Accommodation is easily the biggest expense when traveling in Japan, but you can cut down on your costs quite a bit, if you are willing to move away from the standard western hotel or hostel experience. In most cities and towns, the best value is found at a minshuku. This stripped-down version of a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) has little, if any, of the amenities and … [Read more...]
If You Can’t Take The Heat, Get Out Of The Onsen
Once we got to the hot spring, it was time to split up. You may have noticed I was the only guy in the picture from the first part of this series, so I had to head off to the male room to sit in some water on my own. The whole experience was uncomfortable in every sense of the word. First of all, the water temperature was ridiculous. I've boiled eggs in cooler water. It took me … [Read more...]
Viewing Mount Aso’s Crater…For 30 Seconds
The next morning, we hopped on a bus and headed up toward the most active of Mount Aso's craters. We were dropped off at the bottom of a rope way, from where we could either walk the rest of the way to the crater or pay 1000 yen for a roundtrip ticket and ride up. I'm sure you can guess which option we chose and before you decide to write us off as lazy, keep reading. Once … [Read more...]