Rented bicycles and took a ferry to the midpoint of the Shimanami Kaido cycle route. Cycled back across the Seto Inland Sea on huge bridges and around islands.
Category: Honshu
Where Bicycles Rule
Onomichi U2, a repurposed 1943 warehouse where bicycles rule. The 28-room Hotel Cycle, plus bar and restaurant, provide us with a comfortable base to cycle part of the Shimanami Kaido across the Seto Inland Sea tomorrow.
Beneath the Surface
Walked past a construction site, which got me thinking about Azuma House in a working class suburb of Osaka. I’d made a point of standing in front of that home last week: it raises questions; with answers I warm to it. “Like” or “Dislike” are not enough.
Japan 2022 Itinerary
I’m home from a solo three-week trip to Japan. As usual, I made it up as I went along based on research, past experience, and whim.
I visited three of Japan’s main islands: Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Hokkaido didn’t make the list this time because winter was setting in there and I didn’t want to carry winter clothes.
Tokyo Hike
Took the train to Asakusa, Tokyo, walked back until I ran out of time. Along the way it was my kind of urban hike: huge temple; buildings not intended to last (that’s OK); the only Le Corbusier building in east Asia (went in); stark transit infrastructure (love it); and the gardens of the Imperial Palace.
Tenju-an Temple
Kyoto is over-loved like so many A-list places. For this reason I’ve avoided the city for over ten years. Today I visited for a few hours, took the subway to places that have escaped top-ten lists.
A Piece of the Past
Dwight’s uncle was posted to Kyoto at the end of WW2. Today, I walked around his old stomping ground trying to reconcile some of his photos with today’s Kyoto. When I matched this 1946 photo I must’ve reacted: people started to gather around me and were excited to see the old photo. More…
Another Pilgrimage
It was the one rainy day on this trip, so went to Osaka to ride transit, duck into buildings, and experience Tadao Ando’s architecture. Felt like a groupie, standing outside his office, touching the signature Ando concrete. The security sticker probably deters theft of the nameplate.
Sand, Sea, Sky
Broke the journey from Matsue to Okayama to visit San’inkaigan National Park to walk on massive sand dunes beside the Sea of Japan. Okayama Station was bustling, a contrast to my last few days. An elevator took me to the welcome solitude of a hotel room high above the station.
Instagram Bait
Couldn’t resist including this rural Shinto shrine in today’s journey. Three or four times an hour a train crosses the shrine’s approach path, between the torii gates, like a scene from an anime movie.