08/03/2023 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Asuka, temples and Cosmos flowers　　飛鳥

Oct. 24th. 25th. 2022, Michi no eki Kudoyama is very good with easy access to Koya san. This, of course, means it will be very busy at weekends. From the michi no eki, we set off for Nara and, prosaically, a coin laundry. Okadera temple In the afternoon we visit Okadera, founded about 1300 years ago. More recently, an enterprising person has set up a car park on the approach to the temple. When we arrive, we assume this is the temple car park, usually free, and are surprised to be charged 500 yen. Walking up to the temple proper, we see a notice informing us that the car park […]

20/11/2022 / Last updated : 16/02/2023 d.d Hokkaido region

Ferry to Hokkaido and Lake Shikotsu

September ’22 Set off for a night drive on the Chugoku Expressway. What a wonderful road this is, winding and rolling through the countryside with rarely another vehicle in sight on either carriageway. Stopped for the night at Tsutsuga, a deserted parking area. Pristine Nexco toilets with decorative chilly plants and small green frogs on the walls and in the wash basins. Ferry to Hokkaido Next morning the drive continues to Tsuruga. The Shin Nihonkai ferry to Tomakomai in Hokkaido leaves at a few minutes to midnight. This ferry is really a freight ferry. There are an awful lot of trucks and passengers something of an afterthought. The boarding is […]

26/06/2022 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Shimokita Peninsula Coast Road and Ferry to Hokkaido　下北半島から北海道へ

June 2019 Yokohama michi no eki was busy from dawn. From first light people were gathering and by 7am two busloads of baseball teams were overwhelming the facilities. Mutsu Bay Coast Road to Hotokegaura and Ooma We have to catch a ferry from Ooma at 1:00 pm so this gives us enough time to take the coast road (R.338) via Wakinosawa and Hotokegaura. This road has a bad reputation and most people avoid it. This seems to me overcautious as almost all the way to Hotokegaura it is two-way traffic. It even has a centre line, so it is merely, bendy. Initially, this route passes a natural harbour formed by […]

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 […]

30/07/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

The UFO Line-scenic drivecourse　　UFOライン

October 2019, Beppu-wan SA Woke in Beppu-wan SA (Oita-do highway) after a cold and very windy night, and a drive from Fukuoka. This service area is on the top of the hill overlooking Beppu near the APU campus. I once met an APU student, from Singapore, whose first words in Japanese were “Kaze ga tsuyoi desu ne” The wind is strong, isn’t it? If you spend time around APU you will understand this. Nevertheless, from a shachuhaku point of view Beppu-wan SA is a good place to stay,. It is busy early on a Sunday night but ultimately quiet. There is a viewing mound, or grassy knoll, with a view […]

16/02/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Ura Bandai, Nihon Kitsune　裏磐梯

June 2019, Ferry to Sendai After a smooth night on the Taiheiyo ferry we arrive in Sendai at 10am. We carried our food and beverages (Thank you Seicomart) but this ferry line, I think, offers a better food selection than the Maizuru line. There is boiling water and a microwave available if you want to avoid the pricey restaurants. Shichikashuku and Tsuchiyu michi no eki Once off the ferry, we make for Shichikashuku on Route 113. This is a pleasant enough michi no eki, but it is not exactly on the dam lake as we were expecting. There is an adjoining park plus a park golf course and at the […]

24/01/2020 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Lake Kushu Course in Rebun　久種湖

June 2019, Wake, a little stiff from yesterday’s hike, on the cold, grey morning we leave Rebun Island. We must catch a bus at noon, in front of our hotel, in order to make the 1.25 pm. ferry that goes by way of Rishiri. The morning, is ours to fill. Kushuko Hiking Course Consequently, we opt to walk around Lake Kushu, the Kushuko Course (4.2km). This walk is very gentle and, as it follows the lake closely, has no inclines to test your aching limbs. It is a pleasant, if unremarkable walk, following a mown grass trail along the lakeside and through an area of marsh and reeds. This section […]