Japan

And off the beaten track first time exploration of a completely new to me culture. もっと詳しく

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旅行の開始
2024年3月11日
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日1
2024年3月11日月曜日 22:43
☁️ 10 °C
海抜: 24 m
日本 Dōbutsuen-mae-eki 34.648356, 135.50429634°38’54” N 135°30’15” E
The long flight to Japan
2024年3月11日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
I sneak out of the hotel room early but Oliver and Jill were awake and I get to say goodbye again.

The flight is uneventful and I reach Japan where I am a bit bewildered trying find the sim card office. I had prepared enough that in the end I managed to find the hostel.
Japan is really well organized and luckily uses English for travelers in the big cities.

I'm pretty tired but I'm focused on trading and I stay up long enough to get my review done and my trades in.

The hostel is super basic and there are a few young kids from various nationalities there. But I'm too tired to engage in conversation and it's off to bed.もっと詳しく
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日2
2024年3月12日火曜日 10:42
🌧 9 °C
海抜: 32 m
日本 Tanimachi Yon-chōme-eki 34.682806, 135.52039934°40’58” N 135°31’13” E
1
Osaka rain day
2024年3月12日, 日本 ⋅ 🌧 9 °C
I know it's raining all day so the plan is to find an interesting museum.

I am trying the area around the Osaka castle. I take the metro with a day card so I can go anywhere all day without walking too much. I run into the history museum but they are closed on Tuesday, pity that would have been a perfect start for the first day in Japan.

I'm on my second cup of coffee staring out at nice architecture and the castle in the park, drenched by unrelenting rain. I'm dry. I'm happy and I'll read up on some Japanese history on my phone.

I'll walk to the castle in a bit. Then I might try another inside attraction. Meanwhile I get into a nice traveler conversation with Tino from Italy who is a contemporary in the restaurant business traveling all over the world living from city to city doing his consulting. He's in Japan for a month just traveling around unbound by any kind of schedule.

I walk to the downtown waterfront and find a small Japanese locals restaurant where I have udong noodles with seaweed. Then I go to the famous Osaka shopping street, It's enormous, many city blocks with covered pedestrian streets to avoid the rain. It seems the entire city has descended into the street to hang around the shops and the food vendors. I have some Takoyaki octopus dumplings. Delicious.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Un biel casin
2024/04/16返信する翻訳する
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日3
2024年3月13日水曜日 19:52
🌙 6 °C
海抜: 10 m
日本 Toga Gawa 34.705681, 135.23476134°42’20” N 135°14’5” E
To Tokushima
2024年3月13日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
I tried to make a bus reservation online but it was not really possible, however I did figure out the bus route. As a result I was able to find the closest station to board the bus. It was a very nice Osaka neighborhood walk to the station. The Japanese place a decibel meter by construction sites so the public can monitor how loud the work is.

I'm finding lots of healthy food choices available even in the 7/11s which are everywhere in the city. The warmth in the bus makes me very happy after yesterday's cold. I didn't realize how much this matters.

Fukoshima is a very approachable small city and the have a "Vie de France" pastry shop that is to die for. I'm in trouble for sure. As a Henro I am presented with free entry to the Awaodori dance performance. I feel so good again to be on the road with just a backpack. It's the ultimate freedom and felicity.

The tram takes me to the top of mount Bizan from where you can survey the entire conglomeration below. I walk back down the mountain to check into the hostel. In the elevator I meet other pilgrims who have done the first 4 days and are back in town, as the trail comes somewhat near here and it is apparently not uncommon to take public transportation from the trail to a hotel or hostel and back to the trail in the morning.

They invite me along to an Onsen hot bath and dinner. A fun time where I mostly hear their stories of the trail but not much introspective conversation. It's not the Camino.

Because of the pandemic many lodgings closed and now on the rebound there are more pilgrims than before and reservations must be made well in advance. I had my first three nights reserved but not beyond and this hostel is already full for tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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日4
2024年3月14日木曜日 8:50
☁️ 9 °C
海抜: 7 m
日本 Akui Gawa 34.103471, 134.52514534°6’12” N 134°31’31” E
Good foot work - good life
2024年3月14日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
That's what the bill board said, how appropriate. The downtown train brings me to the first temple on the other side of the wide flat industrialized valley. I ride with Agnes, a French lady who has all her accommodations lined up for the entire walk. She gives me a link to a geo-referenced map of the 88 temple trail. It's very handy and prevents getting lost in the woods, which the group I meet yesterday managed to do a couple of times.

I'm just visiting three temples today. We speak French and I keep her company on and off as we're on the same schedule. The temples reflect many centuries of Japanese culture. There is a Japanese group that follows the ritual and chants beautifully. I observe their energy, it's uplifting the spirit. As I do this I connect with the universal power again.

Agnes is a caretaker for a couple who are 101 and 95 years old every morning the man leans over to his wife and gives her a kiss on the mouth to show her his love and we believe that that is part of his longevity.

I get to meet the man who wrote the guidebook that everybody uses. David is telling me a few things as he is guiding a Canadian couple from Temple 1 to 4.

Agnes is having a hard time and needs to take a bus to the fourth temple, I'm afraid that she won't be able to stay on her detailed schedule without a lot of public transportation. I find the bus stop for her and we part ways.

I walk in the park down town and receive a recommendation to go see the Sakura, cherry blossoms, by the river. I go to the Awaodori dance performance which is mesmerizing in it's simple elegant movements.

The rest of the evening is spent on a jet lag nap and obtaining lodgings for the next few days. This is going to be a rather tricky situation, I might get caught out which won't be good considering how cold it is over night. The climate of Japan is a lot like that if northern Europe.もっと詳しく
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日5
2024年3月15日金曜日 5:11
🌙 5 °C
海抜: 12 m
日本 Nishishinmachi 34.070565, 134.55174334°4’14” N 134°33’6” E
Temples 4 to 10
2024年3月15日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 5 °C
Up too early but did some more lodging research. Prachantam from Portugal and Antar from Ukraine, who are both advanced yogis were also up and we rode the train together. Prachantam told interesting travel stories, he lived here for 2 years and first came to Japan in 1974.

I start at temple 3 and I do a good job sauntering about. I manage to stand still look around and take pictures. I also managed to get off the track and find other places.

There was absolutely nobody on the trail and frankly the trail just ran through subdivisions so one might say it was not interesting but I was just happy to be and it didn't bother me at all, so maybe I'm making progress in finding inner peace.

At the last temple there were seven older ladies who had tables set up and provided coffee and plum paste dumplings. They were quite the animated group. Since I don't know Japanese I said Awaodori, the name of the dance, to break the ice and they were laughing and giggling and brought up the music and they were dancing. It was a good time.

Overall I did 33 km in about 11 hours, not a great average but considering that I purely enjoyed the day and the weather was impeccable.もっと詳しく
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日6
2024年3月16日土曜日 7:48
☀️ 9 °C
海抜: 19 m
日本 Kamojimachō-jōgejima 34.083436, 134.34736934°5’0” N 134°20’51” E
Climbing to temple 12
2024年3月16日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
Today is a little tricky because of the lodging situation. I check out and get on the road early walking over to the youth hostel for tonight. I dropped my bag there and I managed to also check in. So I'm all set and I hike with a light pack.

I set off through a few fields to Temple 11 from where the path goes up steeply to Temple 12. It is around 4500 total vertical so it's quite the workout which I welcome. I run into Ed from London again.

On the way down from Temple 12 I meet a couple of younger Japanese folks that knew a little English and it turned out that was very fortunate as we ended up taking the bus together from Kamiyama to Tokushima. Satochi
runs a small food truck, he is an amicable older man with a story that he displays via a QR code. He has had his financial tribulations and it's working of 11 million yen debt with his food truck. He has a good spirit.

Getting a train ticket usually goes well. But at this small station I couldn't quite make out what do, so I showed a picture of where I want to go to two teenage girls to help me. They were very lovely and giggling, they wanted a picture with me and they also did the funny face waving thing Oliver does with his phone. Across the world teenagers are the same and connected.

Two long days hiking and one small blister, Fantastic hike today through the woods, brilliant weather,もっと詳しく
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日7
2024年3月17日日曜日 8:40
☁️ 13 °C
海抜: 17 m
日本 Kamojimachō-jōgejima 34.07996, 134.3493134°4’48” N 134°20’58” E
Sunday rest day
2024年3月17日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
After just 3 days of walking it seems a little early to take a rest day but I actually need it.

I have a chance to download Shogun the book and start in on it and I have some homework that I brought along on my tablet so it'll be very productive and I can get the next lodgings figured out.

I just can't be all business, on the way to the station I run into this Sunday morning market in this little town Kamojima where I'm staying and they're playing some nice jazz that just morphed into Japanese jazz, it's excellent. They have some food trucks out and people are mulling about, there will be some live music later. It's the twist in the road that brings you to the unexpected surprise. The local sushi is melt in your mouth good.

I board the train and end up at Vie de France again. I spend some time there researching the great nature parks in Japan. Once at the hostel I take my old man nap, har. Agnes is here and Ina too, this hostel is the hub for Henro. I had found a great lively restaurant close by and decide to return there. I had a super great time with the locals.もっと詳しく
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日8
2024年3月18日月曜日 20:05
🌙 7 °C
海抜: 22 m
日本 Tatsuechō 33.961725, 134.58672433°57’42” N 134°35’12” E
Temples 20 21 and 22
2024年3月18日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 7 °C
I'm going to skip walking through the city and dash on the bus to the trail that leads to Temple 20. Agnes had figured that one out and I'm tagging along for the ride. Unfortunately we have different speeds hiking so we walk together in the beginning but then Fredric a French guy caught up with us and I walk with him and say goodbye to Agnes. Fredric is wheezing so I end up dashing off.

It is a good climbing day today through the woods on super nice trails. The clouds disappear, the sun comes out, it never really gets warm but it is a glorious day. I run into Christian from Denmark and we are the same speed so we walk to Temple 21 which is an absolutely amazing place with tons of great energy, very large cedar trees and a very well laid out temple. If you could only visit one temple this would be the one.

Our conversations flow naturally and reach some depth which is really refreshing, he has been studying Japan for a long time. This is a dream for him to be here.

We dash off to Temple 22 but we take the longer route of two possibles so we do a little extra work. Christian goes to his hostel and I go to the train station and get saved by a Lawson convenience store where I get some food and drink for the train ride. I'm trying to get back to the place I booked for tonight.

My Japanese hosts are very nice but I think they forgot to give me the control for the heater. So I'm absolutely freezing inside and I go down to the kitchen and figure out the Japanese remote and turn the heat on in my room. Japan is a very wet country and it doesn't take much to feel cold, for me at least.もっと詳しく
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日10
2024年3月20日水曜日 13:50
🌬 10 °C
海抜: 7 m
日本 Hiwasa Gawa 33.7323, 134.5321933°43’56” N 134°31’56” E
Hiwasa rest day
2024年3月20日, 日本 ⋅ 🌬 10 °C
I walk down the coastal road to the hole in the rock. A small path leads all the way down to the water. It's sunny and much warmer, at least it feels that way. I enjoy that moment. The Onsen last night was great and I meditated. I'm relaxed.

Back in town I visit the next temple, number 23. It's peaceful. It starts raining. It is solo all the way today. A cup of miso soup warms me up. I leave my bag at the hostel and I'm on my way to the public Onsen. Time to get warm again.

I check in to Ichi hostel and I recognize this pair of boots. It's Agnes again. So we're comparing notes and photos and we'll go out to dinner again. Just the short walk is so windy and nasty we arrive stone cold. They have no room for us, Agnes la Francaise, raises a minor stink and they figure out that she is very hungry and they make space in a corner. Then we are served a fantastic meal.

I have my plans set all the way to Kochi. One night so far, but there is a lot there and I could stay a second night.もっと詳しく
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日11
2024年3月21日木曜日 18:06
☀️ 7 °C
海抜: 9 m
日本 Asakawa Wan 33.640378, 134.38095133°38’25” N 134°22’51” E
Coastal road walk
2024年3月21日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
I had breakfast of savory dishes that I bought the day before at the market down the street. Agnes and a Japanese traveler were having a conversation. I started out just after 9 and arrived at 5, but it was supposed to be a sub 6 hour walk. The pack felt heavier than I was happy with and once at the hostel I did a triage. Maybe I can go to my day pack with further minimalized gear. I bet I can lose 2kg. Then I'll leave the rest at a storage place.
Today I met the Australian named Nick, who I had passed on the downhill between 20 and 21. He is married to a Japanese woman, Takara. He is a trove of information on Japan so the conversation was worth walking slowly for. It was relaxing.

The hostel provided me with a private room with a full view of the bay. It's quiet, I have some leftover Mizo to cook with cabbage. I'm still listening to Shogun.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Uncle Woully, I just left you a different message on find penguins, did you get it? We are tracking your adventures from here in Arizona! Also checking WhatsApp.
2024/03/25返信する翻訳する
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日12
2024年3月22日金曜日 19:48
⛅ 9 °C
海抜: 11 m
日本 Shōfutatsu Bae 33.257659, 134.18099933°15’28” N 134°10’52” E
To cape Muroto
2024年3月22日, 日本 ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
The day starts with a sunrise over the bay that I share with four young Japanese with big cameras.

I walk as far as I feel like along the coast and off the beaten path through a fishing port and over dirt paths and hills.

I find a super market and then a nice little cafe before I climb aboard a bus and it scurries through very narrow streets in the backwaters of the main road. Perfect, I get to see a lot.

I need to change buses and get to talk with a 73 years old Japanese man who knows ten English words. We do get some good laughs from the translator on my phone which is hilariously inaccurate. He is 6 hours from home by car traveling by himself.

I get off the bus early and walk the rest on this beautiful day along and on top of the Tsunami wall overlooking the Pacific. I leave my pack at the hotel and head out towards temple 24. It is very quiet in what I thought was a busy tourist area. I stay on top by the lighthouse to catch the sunset. Then I take another Onsen and retire.もっと詳しく
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日13
2024年3月23日土曜日 16:33
☁️ 19 °C
海抜: 5 m
日本 Nahari-eki 33.424717, 134.01812133°25’29” N 134°1’5” E
1
To Kochi
2024年3月23日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
As I walk out of the hotel there is a drizzling rain and the Japanese couple points it out to me. I smile and indicate I'm walking. The rain soon subsides and gets replaced by a nice ray of sunshine and I find a small path by the ocean through volcanic formations that the waves are crashing on. As I walk further along the coast I find more of those kinds of places and they're pretty impressive in terms of geology. A hidden temple in a cave is a great off the path surprise. The folded lava that erupted 1.4 million years ago at 4000 meters under the sea makes interesting shapes. It has been lifted by the tectonic plate shift. The wind is blowing pretty good and the waves make for lively scenery as I walk along the coast.

At the Sadamaru burger joint I meet up again with Christian and a Danish couple who have 7k left to walk. I reach my goal for today in Kiragawa and photograph the old street.

I'm now a bus and a train away from my hostel in Kochi that I booked for 2 nights. It started raining just as a boarded the train so I'm quite happy to be inside and on my way to the big city and I hope there is some action and fun stuff to do around there.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Tsunami shelter
2024/03/23返信する翻訳する
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日14
2024年3月24日日曜日 7:55
🌧 14 °C
海抜: 19 m
日本 Horizume-eki 33.561466, 133.54059333°33’41” N 133°32’26” E
Kochi's old and new
2024年3月24日, 日本 ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
It's a rain day in the city. I have the hostel for two nights, no need to move. I got lucky to be in the city, the Danes are walking in the rain to get to the next hostel.

I visit the Sunday market that has been going for over 300 years, it is located along a palm lined road 1.3 km long. Even in this persistent rain there are quite a few stalls open. I find locally made sushi and I know it's going to be fantastic so I buy some for breakfast.

I was going to visit the castle but I'm starting to get drenched. There is a castle history museum on the corner so I hide in there to dry up and get a glimpse of Kochi history. After a few hours the rain lets up and I venture into the castle. Interesting but sparse, there is no furniture. I'm trying to imagine the Daishi reigning from here.

Then I'm treated to an impromptu street party where the teenagers of the city have a stage to dance on and they are all dressed up in anime and other costumes. Great contrast to the old stiff times.もっと詳しく
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日15
2024年3月25日月曜日 9:26
☁️ 16 °C
海抜: 198 m
日本 Kubokawa 33.205373, 133.12218333°12’19” N 133°7’20” E
To Sukumo
2024年3月25日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
It's another rainy day and I find myself on the platform at Kochi station to take the train to Sukumo. Several Henro and a cyclists are escaping the rain as well by taking the train to move on to their next destination. It's drab out there, but the foggy mist envelops the hillsides as we ride through them and we skirt a little bit of the coastline. Plenty of small roads and paths that look very cyclable.

It's a 45 minutes walk to the hostel where I am going to base from for 3 days. I can be productive here. It's a solo affair though as the two other guests are Japanese and keep to themselves. We each have our own room.

I make a trip to the local supermarket which is extremely nice and has a wide array of delicious sushi, I can really get used to their food.もっと詳しく
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日16
2024年3月26日火曜日 12:41
🌬 18 °C
海抜: 9 m
日本 Kozukushi-kō 32.875548, 132.7245532°52’32” N 132°43’28” E
1
Bike it is
2024年3月26日, 日本 ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
I'm a local today. Staying put for a few days, already got used to the supermarket, weirdly feels homey to be here. Sitting at a desk in my room I can get some of my admin done while it is still nasty out. The sun breaks through and Grandma's bicycle - meant to go to the supermarket - is beckoning to take it on a bigger tour. The road along the peninsula looks great. There are tons of frogs in the rice paddy fields and the white egrets have easy picking for food. The wind is fierce and a hawk drops out of a flowering prune tree barely able to remain stable in flight. A cherry tree grows out of a cliff and the hillside is dotted with blooming trees, even wild Camelia. I run into a group of young cyclists from Taiwan touring in Shikoku on their road bikes. As they set off I ride after them, catch up and at the next stop we get to talk some more. Great to speak with a fun group.

The clouds come back in and I hit the market up for dinner. Take a quick break and head out again along the other coastal road. I'm getting a great workout in, biking is the way to travel. Should I buy one?

A day that could have been completely ho hum, nowhere near any tourist spot, turned out just excellent. I have to many pictures.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Note the wooden shoe, it says Holland all over it.
2024/03/26返信する翻訳する
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日17
2024年3月27日水曜日 18:42
🌩️ 12 °C
海抜: 22 m
日本 Chihiro Zaki 32.787676, 132.86459332°47’16” N 132°51’53” E
Brain, heart or intuition?
2024年3月27日, 日本 ⋅ 🌩️ 12 °C
My brain said; go to the cape, it's a sunny day and you'll be able to walk all around it and take in the views. My heart is rejoicing for the good weather and is happy to get out. Along the way my intuition spoke up and said; no get off the bus here this sounds like a great spot. So I did.

As it turns out I never made it to the cape and I didn't need to.

The shapes in the sedimentary sandstone turned on its side eroded by the sea we're just astounding.

I also visited and undersea portal built in 1972.

It was nice to be a tourist today.もっと詳しく
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日19
2024年3月29日金曜日 19:16
🌙 15 °C
海抜: 84 m
日本 Shinjō-zan 32.966288, 132.69306332°57’59” N 132°41’35” E
2
Back on the Henro
2024年3月29日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
Today I move on to my next lodging by walking a part of the Henro trail that goes through the woods. It's an overcast day with rain forecast for later on, which turns out to fall earlier.

Along the trail I meet Steve from Ottawa Canada and we walk together until Temple 40 having a nice general conversation.

Temple 40 is the furthest from Temple 1 geographically. So it makes it feel like this is the midpoint. I'm not doing all the temples and not all of the walking because most of it is through cities or busy roads. But it was nice after a break from the trail to get some 25K in.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Anne Shirley!
2024/04/02返信する翻訳する
旅行者You know this artist! Such a great picture.
2024/04/03返信する翻訳する
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日20
2024年3月30日土曜日 11:24
☁️ 20 °C
海抜: 8 m
日本 Iwamatsu 33.122223, 132.51738433°7’20” N 132°31’3” E
Spring is here
2024年3月30日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
I have two nights in Tsushima and it allows me to walk the 700m climb of this 15K Henro section with a very small backpack. It's sunny it's in the '70s spring is finally here and the trees are blooming all over the place. It's just a fantastic day to be alive and free to roam.

Thought I would run into Steve or Christine as I'm walking the Henro track backwards but they must have all taken the road down below by the coast. It turns out to be a solitary introspective day. I walked almost 30km. Two good days in a row I can definitely feel it.もっと詳しく
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日20
2024年3月30日土曜日 16:36
☁️ 20 °C
海抜: 8 m
日本 Kunomura-gawa 33.214862, 132.55715633°12’54” N 132°33’26” E
Nanrakuen Garden to Uwajima
2024年3月30日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
This is one of the quintessential Japanese gardens. Not the most famous one but definitely a beautiful example. I go early so I can leave my pack in the house. There is nobody in the gardens and I'm here all by myself, it feels strange, but I'm lucky that in such populated place as Japan I can have a solo experience of Sakura at its peak. Some of these cherry trees are over 200 years old.

In Uwajima I visit the castle and find even older cherry trees. I'm thinking of getting dinner rest in the park but it's Saturday and there is a kids performance on stage with food trucks all around. More fun to be had.

At the hostel I run into Christine from Denmark again and meet Benjamin from France. But astonishingly Agnes shows up again. I thought I was way ahead of her. Nice kitchen dinner conversation in French after the Onsen with lots of Japanese and Benjamin.もっと詳しく
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日21
2024年3月31日日曜日 5:39
🌙 12 °C
海抜: 113 m
日本 Kemegawa-chūōmachi 33.317493, 131.48092433°19’3” N 131°28’51” E
Ferry to Beppu
2024年3月31日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
I took the bus from Uwajima to Yawatahama and bought the ferry ticket. I met Leon from Germany, who also walked half of the Henro and is moving on to Kyushu. At the port was a speciality market which had unbelievable Japanese food items. The weather was also just perfect, sunny warm, that San Francisco Bay feeling, it was glorious. I'm excited to get on a ferry and be on the water and have a different mode of transportation.
In Beppu, Leon and I go to a food court of all places and I get to try out a restaurant-made Ramen dish. I end up walking all around the town and then hiking up by the side of a river where the Sakura are blooming. That evening I go soak in the Hyotan Onsen. Beppu is a city of steam vents. If you built a city on top of Yellowstone park you get the idea.もっと詳しく
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日23
2024年4月2日火曜日 12:36
☁️ 20 °C
海抜: 149 m
日本 Kemegawa-chūōmachi 33.315324, 131.47288333°18’55” N 131°28’22” E
Sakura are prime
2024年4月2日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Tosi my host confirms that there is a track up the 1300 meter mountain. So it's easy to get motivated on such a sunny day to get out and go conquer a peak eventhough I had promised myself to take a rest day.

At the base of the mountain is a set of cherry trees in the woods and they're absolutely prime and radiating. They emanate a fantastic aroma as I walk along them by myself, nobody here once again.

On the way back in the evening I find another place to soak and I'm getting used to this excellent way of exercising and relaxing.もっと詳しく
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日23
2024年4月2日火曜日 16:01
☁️ 20 °C
海抜: 346 m
日本 Kemegawa-chūōmachi 33.319686, 131.45383633°19’11” N 131°27’14” E
Onsen rest day
2024年4月2日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Ah, finally that rest day. Overcast, mellow, some time on my tablet while lounging on the tatami.

I found a remote outside Onsen that transported me back a hundred years or so, it was in a woodsy setting overlooking a hillside filled with blooming cherries. Sulphuric smelly hot and perfect. I came out fully relaxed.

One of the local delicacies is food smoked in the sulphur vapors. I had an egg and it's taste is smokey in a special way. I'll have to have the sweet potato and other vegetables as well. The Yunohana are the old thatched huts used to harness the medicinal qualities fe sulphuric vapors.

I haven't seen but a few western tourists, even in Beppu which is kind off on the tourist track. When I see a Westerner it feels strange.

I haven't figured out where I'm sleeping yet tomorrow. I might have to have a look and pick a direction. I wonder if it matters, go left, go right, go back or up ahead?

Tosi tells me that tonight they are going to burn the big grassy hillside that looks like a giant scar. Then in a few weeks it turns green with new grass.もっと詳しく
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日23
2024年4月2日火曜日 19:24
☁️ 18 °C
海抜: 154 m
日本 Kemegawa-chūōmachi 33.319275, 131.48167233°19’9” N 131°28’54” E
Mt. Ogi Fire Festival
2024年4月2日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
The Mt. Ogi Fire Festival was started in 1976 and signals the arrival of spring by offering to the hot spring gods, who are said to rest on Mt. Ogi during winter, the grass and flowers that will bloom after the mountain is set on fire. “Yamayaki” or mountain burning is actually a Japanese tradition that has been practiced since ancient times and, by getting rid of dead grass, it helps the flora to thrive.

Firewood were also set off and from the scale you can see how big that great area is. There is a big festival this weekend.

It's going to rain all day tomorrow so I'll say in a city. Japan's fifth largest. Fukuoka.もっと詳しく
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日24
2024年4月3日水曜日 19:17
🌧 18 °C
海抜: 28 m
日本 Tenjin-eki 33.589684, 130.39828433°35’23” N 130°23’54” E
To Fukuoka
2024年4月3日, 日本 ⋅ 🌧 18 °C
I failed to make a reservation for the 9:47 highway bus, but I got lucky that I was able to go on the 12:45. So I had some extra time in Beppu and figured I would get in another Onsen. I picked a very local tiny one. Just 100 yen voluntary donation in the box. Just as I enter there is another young man who also comes in. We end up having a 2-hour long conversation in broken English on very deep subjects of family life and meditation and we really reach a very constructive point for him as he is dealing with some family trouble and he went searching for answers. He lives in Fukuoka and invited me for dinner on Friday. This will be a treat and I will have to research how to prepare for a Japanese family visit. Tosi also showed up for a quick wash. All the people I know in Beppu in one room. So what is it with me missing the bus or the train I was supposed to be on? It's a theme!

Fukuoka station is The epitome of luxury as it is surrounded by stores the likes of Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Chopard van Cleef & Arpels etc etc etc. It's a shock to the system to see this lavish wealth when you come from the simplicity of the countryside. I had a nice dinner if dumplings in a restaurant with fish tanks where squid were freshly caught and sliced up into shashimi.もっと詳しく
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日25
2024年4月4日木曜日 14:14
☁️ 16 °C
海抜: 15 m
日本 Imaizumi 33.586534, 130.39749633°35’12” N 130°23’51” E
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Fukuoka meander
2024年4月4日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Did a nice tablet work session in the morning while the weather wasn't all that great outside. Then I went meandering through the city which is highly industrious, cosmopolitan, very rich and incredibly well organized and clean, but it doesn't exactly inspire any kind of special vibe. Every big brand that you know from the west is represented in this city with a storefront.

They do have a radio station that operates on the corner of a building just like they do in Tucson.

In some backstreets I found a variety of small food shops where the locals were hanging out. Around a corner one has a huge line, it's a hole in the wall and it has to be really good if the young crowd is willing to wait at least 20 minutes out on the windy street. In no time there were an additional 10 youngsters behind me. It must be famous. I think I'll have a double order. I'm the only old person and the only westerner in line. The explanation is that it has become famous on Instagram. Voila, their marketing is all online and the old people have no idea. Well, we don't anyway now do we?

I find out in my first bite why these dumplings merit such reknown. There is a delicious soup inside the dumpling. The technique is to bite off a small corner and drink/suck the soup out before eating the dumpling. It's insanely good!

I'm not going to miss a beat in this city, tonight I'm attending a blues duo performance. Oh well. My friends play much better than these two. Lol. I'm still having fun though.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 The donuts are out of the box!
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旅行者 Close enough for a shoe shop name
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