Super Cheap Hokkaido Book Review

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and is home to an abundance of unspoiled nature, hot springs and ski resorts, along with arguably some of the country’s best-kept culinary secrets. This northern wilderness attracts many fans of the outdoors with fantastic skiing and snowboarding in the colder months and hiking and camping in the summer months.

This often overlooked part of Japan might seem a little scary due to its sheer size but with the right travel guide, you’ll have no trouble in planning your long overdue trip to Hokkaido.

The Book’s Content 

Super Cheap Hokkaido is the ultimate budget travel guide for exploring Japan’s nature paradise on a shoestring budget. The travel guide covers Sapporo and Hokkaido Prefecture and the must see destinations such as Sapporo, Hakodate, Niseko, Furano, Otaru and Noboribetsu.

The book covers a wide range of money saving tips such as how to spend next to nothing drinking local beer in Sapporo, relax in free hot springs, spend a cheap day’s hiking in the mountains or where to find the best, inexpensive super fresh sushi and sashimi. It’s all here in this amazing travel guide.

Inside the book you will find:

Budget Food – comprehensive listings of low-cost restaurants, take-outs, cheap roadside stations and supermarkets.

Budget Shopping – all the best attraction discounts, free sample hot spots, 100 yen shops and tax-free shopping.

Colour Maps – ideal for budget travelers, making it easy and stress-free to get around.

Highlights and Itineraries – for those with rental cars or using discount train passes.

Cheap Accommodation – the best and cheapest hostels, family-friendly hotels, campsites, mountain lodges, capsule hotels and net cafes.

Travel Guides – all the major destinations are covered with Sapporo, Niseko, Furano, Otaru, Biei, Hakodate, Matsumae Castle, Daisetsuzan National Park, Lake Mashu, Shiretoko National Park, Abashiri and much more.

My View 

Why I really like the book? Like the other books in the Super Cheap series, Super Cheap Japan and Super Cheap Tokyo, it is compact and easy to use with all the information at your fingertips. I like how the book provides a quick guide on how to use it and how to save on your holiday before moving into the travel guide and covering the must see places.

The travel guides provide information on how to get around, discount passes and tickets, transportation maps, things to do, budget food, best places for shopping, recommended cheap accommodation and how to get there.

It is easy to use with colour maps making it easy and stress-free to get around. The maps use landmarks and walking routes to help get you around and include convenience stores, cheap supermarkets, 100-yen stores, budget accommodation and tourist information.

This book is perfect for backpackers, budget travelers, families on a tight budget, students and those of us who just want an amazing time, without blowing all their cash in a day.

About the Writer 

The author, Matthew Baxter is a British travel writer living in Tokyo. Having traveled across the country for more than a decade, without much money, he has built up an extensive knowledge of budget travel in the Land of the Rising Sun. He now writes professionally for several websites and publications, such as the Japan National Tourist Association, Japan Visitor and All About Japan. He is the author of Super Cheap Japan and Super Cheap Tokyo.

Super Cheap Hokkaido is all you’ll need for a fantastic budget friendly trip to Sapporo and Hokkaido. This book gives you some great money-saving tips all in an easy-to-use travel guide. Take the plunge and explore Japan’s northern frontier on your next trip.

Super Cheap Hokkaido is available now from Amazon.

Guest Post for Japan Australia

Japan Australia is looking for guest posters. If you are a blogger or content creator who is passionate about Japan travel and culture, we’d love to have you contribute an article to our website.

Japan Australia is one of the top expat blogs about Japan with a strong readership and following. We were recently included in the 25 Best Japan Blogs to Follow in 2019 by JapaneseUp, as well as being selected as one of the Top 15 Japan Travel Blogs, Websites & Newsletters to Follow in 2019 by Feedspot.

Joining the Japan Australia team, could be a great opportunity for you to get some exposure for your own blog and writing.

We are looking for the following:

1. Content on Japan travel, culture, food.
2. Well-written and high quality original articles.
3. Posts will need to be around 400 – 800 words.
4. Submitted in a Word document with 2-3 original or creative commons images in a zipped folder.

Please complete the Google Form to apply.

Thank you in advance and we look forward to receiving your applications.

John Asano

Japan Australia

The Best Places in Toyama Japan

Toyama is located in the Chubu Region of Central Japan along the Sea of Japan coast. Surrounded by tall mountains including some 3,000 meter peaks of the Northern Japan Alps, Toyama is home to spectacular nature, dynamic landscapes and tasty food. Toyama’s picturesque mountain-lined bay has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World.

This often overlooked tourist destination can boast some impressive attractions such as the remote village of Gokayama, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, Kurobe Gorge, an impressive scenic spot with natural hot springs and hiking routes, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a spectacular route through the Northern Japan Alps known as the ‘Roof of Japan’ and Toyama Castle which dates from the 15th century.

Gokayama | Photo by William Cho | Flickr

Seafood is the pride and joy of Toyama with fresh seafood caught off the Sea of Japan coast daily. If seafood is not your thing, give Toyama Black Ramen a try. This unique dark soy sauce based ramen has been taking the nation by storm.

Toyama is only 250km northwest of Tokyo, which is just over 2 hours by Shinkansen. Take a look at this short video from Japan Guide to inspire your next trip.

ALT/CIR Position in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture

If you are an Aussie looking for a wonderful opportunity to live and work in a beautiful part of Japan near Tokyo, please keep reading.

The Oyama City Office in Tochigi Prefecture just north of Tokyo is seeking Australian Nationals to work as ALT/CIR (Assistant Language Teacher and Coordinator of International Relations) for the city. They are looking to employ three Aussies for the position. In recent years, Oyama City has forged many strong links with Cairns in Australia, so ideally they are looking for someone from Cairns.

The position starting in August 2019 is a combined position that will involve working for 4 days at local schools in the city and one day at the city office per week. Tochigi is a stunning part of Japan, famous for its cultural heritage and breathtaking natural landscapes. If you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity, please visit the Oyama City Office website via the link below.

Oyama City has extended the application period and will now accept applications up until Friday, 31 May, 2019.

ALT/CIR Position in Oyama City https://www.city.oyama.tochigi.jp/soshiki/18/2726.html

Gyokuro Japanese Green Tea

May is the perfect time to experience Japanese green tea with spring being the harvest season and offering the much sought-after first harvest which is called, “Shincha” in Japanese.

We at Japan Australia have been big green tea fans for years. What’s not to like about this liquid gold with its great taste and amazing health benefits. Recently we were offered the chance to try some new green tea from The Japanese Green Tea Company, winner of the Global Tea Championship in both 2017 and 2018.


The Japanese Green Tea Company offers quality green tea from Japan that is grown using the chagusaba (茶草場) method, an ancient farming technique that relies on labour-intensive processes to enhance soil fertility in order to produce quality tea crops. This method has been practiced by farmers in Shizuoka, known for growing the finest green tea in Japan for centuries. Sugar cane and sugar syrup are also added to the soil to enrich, protect and revitalize the soil, which enhances the sweetness of the tea.

We chose to try Gyokuro (玉 露), a premium green tea that is grown in the shade with specially made mats to allow the caffeine levels to increase in the leaves. This technique produces a sweeter and stronger flavor tea, which is my kind of tea.

Gyokuro Japanese Green Tea

 

The Taste Test 

The tea leaves for Gyokuro are a darker green due to the cultivation process, which creates a beautiful emerald green coloured tea with a rich taste and aroma.

I sat down with some Kashiwa mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake filled with red bean paste and wrapped in an oak leaf, which is enjoyed on Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) here in Japan, and brewed a pot of tea in my Mino-yaki Kyusu (急須) traditional Japanese teapot.

How did it taste? The taste is crisp and strong with a nice aroma. This is definitely more mellow and sweeter than your regular sencha green tea and is not bitter at all. You get a slightly different taste after each steeping and this tea is something that you can enjoy two or three times with one serving of tea. The colour and aroma are like spring in a cup for me and perfect to enjoy with the warmer weather.

This is a great Japanese green tea to try for anyone who is new to Japanese green tea and is looking to try a quality green tea that is easy and mellow to drink and not bitter.

Premium Japanese Gyokuro Green Tea

 

The Health Benefits 

Gyokuro is great for anyone on a diet as it is high in polyphenol, catechin and EGCG, and reduces the absorption activity in the stomach. It has zero cholesterol and sodium levels. Gyokuro is rich in vitamins C and E with the added benefit of making your skin smooth and soft.

Green Tea has many health benefits

 

How to Order 

You can order your own Japanese green tea from The Japanese Green Tea Company website. Just mention that your are friends of Japan Australia by entering the coupon code of “JAPAN-AUSTRALIA” when you checkout on the site to receive a special 10% discount on top of the already 20% discount on offer.

A great starting point is The Champions Gift Set, which contains the 2018 and 2017 Global Tea Championship winning teas.

The Reiwa Era Japan

Welcome to the first day of the Reiwa Era! Today, May 1st, 2019 marks the start of a new imperial era in Japan with the first day of the Reiwa Era. In a day of celebration for Japan, Crown Prince Naruhito ascended to the chrysanthemum throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan in the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy.

April 30th, 2019 signaled the end of the Heisei Era with Emperor Akihito’s historic abdication bringing an end to the three-decade-long period. It is the first time in over 200 years that a living Emperor has abdicated in Japan. The Emperor’s advanced age and health concerns made it difficult for him to continue carrying out his official duties.

The Emperor expressed about 10 years ago his desire to one-day abdicate for his son, but it was impossible for him to do so with the current Imperial Household Law stating that the throne may only be succeeded upon the Emperor’s passing. The Japanese Diet (parliament) had to enact a special one-off law in June 2017 in order to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate.

Emperor Akihito shook up the Japanese monarchy by marrying a commoner and modernizing the imperial household, bringing it closer into line with the changes happening in society. He was seen as “The People’s Emperor” bringing the monarchy closer to the ordinary people, suffering the pain along with them as he and Empress Michiko visited disaster locations to offer their support and sympathy.

While we must say thank you and goodbye to the Heisei Era, we can welcome in the Reiwa Era. The name of the new era, Reiwa (令和), means “order and harmony” and is derived from the kanji (Chinese characters) from the Manyoshu, an eight-century (Nara Period) anthology of waka (classical Japanese poetry). It is the first time that a Japanese era name has had its characters taken from Japanese classical literature instead of classic Chinese literature.

"Reiwa" means "order and harmony"

The Heisei Era (8th January 1989 – 30th April 2019) brought with it peace and stability for the nation as well as a period of great technological advancement, but also some unprecedented lows such as the bursting of the “bubble economy”, an aging and shrinking population, and natural disasters (1995 Kobe Earthquake and the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami).

The new era is a time for the Japanese people to reminisce about the past and the hope that the new Reiwa Era will bring to Japan. It is a significant change, the passing from one generation to the other with the whole country excited about what the future will bring.

What are you looking forward to with the start of the new Reiwa Era? 

Image from Wikipedia: Yoshihide Suga announcing the new "Reiwa Era"

Golden Week in Japan 2019

Golden Week is a collection of four national holidays in Japan that are closely grouped together in the space of seven days from late April to early May to create a holiday period. This year in 2019, we have a special Golden Week period due to the abdication of the Emperor on April 30th, and the ascension to the throne of the new Emperor on May 1st, which will be made a national holiday.

Due to this change, April 30th and May 2nd will also become national holidays because according to the law, a day between two holidays also becomes a holiday. This creates an unprecedented 10-day consecutive holiday period in Japan from Saturday, April 27th to Monday, May 6th.

Golden Week and this period of time in Japan is a celebration of spring with a lot of cultural festivals and historical events taking place all over the country.

The Four National Holidays of Golden Week 

1. Showa Day (April 29) 

The first national holiday of Golden Week is Showa no Hi (昭和の日) or Showa Day, which is the birthday of the former Showa Emperor. It is a day to honour the birthday of the late emperor, as well as to remember the hard work and effort of the Japanese people in rebuilding their country during the turbulent Showa Era (1926 – 1989).

 2. Constitution Memorial Day (May 3) 

The second national holiday of Golden Week is Kenpou Kinenbi (憲法記念日) or Constitution Memorial Day. It is a day to commemorate the new Japanese constitution, which was put into effect on May 3, 1947.

3. Greenery Day (May 4) 

The third national holiday of Golden Week is Midori no Hi (みどりの日) or Greenery Day. It is a day to show appreciation for the environment and nature. It is the perfect time to head outdoors and enjoy the beautiful spring weather and fresh green leaves of the season.

4. Children’s Day (May 5) 

The last national holiday of Golden Week is Kodomo no Hi (こどもの日) or Children’s Day on May 5. It is a day for children in general, but is primarily for boys, as girls have their own day called Hina Matsuri on March 3. Children’s Day is a day to celebrate boys and to pray for their healthy growth. It’s a Japanese tradition for families with boys to celebrate this day by raising carp streamers (koinobori) outside their houses around this holiday. Carp are believed to symbolize successes in children’s lives. The black carp of koinobori represent the father, the red carp for the mother, and blue, green, purple or orange for the subsequent children.

Golden Week is one of the busiest travel periods in Japan with most tourist destinations extremely crowded and fully booked out. Airports and train stations are usually overflowing with people during this time and it can be very hard to get reservations for accommodation and transportation during Golding Week without booking months in advance. Many Japanese offices close for about a week to 10 days, depending on the calendar with many workers taking a vacation, traveling abroad or to a popular tourist destination in Japan.

The travel peak is anticipated for around April 27th this year with the return rush around May 6th.

What are your plans for Golden Week in Japan? Please leave your reply in the comments below.

Koinobori | Photo by Raneko | Flickr