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Thank you @BriarFlyer, he loved them and has been very earnestly telling me that he wants to go with me on future trips overseas. This looks great, particularly the English Wednesday sessions. Thanks @borez

And so this trip report comes to an end. We covered a lot of miles but I wouldn't really change anything. Having not travelled for five years and with a very busy home life, I didn't really have much capacity to plan a huge amount in advance. Doing things on the fly was a welcome change for me...

Leaving Hiroshima the airport was a 50 minute bus trip from the station. I couldn't work out why it was so far away. The answer was topography with us going up rolling hills all the way to the airport. The land is so hilly that a giant bridge is used for landing lights to guide planes to the...

Early alarm this morning and up at 5.30am. It served two purposes, firstly preparing me for my 4.30am alarm tomorrow and secondly we were taking a morning Shinkansen to Hiroshima for our final day before flying back to Haneda tonight. The train whisked us through a scenic rural part of Japan...

Happy birthday to me! Another year around the sun and it's been a cracker. The morning was spent shopping and I had to restrain myself. I managed to leave the kitchen store doing only minor damage to the wallet (a big wide mouthed thermos to take to the football and an egg hammer were my only...

Poor guy! What a long day for him. I'm fascinated that it's the least used platform in Kanagawa prefecture, it feels even more special that i got to explore it now.

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to visit a World Expo. In my mind it was a wonderful opportunity for the nations of the world to come together, showcase their culture and showcase how they contribute to the theme of the Expo. This year it was 'Designing Future Society for our...

As I went back down the mountain it was mostly a smooth trip, as Japanese railway trips tend to be. On the way up I noticed an intermediate station, Tonosawa looked very pretty. A platform sitting snugly between two tunnels in the middle of the forest and not much else going on. As we waited at...

Another good night sleep and we wake ready for a big day. My friend has a final dive scheduled and will then meet me 2.5 hours away in Odawara for our Shinkansen to Osaka at 6.07pm. The morning starts with an onsen and as usual I completely lose track of time and leave myself five minutes to...

A chat with my friend over a beer and a Suntory and I am feeling much more relaxed. Over the road to the onsen before dinner. Words will have to suffice as pictures are obviously not allowed, but it's on the fifth floor of a hotel in the open air overlooking the ocean and southern coastline of...

Upgrading my Tier 5 UK visa to a sponsored Tier 2 visa. My boss did it three months before me and took a train to Manchester, had a boozy lunch then picked up his visa. In the meantime, legislation changed and i had to leave the country and wait for processing - 60 days in Brussels or 2 weeks in...

So after a lovely 40 minute drive up ever steeper roads we pull into the base of Mount Omaru. All 564m of it looming above me with a very steep gradient. I would love to climb it, but there are two problems. One, mountaineering is explicitly banned according to the signs on the fence and two...

A good night sleep and the sun woke me up at about 4.15am, or maybe not as with the timezone change that's roughly when I would wake up on a normal day. Busy day ahead is planned. My friend is off to dive with Hammerhead Sharks. Being much more comfortable on land than in the deep blue I am...

That is really helpful, thank you for sharing that information @drron.

And so the day finishes in Izu-Inatori where our hotel is. Before that though we managed to catch a beautiful view as the sunset before we got into town. The hotel is lovely but very traditional, I have a pair of slippers which I have to wear inside which are at best three sizes too small...

Rather than heading through flatland we drove through winding mountains to reach Kawazu Seven Waterfalls. The mountains are huge and the most beautifully lush green. The whole region has been formed by volcanic eruptions and left these amazing little mountains hundreds of metres high. Wasabi...

The journey from Haneda was smooth, albeit traffic jams were de rigeur, as you would expect from the world's largest city. We did well but missed one exit, which meant an extra $23 in tolls, but as the GPS triumphantly informed us, shaved 8 minutes off the journey! Japanese highways are...

MEL-SYD-HND Although direct flights were available, business was available on the overnight flight from Sydney - Haneda, so this was the way to go. A leisurely departure time of 4.15pm meant I could meet Mum and Dad for a pub lunch before they headed to the football for Western Bulldogs v...

After a five year international travel hiatus due to Covid and fatherhood, my best friend invited me to Japan for his 40th where he was going diving with hammerhead sharks. Coinciding with my own birthday I thought it was time to get back in the saddle and start overseas travel again. I somehow...

Just to close the loop on this one. I wound up staying in Izu Inatori but drove through Shimoda. Shimoda was very quiet but looked a nice town. More broadly I thoroughly enjoyed my three days on the peninsula and would recommend it. Having a car was very helpful but public transport is...