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Paul is a team leader in our Bristol office. He recently returned from another fantastic trip to Japan, where as well as rediscovering the incredible sights, sounds and tastes of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, he was able to get slightly off the regular tourist trail to discover some places he’d not been to before.
The first stop on my trip was Karuizawa, an alpine town that’s best-known for being where rich Tokyoites own second homes and where John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent their summers – but I discovered that it’s also an area with beautiful walks, good shopping and some spectacular scenery. It’s also home, bizarrely, to a curling centre – where I had my first ever curling lesson. It was great fun, but I did feel a certain amount of pressure as the Japanese national team were having a training session in the lane next to us.
Karuizawa is around an hour from Tokyo by bullet train, so it’s feasible for a day trip – though I think it’s worthy of an overnight stay for those looking to get a break from the frantic pace of Tokyo. It’s also a good place to consider for those looking to see the autumn leaves early in the season, as the higher altitude means the trees start to change colour in mid-October rather than November.
I was lucky to have beautiful blue skies on my first day, but as I headed to bed the hotel advised that we might have some snow overnight. I certainly didn’t expect the foot-deep blanket that covered the area by the time I woke up the next morning! This snowfall even reached Tokyo, which had its first November snow in 54 years.
My next stop was Ise in Mie Prefecture, reached from Tokyo by changing trains in Nagoya. Ise hosted the May 2016 G7 Summit, attended by world leaders including Barack Obama, David Cameron, and Angela Merkel – an event that the area is keen to capitalise on!
We stayed at Shima Kanko Hotel, one of the primary venues of the G7 Summit: a deluxe property and the perfect base for a couple of nights exploring the area. The range of activities on offer includes bike trails, a golf course and fishing trips for the more active guests, as well as fine dining, an impressive wine cellar, opportunities for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony (in kimono) and stargazing for those that prefer a more relaxed holiday.
During my time in the region I also visited a smokehouse where the traditional katsuo bushi fish flakes are made to an old family recipe, sailed round the harbour in a bizarre Spanish galleon, and then had lunch with the Ama ladies – a group of aging female pearl divers famous for their freediving skills and not using wetsuits even in the winter, who cooked us a fabulous meal of lobster and abalone.
Ise may be barely known amongst tourists, but it’s certainly worth a visit – especially for those who have been to Japan before and are looking for something new to discover. Why not combine a visit to Ise with a few days walking the Kumano Kodo, a network of pilgrimage trails that criss-cross the peninulsa? Or, if you prefer the sound of Karuizawa, take a look at our Japan Enchantment group tour.