching, and many of us are planning a hasty escape from the icy Ish to warmer pastures (or just home!).

For those of you using Kansai Airport (KIX) as your escape route of choice, there is a special discount ticket being offered by JR West for just that purpose

The ticket is valid for 14 days, and includes round-trip Thunderbird express train reserved seat tickets + round-trip Haruka express reserved tickets (Osaka KIX). Departing from Komatsu = Y14,800, Kanazawa = Y16,200, and Nanao = Y18,300. Each yields a saving of Y4-5000

The ticket, called 関西空港往復きっぷ (Kansai Kuukou Oufuku Kippu), can be purchased from one month before your day of usage, up until the very day of.

In addition, holders of this ticket have access to a luggage collection and drop-off service (also both ways of the journey) from their home to KIX for the special price of Y3500. You can ask about this on purchasing the ticket at your local JR office.

Lastly, special discount coupons are available to ticket holders for use in Duty Free shops, refresh services and facilities, and restaurants at KIX, too

Quite a nice, luxurious way to start off your holiday adventures

Happy holidays and safe travels!

Noto 2-Day Free Pass!

Conveniently in line with festival season, JR West has introduced a new special ticket – the Noto Furusato Free Ticket.

What:

The ticket allows you to travel between the JR area Kanazawa station <-> Wakura Onsen station, and the Noto Tetsudo area of Wakura Onsen station <-> Anamizu station (Nanao <-> Wakura Onsen is also possible on this line) for 2 days as much as you like.

The ticket is only valid for use on normal trains (i.e. Shirasagi, Hokuetsu, and other rapid express trains are out). However, these lines have the most awesome `futsuu-ressha` you`ve ever seen, so you still get to travel in style

Cost:

Adults Y1500, children Y300.

The ticket is on sale until October 11 2012 (purchasable up until the day before you intend to use it), and usable between July 6 – October 13 2012. Be careful in specifiying your date(s) of travel because these can not be changed once you have bought your ticket.

Extra stuff:

By showing your Noto Furusato ticket at the various tourist attractions (including the Notojima Aquarium) you can receive entrance fee discounts, and various free goodies (ice-cream included!).

The pamphlet for the ticket is available at all major stations and JR offices, and includes a full list of the attractions, their discounts and access methods. There is also a train schedule attached.

Since the Noto will be hosting some of the best festivals this summer, and is a place that is usually a bit difficult to access, this ticket really is a bargain So `let`s enjoying` the Noto this summer!:P

Special note about Wajima Taisai transport:

- Using this ticket, you can go as far as Anamizu station. From Anamizu, there is a regular bus that runs between Anamizu station and Wajima station. The last bus on Friday 24/8 is at 19:30 to Wajima station, arriving 20:04. They run from early morning until 19:30, so those of you on holiday can easily go up earlier. The whole journey takes a total of an hour more than the Wajima express bus. You can see the bus timetable here:

http://www.hokutetsu.co.jp/htd_hp/timetable/rosen/0960_1_1_01.html

This Week: Wajima Taisai August 22nd-25th

Salutations! I hope this post reaches you in good and pleasant spirits. I’m writing to tell you about an amazing festival that is taking place this week in the Noto!

“Where is the Noto?”, you might ask. The Noto is the northern half of the Ishikawa prefecture. The Noto is split up into 3 sections: Kuchi-Noto (Entrance of Noto), Naka-Noto (Middle of Noto), and Oku-Noto (Depths of Noto). 

One of the biggest reasons to come to the Noto is the massive festivals that take place throughout it. In fact, if you have free time or cultural furlough this week, I’d recommend that you come to Wajima for the Wajima Taisai. As one of the premiere festivals of the Oku-Noto, you can count on having large amounts of merriment and long lasting memories. The festival comes highly recommended and is a must see event for JETs and visitors to Ishikawa. 

Where:

View Larger Map

Times and Locations:
 
The Festival is a combination of the festivals of four different shrines in Wajima in the towns of:
Ama-machi (海士町): Aug. 22 (Wednesday) 16:00 – 23:00
Kawai-machi (河井町): Aug. 23 (Thursday) 15:00 – 24:00
Fugeshi-machi (鳳至町): Aug. 24 (Friday) 8:00 – 24:00
Wajimazaki-machi (輪島崎町): Aug. 25 (Saturday) 8:00 – 11:00

Resident Expert Tip #1: The festival starts getting exciting after 8:00pm
Resident Expert Tip #2: Find a Kiriko Team, follow them and you’re bound to have fun.

Highlights of Wajima Taisai:

• One of the main highlights of Noto festivals are Kiriko. Imagine if you will, 10 meter tall lanterns that tower over you and are carried by at least 20 to 30 strapping men (and women!). On these lanterns are children or adults playing flutes or taiko drums, filling the narrow road that you’re on with merrymaking and sonorous booming. Oftentimes, it’s not unheard of to be pressed up against a wall in a narrow street while Kiriko make their way through or to be drafted into service of carrying a kirko with a celebratory swig of Shochu or Sake.
  Note 1: 8-23, Thurs: Groups of Kiriko will gather near the ocean, have a parade and burn tall stalks of bamboo.
  Note 2:  8-24, Friday: Many of the Kiriko traversing Wajima will spin madly at intersections with an ‘insane amount of vigor’, definitely a sight to see or experience.
  Note 3: Wajima’s festival Kiriko are especially distinctive (as compared with those in the other parts of the Noto) because of their famous Wajima lacquer coatings that are applied to the Kiriko.
• Portable shrines called ‘omikoshi’ are carried through the town streets. With them comes the good natured and well known revelry that makes Wajima Taisai a famous and memorable event.
  Note: ’Omikoshi’ carrying takes place every night of the festival.
• On the first night (Wed, 8-22) you can see one of Japan’s best youth taiko groups perform, Yoranosuke. They usually perform right before the sunset. It’s best to show up around 5:30pm-6:00pm.
• On the the last two nights of the festival (Friday, 8-24 and Saturday, 8-25), a special tall bamboo bonfire by the sea is lit, and Gohei (decorative strips of white paper used in Shinto rituals) that fall from the top of the structure are scrambled for by brave men wearing loincloths. It is believed that the person who catches a Gohei strip will achieve success in everything he does. It’s not rare for men to scramble into the burning embers of a just burned tower to grab a strip at a chance of wealth and good fortune.

If you’d like to forge your own path in terms of festival planning, make sure to take a peek at the Wajima Taisai event page: http://www.city.wajima.ishikawa.jp/kanko2/maturi/taisai.html
 
 
Transportation:
 
Depending on where you’re coming from, it’s quite easy to get to Wajima.
 
By Bus from Kanazawa:
Ø  Buses leave for Wajima from Kanazawa station roughly once every hour throughout the day, 7 days a week, from PLATFORM 1 from the East Exit (the main exit with the big wooden gate).  It takes 2 hours each way and costs 2200 yen one way (3950 yen round trip, if you purchase beforehand in the Station).  Pay when you get off in Wajima. 
Ø  Bus times from Kanazawa Station Platform 1 to Wajima: 7：20, 8：50, 10：00, 12：35, 13：35, 14：35, 15：35, 16：35, 17：35, 18：35, 20：10
Ø  Bus times from Wajima to Kanazawa Station Platform 1: 5：35, 6：40, 8：10, 9：10, 10：10, 11：10, 12：10, 14：00, 15：30, 16：40, 18：10
 
By Car from Kanazawa, Nanao, Anamizu, Tsubata, etc:
If you’re going by car, just take the Noto Yuryo toll road. Make sure to take the Anamizu Exit on the Yuryo and at the first intersection, take a left and then follow the road signs to Wajima (they’re all in English, so you shouldn’t get lost). The tolls from Kanazawa to Wajima cost about 1600 yen round trip (it’s much cheaper if you’re coming from anywhere in the Noto), so I suggest carpooling with some buds to keep costs down.  There is plenty of free parking at the Wajima Station.

Once again, for more information make sure to take a peek at the Wajima Taisai event page: http://www.city.wajima.ishikawa.jp/kanko2/maturi/taisai.html

Please come out and partake in the festivities, if you can!  It’s a great primer for Ishikawa’s festivals and also an excellent break from life at school or your BoE.
 
Happy Travels!

Alex will be a second-year ALT in Suzu. Where’s that you ask? Oh, it’s in the Noto. You know … the place with rice fields … and kiriko. That’s the one.

Smartphone Apps for Living in Japan

Everyone told you to get a smartphone for your Ishikawa JET tenure, but whether you’re running iOS or Android, your phone is only as useful as the apps you put on it.  Here are some recommendations to get you started or to make your life a little easier.

For Both Android and iPhone

Yurekuru Call (EN and JP, free).  An earthquake warning app. Uses your location and your phone’s notification system to give you up to a minute’s warning before an earthquake is projected to hit your area. Highly recommended–it may be the only English language warning you get.

Japan Goggles  (EN, free). This nifty app uses your smartphone camera to recognize and translate kanji words. It might take a moment for the app to recognize the right kanji compound, but it’s still incredibly helpful.

iConnect (EN, free) Published by AJET, this app is a converter, phrasebook, directory, and national event guide all in one! If you miss the JET Diary, this app is for you.

Ishikawa Travel Guide (EN, Free). Uses Google Maps to show you nearby sights throughout Ishikawa. Unfortunately, the gourmet list is lacking, but the list of sightseeing spots and activities is comprehensive. Good for exploring a new part of the prefecture!

北鉄バスビュワー Hokutetsu Bus Viewer (JP, free). Japanese language bus route-finder and schedule for buses all around the prefecture. Allows you to bookmark your favorite bus routes. It can also use your current location to find nearby bus stops.

乗換案内 by Jorudan (Free, JP). Japanese only. A nationwide train route finder and schedule. Recognizes romaji place name input.  Includes a Live feature that notes train delays. The paid version, 乗換案内プラス (norikae-annai plus), is 630 yen in both stores and allows you to save routes.

EnjoyLearning Japan Map Puzzle (Free, JP).  Want to get 上手 (jouzu) at Japanese geography and prefecture names? This drag and drop prefecture map game will help. It includes hiragana readings of the prefecture names, too.

Platform-specific apps are after the jump!

Next Weekend: 2012 Iida Toroyama Festival

If you’re looking for something interesting and fun to do next weekend (July 20th and July 21st), why not come up to the Noto and visit Suzu City  for the 2012 Iida Toroyama Festival in Iida Town.

There will be plenty of fun and interesting things to see and do all over Iida Town including various floats, food stalls and fireworks, just to name a few of the activities that you might get to see or try out. Look out for many delicious foods and snacks too!

INFORMATION:

When:

Friday July 20th 4:30pm to 11:00pm

• Fireworks start at 8:00pm

Saturday July 21st 12:00pm to 12:00am

• Festival Floats start at 2:30pm

Where: Ishikawa Prefecture, Suzu city, Iida Town (Japanese: 石川県珠洲市飯田町)

Transportation:

From Kanazawa by Car:

View Larger Map

For scheduling or brochure information in Japanese, please take a look at the following photos:

For more information in Japanese, be sure to check out: http://bunanomori.com/toroyama/

Alex will be a second-year ALT in Suzu. Where’s that you ask? Oh, it’s in the Noto. You know … the place with rice fields … and kiriko. That’s the one.

This Weekend: Toyama Tanabata Craft Beer Festa

Love beer and looking for something to do instead of–or in addition to–the Fire and Violence Festival this weekend? Toyama city hosts an annual Tanabata Craft Beer Festa every July, featuring hard-to-find microbrews from all over Japan–including Ishikawa’s own Nihonkai Club! Over 20 breweries from Hokuriku and beyond will be pouring cold ones Saturday and Sunday, so toss your Asahi aside and hop a northbound train!

The festival operates on a ticket system. You pay for a glass, entry, and a set of 5 or 10 tickets in advance at a conbini (details to follow). Should you want more beer, you can add tickets at the event.

INFORMATION:

When:
Saturday July 7 from 11:30 to 8:30 and Sunday July 8 from 11:30 to 6:30.

Where:
Toyama City, Grand Plaza Ferio.  (Japanese Address 富山市総曲輪フェリオ横広場)

From Toyama Station
Toyama Streetcar:  Loop Line (kanjuu-sen) to Grand Plaza-mae stop. (Japanese: 富山地方鉄道市内電車 環状線
『グランドプラザ前』下車前)
Bus:  Maidohaya Bus Chuo Route, Sougawa Doori Toukengai stop.  (Japanese: まいどはやバス中央ルート
『総曲輪通り商店街口』）
Walking: 20 minutes from the station.

Cost and Ticketing:

You can purchase tickets from most major combini. Event codes are as follows: Lawson L-code 59432, Circle K and 7-11 P-code 987-746. For Family Mart, use e-plus.

Prices are as follows:

★プレミアム手作りグラス付10枚券引換券（3,700円）
Premium handmade glass plus 10 beer tickets.

★オリジナルグラス付10枚券（3,600円）
Original glass plus 10 tickets.

★オリジナルグラス付5枚券（2,200円）
Original glass plus 5 tickets.

Happy Tanabata everyone, and may all your wishes come true!

–

Lauren is a second-year ALT in Komatsu. Her tanabata wish last year was for a greater variety of beer in her life. She is an editor of this blog.

Driving in Ishikawa, Part 1

So you’re coming to Ishikawa and you’re trying to decide what to do about transportation. Here are a few general tips, and a few more specific ones for those who will definitely be driving, on what to expect.

1. Get your International Driving Permit. Whether or not you think you will be driving, everyone who already holds a license in their home country should get the IDP. Ishikawa isn’t the most rural prefecture in Japan, but you may find that a car makes your life significantly easier or more fun once you get here. Getting your IDP should be cheap–about $15 USD–and easy; Google for procedures specific to your country.
2. Budget for a car. Whether you inherit a car from your predecessor, buy a used car, buy a new car (you rich thing, you!) or lease a car, be prepared for the worst cast scenario in which you have to pay for a car outright when you arrive. Although this situation is highly unlikely, put aside as much as you’re able before you arrive in Japan. You can buy outright a used car for as little as ¥150,000 (or less if you’re buying from your predecessor) or you may find a good deal on a lease. Whatever the case, the sooner you have the money, the sooner you can start enjoying the benefits of driving.
3. Get insurance. Municipal employees may be able to join the city’s inexpensive insurance plan while prefectural employees will have to find private insurance. Ask around to your Board of Education, co-workers and neighbors. You could pay as little as ¥1,200 a month or as much as ¥30,000 depending on the plan you get.
4. Secure a parking spot. In order to get a car you will need paperwork guaranteeing that you have a parking spot. Many apartment buildings offer you a spot, possibly at a cost, with your room; in that case, you only need it in writing that you have a spot. In some cases you may need to rent a spot near your house/apartment; start by asking your landlord, realtor or supervisor.
5. Register your hanko and confirm your address. Japan loves paperwork! In order to get a car you’ll also need a piece of paper that confirms your address. In some cases you will also need to bring the document that confirms that your hanko (personal seal) has been registered with the city. Because the hanko serves as your signature on important paperwork, it’s not uncommon to need this certification. You should be able to get it at your city office (shiyakusho or chousha).
6. Wait. This procedure will vary depending on where and from whom you’re getting your car, but there’s likely to be a waiting period, even after you’ve picked a car and filed all the necessary paperwork. Expect the process to take at least one month from the time you contact a dealership and adjust your lifestyle and travel plans accordingly.

Go, drive free! And check back here in August for more information about rules of the road, car maintenance and obtaining a Japanese license.

Kaga Fruitland

Just the words ‘spring in Japan’ immediately bring to mind images of cherry blossoms and hanami parties. Strawberries definitely do not feature. But, oh, how they should.

If anyone knows how to make the best of each season, it’s the Japanese. Kaga Fruitland does just this by offering seasonal fruit picking and eating of different fruits over a period of several months at a time.

Spring just happens to be the season for strawberries (November through May), and for roughly Y1000-2000 (depending on the month), you can spend a juicy hour doing all-you-can-pick-and-eat ichigo-gari (strawberry picking). And get this, you are even allowed to bring a sneaky topping of your own (cue mad rush for whipped cream).

It really is a bargain considering the price of just a handful of fruit in the supermarkets!

Besides leaving with a stomach full of fresh fruit, another advantage to Fruitland is that it can be done in the rain too, since the fruit are housed in small greenhouses.

Other fruits ripe for the picking are:

• Cherries (June)
• Blueberries (June – July)
• Grapes (July – November)
• Pears (August – September)
• Apples (October – December)

There is also the option of combining your fruit picking trip with a BBQ package, starting at around Y1600 per person (in addition to the cost of fruit picking), or if you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can try out Fruitland’s hour-long chocolate fondu fruit buffet for Y1500 per person (drinks bar & tartlet included).

For fruit picking and BBQ courses, due to popularity reservations are sometimes required. You can use the online reservation form link at the bottom of this post. In general, it seems that fruit picking can be done every hour from 10am until 4pm, and BBQing from 11am – 5pm. Reception is open from 9am – 5pm.

Having been to Fruitland myself recently, I can honestly say that it makes for a very, berry nice day!

Access:

By car from Kanazawa: 15-20mins. Turn right off Katayamazu IC, over Shiomibashi, right at the first four-way intersection, left at Hashidate intersection, straight through Koshio intersection, and Kaga Fruitland is on your right.

By CAN Bus: 25mins, Y1000 for a 1-day pass. Take the Sea Route (umi-mawari) bus from Kagaonsen or Daishoji station, and get off at the Kaga Fruitland stop. Once at Fruitland, go in and pay at reception, and wait outside the front entrance for a bus (appropriately decorated with pictures of fruit) to transport you to the greenhouses.

Useful Links:

Kaga Fruitland (Japanese)

http://furulan.com/topmenu/topmenu_2.html for prices (料金表) http://furulan.com/menu/post_11.html for the online reservation form.

Kaga CAN Bus: http://www.kaga-can-bus.com/ (See 時刻表 link for bus timetables)