The Jukebox Clan Does Japan

[jukebox333]

I thought I was the only person crazy enough to suggest the itinerary I planned for today... until @rbjhan did almost exactly the same thing about a month ago...

I'd realised our last day in Kyoto was a Saturday, and fearing even more horrific crowds than a weekday, decided the best thing to do was to activate our JR West Kansai-Hiroshima Area pass, and get out of dodge. We'd slip down and see Himeji castle, then head on to Kurashiki to see the old canal area, have dinner there, then a night time ride back to Kyoto. These were to be stops on the way back up from Hiroshima, so it bought as an extra half day in Osaka at the end of the trip, which worked well.

I booked our tickets Kyoto - shin-Osaka, and shin-Osaka - Himeji, but left the rest open, as we didn't know how long we'd spend looking at Himeji castle, or when we woud be coming back in the evening.

The plan was a 7:06am express out of Kyoto, connecting to a Shinkansen getting us to Himeji by 9am.

We got to the platform nice and early, and noticed all the trains on the opposite platform were delayed. Strange for JR.



7:06 came and went, no train. Announcements that our train was 6 mins late, then 8 mins, were made, and I could see some JR staff getting quite frantic. At about 7:20 the dozen or so of us on the platform where told we needed to head upstairs... and when we got there, we could see the ticket gates were closed and no one was coming in.

The next instruction was we had to leave the station. That was sub-optimal given our plans!

There was a full emergency team at the stairs leading to the platform opposite ours - the one in my photo of "the nice quiet station"...

Levon got online, and found a Reddit group on Japanese real time disaster reporting (!) and disovered there was an unknown package on Platform 5, and all of Kyoto JR lines and subways were suspended.

Later as the posts there updated, he even spotted himself in the background of a photo of the hazmat response team! (white shirt on the right)



The package was a box about a metre long, and the emergency services were taking no chances.



The planner in me took over. We needed to get to Osaka to make that connection where our reserved seats were on the 8:15 departure or our day would be knackered. Shinkansen trains were still running, but our area pass didn't cover that leg. No point blinking, I brought out the credit card, went to a ticket machine, and bought four tickets on the next shinkansen Kyoto - Osaka. $125.



It kept us on track, and on time. Not enough to trigger an insurance claim, and no way of being compensated, but time is a finite resoruce when you are travelling, and this was the only soloution to keep our plans working.

Off to Osaka we went, with our 45 minute lazy connection - where we were supposed to buy breakfast! - cut to just 15 mins. But it worked.

 

[jukebox333]

It was a beautiful day when we arrived in Himeji. The sakura there still had plenty of bloom. We walked up the main street and went into the castle around 9:30am, and the foot traffic was very light - no waiting time at all.



It really is a beautiful setting, and although the climb up the keep is quite physical, it's worth it for the views out across the city



Once again, I couldn't escape the feeling how lucky we were, to be here at just the right time to see the blossoms all around. It was perfect.









As we descended the castle, the inbound queue had grown significantly, and the climb up would take longer, be slower, and more crowded. If you're planning to visit, try to get there early.

We were done by 11am, although you could spend a bit longer if you lingered over the information displays and curios.

 

[jukebox333]

I thought we'd be in Himeji till around 2pm, doing lunch there, but with our early finish we were off to Okayama on the shinkansen by noon.

I knew there wasn't a huge amount of things to see in Kurashiki, so we elected to take a look around Okayama for an hour or two. Levon wanted to rest his feet, and asked if it was okay if he used his rail pass to take a shinkansen as a mobile arm for an out-and back trip, and I couldn;t see why not, so he headed off to... Hiroshima and back, and caught up with us around 6pm.

In the meantime, Oliver and Lily and I headed on a local train to Kurashiki.

This was a real gem of a place. An old canal port with a warehouse district that is now a tourist area, it felt like some of the edo post towns we'd seen, but with a lot less tourists, and shops that we enjoyed milling around in.














It was a great way to spend a few hours relaxing, and just strolling around the place.

 

[jukebox333]

From the garden of the local history museum, where we slipped in around 6pm to use an after hours toilet, there was a lady visible in a circular window, doing handicrafts.



It was one of those scenes that felt quite surreal...



And was just magical



Around the streets were other small views that caught my eye





including a bakery selling Miffy the Rabbit shaped cakes...





Levon made it back to us with about 30 mins to spare, and we headed off to dinner

 

[jukebox333]

Dinner was at a place called Kamikura - I'd spotted this on Google Earth, and once again Wendy's sister came to the rescue, helping us by making a phone booking on our behalf.

HOME | 神くら

kurashikikamikura.com

We were seating out the back in low chairs on tatami mats, and had the most amazing meal - everything was just right. Each of the kids went a different tempura, and I tried a Kamikura Gozen, which highlighted the mackerel and seasonal vegetables from the Seto Inland Sea.






If you find yourself in Kurashiki, do have a meal there - we agreed that it was probably the best meal we have had in the whole of the trip - topping even the Tokyo engagement dinner.

We were done by 8pm, so strolled back to the station, to head back to Kyoto.

 

[jukebox333]

Confession time.

We were tired. It was Saturday night.

Getting off the shinkansen at Osaka to ride a limited express the last stop to Kyoto seemed a waste of time.

No one looked at tickets on the bullet trains. I mean if we slept through Osaka by accident, the result would be the same, right?

Er, no.

The automatic gates at Kyoto won't let you out, because the area pass isn't valid for Shinkansen rides in or out of Kyoto. And the ticket collectors at the manned booth are not silly. They know what you have tried to do.

You don't get a fine.

You get told you must go back to Osaka, and get off the Shinkansen and onto a JR local train there.



Which is full when it pulls into shin-Osaka, so you have to stand all the way back to Kyoto.

Lesson learned.

Mea culpa.

 

[rbjhan]

Wow, years ago I saw someone doing this but caught by conductor on the Shinkansen, they only needed to pay the fare....
I'm guessing too many trying to do this and JR got sick of it.

Edit, still you could have chosen a limited express in Shin Osaka like I did....but I see your day was actually a lot longer than mine!

Ah no, actually I think if it's me I'd go to the fare adjustment counter in Kyoto first.

 

[jukebox333]

Wow, years ago I saw someone doing this but caught by conductor on the Shinkansen, they only needed to pay the fare....
I'm guessing too many trying to do this and JR got sick of it.

Edit, still you could have chosen a limited express in Shin Osaka like I did....but I see your day was actually a lot longer than mine!

Ah no, actually I think if it's me I'd go to the fare adjustment counter in Kyoto first.

I 100% own this. When the kids suggested it, I should have said it's not worth the hassle - but it had been a long day, we'd already been stuffed around with the bomb scare in the morning, and when you're sitting in seats on a train going to your destination, and it's cold and dark outside... the fare adjustment probably would have been close to $100 - which we'd copped once through no fault of our own in the morning. That's not an excuse, just explaining a state of mind.

Just let my lesson be one everyone on here can understand if they get the same idea...

 

[Pushka]

I 100% own this. When the kids suggested it, I should have said it's not worth the hassle - but it had been a long day, we'd already been stuffed around with the bomb scare in the morning, and when you're sitting in seats on a train going to your destination, and it's cold and dark outside... the fare adjustment probably would have been close to $100 - which we'd copped once through no fault of our own in the morning. That's not an excuse, just explaining a state of mind.

Just let my lesson be one everyone on here can understand if they get the same idea...

We are in Kyoto now. It's rather, actually very, wet, but we can already see how wonderful this place will be tomorrow. We are about 200 metres from Nishiki market.

 

[rbjhan]

I 100% own this. When the kids suggested it, I should have said it's not worth the hassle - but it had been a long day, we'd already been stuffed around with the bomb scare in the morning, and when you're sitting in seats on a train going to your destination, and it's cold and dark outside... the fare adjustment probably would have been close to $100 - which we'd copped once through no fault of our own in the morning. That's not an excuse, just explaining a state of mind.

Just let my lesson be one everyone on here can understand if they get the same idea...

Yeah obviously me it's just me, when you multiply the price it quickly becomes a rather large amount!

 

[jukebox333]

Basically a travel day today. Same 7.06am departure, connecting to a shinkansen in Osaka that had us stepping off the train in Hiroshima at 9:15am. Eeeek! The crowds at Hiroshima station are almost as bad as Tokyo and Kyoto.

We stowed the bags and backpacks in lockers, then went by streetcar to the Peace Park precinct.

No new ground to break here - it's shocking, moving, heartbreaking, and everything you think it will be. The crowd remained respectfully hushed as we filed past the exhibits of 1945 relics.

I defy anyone not to get emotional.













Wendy and I both wanted an extended visit to Miyajima Island near Hiroshima, so rather than book accomodation in the city, we are staying at an AirBNB actually on Miyajima.

When we went to check in, things unravelled a little bit.

I was clear in the booking we were two couples and a single, and wanted bedding in three rooms. The host told me that was fine, and there was plenty of room. I (wrongly) assumed we had whole-of-house.

When we arrived, it turns out the property is a hostel, and we had the top floor only.

Worse, the bedding as set up was two double futons in one room. The listing says two queen beds, but there was nothing specific about them being in the one room.





Maybe it's me. I haven't used AirBNB before, and the host in Sakashita was great. But if I am beign charged a premium rate, and tell the host we require 2 + 2 +1 bedding, I expect the house to be set up that way. I messaged them, only to be told there were two spare futons in the hallway, and a sofa bed in the lounge room.

For ~$600/night, I just expected a little better. We set up Oliver and Lily with the spare futons, and Levon and I will each take a double in the same master bedroom, but if Wendy had been with us, Levon would have been relegated to a sofa bed.

The saving grace is location. It's about 50m from the Miyajima ferry terminal, and once the crowds went home, we felt like the town was deserted. Looking forward to an early morning walk around and some photos of the water bound tori over the next few days

 

[rbjhan]

That feels like highway robbery if you ask me....
But I did hear from a friend who went last year that Miyajima and Hiroshima gave her the worst vibe out of all her 21 trips...

 

[jukebox333]

Dinner last night I'd booked as somewhere special for Wendy and I - a chef's course at Shiomachian, on Miyajima. When it was apparent she would not be catching up to us, I did consider cancelling, buy seeing as Levon had missed the engagement dinner in Tokyo, I decided he could join me instead.

Food | 【公式】宮島町家ホテル 汐まち庵｜宮島の古民家と寿司屋のお宿

宮島町家ホテル 汐まち庵 は広島の宮島内、厳島神社すぐ近くにある古民家ゲストハウスです。宿内には寿司屋「汐まち寿司」もあり、広島の旬な魚介を楽しめます。

shiomachian.com

Even the local deer wanted in...

I asked for seats at the counter, and am so glad I did - we sat and watched chef start from a cold kitchen, and build up course after course. I didn't photograph everything, and couldn't name everything, but nothing was less than wonderful, and some of the dishes were sublime.









There were, I think, 21 courses, but I didn't photograph them all.















By evening's end, I came away feeling I enjoyed this meal even more than the engagement dinner in Tokyo - it was not about precision as Tokyo was, but more about flavour, and quality of the seafood.

Such a great night out.

 

[jukebox333]

This morning, when I woke up, Oilver reported back that the futons he and Lily had in a tatami room, were like sleeping on floor boards - and the sofa beds were almost as unusable.

It's their holiday as much as mine, and we have two more nights here. I wouldn't sleep on a sofa bed or hard futons, and I didn't feel right expecting them to. I quickly checked hotel options, and found a very reasonable hotel next door to the ferry terminal over on the mainland at Miyajimaguchi for ¥ 19,792 for 2 nights. It was a no brainer to set them up there, tbh.

Ironically, that still meant Levon and I were sharing a room...

 

[jukebox333]

We went for a morning stroll around 6:30am, heard the call to prayer from the local shrine, and were able to grab some photos before the boatloads of day trippers arrived;







A curried oyster bun (!) and some seriously thick Miyajima toast for breakfast, and we were ready to catch a ferry back to the mainland, just as the hoardes descended.

 

[jukebox333]

This morning's activity was an okonomiyaki cooking class at Otafuku's headquarters on the way to Hiroshima.

Wood Egg お好み焼館 | お好み焼き | オタフクソース

otafuku.co.jp

The Wood Egg:







This is one you have to book online, and arrange to get into an English speaking session.

We had the best time doing this! The four of us had a bench with two large griddles, and two Otafuku girls instructing us - the rest of the class were seperate, and doing it as a large group - we felt like we had private tuition.



Our set up:




One-on-one instruction



Happy students



And at the end, you get to choose which flavour Otafuku sauces to put on your creations



They were huge!

(this is the instructor's one - we were so hungry after our hard work, I forgot to photograph ours close up!)



It was a huge plate we each ended up with... but we did our best and ate the lot - even Lily!

The girls teaching us were so much fun - it really made the experience so special. Between instruction steps, they asked lots of questions about how many times we'd visited Japan, how long we were staying - I can highly recommend doing this if you are coming down to Hiroshima.

Trivia time: The Otafuku mascot is a smiling lady. She's even on a ceramic tile above the urinals in the men's room!



By the time we finished and got on the train, our food comas had hit, and we all felt like this little tyke:

 

[jukebox333]

One of the few things Levon asked to see when we planned the trip was the museum dedicated to the Japanese battleship Yamoto, in Kure south of Hiroshima. Easy. A 45 minute train ride and it's right near the station.

Except between when I checked last May and saw it was not open Tuesdays, and so made it our Monday afternoon activity, they announced late last year the museum would close for a year for renovations. I didn't see that till lunchtime today.

Instead they have an "annex museum" open - except it has very little to display about Yamato. This poster print was almost all there was:



A replica of a floatplane from the battleship:



And a 1:16 scale model. Not as big as the 1:10 model in the regular museum...



We went for a walk to the old museum, and there was some display seen from a distance; a gun the same size as one from Yamato, and a propeller the size of Yamato's....





What **was** accesible was the promenade, where pavers have been set to show the size of the front quarter of Yamato. I'd been keen to see these, and they did not disappoint:




Next door is a JDMSF museum, complete with a Japanese submarine



It was miserable weather, with low cloud hanging around the mountains behind Kure:



So we grasped victory from the jaws of defeat with that one. I'm glad we came down to Kure, but a little disppointed for Levon that the proper museum was not availabe to us.