How to Get to Narita from the Odawara Area?

by Kevin Burns

The Fujikyu bus only costs 4,000 Yen/adult and leaves from various points around Odawara and Minami Ashigara. It is a comfortable ride and a great service. I much prefer it over Narita Express or other ways as it is point to point. You don`t need to transfer anywhere. I get on the bus in Minami Ashigara and can sleep the whole way if I want to.

Here is their link:

http://www.fujikyu.co.jp/syonan/narita-highway2.html

How to Get to Narita by Train from Odawara

by Sam Bardon

Getting to Narita is a real pain, but it can be
fairly stress-free with a little preparation.

The fastest way to Narita is to take the Tokaido line from
Odawara to Ofuna or Yokohama. Then, change to the 'Narita
Express'or 'NEX', which heads straight to the airport.

If you can catch an 'Acty' on the Tokaido line, it will
take you about 40 minutes to Ofuna, or about 55 to
Yokohama. (On the regular train it's about 48 minutes and
63 minutes). Then,on the NEX from Ofuna,it takes
just under 2 hours to the airport. From Yokohama, 1
1/2 hours. Only a few trains per day run from Ofuna,
so it is all about what connections are best for
you. Remember that you must make a reservation for the
NEX ahead of time! The cost of the NEX is about 4500
yen from Ofuna, and 4200 yen from Yokohama.
There
is another way to go that is occasionally quicker,
but only if your connections are perfect. The Odakyu
Romance Car from Odawara to Shinjuku takes 1 hour and 15
minutes. You can then jump on a NEX train in Shinjuku that
heads directly to the airport. That ride takes about an
hour and 15 minutes and costs about 3200 yen.

There are much cheaper ways to travel, but it is well
worth it to spend the extra money to travel in a
reserved seat with as few stops and transfers as
possible!
If anyone else knows a quick way, or if you know
the 'cheapest' way for those on a budget, please let
us know!

Odawara: "One of the Best Places in Japan to Live"

I think this is one of the best places in Japan to live.

Close to Tokyo, but not too close.

Narita and Haneda airports are nearby.

Hakone, the Fuji 5 Lakes, Izu, and Kamakura are all less than an hour away.

This valley is beautiful, nice rivers, great hiking, great local festivals,...
I've been here for 7 years with no intention of moving.

Most of the ALT's in this area are here to stay (almost
all have married locals),so they are a good resource and if
you become friends, you don't have to worry that they'll
be leaving anytime soon.

The owner of Shalamar [nightclub] married an ALT in Odawara,
so the bar is very 'gaijin' friendly. Shalamar is about a 5 minute
walk from Odawara Station (very close to the Shane English School and
John Festas). Their phone number is 0465-23-5641.

As for hangouts, Shalamar and John Festas [Now has a new name]
are the main ones, but I haven't met most of the eikaiwa
teachers in this area, they may have a hangout of their own.

You can also sometimes find us at one of the area gyms (the
Odawara Arena, the Minami Ashigara Taiku Center, Daido Sports
Plaza,...).

S.G.

*If you have questions about Odawara, Minami Ashigara, Kaisei Town,
Hakone, or Oimachi feel free to ask them at the Odawara Bulletin Board
link above right.

Walmart in Odawara?

Pictured: Park in Nagano, courtesy of Fuji Film Minami Ashigara Shi

Not quite, but it isn`t so far away.--Kevin

by Sandra Isaka

"The Seiyu in Gotemba has had a Walmart 'feel' to it for a couple of years ('rollback prices' signs, US Walmart clothing (in much smaller sizes), some food items,... I didn't find much that interested me, but it was better than Seiyu before Walmart. I haven't been there in a long time, so it might be even better. Isn't there a Seiyu in the Hadano/Nakai area as well?"--Sandra Isaka

Took a ride over to Numazu last weekend to check out the new Seiyu.
First, by Tomei from Matsuda, the ride took only 35 minutes (right to
the front doors). This, of course, depends on traffic. It was
raining, but there was no traffic at all, so this is probably the
fastest you can get there.

The store itself. When you pull in, the coloring is all Walmart.
Inside it is as if you have been transported back to the States, only
the ailes are even wider and the place is even more 'open'. There is
a small, but nicely done food court, serving a number of different
foods. Italian, Thai, Hawaiian, and some regular Japanese
selections. I didn't acually eat anything, however.

The grocery section reminded me of the new "MAXVALU" here in Kaisei.
In fact, I'd say there was almost no difference except for the fish
department. That area looked pretty fantastic (but you need to
actually know HOW to prepare all those fish). I saw only a handful
of Walmart brand food items (actually, only 3 or 4). So, don't go
there expecting foreign foods, there aren't any.

The clothing department was more promising. Some of the ladies
underwear was straight from Walmart, and some of the 'basic' items (t-
shirts, shorts,...) were also imported. I think the sizing is a
little different, but I didn't really get a close look. I bought 'L'
size underwear and they actually fit. Men's section looked decent,
as did the children's clothing department.

They had a nice ladies sunglasses display (all for 700 yen), plus
unbrellas, hats, purses,...

Cosmetics, medicine, toys, baby goods, electronics,... were all
Japanese products. Housewares was different. There was a lot of
the 'Martha Stewart' brand (that used to be carried by Kmart in the
States). There is no 'scandal' here for Martha, so it could be a
perfect place to build a brand following for her! Anyway, the
towels, sheets, kitchen goods,... were mostly Martha. Unfortunately
for me, the sheets were all 'adapted' for the Japanese market. Cool
sheets,... that fit futons, instead of the regular 'queen' and 'king'
sized sets you get back home.

Blankets and other types of bedding were all Japanese. Nothing
special.

All in all, I only bought some underwear and a pair of sunglasses. I
probably won't go back, but I am glad I got to see it. I think
NITORI in Odawara (and Hadano) has just as good a selection (and
prices) on home goods, and MAXVALU is just as good for food. A
little out of the way for just a 'natsukashii' feeling.

On the other hand, if I lived in Numazu, things would be different.
I'd probably shop there every week.



As well if you can go to Yokohama or Tokyo check out the
Don Quixote Stores (written in katakana). They are Japan`s
version of Walmart and stocked literally full of cheap to
reasonably priced items. The range they carry is truly huge
and my only fear is that I will be buried by their merchandise
during an earthquake, the store is packed so chalk-full of items to buy.--Kevin

Nitori

by Sandra Isaka

The Odawara City Mall has a lot to offer,
including 'Nitori', a home furnishing and furniture store.
If you have ever visited a 'Home Place' or similar
home furnishing store back home, 'Nitori' will be a
pleasant surprise.

It is wide and spacious, with a good
selection and great prices. I purchased a 20 piece dish set
for only 2000 yen. There are at least 20 patterns to
choose from, all ranging from 2000 yen to 4000 yen. I
was also very suprised and happy to see self-adhesive
wallpaper borders. They are a great, inexpensive way to
dress up a Japanese apartment. You can peel them off in
seconds if moving or remodeling. There are also many
items that would make great gifts. If you want a taste
of North America, try shopping at 'Nitori'.

Counterpoint

by Shawn Thir

I think you are right in but allow me to play
devil's advocate by saying if the big box stores move in,
what will happen to the small store owner? Of course,
a lot will go out of business.

Look at City Mall which Nitori is in. It's a bustling place.
Look at all the other shops around it. Compare that with
downtown Odawara-dead. I wonder what will happen to small
towns like Odawara in the future. They need some kind
of plan to draw people to shop and spend their money
in town.
Yes, Japan is changing but at glacial
speed. You can't realy blame the Japanese, either; they
are simply trying to protect the system they have now
without having to go through the American restructuring
of the 1990s. However, I personally feel it is only
a matter of time before the American Way of doing
business becomes the norm.

More on This

by Kevin Burns

Shawn, I agree in terms of reforms things are
going glacially. But in terms of consumerism,
the
changes have been dramatic and quick.

Only a few
years ago many people were willing
to spend a lot
of money for many things. Now,
no way. Many stores large and small with
inexpensive items abound. The restaurants too have followed
suit.

I agree, the Odawara downtown core will have
to be revitalized in some way. I think once the
flow of customers starts to ebb, the downtown
stores will spruce up their store fronts and do
other things to attract customers, otherwise they
will die.

The problem is the whole area will really need to
do this, and I find that many shop keepers
are rather complacent about simply painting their shops
and doing things to make them more attractive.

My wife had a store in Kayama and it was a beautiful
little store. The problem was the surrounding stores
weren't. No flowers, old crumbling paint and not very
attractive. Kayama could be a fun little shopping area if
everyone got together and spruced up their stores. But
many of them, at that time anyway, hadn't been
painted in years. My wife's store in downtown Odawara
or Kamonomiya would have been a success, but in Kayama it
withered and died with the end of the Bubble economy.
The rent was very high and the
customers petered
out. It was too bad. Unfortunately we thought we had
chosen an up and coming area, but what we really had
chosen was one with very complacent store owners.

Update: The downtown area of Odawara is witnessing
a revival with many downtown stores being renovated.

Nitori

by Sandra Isaka

The new Odawara City Mall has a lot to offer,
including 'Nitori', a home furnishing and furniture store.
If you have ever visited a 'Home Place' or similar
home furnishing store back home, 'Nitori' will be a
pleasant suprise.

It is wide and spacious, with a good
selection and great prices. I purchased a 20 piece dish set
for only 2000 yen. There are at least 20 patterns to
choose from, all ranging from 2000 yen to 4000 yen. I
was also very suprised and happy to see self-adhesive
wallpaper borders. They are a great, inexpensive way to
dress up a Japanese apartment. You can peel them off in
seconds if moving or remodeling. There are also many
items that would make great gifts. If you want a taste
of North America, try shopping at 'Nitori'.

I think you are right in but allow me to play
devil's advocate by saying if the big box stores move in,
what will happen to the small store owner? Of course,
a lot will go out of business.
Look at City
Mall which Nitori is in. It's a bustling place. Look
at all the other shops around it. Compare that with
downtown Odawara- dead. I wonder what will happen to small
towns like Odawara in the future. They need some kind
of plan to draw people to shop and spend their money
in town.
Yes, Japan is changing but at glacial
speed. You can't realy blame the Japanese, either; they
are simply trying to protect the system they have now
without having to go through the American restructuring
of the 1990s. However, I personally feel it is only
a matter of time before the American Way of doing
business becomes the norm.

Shawn, I agree in terms of reforms things are
going glacially. But in terms of consumerism,
the
changes have been dramatic and quick. Only a few
years
ago many people were willing to spend a lot
of
money for many things. Now, no way. The callback
services abound, as do many stores large
and small with
inexpensive items. The restaurants
too have followed
suit.
I agree, the Odawara downtown core will have
to
be revitalized in some way. I think once the
flow
of customers starts to ebb, the downtown
stores
will spruce up their store fronts and do
other
things to attract customers, otherwise they
will
die.
The problem is the whole area will really need to
do this, and I find that many shop keepers
are
rather complacent about simply painting their
shops
and doing things to make them more attractive. My
wife had a store in Kayama and it
was a beautiful
little store. The problem was
the surrounding stores
weren't. No flowers, old
crumbling paint and not very
attractive. Kayama
could be a fun little shopping area if
everyone
got together and spruced up their stores. But
many
of them, at that time anyway, hadn't been
painted
in years. My wife's store in downtown Odawara
or
Kamonomiya would have been a success, but in Kayama it
withered and died with the end of the
Bubble economy.
The rent was very high and the
customers petered
out. It was too bad. Unfortunately we thought we had
chosen an up and
coming area, but what we really had
chosen was one
with very complacent store owners.
That could
happen in Odawara too. It may stay dead
or mediocre as Kayama is and Kamonomiya is
not.
Odawara could be the next Kamonomiya if it
spruces
itself up though. We'll have to wait and see.