3 Weeks in Japan - The Post COVID Version!

[rbjhan]

There's a shopping centre next to Kurashiki Station so I pop in for a bit...


They had a light show going...


Head back to Okayama for dinner.
Gyukatsu, deep fried beef cutlets...

 

[Monya Meow Meow]

Went back to Okayama Station for lunch (not much around Kibitsu, this is real Japanese countryside!)
This was very good although it didn't look like much...
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Then went to Kurashiki 倉敷.
Kurashiki is famous for its preserved Edo period canal area.

It is indeed very pretty.
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Can even take a boat ride...
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Ohara museum
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This is a ryokan I think...
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Achi Shrine
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Love Kurashiki!
Was one of my fav places when I went pre-Covid during autumn.

 

[rbjhan]

The next morning I checked out of Okayama Dormy Inn, sent the big case to Tokyo and all ready for San'in coast trip!

But still had some time to visit Okayama Castle 岡山城.
Not sure what all the fans were for, but pretty!


Note:
The original castle was destroyed in the war, and the concrete reconstruction was built in the 60s. Similar to Osaka Castle, inside it's just a modern building with lift and everything...
Personally I'm not a fan of these rebuilts but better than nothing I guess?

Inside there are exhibitions about the history of the castle and especially regarding Ukita Hideie 宇喜多 秀家.


I am very much interested in Japanese history during the Sengoku Jidai so found all these fascinating.

On the top floor views are good.

 

[rbjhan]

Next to the castle there's a famous garden Korakuen 後楽園.

It's supposed to be one of Japan's top 3 gardens together with Kanazawa's Kenrokuen and Mito's Kairakuen.

I haven't been to Kairakuen, but oh boy, Kenrokuen is so much better than this!

I was so underwhelmed, this was the only picture I can post


Oakayama Castle as a borrowed scenery was good though. (This was taken on the bridge connecting the castle and the garden)


Anyways, waiting for someone to tell me exactly what is the point of this garden to be ranked so high!?

 

[rbjhan]

Okay officially starting the San'in trip, except that I started it with a mistake!
For some reason I thought the Limited Express Yakumo runs every hour, so I was rushing around trying to catch the 13:05 one, except that doesn't exist, at all....
Ended up having one extra hour waiting in Okayama Station, sigh.

Could have eaten in Okayama instead of a bento....oh well...


Got off at Yonago after two hours, took a bus to Kaike Onsen, this onsen town is located in Tottori Prefecture, Sea of Japan coast. Back during the planning stage I was searching left and right not sure where to stay this particular night...finally found a ryokan, I thought the price was a bit too good to be true...6300 Yen! Turned out no meals were included! Ha ha, jokes on me for not reading it carefully! (I knew about dinner but thought breakfast was included...)

Room was not bad though.


And the onsen was nice!
*this is facing the sea but at night you can't see anything ha ha.


Only problem was I didn't see any restaurants nearby, only ryokans!
So Oden from Lawson for dinner


Side note:
There are actually a lot of good onsen towns in Shimane and Tottori, pity they don't get much attention overseas.

Woke up early the next morning and went for a walk. All buildings on the seafront are ryokans.




Massage chairs, free.


*One of my pet peeves was when ryokans nickel and dime, charge fees for massage chairs and the like. You are not cheap, just why?!

 

[rbjhan]

Any manga fans here?
I love Detective Conan名探偵コナン by Gosho Aoyama, so it was quite impossible for me not to go and visit Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory when in Tottori!

Problem is, even though Yura is only about 1 hour train ride away from Yonago, there aren't that many trains will stop there! (it's a very small station between Yonago and Kurayoshi)...

So I spent about 2 hours studying the train and bus schedules, finally figured out a route that will allow enough time in Yura to visit the Manga Factory, have lunch, get back to Yonago, retrieve my bag from the locker and arrive at Yasugi before 4:30 (last shuttle bus to the next ryokan)...I am so not doing this again!

The meseum is the main attraction of this town, obviously.


Conan is everywhere!


These were dotted all over town...



In a bus stop...


Finally arrived at the museum...


All the books published.


Reproduction of Aoyama's studio.


Lighting was a bit strange ha ha


Was a world of trouble but very happy I went!

 

[rbjhan]

On the train back from Yura...


Last shuttle bus from Yasugi station to Saginoyu Onsen was 4:30, just made it, phew!

This is the ryokan, Saginoyu-so.


Very traditional looking inside out.
Welcome drink was served here.


My room.


Dinner was delicious!


Sashimi







Booked one private onsen in the evening!

 

[rbjhan]

The main reason I booked a night here was because guests can gain access to the Adachi Museum next door at 8:30am instead of the general opening at 9am.
So breakfast was at 7:45 and quickly checked out before 8:30...


Couldn't say no to a coffee at the lounge though!


Luckily the museum was really only 1 minute walk away.
Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館 is a private museum founded by Adachi Zenko, a local businessman. The museum is best known for its Japanese garden. It has been named the best garden in Japan some 18 years in a row by "Journal of Japanese Gardening".
I am not saying their art collection was not good, it pales in comparison, that's all.







Getting in early was magnificient...


Note: visitors are not allowed to actually venture into the gardens!





Photos not allowed inside the exhibition halls...
I love "Autumn Leaves" by Yokoyama Taikan very much though.

Morning tea in the museum cafe.
The food was average, but hey that's not what you are paying for!

 

[rbjhan]

There are also shuttle buses going back to Yasugi Station from the museum, but you must collect a timed ticket near the museum entrance or the bus driver would not let you on.

Since I got a 11:30 bus ticket, still had some time to look around this little village.

This is a hand bath




Didn't have time to look around Yasugi Station the day before, but there were some, err, interesting things...




Amazingly the train was late again!

 

[rbjhan]

Going to NZ tomorrow so I'll take a break updating. Back in a week
What's left are Matsue, Izumo and Tokyo. And special highlight of this trip, the Sunrise Izumo!

 

[rbjhan]

I'm back!
Oh boy this trip had not been good in terms of flights....I'm so not doing any short flights for a while!!

 

[rbjhan]

Okay, back to Japan.
So I took the Super Yakumo again to Matsue.
Booked Green Rich Hotel which is right across the street from JR Matsue Station, very handy location.
As you can see:


Just a basic Japanese Business Hotel, nothing much to write about the room. And I don't like the colour scheme!


There is public bath though!
It might be small, but I only ran into one other person during 3 visits.


Matsue is the liveliest city in the whole San'in area, that doesn't mean much ha ha. But if you are travelling in this region, I do recommend staying here.

Lunch, kaisendon.


Famous local delicacy, errr, 3 types of soba....don't think I want to try that one!


A lot of Japanese food are quite literally diabetic bombs I dunno how they can be so slim! good genes?

 

[rbjhan]

There's a touristy bus in Matsue that is covered by the JR West Okayama San'in Pass.
It runs on a loop covering all major sites including the Castle.


I went to the Shimane Art Museum.


Collection was not impressive, at all
However I loved the architecture.


Took a little walk along Lake Shinji.


Unfortunately it had been raining all morning and afternoon....
Missed the famous Lake Shinji Sunset. This was the closest I came to it!

 

[rbjhan]

Everything closes around 6, 7pm, even the shops inside JR Station!
I did a double take upon seeing this.


Luckily the restaurants in the station building are opening till 9 or 10 pm.
More gyutan!


Ah yeah, San'in is truly remote.
According to wiki, "Tottori and Shimane are the least populated prefectures in Japan, and the population is aging at a rate faster than the rest of Japan. Cities in the region with a population of over 100,000 remain only the prefectural capitols of Tottori and Matsue, the more recently industrialized Yonago, and Izumo, a city formed from numerous smaller cities and villages after World War II"

Personally I think not connected to Shinkansen really hurts the region economically. However if you make the effort to come it's very pleasant and have a slower pace than the rest of Japan. Foreigners get special discounts almost everywhere...yeah that's not gonna happen in Kyoto!

 

[rbjhan]

The next morning was all about Matsue Castle!
Like I said before, this is the 5th and last piece of my National Treasure collection

The Castle sits on top of a hill so there were some climbing to do...
The main keep.


Inside there were some very STEEP wooden stairs.
I had to use both hands to steady myself, so no pictures of the climbing, just take my word it was VERY DIFFICULT.
But once you got up to the top floor, great views to be had! Being a photographer I greatly appreciate the open windows.


Lake Shinji


That was the museum I visited the day before.


Different angle.


A closer look.

 

[rbjhan]

Matsue Shrine was next door.


Kounkaku, built in 1903. Originally was to be used as residence for Emperor Meiji. However he didn't come....
It is a teahouse and museum now.


There are boat tours around the castle moat.

 

[RooFlyer]

Just catching up - I'm exhausted! You make it all seem effortless. The only way I could do it is to take this TR and turn it into a hour-by-hour, place by place, menu by menu travel guide!!

Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館 is a private museum founded by Adachi Zenko, a local businessman. The museum is best known for its Japanese garden.

I'd love to go there.

 

[rbjhan]

Just catching up - I'm exhausted! You make it all seem effortless. The only way I could do it is to take this TR and turn it into a hour-by-hour, place by place, menu by menu travel guide!!



I'd love to go there.

Thanks.
Ha ha most of my other Japan trips were not this long or complicated.
I went a bit overboard because, you know, haven't been for 3 years!

Being a solo traveller does help, also experience, language...certainly won't recommend this to everyone!
Edit, forgot probably the most important thing, I'm a super planner.

 

[rbjhan]

Just catching up - I'm exhausted! You make it all seem effortless. The only way I could do it is to take this TR and turn it into a hour-by-hour, place by place, menu by menu travel guide!!



I'd love to go there.

Probably a stupid question: how do I link all my TRs in the signature? Like what you have here...

 

[Matt_01]

Being a solo traveller does help, also experience, language...certainly won't recommend this to everyone!
Edit, forgot probably the most important thing, I'm a super planner.

Really enjoying your TR and when I travel solo I am also able to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time frame. MrsM is making noise about heading back to Japan so I am really liking the number of photos you are posting as we have some similar (family travel) I have others that are similar (solo travel) and may use some of your experiences to construct the next family trip.

Also I am curious, the last 2 photos in post 95 are you using a tilt shift lens or is the effect via an app or post processing. It has been a while since I did any real research into the the technique as I sold my Nikon kit FF and fast glass 10 years back.