10 days train journey from Osaka to Hokkaido utilizing the Seisyun 18 ticket(青春18きっぷ). In this video, I will show you the Osaka~Akita part of the route. I discovered many Japanese traditions and enjoyed vegan food whilst traveling up the Sea of Japan coast. Check it out!
▼Travel Route
・Day1：Osaka sta.(大阪駅) – Nakatsugawa(中津川) – Nagano sta.(長野駅) – Nagaoka(長岡市)
・Day2：Nagaoka(長岡市)- Niigata(新潟市) – Murakami(村上市) – Tsuruoka(鶴岡市)
・Day3：Tsuruoka(鶴岡市) – Sakata(酒田市) – Akita(秋田市)
▬▬▬ BUDGET & SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL TIPS ▬▬▬
▷ Sustainability
Nagano, Niigata, Yamagata, and Akita have a ton of yummy traditional dishes. Eating sustainably grown local produce can support the farmers in the region so do not hesitate to try this out. Also, rural towns often have many traditional-style buildings. Older houses last long and are largely made of biodegradable materials. They are also worth seeing if you take an interest in architecture.
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▷ Transportation
I used the Seisyun 18 ticket which is sold only 3 times a year. Only ¥2,410 a day.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/seishun18.html
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▷ Sightseeing Ideas
Stop by the smaller stations and spend money by buying local products. It really helps their economy a lot.
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▷ Vegan Foods
Some Japanese sugar makers use cow bone char to refine sugar. I make compromises about this while I’m traveling. If you are a bit more strict, bone char is usually not used in the production of beet sugar(てんさい糖) from Hokkaido and raw cane sugar(黒糖) from Okinawa. Macrobiotic restaurants and authentic vegan restaurants rarely use refined sugar.
〈Goheimochi〉
It is made from rice and a sweet, nutty soy sauce. The toasty smell makes you hungry.
https://kiraku-goheimochi.com/
〈Oyaki〉
Oyaki is a traditional food of Nagano prefecture. Good news! Oyaki has a lot of vegan options. So you can enjoy choosing your favorite vegan dish from an abundant selection, which is rarely possible in Japan☺︎ Although there are lots of oyaki shops in Nagano station, I choose to buy at Shunsaika because they are the only shop that does not use MSG. The price is around ¥220.
http://www.shunsaika.com/docs/ssk/index.html
〈Rice cracker]
I bought it in Niigata station. It’s hard to get non-MSG rice crackers so I was so glad to find it.
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I would like to thank everyone who helped me!
#青春18きっぷ #veganjapan