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Japan via Kuala Lumpur
  • Kerrie Palamountain
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september 2025

Japan via Kuala Lumpur

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    🇯🇵 Onomichi, Japan
    Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    3Our breakfast at the Ryokan
    4There are slip on shoes for everything including the toilet!1Beautiful coastline for the entire ride1We island hop by either ferry or suspension bridgeOne of the many suspension bridges that join the islandsShrines are found in many out of the way places1At the entrance of our lunch hotel - lockers for our shoes!1A delicious meal of sashimi for lunch13We had a wonderful swim here!31Kitchen 3131Maki - she is a baker in her own home1Sun setting as we cross a suspension bridge 4 km long1Our accommodation at "WAKKA"

    Island of Ikuchi to island of Omishima

    I går, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Our Japanese breakfast was waiting for us at 8 am this morning. Some Hihiki (seaweed), fish, an egg roll, soup, rice and a variety of pickles, etc.
    Ryu (our Guide) arrived at 0900 and off we rode in already hot and humid conditions. It only cools very slightly overnight. We are definitely becoming accustomed to the weather and our cool neckbands are a godsend.
    Today we left the Shimanami Kaido Cycle Path and rode another cycle path called the Yumeshima Cycle path. We basically island hopped, rode on ferries and crossed huge suspension bridges. To be honest, Roger and I had little idea where we were heading! We just followed Ryu! We had another delicious meal of sashimi for lunch and took some time off the bikes to have a swim - it was bliss!
    These islands we are exploring are part of the Seto Inland sea. There are approximately 730 islands with 4 main islands (Iwagi, Ikina, Sa & Yuge) collectively known as Kamijima town. 150 of the 730 islands are inhabited. It is a beautiful part of the world.
    Ryu took us to a little bakery where Maki (mother of 3), bakes bagels and other breads. The bakery is part of her 110 year old home. We had a drink and some biscuits (bagels always sell out) before the last 2 hours of riding.
    We arrived at our WAKKA accommodation at sunset. A very full but marvellous day.    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    14
    3Our waitress who conversed with Google translate2First course1Second course1Third course1Fourth course1Fifth course1Sixth course1Seventh course

    Ryokan Suminoe - Ikuchi Island

    15. september, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We booked dinner for 6.30 pm. We were surprised to find that we were the only dinner guests in the dining room. Apparently there was another couple dining also, but they were in a separate room.
    We had our first drink of Sake. Roger liked it more than I did.
    Our first course consisted of eggplant stewed in wine, sweet potato, figs with sesame dressing and boiled taro.
    Second course was Chawanmushi with mullet roe (an egg custard with fish)
    Third course was sashimi consisting of sea bream, amberjack, striped jack & red spotted grouper. Delicious!!
    Fourth course was Steamed Tiger Fish in Sake.
    Fifth course was Conger eel and Octopus in Vinegar.
    Sixth course was soup and rice.
    Seventh course was Matcha icecream and green tea!
    Our first experience of traditional Japanese culture!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    1Ryu - our new guide
    Greenhill Hotel where we stayed in Omonichi1Most of our biking followed the coastline1The Shimanami Kaido Cycling RouteBridge between Mukaishima & Innoshima islands1Lunch restaurant3Kerrie's lunch2Roger's lunch4Our neck coolers!Sampling Daifuku4Daifuku with mandarinBridge between Innoshima & Ikuchi islands2Lots of shaded riding today on bike paths6Gelati - yum!4Our futon beds at the Ryokan1View from our room at the Ryokan7Sunset

    Omonichi to Ikuchi Island

    15. september, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Our new Guide, Ryu (pronounced Leyu), met us this morning at 10 am.
    Ryu came to Japan in May, 2024. He was born in England to an English father and Japanese mother. Although he attended Japanese school in England, he has really only learnt Japanese in the last 18 months and speaks fluently now. He is about 25. He lives on Yuge island in a government apartment which costs 80 pounds per month (around $160 AUD!
    We left Omonichi and got the ferry to Mukaishima island (we were there yesterday). We rode more of this island today before crossing one of the 4 suspension bridges that join these islands. The weather was, again, hot and humid. Today we used neck coolers and found them to help a lot. We get the impression from the Guides that they are surprised we are doing this bike tour at this time of the year!
    Ryu was a much more laid back guide who didn't push us along as much as Alex did yesterday. Today we were riding along shaded bike paths for a lot of the time and down traditional Japanese back streets.
    Ryu chose a delightful restaurant for lunch. He gave us lots of time to cool down and rehydrate and enjoy delicious food. Roger had curry and I had pasta with eggplant.
    We stopped at a shop that specialises in Daifuku. They had only one left so we were each able to have a taste of this delicacy. It is mochi on the outside made from sticky rice & sweet bean paste which encases seasonal fruits.
    A little further on and we stopped for gelati. Our accommodation tonight is at our very first Japanese Ryokan on the island of Ikuchi.
    This has been an experience we will never forget. Shoes remain at the entrance of the Ryokan and you wear slippers, but not on the tatami mats in the bedrooms. There are also special slip on shoes just for the toilet. To shower, you go to a communal shower and sit on a low stool. You can then go into the warm communal bath if you choose to - we didn't, it was too hot! We were given a Yukata to wear after our shower and to dinner. The dinner deserves it's own Footprint!
    So, we really feel as if we are experiencing the real Japan now and it is absolutely fascinating!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    10On the Shinkansen! Yay!
    5This is the bullet train we were on3Alex (guide), Yu (driver) & cyclists!The historic port of TomonouraTomonouraTomonoura street1Cafe where we had lunch1Bridge to one of the islands along the coastline4A shrine on a little islandJapan has many ship building sitesItsukushima-Zinja-Mae11On the Ferry to the island of Mukaishima3Omonichi from the ferry12Our chef at the Greenhill Hotel1From the Shinkansen - 300 km/hour

    Osaka to Omonichi

    14. september, Japan ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    We were up early and decided to take a much earlier train to Shin Osaka, where we would swap to the Shinkansen (bullet train). Our rehearsal yesterday paid dividends because we had a smooth and trouble free run to Shin Osaka. Arrived over an hour before our scheduled departure at 0853 on the Shinkansen so got some sandwiches and coffee. The Shinkansen left at exactly 0853 (scheduled time).
    We feel quite comfortable now navigating the Japanese rail system and we are in awe of it's efficiency.
    After a coffee & pastry at Fukuyama station, we were met by our guide for the day, Alex and the driver, Yu, who took our luggage onto Omonichi.
    We were given a briefing by Alex and off we rode hugging the coastline until we reached the delightful historic port of Tomonoura, where we had lunch at a small cafe. First time I've had pesto pasta stone cold! It's how they serve it, apparently!
    The riding was easy, apart from the hot and humid conditions. We boarded a ferry to the island of Mukaishima. We rode across the island, boarded another ferry for Omonichi where we are staying for the night.
    At the end of the day we felt sad to say goodbye to Alex. He is an American, married to a Japanese woman and they have an 8 year old son. Alex is a trained Pharmacist, but now works in a number of jobs, guiding cyclists being one of them.
    We had a delicious meal at the Greenhill Hotel restaurant before washing clothes and charging bike batteries. We have a different guide tomorrow when we begin riding the Shimanami Kaido Cycling Road (70 km). We ride for 4 more days with guides before heading for Hiroshima.
    We are hoping for a cool change, but we are not holding our breath!!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    7Our breakfast plate
    6Our practice run at Shin Osaka Railway St.321Cooking Takoyaki2Our Takoyaki shared meal5We asked for a large beer!135Shinsekai3There are many little bars everywhere!These dispensing machines are everywhere too!15At Dotonbori2Dotonbori at night

    Osaka Day 4

    13. september, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Breakfast at the Hotel this morning. We then did another train reconnaissance in preparation for our big day tomorrow. We tried to find entrances into stations where there are escalators or lifts - much easier than dragging luggage up and down steps. We took the train from our local station to Shin Osaka where we have to get a Shinkansen (bullet) train to Fukuyama tomorrow to begin our bike tour. The train station at Shin Osaka was unbelievable! We are glad we did the dry run, however, we are feeling nervous about the hoards of people we will encounter at peak hour tomorrow morning. Once we are on the Shinkansen it will be a piece of cake.
    We came back to our room and had a double brandy (not quite, but wish we had!) We then packed ready for the next part of our Japan trip.
    Suckers for punishment, we took the train to Shinsekai - a famous Osaka night time venue seething with people, eateries, gaming places and bars. We needed more bright lights, so we walked to Dotonbori (we had been there before during the day) before returning to our Hotel. It's sayonara to Osaka tomorrow morning!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    3144122Trees that look like large bonsaiOut of the city, the country is green!A quieter shopping areaMount Rocco Garden Terrace

    Osaka Day 3

    12. september, Japan ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    No time for breakfast this morning - we had to leave the hotel soon after 0700 so that we could be at our meeting place for our bus trip by 0750. We successfully caught the train from our nearest station (Shinsaibashi) to Namba where we disembarked. Namba station is huge. We had to find Exit 7 (there are 32 exits)!
    After a short walk we found the meeting place for our Himeji Castle bus tour. There was also a Seven 11 convenience store close by so we bought some sandwiches and coffee. These convenience stores are everywhere and they are fantastic - as you will discover later!
    It took maybe 1.5 hours to get to Himeji Castle. It is a World Cultural Heritage Site and the most famous Japanese Castle. We were fortunate that a volunteer guide was available to take us and 2 young German girls on a private tour for 90 mins. What luck!
    We then went to a restaurant for lunch which was included in the fee. Wow, it was just delicious! We have to admit that we didn't find out what dishes we were served, but suffice to say, but it was amazing!
    We then went to some Onsen Baths, however, all we did was sit with our feet in some very warm water outside the baths. Onsen bathing will come later (in private!) The last stop of the tour was a magnificent lookout of Osaka.
    We arrived back at our Hotel without any dramas by train and made a hasty visit to the local Seven 11 store where we found a cold bottle of Italian white wine, which we enjoyed with our left over food from a couple of nights ago .
    3 days in Japan and we both love the place. Shops and people everywhere, but it is a vibrant, exciting and safe place to be. Tomorrow is our last day in Osaka. We will chill a bit and prepare for the next part of our Japan adventure - bike riding in the Shikoku region.    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    2Osaka Castle
    3Our lunch1Japanese Dumplings - Dango4Preparing MatchaOur group enjoying Dango & Japanese drinks7Haven't seen a knife or fork in Osaka!12

    Osaka day 2

    11. september, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We had a fascinating Japanese breakfast at our Hotel. Will take a photo later. Today we had booked a 5 hour bike tour of the Osaka region meeting at a Family Mart near the Tenmabashi station - 3 stops from our nearest train station 'Nagahoribashi'. We thought we needed to disembark after 2 stops (wrong!) We saw a Family Mart that was listed as our meeting place. We thought we were very clever arriving 45 mins early. When we finally discovered our mistake we had to hike 2 km to the correct meeting place! We made it with time to spare, but it was very hot!) There were 5 in our group, led by Mike, a 25 yo student studying languages - Swahili and Mongolian! A Canadian couple (Karen & Armand), a Spanish student (Aziden), living in Germany (who speaks 6 languages) and us.
    We visited the Osaka Shrine, but it was being refurbished! We then went to a museum, but it was closed! We then went to the Osaka Castle (we actually saw that), before going to a restaurant for lunch - guess what we had? Okonomiyaki (we had that last night!) Anyway it was, once again, delicious! We finished with a visit to a tea room where we drank Matcha Tea and enjoyed Dango (Japanese dumplings).
    We found our way back to the Hotel after what ended up being a really enjoyable day. September, we have discovered, is perhaps too soon to visit Japan - October the weather cools apparently.
    After a much needed shower and rest we ventured out to find a traditional Japanese restaurant for dinner. We stumbled across this little eatery that looked very interesting! However, we discovered the menu consisted of offal and tongue, etc. Eventually we ordered some beef and a beer each and enjoyed watching the young chef cook our meal in front of us. It was unique and quite delicious.
    Tomorrow is a 9.5 hour plus day - we visit Himeji Castle by coach (that's if we successfully get to the meeting point by train - wish us luck - we need it!)    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    Beautiful fresh flowers near our hotel
    2Dotonbori canal2Dotonbori at 3 pm on Wednesday!5Dotonbori during the day.3OkonomiyakiSome sort of savoury pancakeStir fried noodles162This Chef loves his job!314This room at the Fresha Inn Hotel is tiny and very expensive! We have successfully created chaos!

    Kuala Lumpur to Osaka

    10. september, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Well, here we are in Osaka, Japan! The 7 hour plane journey was OK. we both managed maybe 2 hours of sleep, which is a miracle! We arrived at Kansai Airport on time at 0545 and enacted our well researched and rehearsed list of tasks.
    Firstly, and most challenging of all, was to find a toilet! We then withdrew Yen, bought our ICOCA cards (for train travel and they can be used to purchase food, etc) and booked our train ticket on the Nankai Rapi.t Express to Namba (near Osaka). We were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves and very grateful for all the YouTube videos we watched which have helped enormously.
    The 30 min train trip into Namba was smooth and fast. We then decided to swap trains to a local service and get to within 400 metres of our hotel. The easy way would have been to get a taxi, but we wanted to test ourselves because we will be using trains a lot in the next month. This was perhaps, on reflection, a mistake because we got completely bamboozled and had no idea where we were! We eventually got the local train, but we have no idea how we did!
    We arrived at the hotel around 0930 hot and bothered. Thankfully we were able to negotiate an early check in (5000 Y extra) so we could shower and have a rest.
    We then went on a reconnaissance mission to find out exactly where we need to go to get trains for the next 2 day's tours.
    We decided to walk to Dotonbori, which is Osaka's top tourist spot. The number of shops, restaurants and food stalls is mind boggling! We decided to find a restaurant called Chibo Okonomiyaki, recommended by a young American YouTube blogger, who has married a Japanese person and lives in Kyoto. This is where things got very tricky. Long story short, I (Kerrie), struggled to find the restaurant and dragged Roger around in circles, all the time he was getting more and more disgruntled (he needed a wine!) and unhappy - but food was the strong lure for me!Ah, we found this famous place, only to find that, mid afternoon, we had to stand, in the heat, for about 25 mins to get in! Roger was threatening all sorts of things!
    Anyway, all is well that ends well! We were seated in front of the Okonomiyaki Chef and were treated to absolutely delicious food, wine and entertainment!
    Okonomiyaki is a Japanese tappanyaki savoury pancake consisting of wheat flour batter with lots of other ingredients (meat, seafood, cabbage, all sorts of sauces and decorated very theatrically (as you will see in the videos) with Japanese mayonnaise! We ate half our meal so we now have enough for dinner tomorrow night!
    The weather in Japan is hot and humid, but not as hot as Kuala Lumpur. That's the wrap for Day 1 in Japan!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
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    3

    Rest day then to the Airport

    9. september, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We have been allowed a very late check out of our apartment here at Ascott Star Hotel - 5 pm (cost free).
    We had a sleep in and late breakfast and packed ready for our flight tonight to Osaka.
    We have seen most of the tourist attractions in KL and, to be honest, the heat and humidity are keeping us indoors today.
    We have had time to rehearse our arrival tomorrow morning at Kansai Airport (0545) and transport into Osaka by train, together with tours we have booked while we are in Osaka - so no time wasted!
    Our hearts go out to the workers we have observed in Kuala Lumpur, especially the hotel workers. The hotel seem to employ so many people and they do very menial tasks repeatedly - in our view, mind-numbingly boring jobs!
    I (Kerrie) had a chat with a young man waiting to greet restaurant guests. He is from Nepal on a working visa for a few months. He said he works 6 days a week and is paid 80 ringgats a day ($AUD29). He said he came to KL to save money. We are so fortunate to have been born in Australia!
    We had one last swim in another pool at the hotel - this one was 50 metres, so we did a few laps.
    Mas, our driver to the airport, arrived an hour earlier than expected, so there was a last minute rush to finish packing. We arrived at KL International airport too early to check in so we had our last Malaysian meal - and most importantly, a comfy chair to sit in for an hour or so.
    So that's a wrap for Kuala Lumpur folks - sayonara to Malaysia and konnichiwa to Japan!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    9
    5224Making love or war or just having fun?5Feeding parrots milk37 pm and the markets still busy12Teh Varik - Malaysian National drink3Stephen at the end of our table3Roti with sauces - chicken, dahl & fishChendul2Jurien Fruit - most of the group didn't like this - except Kerrie!!13

    Bird & butterfly sanctuary & food tour!

    8. september, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    A bit of an organizational blunder this morning. Our scheduled 3 hour tour today was going to be a repeat of yesterday's tour (which was more extensive than we expected)! Fortunately our guide for today recommended visiting the KL Bird & Butterfly Sanctuaries instead. The Bird Sanctuary was interesting and fun. Wouldn't bother with the Butterfly Sanctuary again, though.
    Back to the Hotel for a rest and to wash some clothes before heading up to the roof top swimming pool again.
    We got a taxi from the hotel to the Chow Kit district which cost 8 ringgits (approx $3.50 AUD) for a 20 min ride.
    We booked a "Sambal Streets KL Food Tour" from 1630 - 1930 hrs. Stephen (Malaysian born) was our excellent guide. We visited maybe 6 venues where we were treated to traditional Malaysian food. No tourists (apart from us) where we ate.
    We have discovered that these food tours offer much more than just local food - the Guides are essentially tourist guides who are willing to go out of their way to make it an outstanding experience for guests.
    We had around 15 tastings, including the national drink Teh Varik (tea with condensed milk) - loved it! Roger's favourite dish was Roti with 3 sauces and mine (Kerrie's) was Chendul (an iced sweet dessert made of coconut milk, palm sugar, & pandan flavoured green rice jelly). Most dishes were spicy featuring various levels of Sambal Olek. Needless to say we were not hungry at the completion of the tour - so glad we hadn't eaten since breakfast!
    So a mediocre start to the day but one that finished very enjoyably!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    2270 steps to reach the cave
    11Guarding the King's Palace. This poor horse and guard stand still for between 1-2 hours.Another poor guard on duty!7Women have to be covered to visit the National Mosque - men are OK!1Chinese Buddhist TempleThe chanting almost had us converted!Malaysians proudly display their national flag everywhere!114Ascott pool from Petronas TowersPetaling Market7112A more expensive meal tonight, but oh, the view!21

    Kuala Lumpur Private Tour

    7. september, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We have been totally surprised by Kuala Lumpur. To be honest, we thought it would be similar to Vietnam - basically a poorer country - nothing could be further from the truth! Malaysia is a wealthy & progressive country.
    We were met by our guide, Karthi at 0830 and he took us on a marvelous tour of KL until 1600 hrs.
    Our first stop was Batu Caves where we ascended 270 steps to reach the cave. Along the way we were cautiously fascinated by scavenger monkeys. They can, apparently, be quite aggressive if you have food or water.
    We visited a number of other sites of interest, with Karthi telling us exactly how long we could stay - usually 15 - 30 minutes max. We saw hand painted batik, a memorial for martyrs of wars, English architecture when the English ruled Malaysia, Petaling Street markets, the National Mosque and the amazing Petronas Twin Towers.
    We decided to go for a swim on the roof top pool - level 56. There is a restaurant with outdoor tables looking straight at Petronas Towers. We've booked a table for 7 pm!
    So that's our very enjoyable and busy day so far.
    The next section are interesting facts we have learnt about this lovely country. Stop reading now if facts and figures bore you!
    Patronas towers took 7 years to build and was opened in 1999. One tower was built by the Japanese and the other by the South Koreans - costing 1.6 billion USD.
    There are 33 million people in Malaysia with 8 million living in KL.
    In 1957 Malaysia became an independent nation of 14 states.
    Kings hold office for 5 years as do the Government.
    The monsoon season is from November until February with heavy downpours every day.
    Health is free in Malaysia and there are very cheap rental accommodations for families - 3 bedroom apartments cost 150 ringgets per month - approx $60 AUD! We cannot believe how inexpensive everything is in KL. Our meal last night was equivalent to $8 AUD each.
    Malaysia's wealth comes from
    Petroleum, palm oil and charcoal from mangrove trees (sold to Japan). For every tree cut down they plant a new tree which takes 30 years to mature.
    There are 226 acres of botanical gardens in KL making this a very green, lush city.
    Did you make it through? Well done!!    Læs mere

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  • Kerrie PalamountainJapan via Kuala LumpurRejsende
    2
    2See, it does all fit!1Meeting up with Ollie Stone2We all loved our green frog cakes!1Our hotel apartment4Petronas Towers from our Hotel apartment21Petronas Towers by night8

    Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur

    5. september, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Greetings from beautiful Kuala Lumpur! But let's first welcome you to our Japan & Kuala Lumpur FindPenguins blog! We hope you enjoy journeying with us over the next 4.5 weeks, even if it is every now and then.
    We left Encounter Bay yesterday morning, fortunate to be able to get a lift to the airport with Shirl & Greg Hefferan who were flying to Vanuatu via Brisbane.
    As we entered Adelaide Airport we heard our names being called by Ollie Stone, who is the son of our friends, Deb & Rob Stone from Loxton. We ended up bumping into Ollie on 3 occasions - he works at Adelaide Airport!
    We enjoyed a coffee and green frog 🐸 cake each before saying goodbye to the Hefferans.
    We then spent the day in Adelaide and saw the film "Kangaroo Island" - a very good Aussie film which will put KI on the world wide tourist map.
    We had an uncomfortable night in the Atura Hotel at the airport, however, it was good to be there early to check this morning.
    An 8 hour flight saw us arrive at Kuala Lumpur airport and, with lots of help, found our luggage and pick up point for our private transport to our fabulous accommodation right in the centre of KL - opposite Petronas Twin Towers. This city is spectacular at night. We are at a curry restaurant not far from Ascott Hotel. We have 3 nights in KL before flying to Japan.
    The weather is, apparently, mid 30's during the day with balmy nights - a huge change from SA!    Læs mere

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    6. september 2025
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