We've come up with a tentative itinerary for our upcoming trip to Japan. For this half-month trip, we're going to spend a week in the Kansai region, then a week in Central Japan. Our travel agent has booked us Cathay Pacific flights that will take us in from Osaka, then out from Nagoya.
We'll try to book Tatami (straw mat flooring) rooms for all 14 nights. This is not going to be a cheap backpacking trip, but we'll try to keep accommodations below 10,000 yen (CAD$100) per night. Is this realistic? Come back later and check our cost run-down!
As for the FOOD, you know we're not gonna cheap out. In our usual tradition we'll try to bring back photos of the local fare wherever we go. I've even made a list of them...
| DESTINATION | EAT | DO |
| Osaka | Kansai speciality snacks (takoyaki, okonomiyaki etc) | Can't find anything we're really interested in seeing ... walk around Shinsaibashi and Umeda maybe |
| Himeji | Anago (sea eel) is the local specialty | Himeji-jo, a 17th century castle and World Heritage Site |
| Kobe | Kobe beef! Can't wait to compare Matsuzaka beef to Kobe! | Kobe Harbour maybe ... not really interested in seeing the old foreigner district |
| Nara | Tofu? Kansai-style sushi? Mmm... | All the sights around Nara Park; Historical streets of Nara Machi |
| Uji | This is the Tea Capital of Japan. Tea, Tea Noodles, Tea Ice-Cream ... | Byodoin (the temple on the back of 10-yen coin), 500-year-old tea merchant stores |
| Kyoto | Elegant Kyoto-style sushi, then peasant fares like Tonkatsu and Oyakodon etc | Aoi Matsuri (May 15th, one of the three major festivals of Kyoto), one day in Higashiyama, one day in Saga Arashiyama |
| Kanazawa | Sashimi! Sushi! And everything from the Sea of Japan coast! | Kenroku-en (one of Japan's "Three Famous Gardens"), traditional streets in Higashi Chaya-gai, Gold-leaf merchants |
| Shirakawago and Gokayama | Whatever local cuisines the inn keepers serve | Two nights living under the giant thatched roofs of the 18th century farm houses |
| Hida Takayama | Hida Beef, not as famous as Kobe or Matsuzaka but rumoured to be as good, especially raw or cooked in Miso ... | Feudal townscape from 18th century, and the famous parade floats |
| Okuhida Onsengo | Okuhida means "inner Hida", so probably more Hida Beef | Open-air hotspring pools ... ahhh! |
| Kamikochi (if weather permits) | Doesn't matter ... it's a half-day trip in a National Park anyway | Supposed to be a beautifully pristine place ... we'll see |
| Matsumoto | Horse meat specialties, especially Basashi (horse sashimi) | Matsumoto-jo, the complete opposite of Himeji Castle and another one of the "Four National Treasure Castles" |
| Tsumago and Magome | Whatever our inn serves ... but river fishes are supposed to be the focus | Follow the footsteps of feudal-period travelers and walk the ancient mountain highway from Tsumago to Magome, spending two nights in the centuries-old wooden inns |
| Nagoya | Either Chubu-style eel on rice (hitsumabushi) or roasted chicken wings ... whatever we come across first | Nothing really interests us ... Atsuta Jingu maybe |
Well this is the current plan anyway. We're not sure if this is a realistic plan since that's a lot of places for half a month. Still three months to go so perhaps our plan will change. We'll keep you posted if we change our minds!
Budget? We're thinking roughly CAD$1800 per person, excluding airfare. That should include all food, accommodation, transportation and entrance fees to museums and temples. Though it's a little tight given our forever expanding food budget ...
