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Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 2 Part A: Ocean Expo Park

Waking up the next morning, our rent a car had arrived at a nice and early 9 AM, so we made our way downstairs to the lobby of the Chisun Hotel and Resort to begin the day. Our day was filled with activities from Ocean Expo park to the northern tip of Okinawa island to Cape Hedo. To begin our day we punched in some coordinates in the GPS of our rent-a-car (unfortunately all in Japanese – if you have no one who who can speak Japanese ask the hotel Lobby to input the coordinates for you) and began our 2 hour drive North. The trip will cost you around 1000 yen in toll charges, but at the time they were trying to make tolls free in Okinawa so we didn’t need to pay. At the date of writing this blog, the tolls could now very well be free, but you will need to do your own research on that. On your way to aquarium if you are driving, there is often signs were you can pick up discounted tickets, we stopped by at a tourist office just after the Nago exit and picked up our tickets for 1800 yen. 

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is the second largest aquarium in the world and after some photo ops out front with whale shark and turtle statue/sculptures, we made our way inside for what would be one of the best aquariums I have had the pleasure to visit in a long time. I believe the only other aquarium that is bigger by volume of water held is in Seattle (possibly) but if you’re in Asia this particular aquarium is probably much closer to visit. The name itself translates into ‘beautiful – chura’ ocean/sea ‘umi’, and thats exactly the surreal experience you will get upon entering. Now unlike the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka, the Okinawa Aquarium does not have a large variety of animals, but rather they specialize in fish, but in saying that there is a massive quantity of fish in this aquarium. While the main highly is the tank with the whale sharks (which large would be an understatement) there are several other exhibits that are worthy of a look – these include the shark exhibit, the preserved squid, and the crustacean exhibits, but back to the main tank; The main tank holds the whale sharks (there’s actually a few of them), there is not a lot of tanks in the world that actually hold these mammoth beasts, and seeing them swimming gracefully in a large aquarium held inside by several inches think of a type of plexy glass is a pretty surreal experience. Inside the tank there is also a variety of other sharks, fish and massive shoals of tiny fish. The mood is set by the 360 degrees around the tank being dark with the tank lit up, these makes for some pretty amazing photography even with a compact camera (if you can hold it still enough). If you’re an avid fish lover im sure you would be able to spend several days enjoying this aquarium, but for the average person a few hours should suffice (allow more if you have small kids). Upon finishing up with the aquarium you can go to the dolphin show which is a few hundred metres to the left of the exit of the aquarium (I believe this is free even if you dont have an aqarium pass). But just before leaving don’t forget to pick up a souvenir gold coin which you can get for 500 yen or so just like everywhere else in Japan.

As we had jsut missed the dolphin show for that hour we made our way via golf buggy type vehicles that will cart you around Ocean Expo park for a small fee of 200 yen return or 100 yen one way, towards the Tropical Dream Center. The Tropical Dream Center is home to several greenhouses, and water features that feature flora and a small amount of fauna. It costs 330 yen if you have an aquarium ticket and it is definitely great value for money. Like most places in Japan the gardens are well manicured and make for more great photo opportunities. Before starting your journey of tranquillity make sure you pick up a stamp passport for free, as you can collect upwards of 20 stamps along the way. As you make your way through the greenhouses (one at a time – all connected in some form of path) you will find a multitude of tropical flowers, more than you probably want to see. (We made our way through collecting the stamps) A good highly for us was the tropical fruit trees, of which you can see most of the fruit growing on the trees. When you get bored of the greenhouses make your way to the tower, which is by far the main feature of the Tropical Dream Center, you make your way to the top only to be met with amazing views of the ocean and the surrounding area. If it’s a hot day, standing on the top of the tower provides a refreshing breeze that you just don’t get being at sea level. At the bottom of hte tower there is a nice tranquil water feature, where you can sit on a nearby bench and listen to the sounds of hte water come by. Finally there is also a small fish section that keeps some freshwater fish inside one of the buildings, but after seeing the aquarium this exhibit is pretty dismal compared to seeing whale sharks. Being a bit tired we spent a bit of time sitting on the benches before making our way back to the dolphin show.

If your plan is to spend a whole day at Ocean Expo Park then you can take advantage of seeing other attractions including the Oceanic Culture Museum, and just strolling around Expo Parks gardens and parks (which include a traditional Okinawan village, and brilliant ocean views), but as we had plans to visit the northern tip of Okinawa we finished up our day here at the dolphin show. Walking back to the dolphin show takes about 10-15 minutes if you walk at a leisurely pace, and on the way there is souvenir shops and large area with buildings selling food. Grabbing a bite to eat while waiting for the last 10-15 minutes before the dolphin show started, we enjoyed the tranquil music being played out of the speakers around the park. 

Finishing up this part of the day, the Dolphin show was a worthwhile attracting. The show featured several dolphins and trainers doing spectacular tricks, with some even having the dolphins jump several meters out of the air. The dolphins are trained to dance to music and the show is fun for the whole family.

Before concluding this blog, a few notes on the area: parking, the dolphin show, and walking around the grounds are all free, so if you are really struck for cash, you could spend a day here exploring the area and watching the dolphin show for free. 

Stay tuned for the second half of this hectic day to come soon.

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Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 1 Part B: Tsuboya Pottery District, and Kokusaidori

After a while of relaxing by the pool with a chilled glass of Orion, we felt that we were just about ready to head off and do some exploring, in what could be seen as a different country rather than just another part of Japan – Okinawa, but more on that later. Seeing as we weren’t receiving our rental car until tomorrow, we had to make use of our 1 day monorail pass that we had picked up earlier at the airport. On today’s agenda was a famous pottery district on Naha – Tsuboya and of course one of the most famous roads of the island itself – Kokusaidori. 

Jumping on the monorail we got off at the nearest station and started making our way over to Kokusaidori of which Tsuboya is a turn off about 10 minutes down the street. On the way we grabbed a bite to eat at the local Mos Burger and noticed that the Mos Burgers here had a slight variation on the menu from the mainland –  they had additional toppings of the Goya vegetable. The Goya vegetable depicted to the right is an very bitter vegetable which is extremely famous in Okinawa, I haven’t looked into the research as of yet, but many believe that the Goya vegetable is one of the main reasons why Okinawa has a staggering large amount of people aging to up and beyond 100 years old. Needless to say, in my opinion the Goya vegetable is pretty unlikable due to its bitterness and will most likely not be liked by anyone who only likes mainstream food. Fortunately for us there was a typical Mos Burger chili dog on the menu, so I downed a few of these before making our way into the entrance to Kokusaidori. 

Kokusaidori is a very famous area of Naha, and is characterized by several American related goods stores, and more importantly little souvenir Shisa gifts made from pottery and the like. The street is filled with shops where you can pick up anything from T-Shirts to Beer glasses with the local lingo stamped. There is a strong American presence on the street, and most tourists inevitably end up here when staying in Naha. To go along with this there is several bars and restaurants selling American food if that is what you’re into. Along the street there is two very notable stops, the first being Blue Seal Ice Creamery which has made itself as one of the more famous brands on the island, and the Jump shop selling unique merchandise from the Jump brand with a noticeable Okinawan difference. While not so famous, but equally as impressive in terms of taste is a small frozen Yogurt store where you pay per gram and you can choose from a wide variety of flavours and toppings. If you end up finding the yogurt store as it is not as well known as Blue Seal, definitely stop by to taste arguably some of the best frozen yogurt you could probably get your hands on. While your shopping on Kokusaidori, if you get lucky there will be some form of traditional dance and drumming along the street raising money for something. Whether you choose to give any money or not is up to you, but either way you’ll get to see some traditional arts of which you might usually need to go to some kind of festival or bar for. 

Finishing off with Kokusaidori we made our way into Tsuboya Pottery district. Getting to Tsuboya requires you walking through a long arcade with a plethora of shops on both sides as per usual Japanese style. The shops range from dried fish to souvenir stores, however you’ll know when you’ve reached Tsuboya as there will be pottery everywhere. If you can’t find your way, kindly ask people along the way and English or not they should be able to point you in the right direction if you say ‘Tsuboya’. Tsuboya starts at the end of the arcade and goes for about 1 kilometer and eventually ends up on a main road. You’ll notice the small lion type creature on most of the roofs in this area as it is the local guardian ‘Shisha’. This is probably the most popular souvenir in the area as every pottery shop having Shisha’s in all shapes and sizes or even a Shisha carved into plates. Before splurging on a pottery souvenir I suggest walking for about 10 minutes to get a taste for what each store has, as there is a large variation in price and quality from store to store. A quick tip is if you want a souvenir pick up a small Shisha statue, the guardians always come in pairs and if you get one, the other is obviously free. The best part of this is if its a gift, you can give two to friends and family for the price of one. After picking up our own souvenirs we made our way by Monorail to the DFS factory outlets of Naha.

DFS Factory outlets has a monorail stop right outside the building and if you keep your eye outside the monorail there is no way you’ll miss this building. There isn’t a lot of selection in relation to high end fashion, which is a shame unless your wallet is full of cash, but at the exchange rate we were getting at the time, everything in general cost us more than what we would of been paying back at home so we skipped out on buying a lot of nice clothes. Needless to say there is a huge variety to choose from the high end brands of Gucci, Channel, Hugo, Ralph and the like. When we were done it was getting dark and there was still a bit of rain that was coming down every once and a while so we made our way back to Chisun Hotel and Resort and called it a day, as we had a full day up at the Ocean Expo park coming up. 

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Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 1 Part A: The Journey There.

An early start to catch the Airport Limosine took us to Kansai International yet again. This airport is well known for its unique architecture and more importantly being built on a man made island. However this makes Kansai International (KIX) one of the top 5 most expensive airports to land at in the world, which has resulted in not as many airlines taking up slots, and as a further result has continued to maintain the high cost of air transportation from Japan and abroad; This however is getting better with budget airlines starting surface (Skymark) and the possibility that ANA will introduce a low cost carrier to compete with the current Shinakansen network. If you are interested there is another relatively large airport in Nagoya and there is another airport in Kobe, which more or less sums up the Kansai region for air travel. We boarded our JAL plane which was scheduled to take off at 9:00 and as it was a tropical destination with no storms predicted, the plane took off in the usual Japanese ‘on-time’ fashion. Total flight time was approximately 2 hours, and when landing all you can really see outside the plane window is ocean, giving you the illusion that the plane is coming in for a crash landing. At the very last minute you see a bit of land and your already touching down on the run way. 

As the plane taxi’s around the runway you can look farther afield and see part of Japan’s self defense air-force as there is a small Japanese airbase connected to Naha Airport. We were soon on the way to the gate before finding out we had to wait a good 15 minutes or so as there was another plane blocking our path. Being a small airport/coupled with island ‘take-it-easy’ life one would come to expect small delays. On a side note though, – a tribute to Japanese efficiency once again as our plane boarded and debarked within 15 minutes or so. Overall the flight was quite smooth and we had relatively good service even though at the time of flying JAL was still undergoing major changes as the airline had faced a lot of problems over the last few years. I do give credit to the hostesses for really putting in the effort to make the flight run smoother (from what I heard a lot of the problems were attributed to horrendous service which was partially due to bad attitudes etcetera, don’t quote me on that though)

Moving towards the domestic exit and looking out the viewing glasses onto the runway and other gates I was lucky enough to spot the infamous Pokemon Plane which usually flies this route. Even though I was unlucky enough to be on this plane and I am not too sure exactly who to book for that specific plane, I did get to see and photograph it which was a good start to the day. The Pokemon Plane in my opinion is another one of those ‘only-in-Japan’ things you get to see by visiting this very unique country. Before heading out the exit you can take advantage of the duty free in Naha Airport. Okinawa the only domestic island in Japan that allows you to purchase duty free for domestic flights, this could be attributed to the fact that the island is quite far away from Honshu and the rest of Japan. As we were flying domestic we exited without any security checks or hold ups and we were on our way to the monorail which is the only form of train system on Okinawa (in saying that it doesn’t take you all over the island either). 

The best way to see Okinawa is to take advantage of an International Drivers license and rent a car, car rental is quite cheap and provides you with the most flexibility. Alternatively you can use the bus system but with this you are confined to sticking to a time table. But more on the driving of a car to come in later blogs of this series. The monorail has individual tickets starting from around 190 yen and go up to 290 yen for the longest journey. A day ticket costs about 600 yen and go up per consecutive day. The day pass is definitely good value for money as you are more than likely to take more than 3 trips on the monorail system in a single day. If your lucky there is usually staff selling these day passes as soon as you walk into the ticketing area, which will be very helpful if you are a first timer to buying a Japanese rail ticket using the machines. 

We boarded the monorail and made our way to Asahibashi station to make our way to the Chisun Resort Hotel which is part of the Loisir group. The hotel is extremely good value at 5000 yen for 2 people per night and overall was quite homey and spacious with good facilities. The hotel is split into 3 different hotels and the Chisun Resort Hotel is the cheaper of the 3. For a small fee you can use the pool, spa and hot spring facilities which come free with the more expensive rooms and hotels (from memory for unlimited use of the pool/hot spring it costs about 1500 yen per person for your entire stay. The pool is quite nice and is surrounded by an outdoor restaurant and bar which has different styles of Japanese cuisine in most nights. It is usually quite busy so its quite good to book ahead if you want to eat here. Food ranges from Shabu Shabu to Yakiniku. I suggest grabbing an ice cold frosted glass of the local beer Orion, while soaking up some rays poolside.

One main point to note while finishing up this blog is the unpredictable weather being a tropical island. When we arrived it was sunny, a few minutes later clouds blocked out the sun, then the sun came out again and then there was sun showers. So it’s good to plan for variety of different tropical weather patterns when heading to Okinawa. Getting to Okinawa was only just the beginning and we had planned days worth of activities to fill up the week we were to stay for!

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Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 1 Part A: The Journey There.

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 1 Part B: Tsuboya Pottery District and Kokusaidori

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 2 Part A: Ocean Expo Park

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 2 Part B: Nakijin Castle Ruins and Cape Hedo

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 3: Typhoon Komatsu and a Lazy Day in a Hotel Room.

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 4 Part A: Shuri Castle, Former Navy HQ, Himeyuri Monument and Okinawa Peace Museum

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 4 Part B: Okinawa World

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 5: Shikinaen Garden, Nakagusuku Castle Ruins, Nakamurake House, and Ryukyu Village

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Restaurant Reviews: A&W All American Food Okinawa

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 6: Nago Pineapple Park, and Okinawa Fruit Land

Japan, Aug-Sep 2010, Okinawa Trip: Day 7: Back Home to Osaka

Japan, Knowledgebase: Buying Otaku Goods – Mandarake and Animate

There are several methods that you can take in relation to getting your hands on some otaku goods in Japan. While most foreigners only know to go to Akihabara or Den Den town, there is actually several other ways that stock these goods for your pleasure. While I will not go into the specifics of all the different methods of buying otaku goods in this blog, I will show you a couple different stores that specialise in these particular items.

First up is Mandarake. Mandarake specialises in hard to find items and second hand figures and manga. Unlike the second option which will follow, Mandarake has a very large range of otaku goods and an even larger range of second hand manga in varying conditions and quality. Mandarake is also a really great store if you don’t mind picking up second hand figurings for 1/6th of the value of which most are still in their original boxes. You can also go here if you wish to sell your goods, obviously the price you get won’t be very high. The quality of most of hte second hand goods in this store is quite good as most collectors will generally keep there figures in very good condition. Definitely take a look in Mandarake if you want to get your hands on something thats really hard to find, or if you just want to save a few thousand yen for the same product. Product selection in Mandrake is second to none of which I highly recommend. Stores are located in most major cities, for further information visit the website.

Secondly Animate is another very popular stop for anime and otaku aficionados, unlike Mandarake they only specialise in new goods and manga. There selection is quite vast and everything is brand new. Animate usually stocks more posters and stationary that is all anime related. They cater to a slightly different market than Mandarake but together with Mandarake go hand in hand for those who are really seeking some serious otaku gear.

Japan, August 2010, Daimonji Gozan Okuribi 16/08

The Daimonji Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji Matsuri for short) is a bonfire festival held in Kyoto City. Although Daimonji Matsuri is a short form of the festivals full name, it shouldn’t be confused with the Daimonji Matsuri in Akita Prefecture of Northern Japan. The festival is held in Kyoto City in Kyoto Prefecture every 16th of August, and you can view the bonfire sites from several locations around Kyoto City; ranging from the side of rivers to prepaying for dinner in a high rise restaurant. Obviously the first way is free, and the second can really take a chunk out of your wallet. To get there, you need to go to Kyobashi station, and change to Keihan private railway group and get off at Demachiyanagi Station. Upon arriving at Demachiyanagi Station just stay with the thousands of people in the crowds that make there way to the best viewing sites. There are also volunteers and police officials giving out information and fans with advertising on them. I strongly suggest picking up a fan because it can be extremely hot.

If your an avid photographer I recommend coming hours before the first bonfire is lit to get your tripod in position. If you come late there’s a good chance all the good spots will be taken. The main bonfire is the character meaning ‘dai’ which means large. This is the character that is most commonly viewed however there are about 5 other characters/pictures that are also lit up on their corresponding mountains. The fires are controlled for safety and for the viewing pleasure of the tourists and locals alike so that things dont get out of hand. As usual with any festival there is plenty of festival food scattered around the viewing sites to keep you full and thirst quenched while you wait.

The Daimonji Gozan Okuribi like any festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is a good place to head to if you are in Kyoto on the 16th of August. If you want to learn more about the origins of the festival The Japan National Tourism Organization has a good page on the event.

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Japan, Okayama to Iwakuni Trip, August 2010 – Day 5 Part B: Kurashiki

Continuing on our path to get back to Osaka by nightfall and still see a few sights; Kurashiki was the next stop. Kurashiki is a quiet little city about an hour from Onomichi and within a few stations of Okayama. It is easily accessible from both of the aforementioned cities. We jumped on a train still using our Seishun 18 ticket’s and headed toward a Japanese city, arguably most famous for its canals and ivy square. Kurashiki is definitely worth visiting if you have a JR rail pass as it shows a slightly different kind of Japanese city that is significantly different from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo or Osaka. 

Upon arriving we walked on the main street for about 500 meters then had to turn left for the main sightseeing area. You’ll know you arrive as you’ll see long stretches of canals lined with trees on both sides. The canals are home to many turtles, swans, Koi and several other animals that make this small waterway their home. The canal is lined with local sweet and delicacies that make good presents to take back to someone at home. When your finished taking photos in the canal area there are two notable stops in this area: Ivy Square and the Trick Museum. 

Ivy Square is home to many buildings and I believe a hotel where all the walls are lined with ivy plants, for a more apt description you would best take a look at the photos in the slideshow. The area is quite nice and peaceful as you walk through admiring the ivy that has overrun all the walls. The final stop in Kurashiki was the Trick Museum. The trick museum is a small gag museum that has made its home here in Kurashiki. It is home to several trick art and illusions and a small haunted mansion. The museum also gives a bit of history of osme local folklore. 

If you are interested in architecture and museums there is more than enough to provide, the canal is lined with severla bridges and msueums are literally dotted accross the canals. Kurashiki makes for a decent side trip out of Okayama or just a stop of on your way to Hiroshima. Its definitely not a waste of time to visit here, but just don’t expect a bustling city with game centers on every corner. This ended our Okayama to Onomichi trip and we made our way back to our base at Amagasaki. Stay turned for more individual blogs from my August-September Adventures, plus my blog set from Okinawa will soon follow.

 

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Japan, Okayama to Iwakuni Trip, August 2010 – Day 5 Part A: Onomichi

Onomichi is about 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Hiroshima and similar to Iwakuni is not usually on the stop off list for most foreign tourists on their ‘first trip to Japan’ tour. The city itself is famous for Onomichi ramen and Senko-ji Temple and its corresponding ‘Path of Literature‘. For us as we had already done the ‘first trip to Japan’ tour we decided to stop off and take a look as the path of literature was suppose to be quite famous in the area. We jumped on a Osaka bound train and had to change train at Mihara station, and Onomichi station was only a fast 10 minutes from there. To get to the main ropeway that will take you to the path of Literature you need to either take bus no 1 or walk through to the ropeway. The walk is about 15 minutes and as long as its not too hot, its quite a good walk through arcades and local shops. There is two paths you can take for the Onomichi ‘pilgrimage’, the Path of Literature will take you to view about 24 different temples with it stopping at the top around Senko-ji temple. If you are not really interested in seeing all of the temples (many of which are so small anyway) you can just head up the ropeway to get to Senko-Ji (the most famous of all of them and the actually literature path itself. 

Upon reaching the top of the ropeway there’s a few things you can do, if it’s hot I suggest buying a drink from one of the many vending machines in the resting spot. After you’re hydrated head towards the signs pointing to Senko-Ji temple and along the way there are many famous works of literature where sections have been carved into many stones and rocks along the way (literally the path of Literature). At the end of all of this is the Senko-Ji Temple which gives great views of Onomichi city.  If your here in Spring you might be lucky enough to see all of cherry blossoms that will be in bloom on top of this small mountain. Onomichi makes for a great stop on the way to Hiroshima if you want to go somewhere a little bit more off the beaten path. Definitely give the ramen a go as it has become arguably very famous for avid ramen seekers. After we finished off we could a taxi back to the station to catch a 3 PM train on the way to Kurashiki before finally heading home to Osaka.

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Japan, Okayama to Iwakuni Trip, August 2010 – Day 4: Miyajima and Mt Misen

Another great night’s sleep and we were off to a place I had been to in the past, but definitely one that I had been wanting to go back to – Miyajima Island. Miyajima Island is one of the most famous islands in Japan and is most famous for its giant red tori gate that was built in the water, and Itsukushimi Shrine which is also known as the 1000 tatami mat shrine and its delectable custard sweets. The shrine itself doesn’t actually have 1000 tatami mats, in Japan the unit of measurement for houses is the tatami and for more information it would be best to consult your trust friend Google. As a tourist your best way to see this area is to pick up a 2 day Hiroshima pass, which you can get at most tourist shops, ferry terminals, trian stations etcetera. This pass costs 2000 yen for 2 days and allows you unlimited, ropeway, ferry (to and from Miyajima) and tram’s throughout this area. It is great value for money and if you plan to do some sightseeing in these areas you will definitely get your money’s worth after only a day or so. It takes approximately 1 hour to get to Miyajima Gucci (Miyajima Tram stop) via the tram from Hiroshima and once your there you then proceed to board a ferry over to Miyajima Island. If you have a JR rail pass there is a JR ferry that will take you there all inclusive within your pass. Otherwise the 2 day pass uses a different ferry to get you there. The JR Ferry is the only ferry that takes a wide angle when it comes into Miyajima port which gives great photo opportunities of the tori gate from the sea. The ferry under the 2000 yen pass uses a shorter and more direct route. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the island and after you take a few photos of the tori gate you will be disembarking before you know it.

As I had mentioned before this was not my first trip to Miyajima Island, I had previously visited the island back in 2009 when I came to Japan the first time. Miyajima is definitely a place I had wanted to come back to as I didn’t get to do everything the first time I was here. Thus I came the 2nd time with no real intention of revisiting the typical tourist sites such as the shrine or other souvenir areas. My main intention this time was to head up Mt Misen to take a look at an eternal burning flame at Reikado Shrine. To get to Mt Misen you first need to walk through all the souvenir shops while following the signs to Mt Misen. You then proceed to take a free shuttle bus up to the first of two ropeway terminals. Before heading up to terminal head towards the park area which is in the opposite direction to get yourself a picture of a famous red bridge (similar to the bridges in Nikko near Tokyo). When your done walk up the demanding staircase to the first two ropeways that will get you to the top. Both ropeways are different, the first ropeway takes approximately 20 minutes to get the entrance of the second ropeway. The first ropeway is a 4-6 person small carriage style while the second ropeway comfortable fits about 30 people or so. Its about a 30 second walk to get to the terminal of the second ropeway. It is important to keep in mind that the last ropeway down the mountain is about 5:30 PM in summer and changes depending on the season. On the first ropeway you are met with amazing views of some very tall trees, and some impressive views of Miyajima island, but the view from the second ropeway is even more amazing. The second ropeway provides you views of the ocean, the mountain and Miyajima all in one, definitely worth getting your camera out for.  I definitely suggest coming here in either Spring or Autumn, so you can see the amazing colours of the flora, but at the same time it is no where near as hot or humid (of which we were hiking in, which literally made our shirts drenched in sweat). Mt Misen is famous for two main attractions (and for the fact that it has one of Japans only primeval forests, but in particular Reikado hall of which has a flame that has been buring non stop for 1200 years and Shishiiwa Observatory viewpoint which provides the tourist with amazing views of all the Setoudu Islands. 

Upon reaching the top of the second ferry terminal there is an air-conditioned resting area where you can stock up on cold beverages before starting your hike around the mountain. Our first stop was Shishiiwa Observatory viewpoint which is literally only a 2 minutes walk outside of the 2nd ropeway terminal. The view from here was stunning, and lucky for us it was quite a clear day and we could see kilometers upon kilometers of islands from here. As you continue along there is a forked path at the Misen Primeval Forest Section, using this path you can actually walk all the way down the mountain rather than using the ropeways of which you will end up in Momijidani Park (where the red bridge is located), keep this in mind if you miss the last ropeway down the mountain. After a very strenuous walk, you reach Reikado hall, which is a small shrine that pretty much is just covered in smoke because of its burning flame. Finally as you continue further up the mountain you are met with very large natural rock formations and an absolutely stunning 360 degree view of the islands around you including the bottom of Miyajima. When we were finished there is a second path that leads down which connects back up at the Reikado shrine. At this point we were exhausted and just wanted to get back to an air-conditioned room. The humidity had hit us hard and we were soaked with sweat as we continued the pace back towards the ropeway so that we could make it in time for the last departure.  

Before we knew it we were back in the main area of Miyajima where I picked up a few scroll paintings from the souvenir shops (the shops near the Mt Misen shuttle bus terminal are actually painted and not photocopies, a bit more pricey but definitely worth it) before heading back on the ferry and making our way home. It took a good 1 hour and 30 minutes to make it back to the port to get on a ferry to the island that we were staying. But overall it was a pretty good day. The next day we would be making our way back home using our Seishun 18 tickets whilst stopping in Onomichi and Kurashiki before eventually disembarking back in our base at Osaka. 

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Japan, Okayama to Iwakuni Trip, August 2010 – Day 3: Iwakuni

Iwakuni located in the Yamaguchi prefecture of Japan, is a city only about 40 kilometers away from Hiroshima, making it an ideal side trip if you are looking for something extra to do when you’ve got a day free. Although it is slightly off the beaten path for most tourists, who usually don’t frequent its graces, it is home to one of the most eye catching bridges in Japan: The Kintaikyo Bridge. While you are in the area you can also check out Iwakuni Castle that is also within walking distance from the bridge. We started the day off by renting a car from Mazda Rent a car. It cost about 6090 yen for half a day meaning we would need to return it by 5 PM or something, more or less half a day in Japan means you don’t get to keep it over  night. The drive to Iwakuni from the center of Hiroshima took about 1 1/2 hours, and on the Interchange you are hit with a 1100 yen charge for using the highways. The drive itself is nothing spectacular and you can expect the better part of the journey to be typical Japanese highways with nothing but buildings in the main cities, and rice fields if you head out of the cities. Now while we did opt to drive, there is obviously a train station at Iwakuni, which connects you to a bus that will take you to the bridge. This is the more ideal way to get there if you are a tourist without a car. For more information please click the Iwakuni link above. 

Arriving at the bridge it was quite refreshing there was a cool breeze, and it wasn’t so crowded like your average Japanese city would be. There was also hardly any foreign tourists in sight, thus showing its popularity between the foreign population. Nonetheless we had come to see this bridge as it is one of the more famous bridges in Japan and thus we were finally here. If you wish to go across the bridge you will need to pay (yes that means you need to pay to walk on the bridge). There is ticket booths on both sides and they sell a wide array of tickets depending on what you wish to do in Iwakuni. The ticket we had purchased was 930 Yen for an adult and this included return walking on the bridge, the ropeway up to the castle and the castle entry itself. All up they worked out to be about 300 yen or so each so the value was definitely not bad. We took several different shots of the bridge from several different angles before moving on towards the castle. Once you pass over the bridge there is a huge array of shops that you can pick up souvenirs, soft serve ice cream, and a lot of different food. We skipped all this so we could make it to the next ropeway in time as they don’t depart very regularly. We passed by fountains with kids playing in the water. If you’re here with your kids there are plenty of opportunities to get them wet with the large amount of fountains that are dotted around the area. The people here are a lot more lax than their city counterparts and don’t really care if you go in and have a splash around with them; just make sure you bring your bathing suits. The water was crystal clear and looked very appealing considering the blistering heat that was shining down on us. We hoped at the top of the mountain we would be a little bit cooler and have a bit more shade than out here in the open. 

Iwakuni Castle is only accessible via ropeway as it sits on top of a mountain (pretty good natural self defense in the olden days). At the top of the ropeway there is a musical clock (which is more of a gimmick clock) that has a strange show every hour or so. There is also a little covered area that allows you to buy a drink from one of the several vending machines and take a rest while waiting for the musical clock. When your ready you venture into Siroyama Omoshiro Park which is a densely covered tree canopy pathway that has a couple different paths to get to the castle. We were happy that the tree coverage protected us from the sun’s rays and we continued to walk towards the castle with a new found energy from the breeze before us. The walk to the castle is about 300 meters (the shortest path) and once your there you’ll be met with some pretty amazing views of the local area. The entry to the castle itself costs 300 yen by itself without the set ticket you can pick up at the bridge. Iwakuni Castle itself is nothing special on the outside compared to some of the more grand castles of Japan, but the coupled with the leisurely walk to the castle it is definitely worth visiting. The castle is home to arguably one of the nicest collections of swords and Japanese weapons than most other castles in Japan. upon entry you are greeted with a 5 kilogram katana blade that is 2 meters long. With it’s sheath it easily wags 8.5 kilograms. Which is more than enough to cut a horse in half if it is wielded by a massively strong man, or a team of Japanese men. The castle is also great because you can take photos everywhere in the castle without and restrictions. If you head to the top floor there is stunning views of the Kintaikyo bridge, all of those fountains I talked about and the surrounding city of Iwakuni. If you have a great lens you can actually get perfectly zoomed pictures of the people walking across the bridge! Overall the view from up here allows you to appreciate how peaceful this city actually is with hardly any noise pollution down below and the mountains in the background. 

Once you have finished admiring the castle head back down towards level ground and stop by one of the main soft serve stores. There is one particular store that has been on TV for having over 100 Flavours of Ice cream. Yes I typed correct, 100 different flavours of soft serve ice cream. If your game you should try every one of them. You might feel a bit sick afterwards but you can easily say to your friends that you have tried 100 different flavours of soft serves. A little hint though, there is a stop next to the takoyaki store that also sells soft serve’s, the quality here is far superior to that of the 100 Flavour shop, but it is not as well advertised. Go here if you want really good tasting ice cream. Once your down, I suggest picking up a local souvenir (possible some Kintaikyo shaped biscuits) before heading home via JR or car. Overall it was an interesting day, it was definitely hot but we got to see a few snippets of Japan that most tourists don’t usually visit. I definitely recommend Iwakuni for those in the Hiroshima area. 

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