JAPAN
32 Days 31 Nights
Self Drive Trip - 3 couples
21 May 2016 - 21 Jun 2016
First Leg :
Kaizuka > Wakayama City > Yuasa > Minabe > Shirahama > Kushimoto > Nachikatsuura > Odai > Ise > Shima > Toba > Matsusaka > Tsu > Kameya > Nabari > Osaka City > Kansai International Airport
Kaizuka > Wakayama City > Yuasa > Minabe > Shirahama > Kushimoto > Nachikatsuura > Odai > Ise > Shima > Toba > Matsusaka > Tsu > Kameya > Nabari > Osaka City > Kansai International Airport
Second Leg :
Osaka City > Kobe > Awaji Isand > Naruto > Awa > Yoshinogawa > Mima > Miyoshi > Kochi City > Matsuyama > Masaki > Kotohiro > Marugame > Takamatsu > Sanuki > Okayama > Himeiji > Tarumi > Kansai International Airport
Osaka City > Kobe > Awaji Isand > Naruto > Awa > Yoshinogawa > Mima > Miyoshi > Kochi City > Matsuyama > Masaki > Kotohiro > Marugame > Takamatsu > Sanuki > Okayama > Himeiji > Tarumi > Kansai International Airport
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Kaizuka
We flew SQ616 from Singapore, arriving Kansai Airport around 920pm. The queue at the immigration clearance was super long, and took about 45 mins to an hour to cross the immigration. Thereafter, we picked up our rental car from Times Car Rental (booked through RentalCar.com). We booked a Mazda Biante or similar from 21 May to 21 June for S$5,304, but the staff at Times Car Rental was very helpful and upgraded us to a Toyota Estima as the initial car available was too small. From the airport, we drove about 25 mins to our apartment in Kaizuka, where we spend two nights here. On the second day, we drove to the fish market, Izumisano Aozora Market, for brunch and thereafter to Rinku Premium Outlet Mall for shopping. In the evening, we drove to a public Onsen (Onsen Nijinoyu) near our apartment before we end the day. Air BnB House (2) |
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Kaizuka > Wakayama City
After checking out from our apartment, we make way to Wakayama city. Along the way, we stopped at a sake brewing shop to stock up some sake. Next, we drove to Tama train station (1 hr 10 mins drive from our apartment), which is popular for the cat station master. Out next stop was Kuroshio Market (35 mins, 19km), which is a well-known fish market where you can eat and buy fresh Japanese fish. Guests can enjoy watching a whole tuna preparation show. We had our seafood barbecue lunch here before setting off to Wakayama City. Along the way, we had more shopping. We arrived Wakayama city late in the evening, and had Ramen dinner at Ramen-Marui before checking into our hotel. Daiwa Roynet Hotel Wakayama is located near the Wakayama castle, and we had a great view of the castle from our room. Daiwa Roynet Hotel Wakayama (23,400 yen) |
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Wakayama City > Yuasa > Minabe > Shirahama
We decided to skip visiting Wakayama castle, and drove 1 hr 30 mins to Yuasa town, which is the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce and Edo-era treasures. Today, the entire city is protected by Japanese law -- its of 323 houses and other traditional buildings (four soy sauce breweries included) recognized for their immense cultural value. Called "hongawara," some of the oldest buildings date back more than 400 years. Many still have their traditional lattice windows and curved tile roofs. We had lunch in a little restaurant here, famous for their shirasu don, and headed to Minabe thereafter (1 hr 20 mins drive, 51km). Minabe produces 30,000 tons of ume fruit every year. The type of ume grown in the area is called Nanko-ume. They are particularly large and flavourful, and are considered the highest quality in Japan. Most of the fruit harvested is pickled to make umeboshi, one of Japan's most distinctive foods. These pickled fruit are really sour and salty but they go perfectly with rice. My mother-in-law was busy picking the free frsh ume, thinking of bringing back to Singapore (but did not make it back as it started to rot after few days). But we did stop by a factory and bought some pickled Ume back :) After Minabe, we drove about 25 mins to 奇絶峡 to enjoy the nature walk and, waterfall (This is where I got bitten by mosquitoes or sand flies resulted in me going to hospital in Nara later on the trip). From here, it was another 25-30 mins to Shirahama where we try to catch the sun set near Engetsu Island, a popular sightseeing spot, known for its nice sunset view. There is a perfect circle in the center of the island, so a lot of people visit here to enjoy the gorgeous sunset that forms behind Engetsu Island. Unfortunately, it was cloudy that evening and we did not manage to capture the perfect picture :( After that, we checked into our accommodation and drove to the beach for a stroll. Dormitory Sandanya Guesthouse (21,000 yen) |
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Shirahama
Our accommodation is just a few minutes walk away from Sandanbeki, which consists of three steep cliffs with a large network of caves at water level. An elevator is taken down to the caves, which has a shrine inside and a network of tunnels. After that, we took a short 15 mins drive to Senjojiki - Japanese for "One Thousand Tatami Mats" - which describes the appearance of these flat, sheet-like rocks. The Senjojiki are located along the coast, and visitors can walk out onto them. Time for lunch after all the walking, and we drove 15 mins to the famous Tore Tore Fish Market. However, we had our lunch in a sushi restaurant across the market, but we bought fresh fishes, prawns, Otoro sashimi, vegetables and some pork back to our apartment for self cooked dinner. The whole dinner, including a 1.8 litre sake, costs us less than 10,000 yen in total. Before dinner, however, we enjoyed about an hour onsen at 千畳の湯 hat overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Dormitory Sandanya Guesthouse (21,000 yen) |
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Shirahama > Kishimoto > Nachikatsuura
In the morning, we drove to Sakinoyu, an outdoor onsen that is located right along the seashore, and it offers a view out across the water. It dates back over a thousand years and is mentioned in some of Japan's most ancient texts. After onsen, we drove back to the apartment and had breakfast before checking out and started our journey to Nachilkatsuura. Along the way, we stopped by the famous 熊野古道 (Kumano Kodo), world heritage trail for the Buddhism. Thereafter, we continued our drive (1 hr, 58km) to the most southern part of Kishimoto, This is the town that successfully breed blue fin tuna in the world. Guess what we had for lunch? Tuna meal, of course :) We stopped by another tourist attractions in Kishimoto, Hashikuiiwa Rocks, before driving about 35 mins (27km) to our hotel in Nachikatsuura. This is our last night in Wakayama prefecture before heading out to MIE prefecture tomorrow to join the G7 summit :p — checked in to 越の湯. Yukai Resort Koshinoyu (50,400 yen) |
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Nachikatsuura > Odai
More onsen in the morning before breakfast. After we checked out, we too a short drive to the Tuna auction market (那智勝浦漁協) in the town area. We were too late to catch any actions, but still can see lots of tunas and eagles in the market. Next stop was World Heritage Site, Nachifall (世界遺産 那智の滝), which is only 20 mins drive away. We spend few hours here before heading to MIE prefecture. We stopped at Kihoku rest stop after more than an hour drive from Nachi Fall. We had dinner at at 和牛炭火家 やきや(40 mins drive from Kihoku), patronised mostly by locals only. Our final destination is our accommodation in Odai, 25 mins drive from the restaurant, which is a huge old Japanese house previously owned by a rich merchant. Air BnB House |
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Odai > Ise > Toba > Odai
This morning, we drove about 50 mins to a bakery shop near 伊勢神宮 外宮 / Geku to buy our breakfast. This bakery shop offers free coffee with any purchases in the shop :) After breakfast, we drove about 30 mins (14km) to Toba town, famous for seafood and pearl. After strolling the town, we had our grilled seafood and sashimi lunch in one of the restaurants here (海女小屋鳥羽はまなみ). After lunch, we drove to 夫婦岩 Meoto-Iwa, which took us about 15 mins (8km). Meoto Iwa are two sacred rocks in the ocean near Futami. The larger of the two rocks represents the husband and the smaller one represents the wife. Both rocks are connected by a shimenawa rope which acts as the division between the spiritual and earthly realms. In a ceremony, the shimenawa rope is replaced three times a year. Next, we drove 25 mins (11km) to 伊勢神宮 内宮 / Naiku visiting the Ise Grand Shrine. This place is huge, and takes at least few hours to explore. Our last stop was dinner at this old restaurant (4th generation now) for Japan's No. 1 beef, Matsusaka Beef. We tried the marbling A5 grade, which costs us 4,000 yen per 100 gram. The beef really melts in your mouth, though was too fatty for my liking. Air BnB House |
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Odai > Shima > Odai
The highlight for today is Ise lobsters and abalone. After having breakfast in the house, we set off to Ise-Shima National Park for a panoramic view of the surrounding islands. The drive up near the observatory area took us about 1 hr 40 mins. We had some fruits and enjoyed the scenery here before setting off for our grilled lobsters and abalone in xxx (25 mins drive). The prices of the seafood are not that cheap, but they are very fresh. Rest of the day was spend rest and relax and more shopping for the ladies. Air BnB House |
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Odai > Tsu
After breakfast and checking out from our accommodation, we drove to a nearby chicken farm to try out its grill chicken and fresh eggs. The meat has little fats but is really tough for our liking. Thereafter, we drove about 30 mins to Nyu for some fresh produces before driving another 35 mins to Matsusaka town for more Matsusaka beef. Our first stop was to see the number two ranked grilled beef shop at Mow & Buu. After our sumptuous meal, we drove around Matsusaka town before to a popular local butchery Shimofuri Honpo, which specializes in Matsusaka beef. From here, we drove about 40 mins to reach our hotel in Tsu. Dormy Inn Tsu (25,770 yen) |
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Tsu
We started the day driving to the Asahiya Specialty Matsusaka Beef shop to stock up some Matsuka beef for DIY BBQ in the afternoon. Next, we drove to buy charcoal and fire burner. After stocking up the necessary stuffs, we drove around Tsu for a a quick city tour before driving more than an hour (46km) to one of the river streams in Toriidoyama Camping Ground to have our DIY BBQ. A nice experience BBQing beside the river stream and forest. Following that, we took a short 10-15 mins drive to the Yunoyama Hot Spring Area. Unfortunately, seems like its off peak season, and a lot of shops are closed. So we did not spend too much time here, and back tracked to our hotel (1 hr 5 mins drive, 43km). Dormy Inn Tsu (25,770 yen) |
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Tsu > Iga > Nabari
Today was a relax day, and we only visited The Akame 48 Waterfalls trail (an hour 30 mins drive, 73km) before driving to Nabari to enjoy the Onsen in the hotel. The Akame 48 Waterfalls are a collective name for a string of waterfalls flowing through Akame-cho, Nabari, Mie. The area was used by Iga-ryu ninja (people engaged in intelligence activities from the 15th to 18th century; because Akame is in the district that used to be called “Iga,” the ninja art of the district is called “Iga-ryu”) for training. Today, you can put on a ninja suit and experience ninja training such as hiding, climbing and jumping in the great nature. We were not that adventurous, and only walked to a few waterfalls as we wanted to spend more time in the Onsen Hotel. From here, it was only 25 mins drive to our hotel. Shorenji Lake Hotel has an amazing view of the opposite mountains and lake below from both the restaurants and open air onsen. There were only 4-6 other guests during our stay. Shorenji Lake Hotel (83,400 yen) |
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Nabari > Nara > Osaka
Woke up early morning and realised my four mosquitoes/sand flies bites worsen (blisters as big as strawberry). But we still went for more onsen before our breakfast. After checking out from the hotel, we drove to the dam and lake below the hotel for more photo takings. Thereafter, we make our way to Osaka, stopping over at Nara (1 hr 20 mins, 52km) along the way. This was where I visited the local hospital to get my legs treated. Fortunately, there were some English speaking doctors in the hospital, but we wasted 3-4 hours here :( We continued to the Nara Park after this before driving to our apartment in Osaka (1 hr, 36km). Apartment from Air BnB |
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Osaka
Shopping and eating day. We spend the whole day in Osaka City, starting the day at America-mura (American Village). This is a unique and vibrant area in the Minami area of Osaka that is the center of Kansai's youth culture. After several hours of shopping, we drove to Dotonburi where we had tea break, plus more shopping for the ladies. In the evening, we walked from Dotonburi to Tsutenkaku (25-30 mins walk) to look for the restaurant we planned to have dinner. There were lots of people queuing outside the restaurant, 八重勝, when we arrived. Fortunately, the turnaround time was quite fast, and we waited for only 15-20 mins. The food here is delicious and prices are reasonable. After dinner, it was another 25-30 mins walk back to Dotonburi area to collect our car. Along the way, however, we stopped to try the pork burger in Burger King. Taste is yummy, as the pork has similar taste as Singapore bak kwa. Apartment from Air BnB |
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Osaka > Kyoto > Osaka
Woke up this morning with a flat tire :( Drove to a nearby petrol station to change the tire. Luckily we bought a full protection policy from RentalCar.com and hence was able claim the full amount back. After that, we drove to Kuromon market in Osaka for brunch. With more than 190 years of history and tradition, Kuromon Ichiba Market, a very popular area known by locals as "Gastronome" and "Osaka' s Kitchen", is well-known nationwide. It is a very lively market with lots of human interaction, and is packed with approximately 150 shops of mainly fish, meat and vegetables. After our brunch, we head out to Kyoto to visit the amazing Fushimi Inari Shrine (1 hr 30 mins, 50km). Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, Fushimi Inari Taisha) is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. We spend abnout 2 hours here before driving to Kyoto city for okonomiyaki dinner at Chabana. We ate at this restaurant when we were in Kyoto 3 years ago, and the taste is equally good now :) After dinner, we drove the tolled road to Kansai Airport (1hr 25 mins, 99km) to drop off one of us before driving back to our apartment in Osaka. Apartment from Air BnB |
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Osaka > Kobe
After checking out, we drove to Mon-cher to buy cream roll cake for tea break. The cream cake is delicious and reasonably priced. From Osaka, we drove about an hour (40km) to Arima Onsen (有馬温泉), hot springs in Kita-ku, Kobe. This Onsen is still a hidden treasure of modern Kobe, behind Mount Rokko. It attracts many Japanese who want tranquility with beautiful natural surroundings and yet easy access from the busy cities in the Kansai metropolitan area including Osaka. We strolled around this area, enjoyed the free spring water foot spa, and bought some local cookies and locally brewed beers before driving to our next destination, Kobe. The drive to Nankin-machi (Chinatown) was about 45 mins (22km), or first stop in Kobe for Chinese food. After dinner, we drove to our apartment in Kobe, which is 10-15 mins walk to the Kobe Mosaic Mall & Harborland. Apartment from Air BnB |
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Kobe
We start our day driving to a local fish market, Central Wholesale Market Tobu Market, to buy some fresh fishes to cook for dinner tonight. For brunch, we had sushi at Fusazuhi restaurant in the market. The serving is generous and the sushi is fresh and good. Would definitely recommend people to visit this place if they are around Kobe. After brunch, we drove to Harborland for shopping (free parking for 2 hours if you spend 2,000 yen in any of the stores here). Next, we drove to Motomachi (Hyogo) for more shopping for the ladies, while the guys went to gram outlet for pancake and desserts. More shopping after that before we drove back to our apartment to cook dinner. Apartment from Air BnB |
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Kobe > Awaji island
Time to cross over to Shikoku. We started our day driving to Uontana Shopping Street in Akashi for brunch. There's about 100 stores selling fresh fish and other marine products stand side by side in this 350m long shopping arcade. The street is crowded with local shoppers and tourists buying fresh Akashi sea bream and octopus from that day’s catch. We had sea eel and tako balls for brunch and set off to cross the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge is a suspension bridge, which links the city of Kobe on the Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island. It crosses the busy Akashi Strait as part of the Honshu-Shikoku Highway. Next up was to find one of the popular burger outlets in Awaji island. We glad we drove all thew way here as the taste was good and price wasn't expensive. After the delicious burger, we drove to あわじ花さじきgarden. This garden is four times as large as the Hanshin Koshien Stadium or approximately 14.6 hectares with seasonally blooming flowers. Visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of more than 2.5 millions of charming flowers in bloom against the background of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Osaka Bay. Our last stop was the modernist Water Temple (Shingonshu Honpukuji; 本福寺) constructed in 1991 - a beautiful space constructed with pools and concrete walls. Shimakaigetsu (Sumoto) - 10,800 yen |
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Awaji island (D19)
After breakfast, we drove from Sumoto Onsen area to Ohama park and the beach for some photo taking before driving to the Sumoto ruin castle (About 10 mins drive). The view from the Sumoto castle is quite nice as we can see the panoramic view of the Sumoto city and the beach. From here, we drove about 30 mins to Awajishima farm for lunch. This B.B.Q House accommodates approximately 450 guests. Guests can also touch the ponies and calves at "Milk no Sato" in the farm area. The restaurant also offers free sample of their milk. Oh, remember to try their milk ice-cream, which cost 300 yen each :) After lunch, its more shopping time for the ladies, and we had dinner at this nice little restaurant call Hamada in Sumoto city. Shimakaigetsu (Sumoto) - 10,800 yen |
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Awaji island > Mima (D20)
Today, we are crossing over to Shikoku island. After breakfast, we drove about an hour to South Awaji to one of the stops that tourists take ferry to the World Heritage, Naruto whirlpool. There's a seafood restaurant in the ferry terminal, and several beside the terminal. However, we were too full to have early lunch and hence continue our drive to the Onaru birdge (to cross over to Shikoku). Before driving across the bridge, we stopped here to try the voted number one Awaji burger joint. The outdoor seating has a nice view of the ocean. For the burger, however, we felt that the one we had in the farm tasted better. After lunch, we started to see the whirlpool forming and hence we drove across to Naruto. We need to walk about 20 mins from the carpark to the entrance of the bridge to view the whirlpool. The best time to view the Naruto whirlpool is high and low tides during Spring and Falls. Whirlools occur only during high and low tides and hence you need to plan accordingly. The whirlpools from the bridge are quite amazing, and we stayed there for about 30 mins enjoying the view. After that, we drove more than an hour to the Dochu Sand Pillar before checking in at our hotel in Mima. We had dinner in a restaurant nearby and after that, drove to a Fuigo Onsen to enjoy a relaxing onsen. After onsen, we drove to a river to enjoy the wonderful firefly flying at night as it was the right season. Hotel Matsuka |
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Mima > Miyoshi (D21)
Iya in Miyoshi (Tokushima prefecture); The Peeing Boy of Iya Gorge. A dizzying succession of sheer cliffs lines a steep gorge carved out of the mountains by the Iya River. As a symbol of innocent courage, a statue of a peeing boy stands at the edge of a 200m precipice that is also noted for the seven curves along its rim.; Oku-Iya Kasurabashi bridge (500 yen to cross the bridge). In ancient times the local people built many of these bridges for daily travel, using vines that grow wild in the mountains, yet only a few vine bridges still remain today. Looking down while crossing is enough to put butterflies in any visitor's stomach. Recognized as one of three kinds of unusual bridges in Japan, they are designated as an important folkloric property. Hotel Awanosho |
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Tokushima > Kochi
Onsen in the morning before breakfast and after checking our of the hotel, we drove to try our luck at the Oku Iya Monorail ride into the forest again. Along the way, we drove passed the Oboke and Koboke Gorges. An emerald green water surface, white rock faces, and cliffs jutting straight up to the sky are colored by fresh verdure in spring and by colored leaves in autumn. The drive to the monorail station took us more than an hour, and fortunately it was opened. Its quite an amazing ride into the forest by monorail, which is an hour ride. Next we drove towards the Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridge, stopping by a puppet town for some photo shooting along the way. Thereafter, we opted to take the mountain road from Iya to Kochi prefecture. Orient Hotel Kochi (23,250 yen) |
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Kochi
Every Sunday morning since 1690, Outesuji, one of the main roads in downtown Kochi, begins its transformation into an open air market that stretches for 1.3 kilometers. This market is known as Nichiyouichi, or simply, Sunday Market. Unfortunately, it was rainning throughout the day, and hence we spend most of our time shopping indoor. By the time we wanted to explore the open air market at around 3pm, most of the stalls are starting to pack up or have already closed due to the bad weather. We had early dinner and went back to the hotel. Orient Hotel Kochi (23,250 yen) |
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Kochi > Ehime
Drive to the scenic Yasui Valley in Kochi prefecture (40 mins drive) is the main highlight today. The valley and mountain areas covered in virgin forest are a stunning sight to see in early summer with fresh greenery and in late autumn with striking colored leaves. The valley attracts many visitors especially during the fall foliage season. River stones awash in brilliant blues and beautifully clear water purify visitors' minds. After that, we make way to Ehime prefecture (2 hrs 15 mins, 97km) and had grilled BBQ seafood for dinner near Dogo Onsen. Hotel Mielparque Matsuyama (21,000 yen) |
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Ehime
First place we visited was the Matsuyama castle today. We parked our car near the cable car station, and took a cable car up to the castle (510 yen for round trip). You can also opt to walk up to the castle, which will probably takes 20-25 mins. Matsuyama Castle (松山城, Matsuyamajō) is one of Japan's twelve "original castles", i.e. castles which have survived the post-feudal era since 1868 intact. It is located on Mount Katsuyama, a steep hill in the city center that provides visitors with a bird's eye view of Matsuyama and the Seto Inland Sea. There are about 200 cherry trees on the castle grounds, making this a lovely cherry blossom spot typically around late March to early April each year. After the castle, we drove to a 380-year old soumen shop, goshiki soumen, to the five-colored Japanese noodles. More shoppings after lunch before we drove to Tengu no Kakurega for yakitoyi dinner. Its relaxing time after early dinner, and we drove back hotel and headed to Dogo Onsen, Japan's oldest Onsen. The main attraction in Dogo Onsen is the Dogo Onsen Honkan, a Meiji Period wooden public bathhouse, dating from 1894. The interior of the Honkan is a maze of stairways, passages and rooms, all of which bustle with bathers and staff. It is said to have served as inspiration for Miyazaki's popular animated film "Spirited Away". Hotel Mielparque Matsuyama (21,000 yen) |
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Ehime > Kagawa
Shopping day today. After breakfast and checking out the hotel, we drove to Emiful MASAKI shopping centre, which is the largest mall in Shikoku in floor sized with a total of 190 shops. We spend about six hours here before making our way to Kagawa. Along the way, we stopped at a shabu shabu restaurant for dinner. The drive from Emiful MASAKI to our hotel took 3 hrs 25 mins (129km) Chisun Inn Marugame Zentsuji (19,500 yen) |
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Kagawa
Exercise day. First stop was Kotohira-gu (金刀比羅宮), which requires to climb 1,368 steps to reach the inner shrine. Janis stopped at 365 steps, which is the main gate. Jean stopped at 785 steps, the main shrine, and I went all the way to the inner shrines :) After the hectic climb up an down, the ladies went to a Udon-making shop,中野うどん学校, to learnt how to make their own Udon. After making our own Udon, we were brought to the dining hall to cook and taste our own Udon; Oiishiiiiii :). More food after this as we drove to a restaurant in Marugame that specialises bone in chicken for dinner (骨付鶏 ー鶴 土器川店) This is probably one of the best chicken drumsticks we've tried. Matched with the dark beer, perfect! After dinner, we drove back to hotel and call it a day. Chisun Inn Marugame Zentsuji (19,500 yen) |
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Kagawa > Takamatsu
We drove to an old Udon/Soba restaurant in a quiet countryside in the morning, where the old lady founder and her son still cook their Udon/Soba using firewood stove. Prices here are also pretty cheap. After late breakfast, we drove 20-25 mins to Yashima (屋島, lit. "roof island"), a flat topped mountain just outside of Takamatsu's city center. Yashima offers great views of Takamatsu and of the Seto Inland Sea. Near the many viewpoints around the mountaintop are shops where you can buy small clay discs, which are thrown off the mountain for luck. This is meant to symbolize the victorious Minamoto warriors throwing off their headpieces after defeating the Taira. After that, we drove 1.5 hr, passing by Sanuki town (original place that invented Sanuki noodle), to Tokushima prefecture for seafood late lunch at 漁協食堂 うずし before heading back to Kagawa prefecture for onsen at Buzhosan (仏生山温泉).. Toyoko Inn Takamatsu Nakajin (25,628 yen) |
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Takamatsu
We started the morning walking to Ritsurin Garden, which is just 25 mins away. Ritsurin Koen (栗林公園) is a landscape garden in Takamatsu City, built by the local feudal lords during the early Edo Period. Considered one of the best gardens in Japan, it is often suggested that Ritsurin Koen deserves a spot on the list of the "three most beautiful gardens of Japan" alongside Kanazawa's Kenrokuen, Mito's Kairakuen, and Okayama's Korakuen. After the garden, we walked back to hotel to collect our car and drove 8 mins (2.4km) to the fish wholesale market in Kagawa for lunch. おけいちゃん restaurant started 45 years ago by this old lady, and is popular for its deep-fried anago (conger eel). Also can choose whatever fish they bought this morning at the market direct from a fisherman. All the set is only 680yen. The tuna sashimi is sweet and anago tempura is oishiiiii! Really cheap and good :) After lunch, we drove to Kitahama Alley (10 mins. 3.2 km), which used to be a warehouse town converted to cafe & bar, restaurant, general store, and interior shops. There's really nothing much here to see and buy, and hence we left after less than 30 mins, and drove to the city center for shopping. At night, we looked for Ikaku branch (骨付鶏 ー鶴 屋島店), and had the yummy grilled chicken drumstick and dark beer for dinner again :) Toyoko Inn Takamatsu Nakajin (25,628 yen) |
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Takamatsu > Himeiji
We drove 30mins (20km) to みき水産, hoping to have oysters for lunch by the bay. Upon reaching, the owner said it was not oyster season until winter, and hence no oysters available :( However, we still manage to have good set meal here. After lunch, its time to leave Shikoku and head back to the main island. We stopped at the rest stop at Great-Seto Bridge for some photos before driving towards Himeiji. Along the way, we had dinner at one of the grilled beef restaurants in Kurashiki (Okayama) and had sumptuous Miyazaki Wagyu Beef. The drive from Great-Seto Bridgeto our hotel in Himeji took about 2 hrs 30 mins (113km). Himeiji-Chisun Inn (25,500 yen) |
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Himeiji
First stop for today was Himeiji Castle (姫路城, Himejijō), also known as White Heron Castle (Shirasagijo) due to its elegant, white appearance, is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle for its imposing size and beauty and its well preserved, complex castle grounds. The castle is both a national treasure and a world heritage site. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country's twelve original castles. Next up was lunch at Hiiragi for anago meal (sea eel), recommended by a local shop owner. Good taste and reasonable price :) After lunch, we dropped three of them at the shopping belt, while me and my wife make our way to Engyoji Temple on Mt Shosha (20-25 mins drive from Himeiji castle to the cable car station). We paid 900 yen for a return way cable car each up to Mt Shosha (less than 10 mins ride), and walked about 20-25 mins from the cable car station to Engyoji main temple. This is the temple where Tom Cruise filmed The Last Samurai. Entrance fee to the temple is 500 yen per adult. After visiting the temple, we drove back to the city and picked up the three passengers and went for xx ramen dinner. Himeiji-Chisun Inn (25,500 yen) |
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Himeji > Kobe > Kansai International Airport
All ready to go back home sweet home after more than an month here in Japan today, But not without more last minute shopping for the ladies. Our first stop from Himeji was to Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe for shoppings. This premium outlet is not has big as Rinku Preium outlet, but we still manage to buy something :) Next up was to have teppanyaki Kobe beef, where we drove to Steakland in Kobe. Reasonable price and good quality Kobe beer here, yummy. After satisfying late lunch, we continue our way to Osaka, and headed Moncher to buy the creamroll again, and to Bake Cheese Tart at the basement of Hanshin Department Store to buy the famous cheese tarts before driving the the Kansai International Airport to take our flight back to Singapore. End of tour. |
TRIP PHOTOS - JAPAN 2016