I'm betting Japan’s prime minister will announce this week when the country will open for independent travel. Booked MInneapolis to Tokyo in June for us, a nephew, and his dad. There's one other passenger on the outbound, and no-one else on the return flight. That will change and prices will rise.
Spent the afternoon researching 2023 travel and booking fragments of trips: two hotels, a one-way flight, and a round-trip ferry.
On a bone-chilling day, planned for warm weather in places I love. Made hotel reservations for a three-week trip to Japan with Dwight, our nephew, and his dad. We’ll fly to Kagoshima, then slowly make our way to Tokyo by train. The pandemic put the kibosh on previous attempts at this trip.
Started assembling materials for a show-and-tell tomorrow with our 15-year-old nephew and his dad. We’ll be backpacking in Japan for three weeks, traveling by train using national rail passes, and staying in mostly budget hotels.
Did risk analysis for next week’s trip. This system will have passed by the time we fly into Kagoshima (blue pin) to hike. Nearby Sakurajima (volcano) is active, but not enough to close the airport. The red line is the anticipated path of a typhoon. We will hike, the sun will shine.
Boarding at MSP with our nephew and his dad. Grateful for this chance to explore Japan together.
Tonight we’re staying in a Tokyo Haneda Airport hotel, between flights. Made a quick side-trip to the Kawasaki Daishi temple. This statue depicts Kobo Daishi, a ninth century monk who established the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage. We’ll walk part of it for a day later in this trip.
After a long journey to southern Japan, we are finally relaxing in a simple, traditional hotel in the Kirishima mountains, next to a national park. We are staying in tatami rooms, soaking in volcanic hot springs, and enjoying long, slow dinners. Tomorrow, we go hiking in the mountains.
Hiked the Ebino Highlands of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park. The hike took a little longer than planned because we had to avoid volcanic gases.
Walked with our nephew and brother-in-law up to this crater lake, Onami Pond, and walked around one side of the caldera. We then climbed Mount Karakuni, the highest point in the National Park. Reversed course and returned via the opposite side of the caldera. Back at our digs, hot springs worked wonders on our aching bodies.
We didn't let the rain dampen our spirits in Kagoshima. We explored via streetcar, bus, and ferry, which made for an inexpensive day out. A “cruise” on the Sakurajima ferry set us back less than $3 per person, round-trip.
Walked around Kumamoto Castle. An earthquake in 2016 caused extensive damage, including the collapse of several turrets and the destruction of many roof tiles. It will still take years to stabilize and restore the structures. This photo shows a relatively intact section.
When traveling in Japan, I look for buildings by architect Tadao Ando. Today, while staying in a hotel at Kumamoto Station, I noticed some familiar simple-yet-elegant architectural elements. Eventually, I discovered Ando had designed the station. It was time for a closer look!
Dwight checked out the sampuru, realistic plastic models of food, before we all headed inside for dinner. In the past, I would take a photo of my choice to show the server what I wanted. But these days, Google Translate is so good, we can just point our phones at the menu.
This morning: Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.
We spent much of the day hiking an OLLE Trail through the town of Takeo-Onsen and into the hills. We didn't need to use a map, as we simply followed the special Olle Trail markers. The trailhead was a short bullet train ride from Nagasaki, where we're staying.
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.
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.
Okayama is a convenient base for our plans over the next three days. We can catch a train without even having to go outside.
For most of today: A hot steamy hike through mountain forests following part of the Shikoku 88 (temple) Pilgrimage. Visited temples 80, 81, and 82.
Spent the day on Naoshima, an "art island" beautifully set in the Inland Sea. Visited the Chichu Art Museum, which is housed in a series of underground galleries, and several "art houses"—former homes that have been converted into works of art.
We introduced our nephew and his dad to Kyoto’s over-loved bucket list favorite, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, in order to build the case for exploring B-list Kyoto. After that initiation, we walked towards quieter places.
Took a local train to Kurama, a village on a mountain above Kyoto. Hiked a quiet trail up and over Mount Kurama, passing through a temple complex and past shrines and ancient trees. Rejoined the train line for the trip back to Kyoto.
Rain set in for much of the day, but we never had to put on rain jackets. We took a 15-minute bullet train to Osaka, where we walked a few miles through the city's vast indoor spaces, both above and below ground. A side trip to the Cup Noodles Museum added variety.
Stowed our backpacks in lockers while we walked around Tokyo’s Ueno Park before we headed to Tokyo HND for our journey home. Lockers are ubiquitous.