Chubu

Chubu JapanChūbu (中部) is the central region of Japan’s Honshu island and includes Mount Fuji. The region is often further divided into three more areas, namely Tōkai (東海) for the southern Pacific coast, Kōshin’etsu (甲信越) for the northern Sea of Japan coast and Hokuriku (北陸) for the rest. Chubu Prefectures TōkaiAichi — mostly urban sprawl around Nagoya. Gifu — home to the northern Japan Alps and many hot springs Shizuoka Kōshin’etsuNagano Niigata Yamanashi HokurikuFukui Ishikawa Toyama Chubu Cities Hida-Takayama — attractively preserved town and a good starting point for trips to the Japan Alps Nagano — Japan’s winter sports capital Nagoya — Chubu’s largest city by far Niigata — Major port city on the northern coast Toyama Other destinationsGero Onsen — one of Japan’s Three Famous Hot Springs Japan Alps — the largest and tallest mountain chain in Japan Mount Fuji — the iconic Japanese mountain Oku-Hida Onsen Villages — 5 remote hamlets full of stunning scenery and some of Japan’s best hot springs Sado Island — place of exile home to gold mines and the yearly Earth Celebration Sekigahara — the site of the famous battle that ushered in the Tokugawa Shogunate Hot springs at Yarinosato, Shin-Hotaka, Okuhidaonsengo, Japan UnderstandHot springs in the Oku-Hida Onsen VillagesChubu means “middle region”, accurately reflecting its position straddling the two Japanese poles of Kansai and Kanto. Often ignored by tourists, with de facto capital Nagoya being a byword for boredom, Chubu’s best attractions are in the mountains, particularly the (only slightly hyperbolic) Japan Alps. TalkThere are many people who speak in dialect in this area. In Shirone in Niigata prefecture, people speak in a dialect. For example, they use the word “Ra, Ri, Ru, Re and Ro ” at the ending. So they speak like this, “～raro!”. Get inBy plane Nagoya’s airport is one of the largest in Japan, with many domestic and international connections. By train The Tokaido Shinkansen bisects Chubu, connecting to Tokyo in the east and Osaka and Kyoto in the west. SeeIn the Oku-Hida region around Takayama, check out the traditional gasshō-zukuri houses, with a roof shaped like hands in prayer to protect against snow from accumulating. There are many famous temples in Nagano, notably Zenkōji, considered an official national treasure. In Nagoya, there is Nagoya castle, although it’s just a modern concrete reconstruction. Mount Fuji’s view is great. DoWinter sports. The Koshin’etsu district is also known as Snow Country (雪国 Yukiguni), since it receives some of the heaviest snowfall in the world. This makes Chubu Japan’s undisputed winter sports capital with attractions like Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Hiking. The Japan Alps have some great hiking. Mount Fuji in Shizuoka is a symbol of Japan and a popular tourist attraction, both for viewing and climbing. EatChubu’s regions all have their local specialities. Some include: Hotaru ika (lit. “firefly squid”) in Toyama Tempura shrimp in Nagoya Drink Chubu is sake country and Niigata, renowned for its koshihikari rice, produces some of the best in the country including famous labels like Kubota (久保田), Koshinokanbai (越乃寒梅) and Hakkaisan (八海山). Shizuoka is famous for green tea and Aichi specializes in, oddly enough, oranges. (Article from/based on Wikitravel article and may be copied freely) |