A January 6th article in the New York Times about where Americans would like to travel in 2015, listed Japan tied in 10th place. Two weeks later the Japan Times (Which is part of the New York Times publishing group) wrote about why foreigners do not visit Japan. The four top reasons were 1) bad publicity, which I agree with, 2) It is too far away and too expensive, 3) There is a language barrier, and 4) Japan is a cash society.
Worst case it is a 13- hour non-stop flight from the East Coast and only 7 hours from Seattle. The yen has held almost all year at 120 yen to the dollar, making it the best time to visit. Also, with a little research you can book good hotel rooms at a reasonable rate, purchase rail and air passes at huge discounts, and finally if you look where the Japanese are eating you will find very reasonable food. I have lived here for over two years and still cannot speak the language, but I find as in other countries I have visited it is not that hard to learn just a few of the essentials and most young people understand English enough for you to ask them questions. More and more places are now accepting credit cards and there are ATM’s at every convenience store.
With the bullet trains you can travel to out of the way places in a short period of time. One example is the Noto Peninsula. I had the opportunity to visit this area a few weeks ago. I am still amazed after six years of traveling Japan at how much this small country has to offer.
Noto Peninsula is part of Ishikawa prefecture on the Sea of Japan and can be reached by air, 1 hour from Tokyo or you can take a bullet train to Kanazawa the capital city in 2.5 hours and then another comfortable express train to Wakura in 1 hour.
If you remember visiting the South in the U.S. years ago there was a genuine hospitality when welcoming visitors, even us Yankees. Noto Peninsula has that same atmosphere. The people are very friendly and seem to enjoy their lives more than any other place I have visited in Japan. Oh, and they are mostly direct descendants of fisherman from “down south” in Kyushu.
So, what is there do and see in this remote place? For starters there are over 200 festivals a year, the most famous being the Kiriko Wajima Festival in late August.
Interested in hot springs? The Wakura Onsen area has been serving customers for 1200 years. This little town has many historic temples/shrines and some very nice parks with great views of the bay area.
If you travel by car or bus there is a road that has grooves cut in the payment and as you pass over them they play the theme from a famous TV drama that took place on the Peninsula. Not far from Wajima is the UNESCO cultural heritage site, Senmaida (terraced rice paddies).
While in Wajima you can visit the “Morning Market” with over 200 tents run almost entirely by women. You can buy Seafood, Veggies, Sweets, Souvenirs, and of course the famous Lacquer Ware products. Make sure to ask if they were made locally.
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