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Japan

March - May 2024
A 77-day adventure by Kristyna Read more
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  • TravelerJapan
    Day 72

    Day 71-72

    May 11 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Day 71

    After a 12 hour bus consisting of no sleep for me, a beautiful sun rise and lots of mixed opinions about the pull down hoods and main lights turning on every 2 hours we arrived at Shinjuku bus terminal in Tokyo at 6.30am. Stumbling off the bus we put our bags in a coin locker for safe keeping and then managed to find a cafe that was open to have a coffee and a much needed sandwich and debated how we were going to kill time up until 4pm when we could check into our hostel.

    We decided at 8am we would head over to our hostel and drop our bags off there so that we didn’t have to trek back to the bus terminal later in the day to pick them up again. Arriving at the hostel we were very confused when the man at reception said we didn’t have a reservation. Then we realised there were 4 hostels in Tokyo with the exact same name which is really helpful! Heading to the right one we dumped our bags before heading off towards the nearest park where I crashed for 30 minutes to have a Power nap. Feeling marginally more rested we headed over to the Tokyo skytree thinking that because we got there at opening time the queue would be really short, how wrong we were! We decided neither of us wanted to queue 30 minutes to go up when we had already seen some good views of Tokyo earlier in our trip so we headed to the aquarium that was next door that had no queue at all!

    After this we visited a few temples and wondered through some early morning markets before stumbling across another puppy cafe. Thinking it was a good way to pass some time we headed in and to my utter dismay all the dogs didn’t want to have a cuddle with me and just with Jacob! I was not happy at all and I’m very much looking forward to seeing my own doggies at home!

    Settling in for a big bowl of ramen we wasted some more time until we stumbled across the ninja samurai museum. We thought this could be quite interesting but they started by dressing us up as samurais which wasn’t quite what we expected, but then gave a very interesting and detailed talk of the history of the samurai and Japan. He explained the hierarchy of society in Japan starting with merchants, then craftsmen farmers and fishermen, followed on by ronin then Samurai, Daimyo which are the leaders of each clan, then the Shogun who is the ruler of Japan and head of the Samurai and then of course at the top is the emperor who is the symbolic leader of Japan.

    After the talk we got to have a go at a throwing stars range which was quite fun and a bit harder than it looks!

    Eventually after what felt like an eternity it was 4pm and we checked in and zonked out for the rest of the day.

    Day 72

    Today was shopping day. After a very lazy morning we headed to the markets and HUGE departments stores filled with everything you could ever imagine. One shop chain called Don Quijote is just massive. 5 floors packed with everything from toothbrushes to fake food key rings to matcha it’s like stepping into a different world. With isles packed to the brim and loud blasting music we felt exhausted coming out!

    We spent a total of 6 HOURS shopping today, and my feet were definitely complaining by the end of it but we did get some really nice bits and I’ve got everything I wanted so far! We’ve bought a small hand luggage suitcase for Jacobs carry on for the plane to try and help us get everything back as our bag are bulging more every day!

    Enjoying the view from our hostel rooftop of the sky tree we rounded off another day just enjoying the cityscape.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
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    Day 70

    Day 69-70

    May 9 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    Day 69

    We took today at a nice slow pace having a lie in and milling around the city for the day. This included a nice walk along the pier passing some modern art statues that unfortunately didn’t do it for me and looked more like junk than art sorry to all the modern art lovers reading! We visited a lighthouse that has been sprayed funky colours and patterns as well as visiting a few shops and going to the top of a very triangular building for the view over the sea with Hokkaido in the distance. We enjoyed a DELICIOUS steak that was served rare - to perfection if you ask me and enjoyed the day wondering through the city and savouring our last few moments before heading back to Tokyo tomorrow!

    Day 70
    Boohoo day 70 🥲

    We checked out of our hotel and headed to the station to find a coin locker for our big rucksacks. Luckily we managed to find one locker big enough for both our bags which was very impressive amongst lots of little lockers we did well to secure the only big one! We then went ten pin bowling and played two games with both of us winning one but both of us playing awfully with the top score being about 70!! I blame the very small very slippery bowling shoes that they made me wear!

    Then to round off the day we went to a fishing spot about 20 minutes from Aomori on this lovely secluded pier with a stunning view. Sadly we didn’t catch any fish in the time that we were there but it was so bloody windy that I was quite glad when Jacob agreed it was time to give up so that I could head back inside to somewhere a bit warmer!

    Catching the train back to Aomori station we had a quick dinner and filled our backpack with snacks and drinks and then headed to the bus stop. We are taking a 12 hour bus from Aomori all the way down to Tokyo tonight so super looking forward to that one! But it’s a very cheap way for us to get back to Tokyo only costing £40 in total versus over £200 each on the bullet train although this would have only taken 4 hours!

    Clambering onto the bus we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered we had been given blankets and a pillow like on a plane! And we also have this bonnet type thing that you could pull down over your head if you wanted to be in the dark but it does look very funny!

    We are just settling into the bus journey now only an hour in so far so wish us a smooth journey and we will update you once we get to Tokyo!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    1
    Day 68

    Day 67-68

    May 7 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Day 67

    Today we packed up our backpacks once more and headed north to Aomori which is the most northern prefecture on Honshu island for our last few days before heading back to Tokyo.

    After an easy few hours travelling we arrived in Aomori and dropped off our bags and the first place we wanted to visit on our list today was The Aomori Nebuta Festival cultural museum. This festival is held every year in summer and was traditionally held to ward off evil spirits and to protect the farmers crops for the rest of the year. Huge floats are paraded through the city and in the museum we got to get up close to some of these really impressive works of art! The festival is held at nighttime so all the floats are installed with lights inside so they light up and they are huge! I imagine an incredible sight during the festival as just seeing them in the museum was very impressive.

    The next stop on our list was the A factory which stands for apple factory. What Aomori is famous for is apples as they are the largest producer of apples in Japan. The a factory sells lots of apple related products including the biggest apples I have ever seen! The photo doesn’t do it justice but I’d say they were about 3x bigger than the apples we have in the uk! We then tasted a few different apple ciders or cidre as it is called here. I discovered I prefer the sweeter apple cider whilst Jacob prefers the dry.

    We finished the day off with a walk along the seafront with a very distant view of Hokkaido peeping through the fog.

    Day 68

    We started today at Sannai Maruyama Site which is the largest and most complete preserved village from the Jomon period (13000-300bc). Registered as a world heritage site in 2021 it definitely sparks your imagination about what life would have been like back then! They were definitely a lot shorter back then as you can go into the preserved huts and buildings and all the entrances are absolutely tiny, we had to crouch and shuffle through! I haven’t felt that tall on our trip to japan until today where I felt like a giant! They also had items such as pottery on display that had been found during the excavation. It was really interesting and looked similar to Anglo-Saxon settlements.

    After this we visited the Hakkodamaru Memorial Ship. This bright yellow ship used to connect Aomori with Hakodate city on Hokkaido island shipping everything from people to trains. We wondered through preserved cabins, the engine room and ended up on the vehicle deck which could hold up to 48 rail cars on four separate tracks which is really impressive. I’ve never really thought about ferries transporting trains but if we can transport cars I guess it shouldn’t be so far fetched!

    A very history centred day today ranging from 13000bc- 1988 a pretty impressive range!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 66

    Day 66

    May 5 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today we thought we’d have a bit of fun and go to the horse races for the day! Morioka which is the city we are staying in has a racecourse and there was a big event being held today-some national cup so we thought it would be a fun day out.

    It was almost impossible to understand their website and neither of us could work out a way to get tickets in advance so this morning we headed to the station and went to tourist information. The lady was very helpful and pointed us in the right direction for the shuttle bus that goes there. Arriving we queued up for tickets and accidentally bought reserved seats as we had no idea what was going on or even what our options were! We ended up ditching the seats so that we could sit outside on the grass by the track which was so much nicer than being sat indoors! It’s so strange lots of people had set up camp indoors and were watching the races purely on the screen inside which seems a weird choice when it’s happening 50ft from you!

    Managing to find a shady spot we settled in for the day and enjoyed the races. It’s a very different culture here no one cheers or shouts for the horses so it felt very strange! I sort of ended up half whispering “come on number 10” or “you can do it number 11” it was quite amusing.

    Now we couldn’t for the LIFE of us work out how to bet in the venue it was so complicated but Jacob managed to download an app which we could bet on and at the end of the day we had broken even so I’m happy with that!

    It was really amusing that to mark the start of a race they would blast a fan fair tune through the speakers it sounded as though a royal procession was about to start every time!

    We stayed for about 7 races before taking the shuttle bus back to the city. A really fun day out and made me quite nostalgic for home as it’s a thoroughly enjoyed activity in the Collins’ household!

    P.S. photos taken by Jacob as I was much more involved in if we were going to win or not hahah!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 63

    Day 63-65

    May 2 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Day 63

    To round off our time in Miyagi we wanted to explore Matsushima Bay which has over 100 islands. In all fairness a lot of them are more like big rocks and all of them are uninhabited. However, the views in the bay are really pretty and on a sunny and warm day like today it seemed like a perfect way to spend the day.

    Hopped on the train that only took an hour or so and then we walked along the coast which was really beautiful with the sun dancing across the water and almost no clouds in the sky. There are a few islands that can be reached by footbridge with the most famous being Fukuurajima which is connected to the main land by a bright red 200 metre bridge. Crossing the bridge we followed the footpaths around the island enjoying the views across the bay and strolling along the quiet beach. Looking for nice shells and enjoying the sea breeze the day soon slipped away from us. Wondering around the bay for a little while longer we grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to Sendai for our last night before we head to Iwate tomorrow. Another fun day exploring all Japan has to offer.

    Day 64

    Today we left Miyagi and made the journey to Morioka city in Iwate prefecture. Luckily the journey didn’t take too long so we had time to enjoy the day at a more leisurely pace enjoying a nice breakfast before we left. Arriving in Iwate we checked in and wondered through the city for a while. It’s really interesting, Iwate prefecture is made up of very few cities. They are effectively all in a line heading north with the bullet train running through them and the rest of the prefecture is mountains and beautiful landscapes some of which we are hoping to see tomorrow!

    Day 65

    Today we decided to head towards the coast which is what Iwate is famous for especially Jodogahama beach! So we hopped on the two buses and arrived in the sunshine at Jodogahama beach. Absolutely the perfect day for it today as we enjoyed a beautiful costal walk with stunning views of the crystal clear waters and dramatic rock formations. It’s no wonder it’s famous it really is a gorgeous stretch of coast!

    We managed to rent a rowing boat and we ventured around the bay taking in all the views. We still had to wear a life jacket though which felt utterly unnecessary but I’ve never rowed on the sea before so that was a fun new experience!

    It really was so much fun, we also grabbed what looked like a large hash brown from a food truck but it definitely was not a hash brown but I have no idea what it was! Possibly squid?? It was very hard to tell!

    With the sun sinking quickly we hopped on the first bus which took us back to the nearest village where we waited for our last bus. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough space for us and we were kicked off. Feeling rather disheartened as the next bus wasn’t for 2 hours the driver then came up to us and said he had called for a bus to come get us in 10 minutes! Absolutely bewildered we thanked him and were thrilled we didn’t have to wait another two hours. Only in Japan would they call another bus out to pick up two people- absolutely extraordinary we couldn’t believe it, and sure enough 10 minutes later a bus arrived to pick us up!

    So we’ve had a lovely few days on Japans coast and the perfect weather for it!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    2
    Day 62

    Day 62

    May 1 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Todays agenda didn’t quite go as planned but probably in the best way possible. The original plan for today was to travel to a small mountain village and then take two cable cars up near Mount Zao and then hike for the last hour to reach Okama which is a volcano with a crater and a caldera in that looked really beautiful!

    So we got up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the 7.45am bus that got us there at 10am so we would have plenty of time to explore.

    Finding the cable car station we were chuffed to find it empty! Thinking we would have all the views to ourselves and that we had done really well to avoid the crowds we eagerly headed up towards the summit. After stepping off the second cable car at 1,700 metres high we realised why we were the only ones here. Thick cloud covered the mountainside and you couldn’t see more than 20 metres in front of you. Not letting this deter us we began the trail still keen to give it a go until the trail disappeared under a hill of snow. Now the website has said that the hiking trail would be opened around the middle of April so we thought we would be able to do it however I think a live update would have been helpful! The wind whipping around us we tied bandanas around our noses to try keep some heat in. Trying to explore what we could we soon realised it was a bit of a lost cause. It was very cool to be up there in such an eerie atmosphere but not what we came to see and do!

    Feeling slightly disheartened we headed back down the cable cars and just began exploring the little mountain village which is a onsen town. This basically means there is loads of natural hot spring bath houses that you can visit. I’ve been putting off going into these as you bathe naked which neither Jacob or I found an appealing experience with a bunch of other people! This was until we came across this tiny little onsen, curious I went to have a little look and the ladies hot spring was completely empty and Jacob checked the men’s which was also empty. Feeling like this was our best opportunity we both went into the hot springs and it was soooooo nice. I got my own little private hot spring to wallow in which was actually incredibly hot- almost too hot! It was lovely and I’m so happy that we got to do it as I really wanted to but I didn’t want to go in naked with lots of strangers!

    After enjoying our private hot springs we met up outside and headed to catch the bus back. So not the day we had envisioned and it was a shame we weren’t able to see the volcano but it worked out pretty well in the end with quite a special onsen experience!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 61

    Day 60-61

    April 30 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Day 60
    Really not long to go now! I can’t believe our trip is winding down to the last few weeks now it really has gone by so quickly!

    Today marks the beginning of golden week in Japan which is basically just a weeks worth of bank holidays and everyone in Japan travels and takes time off work so it can get very crowded particularly in the large cities. Luckily further up north where we are didn’t feel too bad today.

    Today we needed to travel out of Niigata to Yamagata prefecture. This isn’t actually our final destination but we are staying in Yamagata for one night just to break up the journey. We had two options: take two bullet trains there and get there in 3 hours and spend £100 each or take three trains and two buses and get there in 6 hours and spend £25 each. Guess which one we chose? If you chose the bullet train route you would be wrong! Although, I think by the end of the day we definitely would have wanted to go back in time and choose the bullet trains. However, being golden week the bullet trains would probably be extremely busy and the bullet trains are basically the only trains you can book in advance so we thought we’d have a much quieter journey on the other route, which in all fairness we did. Golden week didn’t seem to affect our transport route at all really.

    I won’t bore you with the details of our long day but it was in fact very long. When we arrived at one train station and we found out that we were so rural they didn’t have any English translate button on the tickets machine, it wasn’t looking good. Asking the station master for help he simply pointed us back at the ticket vending machine… great! We managed to work out the fare and get two tickets and then as I was walking to the door the station master called us back and started rambling away. Looking at him blankly I guessed he was asking us where we were trying to go. A lucky guess at that as he responded well and we managed to communicate with him to secure tickets for our next train all the way to Yamagata saving us the hassle on the other end!

    When we finally arrived we went to the hotel, checked in and had a really quick dinner in a nearby restaurant before crashing to get an early nights sleep!

    Day 61

    Today we just had to make the final push to travel from yamagata prefecture to Miyagi prefecture more specifically Sendai city. Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region which is the most northern region of Honshu island. For those who don’t know, Japan has a few more layers of location than we do in the Uk. So in the uk we might say we live in this city in this county in this country. (Im hoping I haven’t left anything out there!) Japan, you have the city in this prefecture, in this region, on this island, in this country. For example, Sendai city in Miyagi prefecture in the Tohoku region on Honshu island in Japan. It’s not that many more layers than the UK but I know I found it confusing when I first looked at Japan!

    So we made the final journey to Sendai city and as we began walking to our hotel we walked through a large market with lovely fresh produce so we eagerly picked up some fruit and wondered through it slowly. Grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying a crème brûlée latte which was delicious we checked into our hotel and spent a few hours walking around the city exploring before heading back for a relaxed late afternoon and evening.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 59

    Day 59

    April 28 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we hiked Mount Yahiko in 22°c so safe to say by the end we were very sweaty and gross!

    It took us a while to reach the nearest station which actually looked more like a temple from the outside than a train station! However, it only has one track and one train route so it’s a very small station so it definitely gave it a bit more character!

    Heading up to the base with as many water bottles as we could fit in the bag we walked for about 1km before reaching the dreaded stairs. We then proceeded to climb up the steps through the forest for 3km. 3km of steps- absolute hell for me. It was a beautiful setting through the forest but if I see another step today I might loose my mind!

    Huffing and puffing we made it to the top where I collapsed onto a bench and sent Jacob to go get an icecream which was much needed and deserved.

    The view from the top was absolutely beautiful with a view of Niigata and the surrounding rice paddies one way and the Sea of Japan the other way.

    We tucked into a bowl of ramen at the restaurant at the top with floor to ceiling windows - definitely had worse views! Before heading back towards the station to head home for the day.

    On the train back we actually got some lovely views of the setting Sun reflecting on the rice paddies. I am constantly reminded of the absolute beauty in this country, so lucky to be here!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
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    Day 58

    Day 57-58

    April 27 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Day 57

    Today we packed up our backpacks once more and headed out of Fukushima to travel to Niigata prefecture. The journey was slightly frustrating as Fukushima is east and Niigata is situated on the west coast but there is no viable route going across the country so we had to head back towards Tokyo and then out to Niigata so it was a bit fiddly! It took us about 4 hours from leaving to arrive at our hotel so we dropped our bags and then headed to the beach for an evening stroll. We were hoping to enjoy sunset however it was very cloudy so we didn’t see much but it was still a nice stroll to end a travel day,

    Day 58

    This morning we wanted to explore Sado island which is just off the coast of Niigata prefecture and is one of Japan’s largest non mainland islands. So we headed down to Niigata port and took the ferry to Sado island which only took about an hour and got up to speeds of 50mph which we thought was pretty impressive!

    We arrived at Sado island and headed to the Toki ibis sanctuary. These birds are endangered and Sado island has taken on breeding and reintroducing them into the wild so quite a feat! The extensive work and dedication to these birds has reduced their status from critically endangered to “just” endangered with 11,000 left in the world. We learnt about their strategies and also got to see some of the birds too. It was definitely interesting and does fill us with some hope for wildlife in this climate crisis we find ourselves in!

    We then headed to the lakeside to enjoy the views of the mountains and the small very run down fishing villages that run along the bank of the lake. The lake was artificially connected to the Sea of Japan to help prevent flooding and as a result has a high salt content so the oyster fishing industry keeps these small villages going. With huge piles of old oyster shells literally everywhere it’s slightly bizarre as they litter the landscape! As we enjoyed wondering and exploring the island we had some lovely views of rice paddies once more! The rice paddies have actually been flooded now as part of the growing process casting pretty reflections that dance across the water. What was extraordinary was the sounds of the frogs and birds all around the area! Not just in the rice paddies but in small creeks it was actually really beautiful! No sounds of humans just of frogs and birds! We had a lovely stroll enjoying this and also keeping a sharp eye out to see a wild Toki ibis as they apparently are big fans of the rice paddies but sadly they didn’t want to come out of hiding for us today!

    Following this path winding back towards the port it abruptly turned a corner and stopped dead at the main road. Feeling uneasy I consulted Google maps which wanted me to walk right on the main road. Feeling slightly concered I looked at the buses and realised there was a stop just a two minute walk away on the main road. Gathering ourselves we made a quick dash to the bus stop and waited for the bus. Now the bus was coming from the wrong direction so we thought it might turn up the small alley and we would meet it there, but it just stopped dead on the wrong side of the road! The driver signalling us to come around we crossed the road and then edged around the bus fighting with a bush to get past and onto the bus! Quite a strange place to put a bus stop really but it all worked out well in the end!

    Arriving back at port we had a bite to eat and then wondered through the shops before waiting for our ferry back to Niigata city. Whilst we sat waiting I seemed to have gained an adoring fan? As a Japanese lady waved frantically at me with the biggest beam on her face. Extremely confused Jacob and I did the classic “smile and wave” whilst I started in complete confusion. I think it’s seldom that westerns make it out to this very remote island!

    I write this sat on the ferry watching the Sun sink behind Sado island as we zoom back towards Niigata, another fun day exploring.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
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    Day 55

    Day 54-56

    April 24 in Japan ⋅ 🌫 11 °C

    Day 54

    Today was pretty uneventful as we decided to have a relaxed day at the hotel to rest up my ankle and get a bit of energy back for the coming days, spending the morning reading and relaxing with the occasional trip to get ice for my ankle it was a very relaxed start to the day.

    Deciding it would be good to walk on it a little to stop it from seizing up we went to visit Iwaya Kannon which is a place of worship at the base of Mt Shinobu and very close to our hotel. There are over 60 Buddhist carvings in the side of the mountain all carved by different generations as a deceleration of faith. It’s pretty hidden away and it’s a bit strange as you can go right up to them and touch them if you wanted to. We obviously didn’t do this but it was protected at all and it’s not really signposted or known about unless you know where to look which is a little bizarre as they are really lovely!

    Many are faded a little by the weather but knowing they have been carved as an offering to the gods is quite special and it was a nice way to still get out of the room today without having to stray too far!

    Day 55

    My ankle was feeling quite a lot stronger today so we decided we would venture out for a day trip to the Goshikiuma ponds. Also known as the “mysterious lakes” it is famous for the emerald green, cobalt blue, turquoise blue, emerald blue, and pastel blue appearance of the different lakes that are completely natural. They were formed from the collapse of the summit of mount Bandai In 1888 due to a steam explosion. The subsequent rock avalanche blocked the river and this led to the formation of lakes in this area and are known for being absolutely stunning.

    Despite the drizzle the colours were more vibrant than I was hoping as we were worried that in the rain they wouldn’t be as visible but it was lovely! A really gentle walking path takes you past the main 5 lakes and some of the water was so clear and incredibly colourful! It was really beautiful and we had it completely to ourselves so very special indeed! I was very grateful for the easy trail for my ankle which held up very well!

    After returning back to Fukushima city we headed for some ramen for dinner and to our surprise they had an English and a good sense of humour!

    Day 56

    Another restful day with little to report! We were planning to go to a volcano today but they closed the walking trails due to the winds today! The only other option was to go visit some of the Fukushima disaster sights from the 2011 tsunami that caused the nuclear plant meltdown but this is 4 hours away from where we are and ironically only an hour and a half away from where we are staying next week so we plan to make that day trip then! So a relaxed day or reading and chilling was on the cards today as we leave Fukushima tomorrow to head to Niigata!    Read more

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