Nagoro Scarecrow
17/05/2023 / Last updated : 21/05/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Oku-Iya, Ochiai Village and Nagoro Scarecrow Village　　奥祖谷

March 28th. Tuesday Very reasonable night at  Michi no eki Musasabi no sato. but very cold as we are at some elevation. The facilities are reasonable. Fresh flowers! It is busy in the morning and the parking is close to the road, but the road is quiet during the night. We leave and take the road towards the famous vine bridge in the Iya valley. This place is very popular with foreign tourists for some reason. We do not view the bridge but press on, on Route 439 towards Mt. Tsurugi. This narrow and tortuous road we follow basically all day. Ochiai Village Observatory　　落合集落展望所 First, we stop at michi no […]
Minokoshi coast
17/05/2023 / Last updated : 21/05/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Tatsukushi and Minokoshi Coast, weird rocks and coral sea.　　竜串

March 27th. Monday Ohtsuki michi no eki and Kashiwa Jima Michi no eki Ohtsuki comes alive in the morning. The market is opening, and people seem to be seeking information from the appropriate office. The facilities are small but functional. Leaving Ohtsuki, we make for Kashiwa Jima. This turns out to be a pleasant enough drive, but I noted nothing of particular interest in Kashiwa Jima itself. It is a spot popular with divers because of very clear water, (water so clear boats appear to be floating in the air), and variety of fish. There are clearly a number of dive tour boats in the harbour plus dive school B […]
10/05/2023 / Last updated : 16/05/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Yusumizugaura and Sotodomari, stone wall scenery in Ehime　遊子水荷浦、外泊

2023 spring trip. March 25th. & 26th. Houyo Strait　　豊予海峡 From Saganoseki, Kyushu to Misaki Port, Shikoku by Kokudo Kyushi ferry. This is a 70-minute, drive on/drive off, trip across the Houyo Strait. This strait is famous for its strong current and the resulting delicious fish. The current I can vouch for, the changes in the surface of the sea are very apparent. The fish, not so much. Once in Shikoku, we head for Tsushima Yasuragi no Sato for the night. This michi no eki is good on this very wet night, being flat and with a covered walkway to approach the facilities. But the bath and the restaurant have closed […]
Mt. Kamegamori
19/03/2023 / Last updated : 04/05/2026 d.d Hiking / Walking

Climbing Mt. Kamegamori at UFO line　瓶ヶ森

Oct. 31st. 2022,       (Nov. 11th. 2025 revisited) Michi no eki Konoka is excellent for an overnight stay. It has a restaurant that closes at 8pm as does the onsen. The onsen is very good, but I have no experience of the restaurant. I suspect river fish high on the menu as this is a fishing spot. UFO Line It is also close to the entrance to the UFO line, just before the Kanpuzan tunnel on R.194. We have driven this road before but only in thick fog, so we are here for the views. D. has checked the weather forecast and planned to be here on this day. […]
Takaya jinjya
18/03/2023 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Zenigata Sunae and Takaya Jinja, Torii in the sky　銭形砂絵、高屋神社

Oct. 30th. 2022, In the event, Genpei no Sato Mure was no problem but has little to recommend it. On a weekday it is probably reasonable enough but it’s busy at weekends. Zenigata Sunae On leaving, we take a long drive to Kannonji to see Zenigata Sunae. From Kotohiki Park the final stretch is up a steep narrow road that is thankfully one-way traffic. At the top, is a small car park and a viewing point of a sand sculpture. This is large and can be seen clearly from the top of the hill. Back from the strip of sand beach, in a clearing in the pine trees, is a […]
15/03/2023 / Last updated : 17/04/2026 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Shodoshima, Hoshoin and Hishio no Sato　　醤の郷

Oct. 29th. 2022 & Nov.2025 Osaka Castle Memorial Stones Commemorative Plaza. Osaka Castle Memorial Stones Commemorative Plaza michi no eki provides a restful night. Morning brings the excitement of a lone monkey wandering across the empty car park and along the front of the not yet open michi no eki buildings. A little later, small children with grandparents arrive to wait for the school bus. Here there is a remnant of an earlier Triennale festival. Castle stones with plaques of an esoteric nature entitled “Dynamite Traverse Variations”. These depict the trajectory of shock waves from dynamite blasts traveling through rock, I think. Pulling out we make for Sakate Port, as […]
Place for Sea Dreamers
15/03/2023 / Last updated : 15/04/2026 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Teshima, Art from the spooky to the kitsch　　　　豊島

Oct. 28th. 2022 The Olive Park michi no eki lowest car park has to have a reappraisal. Arriving in the dark it seems a dismal, melancholy place but in the morning sunshine it is airy and right on a pleasant beach. The toilets though old and dilapidated were at least functional on this return visit. Start from Ieura port Today, we head to Tonosho Port to take the ferry to Teshima. We plan to cycle around, viewing the Triennale Artworks. Consequently, we take the ferry to Ieura as there are more bicycle rental places there. In the event, there were no bicycles to be had. All had been pre-booked, so […]
12/03/2023 / Last updated : 17/04/2026 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Kanka-kei and Kasaneiwa　　寒霞渓、重岩

Oct. 27th. 2022,　& Nov. 2025 Michi no eki Osakajo Zanseki Kinenkoen Michi no eki Osakajo Zanseki Kinenkoen (Osaka Castle Memorial Stones Commemorative Plaza) turns out to be an excellent place to stay. It is flat, quiet and with clean, modern facilities. The staff were also friendly. It has a small museum with explanations concerning the stone quarries in this area that provided stone for the repair of Osaka Castle about 400 years ago. The michi no eki is decorated with unused stones from the project. Known as the unlucky stones. There is a display of local festival figures – lucky gods, dragons that sort of thing. Left over from a […]