Off-beat locations in Japan

[rachelmanija]

When I go to Japan for Worldcon with telophase, I am interested in visiting somewhere I have never been to before. I mean, in addition to Tokyo and Kyoto, where we are also going.

I have previously visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Kamakura, Nikko, Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Osaka, Kurashiki, Hiroshima, and Koya-san.

I am particularly curious about Kyushu, especially since it looks like the shinkansen has better penetration into it than the last time I checked. Has anyone been to Kagoshima? Fukuoka? Does Nagasaki still have any old-time atmosphere, or was it rebuilt in an entirely modern manner? (I have no interest in Beppu, which sounds like Hell's own tourist trap.)

Things in which I am interested: fun cities like Tokyo. Atmospheric places like Koya-san. Old (not reconstructed) buildings. Good food. Cool and unusual places.

Things which put me off: Extreme difficulty in getting there and long travel times. Tourist traps. Places with one point of interest and nothing else to do. (I was dismayed to find at Matsumoto that once I'd finished checking out the castle, the entire town shut down at 5:00 PM.) Cold weather. (I'll be there at the beginning of September.)

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely recommend Ise (http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/mie/ise.html) for atmosphere of a definite and undefinable Shinto kind. The Delphi or Iona of Japan. 2-hour trip from Nagoya on a local line, so doable or not depending where you're based.

Hard to find old-not-reconstructed buildings in a country where things fall down or burn down or both on a regular basis. But the thing about Ise is that they take the shrine down and rebuild it exactly the same every twenty years: and have done so for as long as anyone remembers.

IME most towns shut down early. It's one of those Japanese things- nothing to do in the evening but drink and go to bed before midnight. Even cities don't stay open late enough, or else you can't get home after staying out late because the trains have stopped.

September is still typhoon season so prepare for wetness. You're not likely to be /cold/ anywhere in Japan at that time unless you come from Oklahoma and think a humid 80F is chilly. (Though with global warming all ordinary bets are off. It snows in CA these days.) Still, I never had to wear a jacket ever in September, and usually found it too warm for comfort.