Hi guys,
It's been almost 2 months in Yamasa. I went to Nara, Nagoya, and around Okazaki a bit. I think I'll go to Kyoto as well. Everything is so expensive, especially travelling... But is there any recommendation, maybe some cheap way to have fun on the weekend?
Some food I should definitely try out?
And some tipps on books/light novels a lower intermediate might soon be able to read without committing suicide on the first page?
I don't want to have regrets ^_^

If you find yourself near Kanagawa or Tokyo, you should make your way to Kamakura and Enoshima with haste . Kamakura a great little town (but becoming a bit touristy) that has lots of temples and scenic views. Enoshima, a stone's throw away, is a tiny island that you walk accross a bridge to get to with a very large temple in the center/summit of the island. I go to these areas frequently.

Alternatively, if you want calm and seclusion, check out Kokubunji or Oume which are in the Tama region of Tokyo. These areas are not very expensive and you can get a lot of nice comfortable walks in, not to mention buying kaki or other fruits on people's lawns. Kokubunji is pretty famous for having the most delicious water in Tokyo, which makes the fruits and vegetables there very good.

As for books, what kind of stories do you like? Any specific genre?

Books: I like fantasy, sci-fi and comedy, but there shouldn't be too many special words.
Just something interesting, non-bloody would do =) And not too long. Got Kinou no tabi on my list so far.

I am currently reading a bundle of sci-fi short stories, which is fun so far. Seems quite random, but it entertains me. It's called マイ国家 by 星 新一 and is published by 新湖文庫. Could be interesting for you, and it should be in most moderately sized bookstores.

edit*
Actually, he's an author of sci-fi AND fantasy stories, but the book is short-stories of both genre's. Thought I should add fantasy in here.

I recommend you just go to Bookoff and buy every book you've ever heard of while you have the chance to get them for 105 yen.

Hehe, I will go to bookoff, it's just that I have limited space in my bag, so I can only buy a few. I'll ask if they have that author, thanks.^^
I'll go to Kyoto in 2 weeks, any recommendations for that? Or some other city near Okazaki? There is a festival in Mino I hear.

lanval Wrote:Hehe, I will go to bookoff, it's just that I have limited space in my bag, so I can only buy a few

...that's where the post office comes in.

I don't need a whole library =p

Ahhh, I wish I had gone to Book-Off when I was in Okazaki. Take the time to do it, and get a few boxes and just ship it all home. You can even ship it home for the cheap, slow rate to save money. Gotta agree with Jarvik on that one. You're never going to find prices like that again.

As for places, Hiroshima is a good place to go. You can see the Peace Memorial/Museum, then head out to Miyajima. Miyajima is a little touristy, but it's really pretty. There's even a ropeway to the mountain at the top of the island. Awesome views of the inland sea from there, and the sunset is incredible. Miyajima is one of the Three Famous Sights, but it's not too crowded at this time of year. (Matsushima near Sendai is another one... it's okay. A little too touristy for my taste.)

I liked Osaka, too, just for sightseeing and eating and hanging out in Minami near Dotonburi. Fun.

Or you could just throw a dart at a map of Japan. It's really hard to screw it up if you ask around when you get wherever you're going.

You could always check with the Welcome Inns to see what's cheap wherever you're going. I'm not sure about the details with that, visa-wise, but there are cheap hotels in Japan.

rich_f Wrote:Matsushima near Sendai is another one... it's okay. A little too touristy for my taste.)

Have you considered visiting once more? While, yes, it's touristy, that still doesn't discredit the beauty and historical importance of the area.

At the ryokan I stayed at, it was possible to watch the sunrise over the bay from within the onsen. Basho wrote a poem about this view that more or less expresses his speechlessness upon seeing it. Watching the sunrise at Matsushima is comparable to when I saw the sunrise at the base of Mt. Fuji. Unforgettable.

While the big temple in Matsushima is kind of sterile, the walkway leading up to the temple is sheer beauty. There are a bunch of caves surrounding by pines trees on the path. The caves were used as shelter during the bombing in WWII, and there are also several ancient statues positioned inside of the caves.

Even though the temple is probably the most touristy place in town, I had a great experience at the teahouse on the temple grounds. I had a cup of matcha and some sweets in the very traditional building, which had a thatched roof and only natural lighting.

Plus, there are more remote areas that avoid the tourist crowd. I went to a restaurant serving 懐石料理 that was located on a cliff overlooking the Matsushima bay. There were only a few other people there, and the dining experience had that intimate, mindful, and understated atmosphere that I love so much about traditional Japanese meals. Oh, and we saw a white owl outside of the window while we were dining, which is considered good luck!

Even in the tourist area with all the shops selling souvenirs, I had some hojicha and some roasted snacks at one of those places where there's a fire in a pit customers can use to cook things (I can't remember the word!). The atmosphere was very calm and quiet, which was perfect for the cold winter morning.

I think Matsushima is a fine place to visit. Maybe you'll have a similar opinion if you ever decide to return

I'd second Hiroshima and Miyajima, they were my favorite places. However, Shinkansen round-trip tickets from Kyoto are around 20000 yen or so...

The only "free" thing I did was go hiking. That was actually pretty fun, although going the day after flying in + having not hiked for a while, I could hardly walk back down. You might want to look for trails or something.

My only other interest is food, and I don't know if you're the type to go on Tabelog and search endlessly for the best "xxx" in "yyy" area...

Well, anything that's close will be cheap.
If you haven't been to Gifu and/or Inuyama yet, then you definitely should go there.
Ise is also nice and not too far away, thus cheap

Hiroshima and Miyajima are nice, but it will be very expensive from where you live. I'm not sure if it's worth the money then when you have so many nice things around closer to you.

I liked Matsushima, but it was work. Miyajima is a lot easier to enjoy. When I came to Matsushima, the first thing I noticed were all of the old guys with the baseball hats trying to get me to ride on one of the various tour boats that take you around the bay. (They were all over the place.)

It's worth it to go around the bay, because the views are great, but that was an odd experience.

I bought a ticket for 1400 yen, but in order to actually go ON DECK,
I had to go "first class" for another 600 yen, or else I just had sat in the cabin. So first class I went.

Then as we went around the harbor, people kept feeding the seagulls which followed the boat... you could even buy snacks just to feed the seagulls with. So I had a lot of great photos of islands... with seagulls in them.

I still don't get that. Why? You're at Matsushima, dropping 2000 yen, plus 200 yen for a bag of potato sticks, and instead of looking at the beautiful scenery, you're feeding seagulls?!? Fat seagulls, at that.

When I got back to the harbor, I wandered around a bit (Oshima is kind of cool, and free), then I saw the big bridge that lead to one of the shrines/temples/whatever, and was going to go until I saw that they were charging 200 yen to cross it. That's when I said "Screw it," took the train to Oku-Matsushima, rented The Bike (there's only one, apparently), climbed a small mountain (Otakamori), and had a great time. (per Lonely Planet's recommendation.)

The bike ride was pretty awesome, because it was fall, so everything was in colors, and the road was flat. The hike up the mountain kinda sucked, but it was worth it.

The bike was 500 yen, and everything else was free, including an excellent view of the sunset over the bay near Oku-Matsushima. That was gorgeous. I could (and did) see for miles.

That bit was pretty awesome, but it's a lot of work compared to Miyajima, and it's a heck of a lot farther away from Okazaki.

But yeah, Hiroshima is a little far, and the Shinkansen isn't particularly cheap.

Seishun 18 tickets coming around anytime soon? Or maybe a Night Bus? Those can be cheap.

I also had fun in Nagano. Should be some good hiking there now... in the bits that aren't under a meter of snow yet. >_>a Take the Shinano Limited Express to Nagano from Nagoya (I think... or is it Kyoto? I forget.) There's a famous temple smack in the middle of town, and if you're feeling up for it, take a local bus to Togakushi for 1000 yen and go see the shrine there. It's a bit of a hike, but the grounds are absolutely gorgeous. It's a 1.9Km long straight path, where the last 1Km or so is flanked by giant cedars. The shrine itself is tiny, but the views are great. Bring water.

Ok, now I have some recommendations for places.^^ Where do I have to look for night busses and their prices?
Checked shipping charges, don't think it's worth it. I'd rather just wear all of my clothes home. Since I won't buy a library, I could use some more good author names.
Btw, secret restaurant tips in Okazaki? =)