No trip is complete without a visit to the local amusement park – at least for my husband and daughter.  They go off and get turn upside-down, dropped from heights, eat sweets, and experience the other side of town while I do something “boring” like go to a historic house museum or temple garden.  Tokyo was no different except for the fact that the amusement park was like something out of Spirited Away.   Hanayashiki amusement park, originally opened as a flower park, has a history of more than 150 years. Located just a few steps from Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district, the miniature amusement park offers a small Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel, a ride that is powered by you pedaling, Space Shot and great crepes.

The two-day drive was easy enough but long and boring (no offense to my husband and daughter who are great company).  Just as we were reaching the Georgia / North Carolina border, we made “1 wrong turn.”  As we tried to figure out which way to go, we sped past it – too quickly to make the sudden turn but slowly enough to read the sign – SPRING RIDGE CREAMERY.  It had me at “CREAM.”   My husband asked, “Do you want to stop?”  I gave him that look of “After almost 20 years of marriage, do you really need to ask?”

So, we made the U-turn back to SPRING RIDGE CREAMERY.

After subduing the store dog that tried to attack our little poodle, I entered this little dairy heaven.  Made fresh from local cows, there was homemade cheeses, butters, ice cream of all flavors, milk and because it was November, eggnog.  I filled my basket with cheddar, havarti and mozzarella cheeses, a gallon of eggnog and a pound of butter.  My arteries are closing as I write this post.  For my sweet, loving daughter who did not complain once on the trip (NOT), I purchased a scoop of raspberry chocolate chunk ice cream that tasted of fresh raspberries and lingered on your tongue because of the high fat content.

Needless to say, our North Carolina hosts were most grateful for the creamy bounty that we brought.  The eggnog was a particular hit, even for those who do not normally like eggnog.

Needless to say, we stopped on our way back home.  This was “1 wrong turn” that turned out (or churned out) so right!

SPRING RIDGE CREAMERY is located just 1.5 miles north of the Georgia border on hwy. 441 (11856 Georgia Rd.) in Otto, North Carolina, 2 miles north of Dillard, Georgia (See Map)

Phone: 828-369-2958

If you can’t make it to North Carolina, try making ice cream at home.  I have a Cuisinart and I love it.  Homemade ice creams and sorbets are easy and always delicious.  Make sure the check out your local farmers markets for milk, cream and fresh fruits.

Since my last jaunt to beach, Perdido Key and the nearby communities have welcomed several new businesses. I am also very pleased to report that the beaches were pristine and the water clear – not a tarball in sight!

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, my beach vacations are VERY SIMPLE. They include:

• Wake up and eat breakfast
• Go to the beach
• Come up for lunch followed by a nap
• Go back to the beach
• Come up for the evening, shower, go to the grocery, drink wine and eat dinner on the balcony
• Go to sleep early

REPEAT THE NEXT DAY

I was pleased to see that a new Publix has opened up right over the Intercoastal Waterway. It has a nice selection of cheeses, seafood, etc. What I really liked were the plastic bags filled with ready-to-roll and bake pizza dough. How clever and a great way to get everyone involved in making dinner!  Click here for a map to the Publix.

This past time, I was forced into straying from my beach routine. My friend has a very different idea of a beach vacation. For her, a beach vacation must involve putt putt golf and a trip to the local ice cream parlor. Ice cream – yes; putt putt – no! We found a great ice cream parlor just 10 minutes from the condominium and right down the road from the new Publix. It is the Hershey Ice Cream Parlor and they have a large selection of yummy ice creams, homemade fudge as well as savory items (if you want to make a meal out of the excursion).  Click here for a map to the Hershey Ice Cream Parlor.

The address and phone number are:

10427 Sorrento Rd, Pensacola, FL 32507

(850) 456-0585

Call before you go because the weekday and weekend hours are different.

I had wonderful photos of both places but they were lost in my recent phone upgrade. So, just picture in your mind a scoop of wonderful mint chocolate chip ice cream after a hot, summer day on the beach.

May 2010 – SPECIAL NOTE: I am saddened, angry and disgusted by the BP oil spill.  Our beautiful beaches and wildlife all foresaken for oil profits.

Visit my friend’s Blog Coast of Living and read her poignant insights into the lives of those affected by this horror.    Through her blog, you can make a donation to Gulf Aid, a 501(c3) nonprofit corporation, has been established in response to what has been called one of the biggest oil spills in history just 50 miles off of the Louisiana Coast.

Written in happier times …when the waters were blue & clear.

White sand, blue water, splashing dolphins and beautiful sunsets.   These words might conjure up beaches in Mexico, Greece, and other exotic locales.  However, when I let my mind wander to beautiful beaches and lazy days, I don’t have to travel any further than the Gulf Coast of Florida.  Known as the Emerald Coast, or the Redneck Riviera, there is a lovely strip of beaches that rival the most famous beaches of the world.

These beaches start with Orange Beach, at the Florida/Alabama border, and run all the way to St. Joe, Florida on the east.  The most popular beaches include Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Grayton Beach, Water Color, Seaside, a charming community made famous in the Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show, Rosemary Beach and Panama City Beach.

My family has gone to Perdido Beach for the past 20 years.  Our routine for the past 20 years has been as follows:

Perdido Key Beach Umbrellas

• Rent a condo on the beach, with a balcony overlooking the Gulf.
• Drive to Florida and stop at the Burris Farm Stand to buy fresh veggies & fruit.
• Arrive at condo, lather up & go to the beach (Don’t even unpack).
• First evening, go to grocery and stock up on cheese, bread, fresh fish, lots of wine & pina colada ingredients.
• Make a nice dinner & eat on the balcony.

• Watch a movie and go to sleep.
• Next day, wake up, have breakfast on the balcony and watch for dolphins.
• Lather up, go to beach, come in for lunch (on the balcony) and nap.
• Go back to beach in afternoon until 6 p.m.
• Come in to the condo, bathe, lotion up, make dinner, which is eaten on the balcony.
• Go to sleep, wake up the next morning and REPEAT THE PREVIOUS DAY.

What I love about the beach is that you can do as much or as little as you want.  Most condos have pools and gyms or you can walk on the beach and play in the surf. For those who are more energetically inclined, you can do the following:

The Track - In the evening, head on over for go-karts, water rides, bumper cars and family. There are several different go-kart tracks, including one for adults only.

Foley Outlet Mall - If it’s raining and you want to get out of the condo or hotel, go shopping at this giant discount outlet mall.   You can get some really good deals here!  While you are there, eat at Lambert’s in Foley, Alabama where you can, and are expected to, throw your rolls.  Great southern cooking and good portions.  At the call of “Hot, fresh rolls” hands go up and a guy wearing oven mitts starts tossing them out. Diners close by get an underhand lob; those across the room get more of a baseball pitch.

Dauphin Island is a barrier island located 3 miles south of the mouth of Mobile Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. You get to the island by crossing a high-rise bridge or by the automobile ferry from the eastern shore.   The entire island has been designated as a bird sanctuary and thousands of visitors come to experience the annual migration.  While on the island, you can sit on the beach, explore Fort Gaines, or visit the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.  Hotels, motels, condos and private homes are available for rent to both summer and winter visitors.

Where to stay:

There are hotels, motels, condos and private homes available for rent across the Emerald Coast.  As I mentioned, we always stay in Perdido Key.  However, a great resource for lodging rentals is Resort Quest. I always have great luck finding places when we have not been able to stay at our regular condo.  If you don’t find what you want online, give them a call.  The staff if very helpful.

1wrongturn finds:

Greek Food in Perdido Key

Greek Food on Perdido Key Drive close to the Winn Dixie. I don’t have a name and there are no regular hours.  This is basically a trailer hitch that turns into a Greek restaurant.  The food is yummy and the ambiance, well, check it out for yourself!

Spear Hunting Museum

Spear Hunting Museum - a family outing in Summerdale, Alabama!

I will admit that the traffic is fierce and tall buildings dominate the landscape – all of these aspects make Houston – Houston.   However, when you move beyond the “fast and big” Houston, you will discover that this city has so much to celebrate.  You have modern & historic, art and nature, Mexican and Indian, vegetarian and barbecue.  If you allow yourself to experience the many contradictions that Houston has to offer and you will see that the tall, modern, fast-paced, uber-shopping areas “yin” to the smaller, low-key, funky elements “yang.”

I think it is only fare to issue a statement of full disclosure – I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the city of Houston and its residents who embraced my family and many other victims of Hurricane Katrina.  At a time when we were all crushed and vunerable, Houston took care of us.  I know that many may say that I am biased because of my positive experience and not all people were so lucky.  That may be true.  However, I have returned to Houston since 2005 and still find it engaging and welcoming.

Enough about me . . .

General guides and information

• Visit Houston Texas
• World Guide to Houston – some good facts
• Houston Neighborhoods
• Houston Ice Houses
• Nileguide.com Things to Do in Houston

However, our favorite place was a strange little restaurant in a small strip mall, which looked more like a cafeteria than a restaurant, i.e. no ambiance.  The restaurant is Pepper Tree Veggie Cuisine and it is a vegetarian restaurant that serves a buffet of mixed Asian cuisines (map).  All I can say is that everything is fresh and delicious.  The owners replenish the buffet frequently so that the food is always hot (when appropriate).  The customers range from young families, to older folks, to veggie eaters.  For my family, Pepper Tree is a must!

No, it’s not Houston barbecue but I promised to show you a different side of the City.

Of all the museums in Houston, I have to admit that my favorite is The Menil Collection, which opened in 1987 to preserve and exhibit the art collection of John and Dominique de Menil.  The Menil Collection is considered one of the most important privately assembled collections of the twentieth century and houses one of the world’s foremost Surrealist collections.  In addition, the Museum is always FREE!  The Menil Collection is also a great place for kids.  Not only are they intrigued by the art, but they also love to climb the fabulous trees that surround the Museum.  Tucked away in the museum district (map) , the Menil Collection is a nice change from Houston’s hustle and bustle.

Houston Arboretum by Kevin McCarthy

If you are seeking a bit of the outdoor, Houston will not fail to deliver.  I was surprised by the amount of public green space.  Many of the neighborhoods have small parks with sports fields or swing sets.  If you want big space, go to Hermann Park and explore their open fields, ponds, art sculptures and Japanese gardens.  Another green space in Houston is the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center (map).  The Arboretum has great walking trails and is truly an unexpected find in the midst of a highly urban area (worthy on a Houston  “1wrongturn” designation).

My final outing recommendation may be considered macabre by some but perfectly normal for someone from New Orleans.  For a beautiful, serene and interesting outdoor experience, take a stroll through the Glenwood Cemetery (Directions to Glenwood Cemetery)!  Yes, a cemetery.  It is a beautiful setting, with interesting planting and architecture not to mention that Howard Hughes is buried here in a tomb that is most appropriate.

And you thought that Houston was all cars and shopping!

While we were there, we ate a great hole-in-the-wall called Taqueria Leon.  We ate great enchiladas, pupusa, and munched on delicious pastries, all washed down with tamarind soda.  YUUUUUUM!  There is no website but here are a few comments on Chowhound.  If you want to see the city, take a look at these Rosenberg videos.

Partly because it is a neat little town and partly because it is where my family settled in Texas, I recommend that you take 1wrongturn and visit Rosenberg.

A little over two years ago, my family had the opportunity to visit Japan. The definates included Tokyo and a wonderful coastal town, Kochi. The rest was up to us. After weeks of exploring travel options, including trains schedules and accommodations, our trip looked as follows: 4 days in Tokyo, 2 days in Kochi, 3 days in Kyoto and back to Tokyo for 3 additional days. This required some serious planning and advanced details. If we had more time in each city, we could have allowed more to chance. However, with such brief stays in each place, we had to have certain things in place and be well versed in our travel cities to make the most of our time. So the research began.

Although I have written specific posts about Tokyo and Kyoto, I am writing four posts that will provide some important background information (and some cost savings). The four posts are: (1) transportation; (2) accommodations; (3) language; and, (4) food. There are just a few tips that will help you organize your travels, create a unique experience and enable you to take MANY 1wrongturns.

The following three links are to sites that I found really helpful in understanding and navigating Japan, as a whole.

Japan National Tourism Organization was my first stop. It provides a very thoughtful understanding of Japan culture, food/dining, transportation and accommodations. I highly recommend that you download the brochure Your Guide to Japan.

Japan-guide.com is rather commercial but has a tremendous amount of information.

Wikitravel: Japan – I like Wikitravel – get over it!

Useful tips:

• Dialing Code – the international dialling code for Japan is +81.
• Time – Japan is +9 hours GMT.
• Capital: Tokyo
• Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

As I have mentioned in other posts, my family consists of 2 vegetarians (who eat eggs & dairy) and 1 vegaquarium (aka I eat seafood).  I was concerned that my daughter and husband would have a difficult time finding foods they could eat because of the prevalence of fish.  After reading that, in Japan, vegetarians are an oddity and that ham is considered a vegetable, we resigned ourselves to the fact that the two of them would be eating rice and edamame.  I had even specifically researched vegetarian restaurants.  My concerns were completely unfounded and we never needed to search out a vegetarian restaurant.  Between the street food, tofu dishes, rice balls, mochi and abundance of seasonal vegetables (which did NOT include edamame), Japan served up a veritable feast.

I would like to add here that my husband and daughter carried around a small, laminated card that is called a Vegetarian Passport.  My husband ordered it online and it says, in Japanese, “I am a vegetarian and I do not eat seafood, meat, chicken or pork.”  I highly recommend this for people who have eating requirements. My husband ordered ours from Selectwisely.com.

Here is my problem – I did not write down and I cannot remember the name of any restaurant.  It was all random choices based on the photos, the little plastic food models, and whether the place was crowded.  I can honestly say that two of my favorite meals came from street stands.  The first was a bowl of soft, custardy tofu that we bought from a tofu stand in Sagano.  The tofu came in a proper bowl with soy sauce, green onions and ginger.  Along with several other Japanese, we sat on benches and ate our delicious little meal.  When we were done, we returned the bowl to the stand.  The second were the little stands that sell onigari, rice balls that are stuffed with various fillings.  They are particularly good when they are grilled!

Food display at White Lover Cafe & Restaurant

Rather than recommend any restaurants, I am going to provide you with a list of the foods that you can find in Japan and our favorites.  This works because, unlike your local Japanese restaurant, restaurants in Japan tend to specialize in one type of food.  If you want sushi, go to a sushi restaurant.  If you want tempura, go to a tempura restaurant. Even if you don’t read Japanese, you can always recognize the food because most restaurants have pictures of the food or a window case in which they display plastic menu items.  Very often, you can just point to the picture or model.  To read about restaurant/eating etiquette, go to my post Japan: Customs and etiquette.

First, I am going to list the most common Japanese food.  The, I am going to list the foods that we ate in Japan.

COMMON FOODS:

TONKATSU – Fried Pork Cutlet.

TEMPURA – Vegetables and fish in a light batter, deep fried.

Slurping udon at Buddhist temple

SOBA and UDON – Japanese noodles that are often served in a soup or fried. Soba are noodles made from buckwheat flour, while Udon are noodles made from wheat flour.

RAMEN – It’s not the dry noodles that you ate throughout college.  Ramen contain delicate, often homemade, noodles with a choice of broth bases and toppings. Often, a ramen restaurant will specialize in one kind of ramen.  Noisily slurping your ramen is perfectly acceptable and expected. A sharp intake of air can cool down the noodles that are best eaten as fresh as possible.

YAKITORI – Pieces of chicken or pork skewered on bamboo sticks and cooked over charcoal. After cooking they are dipped into a special sauce.

OKONOMIYAKI – A thick pancake-like dish made of a delicious mixture of batter, vegetables and small pieces of meat or fish. There are restaurants where the customers cook at their own table, adding spices as they desire.

DONBURI – Rice (unseasoned) topped with meat, seafood or vegetables.

SUKIYAKI – A one pot meal in which the main ingredient is thinly sliced beef, simmered in a skillet or pan with sukiyaki broth, vegetables and other ingredients. Once the food is cooked, the Japanese then dip the food into a small cup containing raw egg and soy sauce. Almost always, the cooking is done entirely by the customers to suit their own tastes.

SHABU SHABU – similar to Sukiyaki, thin strips of beef and vegetables are cooked in a pot of boiling broth. Very often, the customers usually cook their own food right at the table.

SUSHI – Small bite-sized blocks of rice topped with raw fish. Sushi actually refers to the style of the food, not the contents, and does not necessarily mean raw fish.  Here are a few tips on eating sushi in Japan:

• You can order a set of sushi with a fixed price or order sushi pieces as you eat.
• It’s nice to ask the sushi chef for his/her recommendation of the day.
• If you are not ordering a set of sushi, order a few kinds of sushi at a time.
• Put a small amount of soy sauce for dipping in a small dish provided and add the wasabi.  Refill as needed.
• To eat sushi, it’s common to use your fingers.
• When dipping sushi in the soy sauce, do not dip whole sushi. Just dip the end of the sushi as you eat, fish side down.
• When eating the rolled sushi, put the entire piece in your mouth as it falls apart.  With the pressed sushi, you can take bites.
• Eat pieces of pickled ginger between different kinds of sushi. It helps to clean your mouth and enhance the flavors
• Try not to ask the sushi chef to bring you things like a drink or your bill.
• It’s nice to offer to buy your sushi chef a drink if he/she is doing a good job.

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants, or kaiten-zushi, are great places to eat sushi. At a kaiten-zushi restaurant, you wait until your favorite sushi comes near you, then you pick up the plates from the moving table. If your favorite is not moving on the table, you can order it. The types or colors of plate which sushi pieces are on indicate prices of sushi. If you want to save money, you can avoid picking up expensive sushi. The prices are usually between 100 yen to 300 yen per plate.

SASHIMI - Thin slices of different types of fish served on a platter or in a bowl along with a few raw vegetables.  Sashimi is usually eaten as an appetizer or as one course of the meal, but sometimes it will be the main dish.

BENTO or O-BENTO – Japanese box lunch. Many are sold in train stations for travelers.  They are yummy and fresh – don’t be put off by the location.  Bento lunches usually include a large portion of rice and an assortment of meat, fish vegetables, and pickles. Bento are always made fresh the morning they are sold. There is no attempt to keep them warm, so the contents are always cold when you get them.  You can find Bento boxes in grocery stores, street stands and department store food courts.

JAPANESE CURRY – Japanese curries are more like a stew with curry than Indian curry.  It is commonly served in three main forms: curry rice (karē raisu), karē udon (thick noodles) and karē pan (bread). Japanese curry consists of vegetables and meats, including onions, carrots, potatoes, beef, pork and chicken. Usual garnishes are fukijin zuke, a sweet mixture of mystery pickled vegetables, and rakkyou, small pickled shallots.

WHAT WE ATE:

MITARASHI DANGO – These are wonderful, sticky, chewy balls made of rice dough, which are grilled on a skewer and covered with a sweet-salty barbeque sauce.  They are sold at little street stands and packaged.  According to my daughter “These are the best thing in the world.”

ONIGIRI – I LOVE these rice balls stuffed with all kinds of filling, ranging from salmon to ume paste.  They are sold in little street kiosks, often close to the subway station.  Sometimes, they are made into the shape of a pyramid!

JAPANESE SANDWICHES – If I read one more blog that bashes the Japanese sandwich, I don’t know what I am going to do.  They are tiny bundles of goodness, consisting of thin slices of fluffy, white bread and all kinds of filling: ham & cheese, egg salad, bacon & egg salad, tuna salad and my two favorites – potato salad and fruit filling.  You can eat several in a sitting.  I think people are just anti-white bread.  Personally, I think that Japanese white bread ROCKS!  Also, these are great for picky eaters who are having a little difficulty maneuvering the Japanese food situation.

INARI SUSHI – Inarizushi is a pocket of yumminess, which consists of aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags stuffed with sushi rice.  See my posto on Kyoto to learn about Fushimi Inari Taisha (Fushimi Inari Shrine), which is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity.

DORAYAKI – Lovely little yellow sponge cakes that are pressed together and filled usually with red bean pasted. However, when we were in Japan, Yuzu (Japanese citrus) was in season and often used as a filling.  You will see street vendors all over with these cool little pans in which they make the dorayaki.  The name is based on its shape, which resembles a dora, or gong.

Here are several websites that will help you explore your culinary options in Japan:

Restaurant resources:

• Bento.com
• Gourmet Navigator

Vegetarian resources

• Survival Guide for Vegetarians (Not Only) in Japan
• Vegguide.org

Great Japanese food blogs – I love these two!

• Just Bento
• Just Hungry

Tofu:

Tofu in Japan is NOTHING like the tofu we eat in America.  It is a culinary delight that comes in many forms.  In fact, there are entire Tofu restaurants (not necessarily vegetarian). Learning about Kyoto: Tofu is a great article about the many delights of tofu.

Homemade tofu is delicious and not too hard to make (the hardest part is making the soymilk). Just Hungry has a great recipe.

Here are some absolute “must-haves” for creating authentic Japanese meals!

There are a few tips that I would like to give you when booking your lodging so that you can avoid the same mistakes:

1. Make sure that you are clear about the room cost – is it per room or per person?
2. Get a written confirmation.
3. Make sure that you are clear about the toilet and shower situation.  If you want/need a toilet and shower in your room, you will have to stick with a traditional hotel or ryokan (although not all ryokans have private baths).

With those few things in mind, here is a basic run-down of your choices:

Hotel Remm Akhibara: Really cool bathrooms and massage chair in each room.

Hotels:

Hotels range from super luxurious to the love hotel, which charges by the hour. Most hotels have western style beds and bathrooms, as well as restaurants and all the mod cons.  Business hotels offer reasonable prices for shorter stays.  Theses hotels are usually close to train stations. Rooms are small, but clean and provide all the necessities.

Love Hotels:

If only we had not been with our daughter and my step-mother, my husband and I would have definitely checked into a Love Hotel – just for the experience. Love Hotel Hill in the Shibuya district of Tokyo is perhaps the country’s most famous area for these houses of fun. Given the close living quarters in Japan, Love Hotels make sense for couples who require some privacy.

Capsule Hotels:

Definitely not for me – where is the air?  However, many others find these quite acceptable if not a curiosity. Usually used by commuters and business men, these generally consist of six to eight capsules built into a wall, just big enough for a person to lay down. I am hyperventilating just writing about them!

Youth Hostels:

There are plenty of youth hostels dotted throughout Japan. Most hostels require a membership, which can be purchased at the first hostel. Japanese Youth Hostels are safe, friendly and clean and are used to accommodating international travelers. Japan Hostels commonly apply a pre-midnight curfew, so these are not for the “all-night” partiers.

Ryokan:

Ryokan are Japanese style inns that provide the culture and traditions of historic Japan. Ryokan range from small wooden traditional buildings, where you bump your head every time you stand up, to the large concrete structures that are common-place in Japanese cities.  Although they can be as luxurious as hotels, ryokan will not provide all the mod-cons but focus on quality and traditional service, atmosphere and relaxation.  Ryokan rooms are usually furnished with tatami flooring, a low table and cushions (zabuton) for sitting.  Most ryokan rooms contain a tea set to enjoy some Japanese tea. Guests sleep on a futon which is rolled out and put away in an ‘oshiire’ (a closet for futons) each day by the Ryokan staff.

Most ryokan offer breakfast and dinner,  which is included in the room rate.  In many instances, meals are served in the guest’s room or taken in a large communal dining area. Ryokan pride themselves on their food and many Japanese choose a ryokan for its meals. The meals served are traditionally Japanese, consisting of fish, rice and sweets fresh from the local area.  Some ryokan will give you the option of not taking the meal, which will reduce the price.

Most ryokan have an onsen (Japanese spa, which may be either natural hot springs or man made.  They often have communal hours and gender separated hours.  Some ryokan offer private baths.  See my post Japan: Customs and etiquette to learn how to use the onsen properly and not embarrass yourself.

Minshuku:

I like the minshuku option as it provides a true “Japanese experience.”  They are more like Japanese style b&bs or budget ryokan.  In most cases, minshuku are simply a room, section or floor of a family’s home with a shared bathroom and common room. Like ryokan, rooms are simply furnished and guests are provided with a futon to sleep on which they may be required to put away and roll out themselves.  In some cases, meals are included in the price or available for a small cost.

Temple Lodging:

I did not get to stay in a temple but I really wanted to – especially since we are vegetarians and could experience the Buddhist vegetarian meal – shojin ryori.  Temple lodging, which are called shukubo, are similar to traditional Japanese inns, and anyone can stay regardless of his or her religion. If you are so inclined, you can join in their Zen meditation.  The prices are not necessarily cheap but the experience seems worth it.  When researching the shukubo, I found that most don’t have English speaking staff or take credit cards.  It appears that the best place to partake in the temple lodging is is Mt. Koya. There are over 100 temples in Mt. Koya, and about 50 temples offer lodgings.   I will definitely do this on my next visit to Japan.

Here are a few websites with information about and lists of lodging options:

General listings:

• Japan Accomodations has a great listing of many different style lodgings.
• Japan Travel Online lets you find lodging by neighborhoods and close to sites.
• Rakuten Travel offers good discounts and has complete listings
• Japanican.com is another great source for lodging.
• Japan Economy Hotel Group provides a good listing of less expensive lodging.

High End:

• Exquisite Ryokan The name says it all.
• IKYU lists the top hotels.  Check out Claska in Tokyo.  I really want to stay there!

Hostels:

• Japan Youth Hostels
• Hostel World’s Japan listings

Temple Lodging:

• Temple Lodging in Japan provides a good listing of the various temple lodging and travel instructions
• Article about Vegetarian Cuisine and Mt. Koya

Hot Springs and Nature Experiences:

• National Park Resort Villages of Japan contains a list of lodging, all of which are located in national parks.
• Hot springs onsen throughout Japan.