Tokyo Weekender - October 2017
A day in the life of a geisha. Find your perfect Kyushu. Plus Q&A with anime director Keiichi Hara, are robots taking our jobs?, Explore Japanese cuisine at GINZA SIX, and Tsukuda guide
A day in the life of a geisha. Find your perfect Kyushu. Plus Q&A with anime director Keiichi Hara, are robots taking our jobs?, Explore Japanese cuisine at GINZA SIX, and Tsukuda guide
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DAY 1<br />
[ PROMOTION ]<br />
Trip 2:<br />
FOR FANTASY FANS & NATURE ENTHUSIASTS<br />
Miyazaki Prefecture<br />
TAKACHIHO GORGE, AOSHIMA BEACH & UDO SHRINE<br />
Miyazaki’s nature and spiritual spots bowled us over. To recreate our pilgrimage, make your<br />
first destination Takachiho, home to shrines related to sun goddess Amaterasu, and Takachiho<br />
Gorge, a chasm created by the flow of a river through volcanic rock. Either walk a trail<br />
that runs alongside the gorge or rent a boat and row down it. Next, take a bus to Aoshima.<br />
No, this isn’t the Aoshima full of cats – that’s the one in Ehime – but this Aoshima features<br />
a beach, botanic gardens, and a shrine set under a jungle canopy. Swing by Aoshima Beach<br />
Park (open spring through summer), a hip pop-up eatery collective, but don’t forget the<br />
mom-and-pop food stands (try the nikumakionigiri, rice balls wrapped in meat). Finally, take<br />
a bus to Udo Shrine. A 20-minute walk from the closest bus stop, Udo is inside a cave that faces<br />
the ocean, and will make you feel like you’ve reached the shrine at the end of the world.<br />
HOW TO GET THERE<br />
Takachiho is located between<br />
Oita, Miyazaki and Kumamoto,<br />
and can be reached via bus<br />
from each city. Aoshima and<br />
Udo lie just south of Miyazaki;<br />
both can be reached on the<br />
same bus line, which runs<br />
about once per hour.<br />
WHERE TO STAY To visit<br />
all three, make your base<br />
Miyazaki. If beach-going is<br />
your main goal, there are<br />
several hotel and guesthouse<br />
options right in Aoshima.<br />
GETTING<br />
TO AND<br />
AROUND<br />
KYUSHU<br />
The third<br />
biggest island<br />
of Japan,<br />
Kyushu<br />
has seven<br />
prefectures.<br />
Domestic flights from <strong>Tokyo</strong>’s Narita or<br />
Haneda airports take about two hours<br />
to any of Kyushu’s airports, but it’s also<br />
possible to travel by Shinkansen. Within<br />
Kyushu, car rental is best if you’re planning<br />
to explore more remote areas, but<br />
for the four trips we’ve planned here,<br />
you’ll be able to get around mainly on<br />
the Kyushu Shinkansen and local trains.<br />
In fact, traveling on JR Kyushu<br />
trains is one of the highlights of visiting<br />
the island as the company has invested<br />
heavily in designing unique and luxurious<br />
trains, making the journey between<br />
prefectures a real pleasure. Aside from<br />
hopping on the Shinkansen, you might<br />
also want to take a look at some of<br />
the resort trains on offer, such as the<br />
Yufuin no Mori, which boasts a lounge<br />
with wooden interior, and the A-TRAIN,<br />
which features wood and stained glass<br />
décor. For more information about the<br />
JR Kyushu Rail Pass, and the different<br />
trains, visit www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/.<br />
DAY 2<br />
KIRISHIMA<br />
The Kirishima mountain range is an<br />
important spot in Japanese folklore<br />
and great for hiking. The range<br />
includes active volcanoes and is<br />
said to be where Ninigi-no-Mikoto,<br />
grandson of goddess Amaterasu,<br />
descended to earth (though Miyazaki’s<br />
Takachiho makes the same claim).<br />
Regardless, Kirishima Shrine, devoted<br />
to Ninigi-no-Mikoto, is an impressive<br />
complex (be sure to try the hoko mochi<br />
cinnamon sweets). From the shrine,<br />
make your way to the Takachiho-gawara<br />
Visitor's Center, from where you<br />
can embark on one of several hikes.<br />
Kirishima is famous for its crater<br />
lakes, but volcanic activity means the<br />
trails are often off-limits, so check in<br />
with the Visitor's Center first. One of<br />
the safest bets is the hike to Mount<br />
Takachiho-no-mine, said to be the spot<br />
where Ninigi-no-Mikoto descended.<br />
HOW<br />
TO GET<br />
THERE<br />
Kirishima<br />
is roughly<br />
equidistant<br />
from Kagoshima and Miyazaki.<br />
From either city, jump on the dark<br />
grey JR Kyushu's Limited Express<br />
Kirishima train that looks like it<br />
was designed by Darth Vader and<br />
enjoy some incredible scenery.<br />
WHERE TO STAY Shinyu<br />
Onsen Ryokan (tel: 099-578-2255)<br />
for its milky-white, sulfur baths,<br />
or Kirishima Hotel (www.kirishima-hotel.jp)<br />
for a Western-style<br />
facility.<br />
TOKYO WEEKENDER | OCTOBER <strong>2017</strong> | 19