Nagano Marathon Q & A:
Links
Monkey park - I love this place! More info below.
JNTO (Japan National Tourist Organization) Lots of general travel info in several languages. Many links, too.
Lonely Planet guidebooks Go to the 'Subwwway' then 'Northeast Asia' for some great links on Japan.
Narita Airport (Tokyo's International airport)
Narita Layover Page Most visitors arrive through Tokyo's Narita airport. Here's an excellent website full of info
on what to do during long layovers, airport procedures, left luggage, transportation & more.
Nagoya Airport International flights here are sometimes cheaper than to Tokyo & Osaka, also!
Kansai International Airport In the Kansai (Osaka area)
Matsumoto City airport The closest airport to Nagano city. Not convenient for International travellers, though.
Getting around Tokyo: Tokyo area subways
General travel info
Air Transportation
Rail Transportation
Train finders: Enter your starting and ending points in these programs; they'll tell you how to get there.
Money and phones
Narita, Kansai & Nagoya airports all have currency exchange counters, which can be found easily. Look on each airport's site for more information & exact locations.
I haven't found a good website on using credit cards in Japan. If you know of such a site, please contact me. Thanks!
Prices in Japan See how much everyday items cost in Japan
Food
Tokyo Food Page Mostly about restaurants/bars in Tokyo. The 'Japanese Specialty Cuisines' page guides you through Japanese food.
In Japanese only:
Get Nagano Hasn't been updated in years, but hopefully it will be revived.
News in Japan
Just for fun
M-Wave stadium & Olympic museum - Stay here for hours & watch video clips (in English) from previous Winter & Summer Olympics.
Outdoor Japan The best site for learning about outdoor adventure in Japan.
Monkeys!
Jigokudani Monkey Park - Getting here is a hassle, but I think it is well worth it. The snow monkeys are soooo fun to watch! They enjoy soaking in a hot spring, playing & picking through each other's fur. Babies are born in the springtime, too. You can't touch or feed the wild monkeys, but they will come very close to you. You have to hike up a gradual hill about 30 minutes through the forest to get there - quite scenic, and the fresh air is great. If your legs are sore from running the marathon, the walk will hurt a bit, though.
Best way to get there:
From JR Nagano Station, take the Nagano Dentetsu train to Yudanaka. From Yudanaka, take a bus or taxi to Kanbayashi Onsen. Tell the bus driver where you are going & he'll tell you when to get off. From there, it's about a 30 min walk to the Jigokudani Yaen-koen entrance. It can take 2 hours or more to reach the monkey park from Nagano city, so give yourself a lot of time. Some busses leave from JR Nagano train station and go to the monkey park, but these are more confusing to use than taking the Dentetsu train. The Dentetsu train station is located underground right in front of JR Nagano station. At the train station, go to the ticket window & say "Yudanana" and the staff will help you buy a ticket & tell you which train to get on. Yudanaka is the last station on the train line, so you don't have to worry about when to get off - very convenient.
At Yudanaka station, check out the FREE hot spring for your feet! It is located across from the train station under a small roof. Take off your shoes, roll up your pants & soak your feet for a half hour or more. Feels sooo good after the race!
Yudanaka has a lot of hot springs & would be an excellent location to stay after the marathon. Escape from the city & enjoy the fresh mountain air and soak in the hot springs. Contact JNTO or go to the Tourist Information Office in JR Nagano Station for more information.
Below are links to some hot springs with English web pages in the Yudanaka area. These places are not cheap, but they will give you a very authentic immersion in the Japanese culture.
If you'd like me to link to something, please e-mail me. Thanks!
