And gambling? Who said gambling is illegal in Japan? Betting on horse races is not only legal, it is fully machine-automated. The Japan Racing Association (JRA) which runs it all is overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. You can bet either at the tracks, or remotely from a local Wins facility (http://jra.jp/facilities/wins.html) or even on a mobile app. The legal age to buy a ticket is 20, but with betting done on anonymous, automated machines I suspect the enforcement rate is less than perfect.

Kyoto Racecourse

Horse racing has the heart of its popularity with men over age forty. That much is clear from the very, very racy adult-video and adult-services ads found near the back of the horse racing “sports” newspapers sold at every single convenience store in the country. But that doesn’t stop groups of young girls, old ladies or even whole families from enjoying a day at the racetracks. Like going to a concert or baseball game, horse racing is a legitimate weekend excursion and if you don’t get carried away with betting, it’s also easily one of the most affordable all-day activities in the country (admission to a racetrack is a nominal 100 or 200 yen, depending on the location).

So, how accessible is keiba for foreigners? Obviously if you just want to enjoy the atmosphere and the races you don’t need to know a thing, but most people will want to bet at least a couple hundred yen.

Don’t expect much in the way of English signage or instructions, but to fill out the betting card, you’ll only need to recognize the sections of the betting card and a few key kanji terms, which I’ll explain here. There are a few different kinds of betting cards; I’ll introduce the easy one.

Location

You must specify which racetrack’s race you want to bet on. This is necessary because on a given weekend, either two or three of these locations will be having races. You’re not limited to betting on the races at your current course and there are plentiful monitors with constant live coverage of any other locations running races. The locations as listed are:

• 中山 – Nakayama (Funabashi, Chiba prefecture)
• 東京 – Tokyo
• 京都 – Kyoto
• 阪神 – Hanshin (near Kobe)
• 福島 – Fukushima
• 新潟 – Niigata
• 中京 – Chukyo (near Nagoya)
• 小倉 – Kokura (northern Kyuushu)
• 札幌 – Sapporo
• 函館 – Hakodate

There are also many “local” (地方 – chihou) race courses scattered around Japan, but they’re quite a bit smaller-scale than the major courses listed above. Horses that do well in the local races have a chance to move up to the major locations, so it’s kind of like the minor league of horse racing. In some cases you can bet remotely from the local courses but not vice versa.

Race Number

A day of racing consists of 12 races, starting at about 9am and ending at about 4pm. Races 1~6 are typically for younger horses and not a particularly big deal. The big races start after lunch. Race 11 is usually reserved for the day’s finest horses and biggest prize.

Bet Types

Here you specify the type of bet that you are making, which will apply to all bets made on the same side of the card (on the back of the card you can specify the same type again or a different one). If you’re new to betting the types can be quite confusing, but you’re certainly not required to know all of them. Just pick a one or two types that you like.

• 単勝 – tanshou – Win (choose the horse to finish in 1st place)
• 複勝 – fukushou – Place/Show (choose a horse to finish 2nd or 3rd )
• 単+複 – tanpuku – Win, Place or Show (choose a horse to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd )
  • This is a convenience option to buy both 単勝 and 複勝 at the same time. It is still considered two bets so if your bet amount is 100 yen, it’ll cost 200.
• 枠連 – wakuren – A “frame” bet. Chose the frames of the 1st and 2nd place horses in any order.
  • Horses in a race are divided into “frames”, typically of two horses, and they share a color. So for example frame 1 would usually mean horse 1 and 2, frame 2 would be horse 3 and 4 and so on. This option is not particularly popular.
• 馬連 – baren – Choose the two horses to finish in 1st and 2nd place. (Quinella)
• 馬単 – batan – Choose the two horses to finish in 1st and 2nd place, in order. (Exacta)
• ワイド – “Wide” – Choose two horses to finish in the top three.
• ３連複 – sanrenpuku – Choose the top three horses in any order. (Trio)
• ３連単 – sanrentan – Choose the top three horses in order. (Trifecta)

Of course, the specificity of the bet and the odds of the particular horse determine the payout. 100 yen on a 複勝 of a popular (low odds) horse is very likely to win, but you’ll barely get your money back. On the other hand, a ３連単 of high odds horses could turn your 100 yen into 100,000 or more (lottery-like returns mean lottery-like chances).

Horse Numbers

This is where you choose horses to bet on. Depending on your bet type, you will mark up to 3 horses per row. Because this is the simple card, you can only make one bet in each of the four rows on this side, and they must all be the same bet type.

Bet amount

Be very careful not to make a mistake here. Choose a number and then a factor.

万円 – 10,000 yen
千円 – 1,000 yen
百円 – 100 yen

So to bet 300 yen you would fill in the 3 and the 百円 box.

Cancel bet

If you made a mistake or changed your mind and want to cancel a specific bet but still use the card, check this box.

Here’s an example of a completed betting card:

This card would bet a total of 300 yen, 200 on horse #5 to win, and 100 on horse #15. Notice how the 200 yen bet on horse #15 is canceled.

Once you’ve finished your betting card, using the machine is a breeze. It might look a little confusing but here’s the breakdown (machines can vary slightly from location to location):

Insert money → Insert betting card →　Machine does the rest

The only caveat is that if you don’t give it exactly the right amount of money, you need to press that green 精算 button to let the machine know you’re done and want your change.

If you made a mistake on your betting card, the machine will beep and spit it back out at you, which can be confusing. However, worry not because helpful attendants are quick to come to your rescue even if you don’t press the call button.

If everything worked correctly, your betting card will disappear forever but that’s okay because you can’t claim with it anyway. Just don’t forget to take your ticket! Which will look something like this ↓

If you win, you can insert your ticket into the appropriately-sized slot of any machine marked for 払い戻し (haraimodoshi – “payout”) to get your winnings.

Other considerations when visiting the racetracks

There will be a food court, maybe some in-facility restaurants and probably outdoor food trucks/stalls or bento vendors, but prices are above average (not gouging, though) and the food is not particularly mouth-watering, so consider bringing food or drink from the outside (race courses allow you to bring in whatever you want, even beer).

Similar to doing hanami in the park, it’s common to bring a small tarp to sit on, especially on crowded days (= days with G1 races). Once you’re set up, you may come and go from your tarp freely and can reasonably expect other spectators to respect the area as taken–hooray for Japanese courtesy. You’ll notice that almost all actual seats are either in use or have some newspaper or something on them; a seat with anything on it (usually an unattended keiba newspaper) is considered taken.

Speaking of newspapers, if you can read some Japanese and are not adverse to a few nipples, consider picking up one of the horse racing newspapers from a convenience store before you go. The cheaper papers run about 140 yen and contain lots of information on the horses and predictions from “experts”. You’ll get the most out of this if you have someone with you to explain what all the data means, though.

Although about as reliable as spinning a cucumber to decide which horse will win, newcomers to horse racing generally take notice of the expert’s marks in the newspaper, which include:

◎ : favored to win
○ : also has a good chance to win

Any other symbol (△▲×☆, etc) basically means the same thing: the horse could conceivably win, but is seen as less likely than the horses marked with ◎ or ○. There is no bad mark, so any mark is better than none at all.

Useful links

JRA homepage: http://japanracing.jp/en/go-racing/jra-racecourses/index.html
JRA official english betting guide: http://japanracing.jp/en/go-racing/jra-howtobet/pdf/how_to_bet_en.pdf

And that’s all you need to know to become a Japanese horse racing addict!

I’m joking, of course. Just like going to a casino you should play to have fun, not to make money and keep yourself under control.

I bet you’ve heard Japan is an expensive country. In many ways it is, but not everything has to cost you an arm and a leg. In this article, I give some of my favorite tips to either save money in Japan, or to get more out of your money.

Get Cheap Airfare

I won’t go into this too much since saving on airfare is a general thing, not a Japan thing. If you’re looking for how to save on airfare, I’m sure there’s a ton of other articles out there. I will share a couple of tidbits from my own experience, however.

Delta and Air Canada have handy price grids showing the cost of the ticket a few days before and after the specific dates you search. The cost variation can be very significant. Knowing which days are cheaper is good info, even if you end up flying on another airline.

Also, I’ve found that airfare aggregation sites like Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity are good as a starting point for your search, but you’re usually able to get the same ticket for cheaper if you buy it directly from the airline.

Get a Good Exchange Rate

Japan is still largely a cash-based society, meaning your average restaurant or souvenir shop will not take a credit card; plan to use cash for almost everything. Worry not, though, since Japan is also probably the safest country in the world to walk around with a load of cash.

However, if possible (and if your credit card offers a fair exchange rate) it’s a good idea to pay for your lodging with your card. This is primarily because you will need cash for just about everything else.

The best way fill your wallet with yen in Japan is to exchange cash at the airport right after you arrive. There are ATMs at post offices and convenience stores that allow you to access cash, but you won’t beat the airport rate by more than a percent.

In the US, we have the perception that everything is a rip-off at airports, but in the case of Japan this is actually the most convenient and reasonable place to convert your currency. Check out the current rates you’ll get at Narita airport here: http://www.narita-airport.or.jp/exchange_e/ and if you want to have a good laugh, call your bank and ask them what rate you would get if you ordered JPY from them.

Weekly/Monthly Mansions

(Note: in Japan, the term “Mansion” (マンション) is synonymous with apartment. It certainly does NOT mean “big fancy estate with a butler, swimming pool and two tennis courts”)

There are companies that will rent living space on either a weekly or monthly basis, referred to as ウィークリーマンション or マンスリーマンション, respectively. Primarily, these companies cater to Japanese clients who are temporarily transferred to a job location that is too far from their home to commute. However, many of these companies will also rent rooms to foreigners if the foreigner in question either 1) displays adequate mastery of Japanese to be a signing party to a contract or 2) has a Japanese guarantor who will sign for them.

How much can you save here? Last year, I rented a “mansion” for 1 month (including Golden Week, a time when hotel prices often double or triple) in Nagoya for $1050, so basically $36/day (it was a very small one-room apartment). At that price, alternative options would include hostels, capsule hotels or very questionable business hotels. I’ll take the private apartment, please.

Another big bonus to weekly/monthly rentals is that they’re usually equipped with some basic equipment like a refrigerator, hot water pot, rice cooker, microwave and stove top. Many will rent extras such as bicycles upon request (I rented one for about $35).

If you’ve got the Japanese skills or a good Japanese friend to help you, here’s some sites to get you started:

• http://www.good-monthly.com/
• http://www.leopalace21.com/
• http://www.monthly-mansion.com/
• http://atinn.jp/ (this is where I rented from, because they specialize in Nagoya-area monthly/weekly rentals)

Rent a SIM Card or Portable Wi-fi

Depending on your carrier and plan, staying connected in a foreign country can cost a ton. But if you’re flexible, you can pull it off for a lot less than you might think.

For my trip last year, I took an unlocked Galaxy S3 and swapped in a rented SIM card from eConnect Japan. Naturally, while I was in Japan people couldn’t call me at my USA number, but I don’t get any meaningful phone calls anyway. The SIM card cost me $50 for 1 GB of data to use over 30 days. That’s plenty to do everything I usually do on the internet (email, a few Skype calls, Line, maps, web browsing, train searching), and the speed/connectivity is better than I was used to getting back home.

If you’ve got a phone that’s locked to your carrier or also need to use the internet on other devices, your best option will probably be a portable Wi-Fi point.

Japan Rail Pass

Many of you probably already know about the legendary Japan Rail Pass, but this article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning it, so here goes…

If you plan on leaving your arrival city in Japan, you should definitely look into the Japan rail pass. It gives you the freedom to get on and off of whatever JR trains you want (including the Hikari and Kodama bullet trains) at whatever stations you want. In other words, you get almost* free roam of Japan’s amazing rail system.

*: just note that it only works on trains which are operated by Japan Rail. That excludes many intra-city trains (especially subways, which are mostly city-run) and some off-the-beaten-path rural train lines.

It’s glorious freedom, a huge money saver, and hassle saver too since you just show your pass to the station attendant and they’ll let you through the wickets; very VIP treatment. You only ever need to line up to reserve a seat, which is a good idea for long trips or during busy hours, but in many cases you’ll have no problem finding an open seat even on the bullet trains.

Not convinced yet? Here’s some math: the JR pass costs approximately $550 for 3 weeks. If you go round-trip from Tokyo to Osaka twice, you’ve basically gotten your investment back.

Here’s the link to get you started: http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html

Save on Food and Drink

Food might be the thing people underestimate the most when they plan their travel expenses for any country. This is especially true with Japan because everything is so goddamn delicious. Here’s some tips that I came up with to keep my food budget down, which served me well when I was actually living there but could also help out a tight-budgeted traveler:

1. Buy a jar of Nescafe instant coffee for your mornings. A typical Japanese mom-and-pop cafe charges $2-3 for a cup of coffee (it comes in one size: small) and you won’t get refills. And get it at a supermarket if you can, not a convenience store; the prices are usually very different.
2. Supermarket bento (boxed meals) are a great deal, and most supermarkets start discounting their bento 20-50% after a certain time, usually 7 or 8 o’clock at night. Find your nearest supermarket and figure out how to take advantage of this.
3. Onigiri (rice balls, usually with some kind of filling) are delicious, cheap and satisfying. The ones you get at convenience stores aren’t bad, but keep an eye out for an actual onigiri shop. A real onigiri is twice as large and three times as delicious as a convenience-store knockoff, and still usually costs less than 200 yen.
4. Inari sushi. If you have tried them in the US and didn’t like them, I urge you to try them again in Japan. Like onigiri, these are a low cost way to fill your stomach and can be addictively delicious if they’re made well (in Japan, they usually are).
5. Japanese instant noodles are on a whole different level compared to the garbage they peddle to us in the US. It’s almost insulting. Buy a Nissin noodle cup, try it, and cry uncontrollably when you discover just how delicious your college years could have been but weren’t.

Bring Back Stuff to Sell

Put your spare suitcase space to good use! Traveling to Japan means you get to bring some stuff back without paying for shipping. You have to do some research and shopping around, but it’s very possible to do things like buy a Nintendo 3DS in Japan for $100, bring it back and sell it on eBay for $150 (the 3DS is easy to sell because it is region-locked, so gamers need an imported one in order to play Japanese games). Japanese PS3/PS4 games are good for the opposite reason (because the hardware is NOT region-locked, the games can be played normally even on non-Japanese hardware).

Of course if you come home with 10 of the same device or game in your suitcase, there’s a chance that customs will look upon that suspiciously, so don’t overdo it. lol

Do you have any money tips for traveling in Japan? If so, feel free to leave a comment! ^^

What’s special about Amanohashidate?

The main attraction is of course that long, straight sandbar that stretches straight across the bay. You’ll want to check out the view from Kasamatsu Park, which is the scenic point on the end opposite from where the train station is; the view is the one you see most often on post cards, pamphlets and such, and getting there is half the fun.

But it’s the plus-alpha elements that really sold me on Amanohashidate. First of all, it’s not overcrowded. I suppose that’s the upside of a location that’s a little hard to access. So many tourist spots around Japan are so extremely dense, lines are long and you just feel rushed. You’re by no means alone in Amanohashidate, but you can explore at your own pace and really have room to breathe.

There’s a bunch of fun little things to see and do as you tour the area, too. I highly recommend renting a bicycle for the day to get across and back. The ski-lift-style ride up to and down from the overlook is tranquil and adorable, and at the top there’s a hoop that people try to throw clay discs through, great for children and inner children alike. (but I’ll warn you it’s much more difficult than it looks)

It’s interesting to watch all the people bending over to see the view upside-down; supposedly looking at it this way makes it seem like the peninsula is ascending through the sky to heaven. Sure, you could just turn a post-card upside down, but where’s the fun in that?

Of course there are cute tourist shops too. Preserved porcupine fish seem to be a popular souvenir. And there’s a shop that specializes in Japanese (grape) wine, which you don’t usually see a lot of even in Japan. Naturally, there’s nice temple (Chionji) before you cross and a nice shrine (Kono) on the far side which keep the traditional Japanese travel atmosphere alive.

Getting there and back

If you’re starting from Kyoto/Osaka or even Nagoya (provided you take the shinkansen to Kyoto), you can do Amanohashidate as a day trip, but if your base of operations is in Tokyo, you’d better make it an overnighter. Day-trippers should also be advised against trying to walk the sandbar; definitely go for the bicycle.

The 2-hour-long somewhat scenic train ride starts from Kyoto station. If you buy your tickets normally (don’t have a JR pass), there isn’t a problem. But if you’re traveling with a JR pass, note that it only gets you as far as Fukuchiyama station, after which you’ll need 1520 yen each way (but you won’t need to change trains, just pay the attendant that comes through the cabin).

Trains to Amanohashidate leave about once every hour before noon, so no problem there. However, be sure to get a reserved seat ticket and make it clear you’re going to Amanohashidate. Why? The train will split at Ayabe station, and you need to be on the correct train car.

On your return, the train you want is the JR Limited Express Hashidate #10 (JR特急はしだて１０号), which departs Amanohashidate at 18:46. That link is in Japanese but isn’t too hard to figure out, “天橋立” (the top of the station list) is Amanohashidate and “京都” (Kyoto) is at the bottom.

If you miss that train, your route back to Kyoto becomes much more confusing, so don’t. Note that this schedule might have changed by the time your read this article, so be sure to double-check before you go.

After leaving the station, it’s about a 3-minute walk to the sightseeing zone. You need to go right for a short distance and then make a 135° left turn, where you’ll enter a nice pedestrian street with touristy shops and restaurants (you’ll want to rent your bicycle from somewhere around here). There’s a map at the bottom of this post to help you figure it all out. Most of the other people who got off the train with you will be headed that direction too.

Tips for visiting Amanohashidate

• Don’t plan too far in advance. Good weather is a requirement for enjoying Amanohashidate. If they’re forecasting rain, cut your losses and try again another time.
• In warm weather seasons, consider bringing a swimsuit!
• There’s a small onsen (public bath house/hot spring) facility right next to the station that’s great for washing off sweat and/or salt water after a day of play or just killing some time and relaxing while you wait for your train. And if you ask, the station attendants will give you a coupon for a small discount at the onsen.
• There’s two major scenic points to view the sandbar from, one (Mt. Moju) is on the same side as the station, but the one I recommend (Kasamatsu Park) is on the opposite side of the bay. The view isn’t necessarily any better, but getting there is so much fun!
• Find a place that rents bicycles for all-day (終日: shuujitsu) use, many of the rentals are for 2.5 or 3 hours, which is enough time if you know what you’re doing but not quite enough to really relax and explore. I rented my all-day bicycle from the wine shop for about 500 yen (sorry, I don’t remember the exact price). There was no id check or paperwork or anything, and it’s easy enough to find an appropriate place to park your bike before going up the lift on the other side. I left mine with a bunch of other bicycles at the entrance to Kono shrine.
• Bring a bento (buy it in Kyoto)! You’ll probably arrive right around lunchtime and are unlikely to come across any better location or opportunity for a picnic anywhere in Japan. The sandbar is a park and there are tables and seating to use as you walk or bike across. Or you can just set up wherever you like on the grass or sand. And yes, there are even garbage cans! (if you’re in Japan or have ever been, you know finding a receptacle can be a nightmare)
• After going up on the lift (I only recommend the cable car if you can’t lift your feet, since you need to do this at a couple points on the ascent), you can optionally hike up further or take a bus to Kasamatsu Temple. I skipped the temple, but am told it’s quite a hike; unless you’ve got a room in town for the night you’re probably better off with the bus.

Map

Click to enlarge.

The leading whisky producer in Japan is Suntory, which operates two distilleries: Yamazaki (山崎: the oldest distillery in Japan) and Hakushu (白州). The former is located in Osaka prefecture, an easy train ride from either Osaka or Kyoto, and the latter is located in Yamanashi prefecture, a considerably more remote and rural location.

Yamazaki

Yamazaki is Suntory’s flagship whisky, which is widely available in Japan everywhere from izakayas to convenience stores. The Yamazaki distillery has access to some of the best water in Japan and utilizes 12 stills (six for the first distilling and six for the second), each with a different design; this is a large number compared to most Scottish distilleries and means they can produce many different variations of “new make” (the colorless spirit that goes into casks for aging).

Like most other distilleries, imported oak casks which were previously used once to age bourbon are used to mature most of the whisky, but Yamazaki also utilizes exotic casks including sherry, Japanese oak (mizunara) and umeshu (plum liquor) casks. The latter is used to age whisky found in my personal favorite: Hibiki (a blended whisky).

Other producers in Japan

Nikka is another company that makes some excellent Japanese whisky, notably Yoichi (余市) and Taketsuru (竹鶴: named after the company’s founder and one of the original Japanese whisky masters). Nikka has two distilleries; one in Sendai and another in Hokkaido. They are exclusively a whisky company, whereas Suntory is diversified into all kinds of beverages.

Kirin produces a whisky called Fuji Sanroku (富士山麓), the distillery being located at the foot of Mt. Fuji.

In addition, there are a number of other smaller, local distilleries around Japan, but the lion’s share of the market is dominated by the brands mentioned in this blog (especially Suntory).

Touring a Japanese distillery

As a fan of Suntory’s lineup, I recently traveled out to Yamazaki to take a tour of their facilities. It’s a quick and easy train ride from either Osaka or Kyoto and about a 5-7 minute walk from the station. Although a good understanding of Japanese will make the tour much more informative, the distillery does offer English-language accommodation in the form of a headset with numbered recordings and an English pamphlet.

There is a free guided tour which is available daily throughout the year. At the end, you get to sample some of the regular Yamazaki single malt (not the premium aged stuff). If you go through the Japanese-language site, you’ll find various seminars that are offered throughout the year. These seminars offer additional content and usually a wider variety for the tasting portion, but expect to pay a bit for these (about 1500 yen).

If all you want to do is try some of Suntory’s fine whiskys, you don’t need a tour or seminar. Just head to the gift shop and you’ll find a tasting counter where you can order a 15ml splash of anything they offer. Prices mostly range from 100 to 500 yen for a tasting, but some of the high end whiskys go up to 2400 yen (Yamazaki/Hakushu 25-year, Hibiki-30 year). You can also taste a wide selection of non-Suntory brands like Macallan and Glenfiddich, even Canadian whiskys and American Bourbon.

Getting Japanese Whisky Outside of Japan

The difficulty of obtaining Japanese whisky outside of Japan is a problem I pray will be resolved soon. Last December, I was overjoyed to see Hibiki 12-year at my local CostCo, but it has since disappeared.

Perhaps that will soon change. Japanese whisky has been featured recently on TV news and business programs, and last year Suntory purchased Jim Beam, which could expand their options for international distribution.

On a side note…

Booze in Japan is uber-cheap! I’m talking half-price or less of what you would pay in the US. Check out these numbers!!! (Note that the standard bottle size in Japan is 700ml, which is a shot smaller than the 750ml bottles which probably populate your local liquor store)

You want a bottle of black label? That’ll be $20. Gold label? 45 bucks! …somebody pinch me! Scotch seems to be the best value relative to US prices, but vodka and rum are also very affordable. These pictures were taken at the Nagoya station Bic Camera, which was the cheapest retailer I found. Other locations tended to be 10-15% more expensive.

So remember this: if you’re traveling to Japan, don’t bother picking up any scotch at the airport duty-free shop. You’re almost certainly better off buying it in Japan.

How much duty-free liquor can you take home from Japan?

In the case of the US or Canada, you’re allowed 1.14 liters (= 40 ounces) of spirits. I brought back a 700ml, two 180mls and two 50ml minis for a total of 1.16 liters. Close enough.

For the record, if you’re a beer person you could bring back a 24-pack, or you oenophiles can take 1.5 liters (two regular bottles) of wine. However, you only get to bring one kind of liquor with you; spirits OR beer OR wine.

If you’re in another country and happen to know what the limit is, please leave a comment for others.

Well, that’s all for this post, thanks for reading. And now… 乾杯! (Cheers!)

Should you forget you are in Japan’s very own ‘hell on earth’ the tourist staff will be happy to remind you with their uniforms which read “毎日が地獄です。 – “Everyday is hell.”

Beppu city is located in Oita prefecture on the island of Kyushu. It is an area of high geothermal activity with eight geothermic hotspots, referred to as ‘the Eight Hells of Beppu’.

If you visit Beppu the Eight Hells are a must see. They are all except for two located in the same area and are within walking distance of one another. You can pay 500 yen to enter each individually but the best way to see all eight hells is to buy a day ticket for 2,000 yen. Each hell is different and has its own unique features.

Shiro Jigoku

The first hell you will likely come to is called Shiro Jigoku or ‘the white hell’. It is one of the more serene geothermic pools featured at Beppu with light blue water and a peaceful Japanese garden.

Umi Jigoku

The second hell is called Umi Jigoku, it is a pond of strikingly blue water, as the word Umi means ocean or sea. The cobalt blue water is offset nicely by the red gate of the inari (good luck) shrine next to it.

Oniishibozu Jigoku

Oniishibozu Jigoku is the third hell, it features a series of boiling mud pools, each a different shade of grey. The popping bubbles are said to resemble the bald heads of demons. Hence the name oniishibozu.

Kamado Jigoku

The fourth hell is known as Kamado Jigoku. As you enter the first thing you will see is a bright read demon standing atop of a giant cooking pot. The more tamable geothermal springs around here were used by people for cooking and also for medicinal reasons. Visitors are recommended to thrust their face into the steam to relieve blocked noses, sore throats or eye allergies.

Oniyama Jigoku

Oniyama Jigoku is the fifth hell. This area is half a zoo, half a geothermal hot spring. You can look at the bubbling pools of geothermal water on your right then turn your head to see crocodiles and hippos in cages on your left.

Tatsumaki Jigoku

The sixth hell called Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser that erupts every 15 minutes or so. Both Tatsumaki Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku are situated some distance from the other hells and it will require a short 10 minute bus ride to get to them.

Chinoike Jigoku

The seventh hell Chinoike Jigoku translates to ‘The bloody pond’. Looking at the photo below it is easy to see how it got its name.

Kinryu Jigoku

Kinryu Jigoku, the Golden Dragon hell was closed for maintenance during my visit. However, should you enter you will be treated by a giant dragon spewing boiling steam from its mouth.

So, no matter what you preference there’s a hell for you in Beppu. To get there you can take the bullet train from Tokyo or Osaka and ride it down to Fukuoka city then transfer to a local train that will take you to Beppu. Another method is to fly straight into Beppu or if you want to take your time a third option could be to take an overnight cruise ship from Osaka and arrive in Beppu recharge and ready to go first thing in the morning. However you choose to go, Beppu City is a must see in Japan.

Map of Beppu’s Hells

Here is a (Japanese-language) map showing visitors how Beppu’s “Hells” are situated:

What I like to do at Nihonshock, though, is introduce people to new things. So I’m writing my first “travel” article on a place you’ve probably not heard of, and which is well off the beaten trail: Gujo-Hachiman (郡上八幡).

Gujo-Hachiman is a small town nestled in the mountains of Gifu prefecture, right smack in the middle of Japan. What makes this town unique is not only it’s beautiful scenery, but a castle on a steep mountainside with a stunning view, an “old-style town” (古い町並み) that is a pleasant walk, a pristine river that runs through the town, and a certain very unique product that the town is known for.

Gujo Castle

I’ve gotta start with the castle. It’s a smaller castle, and I’m not a history fanatic so I didn’t read the pamphlet too closely, but the view from the top may well be the best of any castle in Japan.

To get to the castle is a 20-30 minute hike from the bus stop, but you can drive to the top if you’ve got car (small car preferable, also required: above-average driving skill). It’s a steep trip but well worth it if the weather’s decent. Admission is 300 JPY.

The Walk Around Town

The castle is impressive, but in my opinion the fun part of Gujo-Hachiman is footing the downtown tour. There are numerous interesting shops and and no shortage of things to look at, not the least of which is the Yoshida river (吉田川), which is so clean you could probably drink from it.

The walk takes between an hour and two hours, depending on how long you browse shops and excluding any stops for meals.

Disclaimer: Nihonshock does not recommend drinking the river water… no matter how beautiful and mouth-wateringly delicious it looks.

Food samples

And the icing on the cake for Gujo-hachiman visitors is food samples/replicas (食品サンプル); the town is famous for them. If you haven’t been to Japan, you might not know what they are. Food samples are super-realistic replicas of actual food dishes, which you can commonly find displayed in front of restaurants in Japan to attract customers.

The detail and craftsmanship that goes into them is astounding, and they make perfect souvenirs (they come as keyrings, magnets, or just plain decorations). As you can see in the picture at right, I made sure to stock up on these before I came back from Japan.

There’s about 3 or 4 good places to shop for food samples along the walk, and the big touristy-place near the plaza even offers demonstrations of how some of it is made.

Note: all of the above pictures are NOT EDIBLE. Evil, isn’t it?

Getting to Gujo-Hachiman

As the title of this blog states, it’s off the beaten path to get here. But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?

Coming from Tokyo or Kyoto/Osaka, you’ll have to go through Nagoya. I think you can figure out how to find Nagoya on your own, so I’ll basically start my directions from there. (All prices and times are 1-way)

Train Directions:

• First you need to get to Mino-Ota (美濃太田) station.
  • Cheap way from Nagoya: take the JR Chuo line (中央線) to Tajimi (多治見), then at Tajimi transfer to the Ota line (太田線). 40+30 minutes, 950 JPY.
  • First-class way from Nagoya: Take the “Wide-view” Hida express train. No transfer required. 40 minutes + 2770 JPY.
  • If you are in or can get to Gifu, take the Takayama Main Line from there (高山本線): 33 minutes + 480 JPY.
• At Mino-Ota, transfer to the Nagara-gawa railway (長良川鉄道) and take it to Gujo-Hachiman station. 83 minutes + 1320 JPY.
• Take the community bus “mame-bus” (郡上八幡コミュニティバス「まめバス」) for 10-15 minutes to Jouka-machi Plaza (城下町プラザ). 100 JPY.
  • Note that this bus operates in a kind of weird loop, and there are buses that go both directions. It’s 10-15 minutes one way and double that the other, so it’s confusing but you’ll want to get it right.
  • Station to Plaza: Take the :15 RED or :45 BLUE bus
  • Plaza to Station: Take the :00 RED or :34 BLUE bus
  • Buses run 8am through 5pm, but end an hour earlier in winter-time (October through May) and on Sundays/holidays.
  • The buses also start an hour later on Sundays/holidays.
  • Here’s a link to the complete bus information, unfortunately in Japanese only.

Yes, the train trip takes a while, but you’re going through the countryside so you’ll get some great views along the way. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

And here’s a couple Jorudan (excellent train information site) links for good measure.

• Nagoya to Gujo-Hachiman route information (Japanese only)
• Jorudan English site (search isn’t linkable, you’ll have to input it yourself)

Map of the area

I made up a map to help you. The red dot is the Plaza (where you’ll get off the bus). Note that the train station is further down and to the left, well off the map.

• The blue line is the approximate path to walk up to the castle.
• The red line is my suggested walking path through town.
• The purple lines are a couple nice little detours to consider.

External Links

• Gujo wikipedia page
• Gujo-Hachiman on Google Maps
• Gujo-Hachiman city page (+ English version)
• Gujo-Hachiman on Japan-guide.net

And you probably won’t have time to try everything, either (I lived there for 4 and a half years and still didn’t try everything!). So I’m writing this blog post to help you make sure you have your bases covered.

I won’t bother recommending things like sushi that I know you’re going to eat anyway. This list includes 5 foods that I suspect people might overlook, but which should not be missed.

1. Curry Rice (カレーライス)

Beef-katsu curry with cheese. (Price range: 600-1000 JPY)

I never had curry (of any kind) before going to Japan. Yep, 22 wasted years; sad, isn’t it? If you try nothing else on this list while you are in Japan, you absolutely MUST try Japanese curry and rice.

It has a rich, bold flavor, completely unique from any Indian or Thai curry, and is hands-down the most comforting and satisfying food I have ever had the joy of experiencing.

While curry can be found at many different restaurants (the flavor is always slightly different), I prefer the feisty yet smooth curry at the chain restaurant Coco Ichibanya, where you can customize your curry with different amounts of rice, different spice levels (hint: start with a 2 or 3 max. anything over 4 is nuclear), and a wide variety of toppings.

Coco Ichibanyas also are generally equipped with an English menu (you might have to ask for it), so you have absolutely no excuse not to try it. NONE!

2. Unagi (鰻)

Price range: 800-1800 JPY

Unagi is eel, and is considered something of a luxury dish in Japan. It has a very soft consistency, and is glazed in what my limited gastronomical vocabulary can only describe as a kind of teriyaki sauce.

Unagi-don (unagi served on bowl of rice) is probably the most common way you’ll see it served, but it’s also great as sushi (even on sushi, unagi is still cooked and glazed).

And note, even if you’ve had unagi in your home country in an Asian restaurant somewhere, I encourage you to try it in Japan again. In my experience unagi outside of Japan is comparatively disappointing.

3. Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen (Price range: 600-900 JPY)

Miso Ramen (Price range: 600-900 JPY)

When I first got to Japan, I was surprised by how many young Japanese told me their favorite food was ramen. I thought, “Really? That cheap, flavorless noodle in a bowl of salt water? You’ve got to be kidding me.” …then I tried Japanese ramen, and begged to be forgiven for the sin of ignorance.

Not only are the noodles and broth incalculably superior to Top Ramen and Maru-chan, Japanese ramen is loaded with goodies like bean strouts, bamboo shoots, beef and pork.

There is a variety of different flavors/styles you’ll find ramen in. Shoyu (醤油: soy sauce) ramen is the “basic” style. Tonkotsu (豚骨: pig bone) is flavored with pork and has an opaque white broth. My personal favorite is Miso (味噌) ramen (spicy if available).

4. Shabu-shabu

Shabu-shabu (Price range: 2000-4000 JPY per person)

Shabu-shabu is one of the “communal” foods in Japan, typically eaten by a group of people to mark some occasion or get-together (you won’t find anyone eating shabu-shabu alone).

Basically, the restaurant brings out very thin strips of beef and pork, and you cook them by boiling them in a pot of water provided at the table.

But this food is something of a mystery to me. The mystery being the question of why it’s so damn good. The meat? Looks like they didn’t do anything to it. The water? Looks like normal water. The dipping sauces? Good, but the meat still tastes good without it too. So WHY doesn’t it come out this way when I try it at home! Must be Japanese ninja magic or something.

Regardless, shabu-shabu is a great thing to try if you have the opportunity, but you might need a Japanese guide to pull this one off.

Update: Thanks to Bobby on Facebook, I now know that shabu-shabu is not typically boiled in plain water, but instead in a kind of light beef/chicken broth. Mystery solved!

5. coffee jelly (etc.)

Coffee Jelly (Price range: 200-600 JPY)

I know you’re gonna doubt me on this one. It just seems strange, doesn’t it? Coffee… Jelly. Well, that automatic suspicion is exactly why it’s on this list. Without the extra push, most of us gaijin would turn our noses up at this sort of food and walk away. It sounds neither Japanese nor appealing, so I don’t blame you. After all, it took me the better part of my 4.5 years there to finally take the plunge on this one.

I can’t really say if you’ll like it, but if you like coffee, there’s a good chance. I liked it (a lot). My point here is, Japan is full of seemingly “strange” flavor and food combinations, but if you take your chances in Japan you’ll find that a lot of them are actually really, really good.

If I were you, I would pick up a cheap coffee jelly at the very first convenience store I saw. Consider it an initiation or symbolic gesture that you’re ready to get out there and try new things. Japan is well known for dishes like sushi and tempura, but there are so many littler discoveries out there just waiting to entertain your taste buds. Embrace the spirit of exploration!

Honorable mention: Mos Burger

If you’re in Japan and craving some a burger, don’t go to McDonalds. You can do that back home. Go to Mos Burger. The burgers there run a premium (300-400 JPY), but that premium is easily justified by the freshest ingredients and best taste you’ll find in a fast-food burger. And look: the burger is put together presentably!

What do you recommend?

I know a lot of my blog readers have already been to Japan or are there right now. What food turned out to be better than you thought and what would you recommend to someone coming to Japan on vacation?

Hikaru no Go

I first learned of the game at a small cafe in the outskirts of Nagoya. Like many small cafes in Japan, there was a small collection of miscellaneous reading material available. So I casually picked up the first volume of the manga Hikaru no Go while waiting for my lunch. Later that same day, on my way home after work I stopped by a used book store and bought three more. I was hooked.

Not only was the story compelling (I eventually read the whole series and watched the anime… more than once! I highly recommend it by the way.), I was fascinated by the game itself. It sounds kind of corny, but when I played for the first time, it felt like I was taking part in something much bigger and more important than a ‘game’. It was an experience more akin to meditation.

a Go game in progress

Go has an aesthetic that is minimalist to the extreme; despite its Chinese origin, the game itself is culturally neutral. Fascinatingly, there are no arbitrary rules, except perhaps the rule that black goes first (more of a convention than a rule, if you ask me). Yet despite the simplicity of the rules—or rather, because of the simplicity—playing Go becomes a task so complex that today’s best computer software still struggles against high ranked players. Humans can still beat computers at Go not because of raw calculating power (at which we would surely be outmatched), but because we can sense both potential and danger in situations that are too wide open and vague to be calculable.

Sadly, I left Japan last autumn after a little over a year of frequent play, and Go is under-appreciated outside of Asia. Many people haven’t heard of the game and of those who have only a few know how to play. It’s my hope that this article will raise awareness of the game and maybe even inspire a few people to try it.

So, what is Go?

Go (from the Japanese term go or igo), also known as weiqi (Chinese) or baduk (Korean), was first played in China more than two millennia ago. It is a creative game played on a 19×19 grid where two players compete to surround a larger territory than their opponent. Note that by “creative”, I mean that the board starts empty, and players take turns adding one stone at a time.

Image at right: in Go, stones are captured if they are surrounded. So, White’s 3 stones are taken off the board if Black plays on the circled point. Simple, right? This is the basic rule on which the entire game is based.

Victory rests not only on a player’s reading ability, but also their strategic cunning, boldness, adaptability, instincts and sense of balance. In short, Go is a contest of many virtues. Furthermore, there is no need to annihilate your opponent; a single point win is a win all the same.

I won’t get into the rules of the game, because I think there are plenty of other sites on the internet that are already doing a great job of that. If you’re interested, here are some suggestions:

• The Interactive Way to Go (old site, but excellent starting point)
• Videos by the American Go Association (a little corny, but they get the job done)
• Introduction by the European Go Federation (a little harder to follow than the above sites, but more detail)
• Video Tutorials on YouTube (These are great videos for beginners. More serious and less corny than the AGA videos)

The Go World

Go is widely known and practiced in Asia, especially in China, Korea and Japan. These countries have large Go organizations, each employing hundreds of professional players. Children hardly in their teens can become well known professionals, and elite players can make a fortune by winning title matches and signing book deals. Weekly newspapers devoted to the game report on professional matches and offer tips for players.

I remember looking forward to Sunday afternoons in Japan, when NHK would air a professional game (complete with commentary by a host and lecturer who would explain the game as it was happening). Though the level of play was far too high for me to understand everything, it was still intriguing and strangely relaxing.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that in Asia, Go is given the attention and respect that in the west is only afforded to physical sports.

Let’s play Go!

If you live in Japan, South Korea, or China, check out your local Go salon, or head to your regional Go Association headquarters if you’re close enough. In my experience, go players are almost universally very friendly and accommodating to newcomers, so don’t be shy. We all love the game and want to see it spread.

Me vs. Yamashiro Hiroshi (9P)

If you live in America, you might have a tough time finding physical locations where players gather, but the American Go Association homepage provides an excellent list of local groupings across the US. Internet Go is also very popular. I play on KGS under the username LV3 (say hello if you see me!), but there are many other places to play such as Pandanet IGS (also on iPhone), Yuugen no Ma (Japanese only, available on Android, run by the Nihon Kiin a.k.a. Japanese Go Association), or Tygem (Korean origin with English available, with an iPad client).

If you live in Europe, I’m sorry but I can’t be much more help to you than to suggest the Internet Go options I already mentioned above, and also point you to the European Go Federation homepage. Good luck!

Final warnings

A word of warning to all of you: Go is a very seductive game. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get pulled in quick and it will be very hard to be just a casual player.

It’s also extremely satisfying, so it might be detrimental to your desire to do other things (like me when I stopped blogging!).

Other Go-related links

Here are some of my favorite Go links for you to check out, should you be so inclined.

• My Go Tumblog (Shameless self-promotion, I know. And I write in it in Japanese. Check it out anyway ;-))
• Go article on Wikipedia (Great background information about the game.)
• Sensei’s Library (The quintessential Go link. Tons of information here.)
• Go Game Guru (The leading blog for Go news and other topics.)
• Gokifu.com (Professional Go game records. Lots of them. I love this site.)
• Life in 19×19 (The leading internet forum for Go players on the internet.)
• Gocommentary.com (Great video lessons for more advanced players.)
• Seattle Go Center (Possibly the best facility for Go in North America. I wish I could visit more often…)

Kangoku (監獄) means prison, and izakaya (居酒屋) is a Japanese style drinking restaurant.  So a kangoku izakaya is a Japanese restaurant/bar that has been styled to look like a prison! And if the thought of vicious felons and dirty prison cells doesn’t whet your appetite, I don’t know what will.

Kangoku Inshoku 42 Bou is the name of this peculiarly-themed izakaya, located in Sakae, Nagoya. With dinner courses ranging from around 2000 to 3000 yen and a nomihoudai (all you can drink) for 1000 yen, you can enjoy izakaya food similar to what you would find anywhere else, but from the comfort of a dark and spooky prison cell.

But why stop with just a prison izakaya when you can have a haunted prison izakaya! Kangoku 42 is decorated throughout with skeletons, chains, red blood-like splatters on the wall and other stereotypical haunted-house decor. It’s no wonder this place is so popular with the ladies, eh? (no, seriously, it is really popular with ladies)

At 8:00pm, there is even a nightly horror show. The entire restaurant goes dark (it’s dark to begin with, mind you, but once the show starts you can forget about eating for a while), and a spooky soundtrack starts playing. Gunshots fire off somewhere, flashes of light bounce off the marred concrete walls as an eerie voice narrates a deathly tale of… actually I was on the 2nd floor so I didn’t get a good view and I didn’t really know what was going on. Then the staff put on scary outfits and go around to the tables trying their best to spook all the customers.

It’s pricey (as are most izakayas), but an interesting experience. Might be good for dates. Definitely a great place for Halloween parties.

Come on, you know you want to… your table is waiting, prisoner! mwahahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!

Here’s a google map for everyone:

View Larger Map
PS. For some reason they only have Heineken beer. Drink of choice for prisoners? (and exiles? *looks south*)

Japan Blog Matsuri

I’ve submitted this post to be included in the April 2010 Japan blog matsuri. This month’s Matsuri, about secret Japan, is hosted by Gakuranman, thanks!

iPhone-chan (or as I call my iPhone: ai-chan) tries to detect words contextually (I think…), but any non-standard character usages you manage to get into the system are quickly forgotten.

Fortunately, there’s a workaround. And don’t worry, you don’t need to jailbreak your phone to get it to work.

The answer? use the iPhone address book.

When typing in Japanese, your iPhone uses names and readings from your address book as a kind of second dictionary for its text auto-complete. This was a very smart way to program the iPhone since the most common reason to use non-standard kanji/words to begin with is because they’re used that way in a proper name (which, if it’s someone/someplace/somewhere you know, would probably be in your address book anyway).

1. The first word you want to enter (kanji)
2. The reading for the first word that you want to use to access it
3. The second word (in this case, a custom kaomoji)
4. The reading to bring up the second word

Of course, this is great news for us. It means we can create dummy entries in our address book for words we want to register in the iPhone dictionary. You can use both the first and last name fields to enter your custom words, meaning you can register 2 words per entry.

The downside is that this creates an entry in your address book that weighs your address book down with irrelevant information. So it’s your call; if there’s a word you use often that you want to be in your dictionary, consider using this method. But be warned that overdoing it will leave you with a really untidy address book.

Works like a charm.

There are a couple 辞書登録 (dictionary registration) apps at the (Japanese) iTunes app store but all they all use this same principle of adding to the address book. They just try to make the process of adding and removing words easier.

There is, however, one Japanese jailbreak app which add words and phrases directly to the iPhone. But unless you really need the functionality and you’re pretty good with both computers and Japanese, sticking with the address book workaround is probably your better option.