Japan’s other wonderlands

MANILA, Philippines - You don’t immediately think of Osaka when you think “Japan.” True, it is the country’s third largest city (behind Tokyo and Yokohama) but that just means it tries harder. And the Osaka prefecture has some amazing things in its midst, as we learned on a recent travel/media familiarization tour of the area sponsored by the Philippine Travel Agents Association (PTAA) and Japanese National Tourism Organization (JNTO) .

In the Kansai region, Osaka was the jump-off point for a five-day journey through modern Japan cities to mountain enclaves that offer hot spring baths and historical points that let you step inside the country’s feudal past. Then there’s the food: “real” sukiyaki and sashimi, Kobe beef, and classic sake served at a century-old brewery.

Our journey took us from Osaka to the mountains and beef palaces of Kobe; the Edo period castles of Wakayama, down to the majestic coastline of Shirahama and the stunning cliffs of Sandanbeki.

These are the kind of experiences tour operators in the Philippines are hoping will entice more Filipinos. A group of 39 travel professionals and members of the PTAA took a whirlwind ride through Japan’s belly, the center that is rich in history and culture, far outside Tokyo’s familiar pleasures. Not surprisingly, the JNTO wants more Filipinos to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.

The total number of Filipinos now traveling to Japan? “We’re at 700,000,” says Koichi Togenaki, JNTO Philippines representative. “We’re aiming for 1.5 million next year.”

Will it work? It helps that a recent Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs ruling allows multiple-entry visas for Filipinos for a period of 15 days, valid up to three years. (The special visas were previously only granted to those traveling for commercial purposes, specialists and government officials, and immediate family members of Japan residents.) And with radiation fears abating (the levels are actually lower than in unaffected countries, according to JNTO), Japan is now on track to bring in more Filipino visitors.

So maybe more Filipinos will be flying out to see what Japan has to offer besides Shibuya and Kyoto temples.

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Visit the Japan National Tourism Organization website (www.jnto.go.jp/) and Philippine Travel Agents Association website (www.ptaa.org.ph)  to discover more Japan destinations.

Osaka

Our journey began in Osaka, a city of 2.6 million located at the mouth of the Yodo River. Checking in to the enchanting Hotel Universal Port, we were just across the street from Universal Studios Japan, which opened March 2012 and already has 9.6 million visitors. This was, literally, a wild ride: it was opening day for “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man: The Ride,” an incredible interactive ride that mixes 3D effects, a motion-simulator plummet down the side of a skyscraper, and a few real blasts of water and flame. Awesome!

Other fun rides at Universal Japan were the “Jaws” boat ride (no cameras allowed, they’ll get wet) and “Terminator 3D,” which involved actors playing Linda Hamilton, Eddie Furlong and Arnold shooting it out with deadly androids in a post-apocalyptic world and — curiously — speaking Japanese.

Even cooler: 2014 promises the arrival of Hogwarts. “The Wizarding World of Harry” Potter will surely draw tons more curious Asians and foreigners to Osaka. Don’t miss the Butter Beer! And let’s hope they have English translators by then!

Hotel Universal Port has a fun vibe (check out the Marilyn and Audrey Hepburn statues in the lobby, suitable for photo ops, and the recurring T.Rex theme), with its 600 rooms ready for adults as well as more kid-oriented themes (book the “Oki-Doki Wonder Room” which doubles as a bedroom and playroom).

Our party moved on to Osaka Castle Museum, where visitors can try on samurai gear for photo ops and get a great view of Osaka city from atop the moat-surrounded 14th-century palace of emperor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a warrior who united much of Japan. His parting words, inscribed in the castle: “Everything is a dream. Man’s ambition is but a dream of dreams. With my thoughts on grand Osaka, I must now vanish like the morning dew…” Way to make an exit!

Osaka actually offers a variety of experiences, from historical and gustatory to, well, purely physical. Visit in the first weeks of April to behold the celebrated cherry and plum blossoms. Downtown, ascend an elevator to the Floating Garden Observatory, a 173-meter viewing deck suspended between two corporate towers, where lovers can seal their bond with heart-shaped lockets chained to a rooftop fence. The alleyways of Dotombori, meanwhile, offer the more earthly pleasures of pachinko, massage parlors, ramen joints and Don Quiote, the vertical bargain store where you can buy anything from Green Tea Kit-Kat to cosplay maid outfits of infinite variety. Dotombori shows that Osaka, and Japan, has much to offer both the high-end and lower-end consumer: find cheap goods at the Daiso “100 Yen” stores, or explore the brand shops in Namba Park, a vast honey hive of outlets, restaurants and quiet enclaves (even a baseball museum).

Of course, Filipinos can’t resist a good shopping experience: Rinky Premium Outlets offers everything from Banana Republic to Michael Kors and Coach, often at discounted prices. And after getting shopped out, there’s no better place to nestle in Osaka city then Swissotel Nansai, with its great views, restful, modern rooms and memorable breakfast buffet. And more Filipinos are choosing to stay at Swissotel Nankai, says director of sales and marketing Daichi Fukao. “Filipinos used to be only four percent of our market — still higher than other hotels — but they’re now six percent. My mission is to fill the hotel with Filipino guests!”

Kobe

Our group moved on by bus to Kobe, first to sample the Arima Hot Springs — or at least dip our feet. Ascending to the mountains that reminded our group of Bagiuo, Arima is an enchanting place misted by mountain clouds, its sloping side streets containing little shops selling paper-wrapped cookies, wooden toys, cheese sticks in various flavors (eel? cuttlefish?) and wonderful Kirin draft beer. The iron-rich Arima springs were popular among the samurai class in the 14th century, and one can imagine the warriors soaking their tootsies or relaxing in a hot tub with sake close by after a long day of slicing bandits in half.

Heading to downtown Kobe, it’s no surprise that many of us were eager to sample the beef. Kobe Plaisir (located 1st floor, B Kobe Hotel, Shimoyamatedori Chuo-ku) is one place where all beef served passes the rigid standards of the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association: before processing, color, quality and well-marbled texture are inspected; only if they stamp it can it be sold as “Kobe beef.” Only about half gets approved; the rest — the “rejects” — are simply sold as wagyu, which literally means Japanese cow. (So that’s what you’re ordering in Manila!)

My notes on their Kobe beef: “Almost buttery, melts in the mouth. Not just tender; there’s a soft texture on the tongue and palate. It’s steamed only five minutes, on a bed of onions, then turned; then wrapped around onions and served.” Only 1,000 tons of Kobe beef are produced per year, which may sound like a lot, but it’s only .001 percent of all beef sold in Japan. Very little is exported. All Kobe cows are Tajima strain, born in the Hiogo Prefecture. (Another fun fact: all Kobe cows are artificially inseminated.) Calves are raised to about six months, then turned over to special factories — massaged daily, fed grain sometimes laced with beer or sake to increase tenderness and marbling (the marbling results in the “melt in your mouth” quality). Kobe beef costs about 200 yen for 100 grams, or about 20,000 yen per kilo in restaurants. That’s about $100 (P4,500) for a slab of Kobe steak.

We were told the king of Brunei once ate at Kobe Plaisir, and was so enchanted he visited local farms to explore taking some Tajima calves home to raise; he was informed that, sadly, the calves wouldn’t last in the Brunei heat; he dropped the idea.

Soon we were in the mood for sake. We toured the Nada Sake Brewery, one of the oldest and biggest producers in the country, where sake is still made the traditional way: a double-fermentation process using special mineral-rich “myamizu” water, high in calcium and potassium which gives it a rich flavor. Our group enjoyed this part of the tour a lot, taking ample pictures and freely sampling the sake. Kampai!

Wakayama

Ever yen to see a skilled sashimi chef prep a 15-kilo tuna before your eyes? That’s one of the attractions at Kurosio Ichiba, a port complex on a man-made island of Wakayama. Ichiba is, by far, one of the cleanest and most popular wet markets I’ve visited. Packed with fresh eel, mackerel, tuna and any imaginable fish caught off the nearby Pacific, it’s a theatrical experience: once a day, a hachamaki-wearing chef chops his way through an entire tuna, showing us the various uses of the head, tail, and of course, belly. (Fortunately, we had visited the Yuasa Soy Sauce factory earlier so we had something to dip our sashimi in.)

Wakayama is also known for its mountaintop Wakayama Castle, famous residence of the Kishu family during the Edo period (1580s). A brisk walk up a leafy stone pathway takes you to the top of Mt. Torafusu, where Wakayama served as the lookout for one of Japan’s last shoguns (sadly, the original castle was destroyed by bombing in World War II; what stands is a replica, but it’s a beautiful spot, dotted with cherry blossoms in April, and an expansive view of the city below).

An even more meditative experience lies at Dojoji Temple, Wakayama’s oldest Buddhist shrine (founded in 701 AD). There, a street stairway brings you face to face with the Thousand Armed Avalokiteshwaras — a pair of fierce-looking stone guardians who have stood watch for 1,300 years. Considered a National Treasure, Dojoji’s fabled history — of a monk and a spurned lady whose jealousy turns her into a serpent — has been the subject of several Noh plays and poems over the centuries. 

Shirahama

Winding down the western coast, our PTAA journey took us to Shirahama, and possibly the nicest white sand beach I’ve seen outside the Philippines (perhaps they imported the sand). Fronting this beach is Hotel Seamore, a weathered seaside abode that has one particularly charming feature: hot spring baths that are available to guests free, 24/7. It’s no surprise, then, to see most guests at Seamore padding around the lobby or elevators in bathrobe and slippers; they’re probably heading to the basement for a hot soak. With temperatures at about 26-27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit), the segregated traditional baths are a perfect way to unwind after a day at the beach, picking blueberries at the nearby Fruit Picking Farm, or exploring the stunning local Sandanbeki cliffs.

For those not into group bathing, the outdoor hot tubs are even more soothing (and more private): caressed by the warm night air, you descend into the hot steaming waters, tilt your head back, and listen as the waves crash against the Shirahama rocks on the nearby beach: a perfect plan to melt your cares away. And be sure to enjoy a cold Asahi or cup of tea after your bath.

The next day, our group visited Senjojiki, where scenic cliffs remind you of Hitchcockian dramas like Rebecca or Vertigo; a favorite photo op is a huge rock in the surf with a hole in its middle; it makes for a truly memorable sunset shot; later we explored the sea-level Sandanbeki Caves, its colorful rippling caused by glittering fungus on the ceiling rocks. This underground site was actually a pirate’s cove in the Heian period (8th century) before it became a naval guardhouse; 50 meters above the caves, enjoy the majestic view of Senjojiki’s waters, or explore a limestone plateau overlooking the harbor.

From food to sake to poetic beauty: yes, Japan’s Kansai region does have a lot to offer the seasoned traveler who’s eager to explore something beyond the usual temples and urban nightlife.