Month: March 2023
-
Morning Baths
Iwato public womens only bath was open this morning. Yesterday it was men’s only. I got out of bed hoping to beat the early crowd. Weather said it was 3 degrees this morning. That was probably why it was actually nice in the onsen. When I got there, it was already being used by one…
-
12 Course Meal Anyone?
This was the meal plan I had for dinner tonight. Now, I have surmised my thoughts on the whole. Pictures included, I’ll try to make this brief. Just some housekeeping. The restaurant was back across the river, under the ground, next to the river. It was quite a beautiful traditional style with a fireplace for…
-
Nuddy in Nature the sequel
My hotel has lots of amazing onsens (hot springs). I arrived today and have already hopped into the Kazenoyu, private outside bath. It was steamy. The trick is to go into it slowly. Feet in, water over shoulders until you acclimatise otherwise its super duper freaking hot. They give you 40mins private time, and I…
-
My Musings
Today’s post will be a bit different. Over the course of today, I made notes. Little brain fart memos remind me I wanted to say something. So, instead of writing my normal story like post, I’m going to put those brain farts up with any photos relevant to them: Some traffic signal lights make noise,…
-
Who said Holidays are Relaxing?
In 2016, a series of earthquakes struck Kumamoto. The magnitude 7 quakes took many lives, injured people, and left many without homes. It also caused the collapse of several foundations and buildings within Kumamoto castle. The city of Kumamoto started repairing what damage they could in 2016, and they finished repairs in 2021, but the…
-
“ドアが閉まります,ご注意ください!” “The doors are closing. Please be careful!”
“Missed it by that much 🤏” Maxwell Smart– Get Smart That was the story of my day. Every train I tried to catch I missed and had to wait from 30 minutes to an hour for the next train. I suppose the Japanese didn’t consider the people lugging a suitcase upstairs and downstairs to get…
-
The Stamp Hunt
Gotta catch them all…. Stamps, that is, and it’s not catch as much as “stamp” My hotel informed me that I could come down for a free breakfast. It was a toast buffet, with all the bread individual wrapped and the most fluffy soft toast slices ever. This is my hotel room as well. I…
-
Wow… Just Wow.
I meant what I said last post about liking the contrast in Japan between old and new, city and country. Spring is already nice in Japan since it’s a country that actually experiences an effect from spring, but there seeing some manicured trees at a castle or shrine, and then there’s seeing whole embankments of…
-
Shop till You Drop
I remember why I love Japan. It’s not the trains,the food, or the pop culture. Its the contrast. When you can be in a massive city, with smoke towers and factories, signs and department stores, one moment and the next mountains piercing the landscape, small rural towns with traditional architecture, acres of fields and trees…
-
9:02am Exactly
It was a grey, cloudy morning when I finally left ate my breakfast and left my hotel. The lights and energy of last night were gone, and it made the glitz and life of the streets of namba feel rather asleep. Which was odd because it was 7:00 in the morning. A warm and slightly…
Journey through Kyushu 