2017 Japan

In 2017, my friends FunkyCat and Salmonella travel to the land of the rising sun. We spend two weeks in Japan exploring Tokyo, Okinawa, Miyazaki and Osaka.

Visiting Tokashiki and a Deserted Island

ByMinion-Chris October 24, 2017 0 Comments
Originally we had planned on visiting a few beaches today. However our AirBNB host had given some suggestions in the guidebook and one was jumping out at us. There was a recommendation for us to visit the Kerama Islands. These were a small set of Islands west of Okinawa and the prospect of snorkeling, diving and possibly visiting a "uninhabited" island was appealing to us. So after a bit of...

Miyazaki, Shrines & Lanterns!

ByMinion-Chris October 26, 2017 0 Comments
Leaving Okinawa We didn't have anything planned except that we needed to get the car back to the rental company at 2PM. With the morning to kill, we decided to visit a shopping centre. We were halfheartedly shopping since we knew there'd be opportunity to shop later on and didn't want to carry stuff with us for the rest of the trip! Though at the top of the shopping center, we did score a pretty...

Hiking around Takachiho Gorge

ByMinion-Chris October 31, 2017 8 Comments
Takachiho gorge It was time to leave Miyazaki and make our way to Takachiho Gorge. We left early because we wanted to arrive at the gorge before other tourists. Our AirBNB host had warned us that it was a holiday in Japan and that it may be busy at the Gorge. It was a two hour drive from Miyazaki to Takachiho through a beautiful mountainous area. We had hoped to arrive before it got too busy so...

Rowing Takachiho and Yamamizuki Ryokan in Kurokawa

ByMinion-Chris November 4, 2017 0 Comments
Breakfast Our Ryokan provided a complimentary breakfast and we headed down early so we could beat the rush for rowboats. Upon arrival in the breakfast area we were each given this large tray with an assortment of different food items. I was really impressed with the variety that this "free" breakfast offered! For me I really enjoyed the tamago and the grilled fish, they were especially yummy!...

Good Bye Yamamizuki, Hello Hiroshima

ByMinion-Chris November 10, 2017 2 Comments
Breakfast at Yamamizuki After a good nights sleep we woke up headed back downstairs to the Yamamizuki private dining room for breakfast. We were excited because if breakfast was anything like dinner, we were in for a treat! We were not disappointed as breakfast was also a tasty multi course affair! Drive to Kumamoto Sadly it was time to go and say good bye to Yamamizuki. We had a couple hour...

Miyajima

ByMinion-Chris November 17, 2017 0 Comments
Miyajima With an early start, our plan was to visit Miyajima today before heading into Osaka. To get to Miyajima we needed train half an hour south of Hiroshima, before boarding a ferry that would take us the rest of the way. Miyajima is an island that is known for its many shrines, most notably the Itsukushima Shrine with its floating torii gate. There is also a ropeway that takes you up Mount...