Tokyo Day Trips
by spinshell.m4v version
Story by Karryn Cartelle
Are the city crowds getting you down? Are you in need of a weekend getaway? Make the most of the last of the winter weather and find the perfect escape only a few hours away from Tokyo. Take a look at what Spinshell recommends.
Canyons Adventures provides ski and snowboard packages for both seasoned skiers and eager newbies. If you’re just starting out you may want to sign up for a half or full day private lesson. Canyons can assist you at any of the 30 ski resorts in the Minakami and Yuzawa area. For a private lesson expect to pay 14,000 yen or more for two and a half hours.
If you’re looking for an open run on the slopes, they also provide backcountry skiing and snowboarding trips for those who are at an intermediate level or above. The day trip is seven hours long and includes lunch, photos, insurance, and a guide, all for 12,000 yen per person.
For a more relaxing weekend try a personalized visit to a traditional Inn, called a ryokan in Japanese. Nirvana consulting offers customized stays at ryokans in the Izu Peninsula and currently has over 50 ryokans they have deemed foreigner friendly. Depending on your budget Nirvana’s service can include the drive from Tokyo to Izu, an interpreter, and a guide to the area. Each of their trips is custom made.
Once there, you can enjoy traditional Japanese culture by relaxing in an indoor or outdoor natural spa, known as an onsen, and feasting on seasonal Japanese dishes. The Izu region is famed for its fresh seafood and wasabi.
If you only have a day to spare, try something new and grab a kite and board to experiment with kiteboarding. Whether on the beach or on the slopes, the stronger wind the more exciting the ride. Hamamatsu, about two hours away by shinkansen, and Chiba are good spots to test the winds, but you can also stay close and visit the Miura area, just south of Tokyo.
Lucien Murray-Pitts, founder of the Japan Kiteboarding, Surf, Snow-Kite Group believes the kiteboarding scene is growing in Japan, but a few things are done differently than overseas. For example, each kiteboarding shop tends to have their own beach that they frequent and can be a bit territorial, sometimes even expecting membership. To open things up to the foreign community Lucien formed a Tokyo-based kiteboarding group, which organizes monthly outings.
It’s free to join Lucien’s group but if you need the gear and want some training the kiteboarding shops usually charge around 15,000 yen a day for rental and tuition. One shop worth visiting is Hang Time in Shizuoka. Hang Time instructor, Nick Katz, has been certified by the International Kiteboarding Organization and offers lessons in English.
Another fun day trip, suitable for everyone, is a visit to Yunessun in Hakone. This Spa theme park is a good place for those wanting to experience an onsen but feel uncomfortable about the traditional no bathing suit rule.
Yunessun’s shared amusement spa zone includes a Dead Sea bath with imported salt from the Dead Sea in Israel, a wine spa which includes real red wine, a green tea spa, and waterslides for the kids. Bathing suits are worn in Yunessun’s public areas but if you want to experience onsen the customary way, which is in the nude, the Mori No Yu section is where bathing suits are left behind. A combined ticket for both areas is 4,000 yen for adults and 2,000 yen for children.
If you’re new in town then joining one of the Tokyo Gaijin group’s weekend trips is a fun way to make new friends and experience the real Japan. They take the hassle out of organizing, by doing it for you. Just visit their website to see what’s on offer and sign up. The weekend trips away include such options as snowboarding, paragliding, hiking, and camping and their prices are reasonable at 20,000 to 30,000 yen per trip. Despite what the name suggests it’s not restricted to just foreigners. Everyone’s welcome.
Tokyo may be an urban sprawl, but there are many ways to make the most of the season away from the bustle of the city.
All Rights Reserved, Spinshell Inc.
Spinshell Reports are three minute episodes of useful information about visiting and living in Japan.
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Tags: adventure, day trips, food, gaijin, japan, kaiseki, kiteboarding, onsen, ski, snow board, Tokyo
February 29th, 2008 at 21:58
I went snowboarding in Tanbara and Nozawa Onsen this season. Not a lot, but it’s good to get out of Tokyo every once in a while indeed.
March 3rd, 2008 at 22:26
Cool idea this weekly report. Can’t wait for the next one.
March 4th, 2008 at 21:53
Hi deceze,
For sure, a weekend off is a *must* to survive this concrete jungle! Hope you get some end-of-the-season snowboarding in before the snow melts!
Hi Brad,
Thanks! It’s great to hear from viewers like you. Our next episode is not to be missed–advice on breaking into the music industry in Japan straight from the mouths of those who are doing just that. Stay tuned :)
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