(Sept 20) Various other attractions in Ueno Park. I think I managed to cover about half of it.
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Tag Archives: Hokkaido Trip
Ueno Zoo
(Sept 20) Since my flight home left in the evening, I was left with almost a full day to kill in Tokyo. I had never been to Ueno Park, so I decided to check it out.
There are lots of interesting things in the park, but the single most popular attraction is surely the zoo. My expectations were not very high based on my previous experience with Japanese zoos, but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t quite measure up to one of the top-ranked American zoos (e.g. San Diego, Washington or the Bronx) but given the limited space they have available it is really pretty good.
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Hakodate Morning Market
(Sept 19) Every morning the colorful market district near the train station bustles with vendors selling the fresh produce and fresh seafood for which Hokkaido is famous.
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Hakodate
(Sept 18) Hakodate takes its name from the Ainu words for “box house”, referring to a trading post built there centuries ago. Over the years it grew into a bustling port. When the Shogunate was forced to end its policy of isolation, Hakodate and Shimoda were the first two ports opened to foreign trade in 1854. Thus Hakodate became one of the first places where Western culture entered Japan.
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Toyako and Usuzan
(Sept 17) Toyako Onsen is located on the shore of Lake Toya, s beautiful caldera lake, at the foot of Mt Usu (Usuzan), one of Japan’s most active volcanoes.
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The Ainu Museum (Porotokotan)
(Sept 16) There are no Ainu “reservations” where the Ainu can live together and practice their traditions. The Ainu today live in Japanese cities and towns, speak Japanese and work at regular jobs.
The Ainu Museum in Shiraoi is dedicated to preserving what is left of Ainu culture.
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Noboribetsu Onsen
(Sept 15) This figure of an oni is the first thing you see when you emerge from the Noboribetsu train station.
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Sounkyo Onsen
(Sept 14) The Sounkyo hot springs resort is a very small community nestled among the spectacular scenery of the Daisetsuzan National Park.
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Akanko Onsen (Part 2)
(Sept 13) As the town’s only business is tourism, most of the street space in Akanko is devoted to hotels, restaurants and (most of all) souvenir stores. Gift-giving is very important in Japanese culture, so it would be unthinkable to come back from vacation without a suitcase full of miyage (souvenirs) for one’s friends and family.
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Akanko Onsen (Part 1)
(Sept 13) The Lake Akan hot springs resort is a small community surrounded by the forests of Akan National Park.
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