Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [240]
Wakasa Obama tourist information office (; 53-2042; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun, closed Sun Dec-Mar) is next to Obama Station. Bicycle rental (two/four/eight hours ¥300/500/1000), located by the station, makes an easy way to get around town.
Miketsukuni Wakasa Obama Food Culture Museum (; 53-1000; admission free; 9am-6pm) shows off the region’s food heritage with extensive displays (in Japanese) and occasional cooking demonstrations on the ground floor. Upstairs is a workshop where you can put the finishing touches on your own Wakasa-nuri (Wakasa lacquer) chopsticks (¥900) or imprint a design on a kawara (clay tile; ¥700). The sentō on the premises, Hama-no-yu (; with/without towel ¥800/600; 10am-midnight, closed 3rd Wed of month), offers views of the bay from the bath as well as from its restaurant Hama-tei (; mains ¥650-850; 11am-11pm). Look for negi-toro-don (fatty tuna and green onion over rice; ¥650) or the Hama-no-yu teishoku (¥850 with local saba).
Outside of the town centre are two important temples. The hilltop Haga-ji (; 52-4502; adult/child ¥400/200; 8am-5pm Mar-Nov, 9am-4pm Dec-Feb) traces its history to AD 716 and features a peace bell rung seven times at community celebrations, notably for the inauguration of the current US president. A 4km bike ride through rice fields from Higashi-Obama Station (¥180, five minutes), Myōtsū-ji (; 57-1355; adult/child ¥400/200; 8am-5pm Mar-Nov, 9am-4.30pm Dec-Feb) was established in AD 806 by a shōgun seeking to console the souls of those he defeated in war. The late-13th-century three-storey pagoda and hondō (main hall) are both National Treasures. Note: bicycles are not allowed on the train between the two stations, but rentals are available at both.
Obama is a stop on the JR Obama line from Tsuruga (futsū, ¥950, 65 minutes).
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Kansai
* * *
KYOTO
HISTORY
CLIMATE
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
SIGHTS
ACTIVITIES
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING
ENTERTAINMENT
SHOPPING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
SHIGA-KEN
ŌTSU
ISHIYAMA-DERA
MIHO MUSEUM
HIKONE
NAGAHAMA
NORTHERN KANSAI
MOROYOSE
TAKENO
KINOSAKI
TANGO-HANTŌ
AMANOHASHIDATE
MAIZURU
OSAKA
HISTORY
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING
ENTERTAINMENT
SHOPPING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
KŌBE
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
SIGHTS
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
HIMEJI
ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
SIGHTS
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
EATING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
NARA
HISTORY
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
SIGHTS
TOURS
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
AROUND NARA
TEMPLES SOUTHWEST OF NARA
AROUND YAMATO-YAGI
ASUKA
AROUND SAKURAI
YOSHINO
KII-HANTŌ
WAKAYAMA
KŌYA-SAN
SHIRAHAMA
KUSHIMOTO, SHIONO-MISAKI & KII-ŌSHIMA
NACHI & KII-KATSUURA
SHINGŪ
HONGŪ
YUNOMINE, WATARASE & KAWA-YU ONSEN
ISE-SHIMA
ISE
TOBA
AGO-WAN, KASHIKOJIMA & GOZA
SOUTH OF KASHIKOJIMA
* * *
Kansai is the heart of Japan. It is here that a truly distinctive Japanese culture came into being, and with it, those things that so many of us associate with Japan: ancient temples, colourful shrines and peaceful Zen gardens. Indeed, nowhere else in the country can you find so much of historical interest in such a compact area. And, since plenty of international carriers fly into Kansai International Airport, it is perfectly possible to make Kansai your first port of call in Japan.
Kansai’s major drawcards are Kyoto and Nara. Kyoto was the imperial capital between 794 and 1868, and is still considered by many to be the cultural heart of Japan. Nara predates Kyoto as an imperial capital and also has an impressive array of temples, burial mounds and relics.
Osaka is a great place to sample Japanese