Last Few Days with Dad! Niihama and Matsuyama – January 2013

Our last days together over the Christmas break were spent on Shikoku. We arrived in my city - Niihama - late on the 1st and Dad got to see the tiny apartment that I live in. That night, after a day spent in Hiroshima, we decided to stay in and get some rest.

The next day was a free day to explore. Dad decided that he wanted to visit the famous onsen in Matsuyama. We got in the car and took the scenic route from Niihama to Dogo Onsen. The scenic route being Route 11, with it’s winding roads. We even found an abandoned diner that was designed to look like a train.

We reached Dogo just after lunch. I’m not one for public nudity or bathing so I decided to forgo the bath and walked around the area. Dad went in and he said that it was relaxing and a great experience.

My walk consisted of going through the shotengai and seeing the little shops and stalls set up near the onsen. I even purchased a few of the tabi socks that I have wanted, they are awesome because they make you look like you have Ninja Turtle feet and are perfect for wearing with flip flops when you’re to lazy to put on real shoes in the winter.

I also visited two of the shrines in the Dogo area while waiting for Dad to finish. They are at the top of these stone steps that look perilous from certain angles. I was enjoying seeing the people celebrating the New Years at the shrine when it began to rain. This time I hadn’t brought my umbrella with me so I was subjected to increasing downpour. However I wasn’t out in the rain for too long and sought shelter in the covered shopping area.

After meeting up with Dad we made our way back to Niihama, as that night we were going to be having dinner with two of my JTs. We met up with Yuko and Aki at Goen, a yakiniku restaurant. Yakiniku is best described as “Korean barbeque”, it’s where there is a grill in the middle of your table and you cook your own meat and veggies. It was a really nice dinner and both of my JTs liked Dad. Saying that he was a lot younger looking than he thought he would be when I had told them his age. After our filling dinner it was back to the apartment for an early night as Dad was heading out for Shizouoka the next morning.

Over all I had a great Christmas break. It was nice to see my Dad and to have family around for that time. The trip was fun and I think at times we liked that there was someone else there to travel with… though we’ve both agreed that we prefer to travel on our own then with each other. 

Hiroshima – December 31st, 2012/January 1st, 2013

Our last stop on this two-week tour was in Hiroshima. We got into the city a little later in the afternoon. Once again the hotel was quite nice – I was also very happy that I was getting to have my own room, no dealing with earplugs or snoring fathers! We also found out what the hotel was going to be doing for New Years.

After settling in we went on adventure to Miyajima. Miyajima is a small island just off the coast of Hiroshima. The island is a great place to explore and see a few shrines and temples. On my trip 3 years ago I was able to explore more of the island, this time however we got to the ferry after it got dark and it wasn’t the best time to visit. We did however see a main attraction to the island that is the giant Otorii and Itsukushima Shrine. As well as a few of the deer that make their home on the island.

When the island was discovered it was revered as God. It was because of this that the shrine and torii were built in the water, rather than on the land. The temple is made out of wood and held up by wood pillars. The temple is built just along the shoreline of the island and when the tide comes in it creates the illusion that temple is floating.

The real site though is the giant vermillion Otorii which was the original entrance to the island. The gate stands over 16m tall and is wide enough to have boats pass through it. The other thing that is interesting about the gate is that it is not secured to the ground. It was just placed down and maintains its perfect balance and position through weight and gravity.

New Year’s Eve was a quiet affair. We got back from the island and walked along the road in front of our hotel, as there were structures and images made out of lights. They were pretty and it was a cool thing to see. Then we had drinks at the hotel bar and celebrated the countdown with a few other people in the hotel.

The next day we spent the day that the Peace Park. I had visited the park 3 years ago and it was still just as amazing and moving. We started at the north end of the park by the Atomic Dome. The gutted building is a magnificent and horrible site.

We then walked south through the park. We passed the Children’s Monument and the Peace flame and the Memorial Cenotaph. The Cenotaph creates a perfect arch over the flame and the Dome.

We then walked through the Museum – we were lucky that it was open; as it was New Year’s Day and all the previous years the museum had been closed. The museum contains information on events leading up to the bomb being dropped and then what happened during and after. It is a great museum and I would recommend it as a stop for anyone who is travelling through Japan.

Before we left the city we stopped for a dinner of okonomiyaki. This is my favourite food in Japan - the Hiroshima style, not the Osaka or Kyoto. It's layered with noodles, an egg, cheese, bacon, shrimp and cabbage. I love it!!!

Kyoto, Nara and Osaka – Decemeber 29th/30th/31st, 2012

After a long drive from Nagano we made it into Kyoto. Kyoto is my favourite city in all of Japan; I fell in love with it during my previous trip to Japan. This time however we didn’t get to see as much of the city or the surrounding castles or other historical sites. This was because we got into the city later in the evening and the next day we were leaving to visit Nara.

Our evening in Kyoto was nice. We were very close to the famous Gion district where you may be lucky enough to spot a geisha, so we took a nice walk in the area and had a delicious dinner. We then walked on to the main shrine of the area. The Yasaka Shrine sits at the end of Gion and the busy street leading up to it was built up to accommodate the many visitors to the shrine. Inside the shrine grounds there is a centre building that is surrounded by three levels of paper lanterns. After our evening walk we headed back to the hotel.

Green Tea Mousse

The next day we woke to rainy weather, which continued all the way to Osaka. Before leaving Kyoto we went back to Gion to do a bit more shopping. After finishing with the shopping we got into the car and headed an hour south for the city of Nara.

On my trip to Japan 3 years ago the best day that I had was the day trip out to Nara with my friend Alex. It had been something that I had wanted to see after learning about Japanese Buddhism in school. Nara was once a capital of Japan and a major centre of Buddhism. So on this trip we made another stop there.

The city is famous for the deer park in which shrines and one of the world’s most famous buildings. The central thing to visit at the park is Todaiji Temple. This temple is the world’s largest wooden structure and within the structures is a giant seated Buddha statue. This statue is larger than the one in Kamakura and unlike Kamakura you cannot enter the body – they do though have a pillar with a hole carved in it with the exact size of the statues nostril. Seeing this Buddha was just as awe inspiring as it was the first time and I was happy that I made another trip here. The one thing that I hope is on my next visit it won’t be raining.

From Nara we made tracks to Osaka. Osaka has quickly become a favourite place of mine in Japan (the train station at Umeda is my favourite place to be). We got into Osaka later in the evening and checked into what has been the nicest hotel during our trip. If you ever get to Osaka I recommend staying at the Hotel Monterey Osaka-Umeda. Being in the Umeda area we went into the Osaka Station City and had dinner at one of the department stores there. I wish that we had had more time in Osaka, but seeing as I will be here for at least 6 more months I know I will be going back to explore more of the city.

Check back for the next update when we see a little bit of Hiroshima and maybe some New Year’s Eve Festivities.