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Beyond the Classics: A Deeper Journey Through Japan · GowayPro Travel Tales

• 0:01
  Discover a different side of Japan with Professor Goe and Rose Lifschitz from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
• 0:08
  Journey beyond the famous Golden Route to explore Kyushu, Okinawa, Hokkaido, and the spectacular Dragon Route, uncovering immersive culture, incredible cuisine, natural
• 0:19
  wonders, outdoor adventures, and quieter corners of this endlessly fascinating country.
• 0:24
  Hey there everyone, I'm Don.
• 0:26
  Professor Goe and welcome to the Goey Pro Travel Tale Podcast.
• 0:30
  Travel far and travel often.
• 0:42
  Hello everyone, welcome to the Go Way Pro Travel Tales Podcast.
• 0:46
  I am a joined once again by Rose Lifschitz from the from JNTO, which is the Japanese Japanese or Japan National Tourism Organization.
• 0:57
  Is it Japan or Japanese?
• 0:59
  Japan.
• 1:00
  there it is.
• 1:00
  Yep.
• 1:00
  She's pointing to it on the sign behind.
• 1:03
  I always forget Japan or Japanese.
• 1:05
  Japan Tourism Organization.
• 1:07
  And today we hear, we are here to talk about.
• 1:12
  Things outside the golden route.
• 1:14
  Um so before we dive into that, Rose, can you just tell our listeners who may not be aware of the golden route what that normally entails for a traveler?
• 1:23
  Yeah, sure.
• 1:24
  So the Golden Root, we kind of like to call it the like gold standard first timer itinerary, um, because it has all of those major spots that most people want to hit up on
• 1:35
  their first trip to Japan.
• 1:36
  So
• 1:37
  This includes Tokyo for some big city.
• 1:40
  Uh then you move on to Kyoto for some tradition and Osaka for some family friendly fun and great street food.
• 1:47
  So it's kind of a nice snapshot of the country, um, just because it has a little bit of everything.
• 1:53
  So typically people do veer towards that on their first go.
• 1:56
  Yeah, and what's the average length of trip if someone's gonna do the golden route?
• 2:00
  It's about ten days, isn't it?
• 2:02
  Something like that.
• 2:02
  We recommend at least seven to ten days, just because if you're gonna go all the way to Japan, you might as well, you know, uh get enough of it while you're there.
• 2:12
  Yeah, for sure.
• 2:12
  Because it is a long way away.
• 2:15
  Anything Asia, South Pacific is it it's it's a commitment in getting there.
• 2:19
  So as you point out, spending as much time there as you can is worthwhile.
• 2:24
  So that's more in the planning stages when you're talking to your clients out there, travel partners to
• 2:30
  If they can push their time to extend it because there are lots of direct flights, particularly from the west coast into Japan.
• 2:38
  but it's still, you know, it's a long w w what what's the average flight time rose?
• 2:41
  I think it's like ten to twelve hours, isn't it?
• 2:43
  Something like that.
• 2:44
  From I know from LA it's about, yeah, around ten ish hours.
• 2:48
  Yeah, so it's yeah, and generally it's overnight.
• 2:50
  So it's that usual sort of thing we say, it you know, it's couple of glasses of wine or uh a couple of glasses.
• 2:56
  beer or a movie dinner and then you have a sleep when you're there, but it's is still a long way.
• 3:00
  So on that note, going all that way to Japan, um now again, we have discussed this many times before in our past webinars and podcasts that any destination, it's difficult to
• 3:12
  talk a first time traveler out of seeing the highlights of that country.
• 3:16
  And as Rose just explained there, the highlights of Japan for a first time traveler are generally the golden route.
• 3:22
  You're down to Osaka, you go here Hiroshima.
• 3:25
  Okay, let
• 3:26
  Let me clarify this too, because I always get this mixed up.
• 3:29
  What is the correct pronunciation for Hiroshima?
• 3:32
  Is it Hiroshima?
• 3:34
  Okay.
• 3:34
  for those who are watching our podcast, you might have n noticed Rose just put on some rather large headphones, and that's my rather large headphones.
• 3:41
  We're getting some technical issues in the background there.
• 3:44
  So we were talking about the pronunciation of Hiroshima and how when you have a first time client travelling to any country, they're gonna want to see the you know, the main site,
• 3:52
  which for Japan, as we discussed, is the golden route.
• 3:55
  So
• 3:56
  You'd be really good if you could talk them out of just doing that.
• 3:59
  But what you can do is convince them to extend their trip and see other parts of Japan, which we'll discuss in a minute.
• 4:09
  Or if you are lucky enough to have a return traveler coming back to you to visit Japan and they want to see a different side of Japan, a quieter side of Japan, then today's
• 4:17
  conversation is for you and your clients because this is what it's all about.
• 4:21
  Now, the next big thing, so to speak.
• 4:25
  um from uh from J and T O's point of view as well as Goe's point of view is a focus on Kyushu, which is not the southernmost island, but the southern island from the main
• 4:35
  island.
• 4:36
  And then the northernmost island, Hook uh Hokkaido.
• 4:41
  So we're gonna talk about those two areas today and why you will hopefully hear and understand why they are special, different than the Golden Root.
• 4:50
  So we don't want someone going into Japan and doing the same thing
• 4:54
  you know, on repeat in each city, because that's not really what someone wants to travel for.
• 4:58
  They want to see different things of a country.
• 5:00
  And I think we both agree, Rose, that these other areas of Japan will offer that difference in experiences and also, comparatively speaking, a quieter, less trafficked,
• 5:13
  less touristed areas to visit as well.
• 5:16
  Is that fair?
• 5:17
  Yeah.
• 5:18
  So like what I like to say when we look outside the golden route, right, is
• 5:23
  Well that provides you that great snapshot of Japan.
• 5:26
  It's kind of like ordering a flight of wines or beers, right?
• 5:30
  You get a nice variety and balance and contrasting taste, but ultimately you're just getting a small sample of what's available.
• 5:38
  So branching out is like having a proper wine tasting.
• 5:41
  You get to refine your palate, you get all the regional nuances and flavors.
• 5:47
  so that's one reason to uh branch out there.
• 5:49
  And I would also say another point is that
• 5:52
  Because the Golden Route is so popular and has some of the most uh foot traffic in it, um, people do want to try to avoid the crowd.
• 6:00
  So by branching off even for just like a day trip, an overnight or an extension, like you said, you not only get to uh escape the tourist hotspots, but you get to see parts of
• 6:10
  Japan that you probably uh wouldn't get to see otherwise.
• 6:13
  Yeah, and what's good and what I've learned recently, so for those who are listening in and no go away or don't.
• 6:21
  Um we have the Go A Pro Travel Academy.
• 6:23
  And I've just completed, as in I'm halfway through completing a module on other areas outside the Golden Root with a big focus on Kyushu, the island.
• 6:33
  It's a l rather large island, with lots to do, which is what I've learned.
• 6:37
  And also uh with a focus on Hokkaido, uh with lots to do up there.
• 6:41
  For us it's mainly a winter thing with the ski fields, which we'll touch on a bit later.
• 6:46
  But also what I learnt um and something
• 6:48
  I am going to ask Rose about later in our conversation is even if you do stick to the golden trail or your clients sorry, golden route, or your clients do, getting off the
• 6:57
  golden route nearby the golden route, there's still so many quick add-ons you can do in that area as well.
• 7:03
  So the choices to get away from that foot traffic to use Rose's terminology is abundant both in and around the Golden Route as well as extending yourselves to the outer islands
• 7:14
  of Japan, Hokkaido, Kyushua and also uh
• 7:18
  Okinawa.
• 7:19
  So what I learned putting this module together, which will probably be available in a couple of months or a month from now, and we're recording this in early September, is
• 7:28
  there is so much more to see and do.
• 7:31
  And I was absolutely amazed by the amount of things that you can do, particularly around Kyushu and Okinawa.
• 7:37
  So, um, Rose, I've mentioned a couple of times that Kyushu is south or the south one of the southern islands.
• 7:44
  Can you give us a bit of geography about Kyushu, where it is?
• 7:47
  how they get there, you know, all those sort of basic things.
• 7:50
  Yeah, yeah, sure.
• 7:51
  So it is considered kind of the southernmost area.
• 7:54
  Technically Okinawa is part of Kishu, so just uh just terminol terminologically that I'll just say that it's the southernmost.
• 8:02
  but you can actually get there with the bullet train, um even straight from Tokyo if you want to.
• 8:07
  It goes all the way to Hakata, which will be like your entry point from Fukuoka.
• 8:12
  but a lot of people do fly there.
• 8:14
  It's like an hour and a half flight as well.
• 8:16
  Um just from Tokyo, so you can get there in a lot of ways.
• 8:19
  Um and I would say that if I were to categorize the entire region, I would say probably volcanic landscapes, a lot of great wilderness, uh, melting pot of culture, and also great
• 8:31
  for hot springs.
• 8:33
  Yeah, that's what I picked up in doing my research and putting the module together.
• 8:36
  There's lots of hot springs.
• 8:38
  Um and I've forgotten all the terminology 'cause there was so much to take in.
• 8:42
  what's the terminology for the it's
• 8:45
  It's it's not the Ryokan.
• 8:46
  What's the word that's used for the Yeah, Ryokan?
• 8:48
  Yes.
• 8:49
  Yeah, here we go.
• 8:51
  So it's an abundance of opportunities down there, both culturally, artistically too.
• 8:57
  There's some art islands, there's some beautiful coastline, rice patties.
• 9:02
  It's an it's an amazing area.
• 9:04
  So let's work on a few of the main sort of highlights of this area.
• 9:08
  Um and I am being directed by Rosie because she knows it much better than I do.
• 9:11
  Uh we have the again pr excuse my pronunciation, Key Peninsula.
• 9:16
  Yeah, the Key Peninsula.
• 9:17
  Yeah.
• 9:18
  Can you expand on that and where it is the usual, yeah, the usual outline for us?
• 9:22
  Yeah.
• 9:23
  so the Key Peninsula is actually really accessible from like the Osaka Kyoto area.
• 9:29
  you can get there, you know, via train, bus, car, rail.
• 9:32
  It kind of depends uh on where you go.
• 9:34
  Um but basically that entire sort of stretch
• 9:38
  peninsula um kind of south of that area.
• 9:41
  A lot of people access it also from Nagoya, um, just because you can kind of wrap around uh either which way then so um what would be the bigger well hey I'm I just want to I'm
• 9:54
  pulling up a map as we talk so I'm gonna get my head around this 'cause as I said when I was putting this module together I I was so expert at the time because I was just living
• 10:04
  eating and breathing, writing about it.
• 10:07
  But because it is so uh I don't want to say intense, but there is so much to do, I've sort of forgotten my forgotten my geography.
• 10:13
  So you mentioned to get to the island of Kyushu itself, rather large island, there's a bullet train.
• 10:18
  You can fly, of course, because the regional air within Japan is fantastic.
• 10:23
  but you can all if someone wanted to drive or take a private transfer or uh coach tour, you can also connect by land into um into Kyushu.
• 10:32
  And the main gateway is is Fukuoka, and that's both the airport
• 10:36
  And the bullet train and even some uh ferries I believe connect in this area as well.
• 10:43
  So nearby, I'm just going back to my question on you of the pronunciation of hi uh Hiroshima, Nagasaki is also in this area too, is that correct?
• 10:56
  Yeah, yeah.
• 10:57
  Hiroshima and the Key Peninsula are more central slash West Japan.
• 11:02
  Uh whereas Kyushu has like Nagasaki, Bepu, Kagoshima, Fukuoka.
• 11:09
  Yeah, okay, you're you're ringing the bells now, uh please like uh Bepu here's Nagasaki.
• 11:14
  And the reason I bring Nagasaki up, again for those who are into the history, um obviously Hiroshima is well famous for the first atomic bomb being dropped there, but people have
• 11:24
  forgotten, but often it's overlooked that there was a second one dropped on Nagasaki as well.
• 11:28
  So there's uh a historical
• 11:31
  a a more modern day historical reason to visit Nagasaki as well.
• 11:35
  Um on the Key Peninsula I have um Mount Koya is an attraction.
• 11:40
  Can you expand what Mount Koya is?
• 11:42
  Yeah.
• 11:43
  So uh in the Key Peninsula, there that whole area actually is home to a really cool uh spiritual pilgrimage.
• 11:51
  The area's a very spiritual area.
• 11:53
  So Mount Koya in particular is like a monastic center almost.
• 11:58
  like nestled in the forestry.
• 12:01
  it's got like a history of over twelve hundred years of practicing esoteric Buddhism.
• 12:06
  Um and they have uh currently over fifty temples in the area that will still offer uh temple stays.
• 12:13
  So that's probably one of the biggest draws to the area is if you're looking to do shukbo or like an overnight temple stay experience.
• 12:19
  Um this is like a key area to do that.
• 12:23
  Okay then.
• 12:24
  Um staying south for the moment, um we also have
• 12:28
  Love where is it here?
• 12:33
  Nayoshima Island.
• 12:34
  Now again, one of the things I learned doing my research is is Kushu has great coastal drives, coastal walks.
• 12:41
  There's lots of activities you can do down there, mountain biking, trekking, etc.
• 12:46
  One thing I was surprised about was this island.
• 12:49
  can you expand on the island itself and why it is an a uh an attraction both to the locals as well as to international travels?
• 12:57
  So Naoshima's actually not in Kyushu, it's uh it's more in Setochi.
• 13:02
  So it's like between Hiroshima and Osaka is like Okayama, and that's kind of the connecting point to get there.
• 13:09
  Oh really?
• 13:10
  I thought it was I thought the the art islands are off the coast of Kyushu, obviously not.
• 13:17
  Okay.
• 13:17
  Yeah, there so there are I think something like a dozen art islands.
• 13:21
  Um but they all scatter through like the inland sea there, which technically Kyushu like partially like connects to part of the inland sea, but it's very much like in between uh
• 13:34
  Shikoku and Honshu, like the mainland and the small island of Shikoku.
• 13:38
  Oh okay then.
• 13:40
  could have sworn though there was isn't there some
• 13:44
  Coastal town then on Kyushu, which also has a a lot of modern art there, or am I getting that mixed up with Nayoshima?
• 13:54
  There are a lot of islands, so there might be ones that kind of have particular arts or crafts on them, but for the like quote unquote famous art islands, those are in Setuchi.
• 14:04
  Okay then.
• 14:05
  So let's talk again.
• 14:06
  I'm trying to
• 14:07
  Again, this is my fault, it's not Rose's fault.
• 14:09
  Like we we do have our talking points here.
• 14:11
  I've got myself so mixed up on the geography, but this is what today's about to clarify that as well.
• 14:16
  Let's try and keep to Kyuishu, and I'm gonna follow my notes a bit closer here.
• 14:20
  Um we discussed Fukuoka being the main gateway.
• 14:22
  I is there much to do in Fukuoka itself, or is it really used as the gateway in and out and your sort of hub point for the rest of the island?
• 14:31
  there's a lot to do there.
• 14:32
  So getting to Fukuoka, I mean, you also can get here on the bullet train.
• 14:36
  It's like that connecting point.
• 14:37
  It's actually Japan's fifth largest city.
• 14:41
  yeah, yeah, really, really big.
• 14:42
  Um and it kind of is divided into two halves, but uh probably the most famous part that people really like going to is the island of Nakasu in the middle of both areas.
• 14:54
  And that
• 14:56
  is known for its street food or the yatai.
• 14:59
  So these are like street side food stalls that people will go to to like hop around trying all of the great food.
• 15:06
  Um and that's what Fukuoka is really known for.
• 15:08
  It's Tongkutsu ramen, which is like pork bone broth.
• 15:12
  you can get like yakitori chicken skewers, you can try, you know, sabba uh mackerel, goma saba.
• 15:19
  Like they've got so much good cheap food that you can like
• 15:23
  gorge yourself on while you're there.
• 15:24
  So it's a really fun city to explore and eat through.
• 15:28
  Yeah.
• 15:28
  Well that's that's a thing with Japan in general, but I also pick that up again, particularly in the Kushu area.
• 15:33
  Food is a big thing in the area.
• 15:36
  Seafood in particular for obvious reasons as well.
• 15:41
  Bepu, I remember from my research, is a center point or is a good hub again for your hot spring experiences.
• 15:49
  Right, yeah.
• 15:50
  Yeah, yeah.
• 15:51
  So it is considered like the largest hot spring resort area in western Japan.
• 15:57
  Uh they've got bathing and sightseeing spots.
• 16:00
  It's really cool because you'll see that the locals sometimes in Bepu won't even use the baths in their own home because they would prefer to go to a local bathhouse to get that
• 16:09
  really high quality uh water.
• 16:12
  They've got, I think like 3,000 vents in the area.
• 16:15
  And then they also have a really cool
• 16:18
  thing called the Hells of Vetu, which is uh a hot spring area with like pools of different colors and they're very, very hot.
• 16:26
  They're not for bathing in.
• 16:27
  Um I think they reach like ninety eight degrees Celsius or something like that or two hundred something Fahrenheit.
• 16:34
  so people will go around there and check out all the steaming hot springs before dipping in safe hot springs at their hotels.
• 16:42
  And there's also like there's I guess what people would envisage or imagine being you know the traditional
• 16:48
  Or a hot spring where just literally hop in and soak.
• 16:51
  And as you mentioned, there are different ones with different colors.
• 16:53
  But from memory too, there's also uh you can do some wellness type treatments.
• 16:57
  And I believe there's a like a black sands experience where you get immersed in hot Yes.
• 17:03
  You can do that in Bepu.
• 17:05
  It's also very well known to do that in Kaguashima, which is another uh part of Kyushu down south.
• 17:10
  But uh yeah, it's like uh almost like a beauty treatment because the sand is naturally warmed by the hot springs under the
• 17:18
  ground.
• 17:18
  Um so it's supposed to be very good for your skin.
• 17:21
  Really nice local beauty treatment.
• 17:24
  So these experiences, these hot spring experiences can be done like literally as a hot spring you.
• 17:29
  You're in whatever hotel you're in and you go to the hot spring.
• 17:32
  Do they also have offerings where the hot springs are a hotel or a Japanese inn or your kind in other words, like all in one one package, so to speak?
• 17:44
  Yeah, typically when you stay out of Yokan, it will give you access to like adjacent hot springs.
• 17:51
  but a lot of hotels will also have hot spring baths, especially uh in this area too.
• 17:56
  And I think again I'm just I I I'll c I'll keep using this terminology or my phrase if memory serves me correct from my research, around Bepu too you can buy or have a pass of
• 18:07
  some description where you can be in obviously your eyekan or hotel's choice.
• 18:11
  But
• 18:12
  Go and visit the different bars because as you mentioned, there are different experiences from uh the warm sands to a traditional hot spring to the colored hot springs.
• 18:20
  Is that is that right, where you can sort of move around different hot springs as well?
• 18:24
  I think that might be referring to like the on sen meguri, which is like hopping around the hells, so at the hells of that.
• 18:33
  Yeah, where like you can basically I think like to
• 18:37
  look at all of the different ones, it'll take you like two to three hours for a full tour, but you can like go around and check out all of the different hot springs.
• 18:44
  They're not ones to bathe in because they're like very boiling hot and sulfuric.
• 18:49
  but they're very, very cool to like tour around, take a look at.
• 18:52
  You can even like try some snacks, like uh I'm sure you've seen like the hot springs steamed like eggs and like pudding and they'll have stuff that's been steamed by the hot
• 19:03
  springs that you can eat.
• 19:05
  Yeah, that's right.
• 19:06
  So again, I do remember that now that so you have the hot springs experience where you can bathe and, you know, do as you would expect in Japan, but you then get, I guess, the
• 19:14
  Yellowstone vibe.
• 19:17
  Is it Yellowstone?
• 19:18
  the US National Yeah, it's kind of like similar vibes to that where it's like the steaming sulfuric, it looks like almost apocalyptic.
• 19:25
  It's very cool.
• 19:26
  Yeah, but you don't want to swim in because that's yeah, don't swim in those.
• 19:30
  That'll not be good for your health.
• 19:32
  Okay.
• 19:32
  Uh Yakushima Island.
• 19:34
  Expand that.
• 19:37
  Yeah, so that is
• 19:39
  off the coast from Kagoshima.
• 19:41
  So Kagoshima is like kind of the most southernmost part of the main like island of Kyushu.
• 19:48
  And from there you can actually get a ferry down to Yakushima Island.
• 19:52
  So that's a UNESCO uh World Natural Heritage Site.
• 19:55
  um It's known for having ancient Sugi cedar trees.
• 19:59
  Some of them are thousands of years old.
• 20:01
  The oldest I think is estimated to be up to 7,000 years old.
• 20:06
  it's also like a natural nesting site for sea turtles.
• 20:09
  They've got a lot of unique endemic species, so it's a great place for like sustainable hikes through all of the forestry, beautiful beaches as well.
• 20:18
  Um, so it's a really, really uh beautiful spot to consider adding like some hiking into.
• 20:24
  Uh they do have resorts on the island as well if you want to stay overnight there.
• 20:28
  But um, it's really, really cool to add into the itinerary.
• 20:31
  Yeah, that's the other thing about the island.
• 20:33
  Again, Kirchu itself, you can have your traditional on San Um Oriokan and your hot spring stays, but they're also like traditional hotels.
• 20:43
  But I believe on the coastal areas, particularly down Okinawa, there are resorts like the more classic resorts people can look at.
• 20:49
  Is that right?
• 20:51
  yeah.
• 20:51
  There are a lot of really great resorts.
• 20:53
  You'll find resorts and a lot of like kind of beachside areas, but of course, Okinawa is considered like the subtropical area.
• 21:01
  Haven, it's a blue zone, so um really good for people interested in wellness, like it's said to be due to like the culture there, the diet.
• 21:09
  They have some unique foods there.
• 21:11
  Um, so it's also a really great resort destination to stay at.
• 21:16
  Is it Okinawa that's famous for the longevity of its population?
• 21:20
  Yes, yes.
• 21:22
  That's what also I think is part of what makes it a blue zone.
• 21:24
  It has, I think, the oldest or the longest living population within Japan.
• 21:30
  Yeah, I found that interesting.
• 21:31
  And and Japan, well at least in the Western press has always sort of tap, you know, you every couple of months you hear of a story and you know, there's a person turning a
• 21:39
  hundred and ten in Japan, but so for Japanese to even, you know, exceed what is sort of known outside that's amazing in itself.
• 21:47
  So is um would Okinawa be viewed by a North American traveler as l let me frame it this way when we sell Costa Rica
• 21:58
  which is known for its sort of soft adventure and active thing.
• 22:02
  Nine times out of ten, an itinerary there is sort of active.
• 22:05
  You're doing zip lining, rafting, biking, that type of thing.
• 22:08
  And we will often then put at the end of that trip a three or four day stay in a very nice either resort or boutique hotel for that downtime.
• 22:16
  Would you look at Okinawa in the same way that you would be active, be it Golden Root, be it Hokkaido, be it Kyushu, doing all your stuff.
• 22:25
  And then would you look at Okinawa for downtime, or is there sort of more to it than that?
• 22:29
  In other words, like could Okinawa for a third-time visitor be a destination unto itself for seven to ten days?
• 22:36
  Oh, absolutely.
• 22:37
  I mean, what's nice with Okinawa is that you can be very active there, you know, because it's one of Asia's leading diving spots.
• 22:44
  It's known for its white sand beaches.
• 22:46
  A lot of people will go mangrove kayaking, snorkeling, diving.
• 22:51
  Um, so you can be very, very active in Okinawa.
• 22:54
  Um and I mean even if you go to the more major cities like, you know, in Naha, you know, it's a very bustling city center as well.
• 23:02
  So you can hop around bars and restaurants and have a good city experience.
• 23:07
  And then you can go to those beautiful beaches and stay in a resort.
• 23:10
  So it's a really versatile area.
• 23:13
  It's also a really unique area in that it used to be its own kingdom historically with its own language.
• 23:19
  The culture is somewhat unique from mainland uh Japan because of that.
• 23:24
  Um so it's also a really interesting extension you can add onto something like the Golden Route, then you fly down to Okinawa, and then you can really get a sense of that
• 23:33
  regionality um from an area that's kind of far flung from the standard spots.
• 23:39
  Okay, so you you sort of preempted a question I was gonna ask in that by going to somewhere as far flunked to use your terminology as Okinawa, um, and I don't mean this in
• 23:49
  any sort of negative way, but is it less cultural?
• 23:54
  Because it is so far removed from mainland China.
• 23:56
  But you've already answered China, sorry, Japan.
• 23:58
  You've already answered that by saying it was its own kingdom at one stage, therefore it has its own very unique identity and culture.
• 24:04
  So you answered my question, I've just answered it for me.
• 24:07
  So you don't lose any Japanese vibe by going to Okinawa.
• 24:12
  No, not at all.
• 24:13
  I mean, you're going to get a very uh kind of unique spin on it because there are elements of Japanese culture involved and also you get that Yukyu culture um from the old kingdom
• 24:25
  as well.
• 24:25
  They have beautiful sites that you can see like Shuri Castle.
• 24:29
  There are shrines that you can visit as well, which people think of, you know, typical Shintoism uh in Japan.
• 24:35
  Uh so you do get like a really interesting kind of uh flavor to it.
• 24:42
  So again I got my map in front of me here.
• 24:44
  It is one island, Okinawa, or is it a chain of islands?
• 24:47
  It's a bunch of islands, yeah.
• 24:49
  So Okinawa is technically the prefecture.
• 24:57
  or the prefectural name.
• 24:59
  And then uh like Naha is kind of like the major city.
• 25:02
  But a lot of people will go to like those little islands like Ishigaki, Taketomi Island, Miyakojima.
• 25:09
  A lot of cruises will stop off at some of these like smaller islands as well.
• 25:14
  Um so some people will spend their time, you know, on the mainland, like mainland Okinawa around Naha.
• 25:21
  Some people they want to go to all those itty bitty islands and get kind of really dug into the culture there.
• 25:27
  Okay, so um for those who may be looking along on a map, Google map as we're talking, you mentioned flying to Okinawa obviously is the main way.
• 25:36
  Can you get there any other way?
• 25:37
  Obviously not bullet trained, they don't go underwater.
• 25:40
  but are are there any cruise or ferry services down to the island group?
• 25:46
  I do think that there might be ferries because I know there are ferries that can get you to like Amami Oshima, which is technically Kagoshima, but it's like right by Okinawa.
• 25:54
  It's a very, very long ferry ride.
• 25:57
  So uh I would definitely recommend flying in.
• 25:59
  Right.
• 26:00
  So for the average traveller, flights is the way to get in and out.
• 26:03
  And if people want to get to the Itty Biddy Islands, as you phrase it, um, is that via flight or is that by local uh boat service?
• 26:13
  I do believe there are smaller domestic flights you can take, but there are ferries as well that you can get.
• 26:18
  A lot of people will, for example, go to Taketomi Island via ferry from Ishigaki, where it's like just a very short ride.
• 26:26
  Um so there are ways that you can connect to all the little islands from the various islands too.
• 26:31
  Okay then.
• 26:32
  Um is Okinawa because it's sort of further south, you know, sort of separated by a lot of water from the main island of Japan, is it
• 26:42
  is it more expensive for that reason or is it on par with the rest of Japan?
• 26:47
  I would say it's about on par.
• 26:49
  It does depend when you go, 'cause the exchange rate, you know, always goes up and down, uh, of course.
• 26:54
  And also it depends on, you know, where you're staying, what level of accommodation uh you're looking for.
• 26:59
  Yeah.
• 27:00
  Do the locals look at Okinawa as their sort of fun sun getaway?
• 27:06
  yeah.
• 27:07
  Oh you mean like uh just people like on mainland Japan, like folks from Tokyo.
• 27:12
  yeah.
• 27:13
  I have so many friends who will they'll they'll just always wanna go for their Okinawa holiday every year.
• 27:19
  Okay.
• 27:20
  Interesting.
• 27:21
  Nice.
• 27:22
  Okay then so let's head back up into uh Kagushima you've mentioned a couple of times, but I don't think we've drilled down on it.
• 27:29
  Can you explain what is in and around Kagoshima?
• 27:32
  Yeah, so that's another part of Kyushu.
• 27:35
  It's uh kind of the southern part of like that major island.
• 27:40
  Um it's I mean, if you're gonna go into the city, Kagoshima City, of course, is known for having an active volcano nearby.
• 27:49
  And if you like Google Kagoshima City, you'll see Sakurajima uh in the background there.
• 27:55
  Um it's a really, really uh vibrant area.
• 27:58
  you can find amazing views of that volcano from like the gardens in the city.
• 28:03
  And actually the culinary scene in Kagoshima is interesting because the volcano will erupt every now and then.
• 28:10
  You'll have like a light showering of ash.
• 28:12
  Um, like they'll have an ash forecast there so people know if they need umbrellas.
• 28:16
  And that's actually contributed to the food because the ash creates this nutrient-rich soil.
• 28:23
  So it's really good for vegetable, root vegetable cultivation.
• 28:26
  So they're really well known for their sweet potatoes, their like massive daikon radishes.
• 28:32
  Um you can get sweet potato shoots.
• 28:35
  they also are known for their kurabu kubuta pork.
• 28:38
  But yeah, you'll see a lot of great uh root veggies all over Kagoshima.
• 28:42
  They're absolutely delicious.
• 28:44
  One thing, again, looking at maps here, Kagwashima, if I'm I'm a bit blind.
• 28:49
  Yeah, it's at the bottom of the gearshoe.
• 28:51
  So
• 28:52
  Bring together an itinerary um outside of the Golden Root and they go into Tokyo.
• 28:56
  Um let me ask, can you fly directly internationally into uh into Fukioka or do you still need to go via Tokyo?
• 29:04
  I don't think that there are any direct flights from the state to Fukuoka at this time.
• 29:09
  Um but you can just make a very quick connection, just domestically fly in to Tokyo as your entry point and then just skip over
• 29:17
  to Fukuoka.
• 29:18
  And then from Fukuoka, I mean there's a bullet train that will take you uh down south.
• 29:23
  Uh the line I believe will hit up like Kumamoto.
• 29:27
  It'll go down to Kagoshima as well.
• 29:29
  There's some sightseeing trains as well that will um take you between some of the major areas.
• 29:34
  You can get to Bepu that way.
• 29:36
  Um so it is very accessible.
• 29:38
  Yeah, I again I learned that and I was doing my research that uh as you expect for Japan the um rail is probably one of the best ways to connect.
• 29:47
  The South Island, it's still very well set up to connect all the big sites.
• 29:52
  But I was looking so for a travel partner out there, if they're looking at their maps, they're gonna go, okay, so we're gonna ignore the golden route.
• 29:56
  I'm gonna fly my clients in to Kyushua, they're gonna spend time in Fukuyoka, they're gonna, you know, cruise round the South Island, Bepu, do all the hot springs, on Sens,
• 30:05
  etcetera, and then finish up in Kaguoshima, which is the southern part of Kyushu, and they wanna add on Okinawa for that downtime.
• 30:13
  Can you fly from Kaguoshima?
• 30:17
  into Okinawa or you have to return to Fukioka or do have to no there are flights.
• 30:21
  Kagoshima has an airport that you can uh fly from yeah.
• 30:25
  So there's from a planning pure I'm looking at this from a purely planning point of view.
• 30:28
  You don't need to backtrack.
• 30:30
  You could continue on to Okinawa and then obviously Okinawa back into Tokyo directly to to fly back home.
• 30:36
  Yeah?
• 30:36
  Mm-hmm.
• 30:36
  Yeah.
• 30:37
  There we go.
• 30:38
  So that's all nice and easy in that respect.
• 30:40
  Okay.
• 30:41
  Is there anything else on Kyusha you'd like to point out before I move us um further north?
• 30:48
  good question.
• 30:50
  Well, something I can mention, because we didn't talk too much about Nagasaki, but what you will notice in Kyushu, I like to say that it's an interesting melting pot of culture.
• 30:59
  And one of the reasons for that is Nagasaki was home to like the only port during the Edo period that traders could come in and out of.
• 31:09
  It was like this uh like massive connection point for Dutch merchants.
• 31:15
  um who once resided and did business in Japan.
• 31:18
  Portuguese traders came through, Chinese traders have come through historically.
• 31:22
  So it's a really interesting city just there alone because you see this kind of like a mishmash of culture, like Western churches next to temples and shrines.
• 31:31
  but you do see echoes of it also in other parts of Kyushu.
• 31:34
  Yeah, I yeah, I'm glad you brought that up uh because yeah that it was, as you say, historically the main gateway into Japan back in the day, the Edo period when Japan was
• 31:44
  opening up.
• 31:45
  being forced to open up as the case may be.
• 31:48
  yeah, so if you like your history like I do, most people know that now, then that's another good reason.
• 31:54
  And again, so that's the old history, the I don't say ancient history, but the more classical history and obviously the modern day history with uh World War Two.
• 32:02
  Um Setucci, is that the right?
• 32:05
  It's almost sounds Italian.
• 32:06
  Setucci, yeah.
• 32:07
  Oh there you go.
• 32:09
  Setucci.
• 32:10
  Not Setucci.
• 32:11
  Setucci.
• 32:13
  Um you've got here in our notes Hiroshima and Miyajima.
• 32:20
  So we've discussed uh Hiroshima, and again, most people know it for um its uh its place in history in World War Two.
• 32:29
  But there's more to the city than that as there is for Nagasaki.
• 32:33
  So can you expand on outside of that history of Hiroshima?
• 32:37
  Yeah, sure.
• 32:38
  Well of course a lot of people do go for the history.
• 32:41
  I mean there's the peace park with, you know, memorials.
• 32:44
  There's the uh atomic bomb dome, which is a monument there.
• 32:47
  Um so if you're interested in the history, those are kind of the must see sites.
• 32:52
  but they also have some beautiful forestry, some seaside views, and also Hiroshima, not everyone knows it's known as are so many areas of Japan.
• 33:01
  for its robust food culture.
• 33:03
  I'm sure that you're familiar with okonomiyaki.
• 33:06
  Not everybody knows that Hiroshima style okonomyaki is different.
• 33:10
  It's like a layered pancake with like uh normally in Osaka style it's like all mixed together like the batter and the the cabbage and stuff.
• 33:19
  And Hiroshima they kind of layer it with noodles, like yakisoba noodles.
• 33:23
  so really, really good.
• 33:24
  They're also known for their oysters.
• 33:27
  Um so you know when you go to Hiroshima, you don't have to only focus on history.
• 33:31
  You can tour the culinary scene as well.
• 33:34
  They've got a Shikuen Garden, which is a beautiful garden in the area.
• 33:38
  And then of course there's Miyajima Island, which I assume you were gonna bring up because that's accessible from Hiroshima.
• 33:44
  Right.
• 33:45
  sorry to write some notes here.
• 33:49
  Okay then.
• 33:50
  Um Miyajima, did you mention that?
• 33:53
  Yeah, so uh you can get a ferry there from like the mainland in Hiroshima.
• 33:59
  It's a very small island, it's like a population of two thousand people, but it's known for having free roaming deer, and it's especially famous for Itsukoshima Shrine.
• 34:09
  So that's the shrine with like that red Torigate that you always see in photos that looks like it's floating over the water.
• 34:16
  and then what's cool is that at high tide it looks like it's floating.
• 34:19
  At low tide, you can actually walk out to it.
• 34:22
  and take photos.
• 34:24
  And also the island just has some cool shopping areas.
• 34:26
  You can do cultural activities like calligraphy or kimono dressing.
• 34:31
  You can hike around.
• 34:33
  so it's actually a really nice like half day that you can spend on Miyajima Island while you're in Hiroshima.
• 34:38
  And I believe you can actually stay overnight on the island, is that right?
• 34:41
  Yes, they do have some accommodations there, yeah.
• 34:44
  Yeah.
• 34:44
  And I think it's also famous for deer.
• 34:46
  Wildlife Yeah, yeah.
• 34:48
  So you'll see the deer that are roaming around there.
• 34:50
  Unlike Nara, these ones are ones that you're not supposed to really go up and pet or feed necessarily, but they're just as cute.
• 34:58
  Yeah.
• 34:58
  So again, um Hiroshima is like often part of the Golden Root because it's very close to Kyoto.
• 35:06
  So it's that's part of the Golden Root.
• 35:09
  But also is would you consider Miyajima as part of the golden route?
• 35:12
  Like is that something that's standard most people will see on a golden root run?
• 35:17
  I think if they're including Hiroshima, Miyajima is usually kind of like packaged into it.
• 35:22
  Hiroshima, I think until now has been considered like a little extension of the golden route.
• 35:28
  Um but so many people add it on because it's so convenient.
• 35:32
  You know, you can get there so easily from Osaka and Kyoto on the bullet train that it's just like super easy to tack on.
• 35:39
  Gotcha.
• 35:40
  Okay.
• 35:40
  So for our travel partners out there, if somebody's approaching about the golden route.
• 35:44
  Please.
• 35:44
  And again, our like our destination specialists are as well informed as Rose is.
• 35:50
  Well, I don't think anyone's as well informed as Rose.
• 35:52
  She's blowing blowing me away today with her knowledge.
• 35:55
  Um but they do have a very high level of expertise on it.
• 35:59
  So they and I do know for a fact that they will often include um will include Hiroshima and Miyajima in their Golden Root itinerary.
• 36:07
  So that sort of feeds into our you know, are the outside the Golden Root.
• 36:12
  If it keeps getting added in, it's going to become part of the golden room.
• 36:15
  Point is they're both worth spending some time in.
• 36:18
  And again, particularly with Miijima, we would recommend that they overnight there as well because you'll get the crowds coming in during you know, during their day visit, but then
• 36:26
  they all go back.
• 36:28
  You get the island to a degree to yourself and you can soak up all the um all the culture, all the spiritualism.
• 36:35
  Watch the deers as much as you like.
• 36:37
  Um
• 36:38
  A lot of people may not realize that uh Japan, particularly in the main island, has I guess the Alps for want of a better term, the mountain range.
• 36:46
  Everyone knows probably should know of Mount Fuji, a volcano, but there's like an Alps region of the mainland.
• 36:53
  Can you expand on that and some of the options and places you should consider?
• 36:58
  Again, this is sort of outside the Golden Road, these be extensions to the Golden Roy.
• 37:02
  Can you expand on that for us?
• 37:04
  Yeah, sure.
• 37:05
  So actually, this is a really nice alternative to the Golden Route that has uh gained some traction because you can actually go through this area between Tokyo and Kyoto.
• 37:15
  So it's a nice way to inject some kind of like novelty in nature.
• 37:18
  So uh basically this route called the dragon route, actually, it like winds you up through the Alps, like you said.
• 37:27
  so you can start.
• 37:29
  Going to like Nagano, for example, is kind of the first stop.
• 37:32
  It's like an hour and a half on the bullet train from Tokyo.
• 37:35
  Some people even just do an overnight there.
• 37:37
  It's got ski resorts like Hakuba, it's known for its sake, its soba noodles, the snow monkey park.
• 37:44
  I'm sure you've seen the um the wild snow monkeys bathing in the hot spring.
• 37:48
  It's got some great temples there.
• 37:51
  Uh and then from there, people will go to Takayama.
• 37:55
  So this is also part of the Alps.
• 37:58
  really, really beautiful mountain range views from there.
• 38:01
  Uh they also have some great hot springs, some beautiful old traditional streets, uh really great uh wagyu there.
• 38:09
  Actually, Hida beef, they say it's better than Kobe beef there.
• 38:12
  Uh it also is by Shirakawago, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with like beautiful thatch roofed homes.
• 38:19
  It's like a traditional kind of valley hamlet.
• 38:22
  And then people go up to Kanazawa Last, which is
• 38:27
  kind of like uh almost like an alternative to Kyoto because it's got geisha it's got beautiful traditional uh areas and samurai districts, it's got really good crafts, like
• 38:39
  artisanal crafts.
• 38:41
  Um and then from there people go down to Kyoto.
• 38:44
  So if you go through like the Japan Alps, it's a really nice way to add in some traditions, some nature, some culture without being subjected to like all the crazy crowds
• 38:54
  necessarily of those major
• 38:56
  spots.
• 38:57
  So in a planning situation or if a travel partner is trying to explain this to a client, would you recommend this as something that's done pre or post golden route?
• 39:08
  Is it something that you do the golden route?
• 39:11
  Well I go I'm a mastermind question pre or post like just go and do it as day trips from Tokyo.
• 39:16
  Is it an alternative run from Tokyo down to Osaka Kyo?
• 39:19
  How would you I I would say it's more like an alternative run because it has the same
• 39:26
  spots technically.
• 39:27
  You go from Tokyo up through the Alps back down to Kyoto Osaka.
• 39:32
  So it is a way to kind of do a different version of the golden route.
• 39:36
  It's just you get to add in a little bit more novelty, something unique.
• 39:40
  But you can also just add some of these in as like day trips or overnight.
• 39:44
  Nagano is only an hour and a half out by bullet train, so you can go up there from Tokyo for a nice little overnight.
• 39:51
  You can even get the bullet train up to Kanazawa if you want to
• 39:55
  Do an overnight there.
• 39:56
  Uh so it's very versatile.
• 39:59
  Would you or would you be brave enough to market it as an alternate golden route?
• 40:05
  I would say that so it's I call it usually an alternative to the golden route.
• 40:11
  but its own thing, the dragon route, just because uh
• 40:15
  it kind of also tweaks how you see the other cities.
• 40:18
  So because you're getting a lot of this really great tradition in some of these other areas, when you get down to Kyoto, you no longer feel like you're hamstringed into like, I
• 40:28
  have to see all the typical traditional sites.
• 40:30
  Um, and that actually gives you the opportunity to see the hidden sides of Kyoto, the places that tourists don't necessarily know about, because you've already seen a bunch of
• 40:40
  temples and shrines, you've seen some geisha.
• 40:43
  Uh so it lets you kind of expand a little.
• 40:45
  Okay.
• 40:46
  Um I d I don't want to put words in your mouth here 'cause I know who you represent and you want to be careful that you're keeping everyone happy here.
• 40:53
  But would the would the dragon root be an authentic a a more authentic Japanese experience versus the traditional golden root?
• 41:02
  I don't think it's more or less authentic so much as it's expanded because again it still includes all of those other spots, you know, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka.
• 41:11
  It's just allowing you to I think maybe eject a little more time with that kind of tradition and culture.
• 41:18
  So maybe it might feel like you're adding some more authenticity because you're dedicating more time um to these other areas that most people don't necessarily get to see on their
• 41:28
  first trip to Japan.
• 41:29
  Okay.
• 41:30
  So again, I I'm not I don't wanna I'm not trying to
• 41:32
  push you into a corner or any way here.
• 41:34
  I want to get clear in my head and also for our travel partners out there because you know the sort of the you know the goal of today is to show people there is more to Japan than
• 41:44
  the golden route.
• 41:44
  Of course.
• 41:45
  And adding Kyushu or Okinawa or Ho Hokkaido, which we'll touch on in a minute, may be adding a chunk of time to their itinerary and budget.
• 41:55
  Whereas what we're discussing here, the Dragon Route to me, and again I'm just putting my head you know, I'm I'm
• 42:02
  speaking to you now as a travel agent here and I'm the traveler, what I would want to get from my trip to Japan is that more authentic, immersive experiences.
• 42:10
  And the way you you are describing it, to me, it sounds like it is that it's more immersive.
• 42:15
  Um is it any less traffic than the Golden Route?
• 42:20
  It's definitely less than the Golden Root.
• 42:22
  It is seeing more traffic nowadays because it's started gaining some traction.
• 42:27
  It's getting a bit more popular.
• 42:29
  but it you're not gonna see nearly the same crowds that you would see in a place like Kyoto compared to somewhere like Kanazawa.
• 42:37
  except if you're going in cherry blossom season.
• 42:39
  I think everywhere kinda gets swamps during cherry blossom season.
• 42:43
  Though I think I can't remember where, I think somewhere on in Kyushua uh probably not Okinawa, there was somewhere in Kyushua again from my research where you get the cherry
• 42:54
  blossom season but without the same amount of crowds.
• 42:58
  I I I know we're jumping back down to Kyushu.
• 43:00
  Does that ring a bell with you that there was there's an area in Kyushu which also has a beautiful cherry blossom season but seems to be less visited than other areas?
• 43:09
  There are actually I would say a bunch of areas, um, not even limited to Kyushu.
• 43:14
  Uh 'cause cherry blossoms, not everyone realizes that cherry blossoms bloom all across the country, including in Hokkaido, all the way down to Kyushu.
• 43:23
  the seasonality will differ because, for example, Hokkaido's colder, Kyushu might be a little bit warmer, especially Okinawa.
• 43:31
  Um so it blooms sooner there, later in Hokkaido.
• 43:36
  Um but it is true that you know, because not everyone knows that cherry blossoms will bloom over the all over the country, they'll write off these areas, they think they have
• 43:45
  to go to Kyoto to see it.
• 43:46
  When in fact you can have like this stunning experience in Kyushu.
• 43:50
  seeing the cherry blossoms with not nearly as many crowds.
• 43:54
  Okay.
• 43:55
  So sorry sorry to everyone there.
• 43:56
  I segue completely off what we were discussing and I want to come back to it.
• 43:59
  But that's a g an important part.
• 44:01
  And actually it might have been Hok um in Hokkaida where I I point out in the module that again cherry blossom as you just pointed out there, cherry blossom season is a varying
• 44:12
  season based on geography and you don't have to go to Kyoto.
• 44:16
  So that's a very good point for everyone out there as well.
• 44:17
  If you have clients
• 44:19
  You want to do the cherry blossom thing because you'll see with Go Wave and anyone else, the classic cherry blossom itineraries are always sold out very, very quickly because they
• 44:27
  are so popular and is a small window.
• 44:29
  So if you have clients who want to see cherry blossoms and maybe not want to do or need to do the traditional Kyoto base, speak to our destination experts because they'll be able to
• 44:38
  point out different times of the year, different parts of Japan where you can see it.
• 44:42
  So I want to get back to the dragon route.
• 44:44
  Uh so
• 44:48
  To me, if I'm a travel agent now and I have a client coming to me and they want to do the golden root and they say, but I you I don't want to do the classic, I don't want to do the
• 44:56
  same thing, I don't want all the people.
• 44:59
  Dragon root would be the easiest, perfect alternative.
• 45:02
  So you still get the key elements of the famed Golden Root, but you're getting, as you say, more I'm gonna it's my word here, immersive into it.
• 45:12
  You will see a bit more of the classic uh Japan.
• 45:16
  'Cause as you said, and I am gonna quote you, when you hit Kyoto, you would have experienced a lot of that classical Japan culture and immersion.
• 45:25
  Now you can spend time doing other aspects of Kyoto andor other areas of southern Main Island.
• 45:31
  Is that fair?
• 45:32
  Yeah.
• 45:33
  Yeah, no, absolutely.
• 45:34
  Because yeah, in some of these areas like Kanazawa, for example, because they have a geisha district, they have a beautiful castle, stunning gardens, they have a bunch of
• 45:43
  traditional areas and all of that.
• 45:46
  Beautiful architecture.
• 45:47
  Same in, you know, Nagano, they've got gorgeous temples and traditional architecture.
• 45:51
  Because you're getting this tradition that a lot of people really crave when they go to Japan to feel immersed, then they don't have to feel rushed to do that in Kyoto.
• 46:00
  And that really can just open a whole new world of things that you can do in Kyoto because you're not pressured to kind of stick to uh like the mainstay must see things that
• 46:11
  everyone else is doing.
• 46:12
  Right.
• 46:15
  Again, I'm
• 46:16
  Like I'm sort of not lost for words, but like to me it sounds like the dragon route would be a better option.
• 46:22
  Again, I d I know like you don't want to say one is better than the other because you're you're there to represent the entire country.
• 46:28
  It all has its beauty and its glory.
• 46:30
  But to me from a purely practical you know, I'm a traveller, I I w I want a more th again, not the right word, a more immersive experience, less traffic.
• 46:40
  To me the dragon route seems like the obvious choice.
• 46:43
  Yeah, I mean I would say because a lot of people think that, you know, I gotta do the golden route on my first try.
• 46:50
  But what's really nice about the dragon route is first timers can do it too, because you are hitting those same spots while adding like an extra layer onto it.
• 46:58
  So I think that's the beauty of it is you don't have to be a repeater to do this route.
• 47:03
  You can do it on your first go in Japan.
• 47:05
  Oh, you just summed it up beautifully there for me, Rose.
• 47:07
  Thank you so much.
• 47:08
  And I like that you do the classics with an extra layer.
• 47:11
  I love that.
• 47:11
  So that's I think everyone out there.
• 47:13
  Keep that in mind, speak to our destination specialists about it uh when you have an inquiry for Japan, be it first or second time.
• 47:19
  Now on that, am I correct in assuming 'cause my memory fails me, the Nakasendor Trail, is that within the Alps area?
• 47:28
  Yes, it is.
• 47:29
  Yeah.
• 47:29
  So that is like an old highway in uh in Japan.
• 47:34
  Uh
• 47:35
  Historically it connected Tokyo to Kyoto.
• 47:38
  There were like five major roads that connected them.
• 47:41
  Like there was the mountain road and the sea road and blah blah blah.
• 47:43
  But the Nakasendo is that mountainous route.
• 47:47
  It's like I think it was five hundred and thirty kilometers, something like that.
• 47:52
  Um so that's a really, really cool bit of history because you can still walk sections of the Nakasendo today.
• 47:59
  That's where I was leading to because again, in my research, there's one particular again.
• 48:05
  My memory fails me.
• 48:06
  There is one particular section of the trial, I think it can be walked in a day or a couple of days.
• 48:10
  Like you can do extended versions of this, of course, but not so two things.
• 48:15
  If you have trekkers out there who want to do something, you know, the famous you know, the Inca trail is five day, I've forgotten the name of the trek in Spain, you know, which
• 48:24
  can be six weeks long.
• 48:26
  Japan offers these type of things as well, and this is one of the more famous ones.
• 48:29
  But if you don't have that time or your clients are not hardcore trekkers,
• 48:33
  There are these very short periods and you can trek two or three days and stay in the on sends and the Rio Kans as you go and experience back to Rose's terminology, that sort of
• 48:44
  classic Japan, old school Japan, old world Japan.
• 48:48
  So is that right?
• 48:50
  Am I am I correct there in what I'm saying, Rose?
• 48:53
  Yeah, yeah.
• 48:54
  So I mean, if you were to try to walk the whole thing, I don't think it's all necessarily connected in the same way.
• 49:01
  Um so most people I would say, I mean, most people don't have the time to de dedicate to five hundred and thirty kilometers.
• 49:07
  But what's really nice is there are these sections, like one of the most popular ones is between Magome and Sumago.
• 49:15
  So these are basically little post towns.
• 49:18
  So back in the old days, there were these post towns about every ten kilometers or so um that would give accommodations and entertainments to all the merchants who would travel
• 49:27
  these roads between Tokyo and Kyoto.
• 49:30
  And some of these post towns do still exist.
• 49:33
  They're very beautifully preserved.
• 49:34
  It's like stepping back in time in the Edo period.
• 49:37
  So what you can do is walk sections like Magome and Sumago, which is like just a few hours.
• 49:43
  I think it's like 10 kilometers.
• 49:44
  Um and it's very scenic.
• 49:47
  There are waterfalls, there's forestries, you know, tea houses.
• 49:50
  Um there are shorter trails like I think the one around Daraijuku, which you can go to from uh Nagano as well, is like a six kilometer trail.
• 49:59
  So
• 50:00
  You don't have to dedicate, you know, days and days if you don't want to, if you just want to have a nice half day trekking.
• 50:06
  It's totally doable.
• 50:07
  Okay.
• 50:08
  So there's another good, easy inclusion into the dragon route or an add-on to the golden route.
• 50:15
  Yeah, you could go out.
• 50:16
  I I assume you could transfer out from Tokyo or or even Kyoto for the day to do this trek and then return to either or.
• 50:24
  I would say from Tokyo will be the easiest.
• 50:28
  Kyoto is a little bit further to get there's no direct train from Kyoto to uh Nagano.
• 50:33
  There is a train that will go up to Kanazawa.
• 50:37
  So if you want to do like a reverse version of the route, you totally can.
• 50:40
  Um but yeah, I would say from Tokyo it's the easiest access point.
• 50:44
  Okay, so there you go.
• 50:45
  There's a a day trip or even an overnight trip because probably if you can do that you're under staying one of the in the Ryokans or on sands overnight.
• 50:52
  But either way, day tour.
• 50:53
  overnight through from Tokyo or build it into the Dragon Root run and have that a day of your itinerary down.
• 51:01
  Okay, let's head north by north to um Hokkaido, which is the northernmost island.
• 51:07
  So for Goe um and and Hokkaido, there are two things that we're focusing on.
• 51:12
  Uh one is beer, because that's where I believe the headquarters for Saparo Saparu beer is and you can do beer tours 'cause one thing I think
• 51:23
  You mentioned in passing about all parts of Japan.
• 51:26
  Saki and Saki tasting is and breweries, so to speak, are everywhere.
• 51:31
  But here you have the opportunity to go to Sapuro brewery and do the tastings, etcetera.
• 51:36
  That's one thing that we focus on.
• 51:38
  And that's on or to um the main ski town in Hokkaido, 'cause we are focusing on ski vacations 'cause I didn't know this again until my research that Hokido well, I knew Hai
• 51:49
  Northern Ireland had a lot of skiing opportunities, but
• 51:53
  Name the the main town for the skiing?
• 51:55
  Niseko.
• 51:57
  Yes.
• 51:59
  it has a very special type of powder snow as well.
• 52:03
  So it's world famous for skiers and snowboarders alike.
• 52:06
  So um you mentioned rose when we're talking cherry blossoms.
• 52:10
  You can see the cherry blossoms up in Haikoto in a certain time of the year.
• 52:14
  but for us it's skiing.
• 52:15
  So can you expand on one Haikoido and give us some other options outside of ski season, but also a bit of a focus on on the winter time up there.
• 52:23
  Yeah, sure.
• 52:24
  So access wise, Hope Guido, you can get there obviously like by plane.
• 52:29
  It's about an hour and a half, I think, from Tokyo.
• 52:31
  So that's probably the most common way to go.
• 52:33
  And there are actually, I think, some flights now that go uh I think a new flight that goes direct to Sapporo now from San Francisco.
• 52:41
  but um yeah, I mean the whole island is known of course for its powder snow, its seafood.
• 52:47
  It has also kind of like Okinawa, it has its own unique indigenous culture there as well.
• 52:52
  Um so it's also just a really, really unique place to consider adding on.
• 52:57
  and you know, they've got top resorts like Niseko, Urusitsu, Furano.
• 53:01
  Um, so a lot of skiers uh will head here in the colder months to kind of hit the slopes and enjoy uh their time there.
• 53:08
  Uh I know Niseko in particular um is like considered the kind of most popular.
• 53:17
  spot there.
• 53:18
  But outside of snow season, they also have hiking trails, rafting, um, a lot of other outdoors activities in uh in green season.
• 53:28
  and yeah, they they've got backcountry guided tours there as well if you want to get off the beaten track.
• 53:35
  yeah, it's a really nice way to add some rugged adventure to your time in Japan.
• 53:40
  So on that night, uh you sort of highlighted the island.
• 53:43
  Obviously we you know we're focused on skis that's active in our
• 53:46
  outdoors and you mentioned from the summertime or green season more act um activities and out outdoor uh things to do.
• 53:55
  So my same question about uh about Hokkaido is I had for you for Okinawa by going north to Hokkaido do you lose any or see less, you should say lose any do you see less of the
• 54:05
  classic Japan and the culture up there or wait, is it still prevalent or is it more of this sort of outdoor adventure area, island?
• 54:16
  I would say you get the best of both worlds because you will get all of that great tradition and culture there as well.
• 54:23
  I mean, Hokkaido's also really big on its food.
• 54:26
  It's where Miso Ramen uh kind of flourished.
• 54:30
  It's a great place for foodies to go and try some of the great traditional uh, you know, bites there as well.
• 54:36
  Uh but yeah, I mean, you know, you can have traditional times there.
• 54:40
  I mean, when you go to Niseko, a lot of people will stay
• 54:43
  in the Oakan and like hot spring resorts while they're there.
• 54:46
  So you get to have that traditional vibe while you're hitting the slopes as well.
• 54:51
  Okay.
• 54:52
  So you get that good juxtaposition if you choose it to have the old you know old Japan with modern act you know active Japan.
• 54:58
  So on the ski thing, you have the town N Seko where I think there are four main resorts around there.
• 55:05
  Yes.
• 55:05
  Um the way it works from the ski pass point of view is you get access to the whole mountain and the whole list, etc.
• 55:12
  Um it's in the module.
• 55:13
  I've forgotten the details, but there's a Canadian ski pass that you can get here.
• 55:17
  This is for Canadians only or any people who bought the Canadian passes.
• 55:22
  which actually gives you a gives you access to the ski fields um in the SECO as well.
• 55:28
  So I can't remember what it's called but get it's in the module.
• 55:30
  So if you have that particular ski pass, you get your ski tickets already.
• 55:34
  So if you are booking a ski trip with Go Way and you happen to have this Canadian ski pass, let us know because we can then obviously set up that you'll get access.
• 55:42
  to it.
• 55:42
  Um it's great again talking more of the ski thing, but I think this would extend to all the activities that Rose mentioned for the summertime as well.
• 55:49
  It's great for families, great for, you know, young groups or, you know young group of guys, young group of girls skiing.
• 55:57
  You know, it's internationally acclaimed um facilities.
• 56:01
  I believe on one of the resorts they have a enclosed heated gondola ride to the top of the mountain.
• 56:07
  Yeah, very Japan, very very organized, very switched on, very modern.
• 56:11
  So it's all there.
• 56:12
  Um, you can take your own ski gear if you want, or you can we can prearrange the hiring of said ski gear when you're there.
• 56:19
  So it it's a basically a very, you know, modern day ski resort um in Japan.
• 56:24
  So as Rose says, winter or summer, you can get your modern ski fix in a different country and then have your old school Japan cultural immersion in many other wa many other ways.
• 56:37
  Again, the seafood's famous.
• 56:39
  there and of course you've got the the beer supporto beer nearby.
• 56:44
  Is there anything else you'd like to add about Hokkaido?
• 56:46
  As you said, it's easy to get to, bullet trains andor flights will get you there.
• 56:50
  Uh private transfers from the airport to Niseko for the um for the ski experiences.
• 56:57
  Anything else you'd like to touch on?
• 56:59
  Um just that it's I mean it's a great nature haven and it's what's nice about also going in the summer is that
• 57:07
  You know, everyone knows that summer in Japan is super hot.
• 57:11
  but it's a little bit cooler up in Hokkaido.
• 57:13
  So if you do want to escape the heat a little bit, um, you might get a bit of a respite if you're up there.
• 57:20
  And, you know, they've also got beautiful national parks and again they've got the indigenous Ainu culture there.
• 57:29
  and a lot of great wildlife as well, like in Shiratoko, you can see the brown bears and foxes and the deer.
• 57:35
  So
• 57:35
  If you wanna kinda get out and about in nature, I would say Hokkaido's the perfect place to explore.
• 57:41
  Okay then.
• 57:41
  So two things on that.
• 57:43
  One, I did not know that Japan gets very warm in the summertime.
• 57:46
  That's yeah, that's the case.
• 57:48
  yeah.
• 57:48
  It's very hot and humid in the summer in Japan.
• 57:52
  I didn't know that at all.
• 57:53
  i it's interest 'cause I've I must for those who don't know, I'm sitting here in Toronto, it's where I live now.
• 57:58
  I remember coming over before I moved here years and years ago, a friend of mine, Australian girl, got married here to a Canadian.
• 58:04
  And naturally got married in summertime.
• 58:06
  And I flew in not expecting it to be snowing in summertime, of course, but my God, Toronto's heat and humidity blew me away.
• 58:13
  So I was a bit taken aback by that.
• 58:15
  So I'm w that's my same reaction to Japan.
• 58:17
  I didn't realise it was like that in the summertime.
• 58:20
  So that's a good point.
• 58:21
  Which I guess also makes makes it more apparent why places southern Kyushu and particularly Okinawa and the Island Group is such a haven for the beaches and the and the
• 58:32
  sort of resort getaways.
• 58:34
  So we'll wrap this up, but can I generalize and say that Hokkaido would be again, it would sound like Japan has all the above, everything we've talked about too often, no matter
• 58:46
  where you are.
• 58:47
  But it seems to me from again, this is more for our travel partners in positioning.
• 58:51
  I don't want to say selling, positioning Japan.
• 58:53
  Hokkaido, obviously winter, skiing, naturally.
• 58:57
  But just from what you said there, it's more of like as you were chatting about it, it sounded like
• 59:01
  Almost sounded Alaskan to me, brown bears, and yeah, sort of all the trekking and stuff.
• 59:05
  But you could you could position Hokkaido as your outdoor adventure area, Orkinawa definitely as your beach resort, more relaxation, Kyushu, um immersive cultural, and then
• 59:21
  of course, I think very importantly, obviously the golden route, but then the dragon route would be again the golden root with that extra layer.
• 59:29
  I love that expression that Rose.
• 59:31
  that extra layer of immersion and it can be for the first time as well, which I think is very important, particularly if you position it as maybe a little bit quieter than the
• 59:40
  classic golden root.
• 59:42
  So are those and again I use this word very particular uh very specifically, are those generalizations adequate and fair, do you think, in describing the regions of Japan?
• 59:53
  Yeah, I would think so.
• 59:54
  I mean
• 59:55
  What's really nice about Japan is every region has something special about it.
• 59:59
  And I don't think you ever have to feel like you're missing out on something by, you know, opting to go to one of these other regions because they're going to have some unique local
• 1:00:07
  culture, local craft, local cuisine, something just really special about it that ends up making your trip really, really memorable.
• 1:00:15
  And you don't have to sacrifice creature comforts, modern amenities, um, or the feeling, you know, like you're not going to get
• 1:00:23
  your immersive experience that you want.
• 1:00:25
  There's no wrong place to go in Japan, I would say.
• 1:00:28
  There's another good line.
• 1:00:29
  There's no wrong place to go.
• 1:00:30
  Well I I'm glad you pointed that out too, because I think a lot of people and this is what I started started our podcast off with, that it's always difficult to talk well, you
• 1:00:38
  shouldn't talk people out of, but convince people to not do the big sites of a country on their first trip.
• 1:00:44
  But I think what you just said there, it's is an important point that if they were to choose not to do the golden route,
• 1:00:50
  or you were to convince them to do somewhere else that they wouldn't miss out on anything.
• 1:00:54
  And I well, there are certain things.
• 1:00:55
  If you don't go to the main island, you're not going to see Mount Fuji.
• 1:00:58
  And that might be key to someone's itinerary.
• 1:01:01
  We get that aspect of it.
• 1:01:02
  But in again, in general terms, no matter where you go in Japan, you will get a similar but yet un and it's contradictory, similar but yet unique experience and sights and sounds
• 1:01:14
  where when and where you go.
• 1:01:16
  So uh let me hit you with these last questions.
• 1:01:19
  How much time if someone is just doing ho ho Hokkaido, how long should they spend there?
• 1:01:24
  Ideally?
• 1:01:24
  Oh, it's a tough question because it does depend on the person, right?
• 1:01:29
  How much time they want to dedicate.
• 1:01:30
  So say if you want to do like Tokyo and Kyoto, whatever, and then you wanna go up to Hokkaido, you know, I would say minimum a few days.
• 1:01:41
  Like I wouldn't do less than like three days.
• 1:01:44
  Um if you can manage to
• 1:01:46
  you know, expand further than that.
• 1:01:47
  If you really want to take your time truly seeing the sites, going around different major cities and and you know, taking your time exploring, obviously extend further.
• 1:01:57
  But if you can dedicate at least a few days, that would be ideal.
• 1:02:00
  Okay, then and for the dragon route, that'll be the sort of same time commitment for the golden route.
• 1:02:05
  So anywhere from seven to ten days?
• 1:02:08
  Something like that.
• 1:02:08
  I would lean closer to ten, because if you are going to include Tokyo and Kyoto already in there, you're still dedicating some time to those.
• 1:02:15
  But what's really nice is that it is versatile.
• 1:02:18
  You don't have to do every single stop on there.
• 1:02:21
  You can go from Tokyo to Nagano to Kanazawa to Kyoto.
• 1:02:25
  Four cities, you can do that in ten days pretty easily without feeling rushed.
• 1:02:29
  So these are very versatile itineraries.
• 1:02:32
  Right.
• 1:02:32
  And then if someone was just gonna focus on Kyushu on its own, no golden route, just Kyushu how long would be like a good classic itinerary or classic time or
• 1:02:43
  I would say around a week would be great.
• 1:02:45
  If you can do five to seven days, um, that's gonna give you a good amount of time to hit up some of those major spots in Kyushu.
• 1:02:51
  Okay, then and the same question but I'll position this uh when we're talking Okinawa, that it's used at the end of a Kyushu itinerary or a golden root itinerary ha
• 1:03:01
  How many days did someone commit to uh in and around Okinawa?
• 1:03:05
  I would do at least a few days.
• 1:03:06
  You know, when people fly there from uh, you know, Tokyo, they're doing like a weekend getaway.
• 1:03:12
  So that might be a good way to position it mentally is you know, do a couple nights there to really relax.
• 1:03:18
  if you want to spend longer there, by all means.
• 1:03:20
  But um think of it as like taking a nice weekend trip.
• 1:03:24
  Okay then.
• 1:03:25
  So we have hit on what people are hoping
• 1:03:30
  I am hoping uh understanding other sort of the big alternates of the Golden Route.
• 1:03:35
  So that would be Okinawa, Pyushu, the Dragon Route, and then Hokkaido.
• 1:03:39
  Um we won't delve into any of this question, but is there anywhere else in Japan someone should consider, be it for a you know unique visit, third or fourth time visit that we
• 1:03:50
  haven't discussed?
• 1:03:52
  my gosh, there are so many.
• 1:03:54
  Because that's the tough part is that so Japan is forty-seven prefectures.
• 1:03:59
  It's kind of like talking about the fifty states in the US and every prefecture has something special about it.
• 1:04:06
  so you know, we're always trying to update and give new itineraries and ideas to people, uh, for things that they can do places to see.
• 1:04:13
  Uh a big one that a lot of people are interested in, uh, for example, if they want more nature is Tohoku going like up north.
• 1:04:21
  Going like between Tokyo to Hokkaido, that whole region is absolutely stunning.
• 1:04:25
  Or if you want to kind of go a little bit more northwest to like around the sea beyond the Sea of Japan, a lot of people will go to like Shimane and Totori, uh, where you get a lot
• 1:04:39
  of beautiful spirituality there.
• 1:04:42
  There are parts in Kyushu as well that we didn't necessarily talk about that also have a lot of spirituality.
• 1:04:47
  So it's really hard to say.
• 1:04:49
  I would just break it down based on your interest, narrow it down, and there's somewhere else in Japan for you to go to.
• 1:04:57
  Okay.
• 1:04:58
  But I think today you would have heard that again, this is talking the more practical day-to-day business out there on stream with uh when a client approaches some about Japan.
• 1:05:08
  You've heard of ski and outdoor Hokkaido, you've heard of the classic golden route and now the dragon route, which is a fantastic extra layer.
• 1:05:16
  I'm gonna keep using that terminology.
• 1:05:17
  Um
• 1:05:18
  expanding your time in around in around Hiroshima and then obviously the southern island of Kyushu which has all the things we just discussed, or maybe not the skiing, um, but
• 1:05:30
  another separate area of Japan, less traffic than the main routes.
• 1:05:34
  And then of course you have your Sun and Fun Beach, one of the best diving spots in the world, which I didn't realise in the Okinawa Island group.
• 1:05:42
  So just with those sort of four areas um and Nasrosa without touching on all the other um regions.
• 1:05:48
  And prefectures, you have great alternatives and options for someone looking at Japan, someone wanting to do something different in Japan, something quieter in Japan relative to
• 1:05:58
  the Golden Root, immersive, cultural, modern, um, culinary, artistic, like you know, wellness, it's all there as I think you've heard, and I think you've I'm hoping you would
• 1:06:12
  have picked up from our conversation today as well, that there is so much more to Japan outside of the Golden Root.
• 1:06:19
  And those options are there for you to consider with our destination specialists here at GoAway and of course always with the support of JTN JNTO.
• 1:06:31
  Um and Rose, um do you wanna throw out your contact information for our travel partners should they need any marketing support or any other information directly from you guys?
• 1:06:42
  Yeah, sure.
• 1:06:43
  So uh our website is japan.travel, very easy to remember.
• 1:06:49
  and if you do need to get a hold of our office, so I'm in the Los Angeles office, so our email is info la X at Jnto.go.jp.
• 1:07:01
  If you look us up, I'm sure you'll find it.
• 1:07:03
  We do also have an office in New York.
• 1:07:06
  we have an office up in Toronto.
• 1:07:08
  Um so if you ever have any Japan questions, please, please reach out.
• 1:07:12
  Yeah, and as always, like tourist boards and tourist representatives are always
• 1:07:16
  naturally very, very happy to help and support you out there with any marking material that you may need.
• 1:07:21
  Do you have a training program on your website?
• 1:07:26
  Um we do have a travel trade page, so it's not like a get your certification style thing.
• 1:07:30
  It's more like here are all the resources for travel advisors, including, you know, e-learning materials.
• 1:07:37
  We've got instructional videos, um, lots of breakdowns, FAQs.
• 1:07:41
  So that's a really great place to kind of like get a good foundational baseline of knowledge.
• 1:07:47
  Okay.
• 1:07:47
  So as always, we have the Go A Pro Travel Academy, which has our core modules on Japan, which
• 1:07:54
  focuses in on the golden route.
• 1:07:56
  But as I say, I am just finishing up the other areas of, which is what we discussed today.
• 1:08:01
  Yushu, Okinawa and Hokkaido and the Dragon Route, the Alps area as well.
• 1:08:06
  So when those modules go live, you have a pretty comprehensive overview of, I'd say, eighty percent of what the average traveler is going to question you about or ask you
• 1:08:14
  about when it comes to Japan.
• 1:08:16
  So please keep an eye out for the announcement of the release of those
• 1:08:19
  extra modules and please if you haven't done a Japan module please jump on in and get all the basics and stuff.
• 1:08:25
  Um it's very, very in depth.
• 1:08:27
  Um we've had a lot of good feedback from it, but I don't think I could ever match Rose's expertise and knowledge.
• 1:08:34
  It just astounds me how you just literally rattle it off like I'm super impressed with your with your knowledge of Japan.
• 1:08:42
  Now I've I know I've asked this many times.
• 1:08:44
  You're not Japanese by birth, are you?
• 1:08:46
  I'm not, no, but I lived in Japan for almost a decade.
• 1:08:50
  Right.
• 1:08:50
  So did you travel to all well not probably not all these are or maybe you did, I don't know.
• 1:08:55
  Um how much travel because again you do speak as if you literally grew up there.
• 1:08:59
  So is that literally from your ten years of living there?
• 1:09:02
  Is it that plus your time with JNTO?
• 1:09:06
  I would say it's a combination.
• 1:09:08
  I mean, when I lived there, I lived specifically in uh Okayama and Tokyo.
• 1:09:14
  Those are like my two bases.
• 1:09:16
  Um and I haven't been to all forty seven prefectures necessarily, but I know a lot about all of them.
• 1:09:22
  Yeah, but again, this is a curiosity question, where have you picked up all your knowledge?
• 1:09:26
  Is it literally from your immersion of the ten years there and then sort of being, I guess, forced in not forced into it, but you know, by by your role at chain NPO, having to
• 1:09:37
  learn about all these other areas as well.
• 1:09:39
  I think it's a little bit of both.
• 1:09:41
  You know, living there for so long, you pick up culturally on a lot, speaking the language as well, that you end up getting like a really solid foundation of Japan culturally.
• 1:09:53
  Um, but then when we get into the nuances of all the different places that you could go to, um, of course being part of the tourism board, that's uh one of my jobs is learning
• 1:10:02
  about all the beautiful places that we can send folks to.
• 1:10:06
  Right.
• 1:10:06
  How often do you get back to Japan?
• 1:10:09
  You know, I I would say I average about once a year, something like that.
• 1:10:13
  I would love uh to go more often though.
• 1:10:16
  It sounds like you would.
• 1:10:18
  Do you like in the job, are you always going back to the sort of the golden route yourself or are you able to expand your horizons a bit more when you go back?
• 1:10:27
  Typically we'll uh explore other areas.
• 1:10:30
  We always go in from uh Tokyo, but you know, when we're going around on whether it's fam trips or or whatever it is.
• 1:10:37
  Um typically we are looking at other areas.
• 1:10:41
  Yeah.
• 1:10:41
  Well there's you know, obviously the whole point of this podcast is the new push, or it's maybe not a new push, but the push by JNTO and regional tourism boards to expand
• 1:10:52
  everyone's awareness beyond the Golden Root as well.
• 1:10:55
  So obviously that seems to be your mandate as well to expand everyone's awareness on the on the greater Japan?
• 1:11:03
  Yes.
• 1:11:03
  So uh
• 1:11:05
  It's really about uh helping direct people, reduce, you know, things like foot traffic in heavy areas, because no one wants to be bogged down in crowds, but also um getting people
• 1:11:15
  to see all of these parts of Japan that they don't necessarily even know exists, um, getting the word out about it, showing all of that unique regionality.
• 1:11:24
  Okay, perfect.
• 1:11:26
  So I hope we have helped your mandate by spreading the word of the greater Japan.
• 1:11:33
  um out there and to our travel partners out there, I hope you've picked up on how much outside of, you know, uh how much the greater Japan has to offer and how easy it is to get
• 1:11:44
  to and it's all priced about the same.
• 1:11:46
  So that's not an issue.
• 1:11:47
  It's just as always, time and money is always an issue.
• 1:11:50
  But again, um take this information with you and when you get that next call for Japan, maybe convince people to look beyond the golden route if it's their first visit, look to
• 1:12:00
  the dragon route, add on a few days
• 1:12:02
  To either the Golden Route or the Dragon Route, be it north, be it Kyushu South or True South, all the way down to Okinawa for you know that two or three days, you know, that
• 1:12:11
  weekend getaway to quote Rose, to relax and unwind after what will be a very culturally immersive, busy, um overwhelming in a positive way because Japan is such a unique and
• 1:12:23
  truly different country that you can't help but I think be somewhat overwhelmed by the sights and sounds you will see.
• 1:12:30
  So on that note, as always, Rose, it's always a pleasure to talk to you.
• 1:12:33
  As I said, your information and your knowledge is astounding.
• 1:12:37
  I'm always impressed to hear and you always inspire me um about the country of Japan.
• 1:12:42
  And to our travel partners out there again, as always, thank you for carving out and looking at my clock here, an hour and a bit.
• 1:12:48
  It was a very in depth conversation today.
• 1:12:50
  Um, of your time to learn all about other things, the greater Japan.
• 1:12:54
  Um and until next time.
• 1:12:57
  Yay!