Travel Japan Taiken

Travel Japan Taiken: Handmade Japanese arts and crafts



Taiken, or the making of Japanese arts and craft items, is a fun activity no one should miss. Over the years, I have participated in many taiken from kneading and making soba, to cloisonné pendants, to

making tea cups. This hands on activity is definitely a Travel Japan recommendation. If you’re tired of just sightseeing Japan, or if you’re looking for things to do in Japan, stop and go fishing, or stop and make your own tea cups.



Here’s some great Japan travel tips.



Tired of looking at Kyoto temples or learning about ancient Kyoto? Here’s some Kyoto attractions. Stop by the Kyoto Handicraft Center, where you can participate in various taiken, including a class that I enrolled in-cloisonné pendants. Also available are carving and wood block printing, and doll making. In the Nishijin Textile Center enroll in a textile making class using a loom. Here’s a taiken that may not be in the Japan travel guides. In Kumamoto city, stop by the Hitoyoshi Craft Park and sign up for a class to make your own hanatebako or colorful small box. In Kanazawa? Try designing and making a gold leaf lacquered small jewelry box. In Nagaoka city near Niigata, try harvesting rice in September. Jetfoiled from Niigata harbor to Sado Island, enroll in a class nearby the Sado Gold mine to learn how to pan for actual gold. In Hokkaido near Lake Akan? Try wakasagi(smelt) ice fishing on the lake, or learn ice skating or snowmobile riding. Near Aizu Wakamatsu, known for Japan pottery, try making your own tea cup.
In Kyushu, at a coast near Nagasaki, try fishing with a very large hukilau fish net. In Kagoshima city, try your hand at making sushi “oshizushi“(pressed sushi rice).


Taiken can break up the sightseeing and shopping, and make traveling much more interesting. On your trip to Japan, take a break and try learning about Japan culture and try hands on taiken.

Thanks to Jo Matsu of Marukai Hawaii and the rest of the Marukai gang for the experiences.
For more information on Taiken, please click on the following link. http://traveljapan-us.com/.

Japanese Rice Harvesting

Japanese Rice Harvesting


It is late September just outside Nagaoka City, on the western side of Japan, near Niigata. The rice field, or tambo with short grain Koshihikari rice is a beautiful golden yellow color, the day is hot, with no breeze, and the sun is baking down on us. I am dressed in a polo shirt, jeans, and my feet are in rubber boots. My hands are encased in a thick cotton glove, and in my right hand is a very sharp, short bladed sickle.   I am about to embark on an experience rich in Japan culture.  I will be harvesting one of the most important foods in Japan.  Japan travel guides do not mention this activity.  Put this on your "things to do in Japan" list.

Our bus driver, a part-time rice farmer, is giving us a quick lesson as to how to cut the rice stalks, and how to tie the stalks of rice together so they can be hung up to dry. I bend down to make my first cut at the rice stalks. “A little lower” he tells me, I comply, cutting about 2-3 inches from the bottom of the rice stalk. Wow, the sickle is sharp! With only a little effort the stalks are cut. I get my rhythm and begin cutting the rice plants, putting them together in piles so they can be tied later. Within a few minutes I am wiping the perspiration from my forehead and can feel myself sweating.  “Well, let’s try tying the rice stalks together” I tell my wife.  Tying is done by taking a bunch of rice stalks and using another rice stalk as a twine to tie the other stalks together about 8-10 inches from the bottom part of the stalks. Our driver flips the bundle of rice stalks to tighten the tie, and separates the bundle into two and hangs the bundle neatly on a bamboo rack in the field. Our bundles are not as tight and not as neatly done as our driver’s bundles. I gather some bundles and take them to the drying rack, where they will be dried so that the rice grains can be easily removed from the stalk.

After the harvest we get together with some of the residents of the village and have lunch together.  This interchange gives us an opportunity for cultural exchange.  This experience was provided to us while we were on a Japan tour arranged by Marukai Hawaii Tours. We thank Jo Matsu and the rest of the Marukai gang for a great tour. This is a Travel Japan recommended activity.

Matsushima Pre Tsunami

Matsushima  Pre Tsunami:

My memories of the Matsushima Islands in the Miyagi prefecture of northern Tohoku, Japan are of the nice port, the interesting cruise of Matsushima Bay, and the lunch onboard the cruise boat consisting of delicious oysters, a product of the area.

The Matsushima islands consist of about 250 or so small islands of rock, soil and the namesake pine trees called “matsu” (pine) and “shima” (island).

On a family trip to Hokkaido, northernmost island in Japan, in February of 2008, after about a week of freezing cold, we were happy to be heading slowly back to Tokyo along the beautiful coastline.

The town of Matsushima consisted of about 15,000 or so residents, a fishing town with a nice port facility. The cruise boat we boarded took us from the port out into the Matsushima Bay, which seemed to be not so deep, where we viewed the many small islands. Around lunch time, we were served dishes of raw oysters, fried oysters and a hot pot of oyster stew, which was delicious, and warmed us as we cruised in the cold weather. We were told that oysters were a specialty of the area.

As this town was inundated in the quake and tsunami of 2011, one can only wonder if and when there will be rebuilding in this area. My memories of the wonderful people and beautiful sights of Matsushima bring a sadness to my heart.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.

For some before and after tsunami aerial photos along the Tohoku coast courtesy of ABC News, go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm.

Sapporo

Sapporo Japan

Capital of the northernmost region in Japan, and world famous for its annual Sapporo Snow Festival and Ice Festival-held in early February. It is one of Travel Japan's favorite stops.


The Snow Festival is usually held early in February and showcases over 200 snow structures including a feudal Japan castle, a Japanese home, various cartoon and anime figures, to mention a few. Just down the street is the Ice Festival, where over 100 ice sculptures are on display along the street. It is truly something to see.

The Nijo Market is where you want to be to see and eat fresh seafood straight from the fishing boats. There you will see taraba gani or king crab. The king crab legs are huge with lots of crab meat-and sweet too! Fresh ikura, or salmon roe, uni, or sea urchin, hokke, a kind of mackerel, are available for purchase. Hungry, stop by one of the seafood restaurants-Domburi Chaya, located in the Nijo Market, and have a 9 topping kaisen don, a seafood rice bowl.

The Sapporo Beer Museum, dedicated to the beer that was brewed there until 2003, where after a brief tour, you are able to sample some of the beer. Next door is the Sapporo Beer Garden where you can try the Genghis Khan Viking buffet for 3300 Yen, grill the lamb on a skillet and drink beer for 90-minutes.


Susukino's Ramen Yokocho, or Ramen Alley, where you can warm up in the frigid air by eating some steaming miso pork ramen noodles. Close by are several crab restaurants, including an all-you-can-eat king crab restaurant for 4000 Yen (90-minutes), and an all king crab 8-course I think, (I lost track on how many) dinner for 4900 Yen.

Sato Land, an kiddies amusement park with a farm theme, and winter activities like ice slide, sledding, etc.


Shopping on the mind? Be sure to check out Pole Town running from Odori to Susukino, and Aurora Town from Odori Park to the TV tower. Both underground arcades feature many shops and shelter you from the elements.

Chitosetsuru Sake Museum, where you can get a free sake tasting and sample the pure clean water of the area and sample the extremely crisp and delicious sake made by the sake brewery, which uses Ginpu sake rice.

Getting to Sapporo is simple.  Just catch the bus limo or the JR railway line from the New Chitose Airport into Sapporo station. If you're traveling by train, from Sapporo station you can catch one of the local trains to your hotel, or catch a taxi.  

Hakone Onsen

Hakone Onsen

Hakone, a rustic but beautiful area in southeastern Japan, is a quaint onsen (hot spring) town and gateway to Mt. Fuji.  Fall colors (koyo) are very beautiful with brilliant red and yellow leaves you can see if you travel Japan in November.  On clear days, areas such as Mt. Komagatake and the Komagatake Ropeway, the Hakone Ropeway, and Lake Ashinoko are ideal spots for excellent views of Mt. Fuji.

Arriving by Shinkansen bullet train at Odawara station, proceed to the Hakone Tourist Information office in the station and get free maps and brochures on the Hakone area.  The nice lady in the office even called our hotel to send a shuttle bus to pick us up.

If you decide to use the Odakyu Hakone Free pass, proceed to the Odakyu office in the station and purchase the 2-day(3900 Yen) or the 3-day(4,400 Yen) pass-good for unlimited travel on the Hakone Tozan railway, the Hakone Ropeway, the Hakone Tozan cable car, Hakone Tozan bus, and the Hakone sightseeing cruise, a great value for the money. 

A recommended sightseeing route from Odawara station might be:
1.  A train ride on the Hakone Tozan railway to Hakone Yumoto.
2. Then continue from Hakone Yumoto to Gora on the Hakone Tozan train.
3. Take the Hakone Tozan cable car from Gora to Sounzan for fall colors.
4. Take the Hakone Ropeway from Sounzan to Owakudani where you can see steam emitting from hellish fissures.
5. From Owakudani to Togendai on Hakone Ropeway where views of Mt. Fuji can be seen.
6. Ride aboard the Hakone Sightseeing cruise ship on Lake Ashinoko where more views of Mt. Fuji can be had until Moto Hakone.
7. From Moto Hakone, catch the Hakone Tozan bus to Hakone-en, where you can walk to the Komagatake station and ride the Komagatake Ropeway to Mt. Komagatake for more fabulous views of Mt. Fuji.
8. Upon returning to the Komagatake station and walking a short distance to Hakone-en, hop on the Hakone Tozan bus and either go to your hotel or back to Odawara station.

For more information please click on link to go to http://traveljapan-us.com/.