K’s House is a chain of backpacker hostels in Japan. They started out in November, 2003 in Kyoto (which has perhaps the highest concentration of backpacker hostels anywhere in Japan) and have since opened hostels in Nagano prefecture and Tokyo.
The prices are cheap (starting at 2500 yen for a dorm bed in Kyoto, 2800 in Tokyo and Nagano) and the entire hostel has a very modern and welcoming atmosphere. Features in all hostels include:
- Communal living and dining room
- A well-equipped communal kitchen
- Internet, laundry and bicycle hire
- Separate bathrooms and toilets
- No curfew, English speaking staff and air conditioning in all rooms
- No YHA membership required
After staying at the Kyoto hostel numerous times, I can tell you that the place is clean, airy, modern, comfortable and best of all - cheap! The staff are all very friendly and will always try to be helpful. They all speak English reasonably well.
One thing that I found very useful was how the hostel has a room availablity chart online for three months in advance. This is updated daily, and bookings can be made via email.
I highly recommend this place. While I haven’t been to the Tokyo hostel, if it’s anything like Kyoto’s (which was, by the way, voted best hostel in Asia by Hostelworld, an online booking service) then you won’t be disappointed. Besides, 2800 yen for a bed is probably unheard of in Tokyo.
Link:
K’s House - in English
Chūbu (中部) is the central region of Japan’s Honshu island. The region is often further divided into three more areas, namely Tōkai (東海) for the southern Pacific coast, Kōshin’etsu (甲信越) for the northern Sea of Japan coast and Hokuriku (北陸) for the rest.
Prefectures
- Tōkai
- Aichi — mostly urban sprawl around Nagoya
- Gifu — home to the northern Japan Alps and many hot springs
- Shizuoka
- Kōshin’etsu
- Hokuriku
Cities
- Hida-Takayama — attractively preserved town and a good starting point for trips to the Japan Alps
- Nagano — Japan’s winter sports capital
- Nagoya — Chubu’s largest city by far
- Niigata — Major port city on the northern coast
- Toyama
Other destinations
- Gero Onsen — one of Japan’s Three Famous Hot Springs
- Japan Alps — the largest and tallest mountain chain in Japan
- Mount Fuji — the iconic Japanese mountain
- Oku-Hida Onsen Villages — 5 remote hamlets full of stunning scenery and some of Japan’s best hot springs
- Sado Island — place of exile home to gold mines and the yearly Earth Celebration
- Sekigahara — the site of the famous battle that ushered in the Tokugawa Shogunate
Generalities
Chubu means “middle region”, accurately reflecting its position straddling the two Japanese poles of Kansai and Kanto. Often ignored by tourists, with de facto capital Nagoya being a byword for boredom, Chubu’s best attractions are in the mountains, particularly the (only slightly hyperbolic) Japan Alps.
Talk
There are many people who speak in dialect in this area. In Shirone in Niigata prefecture, people speak in a dialect. For example, they use the word “Ra, Ri, Ru, Re and Ro ” at the ending. So they speak like this, “～raro!”.
Getting there
- By plane
Nagoya’s airport is one of the largest in Japan, with many domestic and international connections.
- By train
The Tokaido Shinkansen bisects Chubu, connecting to Tokyo in the east and Osaka and Kyoto in the west.
See
- In the Oku-Hida region around Takayama, check out the traditional gasshō-zukuri houses, with a roof shaped like hands in prayer to protect against snow from accumulating.
- There are many famous temples in Nagano, notably Zenkōji, considered an official national treasure.
- In Nagoya, there is Nagoya castle, although it’s just a modern concrete reconstruction.
- Mount Fuji’s view is great.
Do
- Winter sports. The Koshin’etsu district is also known as Snow Country (雪国 Yukiguni), since it receives some of the heaviest snowfall in the world. This makes Chubu Japan’s undisputed winter sports capital with attractions like Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics.
- Hiking. The Japan Alps have some great hiking. Mount Fuji in Shizuoka is a symbol of Japan and a popular tourist attraction, both for viewing and climbing.
Eat
Chubu’s regions all have their local specialities. Some include:
- Hotaru ika (lit. “firefly squid”) in Toyama
- Tempura shrimp in Nagoya
Drink
Chubu is sake country and Niigata, renowned for its koshihikari rice, produces some of the best in the country including famous labels like Kubota (久保田), Koshinokanbai (越乃寒梅) and Hakkaisan (八海山).
Shizuoka is famous for green tea and Aichi specializes in, oddly enough, oranges.
(Source: Wikitravel)
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