17/01/2025 / Last updated : 18/01/2025 d.d Hiking / Walking

Shimojo Ginko tree and Aso Oguni　下城の大銀杏と阿蘇小国

November 16th. 2024 Michi no eki Oguni　道の駅小国 Wake early in michi no eki Oguni. Very damp and misty morning, very warm too. We were too hot during the night. Michi no eki Oguni we have visited many times but this was the first time to overnight. The parking adjacent to the toilets is limited for such a popular spot. Most of it given over to spaces for large vehicles. However we note an increase in the number of camper vans, especially the oversized ones. The toilets are modern and clean, though rather too small for the amount of traffic. No rubbish bins are provided except for cans and pet bottles. […]

29/09/2024 / Last updated : 29/09/2024 d.d Hiking / Walking

Chomonkyo　長門峡

April 17th. 2024 Michi no eki Ganjoju Onsen lives up to its promise. There are only 4 overnight vehicles. The morning is wreathed in mist and a moth that I photographed a year earlier on the toilet wall because it was so large and beautiful (the moth not the toilet) was still there. Well, one of the same species in much the same place. Chomonkyo After leaving the michi no eki, we drive about 40 minutes to Chomonkyo/gorge. The latter stages of this drive is along a narrow and I mean narrow (prefecture road 310). In the unlikely event that you read a lot of these pages, you will be […]

27/09/2024 / Last updated : 27/09/2024 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Tomonoura, setting for Ponyo　鞆の浦

April 16th. 2024 Our Fukuyama izakaya, both of them, sadly proved to be a disappointment. The hotel, Vessel Inn, was unexpectedly excellent from a cost/performance standpoint. We had a view of the Illuminated Fukuyama castle from our window. The buffet breakfast was from D’s Japanese perspective very good and from the continental side OK. Tomonoura We set off for Tomonoura. This very old coastal town has a long history but came to unexpected prominence more recently as Miyazaki Hayao stayed here for a period while developing his Studio Ghibli movie Ponyo. This has placed it on the more general tourist itinerary, but Japanese history buffs are more interested in its […]

24/09/2024 / Last updated : 24/09/2024 d.d Temple / Shrine

Kibitsu Jinja & Korakuen Garden　吉備津神社、後楽園

April 15th. 2024 Michi no eki Kayo is reliable for a quiet night but the facilities are limited. It does provide rubbish bins. It is not a bad place though undermaintained. Kibitsu Jinja From the michi no eki we set off for Kibitsu Jinja (shrine). This is reputed to hold the second largest, wooden, shrine building in Japan. Only Yasaka Jinja in Kyoto is larger. Not just large, it is more interesting than the average shrine. The shrine is dedicated to Kibitsuhiko, who fought and defeated Ura who, myth suggests, was terrorizing the local people. Ura was considered a demon or Oni so his castle was Onigajo (Kinojo). Kibitsuhiko is […]

18/09/2024 / Last updated : 18/09/2024 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Kinojo, the demon castle?　　鬼ノ城

April 14th. 2024 Michi no eki Muraoka Farm Garden Michi no eki Muraoka Farm Garden is a good place to stay and may be good place for the people want eat high quality beef ‘Tajima Beef’. It does, on first impression, look tacky, just an ill lit, run down yard but the facilities are in fact excellent, and it is generous in rubbish bin provision. It is dark. The weather may provide you with a splendid star bonus, but you have to watch your step. I also recommended you not park next to or behind the adjacent ramen shop as the kitchen duct blows into the car park. Daisen-ji to […]

15/09/2024 / Last updated : 15/09/2024 d.d Hokuriku region

Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins and Kumakawa juku　一乗谷朝倉氏遺跡、熊川宿

April 12th. 2024 Michi no eki Zen no Sato is ok for an overnight but not I imagine at weekends or high season. Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins Yesterday was geological time but today is more 17th Century Japan as we set off for Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins. This is a spot of great historical importance. The site was at one time an important town of some 10,000 inhabitants and the seat of the powerful Asakura warlords for 103 years from the mid 15th century. Though they was evidently not as powerful as Oda Nobunaga who laid the place to waste. All that remains are the foundation stones of numerous buildings […]

05/09/2024 / Last updated : 05/09/2024 d.d Hokuriku region

Dinosaur Day in Fukui　福井県勝山

April 11th. 2024 Michi no eki Katsuyama is a very practical spot for an overnight stay. The parking is flat and extensive. The facilities are very modern and clean and there are ample rubbish bins. Despite the dinosaur models, it is a characterless place, but it does have views of very distant, still snowy mountains. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum　福井県立恐竜博物館 We set off for the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. This is an excellent spot for dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages and for anyone with a remote interest in how life on Earth evolved over millennia. The museum has changed since our first visit in 2017. It has clearly become more popular. […]

26/08/2024 / Last updated : 26/08/2024 d.d Temple / Shrine

Gifu Daibutsu to Gujo Hachiman　岐阜大仏

April 10th. 2024 Michi no eki Fujihashi is recommended for an overnight stay at least on a weekday at this time of year. Others have experienced Bosozoku groups making a lot of noise on summer weekends. It has ample parking, good to excellent toilets and an onsen. Today we make our way to Gifu city. We plan to see the Bamboo Buddha. Last time we passed this way we did not find it and this time it was almost as elusive. Gifu Daibutsu Our navi. Steers us through one-way systems and directs us down very narrow two-way streets that have no right to such distinction. Eventually, we see the temple […]