[Japan]: 3 weeks of vacation - November 2017
Hullo. 
I know it's been ages, but a lot of things happened ....
As mentioned in one of my previous entries I was travelling back to Japan - as every year in autumn.
This is the third time doing so since leaving Japan a few autumns ago. There hasn't been a single year since 2007 where I haven't been in Japan, but that's not very difficult, after all I lived there from early 2008 - late 2014.
I've only been back once every year, every time in autumn (pretty much every time in November in 2015, 2016 and 2017).
It's not like I've chosen autumn, but the first two trips were business trips and I just stayed longer and did my private vacation afterwards.
And this year ... I thought I would go on a business trip as every year, but nope. But I still decided to go to Japan and so it ended up being in November because I already kept that slot open, thinking I would have my business trip there.
A week before departure ........ I suffered from sudden hearing loss.
On my way home from work, in my car, I thought that one of the speakers must be broken because I only heard clearly on one side.
Back home I thought the speakers of the TV must also be broken because I had the same issue .............. until I realized it's not the speakers that are broken but one of my ears ............
As it was a Friday night, I couldn't go to a doctor immediately, I went the following week.
Apparently too much stress.
No wonder ....... I had no real vacation the entire year (apart from this short trip to Amsterdam), I've had a ridiculous amount of overtime work, deadlines and ... simply just stress and negative vibes at work.
Hearing is back now, still a slight tinnitus, though.
I stayed home for 2 days and then went back to work because I can't just be sick right before a 3 week long vacation.
My co-worker already complained when I got sick before my vacation last year ................... not doing that on purpose, dude.
Anyway, went back to work, still quite stressful.
2 days later I noticed when I got home that I'm not fit at all. I crawled into my bed and never got out again.
Fever, difficulties breathing ............. I was completely knocked out.
That was 3 days prior to my departure.
Now, I had not been sick in over a year!!!!!!!!!
I was devastated that I had to get sick now - out of all the times.
Then again, regular readers know exactly that this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME and I'm used to it.
But this time it was different. I was knocked out badly.
I was sooooooooooooooo close to cancelling the whole trip.
Even the night before leaving I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to go.
I mean ... if you're sick like that a long flight (not even a direct one) and the jetlag might just completely destroy you.
But for some reason I was on the way to the airport the next morning, still feeling like shit.
I went to the emergency clinic at the airport, got the OK from the doc and some meds and off I went.
Needless to say that on that day we had the heaviest storm in Germany in ages and it wasn't clear if the plane could even start ------ and on the other side in Japan the last typhoon of the year was awaiting me.
EVERYTHING seemed to be against me going to Japan this time and I have no idea why.
It's a miracle that this vacation even happened, but it did.
And since I've annoyed you enough with my blabbering, let's move on to the actual vacation:
Halloween in Shibuya.
I've been to the Halloween parade in Kawasaki a few times and was really sad to hear that I missed it this time by just a few days.
I arrived in Japan on Oct 30, still a bit sick. Did a bit of shopping in Harajuku on Oct 31 and then moved on to Shibuya.
I couldn't stay long (not even long enough until it got dark), but luckily there were already a few people in costumes.
Maybe it's a good thing that I had to leave early, because it tends to get insane in Shibuya for Halloween after all. ;)
Having daylight was better for taking photos anyway.
The reason why I had to leave Shibuya early was because I wasn't staying in Tokyo for too long, lots of travelling planned as always.
I FINALLY managed to visit Magome and Tsumago which had been on my list for ages.
Luckily it wasn't very crowded when I went there.
I was contemplating of doing a few more spots there, e.g. Kiso-Fukushima and walk a bit more of the Nakasendo, but eventually I didn't as I had so many other things I wanted to do.
One of my favorite things in Tsumago was the lighting in this old house! :)
Of course, I had to add a few more castles (and castle ruins) to my long list. ;)
This is Naegi Castle Ruins in Nakatsugawa, not too far away from Magome.
The view from the ruins was absolutely priceless!!
I only walked a short part of the Nakasendo, but covered some more of the Kumano Kodo this time.
Really beautiful "roads" through the mountains .... a bit tiring, but still very nice!
The only problem ... as expected .... were those "little" monsters again.
And yes, I saw quite a few. I have the feeling they tend to get bigger every single year.
Not sure what I'm talking about? I'm referring to those killer hornets better known as "suzumebachi". T_T .....
Luckily nothing happened.
Kudos to those who do the whole Kumano Kodo.
I walked parts of the Ise-ji this time. REALLY BEAUTIFUL!
The Magose-toge and Matsumoto-toge (= trails of Kumano Kodo) go through the mountains, but end up at the coast, so you get beautiful views of the ocean.
It was extremely hot for November this year - and being in the southern part of Kansai didn't make it any better. :)
The first few days we still had over 20°C, it almost felt like summer!
When you finish the Matsumoto-toge trail, you'll get to see some breathtaking rock formations!
On the right you can see "Shishi Iwa" (Lion Rock) which is a World Heritage.
Despite the rough start, I must say that this was probably one of my best vacations concerning the weather and things that could go wrong.
It's not a secret that I've graduated from being an ame onna and was promoted to be a typhoon onna.
I've been through so many typhoons during my travels, being stuck because roads are blocked and trains aren't running, sitting on a remote island during a typhoon TWICE with nothing to do .... I've had it all!!!
It REALLY went quite smoothly this time ..... a VERY strange and yet pleasant experience for me. :)
And I'm super thankful for this.
That being said .... there were a few things that went wrong after all.
It all started in Shingu where I already had been a few years before, visiting the Kumano Sanzan.
This time, I wanted to do the jet boat tour in Doro Gorge .... but only once I arrived at the bus in the morning I was told that due to the effects of the last typhoon, the boats were not running.
And there I stood ... with no plan B (especially because I had been in Shingu before and done everything else already ....).
Eventually I went to do a different boat tour ... actually the only part of the Kumano Kodo that pilgrims couldn't manage by walking, so they had to take a boat. :)
And just like the pilgrims you get such a tour as well. It was quite a pleasant experience, I have to say .....
But I was shocked to see how ugly Kumano River was. Usually the color is soooooooooooooooo stunning - which is ONE reason why I wanted to go back and take a boat tour.
But due to the recent typhoon................
At least we got to see some really nice things such as rock formations, small islands and waterfalls during our tour.
After that I wanted to soak in an onsen, but I was given the wrong bus timetable (the one from the previous month) and so the bus I was taking wasn't stopping there.
I ended up at Hongu Taisha where I had already been years before ..... at least the Kumano River was as beautiful as I remembered it there.
After slowly walking my way (using parts of the Kumano Kodo) from Mie to Wakayama I finally travelled back to Mie.
Mt. Gozaisho near Tsu was quite impressive. The autumn colors there were lovely and different from what you're used to as there were no maple leaves but lots of other trees! :)
I really wanted to hike down the mountain, but I soon realized that you need proper gear (not only shoes, but sticks and clothes) in order to manage. Too bad. :(
At the foot of Mt. Gozaisho is Yunoyama Onsen where I hopped into a rotenburo.
The autumn colors down at Yunoyama Onsen were almost at their peak in early November.
The next day I went to see the Akame 48 Falls (also in Mie and not too far away from Tsu). Quite nice, but I wasn't TOO impressed to be honest.
And then it was time to go back home .... well ... I mean my previous home. ;)
I finally visited a few spots I had never been to despite living nearby:
Arima Onsen.
Despite having lived near Kobe, I never really felt the urge to visit Arima Onsen. I guess I preferred onsen that were farther away. ;)
Because it's slighly in the mountains and thus cooler, autumn colors were already out at the time of my visit.
Arima Onsen is especially famous for the Golden Water (see photo) and the Silver Water.
There are 2 traditional bath houses featuring one of each. I was lucky as it was lady's day, so everything was half the price, but I guess that's why it was crowded despite it being a weekday.
Eventually I went to "Taiko no Yu", a huge facility where you get to wear yukata-like clothes and then can use all of the facility's goodies, e.g. hot rock sauna, onsen, rotenburo, doctor fish, great restaurants etc.
You put your clothes and all your belongings in a locker and just run around with those comfy yukata-like clothes and your coin locker wristband - which will serve as your wallet. Wherever you go, you pay with that and before checking out, they'll scan your band and you pay then. :)
It was really nice, BUT there were soooooooooooooooo many people, especially tourists from other Asian countries that the rotenburo was more than just full. I've never before experienced something like that and I've been to many, many onsen.
The rotenburo was so full that you touched the other naked people around you without wanting to and despite it being so full, those Asian tourists just kept squeezing in.
I couldn't stay in there for long .... ewwww!!!
And they also didn't obey the rules. They even brought their drinks into the onsen. WTF???????
I guess one problem is that Arima Onsen is so close to a big city and easy accessible that it's always that crowded. And I don't like crowded onsen. ;)
Next stop was Kinosaki Onsen which was a much better experience!
I've been to the north of Hyogo Prefecture when I still had my own car many times, e.g. to visit Izushi Castle or Takeda Castle .... and even Amanohashidate in Kyoto is not too far from there.
BUT it's in the north and a bit far away for most foreign tourists. I also avoided going on a weekend and was hoping that it wouldn't be too crowded. And it wasn't. :)
In the photo above you see the foot bath of "Sato no Yu" which is RIGHT NEXT to Kinosaki Onsen Station.
You can also drink the onsen water there which helps you with digestive problems, so JUST the right thing for me! :)
Didn't help at all though ... T_T .... (probably would have to move there and drink it every single day)
There are 7 public bath houses in Kinosaki and doing an onsen meguri to visit all of them is THE thing to do in Kinosaki.
That's why I decided to stay there for 2 days so I would have time to enjoy all of them without rushing ........
.......... but then I was told that 2 of the bath houses (two of the highlights!!!) had to close down temporarily due to the effects of the recent typhoon (what, again??) ....
....
At least I enjoyed the other ones and I was even lucky enough to have the rotenburo all to myself - that's why I was able to take photos! (*___*)b
Gosho no Yu has a rotenburo that's facing a waterfall (left photo).
Ichi no Yu features a rotenburo in a cave (right photo).
My favorite apart from the above was probably "Sato no Yu", the one right next to the station.
The indoor onsen was quite nice, steam sauna, but the rotenburo was awesome. Again I had it all to myself, couldn't believe it and enjoyed it thoroughly. :)
While staying in Kinosaki for one night, this was also the only time in a traditional ryokan during this trip.
The room was huge. They even brought breakfast into my room.
And you could reserve the rotenburo, so you had it all to yourself - yet again. Soooo amazing!~
It's always difficult to find ryokan offering a plan for only ONE person, so I'm glad I found this and it was comparably cheap, too! :)
Most people arrive in the evening, check into their hotel where they'll get a yukata and a free pass to enter all of the onsen for free.
So, especially in the evening you'll hear the sound of geta everywhere which just adds up to the whole nice atmosphere.
I didn't wear a yukata, it was WAY too cold that day (below 7°C) and I had already entered most of the onsen before it got dark, so ... nothing to warm me up was left. ;)
The area is famous for beef and lobster. Tried both. Food will be featured in a separate entry, though. Stay tuned.
The great thing about staying 2 days in Kinosaki was that I got to explore more of the area.
Using the ropeway you'll get up to Onsen Temple from where you have a great view over the area.
The Murayama River is so beautiful and goes well with the colors of autumn. :)
There's even a floating gate in Kinosaki! ;)
And then it was time to go really home, home.
I was surprised to see how much Himeji City has evolved by the way. It's only been 3 years, but wow!
And off to the inaka I was visiting my old school, meeting my former co-workers and some of my students.
I'll write about this in more detail some other time, but OMG!!! ;__________; .....
Before going back to Tokyo I stopped by in Shiga Prefecture to visit the other ninja village, Koka.
I was utterly disappointed, though. The one in Mie (Iga Ueno) was a LOT more interesting.
The ninja village in Koka was really more for little kids or foreigners who wanted to dress up as ninja ... more like a tiny (but not very good) amusement park.
The ninja estate was a bit more interesting, but if you've seen such a trap house already somewhere else (e.g. in Iga or in Kanazawa), then it's all the same.
But at least the autumn colors were nice and I also go to visit Minakuchi Castle. ^___^
On my last day before returning to Tokyo I FINALLY went to Omihachiman (in Shiga).
I've been sooooooooooooooo close so many times, e.g. when visiting the Azuchi Castle Ruins .... but even from Hikone or Nagahama it's not too far. :)
It's located near Lake Biwako (Japan's largest lake) and you can see part of it in the photo above.
Omichachiman is especially famous for it's canal area.
Btw. at that point my shoes were done for. It's not because I walked so much this time (on one day almost 34.000 steps), but these shoes have survived a LOT of trips in Japan.
I had them for many years even when I still lived in Japan, so they've been to at least half of Japan's 47 prefectures with me. ;)
R.I.P. ... really gotta get new ones soon. ^^;;; ....
And then I was back in Tokyo, but only for a few days for shopping and meeting people. :)
Shopping stuff will also be featured in a separate entry, so stay tuned.
In case you didn't recognize it, that's Akihabara in the photo above.
No Tokyo visit without going shopping there. ;)
You know you're in Japan when .................. ;)
I did one day trip from Tokyo to Jogashima which is part of the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa.
This island was a little surprise. It has everything I love! Fresh seafood (esp. famous for maguro), lots of cats(!!!!), beautiful rock formations, lovely ocean, small, not many tourists, onsen (though not natural ones) - and you can even see Mt. Fuji (if you don't visit on the same day I do ....).
As always I couldn't see Mt. Fuji. My success rate is still at 5%, while seeing it from the Shinkansen is like 95% ... why, Mt. Fuji, why? ;) ....
I ended my day there while soaking in the rotenburo of Keikyuu Hotel. If you look closely enough you can see the base of Mt. Fuji in the photo above.
Despite my previous autumn trips this time I didn't plan anything to see autumn colors.
I yet ran into really beautiful foliage, so I'm truly happy.
I met lovely people who helped me out here and there (like 2 ladies I've met a few times while hiking Kumano Kodo - who eventually offered to take me back to my hotel in their car when it was suddenly freezing cold), had nice conversations (e.g. with this one monk who loved to discuss about East and West Germany and Merkel ... eventually he gave ma a lucky charm for free) and just generally had a good time. Needless to say that this was ABSOLUTELY necessary and I really don't think a trip once a year to Japan is enough!
This was really just a very small selection of photos.
If you follow me on social media you've probably seen them all and more.
I'll also eventually post them on "Zooming Japan".
Stay tuned for the "shopping and food haul" entry.
Bye~chuu
I know it's been ages, but a lot of things happened ....
As mentioned in one of my previous entries I was travelling back to Japan - as every year in autumn.
This is the third time doing so since leaving Japan a few autumns ago. There hasn't been a single year since 2007 where I haven't been in Japan, but that's not very difficult, after all I lived there from early 2008 - late 2014.
I've only been back once every year, every time in autumn (pretty much every time in November in 2015, 2016 and 2017).
It's not like I've chosen autumn, but the first two trips were business trips and I just stayed longer and did my private vacation afterwards.
And this year ... I thought I would go on a business trip as every year, but nope. But I still decided to go to Japan and so it ended up being in November because I already kept that slot open, thinking I would have my business trip there.
A week before departure ........ I suffered from sudden hearing loss.
On my way home from work, in my car, I thought that one of the speakers must be broken because I only heard clearly on one side.
Back home I thought the speakers of the TV must also be broken because I had the same issue .............. until I realized it's not the speakers that are broken but one of my ears ............
As it was a Friday night, I couldn't go to a doctor immediately, I went the following week.
Apparently too much stress.
No wonder ....... I had no real vacation the entire year (apart from this short trip to Amsterdam), I've had a ridiculous amount of overtime work, deadlines and ... simply just stress and negative vibes at work.
Hearing is back now, still a slight tinnitus, though.
I stayed home for 2 days and then went back to work because I can't just be sick right before a 3 week long vacation.
My co-worker already complained when I got sick before my vacation last year ................... not doing that on purpose, dude.
Anyway, went back to work, still quite stressful.
2 days later I noticed when I got home that I'm not fit at all. I crawled into my bed and never got out again.
Fever, difficulties breathing ............. I was completely knocked out.
That was 3 days prior to my departure.
Now, I had not been sick in over a year!!!!!!!!!
I was devastated that I had to get sick now - out of all the times.
Then again, regular readers know exactly that this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME and I'm used to it.
But this time it was different. I was knocked out badly.
I was sooooooooooooooo close to cancelling the whole trip.
Even the night before leaving I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to go.
I mean ... if you're sick like that a long flight (not even a direct one) and the jetlag might just completely destroy you.
But for some reason I was on the way to the airport the next morning, still feeling like shit.
I went to the emergency clinic at the airport, got the OK from the doc and some meds and off I went.
Needless to say that on that day we had the heaviest storm in Germany in ages and it wasn't clear if the plane could even start ------ and on the other side in Japan the last typhoon of the year was awaiting me.
EVERYTHING seemed to be against me going to Japan this time and I have no idea why.
It's a miracle that this vacation even happened, but it did.
And since I've annoyed you enough with my blabbering, let's move on to the actual vacation:
Halloween in Shibuya.
I've been to the Halloween parade in Kawasaki a few times and was really sad to hear that I missed it this time by just a few days.
I arrived in Japan on Oct 30, still a bit sick. Did a bit of shopping in Harajuku on Oct 31 and then moved on to Shibuya.
I couldn't stay long (not even long enough until it got dark), but luckily there were already a few people in costumes.
Maybe it's a good thing that I had to leave early, because it tends to get insane in Shibuya for Halloween after all. ;)
Having daylight was better for taking photos anyway.
The reason why I had to leave Shibuya early was because I wasn't staying in Tokyo for too long, lots of travelling planned as always.
I FINALLY managed to visit Magome and Tsumago which had been on my list for ages.
Luckily it wasn't very crowded when I went there.
I was contemplating of doing a few more spots there, e.g. Kiso-Fukushima and walk a bit more of the Nakasendo, but eventually I didn't as I had so many other things I wanted to do.
One of my favorite things in Tsumago was the lighting in this old house! :)
Of course, I had to add a few more castles (and castle ruins) to my long list. ;)
This is Naegi Castle Ruins in Nakatsugawa, not too far away from Magome.
The view from the ruins was absolutely priceless!!
I only walked a short part of the Nakasendo, but covered some more of the Kumano Kodo this time.
Really beautiful "roads" through the mountains .... a bit tiring, but still very nice!
The only problem ... as expected .... were those "little" monsters again.
And yes, I saw quite a few. I have the feeling they tend to get bigger every single year.
Not sure what I'm talking about? I'm referring to those killer hornets better known as "suzumebachi". T_T .....
Luckily nothing happened.
Kudos to those who do the whole Kumano Kodo.
I walked parts of the Ise-ji this time. REALLY BEAUTIFUL!
The Magose-toge and Matsumoto-toge (= trails of Kumano Kodo) go through the mountains, but end up at the coast, so you get beautiful views of the ocean.
It was extremely hot for November this year - and being in the southern part of Kansai didn't make it any better. :)
The first few days we still had over 20°C, it almost felt like summer!
When you finish the Matsumoto-toge trail, you'll get to see some breathtaking rock formations!
On the right you can see "Shishi Iwa" (Lion Rock) which is a World Heritage.
Despite the rough start, I must say that this was probably one of my best vacations concerning the weather and things that could go wrong.
It's not a secret that I've graduated from being an ame onna and was promoted to be a typhoon onna.
I've been through so many typhoons during my travels, being stuck because roads are blocked and trains aren't running, sitting on a remote island during a typhoon TWICE with nothing to do .... I've had it all!!!
It REALLY went quite smoothly this time ..... a VERY strange and yet pleasant experience for me. :)
And I'm super thankful for this.
That being said .... there were a few things that went wrong after all.
It all started in Shingu where I already had been a few years before, visiting the Kumano Sanzan.
This time, I wanted to do the jet boat tour in Doro Gorge .... but only once I arrived at the bus in the morning I was told that due to the effects of the last typhoon, the boats were not running.
And there I stood ... with no plan B (especially because I had been in Shingu before and done everything else already ....).
Eventually I went to do a different boat tour ... actually the only part of the Kumano Kodo that pilgrims couldn't manage by walking, so they had to take a boat. :)
And just like the pilgrims you get such a tour as well. It was quite a pleasant experience, I have to say .....
But I was shocked to see how ugly Kumano River was. Usually the color is soooooooooooooooo stunning - which is ONE reason why I wanted to go back and take a boat tour.
But due to the recent typhoon................
At least we got to see some really nice things such as rock formations, small islands and waterfalls during our tour.
After that I wanted to soak in an onsen, but I was given the wrong bus timetable (the one from the previous month) and so the bus I was taking wasn't stopping there.
I ended up at Hongu Taisha where I had already been years before ..... at least the Kumano River was as beautiful as I remembered it there.
After slowly walking my way (using parts of the Kumano Kodo) from Mie to Wakayama I finally travelled back to Mie.
Mt. Gozaisho near Tsu was quite impressive. The autumn colors there were lovely and different from what you're used to as there were no maple leaves but lots of other trees! :)
I really wanted to hike down the mountain, but I soon realized that you need proper gear (not only shoes, but sticks and clothes) in order to manage. Too bad. :(
At the foot of Mt. Gozaisho is Yunoyama Onsen where I hopped into a rotenburo.
The autumn colors down at Yunoyama Onsen were almost at their peak in early November.
The next day I went to see the Akame 48 Falls (also in Mie and not too far away from Tsu). Quite nice, but I wasn't TOO impressed to be honest.
And then it was time to go back home .... well ... I mean my previous home. ;)
I finally visited a few spots I had never been to despite living nearby:
Arima Onsen.
Despite having lived near Kobe, I never really felt the urge to visit Arima Onsen. I guess I preferred onsen that were farther away. ;)
Because it's slighly in the mountains and thus cooler, autumn colors were already out at the time of my visit.
Arima Onsen is especially famous for the Golden Water (see photo) and the Silver Water.
There are 2 traditional bath houses featuring one of each. I was lucky as it was lady's day, so everything was half the price, but I guess that's why it was crowded despite it being a weekday.
Eventually I went to "Taiko no Yu", a huge facility where you get to wear yukata-like clothes and then can use all of the facility's goodies, e.g. hot rock sauna, onsen, rotenburo, doctor fish, great restaurants etc.
You put your clothes and all your belongings in a locker and just run around with those comfy yukata-like clothes and your coin locker wristband - which will serve as your wallet. Wherever you go, you pay with that and before checking out, they'll scan your band and you pay then. :)
It was really nice, BUT there were soooooooooooooooo many people, especially tourists from other Asian countries that the rotenburo was more than just full. I've never before experienced something like that and I've been to many, many onsen.
The rotenburo was so full that you touched the other naked people around you without wanting to and despite it being so full, those Asian tourists just kept squeezing in.
I couldn't stay in there for long .... ewwww!!!
And they also didn't obey the rules. They even brought their drinks into the onsen. WTF???????
I guess one problem is that Arima Onsen is so close to a big city and easy accessible that it's always that crowded. And I don't like crowded onsen. ;)
Next stop was Kinosaki Onsen which was a much better experience!
I've been to the north of Hyogo Prefecture when I still had my own car many times, e.g. to visit Izushi Castle or Takeda Castle .... and even Amanohashidate in Kyoto is not too far from there.
BUT it's in the north and a bit far away for most foreign tourists. I also avoided going on a weekend and was hoping that it wouldn't be too crowded. And it wasn't. :)
In the photo above you see the foot bath of "Sato no Yu" which is RIGHT NEXT to Kinosaki Onsen Station.
You can also drink the onsen water there which helps you with digestive problems, so JUST the right thing for me! :)
Didn't help at all though ... T_T .... (probably would have to move there and drink it every single day)
There are 7 public bath houses in Kinosaki and doing an onsen meguri to visit all of them is THE thing to do in Kinosaki.
That's why I decided to stay there for 2 days so I would have time to enjoy all of them without rushing ........
.......... but then I was told that 2 of the bath houses (two of the highlights!!!) had to close down temporarily due to the effects of the recent typhoon (what, again??) ....
....
At least I enjoyed the other ones and I was even lucky enough to have the rotenburo all to myself - that's why I was able to take photos! (*___*)b
Gosho no Yu has a rotenburo that's facing a waterfall (left photo).
Ichi no Yu features a rotenburo in a cave (right photo).
My favorite apart from the above was probably "Sato no Yu", the one right next to the station.
The indoor onsen was quite nice, steam sauna, but the rotenburo was awesome. Again I had it all to myself, couldn't believe it and enjoyed it thoroughly. :)
While staying in Kinosaki for one night, this was also the only time in a traditional ryokan during this trip.
The room was huge. They even brought breakfast into my room.
And you could reserve the rotenburo, so you had it all to yourself - yet again. Soooo amazing!~
It's always difficult to find ryokan offering a plan for only ONE person, so I'm glad I found this and it was comparably cheap, too! :)
Most people arrive in the evening, check into their hotel where they'll get a yukata and a free pass to enter all of the onsen for free.
So, especially in the evening you'll hear the sound of geta everywhere which just adds up to the whole nice atmosphere.
I didn't wear a yukata, it was WAY too cold that day (below 7°C) and I had already entered most of the onsen before it got dark, so ... nothing to warm me up was left. ;)
The area is famous for beef and lobster. Tried both. Food will be featured in a separate entry, though. Stay tuned.
The great thing about staying 2 days in Kinosaki was that I got to explore more of the area.
Using the ropeway you'll get up to Onsen Temple from where you have a great view over the area.
The Murayama River is so beautiful and goes well with the colors of autumn. :)
There's even a floating gate in Kinosaki! ;)
And then it was time to go really home, home.
I was surprised to see how much Himeji City has evolved by the way. It's only been 3 years, but wow!
And off to the inaka I was visiting my old school, meeting my former co-workers and some of my students.
I'll write about this in more detail some other time, but OMG!!! ;__________; .....
Before going back to Tokyo I stopped by in Shiga Prefecture to visit the other ninja village, Koka.
I was utterly disappointed, though. The one in Mie (Iga Ueno) was a LOT more interesting.
The ninja village in Koka was really more for little kids or foreigners who wanted to dress up as ninja ... more like a tiny (but not very good) amusement park.
The ninja estate was a bit more interesting, but if you've seen such a trap house already somewhere else (e.g. in Iga or in Kanazawa), then it's all the same.
But at least the autumn colors were nice and I also go to visit Minakuchi Castle. ^___^
On my last day before returning to Tokyo I FINALLY went to Omihachiman (in Shiga).
I've been sooooooooooooooo close so many times, e.g. when visiting the Azuchi Castle Ruins .... but even from Hikone or Nagahama it's not too far. :)
It's located near Lake Biwako (Japan's largest lake) and you can see part of it in the photo above.
Omichachiman is especially famous for it's canal area.
Btw. at that point my shoes were done for. It's not because I walked so much this time (on one day almost 34.000 steps), but these shoes have survived a LOT of trips in Japan.
I had them for many years even when I still lived in Japan, so they've been to at least half of Japan's 47 prefectures with me. ;)
R.I.P. ... really gotta get new ones soon. ^^;;; ....
And then I was back in Tokyo, but only for a few days for shopping and meeting people. :)
Shopping stuff will also be featured in a separate entry, so stay tuned.
In case you didn't recognize it, that's Akihabara in the photo above.
No Tokyo visit without going shopping there. ;)
You know you're in Japan when .................. ;)
I did one day trip from Tokyo to Jogashima which is part of the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa.
This island was a little surprise. It has everything I love! Fresh seafood (esp. famous for maguro), lots of cats(!!!!), beautiful rock formations, lovely ocean, small, not many tourists, onsen (though not natural ones) - and you can even see Mt. Fuji (if you don't visit on the same day I do ....).
As always I couldn't see Mt. Fuji. My success rate is still at 5%, while seeing it from the Shinkansen is like 95% ... why, Mt. Fuji, why? ;) ....
I ended my day there while soaking in the rotenburo of Keikyuu Hotel. If you look closely enough you can see the base of Mt. Fuji in the photo above.
Despite my previous autumn trips this time I didn't plan anything to see autumn colors.
I yet ran into really beautiful foliage, so I'm truly happy.
I met lovely people who helped me out here and there (like 2 ladies I've met a few times while hiking Kumano Kodo - who eventually offered to take me back to my hotel in their car when it was suddenly freezing cold), had nice conversations (e.g. with this one monk who loved to discuss about East and West Germany and Merkel ... eventually he gave ma a lucky charm for free) and just generally had a good time. Needless to say that this was ABSOLUTELY necessary and I really don't think a trip once a year to Japan is enough!
This was really just a very small selection of photos.
If you follow me on social media you've probably seen them all and more.
I'll also eventually post them on "Zooming Japan".
Stay tuned for the "shopping and food haul" entry.
Bye~chuu