09/01/2021 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Chimachibou to Ikitsuki Island　乳待房、生月島

November. 2020 Yamabushi The middle of a pandemic, despite the government’s urging “Go To Travel” is not the ideal time to set out on a trip. The government’s campaign may be an economic success in the short term but, perhaps, also a super spreader event. Shachuhaku, we reason, is different in that you can almost completely isolate yourself traveling in your own bubble. So we set off on a short trip to explore Chimachibou. This is a small but rugged mountain in Saga Prefecture. It features perpendicular crags – like those in Chinese sumi-e paintings – that are much sought after by Yamabushi. This religious sect venerate mountains and favour […]

02/01/2021 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Nanatsugama Quasi National Park and Yobuko 七ツ釜、呼子

November. 2020 An extraordinarily hot day for November. Due to the Corvid 19 pandemic, long trips seem indulgent and reckless, so we take a day trip to Nanatsugama Quasi National Park and Yobuko. From Fukuoka, we take the coast road R.202 to Karatsu. This road used to be narrow and very busy but, due to the toll road highway (Free in this area), the coast road has become far less frequented. It has also been improved so less heart-stopping but still satisfyingly winding. There are also good views of the sea for considerable parts of the way. Niji-no-matsubara　虹の松原 This road also passes through Niji-no-matsubara an area of pine trees planted […]

28/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Kura River canoeing, Iriomote Island クーラ川、西表島

Jan. 2020 Breakfast at 8, again heavy on fish but it is fine. After breakfast, those who are going canoeing assemble at 9. The sky is overcast but it is not raining. The young lady, who doubles as a waitress, drives us a couple of kilometers to the canoeing spot. I was surprised that we had to climb over a fence and scramble down a bank into the mangroves in order to reach the stashed canoes. Canoe Trip on Kura river There are only two other people for this jaunt, but the young lady has, unfortunately, brought one set too few paddles. D. and I therefore have a double canoe […]

24/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Urauchi River Cruise and Hiking, Iriomote island　浦内川クルーズ、西表島

Jan. 2020 Up around 7 am and start the day with a quick convenience store breakfast in our hotel room. This is a concrete box, even on the inside. Taking the ferry to Iriomote island After checking out, we walk to the ferry terminal to take the ferry to Uehara on Iriomote Island. However, as we had been warned, due to inclement weather the ferry to Uehara is not running. The route of the Uehara ferry is outside the shelter of the islands, so the sea is too rough when the wind is from the north, especially in winter. Passengers for this ferry are then, routinely, transferred to the Ohara […]

22/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Taketomi island, snorkeling and cycling　竹富島

Jan. 2020 Up at 7 am on snorkeling day. A quick, convenience store sandwich breakfast as the diving school guy is picking us up at 8, outside our hotel. At the port, we find there are only two other people on this trip. They are planning to dive whilst we are only going to snorkel. We set off and, surprisingly far from the shore, we finish pushing into our wet suits and take to the water. Snorkeling This is my, indeed our, first experience of wet suits and it was colder than I had anticipated. Not seriously uncomfortable but a periodic shock as a wave sloshed down my neck and […]

17/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Ishigaki island, glass bottomed boat trip 石垣島

Jan. 2020 We have the complimentary breakfast. D enjoys this and says I shouldn’t complain as it is free. She is right, of course, but I can’t really enjoy miso soup in the morning, free or not. Pottery Street 　壺屋やちむん通り We have some time to fill before our flight to Ishigaki-jima. Not enough to do very much, but too much to ignore. We opt to wander, with laden rucksacks, and visit the pottery street ‘Tsuboya Yachimun Street’. This is, obviously, located not far from where we were staying. The street is cobblestones with old shops and houses, good for wandering. It is still too early for most of the shops, […]

08/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Bise, Kouri Island and Manzamo 備瀬、古宇利島、万座毛

Jan.2020 Very comfortable night in our accommodation on Sesoko. I told D. the foam mattress was a “True Sleeper”, but she did not believe me. After our complimentary breakfast coffee, we set off to walk on the famous Sesoko island beach nearby. Sadly, access was denied as construction of a huge hotel had taken over the entire area. So, we visited the only other beach on this island which turned out to be a poor affair under the bridge that links it to the mainland. We made use of it for a U-turn and set off for Bise. Bise Bise is a very old settlement, laid out on a grid […]

29/11/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Ikei Beach and Cape Hedo 伊計ビーチ、辺戸岬

Jan. 2020 We pick up a rental car at Louis Vuitton, or at least the large store housing LV and a host of other luxury brands. Being unaccustomed to entering such places, we could not find the rental car office. We wandered around outside this large, imposing building never dreaming the rental car counter would be inside. Ikei Beach First, we drive out of Naha and on to Ikei-jima to visit Ikei Beach. We take the Kaichu-doro by Kin-wan (bay) which is an interesting route. We cross two islands to Ikei-jima which is quiet island mostly given over to sugar cane. Ikei beach, I would suggest, is best avoided. It […]