Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [139]
To reach Minakami Station, take the shinkansen from Ueno to Takasaki and transfer to the Jōetsu line (¥5140, two hours), or tokkyū Minakami trains run direct (¥4620, 2½ hours). You can also catch the shinkansen to Jōmō Kōgen (1¼ hours) from Tokyo/Ueno (¥5240/5040), from where buses run to Minakami (¥600) and Takaragawa Onsen (¥1450, April to early December). Buses to Takaragawa Onsen also run from Minakami Station (¥1100, year-round).
Return to beginning of chapter
MITO
029 / pop 264,000
Capital of Ibaraki Prefecture and a one-time castle town, Mito is best known for Kairaku-en (; 244-5454; garden/Kobun-tei pavilion free/¥190; garden 6am-7pm Mar-Sep, 7am-6pm Oct-Feb, pavilion 9am-4.30pm). It’s one of the three most-celebrated landscape gardens in Japan; the other two are Kenroku-en Click here in Kanazawa and Kōraku-en in Okayama.
The 18-acre Kairaku-en dates back to 1842 when it was built by the daimyō of the Mito han (domain), a member of the clan of the Tokugawa shōgun. ‘Kairaku-en’ means ‘the garden to enjoy with people’, and it was one of the first gardens in the nation to open to the public.
The gardens remain popular for their 3000 ume (plum blossom) trees, some 100 varieties of which bloom in late February or early March. A plum-blossom festival takes place here around this time; contact the tourist office (232-9189) for dates. Other flowering trees (azaleas, camellias, cherry etc) make for impressive viewing in other seasons, and the hillside setting allows broad views. The three-storey pavilion Kobun-tei is a faithful 1950s reproduction of the daimyo’s villa (the original was destroyed during WWII).
From Tokyo, JR Jōban line trains depart from Ueno Station for Mito (tokkyū; ¥3510, 80 minutes); during the plum-blossom festival, connect by local train to Kairaku-en Station (¥180, five minutes), otherwise take a bus to Kairaku-en bus stop (¥230, 15 minutes) or walk (about 30 minutes) from the station’s south exit along the lake Senba-ko.
Return to beginning of chapter
WEST OF TOKYO
The western part of Tokyo-to (Tokyo Prefecture) and the surrounding region offer many rewarding outdoor activities, with cedar-lined hiking trails and bubbling hot springs. South and west of the capital are the scenic Fuji Go-ko region, Mt Fuji itself, the tourist mecca of Hakone, and the onsen and beach resorts of the Izu-hantō.
Return to beginning of chapter
GHIBLI MUSEUM
If you saw Spirited Away, by Miyazaki Hayao (or Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro and so on), you probably fell in love with its mythical themes, fanciful characters and outrageous landscapes. So did every kid in Japan, which means you need to arrange tickets long before you arrive at this museum (0570-055777; www.ghibli-museum.jp; 1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi; adult ¥1000, child ¥100-700; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon) of the work of Ghibli, Miyazaki’s animation studio (for more on Miyazaki see the boxed text). In Japan, tickets can only be had through Lawson convenience stores. See the museum’s website for details; you may need the help of a Japanese speaker when purchasing.
Exhibits cover the animation process from concept to screen (English-speaking docents are usually on hand, but don’t expect English labels). There’s a zoetrope presentation of a half-dozen Ghibli characters in motion, a mini-theatre presenting short films (in Japanese but easy enough to follow), a rooftop robot from Castle in the Sky and a gift shop.
The museum is in Tokyo’s Mitaka City. From the south exit of Mitaka Station on the JR Chūō line (from Shinjuku: ¥210, 17 minutes), follow the signs along the Tamagawa waterway for 15 minutes to Inokashira Park and turn right. Alternatively, a community bus (one way/return ¥200/300, approximately every 10 minutes) goes directly to the museum from the station.
Return to beginning of chapter
TAKAO-SAN
042
Easily reached from Shinjuku Station, gentle Takao-san is one of Tokyo’s most popular day trips. Although it’s often busy on weekends and