Cook Books

[Mic]

Sakurajima is pretty easy to get to, there's a ferry that leaves Kagoshima City. I reckon there's a bus stop on the other side but have no idea about the service as we drove when we went there. There is a Youth Hostel pretty close to where the ferry docks on Sakurajima, so you could make those Aussie dollars stretch a bit further.
According to my "Lonely Planet Guide", you should be able to catch a bus from JR Aso station to the cable cars, which will take you straight to the Aso-san's crater. Aso station is on the JR Hohi line which connects Kumamoto City with Beppu City. I lived in Beppu for three years and for one of those I had to catch this train every month for meetings in Kumamoto City.
Whenever we have gone to the volcano's crater we have always driven so I am unsure exactly how the bus and cable car bits work. Sometimes when we have arrived the crater has been closed due to toxic gas.
What other parts of Japan will you visit?

Is it worth going over to Sakurajima? Might try and get across, depends on how much time I have.
Thanks, I'll get the train to Aso station then try and get the bus (hopefully there will be an information place there). Fingers crossed it won't be too gassy.
Last trip I had 2 nights in Fukuoka, 2 in Hiroshima (including Miyajima), a stop at Himeji Castle, 5 in Kyoto, 4 in Osaka (including Nara) and a week in Tokyo.
This time I will have 6 nights in Tokyo (including Yokohama), 1 in Okayama, 2 in Kobe, 1 in Kagosima, 2 in Kumamoto, 5 in Kyoto, 2 in Kobe, 2 in Nikko, 2 in Kanazawa, 1 in Shizuoka, and another 5 in Tokyo (including Kamakura and possibly Hakone).

[Hondo]

You don't have a link to that Calzone recipe do you Hondo?

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/13113/ham+cheese+calzone

Then top with a bolognese sauce whatever your favourite one is

[therisingblues]

Mic. If you have a full day planned in Kagoshima already then perhaps Sakura-jima may be a little out the way. The places I saw on the volcano were reached by car and I don't have much idea about public transport on the volcano so I can't recommend anything with confidence.
However, the ferry ride takes just 15 minutes and costs ￥150 and there is a volcano museum on the Sakura-jima side, plus the youth hostel is pretty close to where the ferry docks on Sakura-jima. My Lonely Planet guide has the cost at ￥2650. We stayed at the Youth Hostel when we did Kagoshima (we also stayed one night close to Ibusuki), our room had about 4 or 5 beds but me and Mrs Therisingblues had the room to ourselves. Some of the beds were pretty smelly mind you , so we were fortunate to be able to choose which bed we could sleep in.
I have done a bit of travelling in Honshu, but it looks as though you will have seen more of it than me by the time you complete your trip. I once stayed in Tokyo/Yokohama for a week and I have been to Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Hiroshima a couple of times. I visited Nagoya every month for about three years when I had my old job, but we usually just visited our favourite haunts close to where the meetings were held.

Hondo, thanks for the recipe. I have made a calzone before but it was a blue cheese and spinach version. Not the usual sort.

[Mic]

Mic. If you have a full day planned in Kagoshima already then perhaps Sakura-jima may be a little out the way. The places I saw on the volcano were reached by car and I don't have much idea about public transport on the volcano so I can't recommend anything with confidence.
However, the ferry ride takes just 15 minutes and costs ￥150 and there is a volcano museum on the Sakura-jima side, plus the youth hostel is pretty close to where the ferry docks on Sakura-jima. My Lonely Planet guide has the cost at ￥2650. We stayed at the Youth Hostel when we did Kagoshima (we also stayed one night close to Ibusuki), our room had about 4 or 5 beds but me and Mrs Therisingblues had the room to ourselves. Some of the beds were pretty smelly mind you , so we were fortunate to be able to choose which bed we could sleep in.
I have done a bit of travelling in Honshu, but it looks as though you will have seen more of it than me by the time you complete your trip. I once stayed in Tokyo/Yokohama for a week and I have been to Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Hiroshima a couple of times. I visited Nagoya every month for about three years when I had my old job, but we usually just visited our favourite haunts close to where the meetings were held.

Hondo, thanks for the recipe. I have made a calzone before but it was a blue cheese and spinach version. Not the usual sort.

Yep, it should be good. Have all my accommodation now booked, plus the flights and Railpass are sorted so I think I'm set. What's the weather going to be like in November?

[therisingblues]

In past years November probably goes between 8 degrees at its coldest and probably 25 degrees on the warmest days at the beginning of the month. Usually it is a dry month, but then this year we have had weird weather: a very short rainy season then a burst of wet weather around August and September, we also had stuff all typhoons, so what's normal may not be an indication of what will happen.
There's a pretty good wesite that gives a detailed look at the weather in English, I use it often. Here's a link to a map of Kyushu and today's temperatures.

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/amedas/214.html?elementCode=2

If you hit the "Animation: Play" button it'll give you hour by hour temperatures for the past 48 hours.

[Mic]

In past years November probably goes between 8 degrees at its coldest and probably 25 degrees on the warmest days at the beginning of the month. Usually it is a dry month, but then this year we have had weird weather: a very short rainy season then a burst of wet weather around August and September, we also had stuff all typhoons, so what's normal may not be an indication of what will happen.
There's a pretty good wesite that gives a detailed look at the weather in English, I use it often. Here's a link to a map of Kyushu and today's temperatures.

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/amedas/214.html?elementCode=2

If you hit the "Animation: Play" button it'll give you hour by hour temperatures for the past 48 hours.

Sounds good - no typhoons, little rain, cool weather - perfect! Should be a lot more bearable than the late July/early August heat I experienced this year.

Cheers for the info.

[the joker]

i dont need cookbooks,

i am a good cook without them

[hearts on fire]

i dont need cookbooks,

i am a good cook without them

i don't need cookbooks,

i have got my mum

[the joker]

i dont need cookbooks,

i am a good cook without them

i don't need cookbooks,

i have got my mum