The JR rental office at Tazawako station is a small shed-like building, and the Orix branch is a nea

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Tazawa is a beautiful, almost circular, lake in Akita-ken. Getting near the lake is easy: use the Akita mini-shinkansen, last minute travel vacations which if you re coming from the south runs together with the main Tohoku line and forks off at Morioka (from the north, change there). last minute travel vacations Getting to the lake itself is harder.
Having failed to find a free room at Nyuto onsen (more later), I found one by phoning the Rose Park Hotel , which is on the opposite side of the rather large lake. But not to worry: the internet said that there are Orix and JR car rental places by the station. I tried to book a car, but without a Japanese address the online system failed. So I just showed up.
The JR rental office at Tazawako last minute travel vacations station is a small shed-like building, and the Orix branch is a nearby shop. Neither had any cars, and this was on a weekday in October, so I doubt there had been a sudden rush – they re obviously there for people collecting pre-arranged rentals. And, as I mentioned, you can t pre-book either without a Japanese address. last minute travel vacations So I m stuck at the Shinkansen station, which is nowhere near the lake, with no transport. Buses run, in October, a couple of times a day at best.
I was contemplating a good few hours of hiking with an 80 litre backpack, but the Orix lady saved me: she had the number of another rental last minute travel vacations shop. Toyota rental isn t by the station, but is a proper car rental lot: call them on (0187) last minute travel vacations 43 2100. The guy there had one car left; renting it required my 1949 international driving permit, my license, 7000Y, and a lot of fairly broken Japanese and hand gestures.
About that hill. I wanted to visit Tsuru-no-Yu onsen, which is one of the most famous, last minute travel vacations and up in the hills behind last minute travel vacations Tawaza-ko. It s not easily accessible without a car. To get to it you go up a main road, down a small road, which becomes a narrow road with blind U-bends, which becomes a gravel track with huge rocks and potholes. All of the time, you re climbing up the mountain. And at the end: half of Japan s cars are in the car park. Amazing.
The onsen, though, is worth it. It s incredibly old, and has several baths. Unusually, last minute travel vacations the largest one – an outdoor bath under the mountain, with white water – is not gender segregated. Nor is it in any way private: the changing rooms have glass, and people walk right past the bath edge. Nonetheless, if you can get past that, it s wonderful: huge, comfortable, with a range of temperatures from bubbling out of the earth scorching hot to cool at the other end. I spent a good hour or more floating like a sedated hippo.
If you re male and don t fancy the rather open bath, though, I m not sure Tsuru-no-Yu last minute travel vacations is worth the trip: the two indoor male baths are fine, but rather small. last minute travel vacations For women there s a separate outdoor bath around the back – no idea if it s any good, obviously, but at least there s another option.
From Tsuru-no-Yu I headed for the Rose Park hotel. This is on the west shore, near the golden statue, and seems to have at least three names: it s also the El Mirador and Prince hotel. Whatever last minute travel vacations it s called, last minute travel vacations though, it s nice: rather old-fashioned rooms, but large, last minute travel vacations clean and cheap (7500Y or so including breakfast). Rooms do not have internet access or water heaters but do have a vacuum flask of hot water for tea and, amazingly, a background music knob. For, you know, lift music.
It s worth noting that there is nowhere around to eat in the evening last minute travel vacations and the nearest store that opens even vaguely normal hours is a 30min drive on the other side of the lake so it might be worth booking food at the hotel. During the day, there s a fantastic noodle last minute travel vacations stall next to the Goza no Ishi temple last minute travel vacations on the lake shore a 15 or so minute drive away. Or if you head away from the lake via the road that leaves from its eastern side (near the shops), you ll see a pizza restaurant and a small shop selling coffee and honey roll cake. I didn t try the pizza (closes early), but the coffee and cake were nice. You can t miss it look for the London Bus .
Lake Tazawa last minute travel vacations might sound like a bit more trouble than it s worth, but it s hard to explain quite how beautiful the place is tough by public transport, but well worth the effort if you can rent a car. The next day I drove back around the lake to the station, and headed north towards Hirosaki.