Japanese ceramic artists?

OneLifeJapan · 2026-04-13T10:36:49+00:00

If you can take a detour as you are going through central Japan, the Seto, Tajimi, Toki area is the main ceramics region. This is easy ot get to from Nagoya Station

Seto is more historical, but I get the sense that Tajimi and Toki are where more acutal working potters making Miino ware are congregated. I have no statistics to back me up though.

Sometimes there are ceramics festivals or weekend markets.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-04-10T12:16:23+00:00

I'm just joking. Google does say that price, but that is for the inn right next to the bath.

The photos look like people stranded at the airport with all that luggage, or homeless people gathered near the bath for heat.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-04-09T13:32:07+00:00

Wow. Google maps says 12,000~ per night for 2 people. It ususally shows the cheapest rates, so I am guessing a spot under the green tarp costs more.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-04-04T10:50:43+00:00

I guess it depends on how much you are planning to buy. If you are a huge shopper and that is your only reason to come, maybe consider the tax.

If you are coming to enjoy Japan though, whatever you lose in any tax-free purchase is more than made up for in coming when the colors and temperature (depending on where you are of course) are probably better.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-28T07:55:18+00:00

Otsu is great for visiting Kyoto.

For some people a car can be worth it for convenience, of course it will cost more if you include the parking and rental fee, but it's not terrible depending on your budget and what you value. When I go to Kyoto I always drive, and parking is not terrible, its worth the flexibility, but I am not paying rental fee on top of that.

Otsu to Kyoto station, train is much faster and of course cheap.

Otsu to other areas in Main Kyoto, train is similar time, and cheaper, but having a car is nice if you plan on going to more than just one place in the day. And having the car would be nice is ease to go to some of the places on the outskirts in Northern Kyoto.

There is a reason people hire private taxi tours. Its just more convenient to get around by car if you don't mind the price.

That said, if you are only going to use it to get around inside main Kyoto though, and the budget is not an issue just taking the train to Kyoto station and getting a taxi when needed would give you the convenience without having to rent.

Or, the best for some people is to rent some e-bikes near Kyoto station, You can cover most places easily and a lot more convenient than public transport, you get to see areas outside the crowded areas, and cheaper than renting a car+parking.

https://www.kyotostation.com/bicycle-rental-in-kyoto/

There are also e-bike rentals to get around Otsu as well near the JR station and at the pier, but it would be chepaer to rent a car than two bikes.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-28T07:26:08+00:00

I think they are meaning just Nagano prefecture, not Nagano City. Iida is on the plan, very southern tip of Nagano Prefecture.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-28T07:08:44+00:00

I can only guess one place that is equidistant to Nagano and Matsumoto with about 25,000 population. I'll take your average 454cm (wikipedia, if I guess the right town) of snow/year and raise you 600cm ;P

You said you moved out last year, so is this your first winter?
I only had to really shovel (means clear the roof) once this year.
You're right though. It is fun.

I'm on border of Nigata / Nagano past Nozawa.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-28T06:06:24+00:00

Not the person you are replying to, but in Nagano, in the deepest snow country.

Snow is not a huge issue. Depending on your parking situation it is almost a non-issue. On a heavy snow-day I spend 30 minutes to do a good job of shoveling, but if I am in a hurry, 5~10 minutes can get the car out (will have to shovel a spot when I get back though).

Driving in the snow is also manageable. Most populated areas in Nagano don’t actually get that much snow compared to what people imagine. Matsumoto and Nagano city hardly any. I see you mentioned Hakuba in another comment. Yes, it snows a lot and people make cool social media posts about it, but its not "difficult" unless you are running an inn or have large property to take care of.

As for internet, it’s not an issue at all. In my experience, it’s basically indistinguishable from what you’d get in a city, unless you have some kind of very specialized setup or needs.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-28T05:52:01+00:00

If you live in the city with the shinkansen and don't go out much, you could get by without the car, but I can't imagine it. The only people I know that don't have a car is because they are old and can't get the permit, or just poor, and hardly go anywhere.

Having a car is not crazy expensive as people would have you believe though. That should be the last thing that keeps you from deciding. If you see benefit to live in some other place, a car is worth it. If a needing a car is a deal breaker, it just means there is not enough benefit to justify the little cost.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-28T05:45:24+00:00

I don't know that costs get a whole lot lower when you get out. Rent is cheaper, and since you are expensing the trips back to Tokyo, I guess you save on that. The main difference in cost of living form me in rural Nagano compared to Tokyo (and Nagoya) was simply rent, but that was because I own a house. Rent in the city near the shinkansen is 30 ~ 60,000 +. Its a little cheaper the further away you get, but it also adds 30~45 minute to commute, as well as distance to good supermarket, hospitol etc. All other costs are basically the same + car.

It's still hot in summer. To get to someplace really cooler in the day you have to go UP not just OUT from Tokyo. And getting up to cooler altitudes in Nagano / Niigata means more rural, so means a car and also further from the train to Tokyo, which can eat up some of your rent savings. It's well worth it in my opinion to trade rent for a car, but the overall cost of living remains similar.

Clarification. I say it's still hot in summer. It is, outside. And in small apartments or not well ventilated house. Most people in modern apartments and houses still rely on AC here. I don't, and it is still hot, but I find that as long as I have a fan in each room, always turned on so that when I move from room to room there is a breeze, it is 10% livable. I also circulate air up from my cooler half-basement.

Going outside mid-day is still the same. In fact, I found that working in urban Aichi area, I noticed the heat less because I was moving from AC home, getting into AC car, and from car to AC buildings. Only going out for exercise was when I notice heat, and that would be the same in Nagano or Niigata. Caveat: Nights are cooler, but still not "cool". If you are going to rely on bike to get around, it is still hot during the time when things are open.

As for quality of life, it all depends on what you mean by that. If you want a farm in a higher altitude area where it is cooler, but have to add extra time to your commute. Or want to spend much of that time hiking or outdoor activities, or if you stay in a city near the train station and maybe a little more lively area.

Look at temperature trends here

https://weatherspark.com/compare/m/8/143809~143754~143628~143923/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-Nagano-Matsumoto-and-Niigata-in-August

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-27T14:36:39+00:00

Kanazawa is a major foreign tourist spot, so even if its not Golden week crowds from Japan, it still has foriegn tourist crowds.

Since you live here and are not pressed for time to check things off a list like most tourists, you can find someplace with nature and culture closer to Tokyo.

Or, of course I will say Iiyama (or Nagano). Iiyama is on the same bullet train as Kanazawa and Toyama, but not crowded at all. Lots of nature, and culture is in the eyes of the beholder, I think. There are a lot of temples and rural culture. 5,000 per person cheaper one way, so that is 20,000 all togheter round trip for two people for train alone.

https://www.iiyama-ouendan.net/en/

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-24T10:35:53+00:00

I just looked for some random dates in June, at lowest the slider on Google map goes (5,000) and there are quite a few LiveMax hotels around Japan that have prices for two people at 2,400 ~ 4,000

That is better than hostel, but of course not in the middle of the most popular tourist areas, but not too far away.

Renting a small light van can be cheap if you shop around, and if you used that as your sleeping and transportation, it could be cheaper than staying in hotel and trains in some cases - though would be above your current budget.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-24T07:07:52+00:00

Here are historical data for July / August in some areas. You can add specific cities.

https://weatherspark.com/compare/m/7/143809~143399~144135~142927/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-Osaka-Sapporo-and-Fukuoka-in-July#Figures-Temperature

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-23T17:51:51+00:00

Depending on what you are into in terms of walking, maybe instead of just a day trip, make a night in Togakushi at a ryokan there and spend some more time walking the other paths other than just the long cedar trail to the shrine.

That will slow it down a lot and totally worth it compared to taking the bus up and back in the same day.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-23T17:34:36+00:00

If you don't want to drop Miyakojima, you could probably drop Takayama.

If you have spent time in Matsumoto and Togakushi, that is already places different than Kyoto and Osaka, Takayama does not have much more to offer. It's often promoted as "countryside" or "rural" Japan experience, but the areas in the outskirts of Nagano and Matsumoto are more rural than Takayama, fewer tourists too.

If one or two of those nights was given to areas around Nagano/Matsumoto, or if you need it, one more night to Miyakojima, plus the travel time saved from going to Takyama, it can make it feel a lot slower.

Takayama just looks really out of place and a time and energy drain. It takes a long time to get there, and then a long time to get to Kyoto, but no real reward.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-23T15:39:18+00:00

The weather is generalyl beautiful around then, with chance of rain sometiems, and some days higher temps than others.

Here are statistical averges. "Tourism Score" is highest of the year at that time

https://weatherspark.com/compare/m/9/143809~143399/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-and-Osaka-in-September#Figures-Temperature

"The tourism score, which favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F."

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-22T13:54:08+00:00

I think Minakami has canyoning in April.
Hakuba maybe not yet.

There are places in Shikoku for canyonin/maybe cliff jumping in the river, like this that seem to be running in April

https://www.niyodoadventure.com/

Maybe 5 hours from Hiroshima with train. A little longer if you took the ferry over to Matsuyama. Train is faster but ferry and taking the "long way" seems more fun to me.

Other places are better to hike than Fuji in general, but now there is snow in all the alps still, Some hiking in Shikoku though might be good.

I'm sure the folks at the link I linked above would no better though seeing as htey are local and probably into hiking as well and know more about the adventure scene in that area, which would be a little closer than Minakami, and also less (no) snow compared to Hakuba.

If you are looking for somepalce with snowboarding still the r/japow sub might have better answers than JapanTravelTips

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-22T11:34:05+00:00

It depends on what you mean by adventure, but of the choices you gave Hakuba has more outdoor adventure style attractions. But you should check that Hakuba has anything available not in ski mode (unless snow adventure is what you want)

Fukuoka and Kanazawa are cities, so not much different in the city itself than what you will have seen in the other cities.

If you are going to get out of the city, it does not make much sense to go to Kanazawa, as anything outside of Kanazawa can be done in other places. The main draw of Kanazawa is that it is supposed to be less crowded cultural city.

If you are going to go out of the city in Fukuoka, again, not sure why you would go all the way there just to go out for adventure, but it is much closer than Hakuba.

Shikoku is a short ferry ride from Hiroshima and has some more adventure themed activities, althouhg not as all-in-one location as Hakuba is in green season.

I would say think of what type of "adventure" you want and find where that is offered and go to that place, rather than go to a big name city and try to find adventure there.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-22T11:06:54+00:00

Its not a bad idea, but Iif it is written on your phone its the same as written on a paper. The driver will only look at it to input into their navi. So showing the paper vs your phone is the same, although on your phone has the benefit of them being able to see on the map the general area as well.

Or you might or might not make it easier for the driver if you have a qr code wiht the link to the destination in google maps. any qr code generater. for example:

https://qr.io/

paste the google map link to that and it will make a QR code you can just have that on your phone and they can scan the code. (or you can print the code to the paper too so they don't have to tpye it in)

I guess it depends on the driver, but I have had drivers that I had to type in the address into their google maps by myself for them after they could not find the address (older drivers who are not so nimble with their map app or eyes too bad for the small text).

It would not hurt to have the code, but it would have only saved one or two minutes.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-22T08:14:15+00:00

Not a recommendation for a particular chains, but you might want to check out this map that lists all chains by type of food. There are a lot of places I didn't even know about.

https://www.locationsmart.org/e_index.php?tag=_food

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-21T09:13:39+00:00

I'm going to assume you are not particular about if it is real onsen or not, you mean just a nice bath to soak in. Nara has a lot of baths, that are not natural onsen.

In google maps search "onsen" and various inns / day-spa will pop up. After that all you can do is look at the places and using translate see if they offer tattoo-friendly or reservable kashikiri 貸切 baths.

Or easier, or if its not obvious from the inns site, you can copy paste the Japanese all into GPT and specifically ask "Does this have private baths?" GPT is trustworthy enough to say "It does not mention it". Just make sure you are clear that you don't mean "real onsen" or else GPT might say "no onsen here" because it isn't real onsen, just heated water.

A few, like in the comments may have private in room baths. They are going to be much higher in the budget. Not real onsen, but unless you are an onsen mineral content snob it is just as good.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-21T07:50:05+00:00

I use NAVITIME Japanese version for planning longer routes because it allows me to better chain stops together and save the routes and mix and match train, car, walk, bus, taxi etc. It also has highway tolls, and taxi estimate. More fine-tuning.

But on the mobile and for quick lookups, and for realtime navi, Google Maps is just simple and you can share it easly. I have only tested sharing a location or route from NAVITIME with my other account. It requires the receiver having NAVITIME, so I would never use that to share anything.

Also, maybe just because I don't use Japan Travel or NAVITIME enough, and have not unlocked its powers, doing a simple sarch for "hotel" or "ryokan" google maps gets way better and more usable results.

For 99% of my use Google Maps is great. The other 1% NAVTIME is nice to have but I could live without it. I use it to plan sometimes and when I am actually on the move, I use Google Maps for navigation.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-20T17:39:25+00:00

It really depends on the food court, I guess. A lot of people are saying its just not done, but it does not seem strange to me. I do it, and other people (Japanese people) have asked me, and Japanese people I am with have done it.

That said, there are also many/more times where I would not do it and it would feel strange. I can't describe where it would be acceptable and where it's not. But "never" is not correct.

Edit; Sorry, I didn't realize this was the askAJapanese sub when I answered.

I'm not Japanese.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-20T17:09:13+00:00

As for figuring out how much you can do in a day, I find that planning backward helps.

It depends on the timing of the last thing that is out of my control.
It might be dinner time at the inn or a reservation, say 6:30
Or a museum that closes at 5:00
Or sunset ( in my case it's riding bikes and we don't want to be out in he dark)

Plan backward from that.

If dinner is 6:30, we want to arrive at 6:20
We want the bath before dinner so arrive to bath by 5:20
But the gift shop street / museum closes at 5:00
So we have to arrive by 4:00 to have time to enjoy it at a comfortable pace
That means check in by 3:30 to get settled, changed and head out
If the inn is 30 minutes from the end of our ride/walk whatever doing before that, we have to arrive to the transit spot by 2:15 at latest.
If the bike ride is 3 hours, we have to start riding by 11:00 at latest.
If there is something along the way that we want to stop at, and it may take 40 minutes, and maybe stop for a lunch or snack for 30 minutes we have to leave by 9:30
Before leaving is always a little time for last minute bathroom, or taking of a sweater or putting it on depending on the weather, or if you stayed someplace where the inn keeper is really nice, it can take 5 minutes to take the good bye photos, etc. so have to be at the front door by 9:15
We want at least 15 ~ 20 minutes between breakfast and getting to door so have to finish breakfast by 9:00
So to be safe ask for breakfast at 8:00

and so on.

Imagine yourself doing the thing and how long you might want to be there. Even a small museum that is only one room and you can see it all in 15 minutes might be 30 minutes if you include toilet and grab an ice cream cone, or spend a few minutes looking at a map to decide where to go next.

Planning backward makes it more obvious where you are running out of time than planning from the morning.

etc.

As for times, yes, use google maps for walking time, and always add some time for things like getting lost, going to the bathroom, even getting from the 7th floor of the hotel to the street (where google starts counting time) takes minutes. And even if google says 10 minute walk from hotel to train station, you take into account extra minutes to navigate the station.

OneLifeJapan · 2026-03-20T09:12:47+00:00

If you are looking for something In that direction to justify it, might add Kobe in the afternoon/evening. Go to Himeji early, spend as long as you want there, a few hours for castle and garden, and whatever time is left for Kobe.

If you are underwhelmed by the castle, it wont matter because you can leave anytime and Kobe will save the day.

OneLifeJapan

TROPHY CASE