Sunday, February 16, 2014
TIME 7:08 PM
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Sunday, February 2, 2014
TIME 6:47 AM
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Saturday, January 25, 2014
TIME 7:18 AM
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Best Dining Bets

  • Experiencing a Kaiseki Feast: The ultimate in Japanese cuisine, kaiseki is a feast for the senses and spirit. Consisting of a variety of exquisitely prepared and arranged dishes, a kaiseki meal is a multicourse event to be savored slowly. Both the ingredients and the dishes they comprise are chosen with great care to complement the season. There are hundreds of exceptional kaiseki restaurants in Japan, from old-world traditional to sleek modern; a standout is Kagetsu in Nagasaki. Traditional ryokan also serve kaiseki.
  • Spending an Evening in a Robatayaki: Harking back to the olden days when Japanese cooked over an open fireplace, a robatayaki is a convivial place for a meal and drinks. One of the most famous is Inakaya in Tokyo, where diners sit at a counter; on the other side are two cooks, grills, and mountains of food. You'll love the drama of this place.
  • Dining on Western Food in Modern Settings: Japan has no lack of great Western food, and some of the best places to dine are its first-class hotels. The New York Grill, on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, epitomizes the best of the West with its sophisticated setting, great views, great food, and great jazz.
  • Buying Prepared Meals at a Department Store: The basement floors of department stores are almost always devoted to foodstuffs, including takeout foods. Shopping for your meal is a fun experience: Hawkers yell their wares, samples are set out for you to nibble, and you can choose anything from tempura and sushi to boxed meals.
  • Slurping Noodles in a Noodle Shop: You're supposed to slurp when eating Japanese noodles, which are prepared in almost as many different ways as there are regions. Noodle shops range from stand-up counters to traditional restaurants; one of my favorites is Raitei in Kamakura.
  • Rubbing Elbows in a Izakaya: Izakaya are pubs in Japan -- usually tiny affairs with just a counter, serving up skewered grilled chicken, fish, and other fare. They're good places to meet the natives and are inexpensive as well. You'll find them in every nightlife district in the country.

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    TIME 7:17 AM
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    Best Hotel Bets

    The Best Traditional Ryokan
    • Hiiragiya Ryokan (Kyoto; tel. 075/221-1136): If ever there was an example of the quintessential ryokan, Hiiragiya is it. Located in the heart of old Kyoto, it's the ultimate in tatami luxury: a dignified enclave of polished wood and rooms with antique furnishings overlooking private gardens. Six generations of the same family have provided impeccable service and hospitality here since 1861.
    • Tawaraya (Kyoto; tel. 075/211-5566): This venerable inn has been owned and operated by the same family since it opened in the first decade of the 1700s; it's now in its 11th generation of innkeepers. Located in old Kyoto, its guest list reads like a who's who of visitors to Japan, including Leonard Bernstein, the king of Sweden, Alfred Hitchcock, and Saul Bellow.
    • Ryokan Kurashiki (Kurashiki; tel. 086/422-0730): Located right beside the willow-lined canal of Kurashiki's famous historic district, this ryokan occupies an old mansion and three 250-year-old converted warehouses, yet it contains only five elegant suites, each with a tatami living room and sleeping quarters with Western-style beds.
    • Iwaso Ryokan (Miyajima; tel. 0829/44-2233): The setting here is as romantic as any you'll find in Japan. If you can afford it, stay in one of the ryokan's 80-year-old cottages, where you'll have a view of maples and a gurgling brook on one of Japan's most scenic and famous islands. If staying here doesn't make you feel like a samurai or a geisha, nothing will.
    • Hakusuikan Ryokan (Ibusuki; tel. 0993/22-3131): I'm usually partial to historic Japanese inns, but this sprawling complex right on the coast, with manicured lawns dotted by pine trees, offers an assortment of accommodations (the oldest building is 45 years old), along with one of the best hot-spring spas I've ever seen, modeled after a public bath of the Edo Era, as well as a museum filled with antiques.
    The Best Western-Style Hotels
    • Park Hyatt Tokyo (tel. 800/233-1234 in the U.S. and Canada): Occupying the 39th to 52nd floors of a skyscraper designed by Tange Kenzo, this gorgeous property offers stunning views of the city, one of Tokyo's hottest restaurants, rooms you could live in, and legendary service. No wonder it was the hotel featured in Lost in Translation.
    • The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo (tel. 800/241-3333 in the U.S.): Occupying the lofty reaches of Tokyo's tallest building, this luxury property in Tokyo Midtown ranks as one of Japan's best hotels, with Tokyo's largest rooms and coolest bathrooms (the two sinks and counters are at opposite ends, making them perfect for couples). It cocoons guests from the mad whirl of central Tokyo, yet Roppongi's hopping nightlife is just outside its doors.
    • Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-So (tel. 800/819-5053): Surrounded by a lush, 7-hectare (17-acre) garden, this top-rated hotel is a wonderful respite in one of the world's most crowded cities, with its impeccable service and a terrific spa and health club.
    • Nikko Kanaya Hotel (Nikko; tel. 0288/54-0001): Dating from the 19th century, this rambling, old-fashioned hotel combines the rustic charm of a European country lodge with design elements of old Japan -- and it's just a 15-minute walk from Toshogu Shrine.
    • The Fujiya Hotel (Hakone; tel. 0460/82-2211): Established in 1878 and nestled on a wooded hillside, the Fujiya is one of Japan's oldest, grandest, and most majestic Western-style hotels. Resembling a ryokan from the outside, it boasts a comfortable interior of detailed woodwork, old-fashioned antiques-filled guest rooms, and a delightful 1930s dining hall. It also offers indoor/outdoor pools, extensive landscaping, and hot-spring baths. A stay here makes you feel like you've traveled not just to Hakone but to another century.
    • Shima Kanko Hotel Bay Suites (Ise-Shima; tel. 0599/43-2111): Its secluded setting on a hill overlooking a bay, hushed atmosphere, attentive service, and Zen-like decor make this 50-suite property seem more like a Japanese inn than a hotel. Enjoy the stunning views from the rooftop garden or from the privacy of your own bath or balcony.
    • The Westin Miyako (Kyoto; tel. 800/937-8461 in the U.S. and Canada): First built in 1890 but completely remodeled, this smartly appointed hotel sprawls across more than 6.4 hectares (16 acres) of hilltop on the eastern edge of town near many famous temples. Good views, a free shuttle service from the train station, indoor/outdoor swimming pools, and a Japanese garden make this a winner. There's even an annex with Japanese-style rooms as well.
    • Nara Hotel (Nara; tel. 0742/26-3300): From far away, this 1909 building just a short walk from Nara Park resembles a palace. Rooms in the main building have high ceilings, antique light fixtures, and old-fashioned decor.
    • Unzen Kanko Hotel (Unzen; tel. 0957/73-3263): This rustic mountain lodge of ivy-covered wood and stone was built in 1935 to cater to foreigners in search of Mount Unzen's cooler climate. It offers a casual and relaxed atmosphere, hot-spring baths, and comfortable, old-fashioned rooms not far from the Hells.
    • Towada Hotel (Lake Towada; tel. 0176/75-1122): This Japanese-temple-meets-Western-lodge property occupies a secluded wooded hill overlooking Lake Towada. Its oldest wing, built in 1938, was crafted by shrine and temple carpenters. It offers both Japanese- and Western-style rooms, all facing the lake.
    The Best Affordable Japanese-Style Places to Stay
    • Homeikan (Tokyo; tel. 03/3811-1181): Although it's a bit far from Tokyo's main attractions, this is my top pick for an affordable, authentic Japanese inn in the capital. Rooms do not have private bathrooms, but pluses include a Japanese garden, nice public baths, and detailed tatami rooms adorned with traditional architectural features. Meals (optional) are served in your room. Another great plus: The owner speaks English.
    • Arai Ryokan (Shuzenji; tel. 0558/72-2007): Fifteen historic structures, all registered as national cultural assets and situated around a river-fed pond, comprise this sprawling ryokan, in business since 1872.
    • Ryokan Fujioto (Tsumago; tel. 0264/57-3009): This 100-year-old inn is nestled back from the main street of Tsumago, a delightful village on the Edo-Era Nakasendo Highway. Meals feature local specialties, and the father-daughter team running it speaks perfect English.
    • Antique Inn Sumiyoshi (Takayama; tel. 0577/32-0228): Located in the heart of Takayama on the banks of the Miyagawa River, this 90-year-old former silkworm factory features an irori (open-hearth fireplace) in the high-ceilinged communal room, antiques and painted screens throughout, and simple but delightfully old-fashioned tatami rooms overlooking the river.
    • Minshuku in Shirakawago's Ogimachi: Nestled in a narrow valley of the Japan Alps, Ogimachi is a small village of paddies, flowers, irrigation canals, and 200-year-old thatched farmhouses, about two dozen of which offer simple tatami accommodations and meals featuring local cuisine. This is a great, inexpensive escape.
    • Temple Accommodations on Mount Koya: If your vision of Japan includes temples, towering cypress trees, shaven-headed monks, and religious chanting at the crack of dawn, head for the religious sanctuary atop Mount Koya, where some 50 Buddhist temples offer tatami accommodations -- some with garden views -- and two vegetarian meals a day.
    • Miyajima Morinoyado (Miyajima; tel. 0829/44-0430): This public people's lodge, on picturesque Miyajima, is modern yet traditional and would easily cost four times as much if it were privately owned.
    • Tsuru-no-yu Onsen (Nyuto Onsen; tel. 0187/46-2139): This rustic inn, with a history stretching back to the Edo Period, thatched-roof building, and outdoor hot-spring baths, is as close as you can get to time travel. To really save money, opt for the self-cooking wing and prepare your own meals.

     

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    TIME 7:16 AM
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    The Best Castles, Palaces & Historic Homes

     

  • Tamozawa Imperial Villa (Nikko): Comprised of a 1632 villa and an 1899 expansion, this 106-room villa was the home of a prince who later became emperor. You can learn about traditional Japanese architectural details and lifestyles of the aristocracy on self-guided tours, and unlike Japan's other imperial villas, it does not require a reservation.
  • Matsumoto Castle (Matsumoto): Popularly known as the Crow Castle due to its black color, this small castle boasts the oldest donjon (keep) in Japan (more than 400 years old). A moon-viewing room was added in 1635, and exhibited inside the castle is a superb collection of Japanese matchlocks and samurai armor dating from the mid-16th century through the Edo Period. Volunteer guides stand ready for personal tours.
  • Nijo Castle (Kyoto): One of the few castles built by the mighty Tokugawa shogunate as a residence rather than for defense, Nijo Castle is where the shogun stayed whenever he was in Kyoto. It's famous for its nightingale (creaking) floorboards that warned of enemy intruders. The castle is considered the quintessence of Momoyama architecture.
  • Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyoto): Home to Japan's imperial family from the 14th to the 19th centuries, this palace is praised for its Heian design and graceful garden. Good news for travelers: Guided tours of the palace are free.
  • Katsura Imperial Villa (Kyoto): Built in the 1600s by a brother of the emperor, this villa and garden are considered to be among the best -- if not the best -- in traditional architecture and landscape gardening. More than anyplace else, the villa illustrates the life of refinement enjoyed by 17th-century nobility, when leisurely pursuits included such activities as moon viewing.
  • Himeji Castle (Himeji): Said to resemble a white heron poised in flight over the plains, this is quite simply Japan's most beautiful castle. With its extensive gates, moats, turrets, and maze of passageways, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has survived virtually intact since feudal times. If you see only one castle in Japan, make this the one.
  • Matsue Castle (Matsue): This 17th-century castle features a five-story donjon with samurai gear and artifacts belonging to the ruling Matsudaira clan, with many Edo-Era attractions just outside its moat.
  • Matsuyama Castle (Matsuyama): Occupying a hill above the city, this 400-year-old fortress boasts good views over Matsuyama from its three-story donjon as well as a collection of armor and swords of the Matsudaira clan.
  • Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto): Although a ferroconcrete reconstruction not nearly as huge as the original, this massive castle is still an impressive sight, especially at night when it's illuminated. It's famous for its curved walls, which made invasion virtually impossible. The interior houses a museum with palanquins, armor, swords, and other artifacts of the former ruling clans.
  • Shuri Castle (Okinawa Island): One of nine historic structures in Okinawa that collectively make up a World Heritage Site, this castle with Chinese and Japanese influences was the center of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which thrived for about 500 years.
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    TIME 7:14 AM
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    The Best Destinations for Serious Shoppers

  • For Everything: Japanese department stores are microcosms of practically everything Japan produces, from the food halls in the basement to the departments selling clothing, accessories, office supplies, souvenirs, pottery, household goods, and cameras, to rooftop garden centers. What's more, service is great and purchases are beautifully wrapped. You'll be spoiled for life.
  • For Designer Fashions: Tokyo's Shibuya District has the most designer boutiques in town, while Aoyama boasts main shops for all the big-name designers, including Issey Miyake and Comme des Garçons. Department stores also carry big-name designers; their annual summer sales are mob scenes.
  • For Souvenirs: Japanese are avid souvenir shoppers when they travel, so souvenirs are sold literally everywhere, even near shrines and temples. Nakamise Dori, a pedestrian lane leading to Tokyo's Sensoji Temple, is one of Japan's most colorful places to shop for paper umbrellas, toys, and other souvenirs. The two best places for one-stop memento shopping are the Oriental Bazaar in Tokyo and the Kyoto Handicraft Center, both of which offer several floors of everything from fans to woodblock prints.
  • For Traditional Crafts: Japan treasures its artisans so highly that it designates the best as National Living Treasures. Tokyo's Japan Traditional Craft Center offers a varied inventory of everything from knives and baskets to lacquerware, but there are many renowned shops in Kyoto and Kanazawa as well. Department stores also offer an excellent collection of traditional crafts.
  • For Antiques & Curios: Flea markets are great for browsing; you'll see everything from used kimono to Edo-Era teapots for sale. Japan's largest and one of its oldest monthly markets is held the 21st of each month at Toji Temple in Kyoto. (A lesser flea market is held there the first Sun of each month.) Tokyo also has great weekend markets.
  • For Electronics: Looking for that perfect digital camera, MP3 player, calculator, or rice cooker? Then join everyone else in the country by going to one of the nation's two largest electronics and electrical-appliance districts. In Tokyo, it's Akihabara, where open-fronted shops beckon up to 50,000 weekday shoppers with whirring fans, blaring radios, and sales pitches. In Osaka, head to Den Den Town.
  • For Local Specialties: Many prefecture capitals have a government-owned exhibition hall where local products are displayed for sale. Often called a kanko bussankan, the hall may have everything from locally produced pottery to folk toys and foodstuffs. Cities with kanko bussankan include Kanazawa, Okayama, Matsuyama, and Kumamoto.
  • For Porcelain & Pottery: Porcelain and pottery are produced seemingly everywhere in Japan. Some of the more famous centers include Nagoya, home to Noritake, Japan's largest chinaware company; Kanazawa, known for its Kutani pottery with its distinctive colorful glaze; Matsuyama, famous for its Tobe pottery (white porcelain with cobalt-blue designs); and Kagoshima, with its Satsuma pottery, which comes in white (used by the upper class in feudal Japan) and black (used by the common people).

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