10-Day Red Leaf Hot Spring Tour in Tohoku, Japan

After Hong Kong and Japan opened, I bought a ticket to Japan as soon as possible, because my parents like to go to Japan the most. This was my sixth visit to Japan, having been to Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Kyushu before, my parents had been to Hokkaido, so they chose Tokyo to the north, northeastern region, which we had not been to. The northeast span is very large, and the transportation between cities in each region is not very smooth and fast, so it still took a little effort to arrange the itinerary. After all, although 10 days is long, the places you can set foot on are also limited, and the places you want to go to are not on a railway. The northeastern region of Japan is known for its natural landscapes and is less well-known among foreigners traveling. Many places are sparsely populated, and even there are not many local Japanese tourists. For example, in Yamagata City, some attractions are just our group. The further north, the lower the temperature and the earlier the leaves fall. In Sendai we already need to wear down jackets, but not in Tokyo, where the temperature difference is about five degrees. Autumn is the season for maple viewing, and some attractions offer fall activities, such as Yendori-in in Sendai Matsushima and Ruigoji Temple with nighttime autumn leaf lighting from October 29 to November 23. The endless peaks are covered with colorful bushes, dotted with red, green and yellow leaves. As it turns out, the last warmth before winter is the warmth of autumn that only nature with color can bring. Very unfortunate, I injured my leg about two months before departure and could not walk for a long time, so I brought a wheelchair, plus with my parents, so the rhythm of this trip was arranged very leisurely, very suitable for travelers who are also physically inconvenient and cannot exert themselves. The first day. Tokyo [Tokyo Airport] > [Stay in Tokyo] The next day. Play Tokyo live in Echigo Yuzawa Play Tokyo [Ueno Park] > Lunch Sichuan cuisine next to Ueno Park [Spicy University] > [Five-story Tower] [Tokyo National Museum] > Take JR to [Echigo-Yuzawa] > Stay for two nights, one night and one meal [Echigo-Yuzawa Futaba Onsen Hotel] > Dinner Udon in the hotel cafeteria The third day. Echigo Wife has a land art festival Go to [Tokamachi] > Lunch [Tokamachi Industrial Culture Letters Hall IKOTE] > [Echigo Tsumari Land Arts Festival Bus Tour] > Dinner Tokamachi [Katsubo] > Stay at [Echigo Yuzawa Futaba Onsen Hotel] Day 4. Echigo Yuzawa to Sendai Take JR to [Sendai] > Lunch JR Station Bento > Dinner [Warm Family] Sendai Nato Cress Hot Pot > Check-in [Sendai airbnb] The fifth day. In Sendai City Breakfast [Sendai Morning Market] > [Sendai Castle Ruins] > [Dingzenji Avenue] [Sendai Multimedia Center] > [Evening Grasshouse] > Stay at [Sendai airbnb] Day six. Sendai Matsushima Breakfast [Murakamiya Bakery] > Take JR to [Matsushima Coast] > [Kansan Pavilion] > Lunch [Rikyu] > [Fukuura Island] > [Yen-dori-in] [Suito-ji Temple] to enjoy the Autumn Leaf Lanterns > Stay at [Sendai airbnb] The seventh day. Ginzan Onsen Take JR to [Oishida Station] > Lunch [Izu no Hua] > Check into Onsen Hotel [Nagazawa Heihachi Inn] The eighth day. In Yamagata City From Oishida Station, take the JR to [Yamagata] > Lunch Soba Noodles > [Kasumi Park] > [Shichikacho Godenyan] Dinner [Asu no Place] The ninth day. Yamagata & up the mountain [Bunshokan] > [Shishin-an] > Lunch [Red Nozomi] Soba Noodles > Take JR to [Kamiyama Castle] > Visit the shopping mall at Yamagata Station [S-PAL] Day ten. Go home [Yamagata Station] Take the JR Shinkansen to [Tokyo Station] > [Tokyo Station] Take [Keisei Bus] to [Narita Airport] traffic Tickets used for this trip 1. [JR Tokyo Wide Area Tour Pass], three days in a row, 10,180 yen. (First three days of use, including Echigo-Yuzawa. Excluding Tokamachi, 670 yen one way. Excluding Sendai, additional tickets required) 2. [JR East Rail Pass (Tohoku Region)], five consecutive days, 20,000 yen. (last five days of use) 3. [Sendai two-day pass marugoto pass] 2720 yen. (It's not necessary at all. It's not cost-effective. There are many people queuing up for the city's sightseeing buses, but there are not many buses. You usually have to wait for two buses to get on, and one trip is only 240 yen, so you can't take so many trips. Go to Matsushima JR Tohoku Tour Pass.) 4. Taxi. (It seems that the more remote cities the more expensive taxis, starting prices Tokyo 420 yen, Echigo-Yuzawa 620 yen, Yamagata 700 yen) 5. Shuttle bus [Keisei bus] from Narita Airport and Tokyo Station 1200 yen. (The cheapest way to get between the airport and the city, the bus runs every 10 minutes. Note that the station and ticket office in the direction of Narita Airport are outside Yaesu South Exit, a bunch of bus stops, changed to not at the North Exit) Wheelchair accessible travel 1. Get on the plane: HK Express provides free wheelchair check-in service, since their customer service is not in contact for a long time, so it is no problem to tell them again when you arrive at the airport, they will let you push the wheelchair through security check to the gate. 2. Attractions: Many temples in Japan have long stairs, those did not go. Some traditional Japanese-style buildings, such as the Nagazawa Heihachi Hotel in Ginzan Onsen, do not have elevators. But most places in Japan the barrier-free design is still very complete, with elevators and ramps. Attractions and restaurants will also help look after the wheelchairs. Itinerary summary In summary, this trip included [Tokyo Day Trip] [Echigo-Yuzawa two-day and two-night hot spring trip, and participated in the Echigo Wife Has Earth Art Festival] [Sendai three days and three nights] [Ginzan Onsen two days and one night] [Yamagata two days and two nights]. I will write the details of these itineraries separately. The most impressive ones were the two spa hotels that had a healing effect on leg injuries. Sendai likes Matsushima the most, very lively, the autumn leaves after the lights are beautiful, unfortunately the mobile phone camera can not record the fantastic colors. What was less attractive was the mountain form in the last two days. My legs and feet were inconvenient so I couldn't climb the mountain. Otherwise, I could go to the beautiful mountain temple. There are not many sights to see in the city of Yamagata itself, and they are relatively small, and shops close earlier, around 7:30pm. Food and clothes in Japan are so cheap. The price of each meal is half or more that in Hong Kong. Although it is not the discount season, the clothes are also about half price in Hong Kong. #NortheastJapan #OverseasTravel #Sendai #Ginzan Onsen #Echigo Wife Has the Earth Art Festival #Yamagata #Echigo Yuzawa #Wheelchair Free Travel #OverseasTravel