Videos about Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC07YPg9yAM General things to know before you travel to
Staying in a Ryokan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf9Gum9Bc8k mostly good advice except you must soap and bath before entering a bath. The ryokans where we stay will have dining areas for breakfast and dinner and not served in the rooms. There will be tea and a cookie or sweet in everyone's room on arrival.
Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y8XKUp8zjE 7 More Things You Need to Know before Coming to Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp3HW3EQa6A General etiquette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIyIZZQnuDQ This college student gives some very good tips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QOCzA_-_ec Sushi etiquette, I learned a couple things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYMBkrxeVvY 10 Things You Shouldn't Do In Japan (disclaimer - profanity)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b4khFSChd4#t=971.148844 Geisha - long movie narrated by Susan Surranden, not sure about its accuracy but interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdgqWPdsA0 short contemporary Geisha -
Onsen/bath etiquette videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgM-OpImRec Excellent bath etiquette advice!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rpKDnNLtxU Bath etiquette (except NEVER, even in outside tubs, put the towel in the water)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiNFQM8H2Ek Onsen ...hot spring bath why you should try
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOcgDJprN74 How to enjoy onsen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kTBtXGCcLM Onsen manners and etiquette
Onsen
https://notesofnomads.com/how-to-use-japanese-onsen/#So_what_exactly_are_onsen written list guidelines
Novels
Hiroshima (Patti recommended)
Food
https://1drv.ms/o/s!Av8vXnGW-zrtakANl2MyilH5Afw
Reading suggestions from my friend, Pat Drake
Snow Country by Kawabata. a Noble Prize winner, -he has other books
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Mishima- such a powerful book.
I Am a Cat I by Soseki. - he has other books (I have a copy of this one if someone wants to borrow it.)
Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth. Simple but elegant intro into this topic as told by Stillwater- a giant panda bear
Great collection of poems-
Like Underground Water. Translators. Koriyama and Lueders.
Something Nice (songs for children) by Mishima
Other
Eating sushi https://medium.com/gone/the-ten-commandments-of-sushi-4eac45192c7d#.gyfa5brdm
Zennoji Temple (0577-32-4516) provides zazen meditation. Please ask the concierge at your hotel to ring and book a session in advance.
Osen - hot spring baths
http://boutiquejapan.com/onsen-in-japan/
Eating in Japan
Tips and Phrases for Eating in Japan (especially those with special dietary needs) Excellent! Suggest everyone reads this before traveling.
Weather for my trip mid to late October 2015 was BEAUTIFUL, no rain, mostly sunny warm in Kyoto. Cooler at night. Light jacket and fleece a few times.
Weather Forecast Kyoto October 2016 - It looks beautiful! 65-73F
Weather Takayama October 2014 - mid to high sixties 1844 ft elevation
Weather Hirayu han Hirayu Onsen at 1585m altitude(5200.13Ft), 40-50F
City
Tokyo
Takayama
Osaka
Average
Daytime High
22 C (72 F)
20 C (68 F)
23 C (73 F)
Average
Nighttime Low
15 C (59 F)
9 C (48 F)
15 C (59 F)
Rainy/Snowy Days
Sunny Days
early month
late month
early month
late month
35%
35%
30%
30%
30%
25%
40%
45%
55%
55%
55%
65%
October is one of the most pleasant months for traveling in Japan as the weather remains warm, but is not hot and humid anymore. Trees begin turning colors in the northern regions and higher elevations.
Japan Bus online ticket purchase
Aps for Japan and travel: JA Sensei - learn Japanese
Talking Translator - fun not sure how well it translates
Takayama
Nature: Utsueshijuhattaki Falls Hirayuotaki Fall
Flea Markets Kyoto We plan to visit the flea market at Toji Temple.
Kyoto Jidai Matsuri , (Kyoto Prefecture) (My sister and I ran into this on our way back to out hotel after our yoga class. )
Oct. 22, 2015
Held every year on October 22, this Festival of the Ages is a fantastic way to see history reenacted by actors in period clothing representing famous and common figures, portable shrines, horse-drawn carriages, etc., representing each era of Kyoto's 1,200 year history and adorned with decorations of each particular era. Costumes and ornaments are painstakingly hand-crafted by Kyoto's traditional artisans. The festival begins at the Old Imperial Palace and ends at the Heian Jingu Shrine. This is a beautiful glimpse of old Kyoto history in all its glory. It's almost like visiting a museum!
For more information, please visit here.
Kurama Fire Festival , (Kyoto Prefecture)
Oct. 22, 2015
Held at the same time as the Jidai Matsuri, this is a more intimate, local festival, and should definitely be experienced if you are in Kyoto. The Fire Festival is a traditional village festival in the rural city of Kurama which is nestled in the northern mountains of Kyoto. It is held at the Yuki-Jinja, a shrine that is located on the way to the Kurama-dera temple located along the mountainside and hovering over the town. At nightfall, children holding small pine torches parade through the town and are followed by adults holding immense torches also made of pine weighing over 175 pounds which they also parade through the town streets.
Afterwards, two portable shrines are carried through the streets for a rousing climax to the festival. Earlier in the evening, watch fires are lit simultaneously in front of many homes so the whole town comes softly aglow before the raucous parade begins.
The festival is said to reenact the scene of the enshrined deity at Yuki-Jinja being greeted after traveling from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to Kurama.
For more information, please visit here.
Kyoto
Lessons - cooking, tea ceremony, ikebana, etc.
Tools:
Currency calculator http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html
Transportation Security Administration -Lists times ok to transport either on board or in luggage.
US Customs Customs tips and regulations
Reserving highway bus tickets online -faq - Make reservation 30 days ahead for Belinda
Sakura Volunteer Guide Club
http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/nohibus_english201304.pdf - highway bus