My Journey in Japan in Spring 2023
My Latest Posts
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- Departing words
Final thoughts on my holiday. FAQ Did I enjoy my trip? Yes, I did. At first I really enjoyed it. Then, as time went on and the moving hotels and… Read more: Departing words - Whileing away the time.
Tourists… I don’t care if I am a tourist. I don’t care their a vital part of the economy. I am just sick of tourists at all the touristy places…… Read more: Whileing away the time. - Op Shopping
Hard Off… Sounds naughty, doesn’t it. But you have to think more deeply. As in “You might be hard off, living in hard times.” It’s an op shop. One of… Read more: Op Shopping - Lines, Lines, and Guess What? More Lines.
I visited Namba again, this time to Dotombori proper. I was determined to eat takoyaki made in Osaka, and nowhere is more famous than takoyaki in Dotombori. I visited here… Read more: Lines, Lines, and Guess What? More Lines. - Almost done.
I’m tired of the city. The hustle. The bustle. The endless lines… Where I am staying in Osaka is basically the city centre. The two stations Osaka and Umeda are… Read more: Almost done. - Gacha madness.
I think I’ve got gacha out of my system now. I stumbled across a cute gacha at Osaka station, and I really wanted one type. So gacha-ed. I made this… Read more: Gacha madness. - Gacha Gacha
Forgot two onigiri and a curry bun in fridge at hotel. Had to pay more for the train because I needed an express ticket for the limited express, with my… Read more: Gacha Gacha - Mountain Climbing, the Easy Way.
After the good news from this morning (my sock had returned). I was on a high for breakfast. More inappropriate breakfast food today included Toriten (chicken tempura), an Oita prefecture… Read more: Mountain Climbing, the Easy Way. - Good news everyone.
I found my missing sock. It was there this morning and it certainly wasn’t there yesterday. Must have spent then nighr wiggling back home. - What a wonderful smell you’ve discovered.
I’ve had enough of fart smelling clouds. The Jigoku (Hells) of Beppu are seven boilingly hot volcanic onsens. The kind you don’t hop in unless you want to die. The… Read more: What a wonderful smell you’ve discovered. - Thoughts of the day.
Thoughts on the beginning of today: Lots of little kids (mainly girls) clinging to mothers, eyes shut across bridge. Cold breeze. Took hat off, didn’t want to lose it over… Read more: Thoughts of the day. - Signs and Manholes
I found a lot of signs today. Enough to justify its own post, but I also found a lot of manhole covers today as well. So I’ll just smoosh them… Read more: Signs and Manholes - Kokonoe Yume Otsuribashi- Japan’s largest suspension bridge
I’m feeling in a mood to try something different. So, I’m going to attempt an explanation through poetry. Acrostic T- Too many stairs to get across to the platform R-… Read more: Kokonoe Yume Otsuribashi- Japan’s largest suspension bridge - !Mameshiba!
Found out there was a Mameshiba dog cafe in Yufuin shopping street. So, I found it and went in for all the fluff, fluffs. A Shiba Inu is a Japanese… Read more: !Mameshiba! - Yufuin’s Never Ending Shopping Street
I’ve decided to do another short thoughts post. I’ve posted enough story today that this should be acceptable. Impressive Mt Yufu. Not so much when you driven down it. Horse… Read more: Yufuin’s Never Ending Shopping Street - Down the Mountain
The bus arrived very late. It was scheduled for 10.20, and it arrived 10.50. So I had plenty of time to catch my breath after pushing up that hill. Today… Read more: Down the Mountain - Last Moments at the Onsen
Breakfast was another grand affair. No menu, this time, but a whole sampler set ranging from salmon to egg and all sorts of pickled vegetables, rice and miso soup. A… Read more: Last Moments at the Onsen - 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… Read more: Morning Baths - 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.… Read more: 12 Course Meal Anyone? - 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… Read more: Nuddy in Nature the sequel - 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… Read more: My Musings - 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… Read more: Who said Holidays are Relaxing? - “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… Read more: “ドアが閉まります,ご注意ください!” “The doors are closing. Please be careful!” - 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… Read more: The Stamp Hunt - 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… Read more: Wow… Just Wow. - 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… Read more: Shop till You Drop - 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… Read more: 9:02am Exactly - The Arrival
It’s 11:17pm and I’m finally settling down to sleep. I woke up at 6:30 am this morning and it’s been a looooooong day of travelling. The plane departed late as… Read more: The Arrival - OFF!
Of course there’s only one thing to say:“Finally!”For today is the day. But putting my primary school attempts at poetry aside, it’s finally here. I’m off to Japan! Busy as… Read more: OFF! - Practice Pack
Today, I decided I was close enough to my departure (3 weeks to go). I began, unravelling, airing, and packing winter clothes. Only the beginning and my luggage is already… Read more: Practice Pack - Travel once more
Spring rolls around but once a year. The islands of Japan celebrate the coming of spring with a marvellous display of pink and white. 2023 brings a year where borders… Read more: Travel once more
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Journey through Kyushu 