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Prefecture Guide - Aomori
Okay Devon is back today with Japlanning's first prefecture guide! Starting with the Aomori prefecture right at the top of the main island of Japan.
Aomori prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Japan’s main island, Honshu. Located roughly 3 hours from Tokyo by train, Aomori City is situated on Mutsu Bay and is the main departure point for Hokkaido. Aomori prefecture is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site – it contains the world’s largest virgin forest of beech trees located in the Shirakami Mountains. With warm summers and cold winters, there’s plenty to do in every season.
Photo Credit - doctorhandshake
Japlanning The Menu - Okonomiyaki
It's time for another instalment of Japlanning the Menu, and today we are covering a specialty that, although devoured all over Japan, originates from Osaka. The delicious Okonomiyaki, or as you may know from your home town’s Japanese restaurant, "Japanese pancake".
It's a classic dish in Japan, and can be found all over the country, with over 30,000 restaurants serving the dish in Japan alone, it is definitely a dish that you want to try when in Japan.
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Guide to everyday Japan - Is it a toilet or a Playstation?
Today Japlanning are going down the toilet, literally. For first timers in Japan, one of the most confronting things you first experience is the modern Japanese toilet. With more buttons then a game controller, you might be a bit hesitant to press anything in fear of being sucked into a sub-world of Japan. Well, fear not, because today we’re going to explain the Japanese washlet toilet, and how to quickly fall in love with the most high tech seat you may ever put your bare bottom on.
So you’ve landed in Japan, and arrived at your nice business hotel in Tokyo or Osaka, and as a general rule we scope out our new digs. Lay on the bed, flick through the TV channels, check out the view, and check out the bathroom! Well this is when you get your first glimpse of the, at first glance, intimidating, Japanese washlet toilet.
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Coping with the Post Japan Blues
At Japlanning we talk a lot about upcoming travel and planning, what to do when your away in Japan, all the amazing food, sights and people. The anticipation of a trip can make any miserable day marvellous, however what happens when you return and the post holiday blues kick in? Today we're helping you with some great ideas to sooth the post-Japan holiday blues, and keep you on a happy high with your holiday memories.
No one wants to think of the after holiday times, right? We are all on such a high when planning and researching an impending jaunt to Japan, it’s what you live and breathe 24/7 on the days, even months leading up to the amazing journey. Then the actual trip is mind-blowing: you’re there, you made it, huzzah! However, eventually the dark times approach, and before you know they have engulfed you, and you’re back home and your holiday is but a mere memory, and the post holiday blues kick in.
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Photo Credit - Jark
Let's get it Onsen
Today we have a guest post from one of our intrepid team here at Japlanning, our American rep, Devon. Devon is here to give you the low down on how to go to a traditional Japanese Onsen: what to expect, and the right steps to follow so you can enjoy this ancient Japanese tradition on your next trip to Japan.
Take it from here Devon!
There is hardly anything more traditionally Japanese than the onsen! Onsens are technically the Japanese word for a hot spring, but can also be used to describe bath houses as well. They can either be indoor or outdoor and are often located at hotels or ryokans where you are able to spend the night. Due to Japan’s geothermal nature, onsens can be found all over the country. They have a high mineral content so are believed by many to have healing properties.
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