text:
Missoula

Missoula is a medium size city in Western Montana with a population of about 73,000 (2020). The hub of five valleys in the northwest region of the state, or Glacier Country, the town boasts the University of Montana, the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area, and a multitude of recreational opportunities, along with an active and colorful downtown.

Understand
Though it's physically part of the Rocky Mountains region, culturally Missoula identifies closely with the Pacific Northwest. Home to the University of Montana and often considered by residents as the most liberal city in Montana, it's an interesting mix of ranchers, cowboys, hippies, yuppies, students, artists, athletes and recreationalists. Graduates from the University of Montana frequently remain in Missoula, creating a large over-qualified work force. A local barista or cook may have, at the very least, a Bachelor's degree.

By plane
The following airlines offer year-round service:
 * Alaska Airlines (Portland, Seattle, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco)
 * Envoy Air dba American Eagle (Dallas Ft Worth; Seasonally from Chicago O'Hare)
 * Allegiant (Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix/Mesa)
 * Delta and Skywest dba Delta Connection (Minneapolis-St Paul and Salt Lake City; Seasonally from Atlanta) and Los Angeles)
 * GoJet and Skywest dba United Express (Denver)

The following airlines come seasonally or part of the year:

 * Frontier (Denver)
 * Additional seasonal flights from Denver and from Chicago O'Hare on United Airlines and American Eagle.

There are taxis, rideshare and hotel shuttles to bring you into town locally. There are also car rentals available from the airport which is the preferred method for greater flexibility in getting around to the surrounding areas. See this Link for a list of taxi and shuttle providers. The #11 bus connects the airport with the downtown Lewis & Clark Transit Center.

By car
There are five exits from Interstate 90 (I-90), Airways Blvd (Exit #99); the Grant Creek Blvd exit (Exit #101); Orange St (Exit #104); Van Buren St (Exit #105);, and East Missoula (Exit #307). The Van Buren St exit is the closest exit to access downtown and the University of Montana campus while the Airways Blvd is the closest to the airport.

Missoula is west of Butte (Jct I-15 with I-90);  west of Bozeman;  east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Spokane, WA another  west of Coeur d'Alene all along I-90.

By bus
The #11 bus and the #2 bus connect the bus station with the downtown Lewis & Clark Transit Center. Only the #11 (northbound on Broadway) goes up to the airport.

Get around

Visitors to Missoula often remark that the city is hard to get around in by car, a fact Missoulians famously owe to conflicting city engineers at the turn of the century. The confusing roadways make the Mountain Line city bus system a great way to get around -- but with a little orienting, the city can be much more easily navigated.

 * Higgins Avenue runs from downtown in the northern end of town through the outskirts of the tree-lined streets of the university district until it takes a sharp curve to the west in the south end of town, leading mainly to residential areas.
 * Broadway Street runs east to west, mostly along the Clark Fork river, from Van Buren, entrance to the Rattlesnake Recreation Area and the hippest place to live in town, through downtown before bisecting with Highway 93 and continuing on to the airport and I-90.
 * Orange Street runs through downtown and another treed residential area before intersecting with Brooks Street.
 * Brooks Street begins as Highway 93 from Lolo to the south of Missoula before turning into Brooks Street, a major shopping area populated with strip malls, fast food restaurants and the like, before dead ending into Higgins in a particularly confusing no-right-turn intersection.
 * Russell Street runs north - south from Broadway to 39th, through residential, industrial and business districts, but is a main roadway for motorists.
 * Reserve Street runs from I-90 to 39th from the north - south, crossing Broadway, 3rd Street, South Avenue and Brooks Street before dead ending. Major box stores, such as Target and Wal-Mart, as well as movie theaters, restaurants and other businesses line the thoroughfare.

See
Geographically, Missoula is dominated by the scenic Clark Fork river that flows through downtown and the mountains ringing the city. The Kim Williams Trail, which follows the waterfront, is an easy way to appreciate the former. Tubing, rafting, and canoe/kayaking are also good options in the summer.

Mt. Sentinel, on the east side of town, offers a scenic trail system. A trail starting at the University of Montana leads 700 feet up the mountainside to the "M," which offers great views of the city. More adventurous hikers may continue another 1400 feet to the peak of Mount Sentinel, which offers great views of the city, the Rattlesnake Wilderness to the north, and Mount Jumbo to the north. Those with binoculars may perceive the ancient shoreline of Lake Missoula on Mount Jumbo, marking the edge of an enormous ice-age lake. One can also take the trail off the backside of Mt. Sentinel, which zig-zags down crossing the parasailing jeep road a few times to a sign which shows the lovely trail down thru forest on Sentinel's north side that ends at the old railroad tracks, now the Kim Williams hike/bike trail, and then back to the parking lot at the "M" trails base. Doing the loop in reverse is also very pleasant.

Manmade scenic attractions include the Missoula carousel in Caras Park, the historic courthouse with eight original murals by E.S. Paxson, and several fine art galleries. Lastly, if you enjoy history, both of Missoula's historic railroad stations still stand, preserved, and in use. One, built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad is used by the Boone & Crockett Club and the other built by the Northern Pacific Railway is used as office space by local businesses and home of the Missoula Farmer's Market during the summer months.

Do
Missoulians enjoy a range of outdoor activities including hiking, rafting, "tubing", rock climbing, skiing, fishing, golfing, and just about any other activity that can be done outside. It's no wonder—in Missoula you can take a city bus to within walking distance of federally designated wilderness area. After hiking and returning to town, you can visit the historic downtown and enjoy some fantastic local food and drink.

Summer cultural events include: the International Choral Festival, the River Roots Music Festival, Farmer's markets (three) every Saturday morning. Music and food festivals at Caras Park (off Higgins on the banks of the Clark Fork) Wednesday lunches and Thursday evenings and the Western Montana Fair in August.

Snowbowl, at, is a great place to ski that is very affordable.

Year-round 'First Friday' finds art galleries open to strolling passersby with music and food offered for free.

The public library on Main Street has special talks and presentations, about Montanan history, for example. There is also a movie 'Cheap date' night with popcorn and a drop-in Scrabble Club Monday evenings.

Buy
Thanks largely to the city's vibrant arts community, the downtown offers a wide variety of unique shops. Visit on a Saturday between May to October if possible, when there is a street and farmer's market stretching across downtown Higgins Ave.

The best stores feature local goods from Montana artisans.

Eat

Microbreweries
Missoula has a large selection of microbreweries. Most have limited hours and can only serve 3 pints due to tasting room regulations in Montana.

Wine
Missoula wineries include:

Go next
Missoula's immediate surroundings offer a wide array of activities for all seasons, including the outdoor recreation afforded by vast tracts of public lands, the Old West flavor of several nearby ghost towns, several ski slopes, and a range of unique Montana businesses.

Hot Springs

 * About 40 minutes' drive southwest of Missoula, the Lolo Hot Springs offer two pools fed by geothermal springs: an outdoor swimming pool and a hotter (110-116 °F) indoor soaking pool. The springs are clothing-optional after 9PM on Wednesday and Sunday nights.
 * More adventurous soakers may prefer to hike out to some natural hot springs just across the Idaho border (about an hour from Missoula). Driving from Montana, the Jerry Johnson hot springs' trailhead will be the first.  The trailhead is clearly marked--watch for a suspension bridge crossing the river to your left.  The springs themselves are less than a mile hike in, and are large enough to accommodate a couple of dozen people.  These springs are also clothing optional.  If the springs are packed, as they often are, try hiking a quarter-mile further down the trail to two smaller hot springs.
 * Weir Hot Spring is a smaller hot spring about five miles further down the road from Montana. It is about a mile in on a narrow and hilly trail, which can be treacherously icy in the winter and spring.  Although the drive is longer and the hike harder, visitors to Weir are compensated by smaller crowds than at Jerry Johnson.  In addition, the Forest Service allows camping at Weir, unlike at Jerry Johnson.

Skiing

 * The Montana Snowbowl, just north of Missoula, sports 950 lift-served acres.

Pattee Canyon has Nordic ski trails groomed regularly when there's enough snow by the missoulanordic.org club, for skating and classic techniques with mostly easy flat terrain, though its often icey.

Lolo Pass, 45 miles southwest of Missoula, has good Nordic Ski trails groomed Saturday/Sunday early mornings by the Clearwater National Forest contractor, which offer excellent classic and skating tracks. Theres also a warming hut and a staffed lodge at the pass.

Other sites

 * Garnet Ghost Town, about an hour's drive east on MT-200, is the closest significant ghost town to Missoula. Maintained by the Bureau of Land Management in a state of suspended decay, the small mining camp of Garnet is an open-air museum of gold rush life on the frontier.  It is only accessible by car during the summer and early fall, but two cabins in the town are rented through the winter to adventurous skiers or snowmobilers.
 * Glacier National Park is three hours' drive north on US-93.

title: Missoula


text:
Missouri

Missouri is a state in the American Midwest. In addition to a network of state parks, Missouri is home to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. A much-visited show cave is Meramec Caverns in Stanton. Missouri is home to two of the Midwest's larger citires: Kansas City and St. Louis.

Cities

 * – state capital
 * – dinner shows, concerts, and lots of tour buses
 * – college town (home to the University of Missouri)
 * – boyhood home of Mark Twain and "The Unsinkable" Molley Brown
 * – largest city; blues and BBQ await
 * – where the Wild West began
 * – "Gateway to the West", home to the Arch
 * – Scott Joplin's kingdom
 * – "Queen City" of the Ozarks

Other destinations

 * – Between May 1804 and September 1806, 32 men, one woman, and a baby traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They called themselves the Corps of Discovery.
 * – Missouri's only national park consists of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. This is the best area in the state for an international backpacker.  The park has numerous places to camp.  There are many canoe and float trip operators that will provide transportation to and from the river for a reasonable price.  While canoeing or floating down the rivers, there are many caves that one can explore, but be careful as bats and the occasional poisionous snake call these home.  If you decide to swim in the rivers, be careful and wear some kind of shoe that will stay securely on your feet.  The river is full of rocks that are very painful to the feet and the current of the rivers could sweep the shoes right off your feet.  It is still a great place to go swimming, especially the Current River.  The water on a 6 foot man only rises about neck high in most places and it is spring fed and very cold even on the hottest day.  Note: Be prepared if you have an emergency on the river as your cell phone will not work on the river or near it.  There are pay phones at some stores along the river.  Bring everything you think you may need.  Hospitals are scarce and a good drive to get to in this area.
 * – Located approx. 20 miles (30 km) from either Salem or Licking. The top end of the Current River (not within the boundaries of the national park).  Contains a fish hatchery where you can feed the trout being raised there.  Also has a lodge, general store, a full service diner-style restaurant, camping and cabins for rent.
 * – found in various parts of the state from the southwest to the east. Features many campgrounds, hiking trails, and lakes.  Some sites of note: Council Bluffs; on Highway DD about 3 miles (5 km) north of Hwy 32 in Iron County.  Features a full campground, beach swimming, boat rentals and concessions.  Loggers Lake; approx. 10 miles (15 km) from highway 72 in Bunker, follow signs as this place is not on any kind of paved road.  Features everything mentioned above except concessions.
 * – Located approx. 20 miles (30 km) from either Salem or Licking. The top end of the Current River (not within the boundaries of the national park).  Contains a fish hatchery where you can feed the trout being raised there.  Also has a lodge, general store, a full service diner-style restaurant, camping and cabins for rent.
 * – found in various parts of the state from the southwest to the east. Features many campgrounds, hiking trails, and lakes.  Some sites of note: Council Bluffs; on Highway DD about 3 miles (5 km) north of Hwy 32 in Iron County.  Features a full campground, beach swimming, boat rentals and concessions.  Loggers Lake; approx. 10 miles (15 km) from highway 72 in Bunker, follow signs as this place is not on any kind of paved road.  Features everything mentioned above except concessions.

Understand
Missouri is traditionally considered to be of the South, as-well as the Midwest. The name is pronounced "mizz-UR-ee" or "mizz-UR-uh", although the latter is very seldom heard outside of Missouri.

The United States acquired Missouri as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Missouri was admitted as a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The history of slavery in Missouri began in 1720, predating its establishment as a state. During the American Civil War, Missouri was a hotly contested border state populated by both Union and Confederate sympathizers. It sent armies, generals, and supplies to both sides, maintained dual governments, and endured a bloody neighbor-against-neighbor intrastate war within the larger national war. This both-sidedness is the historical reason for the mixture of regional cultures.

According to William Least Heat-Moon in Blue Highways, St. Louis is the last Eastern city and Kansas City is the first Western city.

Missouri is known as the "Show Me State" – meaning one should back up talk with proof. The slogan is not an official one, but it does appear on the license plates. It is an endearing statement that people from Missouri say, "I'm from Missouri, you have to Show Me!".

Travelers may not have heard much of Missouri, but rest assured that a welcome awaits all. Tourism is a trickle compared to the western or easternmost states, and this is reflected in the treatment of tourists and travelers: strike up a conversation with any Missourian in line at the store, a museum, or a cafe and if you smile and tell them you're "not from around here" you'll have a fount of information all for you.

Tourist information

 * Visit Missouri website

Talk
With varying regions occurring across the state of Missouri, various different accents and dialects can be heard within its borders. The accents of northern Missouri are often recognized as Midwestern, while those in the southern part of the state are of a Southern drawl. In the Ozarks, the dialect is considered to be rooted in Appalachian English, due to the ancestry of many Missourians.

English is the official language of state business in Missouri by law.

A few town pronunciations:

 * Rolla (Raw-Luh)
 * Japan (Jay-Pan)
 * Hayti (Hay-Tie)
 * Nevada (Nuh-VAY-Duh)
 * New Madrid (New MAD-rid)
 * Versailles (Ver-SALES)

A local dialect of French, known as "Missouri French" (or, colloquially, "Paw-Paw French"), used to be commonly spoken throughout the state. Sadly, this dialect of French is moribund, with the only remaining speakers being a handful of elderly people living in isolated mining towns.

Also rarely heard nowadays is at least a Low German dialect in Cole Camp, although there are local efforts to preserve it.

By plane
Kansas City and St. Louis are served by many major airlines, with international flights from the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico and a transatlantic flight from Frankfurt, Germany to St. Louis. Springfield, Columbia, Cape Girardeau and Joplin also have airports that provide passenger service. A cab ride from the Kansas City airport to downtown is very expensive, costing $35-40. There are numerous public buses providing minimal stop service that will take you there for much less. Inquire about schedules before you arrive, it will save you a lot of money. From the St. Louis airport you can take Metrolink trains into downtown for $3.75 and it includes 1 transfer. The metrolink stops at many popular destinations such as the Delmar Loop, Forrest Park (zoo), Union Station shopping center, Busch Stadium, The Gateway Arch, Lacledes Landing, and the Casino Queen which is in Illinois. This is a very economical way to get around.

By train
Amtrak service is provided to St. Louis and Kansas City from Chicago. Also trains provide service to St. Louis from San Antonio Texas via Dallas and Arkansas, and to Kansas city from Los Angeles. St. Louis has an intermodal station for train and bus passengers, which is easily accessible to public transportation.

By bus
Greyhound and Jefferson Lines bus also serve Missouri and provide regular service to and from many destinations. Jefferson Lines serves Kansas City from Fort Smith, Arkansas, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Fargo, and Winnepeg, Manitoba. Greyhound will bring you in from just about everywhere else. St. Louis is also served by Burlington Trailways from Iowa. Megabus serves Kansas City, Columbia, and St. Louis from Chicago; St. Louis is also served from Bloomington-Normal and Memphis.

By foot

 * The American Discovery Trail connects Missouri with Kansas, Illinois, and both coasts.

Get around
Numerous interstates and highways cross the state. Other notable well traveled highways include:
 * Interstate 70 connects St. Louis and Kansas City via Columbia.
 * Interstate 55 runs from St. Louis along the Mississippi River south towards Memphis. It serves the cities of Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, and Hayti in the bootheel region.
 * Interstate 44 runs from St. Louis to Springfield, Joplin, and on into Oklahoma. Most of the route parallels Historic Route 66. It also serves the cities of St. Clair, Sullivan, Rolla, Waynesville/St. Robert/Fort Leonard Wood, and Lebanon.
 * Interstate 35 runs from Kansas City to the northeast towards Des Moines and to the southwest towards the Kansas suburbs of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and later on into Wichita, Kansas. The section of the route from the Cameron interchange, with US 36, to the NE corner of the Interstate 435 loop is part of the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway and is co-signed as State Route 110.
 * Interstate 29 runs from Kansas City to the northwest towards Omaha/Council Bluffs. The route begins in Downtown Kansas City and parallels US Highway 71 to the north.
 * Interstate 57 runs a short 20 miles (30 km) and serves Sikeston and Charleston, then onward to Chicago.
 * Interstate 64 runs through the St. Louis metro area and ends at I-70.
 * Interstate 72/ US 36 runs through the northern part of the state from Hannibal to St. Joeseph
 * US Highway 50 runs east-west through the middle of the state. Cities along include: Lee's Summit, Warrensburg, Knob Noster, Sedalia, Jefferson City, and St. Louis. The portion from Sedalia to Lee's Summit is all freeway. There is new freeway being built West of Jefferson City.
 * US Highway 71 runs north-along the western part of the state from Iowa to Arkansas, and connects Kansas City and Joplin on a 4 lane expressway.
 * US Highway 60 runs along the southern portion of the state running from Kentucky to Oklahoma. Between Sikeston and Springfield, all but 60 miles (100 km) is divided highway. West of Springfield, a short connector route (Missouri Highway 360) connects the road with Interstate 44.
 * US Highway 61 north of the St. Louis area (wentzville) is a four lane highway that is called Avenue of the Saints. It is a combination of highways linked together that will take you to St. Paul Minnesota. Most of this route is open expressway, except for Hannibal. It serves Troy, Bowling Green, and Hannibal.
 * US 36 is an expressway running east and west from St. Joseph to Hannibal. The portion of the highway from the Cameron interchange with Interstate 35, eastward to Hannibal, is part of the Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. It is co-signed State Route 110, to match the Illinois section of the CKC route. Main cities on the route include St. Joseph, Cameron, Chillicothe, Brookfield, Macon, Monroe City.
 * US 54 which will take you from I-70 to Jefferson City via an expressway and to the Lake of the Ozarks tourist destination via a four lane highway from there. This is the fastest way to get to these popular destinations from the east (St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis).
 * US 63 is being upgraded in many sections. It cuts pretty much through the middle of the state, north to south. It has a considerable amount of freeway. It serves Kirksville, Macon, Columbia, Jefferson City (all of the aforementioned are on an expressway) Rolla, Houston, Cabool, and West Plains.
 * US 67 will take you from St. Louis to Poplar Bluff and then onward to Little Rock. This is expressway from Fredericktown to Interstate 55, just south of St. Louis.
 * US 65 serves as an expressway from Interstate 44 at Springfield to Branson.
 * MO 7 and 13 provide expressway service from Kansas city to Springfield via Us 71 at Harrisonville.

By train
There is twice daily Amtrak service from St. Louis to Kansas City. Stops include Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jeferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee's Summit, and Independence. These trains are tax subsidized with state funds and fares are reasonable. The on-time performance of these trains has improved greatly with the building of new sidings as this line has heavy freight traffic. Amtrak operates 2 other lines.

By bus
Greyhound runs Interstate 44 from St. Louis to Joplin with stops at Rolla, Fort Leonard Wood/St. Robert, Lebanon, Springfield, and Joplin. They run Interstate 70 from St. Louis to Kansas City, stopping in Columbia and Boonville along with other intermediate stops. Both of these lines stop at the St. Louis airport going either way. They also run Interstate 55 south of St. Louis stopping in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston. Jefferson Lines runs from Kansas City to Joplin and Kansas City to points north. Please check schedules as not all buses stop at all intermediate destinations. Bus travel can be expensive within the state with a ticket from St. Louis to Rolla running $31-37 for the 1½ hour trip.

Information on transit can be found here.

By thumb
Along with Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas, Missouri is one of the few U.S. states that allow foot traffic on all toll-free Interstate highways (except within the city limits of Kansas City and St. Louis). This makes hitchhiking relatively easy.

Do
Hiking, horseback riding, and floating (canoeing or kayaking) are popular outdoor recreational activities. Missouri has an abundance of public parks, protected nature areas, and waterways, as well as an extensive network of hiking trails, that cover the state. Hunting and fishing is extremely common across the state.

Hike the Ozark Trail, a 225 mile (360 km), long distance National Recreational Trail traveling primarily through the Mark Twain National Forest from the Eleven Point River to Onandaga State Park.

Canoe the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, America's first national park for rivers.

Canoe North Fork River or Spring River.

Explore Kansas City and Saint Louis. They are both very interesting cities.

Attend a First Friday art crawl in Kansas City's bohemian Crossroads Art District

Eat
Kansas City is known for its barbeque and it has many different places to choose from. Don't pass this up!!!

St. Louis has a neighborhood known as "The Hill". There are many authentic Italian restaurants to choose from. The Hill is south of Interstate 44 between Hampton Avenue and Kingshighway in St. Louis City.

For the rest of the state, expect your typical midwestern fare. Burgers, Steaks, Pork.

Drink
Missouri has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the country. All types of alcohol are available virtually everywhere including grocery stores, gas stations and even drive up liquor stores are common as Missouri law does not permit dry towns or counties. Open container alcohol in plastic glasses is permitted in the Power and Light district of Kansas City. The Delmar Loop in St. Louis has many bars of many different types and live music is common, especially on the weekends. St. James is home to the St. James Winery. They offer free tours and samples. That area also has various other wineries and they are easily accessible from Interstate 44.

Be sure to visit the Anheuser Busch plant in south St. Louis, they offer tours and free samples. It is very easy to get to from Interstate 55.

Be sure to also visit the Boulevard Brewing Company plant near downtown Kansas City, they offer tours and free samples. This is a regional brewery with a more organic taste. It is easily accessible from Interstate 70.

If you are a beer connoisseur and prefer to get off the beaten path to the pastoral countryside, the Piney River Brewing Company is near the Big Piney River in Texas County. Its various brews are available on premise at their BARn, a real farm barn that has been converted into a brewpub, and their product is packaged exclusively in cans to allow for legal use while recreating on Missouri's lakes and rivers, where glass containers are prohibited

Stay safe
Missouri is generally a safe state. Typical safety precautions (such as avoiding seemingly empty urban areas) should be taken in cities.

Crime
If you are visiting the rivers in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Salem (population 5,000) is the city that most people have to travel through on the way to the rivers and they have 3 lodging facilities, including 1 major national chain. Lock your doors and take anything you don't want to have stolen from your car inside your room with you. This city has a very high theft rate, especially from automobiles parked in the hotel parking lots. Chances are your stuff will be missing if you leave it in your car overnight. Also lock your car tight and make sure that if you have an alarm it is turned on, as a few vehicles have been stolen in the early 2020s.

Severe weather
Missouri lies right in the center of the country's tornado alley, and regularly experiences tornadoes during the spring and summer months. During tornado season weather conditions can change and develop rapidly, so it is important to monitor the weather forecast while traveling in the state. See the tornado safety page for more information.

Go next

 * Kansas - Located to the west of Missouri, Kansas is generally considered the center of the country, at least in geographical terms, and is nicknamed "the Heart of America."
 * Nebraska - Missouri's northwestern neighbor has a rich agricultural heritage, offering visitors a glimpse into America's heartland.
 * Iowa - Rural Iowa lies along Missouri's northern border and provides the opportunity to explore America's agricultural heartland.
 * Illinois - Home of the Midwest's largest city, Chicago, Illinois is to the northeast of Missouri.
 * Kentucky - Missouri's neighbor to the southeast is known for its rolling hills, horses, and rural inhabitants, offering travelers a less-visited but tremendously beautiful destination.
 * Tennessee - Located to the southeast of Missouri, Tennessee offers natural wonders such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
 * Arkansas - Missouri's southern neighbor is "the Natural State", home to the Ozark Mountains in the northwest while the south and east of the state has flatter land and shows more of its agricultural heritage.
 * Oklahoma - The state's southwestern border is shared with Oklahoma, which has been a state since only 1907 and retains some of the pioneer spirit from its early days as a frontier, along with a lot of Native American history and culture.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Missouri


text:
Missouri River Country

Missouri River Country is the northeast region of Montana bordering North Dakota to the east and Saskatchewan, Canada to the north.

Cities
Cities in the region with population of 2,000 or greater listed along with other towns in the area.

 * — the largest city is in the southern portion of the region about 10 miles west of the North Dakota border. Other towns in the southern portion of the region include Fairview, Lambert, Circle, Jordan and Brusett.
 * — a city on Highway 2 about 20 miles northwest of Fort Peck Lake. Other towns in the area include Fort Peck, Nashua, Ophiem, Hindsdale and Vandalia.
 * — a city on Highway 2 located in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Other towns in the area include Poplar, Scobey, White Tail, Medicine Lake, Culbertson, Bainville, Plentywood and Westby.
 * — a city on Highway 2. Other towns in the area include Dodson, Saco, Loring, Zortman and Landusky.

By train
The Empire Builder provides daily service to/from Malta, Glasgow and Wolf Point. Train will take you as far as Chicago (Eastbound) or Seattle (Westbound). Westbound train also provides service to Portland via Spokane.

Stay safe
During the winter, smaller secondary roads are often closed entirely, and even the Interstate can shut down rapidly when the weather turns poor. Verify weather conditions and road status before setting out, and travel with emergency supplies. Unpaved roads are typically impassable for over half the year.

title: Missouri River Country


text:
Missouri Valley

Missouri Valley is a city in Southwest Iowa.

See

 * DeSoto Bend. Beautiful views of the Missouri River, the marshy timber, and wooded area. You can visit the Welcome Center as well as the site of the Bertrand, a steam boat that hit a snag and sank on the Missouri River before it was dammed and controlled. The Welcome Center contains artifacts from the wreckage, as well as examples of different wildlife that live or have lived along the river and Western Iowa as well as Eastern Nebraska.

Missouri Valley is part of the Loess Hills Region of Western Iowa. The Loess Hills are a large group of fine silt based soil found in few places. Due to the susceptibility of loess soil to erosion, loess can form large bluffs when sections break off. These can be seen throughout various parts of the hills. The bluffs in Missouri Valley Iowa and along Interstate 29 north of Council Bluffs Iowa display this phenomenon.

title: Missouri Valley


text:
Misty Fjords National Monument

Misty Fjords National Monument is a United States national monument in Southeastern Alaska.

History
Established in 1978.

Flora and fauna
There are coastal temperate rainforest, alpine habitats where you may find bears (black and brown), wolves, deer, salmon, eagles, whales, porpoises

Climate
Rainforest near the coast, snowfields and glaciers in the mountainous interior on the mainland.

Visitor information

 * Park website (USFS)

Get in
Tour boat or float plane from Ketchikan.

Fees and permits
Fees for cabin use.

Get around
Boat required.

See
Rudyerd Bay, Walker Cove, numerous wilderness lakes, New Eddystone Rock.

Do
Admire scenery, hike, kayak, photograph.

Buy
There are no business concessions within the boundaries of the monument.

Eat
Eat what you catch or what you bring with you -- there are no restaurants or foodsellers within the monument boundaries.

Camping
Thete are US Forest Service shelters and forest service cabins. It is difficult to find suitable tent camping spots in steep, wet terrain of SE Alaska coastal rainforest.

Backcountry
There are hiking trails and kayak routes.

Stay safe
Inform yourself about what to do if you encounter black or brown bears.

title: Misty Fjords National Monument


text:
Mitaka

Mitaka (三鷹市 Mitaka-shi) is a city in western Tokyo.

Understand
The main attraction for foreign visitors is the Ghibli Museum, while for Japanese the main attraction is Inokashira Park, in which the museum is located, particularly during cherry blossom (hanami) season.

The main walk is from Mitaka station along Tamagawa Aqueduct to Inokashira Park, then to the Ghibli Museum, or from Kichijoji through Inokashira Park. For a longer walk, one can start at Inokashira Park station (Inokashira Kōen) and walk the full length of the park.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a partly bilingual guide site.

By train
(三鷹駅, Mitaka-eki) is a major stop on the JR Chūō Line (中央線). Chūō trains depart from Tokyo Station (¥410) and Shinjuku (¥230). Chūō Special Rapid (中央特快 Chūō-tokkai), Ome Special Rapid (青梅特快 Ōme-tokkai), and Commuter Special Rapid (通勤特快 Tsūkin-tokkai) trains run to Mitaka quicker compared to regular Rapid trains. Mitaka is also the end point of the thru-service connecting the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line (東西線) to the Chūō via its terminal at Nakano.

Kaiji (かいじ) limited express trains stop here once every 1-2 hours on journeys between Shinjuku, Otsuki and Kofu. The Azusa (あずさ) limited express stops here in the morning on runs to Matsumoto, and stops late at night on the way back from Matsumoto to Shinjuku — otherwise you will have to travel to either Tachikawa or Hachioji to pick up the westbound Azusa. These trains require a surcharge on top of the regular fare. Japan Rail Pass holders can travel on these trains for free; seat reservations in reserved cars are optional.

Sleep
There aren't many cheap hotels in the area, but the Chuo Line makes for quick access to other parts of Tokyo that have them. Budget fast and light travelers could stay overnight in a net cafe, though speaking Japanese is a must. For more upscale hotels, neighboring Kichijoji is a good place to look.

Go next

 * One train stop to the east is Kichijoji, with young and vibrant night life. To the north and west, respectively are Musashino and Koganei, quieter places which might be nice for a walk or bike ride.
 * By train, Shinjuku is about 15 minutes away, Shibuya is 20 minutes (via Kichijōji), and Tokyo Station is only a half hour ride. Those three train stations are some of the largest in Tokyo, and from them you can go most anywhere in the country.

title: Mitaka


text:
Mitchell

There is more than one place called Mitchell:

Australia

 * Mitchell (Australian Capital Territory) - A suburb of Gungahlin.
 * Mitchell (Queensland) - A town in Queensland.
 * Mitchell (Northern Territory) - A town in Northern Territory.

Canada

 * Mitchell (Manitoba) — A town in Manitoba.
 * Mitchell (Ontario) — A town in Ontario.

England

 * Mitchell (England) - A town in Cornwall.

United States of America

 * Mitchell (Indiana) - A town in Indiana.
 * Mitchell (South Dakota) - A town in South Dakota.

title: Mitchell


text:
Mitchell (South Dakota)

Mitchell is a city in Southeast South Dakota on Interstate 90 about 75 miles (121 km) west of Sioux Falls. Mitchell is located in the heart of South Dakota, with rich rolling farmland leading into wide open prairies.

Understand
Named South Dakota's 2011 Community of the Year, the town has a population of almost 16,000 residents in 2020, unique Main Street shopping, and a wide selection of services, entertainment, hunting, fishing, golf and camping opportunities.

Home to the World's Only Corn Palace, a structure known for attracting the unusual, the notable, and the road-weary. Topped with a whimsical mix of onion domes and minarets, the Corn Palace appears as if drawn straight from a storybook.

By car
The main route to Mitchell by car or motorcoach is Interstate 90. Coming from the east, we are 78 miles from the SD/MN border or 67 miles west of South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls, on I-90. From the west, we are located 270 miles from Rapid City and the Black Hills on Interstate 90. You can also get to Mitchell using north-south Highway 37 or Highway 38 from Sioux Falls in the east. For traveler information or road conditions on South Dakota's Highways you can visit the South Dakota Department of Transportation's website. Once in South Dakota you can dial 511 on your cell phone for road conditions including restrictions, conditions and weather reports.

By plane
The Mitchell Municipal Airport (5971 Hangar Road, +1 605 996-1228) is open to the public. The closest commercial airport is Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, serviced by United, Delta, and Allegiant Airlines. There are several rental car businesses available in Sioux Falls. Jefferson Bus Lines runs daily service between Sioux Falls and Mitchell, and between Rapid City and Mitchell.

Public transport

 * Palace Transit, (+1 605 995-8440, 7:30AM-4:30PM). Palace Transit serves Mitchell and nearby smaller communities by request.

Visitor information center
The information center is off Interstate 90, exit 332. The information center is open daily May 1 - September 30. Hours of operation: 8AM-6PM. Get free brochures, maps, directions, and advice.

Eat
Mitchell offers steakhouses, coffeehouses, bars, grills, doughnuts, ice cream, Chinese, Mexican, pizza, and fast food.

Drink
Mitchells Bar Scene is rather unique with a small town atmosphere. Many bars line main street for about six blocks.

title: Mitchell (South Dakota)


text:
Mithila

Mithila (मिथिला Mithilā), also called Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is the northern region of Bihar, India.

Cities

 * —

 * —

 * —

 * — Cultural capital of Bihar

 * —

 * —

 * — the arts capital of Mithila, famous for culturally exporting the vivid Madhubani style of painting

 * —

 * —

 * — the birthplace of Mata Sita (wife of Lord Rama)

 * —

Other destinations

 * — the nearest small town to Madhubani. This place is famous for the ruins of the Navlakha Palace (one of the famous palaces of Maharaja of Darbhanga), which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1934. Simari Navtola is the closest village to Rajnagar.

 * — a very remote village and home of the legendary teacher Shri Thakur Singh Das, a renowned freedom fighter and social worker. Still, there is no continuous supply of electricity or piped water and the water is taken from hand pumps or ponds. Farming is the major source of livelihood. The majority of the shops are located in Araria Chowk. Kharowa, Bistol and Nawani are the nearby villages to this chowk. Nawani is the ancestral village of Shri Shobhakant Das. Nawani also is the paternal village of Shri Prakash Kumar Das alias Lallan.

 * — archaeological and Buddhist pilgrimage site

Understand
Mithila is bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothills of the Himalayas in the north.

Talk
Although most people of Mithila understand Hindi, which is the lingua franca of Bihar, the mother tongue of the region is Maithili, which is more closely related to Bhojpuri and Bengali than Standard Hindi. It is also the basis of Brajabuli, a literary language used by Vidyapati and his peers to write Vaishnava Padavalis (hymns dedicated to Krishna).

Eat
Maachh (fish), makhana (Prickly water lily) and paan (betel leaf) are part of the identity of Mithila. Fish is the most popular food in Mithila, used as a main dish on any occasion. Chuda, dahi (yogurt) and chini (sugar) are also important components of the cuisine. Paan is an important refreshment item on every occasion.

title: Mithila


text:
Mithur

Mithur (ಮಿತ್ತೂರು) is a small village in the "Idkidu grama" area of Bantwal Taluk, which is in the Dakshina Kannada (ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕನ್ನಡ) district of Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ), a state in India (ಭಾರತ).

Understand
Most of the population of the village are followers of the Hindu Religion. The village's main industry is farming of products like Areca nut (Supari or Beetlenut or ಅಡಿಕೆ), Banana, Coconut, rice, cashew nut, cocoa. But, there are plenty of fruits like jack fruit, Mango etc. which are not commercialized.

By car

 * The Mangalore - Puttur State Highway passes through this village.
 * The nearest larger town is Puttur.

See

 * The village's traditional Hindu temple is in an area called Kolpe. The deity in this temple is "Shree Shanmukha Subrahmanya".  Annual festival in this temple will be on "Panchami" and "Kiru Shashti".
 * Apart from this, there is another "Shri Durga Parameshwari Temple" at Beedina Majalu.
 * The "Dakshina Kannada" district is famous for "Bhoothaaraadhane". On the "Shashthi" Utsava in Kolpe, "Bhoothada Kola" will be held.  After few days, another Kola will be held in "Beejamalike", or upper Mithur.  All the masks, jewellery and other related stuffs are kept in Beedina Majalu and will be carried to Kolpe temple during festival on procession.
 * There will be fireworks display on "Panchami" Utsav. Through out the night, the festival will be very grand.

Sleep
Accommodations: Hotel Rama, Puttur

Go next

 * Udupi
 * Kukke Subramanya
 * Mangalore
 * Dharwad

title: Mithur


text:
Mitiaro

Mitiaro, the fourth island in the Cook Islands group, is of volcanic origin, standing in water 4500 m (14,750 feet) deep. It is 6.4km (4 miles) across at its widest point. Mitiaro is part of the Nga-Pu-Toru island group formerly, a volcano that became a coral atoll. The coral died forming Makatea. The island is surrounded by the belt of fossilised coral—makatea, between 6 and 9 m high (20 and 40 feet), characteristic of islands in the southern group. The centre is almost flat, quite swampy and contains two freshwater lakes teeming with eels (Anguilla obscura) or what the locals call itiki and the imported tilapia from Africa where it is known as bream. Beaches are limited but there are crystal clear pools ideal for swimming in the subterranean limestone caves and the beach at low tide abounds in interesting marine life.

Get in
By plane - Air Rarotonga flies from Rarotonga to Mitiaro 3-4 Times a week. It's a short 50-minute flight with an Embrear Bandairante. There is a baggage limit of 16 kg per passenger. Sometimes the flight from Atiu or Mauke gets redirected via Mitiaro, so there unofficially might be a chance to get here from one of these two without first flying to Rarotonga if you can wait until it happens and manage to make Air Raro take you.

For the adventurous, the cheaper option is to go by boat. The freighter goes irregularly to Mitiaro (Usually via Mauke, so you might even get here from Mauke). Ask at the office of the inter-island shipping company in Avarua harbour. Depending on the winds it can take a few days. Be also prepared to be delayed several days, don't count on a fixed departure and arrival, because it leaves when they're finished loading, the winds are good, the captain is sober and the number of octopuses in the harbour plus the number of coconuts in muri equals the stars seen at 23:00, no matter what they tell you when it is supposed to leave.

Get around

 * By foot you'll see the most, but you need time.
 * By motorbike. Ask your host.

Do
There is not much to do on Mitiaro, except walking around, having a coconut, talk to the friendly locals and go fishing.

Fishing inside or outside the reef is possible, and there is no ciguatera here unlike in Rarotonga.

There are some nice beaches, but the reef is to shallow for swimming. With a little common sense it is, however safe to swim and snorkel outside the reef when the sea is calm.

Buy
You can get basic products at Pa's store. They also have fresh bread on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Eat
Accommodations usually provide food. Self-catering is also a good option if you fish. Bring as much non-local stuff like butter, eggs, meat, spices,... as you need. These things are expensive on Mitiaro.

Drink

 * Water should be boiled before you drink it.
 * Coconuts.

Connect
There is no internet or mobile phone reception on Mitiaro.

Cope

 * Water should be boiled before you drink it.
 * Stealing. Cook Islanders are raised to share almost everything naturally. Things may be borrowed (even without telling the owner) and will be returned upon request, provided you know whom to ask. It is not considered stealing in their culture. So it's best to watch out for your stuff.

title: Mitiaro


text:
Mito

Mito (水戸 Mito-shi) is the capital of Ibaraki prefecture, Kanto region, Japan. It is in the center of Ibaraki.

Understand
When Tokugawa Ieyasu reunited Japan in 1603 and established the Tokugawa Shogunate, with its headquarters at Edo (now Tokyo), he installed members of his own Tokugawa clan as rulers of Mito and only two other domains, present-day Nagoya and Wakayama. These three cadet lines (known as Gosanke) were eligible to supply an heir in case any ruling shogun failed to produce one. They were thus among the most loyal of the Tokugawa loyalists. However, the Mito School of fiercely chauvinist Confucian scholars also helped to redefine the Japanese nation in a way that provided the ideological foundation for enhancing imperial power during the Meiji Restoration and its aftermath.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

By plane

From Ibaraki Airport, buses run to Ishioka Station (40 minutes, ¥600) for connection to JR Joban Line trains to Ueno in Tokyo (One hour, ¥2900 by Limited Express), and to Mito Station (One hour, ¥1100) for rail connections to the north.

From Narita Airport, the Rose Liner airport limousine bus operated by Chiba Kōtsū and Ibaraki Kōtsū runs to/from the Mito-Oarai Interchange, Mito Station, Katsuta Station and Hitachi. There are nine daily round-trips, and the journey to Mito Station takes about two hours at a cost of ¥2900.

From Haneda Airport, Airport Limousine buses make runs directly to Mito every hour, but only during the afternoon and evening (about 2 hours, ¥3500). Otherwise, take the Keikyu Line train to Shinagawa, then the JR Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku Line to Ueno to pick up a train bound for Mito (2-3 hours, ¥2600-4600, depending on what train you take; see below).

By train
Mito is on the JR Joban Line, which starts at Ueno station in Tokyo and goes to Sendai.

Limited Express trains depart from Ueno for Mito every 30 minutes during the day: HITACHI trains depart at the top of the hour, and TOKIWA trains depart at 30 minutes past the hour. The trip costs ¥4220 (no charge with the Japan Rail Pass) and takes 65-75 minutes, depending on the number of stops the train makes.

Local trains cover the journey in two hours at a cost of ¥2210. Direct local services for Mito depart from Ueno 2-3 times per hour.

By bus
Mito can be reached via bus from Tokyo Station in about two hours. Tickets run ¥2080 one way or you can buy a round trip from the driver for ¥3900. As there are no reserved seats, you should arrive at the station early to ensure you get a spot if needing to take a specific bus. If having some time to spare, buses leave at least twice an hour from Tokyo station and every ten minutes during weekday rush hours. Seats and the ride are comfortable and baggage can be stored in the coach, so for most people near Tokyo station and no rail pass, the highway bus is likely the best option to go to Mito station. If coming from an airport, do not go to Tokyo first but take the bus directly to Mito as written above.

Get around
Mito station is a major/terminal station for the JR Joban line and JR Suigun line as well as the private Kashima line. It also has a number of other train stations within its boundaries:
 * On the Joban line - Kairakuen (station only open during plum blossom season), Akatsuka, Uchihara
 * On the Kashima line - Higashi Mito, Tsunezumi

The bus system in Mito, like all parts of Japan, is very complicated but once mastered, very useful. Most areas are serviced with buses coming a few times each hour. The bus for Kairakuen leaves from terminal 6 on the north side of Mito station. It is not possible to use the ubiquitous Suica or Pasmo IC cards; Mito's buses through Ibaraki Kotsu use its own "Ibappi" rechargeable card.

Taxis are always available and the average flag fall is ¥660.

The principal tourist attraction, Kairakuen, is an easy half-hour walk from Mito station's South Exit. Just walk to the river (Sakuragawa), take a right and stay on the right bank, and keep going along the north (righthand) shore of the lake. In April, you'll walk by cherry blossoms the whole way. The waterfowl will also provide some amusement.

By far the best way to get around the areas near the station is by bicycle. Mito sits next to the Naka River, which meanders from the not too distant hills to the even closer coast. Atop of the levee banks are excellent bike paths which, acting as bike freeways, offer leisurely rides with great views of the rice farms on the river plain, as well as a way to get to most destinations while avoiding the hassles of traffic. If travelling a fair distance from the station and into surrounding areas, traffic is manageable. Car rental is available at several outlets near the station.

Buy

 * Various souvenir-style foods and trinkets are available in and near Mito station. Natto-flavored crackers are a popular purchase, since the area is famous for natto production.

 * The Fashion Cruise shopping mall and surrounding commercial district, including the Costco frequented by residents of Tochigi, northern Ibaraki, and Fukushima, are just north in suburb Hitachinaka city (nearest Katsuta station, the next one after Mito station on the Joban line).

Eat
Mito is famous for natto (納豆), a famously smelly and sticky glop of fermented soybeans. It's an acquired taste and even many people in Japan (particularly those in Kansai) loathe the stuff. Yoshiwaradenchū (吉原殿中) is a finger-sized Japanese cake created by the Mito clan. It is made from rice cake and covered with candy and coated in soybean flour.

If you are just looking to choose among options with easy access, Mito station has numerous budget and mid-range options, and the AEON Mall Mito-Uchihara (outside Uchihara station, 10 minutes from Mito station) has about 40 eateries combining over a dozen full restaurants and the food court.

Go next

 * Kasama
 * Oarai
 * Hitachinaka
 * Hitachi
 * Tsukuba
 * Hokota
 * Kashima (Ibaraki)
 * Ibaraki (Ibaraki)
 * Ushiku

title: Mito


text:
Mitrovica

Mitrovica or Mitrovicë is a city in northern Kosovo, split between a southern ethnic-Albanian section and a northern ethnic-Serbian section.

Understand
The city of Mitrovica is divided into a north and south by the Ibar River.

The northern section is mainly populated by Serbs, with some solely Albanian and mixed neighbourhoods along the banks of the Ibar. The southern section is mainly populated by Albanians, with few Serbs.

There are several bridges that connect the two sections. Much has been made of the main Mitrovica Bridge running from the Albanian side to the Serbian side. It has been the scene of violence in the past, notably in 1999. It is completely safe to cross by daylight but may be less safe at night, depending on the general political climate.

Get in

 * By train. You can get to the north part of Mitrovica from Kraljevo (Serbia) by train twice per day. The ticket is 442 Serbian dinars. The trains are modern, often air conditioned. The railway "station" in Mitrovica is nondescript but does the job, and is a short walk from the city center. Onward travel by train (to Pristina) is not possible as of March 2019. Walk across the bridge and take a bus/van there.
 * A taxi from Pristina should not cost more than around €35, or there is a bus for much cheaper. When arriving from the Albanian side of the bridge, your taxi driver will often urge you not to cross the bridge for fear for your personal safety. While noble, this is a largely inaccurate impression is largely created by the international media. Smile politely, tell him you know what you are doing and he will take you to Mitrovica bridge.
 * A taxi from Pristina should not cost more than around €35, or there is a bus for much cheaper. When arriving from the Albanian side of the bridge, your taxi driver will often urge you not to cross the bridge for fear for your personal safety. While noble, this is a largely inaccurate impression is largely created by the international media. Smile politely, tell him you know what you are doing and he will take you to Mitrovica bridge.
 * A taxi from Pristina should not cost more than around €35, or there is a bus for much cheaper. When arriving from the Albanian side of the bridge, your taxi driver will often urge you not to cross the bridge for fear for your personal safety. While noble, this is a largely inaccurate impression is largely created by the international media. Smile politely, tell him you know what you are doing and he will take you to Mitrovica bridge.

Get around
The usual combi system applies in the south, in the North you can walk anywhere you need to get to. If you want to travel on further to towns to the north of Mitrovica such as Zvecan or Zubin Potok, you will have no trouble finding a cheap taxi service.

If you are coming from Belgrade to North Mitrovica and planning on going on to Pristina you have two options:
 * 1) You can walk across the main bridge (about 400 m to the south of where the bus dropped you off) and then find a combi to Pristina for €1.50
 * 2) Get off the bus in Zvecan (before arriving in Mitrovica) where you can transfer onto UNMIK Railways. The trains run about every three hours. The train will take you to Fushë Kosovë where you can then take a combi to Prishtina

Taxis are as cheap as they are anywhere in Kosovo, but once again don't count on taking a taxi across the bridge.

See
Mitrovica is an old industrial mining town (some creative theorists say NATO bombed Kosovo to capture the 'rich' mines of Mitrovica).
 * Church of Saint Sava
 * Mosque Isa Beg
 * Church of Saint Sava
 * Mosque Isa Beg
 * Mosque Isa Beg
 * Mosque Isa Beg
 * Mosque Isa Beg

For those with an interest in ruined communist industrial architecture, there is a wealth of it on display in and around Mitrovica, particularly around the Trepca complex.

At the center of the south (Albanian) side, there are a number of cafes, pizzerias, restaurants, and shops, as well as a mall. There is also outdoor, public market just south of the mall. Internet cafes abound in Mitrovica. If you take a walk around various parts of town, you can still see a part of town marked by destruction (toward the west on the Albanian side - the gypsy quarter), craftsmen and artists, rolling hills, etc. Bread, pizza, and doners are available all over town for a good, inexpensive meal.

Sights on the south side include a market square with mosque, historic building (spared during 1990s fighting). People watching and relaxing along southern bank of Ibar River, near Mitrovica Bridge.

Do
Walking around the town on foot is the best way to explore it. Evenings are full of young people going up and down the main thoroughfares. So expect to meet the same faces many times around.

Buy
In North Mitrovica near the main bridge you can purchase post cards with a picture of an F-117 Stealth fighter with a target on it and the text 'Sorry, we didn't know it was invisible.' A wealth of such memorabilia is available for purchase.

In South Mitrovica you will find American and Albanian flags for sale. Local crafts found in stalls and department stores. Also look out for local and national football (soccer) clothing.

Currencies
In most of Kosovo the Euro is used, so ATMs will dispense euros. However in North Mitrovica the Serbian dinar is expected by most cafes and shops. Some taxis will accept both dinars and euros.

Drink
Dolce Vita (north side of bridge): once a smoke-filled cafeteria that played music of the Serbian nationalist variety, it is now a fairly upmarket cocktail bar.

Sleep
It will be extremely difficult to find accommodation in Mitrovica. You have a huge number of motels and hotels in and around Mitrovica where to have accommodation where you can rest and sleep.
 * Motel Seadi-Petrol
 * Motel Seadi-Petrol
 * Motel Seadi-Petrol
 * Motel Seadi-Petrol

Go next

 * Vushtrri - small town with Roman and Ottoman heritage
 * Pristina - Kosovo's capital city.
 * Istog - a rural town in northern Kosovo.
 * Peja - town with much Ottoman as well as Orthodox (Serb) heritage. A hub for outdoor sports in the spectacular surrounding mountains: the nearby Rugova Canyon is one of the outstanding areas of the country and a ski site in the winter.
 * Novi Pazar daily bus connection. A multicultural area of Muslims and Orthodox Christians, many monuments of both communities like the Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul and the Altun-Alem mosque are found in the region.
 * Nis is the largest city of southern Serbia.

title: Mitrovica


text:
Mittagong

Mittagong is one of the major towns of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

By car
Located 110 km southwest of Sydney, you'll get there via the Hume Motorway. Exits are clearly signposted from the road, and the trip should take around 90 minutes from the city centre. It's an easy stopping point on the Hume Motorway to avoid the highway services if you need a break, or some food.

By train
is a major stop on the Southern Highlands Line, with hourly frequencies on weekdays and 2-hour frequencies on weekends. Except for a single service in peak, a change at Campbelltown is required. You'll need to buy a reloadable Opal Card, single-use Opal ticket, or use a contactless credit card on the Opal gates.

Get around
The best way to see the local area is by car. Parking and traffic are not a problem, and the roads to most nearby attractions are paved.

The train service on the Southern Highlands Line will take you to the neighbouring Southern Highlands towns every couple of hours, so requires a bit of planning.

There is a very limited bus service on weekdays, and this mostly consists of transport for school children. The bus network does not accept Opal, and you must buy a ticket from the driver.

The local taxi service, Southern Highlands Taxis, also run services 24/7 though they have expensive rates, for example, travel to the next town across, Bowral, usually will cost $20 or more.

See
Located in the Nattai River Valley between two extinct volcanoes, Mt Gibraltar and Mt Alexandra, Mittagong boasts spectacular natural scenery. The view from Mr Gibraltar is pleasant.

The drive up to the lookouts at Mount Gilbraltar is signposted from the town centre, and from the Bowral road. The view is quite nice, and there are a couple of places to admire the view. There is a rim walk, as well as a walk all the way to the top. The picnic areas are somewhat run-down and overgrown, but still worth a visit for the view.

Mittagong is a lovely country setting now by-passed by the Hume Motorway at the entrance to the Southern Highlands. Mittagong is a favourite haunt of Sydney-siders who come to browse the antique shops and second-hand stores, galleries and hobby stores and dine at a range of excellent restaurants.

Eat
You'll have a choice of cafes during the day, and after dark you can choose from the pubs or the Chinese restaurant.

title: Mittagong


text:
Mittenwald

Mittenwald is an Alpine town in the German state of Bavaria. Although it only has a population of 7,000 people, it has a great tradition of violin making. It is in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, near the border with Austria.

Get in
Mittenwald has a railway station on the Munich-Innsbruck railway. Deutsche Bahn operates hourly trains to Munich and two-hourly trains to Innsbruck. The train journey to Innsbruck from Mittenwald is a spectacularly scenic trip, not to be missed.

Get around
The whole town is walkable on foot.

See
The small town is pretty with dramatic mountains in the background.
 * Colorful painted houses throughout the town.
 * Geigenbaumuseum Mittenwald, Ballenhausgasse 3. A museum showcasing Mittenwald's rich history of violin making. Exhibits in English and German, €5.50 admission for adults.
 * Geigenbaumuseum Mittenwald, Ballenhausgasse 3. A museum showcasing Mittenwald's rich history of violin making. Exhibits in English and German, €5.50 admission for adults.

Do

 * Hike in the numerous mountains above the town. There are several marked trails to Hoher Kranzberg and other viewpoints in the area.
 * Hike in the numerous mountains above the town. There are several marked trails to Hoher Kranzberg and other viewpoints in the area.

Buy

 * REWE, Innsbrucker Str. 4. Supermarket, part of a chain, with some local products.

Eat

 * Osteria Veneta, Obermarkt 31. Italian food.
 * Osteria Veneta, Obermarkt 31. Italian food.

title: Mittenwald


text:
Mitzpe Ramon

Mitzpe Ramon (Hebrew מצפה רמון) is a small town in the remote Negev of Israel. It's about an hour's drive south of Be'er Sheva.

Understand
Mitzpe Ramon has managed to become a lodestone for travellers seeking to enjoy the peace of the desert, far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. On the one hand it is distant from any population center and offers magnificent views of the Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon מכתש רמון), while on the other it's got a variety of lodgings ranging from luxury hotels to desert tents, as well as various eco-tourism options, new-age style activities and numerous trails for hikers, bike riders and Jeep drivers.

History
Founded in the 1950s as a military outpost and then as a waypoint station for local miners and road workers, Mitzpe evolved into a small town when newly arrived Moroccan immigrants were unceremoniously placed there and told that they would "be living an hour and half from Tel Aviv." Over time, various other groups, such as strains of the 1990s Russian immigration, have also been placed in Mitzpe Ramon.

The town remains small and somewhat struggling, although in the 2000s a variety of new age hippies and eco entrepreneurs have succeeded in turning the ailing town into something of a hip eco leave-the-city-behind destination. At the same time, there continues to be dissonance between some of the town's original residents and the more recent arrivals.

Today, Mitzpe acts as a stopping point for travellers going from the North of Israel to Eilat as well as catering to soldiers stationed at the nearby military bases. The town has also developed into a unique eco-tourist destination as it boasts the highest air quality in Israel and a series of breathtaking landscapes. Mitzpe also provides a haven for various kinds of performance artists, new-age healers, desert enthusiasts and the like.

The town's name, literally meaning "Ramon Lookout", refers of course to the Ramon crater stretching beneath it. The crater's name, in turn, derives from the Roman caravans passing through it on the Incense Route.

Climate
The Israeli Negev is hot and dry, especially in the summer. However, the Negev Highland – whose southern edge is Mitzpe Ramon – has occasional cool breezes that make the weather more bearable, although this is less common inside the crater. Additionally, the low humidity is a big advantage of these areas, making them feel sometimes no hotter than central Israel.

Rains are few in the area and occur only during winter. However, when they do, they can create flash floods in some of the streams, so travellers should be wary of them. The rest of the time, no water flows in the streams, and there aren't any natural sources of water inside the crater. The only exception is the Saharonim spring, and even there, the water doesn't show above the ground, and only feeds a single, large moonseed shrub.

Additionally, almost every year there's a little snow in Mitzpe Ramon, though usually not enough to actually pile up. This is a huge attraction for the locals and sometimes even for visitors from the rest of Israel, a country with only few snows that don't always spread beyond Mount Hermon in the far north, and even that only at the peak of winter. As a rule of thumb, snow usually falls at Mitzpe Ramon only when it also snows in the Upper Galilee mountains, and only if the storm clouds also spread to the central Negev.

Makhtesh Ramon
Makhtesh Ramon is one of the only seven Erosion Craters in the world – the others also being in the Israeli Negev as well as Sinai – and the largest of them at that. The formation of such craters begins with layering of rocks, with the bottom layer being soft (sandstone, in this case) and the topmost hard (limestone). Later, tectonic movements create ripples in the landscape, forming mountainous crests separated by valleys. The mountaintops, covered in hard limestone, are eroded away in time, revealing the soft rock beneath. Rainwater gradually washes the sandstone away, creating valleys that break out through the tough perimeter of the crest. In this process, the mountain is gradually emptied from within, leaving only the cliffs on its sides (made of hard limestone) while its entire content has been washed away.

The sandstone inside the crater displays in some regions in beautiful colors. Additionally, the formation of the crater has unearthed some more ancient volcanic rocks in some places, creating dark, sharp hills that stand in beautiful contrast with the surrounding soft, yellowish ground. Also, the Ramon Mountain at the western edge of the crater, being 1033m above sea level, is the highest point in the Negev.

Flora and fauna in the area is of the common species of the Israeli deserts. Animals include many ibexes (who frequent the town edges looking for food) and rock hyraxes, as well as the more rare foxes, jackals, wolves and hyenas. Some larger wildlife include the Asian and African wild asses; a very small number of leopards used to live in the area, but they have not been sighted in years. Several types of ravens are fairly common, as well as Tristram's starling (an invasive species that came from the Judaean Desert). More rare birds include a few types of vultures, found mainly in the northern cliffs.

Plants in the area are mostly limited to small shrubs such as saltbush and capparis. Thorn trees (acacia) can be found in the main streams, where water flows during rains. In the small ravines where garbage drains from the town and quarries, invasive species such as the tree tobacco have taken root.

The visitor center has exhibitions with detailed explanations of the geology and flora of the area, while the nearby Bio Ramon holds some individuals of the local wildlife species.

By car
Highway 40 passes through Mitzpe Ramon on its way from Be'er Sheva (about 1.5 hours away) to Eilat (2 hr). The road goes down from the southern edge of town into the crater itself.

The western part of the crater, including Mount Ramon and the Lotz cisterns, can be reached by route 171 that splits off west from highway 40 on HaRukhot junction, about 5 km north of Mitzpe Ramon.

By bus

 * Operated by Metropoline Transportation (website only in Hebrew):
 * The most common way to reach Mitzpe Ramon: lines 60, 64, 65 depart from Be'er Sheva every 20-40 min 06:30-21:00 on weekdays, as well as Friday until about 16:00 and on Saturday evenings. These lines have several stops in the town. Line 65 is an express bus that does not stop at towns and facilities on the way.
 * Line 55 from Dimona and Yerucham.
 * Line 340 from Eilat via Ramon Int'l Airport.
 * Line 660 from Tel Aviv via Yerucham. Runs once a day each direction.
 * Operated by Egg'ed:
 * Line 395 going between Tel Aviv and Eilat, departs only a few times a week. It travels through the crater, but there are no bus stops in there.
 * Lines 392, 382 going between Be'er Sheva and the Eilat area, departs only a few times a day. It also travels through the crater.

By foot, bicycle or Jeep
See map below.

'''All the following trails go through army firing zones. Entry is allowed only on Saturdays or when coordinated in advance''' except for all parts of the Israel National Trail (INT), which is accessible at all times.
 * The INT goes through Mitzpe Ramon and the crater. Details can be found below.
 * Hiking between Mitzpe Ramon and Sde Boker should take 2–3 days. The INT is one way to do it. The Khava Stream is a highly recommended addition to the trip.
 * Hiking from the Arava (eastern Negev), the crater can be reached in 2–3 days through the Nekarot stream or the INT. Best to acquire a travel map. Standard maps by the Survey of Israel can be bought on-line but are available only in Hebrew; number 17 is the one you want, as it includes all of the area between the central Arava and the eastern part of the crater.
 * From the Arava by Jeep or bicycle, the crater can be reached through the Nekarot stream (red-marked dirt road starting at highway 90 just in front of Ein Yahav) or the Incense Route (black dirt road  departing from highway 90 about 2 km south of Tzofar). Each of them is about 70 km long (between highways 90 and 40).

Get around
The town is best covered by foot, car or bike. The long distance buses that come through make a small circuit round the town, so it's also possible to use them. Taxis are virtually non existent. However, crossing the entire town by foot takes no more than 30 minutes.

Within the crater, your choices are: slowly and painstakingly on foot, bone-jarringly by 4×4, or, oddly enough, by llama hired out from the Alpaca Farm. Consult the Do section below and the Guided Tours subsection.

See

 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.
 * Additional viewpoints outside of Mitzpe Ramon are described in section Lookout points.

Do

 * Treks, bicycle trips and jeep tours of various lengths can be arranged in and around the crater. There are many strange rock formations in odd colors to be seen, as well as desert animals including the nearly tame ibexes who congregate around tourists, looking for handouts. Note that feeding them is prohibited as it threatens the already-endangered species.
 * Star gazing and meteor showers – The Mitzpe Ramon vicinity is considered one of the best areas in Israel for watching the night sky, and is even a candidate for nomination as an UNESCO Starlight Reserve. A great place to watch meteor showers, while local tourist businesses conduct special astronomy activities.

Special events

 * April – the Passover Holiday: Tourism businesses in Mitzpe Ramon are well prepared for the peak Israeli tourist season and will offer all sorts of guided tours, festivals, performances and the like. Best to check with the Jazz Club as well as Hangar Adama for festivals and culture events, and at the Field School for guided hikes into the crater. Also consult the various tour guide businesses. Additionally, this is one of the few times in the year that entry is permitted to the wilderness areas of Mount Ariff and Mount Karkom, just south of the crater, for the benefit of hikers and travelers.
 * June – the Israeli Acrobalance Convention at Hangar Adama, taking place on the Jewish holiday of Shavuoth.
 * August and December – Meteor Showers: Mitzpe Ramon, being in one of the least light-polluted areas in Israel, accommodates hundreds or sometimes thousands of visitors at the peaks of the Perseid and Leonid meteor showers. The Field School, operated by the Israeli Society for Nature, always offers astronomy related activities at these times.
 * October and December – the Sukkot and Hanukkah Holidays: Being popular vacation times for the Israelis, during the holidays the tourism businesses of the city will also offer various activities.

In the wild

The Ramon Crater is an amazing place to go hiking. It offers many one-day hikes and some multiple-day hikes. Other forms of wilderness travelling are also common, such as Jeep rides and bicycle trips.

Before starting a hike, you should go to the visitor center in Mitzpe Ramon and inform a ranger about your hike and route. Do review the regulations and recommendations regarding hiking and backpacking in Israel, and keep in mind the crater and most surrounding area are a nature reserve, and therefore you must use only marked trails and permitted campgrounds (most of which are free-of-charge). Consult the nearby Field School for travel information.

Lookout points
Lookout points at the town itself and the nearby Mount Gamal were mentioned above. Other recommended viewpoints on the surrounding cliffs are:

Trails
Also see above – Get In by foot, bicycle or Jeep.

Furthermore, check out the nearby trails listed under Negev.

Note, being in a nature reserve like the Ramon Crater after dark (except for marked campground) can cost you a fine of ₪700.

Buy

 * In the Spice Routes Quarter you'll find all sorts of local-made souvenirs and other items. Roadsigns will lead you there from the town's entrance.

Eat and drink

 * There is a small café-restaurant near the Visitor Center.
 * HadaSaar Natural Living (vegetarian restaurant) – See above
 * HadaSaar Natural Living (vegetarian restaurant) – See above

Camping
Camping is prohibited inside the crater except at permitted campsites. These are the rules for all nature reserves in Israel (and indeed, most parts of the Negev are a reserve). Following is a list of all permitted campsites. None, except Khan Be'erot, have running water or any facilities at all; but they are free of charge.

Shared tents and farms

 * Khan Be'erot Paid Campsite (see above) also has shared tents with mattresses.
 * The Alpaca Farm mentioned above.
 * The Alpaca Farm mentioned above.
 * The Alpaca Farm mentioned above.
 * The Alpaca Farm mentioned above.

Connect
The phone area code for Mitzpe Ramon (and the entire Negev) is 08. This means that, when dialing from a local phone to any number starting with +972 8, it's enough to dial the following 7 digits, omitting the country code 972 and area code 8. When dialing from elsewhere in Israel to Mitzpe Ramon, omit the country code 972 and dial 08 instead of just the last 7 digits. When dialing to numbers in any other area code, just replace the "+972" with "0"; for example, to call +972 50 1234567 (a cell phone number) from inside Israel, call 050 1234567. Of course, if you're using a mobile phone you can just dial the number exactly as it appears within our guides and complete with the "+972".

Connecting in Mitzpe Ramon shouldn't be much of a problem as it is a modern town with all the necessary communications infrastructure. There's cellular reception everywhere, and phone lines and internet connection are available. In some restaurants and hotels there'll be free or paid Wi-Fi or computers for surfing.

In surrounding farms which offer accommodation, there may not be telephone lines but only cellular reception.

Inside the crater and surrounding wilderness area, reception could be hard to come by. As a rule of thumb, most places which are in sight range of Mitzpe Ramon will have reception (though this is not always the case), and those there aren't – won't. Naturally, there won't be any internet access points in these areas, besides cellular data connection (which may be unstable).

Stay safe
Although the Israeli wilderness isn't particularly out to kill you, there are several safety guidelines which should be adhered to inside the crater:
 * Read the guideline summary regarding dangers and legal issues while hiking in Israel.
 * It's highly recommended to consult with Har HaNegev Field School to obtain up-to-date information regarding the crater and hiking trails.
 * There aren't any water sources inside the crater except the Be'erot campsite, so make sure to take enough drinking water with you. For a full day in the desert, carry 5 litres, and even more on hot days.
 * All areas surrounding the crater are military firing zones. If you intend to hike north of the crater, do it either on Saturdays or after coordination. If you intend to go south of it, you'll have to do it only on the Jewish holidays of Succoth (taking place at September or October) and Passover (April), after consulting the Field School. Note that the Israel National Trail is always open for hiking.
 * It's highly recommended to use sunscreen and put on a hat. See sunburn and sun protection. Travelers from more northern countries may not be aware of the dangers of prolonged exposure to the sun. For fair-skinned people, sunburns can begin after quite short exposure and hurt for several days. Exposure also increases the chance for getting skin diseases, including cancer. A hat alone is not enough to prevent these. Sunscreen lotions can be bought in pharmacies, and during the summer in all supermarkets. Choose one with an SPF (Skin Protection Factor) of at least 30.

Go next
Some destinations midway between Mitzpe Ramon and Be'er Sheva include:
 * Sde Boker – Ben Gurion's tomb and Negev residence, as well as the nearby World Heritage Site Avdat and the beautiful Ein Avdat canyon/lake reserve
 * The Lost City at Mitspor Eli – Near Mash'abei Sade, an early Muslim archaeological site

Further popular destinations apart include:

 * Dead Sea – One of the most famous things to see/do in Israel and Jordan. Check out Ein Gedi, a nature reserve and oasis along the Dead Sea.
 * Arad – Better alternative than Be'er Sheva, and a great starting point for trips to the Dead Sea, Masada and the Judaean Desert.
 * Eilat – Holiday town in the far south with border crossings to Jordan and Egypt.

title: Mitzpe Ramon


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Miura

Miura (三浦) is a city in Kanagawa, covering the southernmost part of the Miura Peninsula, best known for tuna at its fishery port, Misaki (三崎).

Understand
Miura is basically a rural area where vegetables are grown in farms. Old row of houses along roads are often used as background for shooting of films. In addition, some large ancient ruins were excavated in the city.

Tourist Information Site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

By train
Take the Keihin-Kyūkō Line from Shinagawa to Misakiguchi (the terminus). The limited express takes about 75 minutes and costs ¥900.

See
The Miura Peninsula (三浦半島) extends like an appendage into Pacific, guarding the mouth of Tokyo Bay. While Yokosuka and Kamakura lie on either side of the base of the peninsula, the lower region has numerous small towns and beaches on the coastline.

 * The long, curving Miura Beach (三浦海岸) on the southern edge is a popular resort spot. When summer comes to Miura Beach, a lot of beach huts spring up. You can eat many foods in these beach huts, for example seafood, meats, noodles and so on. At the end of August, fireworks displays take place at Miura Beach. This is a very interesting event. The fireworks at Miura Beach are very beautiful and enjoyed by many. If you go to Miura Beach at the end of August, make sure you stay to see the fireworks.

 * Jōgashima (城ヶ島) is a small island lying just off the extremity of the Miura Peninsula, connected by a short bridge to the mainland. It offers a good day's worth of wading in tide pools full of marine life, relaxing on the beaches, and hiking on trails through heavy bamboo thickets. There are two lighthouses on the island and a park on the eastern side, from which you can see the southern Boso Peninsula in Chiba prefecture. The island has plenty of seafood restaurants and a resort hotel. To get to Jogashima, take the Keikyu Line (from Shinagawa via Yokohama) to the end of the line at Misakiguchi, then catch the #9 bus.
 * Kenzaki lighthouse (剣崎灯台) is one of the sightseeing spots that Miura should see. Kenzaki lighthouse is the historical building. Kenzaki lighthouse is a wonderful place and you can see the sea in Kenzaki lighthouse.

Do
 Miura Beach  (三浦海岸) is popular for swimming in summer and fishing for all seasons. In the summer season, seaside clubhouses (海の家, umi-no-ie) are built at the beach. These houses sell many types of food, and summer goods.

Eat
There are many specialties in Miura.

 * Tuna (マグロ, maguro) is famous as the fish of Miura. There are a lot of restaurants around Misaki (三崎) fishery port offering tuna dishes. It is so famous that several sushi chains use the placename "Misaki" in their names.
 * Japanese radish (大根, daikon) is a special product of Miura, with many radish farms.
 * Watermelon (スイカ, suika) is another well known product of Miura. Sweet and very delicious.

Drink
Since there are no drinking bars in Miura city, use one of the millions of juice-vending machines for a nice, cold drink.

Go next

 * Yokosuka
 * Hayama
 * Zushi
 * Kamakura
 * Fujisawa
 * Ayase
 * Yokohama
 * Yamato

title: Miura


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Mi-Wuk Village

Mi-Wuk Village is in the Sierra Nevada mountain region of California.

Get in
You can get to Mi-Wuk Village by automobile by taking Highway 108 from the Central Valley (Modesto) past Sonora. It is about 18 miles northeast of Sonora, at about 4500 feet elevation.

Get around
You can get around by walking or automobile. There is bus service provided by Tuolumne County, mainly to Sonora, but its service is limited. Mi-Wuk Village itself consists mainly of a few restaurants and stores and can be walked around. Nearby attractions such as Lyons Reservoir require an automobile, although some will bicycle and there are hiking trails.

Do
Hike around Lyons Reservoir, or along the historic ditch. Visit the ranger station.

Buy
Shopping is limited in Mi-Wuk itself, mostly snow gear, fishing tackle, T-shirts and the like from the general store and some of the restaurants. There is somewhat more shopping in nearby Twain Harte. The main business center of the area is Sonora, with some shopping in downtown Sonora and other shopping in East Sonora.

Drink
Drink at the bar at Diamond Jim's, but watch out for the windy mountain roads afterwards.

Go next
After visiting Mi Wuk Village you may want to continue on Highway 108 to Pinecrest Lake, a great place for hiking, fishing, and boating during the summer, or Dodge Ridge Ski Area or Leland Meadows Snow Play Area in winter.

title: Mi-Wuk Village


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Miyagi

Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県 Miyagi-ken) is in the northeastern Tohoku region of the main Japanese island Honshu.

On 11th March 2011 the prefecture was hit by an earthquake with a 9.0 magnitude followed by a tsunami and several aftershocks. Though some damages remain in areas along the coast, the rest of the prefecture is operating as usual.

Understand
Miyagi prefecture has nothing to do with Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. For more useful information, see the prefecture's official guide site (Japanese-only, with integrated machine translation).

Cities

 * — The prefectural capital
 * — small hot spring town on the mountain side of Sendai.
 * — another hot spring town located in Sendai City.
 * — An industrial and fishery port town, home to the Mangattan Manga Museum.
 * — Gold mining mountain island just off the coast.
 * — known as "Cat Island"

The prefecture also has a very beautiful sawtooth coast line.

 * — Northern city in the prefecture where fishery market is famous. Delicious abalone, sea urchin, shark fin and various kind of fish are available.
 * — A bay of craggy pine islands, traditionally considered one of Japan's Top 3 views.
 * — Shiroishi Castle and Miyagi Zao Fox Village (and its wild foxes) are the main reasons to visit

Other destinations

 * — hot spring resort deep in the mountains.

Get in
Sendai is the largest city in Tohoku and hence its main transportation hub.

By plane
Sendai's airport serves domestic and some international flights.

By train
The Tohoku Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Sendai and points north.

Eat

 * Gyu-tan — grilled cow tongues with salt or miso are traditionally the famous dish in Sendai. On the second floor of Sendai Station, you can find several restaurants dedicated to this local favorite.
 * Sushi — There are many sushi restaurants in Sendai and coastal locations.

Drink
There are excellent sake brands, namely Urakasumi and Ichinokura, but there are also plenty of other sake brands.

Go next

 * Iwate Prefecture
 * Akita Prefecture
 * Yamagata Prefecture
 * Fukushima Prefecture

title: Miyagi


text:
Miyajima

Miyajima (宮島) is one of the crown jewels of Japan, and certainly one of its finest views. Located off the coast of Hiroshima, the serene beauty of the island is an essential coda to that city.

Understand
Miyajima has been considered a holy place for most of Japanese history. In 806 AD, the monk Kōbō Daishi ascended Mt. Misen and established the mountain as an ascetic site for the Shingon sect of Buddhism. In the years since, the island's Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines have maintained a close relationship.

In the past, women were not allowed on the island and old people were shipped elsewhere to die, so that the ritual purity of the site would not be spoiled; in fact, the island's real name is Itsukushima (厳島, Solemn/Strict Island), and Miyajima is just a popular nickname meaning "Shrine Island".

These days, strict measures are taken to ensure that the island's sole town retains a classically Japanese Edo-era look. Deer wander freely through the streets and parks. There are still a few bits of concrete warren that have snuck in, but the seafront promenade is particularly attractive, especially later in the day when the rampaging tour groups head home and the stone lanterns are lit.

The association has a good English guide site.

Get in
Miyajima can be reached by sea from Hiroshima etc. The main ferry terminal on the mainland is, which can be reached from JR Hiroshima station either by train (30 min, ¥420) or tram line #2 (70 min, ¥270). The tram line also passes by the Peace Memorial Park.

From Miyajimaguchi, the JR West Miyajima Ferry and the Matsudai ferry both run to Miyajima. The trip takes 10 minutes and costs ¥200 each way; Japan Rail Pass and local JR West Pass holders can use the JR ferry for free. Ferries start running from around 06:25 and ramp up during the daytime, with each of the ferries running at least 4 trips per hour. Trips begin to wind down after 19:00, and the last runs of the day occur between 22:00 and 23:00. Most tour groups are gone after 17:00, so you'll have a different experience on the island if you wait them out.

There are also direct ferry connections from the Motoyasubashi Pier of the Hiroshima Peace Park, run by Aqua Net. The boat is confining with small windows, which can, at times, get rather rough. It takes about 45 minutes and costs ¥2200 one-way, ¥4000 return (half-price for children). Timetables are irregular and are often influenced by the tides near Miyajima, but generally the boats run at least once per hour from around 08:30 to around 17:30.

The Setonaikai-kisen High-Speed Boat runs from Hiroshima Pier and the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima to Miyajima a few times per day; usually three runs in the morning and three more in the afternoon. It is around 32 minutes from Hiroshima (Ujina) Pier to Miyajima using this route, at a cost of ¥1900 for a one-way journey. A one-day free pass costs ¥3400. Connections to Matsuyama are also possible at Ujina Port. Some free tickets sold by JR West are also available.

No bridges connect Miyajima to the mainland. Some ferries will carry automobiles and motorcycles, but parking on the island is expensive and difficult to find, unless arranged in advance with a hotel on the island, and most of the sights can't be reached by car. Quite a few of the hotels are willing to pick guests up from the pier with advance notice.

Get around
Miyajima is small enough to cover by foot, and there are English-language signs throughout the island. Taxis can be taken from the pier to the hotels and residential areas, but not the tourist sights.

The 1 Day Streetcar and Ferry Pass（一日乗車乗船券） (¥900), available from Hiroshima Electric Railway, allows unlimited rides on the Miyajima Matsudai Steamship from Miyajima-guchi and on Hiroshima Electric Railway streetcars. It can also be purchased from tourist information centres in Hiroshima City and from tram conductors (recommended as a time-saver). The Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass （広島たびパス） (one-day ticket \1000, two-day ticket \1,500) allows unlimited rides on the ferry from Miyajima-guchi (JR Ferry and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen), Hiroshima Electric Railway trams and buses operated by many companies in the city centre. This ticket cannot be purchased on board trams.

See
Standing in the bay in front of the shrine, the floating torii is the "gate" to Itsukushima. Whether the gate is "floating" or merely mired in mud depends on the tide. The Hiroshima tourist information office will be able to tell you the approximate time of the high tide (or you can check here), which is the best time to see the torii. If you spend a full day on the island, though, you should have the chance to see it both ways.

As of March 2023, there are renovations going on to repair the shrine and repaint it. The shrine is open as usual. They finished working on the gate itself and are about two-thirds of the way complete with the main temple structure. It's quite interesting to see what the temple looked like before the renovation project, since the southern side hasn't yet been renovated. Please check before you visit to see whether the renovation works are complete.

Buy

Oddly enough, Miyajima is well-known for its rice scoops (杓子 shakushi), spatula-esque wooden spoons used to serve cooked rice. You can even gaze upon the World's Largest Spatula (well over 5 meters long), showcased at.

The sheer number of souvenir shops is mind-boggling. For the most part, they all sell the same things for the same prices — rice scoops, miniature floating toriis, and souvenir boxes of sweets are by far the most common items. (Even Rilakkuma has her own Miyajima-themed shop on Omotesando.) However, the path between the port from Momijidani Park has a few statuaries and art dealers with impressive wares and similarly impressive prices.

Another local treat is deer shit (鹿の糞). Not the real thing, mind you; it's just a crunchy chocolate in the shape of droppings. It's delicious and will surely take center stage when Grandma asks your kids what they did in Japan.

Eat and drink
There are many little restaurants and vendors in the shopping streets near the shrine. As a rule of thumb, anything out by the seafront in the restored classical houses will be expensive, while the simpler eateries in the streets will be cheaper. Refreshments are also available atop Mt. Misen, with the usual top-of-a-mountain surcharge. Most public restaurants close around 17:00, so travellers staying overnight should plan to have dinner at their hotels or stock up on snacks. Most hotels also have lounges with drinks available.

If you don't eat seafood, be sure to notify your hotel well in advance, as that's almost certainly on the menu. Oysters are a popular dish, though availability may be seasonal.

 * Momiji manjū (もみじ饅頭) are small cakes made in the shape of a maple leaf. Traditionally, they're made with sweet bean paste, but cheese, chocolate and other variations are also available. Keep an eye out for shop windows on Omotesando where you can see them being made — most will be open roughly 09:00-18:00. Boxes of momiji manjū are on sale throughout Hiroshima prefecture, but Miyajima is the best place to buy them hot and fresh. A few shops will serve you tea and a sampling while you decide which kind suits you best. One piece costs about ¥80, be sure to compare prices for different packagings, as some shops have higher prices for larger packages. You can even purchase Hello Kitty momiji manju.
 * Age momiji (揚げもみじ饅頭) are fried momiji manju. They have a crispy surface, but inside the cake is very soft and sweet. They are only sold on Miyajima (try on Omotesando). A single piece costs about ¥130. But take care not to be robbed of your purchase by deer — they are attracted by the sweet smell.
 * Miyajima beer is made at the Miyajima Brewery on the island. You'll find cans of the beer, with a deer on it, at various stalls throughout the island. There is also a beer garden  off the main shopping street where you can sample the breweries various beers while gazing out onto the water.
 * Bento can be bought from the mainland or on Miyajima. Then walk up the hill past the ropeway for 5 minutes as if you are going to climb up to Mt. Misen. There you will find picnic tables from which you can enjoy your meal next to the river.

Sleep
Accommodation on Miyajima is uniformly expensive, and most people on a budget choose to day-trip from Hiroshima instead. But if you can swing it, a night here is definitely worthwhile, as the island is much nicer without the flag-waving, megaphone-equipped tour groups that descend during the day. But, do note, Miyajima can get rather sleepy in the evening hours, so those looking for a relaxing evening, this is a great place for it.

Stay safe
Tame deer amble around the island, harassing tourists for food (and all things paper, which they think is food). While somewhat more restrained than their counterparts in Nara, they're still eager for a hand-out. In the past, waffle-like wafers and pellets could be bought to feed them. However, a feeding ban is now in place, which has led to declining numbers — and increased boldness among the remaining deer, who are willing to root in around bags or backpacks for food (even while said bags are being worn). Further up on Mt. Misen, there are a few deer who have not had their (sharp) antlers removed, so take care if you see one.

A colony of monkeys live on Mt. Misen. There is a clearly (and hilariously) marked viewing point outside the ropeway station at the peak, but the monkeys are usually elsewhere. When they are hanging around by the station, standard monkey rules apply: don't stare, don't leave food around, and don't make sudden movements toward them. They're fairly accustomed to humans wandering around in their domain, though, and aren't likely to take much interest in you, unless you have food in your hands.

While people of most ages and fitness levels can handle the hike to Mt. Misen, it's also not a minor exertion, and there are no guide stations along the way.

If wandering the momiji trail, where the path splits a short way below the lower ropeway station, don't stray onto private property. However, feel free to go up the stairs and take a picture of the beautiful view. The owner of the restaurant claims that he owns the land on top of that hill, but that is not true. Do not hesitate to refuse his offer for an expensive drink.

Connect
Public wireless LAN is available at public facilities on Miyajima and on some ferries. Available locations can be found at official tourist website.

title: Miyajima