From the airport to the snow: How to make the most of your transit in Japan with authentic, local experiences
Japan’s landscapes and local cultures are famous not only for their beauty, but also its uniqueness and charm. During the colder seasons, many visitors choose to travel between destinations from all over the country, often meaning long road trips.
For these long-haul journeys, travellers coming to Japan often choose to travel via singular transportation services. However, this can be a long and tiresome journey for many, meaning less time and energy available to truly enjoy what this amazing trip has to offer.
Make every step of your trip in Japan worth it with TokudAw’s private transport services available from key locations to snow resorts. As a travel agency with an in-house private transportation service, you won’t have to miss out experiencing the true Japan. We offer outstanding and authentic cultural experiences and destinations along each step of your journey.
Before your journey
Narita and Haneda are both often overlooked by travellers, seen as simply destinations of airports. But these two cities are rich with historical and cultural experiences you simply cannot miss.
Narita
Narita is a gateway into the history of Japan: offering sights and buildings dating back to the Edo-period. Lined with cascading trees and decorated with stone statues, Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple was founded in 940, with its attached Naritasan park. This stunning attraction is a great way to experience firsthand Japanese heritage and spirituality.
Boso-no-Mura is also another outstanding sight to see in the Narita area. This area recreates the scenery and streets of traditional Japanese samurai, merchants, and farmers residencies. The open-air museum gives a glimpse into life during early-20th century Japan, as the Edo period moved into the Meiji period. It’s an incredible opportunity to experience and learn about Japan’s history and culture in an authentic and interactive way. A unique experience you cannot find anywhere else.
The surrounding towns of Narita are also a sight to see, with beautiful areas such as Sawara and Sakura offering stunning natural landscapes and local shops and restaurants. Connect with local history, heritage, and community in Sakura by taking a stroll down the beautiful streets, visiting preserved samurai homes, and one of Japan’s key art galleries, the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art. Looking for a more nature-filled trip? Sawara, regarded by many as Koedo (little-Edo) is home to the Suigo Sawara Aquatic Botanic Garden, one the largest parks in Asia. Here, you can also find many small businesses that were first founded in the Edo period that are still operating in present day.
Sawara city. Image source: iStock/ Jui-Chi Chan
Haneda
Haneda is yet another great hidden gem to experience the real Japan. Explore the Anamori Inari Shrine, a shrine where dozens red torii gates are lined up and you can write and offer your own ema (wooden prayer boards). It’s has a rich historical background, being a place of worship for the kami Inari, a deity related to household and business prosperity. It’s a special way to connect to the strong spirituality within Japanese heritage and experience cultural beliefs and values as a traveller.
Visit Tamagawaya on your way as well for a fun and special sweet treat. Founded almost 100 years ago, Tamagawaya offers traditional Japanese sweets that with flavours depending on the season.
Haneda is a beautiful and simple area of Tokyo that allows you to see what life is like for many residents out of the big city. It gives you a chance not only to see the landscape and historical sights, but also to connect with locals through store walks and visits to eateries; to engage and learn about traditional culture and ways of life.
On your journey
There are many stops and key destinations filled with to visit on your transit to and from Hakuba – that aren’t just seeing snow monkeys!
Here is a list of some of our favourites here at TokudAw!
Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko
One of the country’s most iconic national symbols and famous around the world for its stunning views and inspiration in Japanese art throughout history, Mount Fuji is an absolute must-see for all travellers. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and Japan’s highest peak, this volcano is famous for its natural beauty, symmetrical shape, and its importance within Japanese iconography.
Famous Mount Fuji. Image course: Pixaby
Get a special view of Mount Fuji at Fuji Oishi Hanaterrace, Fujikawaguchiko Town, a centre where you can not only visit local shops and cafes, but also get a unique and spectacular view of Mount Fuji. Connected to Oishi Park which has a sweeping landscape of lavender fields and lakeside, this is the perfect spot to experience the best of Japan’s scenery.
Tabi no Eki Kawaguchiko Base
Another must visit whilst you’re in the area, Tabi no Eki Kawaguchiko Base is a farmers market offering local produce. Popular amongst both local residents and travellers, this market has a wide selection of goods from the Fuji, Yamanashi, and surrounding areas. Whether you want to experience the excitement of visiting an authentic produce market to try locally-grown organic produce from local sources or try these ingredients with a nice dinner at a restaurant overlooking the nature, Tabi no Eki is one place that’s perfect for a nice, relaxing stopover. It’s a great way to not only enjoy the taste of local flavours, but also connect to farmers, chefs, and traditional cuisines that hold great cultural significance.
Ida Sake Brewery
Sake is a Japanese rice wine produced by fermenting rice with yeast, water and koji mould and is high renowned internationally. Ide Sake Brewery use the fresh spring water that flows to the bottom of Mount Fuji to brew pure sake. Produced during the coldest seasons, this sake is one of the best in the country due to its clean, sophisticated taste from the conditions it’s brewed in. Whether you’re a sake fan or newcomer, the sake available from Ida Sake Brewery is a great way to learn more about this national drink from local professionals.
Medetaya
Whilst you’re in the centre, visit the adorable Medetaya store. You’ll be greeted by a standing kokeshi doll at the store’s entrance before being transported into a world of traditional paper accessories, local products, and souvenirs that are tailored to the four seasons. A store with so much charm and offering local goods, this is a perfect stop on your trip.
Historic Matsumoto Castle. Image source: Pixaby
Matsumoto city
Matsumoto is another city in the Nagano Prefecture, and acts as an entrance to the stunning Japanese Northern Alps. The town is not only adored for its outstanding landscape, but also for its historical and cultural importance – through both its ties to the historical shift between Edo and Meiji periods, and its representation of local cuisine.
Matsumoto Castle
Presently, it’s home to the nation’s oldest castle: Matsumoto Castle, with its stark black and white exterior and a view of the Alps in its background. This in an incredibly important historical site within the country, as the castle was essentially saved and preserved by the efforts of residents during the Meiji era, when many other castles were torn down. It has become a national treasure since.
Yukido Senbei
What may seem like a humble snack shop at first, Yukido Senbei is uses special and unique techniques to create deep-fried miso rice crackers that are not only delicious, but also crafted using generations of traditional expertise and knowledge. Each cracker takes three nights and three days to prepare. They are produced by adding the store’s own, original miso paste to rice crackers that are made using domestically grown rice, before being dried and later re-applied with more miso paste. This process is then repeated again, meaning each individual cracker is made with the utmost attention and precision. They are an incredibly special product, not only due to their amazing taste, but also due to the level of expertise and genuine care that goes into every piece.
Takagi temari balls
Temari balls are a famous Matsumoto folk craft, made of and embroidered with temari, a delicately woven silk yarn. Beginning as toys popular amongst young children, they soon became symbolic of harmonious relationships between families, with brides often gifting them to groom’s families. They are intricately woven and take hours to produce. Takagi is a business that has been selling handmade temari balls since 1878. They not only sell temari balls and an assortment of other artworks and crafted pieces made by local farmers, but also offer a cultural workshop to create your very own temari ball. It's a great opportunity to get to know more about the history of this folk craft and connect with local creatives and workers.
Matsumoto wineries and sake breweries
The Matsumoto region is home to a variety of local wineries and breweries that are simply unmissable.
Yamabe Winery produces wine from grapes that only grow in Matsumotodaira, on their own farms. Each wine is made of one specific variety of grape instead of being a blend of multiple, in order to make each bottle filled with its own unique flavour, tones, and traits. Yamabe Winery is home to over 45 different products that are available for sampling in-store. Can you guess which has won the Japan Wine Competition for six years in a row?
Another standout winery is Nodaya, established in 1927. Their farms are rich in volcanic ash soil and plentiful in sunlight, creating optimal conditions for grapes to grow. They house over 10 varieties of European grapes such as Merlot and Chardonnay and collaborate with American farmers to create wine varieties that can be difficult to make in Japan’s naturally humid and warmer climate. By doing so, they bridge the gap between international wines and maintain a large selection of varieties for all customers to choose from.
Ready to go?
Make your transit to the snow special and memorable by connecting with locals and authentic Japanese culture and practices in ways you can’t get on an ordinary trip. Book with TokudAw today to make the most of each part of your trip and travel with comfort and ease.