Your Second Chance to See Sakura
The mix of autumn leaves and cherry blossoms might just break your brain
Hello Insiders!
In this month’s edition:
Sakura in November?
SUICA card suspension: what to do
November’s National Holidays
Pro-tips: How to find the best autumn colour spots
Behind the scenes: chasing the sea of clouds at Takeda Castle
Where to go this month
I’ve always preferred the long autumn leaves season to the ultra-short blast of colour in the spring. It’s harder to get the timing right with sakura - and often a rainy day can ruin the best laid plans by washing away the petals before their time. Autumn gives you a lot more leeway, meaning if you’re too late in one spot, there’s always another that’s still got some colour left for you.
But in Obara, a small rural town west of Nagoya, you don’t have to choose between the two. Thanks to a special hybrid tree known as Shikizakura, Obara enjoys the cherry blossoms twice a year.
Visiting last year, I found myself bouncing between confusion and awe. This is a sight that simply doesn’t make sense, a bit like watching the day turn into night during a solar eclipse.
The Obara Shikizakura Festival runs during the peak viewing season, which is from November 11th-30th this year. You can reach Obara by bus from Toyota City (yes, that Toyota), which is well-served by trains from Nagoya. A shuttle bus is available in Obara to get you between the best viewing spots, and there are food stalls and entertainment on hand too.
Travel Pro Tip
How to get an IC card while SUICA sales are suspended
At the moment, you can’t buy SUICA and Pasmo cards in the Tokyo area, supposedly due to a chip shortage.
These IC cards are really handy, because you load them up with money and use them on (almost) all your trains, subways and buses.
You don’t have to check your fare - the system does it for you, a lot like Oyster cards in London.
For most people, the standard advice is “buy a Welcome Suica or Pasmo Passport”. These cards function for 28 days, long enough for many travellers.
But what if you’re staying for longer?
Last month I got an email from Insider Yonatan, who (lucky for them!!) is planning a 3 month visit to Japan. “How can I get hold of an IC card?” they asked.
Let’s look at the options.
Get a TOICA card. This is JR Central’s version of SUICA. Although Tokyo isn’t in the JR Central area, some stations have JR Tokai desks where you can pick up a TOICA card:
Tokyo Station (Yaesu North Exit)
Shinagawa Station (Shinkansen North Exit)
Shin-Yokohama Station (North Exit)
Odawara Station (West Exit)
If you’ve got an iPhone, add SUICA of ICOCA in the wallet app. Visa cards seem to problematic when loading money, but you should know that you can also load the “card” with cash at ticket machines too. (Sorry Android users - you basically need a phone purchased in Japan for this.)
Mobile SUICA / ICOCA on iPhones
Use a Welcome Suica / Pasmo Passport on arrival at Haneda or Narita Airport, then buy another IC card when you’re in another area (like Kansai or Hokkaido). IC cards are pretty much 100% interchangeable, so it doesn’t really matter which brand you get.
Purchase an IC card online before your trip. This may cost a little extra, but will save you some time, especially if you’re not an iPhone user.
WATCH: Suica Secrets
National Holidays this month
There are 2 holidays this month, on November 3rd (Friday) and November 23rd (Thursday). Since the 3rd is a Friday gives many people a long weekend, expect transport and attractions to be fair bit busier than usual!
Autumn Leaves Tips
Timing a trip to coincide with the peak of autumn colours is hard enough. But there's considerable variation within regions and cities. So how do you choose where to go to avoid disappointment? I have 3 methods:
Tenki.jp has a map that covers all the major autumn leaves spots across the country, and you can see at a glance which places currently have the best colours.
Google Maps is a great source of up-to-date info. Just look at the photos and reviews for a particular spots and sort by “latest”. This can sometimes be more accurate than other sources.
If you're in Kyoto, the major subway and railway stations often have special maps showing the latest autumn colours at popular attractions. Very useful for last-minute decisions! If you’re a bit more prepared, you can check Souda-Kyoto, a site brought to you by JR Central.
Behind the Scenes
It looks like your travel plan will work out, and then…
As you might imagine with an itinerary video, the footage for this was taken over multiple trips - as you can see with Amanohashidate appearing covered in snow in one shot, only for it to disappear seconds later! But there’s a certain amount of luck to getting the best footage, as was the case with the sea of clouds at Takeda Castle ruins.
Having been picked up by the community taxi at about 4:50am, I was still quite hopeful that the previous day’s forecast of “the clouds may come out” would be proven right. That was until the taxi driver stopped en route for us to get out and look at the ruins from down in the valley while it was still dark. No clouds. But still, I thought, sea of clouds or not, there’ll be an epic view of the ruins as the sun rises.
We got back in the van, and drove along the deserted main road, and up the winding lane in the pitch black. The car park at Ritsunkyo is where your legs take over. I was offered a spare torch to light my way at this point, and I fumbled my way up the mountain path to the No. 1 viewing platform.
And when I got there, I did something I don’t often do. I gasped. In the time it took for me to get from the mid-way stop down in the valley to reaching the platform, the clouds had slowly crept in, enveloping the ruins.
Video: I Visited the REAL LIFE Laputa | Takeda Castle Ruins
The Insider Advantage
If you have specific questions, ideas, or requests for future emails or videos, you can let me know by replying to this email. I might answer you directly, in the next month’s email, or in a special video. Let me know what’s on your mind!
That’s all for this month! See ya!
Andrew
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