Secret Japan

sanji · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 715

Why not leave some words about you here? So other members will know a little more about you!

A similar topic in French is available here.

tinou · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 64

Hi everyone,

My name is bastien, I am 25, and I am fond of travelling. I do live now in Yokohama but I was in Sapporo 2 years ago, and thus a big fan of Northern Japan. Though I also like other places such as Hiroshima, Japanese Alps, Kyuushuu and so on...

yoroshiku!

sanji · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 715

Hello Bastien,

Welcome on our forums! Hope we will be able to read about your experience on nothern Japan soon! Hokkaido and Tohoku are really great places to visit, and it is very unfortunate that most of the visitors coming to Japan skip those areas which have so much to offer.

Especially for travellers who want to go "off the beaten tracks", and for those who like untouched nature...

sanji

Kaj · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 2

Well then, let me introduce myself as well.
My name is Kaj, I'm Dutch, living in the Netherlands and Japan-fan to the bone since I was seven or so.

Been in Japan three times now as my bank account permitted, fourth visit is due in five days. Starting out in Sapporo, I hope to see some more interesting onsen this time, as my efforts failed miserably the last time I was there.

As for the unbeaten tracks; I'm kind of a mixed bag on that; if I were to have a decent amount of money, I would love to try and hike for a month or two across Japan. :)

tinou · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 64

Thanks for the warm welcome sanji!

Hi Kaj, welcome onboard! I may understand what you mean by ''seeing some more interesting onsen''. Like many of us you may have been disappointed when visiting onsen spas in Japan: Too many buildings!

However I am pretty sure that you'll find great onsens in Hokkaido. I would recommend Kuma no yu in Shiretoko, with its minimal wooden built changing rooms... There are also nice ''natural'' onsens in Daisetsu Zan National park.

If you have the occasion, rotenburos facing the Ohkotsk sea near Utoro in Shiretoko is also awesome.

Also, Goshiki Onsen near Niseko has a nice rotenburo. Very nice at night because you can gaze at the stars which are so many !

sanji · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 715

Welcome Kaj, and enjoy your trip in Japan. Hope to read from you in the future.

Thanks for the list of onsen, tinou, I visited some of them - including Kuma no yu - last time I was in Hokkaido. Onsen there are really great, and so many are free, it's really amazing for someone who is used to pay overpriced entry fees in the Kanto area.

I however must say I never was able to find the onsen neat Utoro... although I searched for it for a while.

You can check Secret Onsen for some nice onsen in Hokkaido, most of them being however in the north-east part of the island.

sanji

Keyser Soze · Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 1

Hello, My name is Josep, and I'm from Barcelona.
I love Japan, I think is one of the most beautyfull country in the world.
I visited Japan in march 2005 and I could go to two onsens, one of them was Kurama... ...now I want to return to Japan, and visit more onsens.

Congratulations for your website, is very interesting and full of very usefull information.

Michael_Voyageur · Joined: 06 Sep 2006 Posts: 9

Hi Sanji,

Nice to see your avatar here too :D
Finally I could find some time register in your site ! Sorry for making wait you so long... :oops:

Btw congratulation for the launching of this great idea, and congratulation again for the awesome achievement, this is a very professional forum.
Our old ForumJapon looks crapy in comparison.

A few words to introduce myself here,
I'm Michael (you can call me Mike or M_V if you wish), a 36 y/o French guy living in Tokyo. Occasionally I'm also one of the co-admin of ForumJapon : http://www.forumjapon.com/forum/index.php , another forum about Japan, Japan's culture and language, and life in Japan, but this one is mostly in French.
I've been living in Japan for quite a bit now, 3 years in Niigata prefecture as a JET member (the Japan Exchange and Teaching program), 1 year in Nagano Prefecture for the Olympic committee, 1 year in Tokyo again mostly as freelance translator, then again 2 more years now as expatriate engineer for a foreign software company... that makes a lot !

I'll try to share a bit of those piece of life here, as Japan is really a great country not very well known yet but has so much to offer.

Unfortunately as I work in Tokyo as genuine Japanese salaryman I don't have much free time to contribute, but I'll try to do my best. :roll:

Cheers and God speed secret-japan !!! :D

sanji · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 715

Hey Michael,

For those who speak French, have a look at ForumJapon, a fantastic forum dedicated to all aspects of Japan. Michael is a great contributor there, with hundreds of comprehensive articles!

So it is a pleasure to welcome you here!

Thanks for allowing posting some of your great articles related to lodging in Japan. They sure will be very useful for visitors planning a trip to Japan. Looking forward reading from you :D

sanji

zukk · Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

Hi, I just arrive on this site :oops:

I think it will be very useful to help me to arrange my next trip to Japan :wink:

tinou · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 64

Hi Zukk! Welcome aboard!

lp_fp · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

sanji wrote (View Post): › docWrite("quote")Why not leave some words about you here? So other members will know a little more about you!

A similar topic in French is available here.

Hi,

My name is Lp_fp, I do go to Japan at least once a year to enjoy different hotsprings. I've already been to the hotsprings in Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi, Wakayama, Gigu, Oita, Kumamoto, Mie. Though I can't speak Japanese, I usually go to Japan by myself. You just need to check all the information and plan well before the trip, you could still enjoy the journey even with language barrier.

Lp_fp

sanji · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 715

Hi Lp_fp,

Sorry for this late reply. If you are interested by onsen, you should have a look at our sister's web site, Secret Onsen : www.secret-japan.com/onsen

More than 100 onsen are described there, although relatively few (for hte moment) on Hokkaido and the northern part of Tohoku. We would love to hear about your experience of onsen, as obviously the area you visited are very much "off the beaten tracks" ;)

sanji

Rosewhite · Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

Hi, I just moved to Japan about 4 weeks ago and I`m interested in the off the beaten tracks of Japan. It looks like I found the right place to find those! It`s good to be here!

suisu · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 2

Bonjour everybody !

I just joined the forum as new member; je viens de Berne, Suisse, et normalement je parle suisse allemand.

As a "konyoku" addict, I found the really great onsen database (http://www.secret-japan.com/onsen/) quite a long time ago ... a really beautifully made source of onsens.

On my different past (and short) Japan visits I already had the pleasure to visit (amongst others) some of the most interesting onsens like Hoshi, Aoni, Takaragawa ... and last winter (new year) enjoying very much the stay at Honke Bankyu ... which I found through "secret-japan" webpage.

My next visit is planned for this winter to stay at Kanyu and Hatchoyu .... I can't wait to go there! :)

Thanks everybody working on the secret-japan onsen catalog!!

Suisu