Well, it was raining when I got up. I was hoping against hope that I could order a cab at the last minute but that didn’t happen. The hotel called several companies and no dice. I pulled out my apps to see if they could help and Uber even charged me a couple of times. The first time I had to cancel because it mistakenly wanted to take me to the station garage. The second time it timed out after five minutes.

Fortunately, it was only a little windy and it was only a hard sprinkle. I took a different way back to the station so I stopped and asked a very scary looking guy for directions. He was incredibly nice. Anyway, I made it to the station without getting completely soaked.

I saw a Doutor and went for a morning set. Smoked salmon toast! It was quite good.

Then it was on a longer-than-expected train. I think Yumi said this one was rickety as well but it was fine. The other one I took two days ago, woo.

I got to Okayama before noon and it was pouring. It was also freezing, probably 10°F lower than yesterday. I kept looking for the new hotel my sister recommended and I passed it twice before just getting a map from the Tourist Info desk. I left my bags and went looking for lunch.

The station restaurants were a zoo. Lots of people traveling. I kept going to the underground shopping area and some of it is closed for construction. It should be done by next month. I kept going to the mall and that was much more relaxed. It’s Thursday after all and not that busy. I went to a chain omurice restaurant and got one of the lunch specials hoping the mushrooms would be good for me. Paid extra for even more salmon in my salad.

Soon after I felt absolutely wrecked. I think it was the sudden change in temperature. Fortunately I”m very familiar with Okayama Station and I could just relax. Unfortunately my friend Yumi had to work late and I won’t see her on this trip. In any case I dragged myself around a bit and decided to have some coffee. I walked into a Starbucks and walked back out. Hoshino Coffee was crowded but it’s one of my favorites.

I went to buy train tickets for the next few legs of my trip and the ticket office was quite crowded. I had to take a number and there were about 40 people ahead of me. It didn’t actually take that long since a lot of people just bailed.

After that I checked into the hotel and sat around for a bit. The hotel is pretty much inside the station which means it sounds like I’m in the station. I can hear all the trains, the whistles, and the announcements. Good thing I have the SleepBuds.

Oh, when I checked in I told them I had the app and they said I could either have late check out or a vitamin drink. I took the drink.

 

Later I got very lost in the underground and found places I hadn’t been before. I went to the electonics area to pick up a charger because dumbass left his charger in the last hotel. They’re sending it to a hotel where I’m staying five days from now so I bought a cheap replacement from a Japanese company. I thought about buying a better one but meh. This one was only ¥2000-ish instead of the Apple one for four times more. It’s getting very hot but it is GaN and the other GaN charger I have also gets hot. I had a long discussion with the young woman at the Apple counter before cheaping out, btw.

Then I went to look for a new gel pen and the guy was very chatty. He told me about the new hot models and how they’re only popular because they’re hard to get. And the people buying them up are middle school kids who saw them on YouTube. He said they’re not all that special and pretty much talked me out of buying the pens.

Then it was dinnertime. I went to the tonkatsu store in the mall rather than the one in the station. I’m not sure which one is better. It wasn’t the best but It was good.

I got the filet, regular order, plus the half-size potato salad. I love Japanese potato salad. I used to get the large order but I can’t eat as much as I used to. Lots of Chinese people (I know because they were all speaking Chinese.)

I went to the “drug store” (no prescription drugs) and just like before it was mostly Chinese people buying OTC drugs since they don’t trust the OTC drugs in their own country. I also went to the Lawson to get some Wilkinson, Pocari Sweat, and some dessert.

The dessert tasted fine but the structure was weird. It’s a custard tart and the bottom was hard. I couldn’t cut it with the plastic spoon they gave me but I could chew it just fine. Ah whatever. It tasted good.

And that’s it for today. Tomorrow I make another attempt to cross the Seto Ohashi. Last time I tried to cross it going towards Okayama, the train was canceled due to high winds. i had to take bus across Awaji Island to Kobe and take the Shinkansen back to Okayama. Oh well, I like the adventure.

Well duh, I figured out why those guys were sleeping in the bath area. There’s a sauna and instead of doing the cold plunge they just return to human temperature by sitting in the chairs. I just went to the bath early and it’s so much nicer when there’s only three people in there.

I got up this morning happy that the only ambulance that went by was after 5am. There’s a hospital across the way (actually across a canal and a road) but it’s the view outside of my hotel room. I got up way fewer times last night. I figure I might finally be getting over my jet lag and also not overeating at a ryokan helps.

I didn’t want to deal with a crowd at the big bath so I used the shower that’s in my room. There’s a Seinfeld episode where Kramer replaces his showerhead with an elephant-washing nozzle. That’s kind of what it felt like. It was kind of nice at the same time.

I didn’t sign up for the breakfast plan so it was off to find a “morning set.” My sister found a couple of places but they all opened at 9am. I took it easy in my room for a while. The place she told me to try was good and looked like a nice date spot. I saw a kid and his grandma (I think) reading a review in a book of coffee shops. There’s a very nice view of the canal.

They could possibly roast their own beans as well.

I did the thing I’m always told not to do, which is ask for advice. They told me if I was hungry to get the gratin set. You can’t see it but it was pretty big. The salad had an odd curry dressing (it seems like they really like their curry here but the gratin was great. I figured I might not be getting much lunch so it was a good choice.

Then it was off to visit Izumo and the Izumo Grand Shrine. I timed things so well that I had to wait 45 minutes for the next train. That’s OK, I’m on vacation. I found two onsen foot baths that I didn’t want to take pictures of because both were in use! I didn’ t have a towel with me so I didn’t participate. It really is nice soaking your feet in the warm water.

Here’s the first train. This train I think goes all the way past the west end of Izumo to the sea so you have to transfer to get to Izumo Grand Shrine.

The transfer train didn’t look as nice.

I’ve been to Izumo Taisha before and I think it was much less crowded this time.

Being a Grand Shrine, there’s a lot of walking.

This is the closest thing I have to a religion so I paid my respects. This is supposed to ensure marriage or something and I think it works as well as any other religion in that way.

There are many enshrined dieties here and the side shrine is bigger than most I”ve seen. There was a wedding taking place. I know it’s rude to take pictures of them but they were just in my picture of the shrine.

 

I left out the side and went to the seaside where there’s another shrine. I just took a quick picture and headed back to the train.

Not framed well but a huge tour group was arriving and I took a quick pick and got out of there.

Did I mention it’s a bit of a hike to the oceanside? There’s a bunch of toursity stores from the train to the shrine and usually that means a lot of street food! I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t mobbed by schoolkids so I just got some warabi mochi. It was a little too sweet for me AND I ate several before I remembered to take a picture.

I made it back to the train and thought I’d just missed the nonstop back to Matsue. I should learn how to tell time because I was actually 50 minutes early. I decided to head back out and try to find something a little more savory. I had to wait with a bunch of schoolgirls but I got a wagyu rice burger that was pretty good. I’m not sure how they got the outside so hot that I could hardly hold it while not being that hot when I ate it.

The train finally came and I was asleep for most of the ride.

It was later in the afternoon but I wanted to sit down and have a snack. I ended up back at my hotel before heading to the train station to buy the next day’s ticket. It was close to 4pm before I got some tea and a snack. I kept it light because I knew I was going to have an early dinner.

The problem with Matsue is that everything I found was an izakaya. I feel bad about going to a drinking place and only eating. I sorta feel bad about going to brewpubs back home just to eat too, but I’m sure I’m not the only one doing that. In any case, I found a soba restaurant next to the station and got the “Izumo” set.

Under the middle plate was the soba.

They eat soba in a different way here. You pour the tsuyu onto the soba and then pour the leftover onto the second plate of soba. It made for a lighter taste. It was fine. Nothing beats the soba Yumi took me to in the middle of nowhere in Okayama.

On the way back to the hotel I saw something else interesting happening in the canal. Crew shells! It’s really hard to ask about the crew shells because I don’t know any of the Japanese words relating to crew. I found out Shimane University isn’t too far away so I figure they have a boathouse nearby. It was like pulling teeth findiing out that little bit of info.

I got back early and got in the bath by 6:30pm-ish. It’s so much nicer when it’s not crowded. Plus I’m a boring old man and I’m not out late carousing any more. I used to stay out late looking for local craft beers. In fact, I found a taproom. Oh well. Time to relax. My legs are tired from all the walking and I’m only a week in!

Well, that was a day. I’m now in Matsue, which is quite a way from Hagi. Took me almost five hours to get here.

Got up, took another bath by myself in a place that could easily hold a dozen people. Got in a taxi at 8am and made it to the station at least 40 minutes early. Even with a stop at Family Mart (where I poured boiling hot coffee all over myself) it took less than 10 minutes to get here. The lids here are a little flimsier than I’m used to and instead of sealing it properly, I crushed it and spilled it over my hand and over the counter. The lady at the combini couldn’t’ve been nicer about it. Luckily, no burns.

East Hagi station was bigger and nicer but there still wasnt much there. I couldn’t find an attendant and they didn’t have the video phone that connects to the JR call center. I asked a guy if I had to buy a ticket or use my Suica and he said he’d never taken the train from there. He was taking the bus. In fact, most people (and there were only like five) were taking the bus. He looked it up online for me and read the instructions to me. Thank goodness because it was in harder Japanese than I’m used to reading.

It was another rickety train but it wasn’t as loud as some of the others I’d been on lately. A pretty peaceful ride through the countryside. A bunch of people snuck on at the countryside stops. I never saw them but I’d see them get off and it kept surprising me. I really only noticed one European couple who had their suitcases blocking the aisle. (I think they’re at the hotel across the street from me right now.)

Oh, the stop at the combini was for my breakfast. I kept it light today.

I’m such a professional food blogger. This is not the only time today that I remembered to take a picture after I ate a bunch of my food.

The seas were pretty rough? Wavy? Man, I am not a sailor and can’t think of the proper term. Lots of waves. Even saw some surfers after I changed trains.

I changed trains in Masuda. I’ve heard of Masuda because my drunk cousin’s kid’s husband is from Masuda and he wants to move back. It’s not a small city, but I don’t think there’s a whole lot going on. There were several hotels by the train station. I had enough time between trains to ask the tourist information office about what there is to see and it’s all about one ancient poet and the places he’d been. They said if I liked history I should come back.

I did see a real working phone booth!

And a sign for my sister that I’ll share with everyone. (Our favorite is always, “No smorking.”)

Eventually it was time to get on the “Express Train” for what seemed like three hours. My friend Yumi said it’s very rickety and rocks back and forth. She’s right! It hauled ass but we had a lot of ground to cover.

I got to Matsue, one of my favorite places, and I’m not liking the hotel or the hotel’s neighborhood. I was mostly just hangry. I tried to be fancy and picked a place that’s in a chain with the fancy spot we went to in Yamaguchi City two years ago. I came to find out Onyado Nono is just part of the Dormy Inn chain. The rooms are the same (nice, that’s not the problem) but the place is HUGE and chock full of foreigners. It takes forever to get in and out. Plus all the big hotels in this area have fake tatami mat flooring so you have to check your shoes at the door and walk around in your socks. Haven’t they heard of inside shoes or slippers? It’s just weird.

Anyway, I dropped off my bags and headed to the history museum. It wasn’t as impressive as the museums in Hagi, but whatever. Just one room of displays and it was mostly of the history of the castle. They have an impressive castle, one of the five “original” castles in Japan, and tons more tourists so I guess they’re winning?

I tried to find a late lunch but the combini was picked over and the first place I found was so close to the castle that it was overrun. The history museum I just complained about had a cafe, but they only served sweets. I took what I could get.

Then I got nickeled and dimed by the Lafcadio Hearn house and the Lafcadio Hearn museum. (I did not pay for the samurai house.) His Japanese name is Koizumi Yakumo so I couldn’t ask anyone about him unless I remembered the Japanese name. For some reason I keep forgetting the surname Koizumi. Anyway, there’s a separate fee for his house and for the museum. The house was a small Japanese house with a beautiful garden and made me wonder why I was getting fleeced. The museum told more about the life of Lafcadio Hearn and was much more interesting to me. I kind of got emotional after seeing it all. He had a pretty impressive life and I’ve seen his houses in Kumamoto and Tokyo as well.

Anyway, back past the castle. Here’s an obligatory picture.

On the way back to the hotel I got a cold microwaved korokke (croquette) because I as still hungry. The flavor was great. The texture, well, it was a microwaved fried croquette after all.

In my room I found a bribe.

I sat in my room for a bit and headed out looking for dinner. This whole area is drinking establishments and I’ve quit drinking. Last time I had a beer it messed up my digestion for a week. I discussed this with my doctor a while ago and he said most of my meds have the side effect of stomach problems. Drinking doesn’t help so I’m not pushing it.

On my way out I saw a sign saying how nice it was today and the time of sunset. Then I remembered the sunset over Lake Shinji is supposed to be one of the top five sunsets in Japan. I asked at the desk if I could just go tomorrow but tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy. I had about 30 minutes to make it the the “ideal” spot which was supposed to be more than 30 minutes away walking. I kept going, though, and I made it. On the way I talked to a guy who seemed like a local and he was super nice. Now I remember people here being pretty friendly and that’s one of the reasons I like it here.

It was worth seeing. Then it was another 25 minutes (by Google standards) back to the train station to look for food. Right before the station I saw a curry shop that was rated pretty highly so I stopped in. It was soupy and not that flavorful. Not exactly my favorite, but it was good.

Remember I said I took another picture after I ate half of something? The salad was great. There’s also a bite out of the weirdly flavored karaage. Maybe it’s sansho pepper. Slightly bitter. Not my favorite but again, good.

Would I go again? Probably.

I also saw a guy night fishing and there were a couple of guys talking to him. I asked one about night fishing and he said I should come back and try it myself. Another super-nice local. They were fishing for suzuki, Japanese sea bass.

I hit the combini on the way home. Not sure when I’ll drink the Wilkinson but it’s a tradition.

Oh, and the bath area was the mess I expected. I walked in and a bald naked guy was pacing around, hitting himself with a towel. Several others napping, in the changing area and in the bath area. Another guy doing weird exercises in the water. I’ve never seen that anywhere else. Well I suppose there was that time that the loud old Korean dudes all got into the tiny jacuzzi with me. It was all weird but harmless. At least Japan and China are still beefing and it wasn’t like the time I went to Fukuoka and the bath was like riding in a Japanese subway with naked Chinese dudes.

Oh, and that bald dude was outside housing a bunch of free popsicles. Remember how I said you were supposed to walk around in your socks? He was wearing the slippers out of his bathroom. Eww.

I didn’t sleep for crap and even had a couple of nightmares until I finally took some stomach medicine. The medicine is called Stomaze and is for overeating. At least I think it is because I just bought it from someone at a drug store near Granny Harajuku.

I was just thinking the last time I came it was about 47 years ago and my dad was about the age I am now. We also had crummy sleep and all he could do is complain. I had a great time and might even come again some day but I did make some mistakes. I just noticed another one: I’m kind of sunburned. Oh well.

I had breakfast and I think my thinking was correct to only get two of the four meals offered. The breakfast was pretty big. This picture is before they brought out the miso soup and the rice.

Hagi itself seemed a little spread out so I started looking for rental bikes online. I only saw something offering tricycles on Google Maps but ended up getting an old mama-chari from the hotel (the standard town bicycle). When I fnally saw a tricycle late in the day I knew I’d made a mistake. The bike on the left is the hotel bicycle. The two on the right are “TRICYCLES”. Notice what they don’t have? A THIRD WHEEL. Notice what they do have? A BATTERY AND AN ELECTRIC MOTOR. I could’ve used that today. My legs are shot. I’m not used to pedaling, and I’m certainly not used to pedaling a bike made for munchkins. Oh, and I think the Tricycle rates are cheaper than what the hotel charges. But I am fat and could use the exercise.

I didn’ t see the Tricycles until almost the end of the day, by a cafe I went to. The first thing I did was ride south across town to Hagi station to see about tickets for tomorrow. Turns out the Hagi station is unmanned and is mostly a railway museum. I found out when I got back to the hotel that the East Hagi train station (which was close to the shrine I visiited later) is the main train station.

OK, next ride is back to the middle of town to the Meirin Center, where they moved the tourist information from Hagi station. Meirin is an old school building where the children of the lord’s retainers (i.e. the kids of the rich and powerful) were educated. Eventually it was converted to an elementary school and now it’s a museum. A nice museum with history of the school as well as a display of the local geopark.

The next stop was Shoin Jinja. Yoshida Shoin was a guy my dad was kind of obsessed with.. He is known as the start of a small group of influential young people who were important in the Meiji Restoration. When Commodore Perry arrived to force open the Japanese borders, he tried to sneak onto the ship. He was rebuffed and then imprisoned by the shogunate but studied and taught while in prison. He was placed under house arrest where he continued to teach. Evenutally he was executed at the young age of 30. His students went on to become the first Prime Minister and start what became the University of Tokyo’s engineering school AMONGST OTHER THINGS. Kind of a badass. And he’s from Hagi.

Anyway, I went across town to the east to go to Shoin Jinja where they also have the house where he was under house arrest and the school next door that he moved from his uncle’s house. There’s also a museum that has his writings including those while he was in prison and before he was executed. He was a very eloquent man.

I knew it was a slog to get to his gravesite and the site of the house where he was born but obviously I’ve got nothing better to do and I don’t have the best reasoning when it comes to things like this.

Part of the reason it’s a slog is because it’s uphill. And it gets steep. I think we argued with my dad about this last time we were here. Well, I went up. Rode part of the way to his uncle’s house where the schoolhouse was originally located (it wasn’t that big). From there it got so steep I had to push the bike up the hill. Here’s the view from the grave area.

I was quite a way up. No wonder I feel like it was leg day at the gym. Here’s his grave as well as the graves of some of his followers.

There’s also a monument next to it that I think I remember so I bet we did slog up this damn hill with my dad.

It was way worse last time because we were here in the summer.

TIme to go west across town to the history museum. When I got close I passed a coffee roaster and after I got about a half-block away the aroma hit. So of course I went back and had a very good cup of coffee and a tasty Hagi orange pastry. I forgot to take a picture of those but here’s one of the store.

And of the roaster.

And of the pastries.

Also, this is kind of my sister’s thing, finding interesting cafes and such, and since I’m not taking any Wilkinson pictures today this’ll have to do.

The history museum was cool too. I’m learning Japanese history by seeing all the stories from the various prefectures and cities and Hagi and Yamaguchi Prefecture love being the heart of modern Japanese politics. They even had the “only display” of two oarfish, both in formalin and shown vertically. I’ve heard of oarfish and how rare they are so I was excited to actually see them.

One of the things I learned about is the castle town area right by the hotel. Although the Meiji government tore down most of the castles (maybe all of them?) the museum said there were some walls left. As I was taking the narrow neighborhood streets back to the hotel, I actually found some of them.

Parts of the castle are just parts of people’s houses now, and those were only a block from my hotel.

Anyway, I got back to the hotel about the time it started sprinkling. I’m not sure if it’s raining now or not since it’s dark out. Google says it’s raining but it’s been saying that all day. And most of the day it was beautiful out.

I had dinner at the hotel and I expected it to be a lot of food. It was. Fortunately, I don’t feel painfully full. Here it comes:

Did you see the fugu? Pork, beef, and fish. So good.

Anyway, tomorrow I have a five hour train ride to the next stop. At least I hope it’s only five hours. I take a local train for a ways and get on a Super Express. But there’s a notice that says that due to “issues” “some” of the Super Express trains are canceled. It’s a big warning that’s very vague. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

I ate too much last night. I generally am eating less and I figure it’s partly because I’m getting old, and partly because I don’t need to stress-eat any more. One of the “old guys” I have coffee with said something like every week at work is another year off your life. I haven’t seen any scientific basis for that but it sounds good.

Anyway, back to my overeating, I generally have been making bad life choices and now that I’m taking my meds with dinner with a lot of water, I have to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It doesn’t help that my blood pressure meds contain a diuretic. Last night when I got up my stomach felt kind of funny. I was hoping against hope that the breakfast wouldn’t be that large. I knew that wasn’t likely.

I knew I could probably force myself to finish that but then the kept bringing out more plates. Rice gruel and the miso soup I was expecting.

But then fish and eggs.

I finished most of it and declined any rice. Fortunately the Pepto Bismol I brought helped.

The lady who drove me to the train station told me she moved to Karatsu from Nagoya because she loves fishing. And Karatsu has everything she needs (supermarkets, doctors, etc) and if she needs to go to a big town then Fukuoka is only an hour away by train or car.

I left a little early and took two different trains to Hakata station. It was kind of an adventure, taking one rickety old train local train and then transferring to another when I got closer to Fukuoka. It was one of those weird train lines that converted into a subway. I asked the station attendant if I needed to pay extra and he said I could just go out the gate and the ticket would come back out for the rest of my trip.

I forgot how crowded Fukuoka is and that’s even with no Chinese tourists. It didn’t help that it’s Sunday. The train platform itself wasn’t that bad. I made it to Tokuyama station where I had lunch with my cousin and her husband. Tokuyama is really a smaller town and even with a shinkansen station there’s not much to do. The first restaurant we tried to go to was missing but they had a backup. I got the lightest meal on the menu.

My cousin got chirashizushi.

My cousin’s husband got a slightly fancier sushi plate than I did but he ate a bunch of it before I could take a picture.

Then I got on a local train back to Shin-Yamaguchi station, backtracking a bit. From there I got on a bus to Hagi.

I’m not too sure about Hagi. I’m here for two nights and I’m at a “resort hotel”. I guess Hagi’s dropped in popularity and the taxi driver pointed out a big hotel that they converted into an assisted living facilty for the elderly.

I picked the resort hotel because the last time I was here when I was a teenager, most of the hotels were huge halls set up for large groups to have raucous parties and we didn’t sleep very well. I’m guessing that it’s not like that any more. The web page said there was a Joyfull family restaurant near the hotel but it’s at least a 20 minute walk. On the way I saw a local Italian-ish restaurant so I went there.

It was fine. It was boiling hot inside, they played loud Beatles music (I’m not a fan), and the food was OK. At least it was interesting. I got a tandoori chicken salad. The greens were still a little wet and the chicken was chilled.

I got a spaghetti doria. I think doria are a Japanese thing. They’re usually rice with cheesy cream sauce on top that’s baked in the oven. This one had meat sauce mixed in and spaghetti instead of rice. I guess the only minus is that it could’ve used a little more salt.

They were nice and I shouldn’t really complain. It was fine. I’ve just been getting great food so far.

Anyway, the resort hotel is one of those giant onsen hotels. Somehow I selected a Japanese room which I suppose is good since I sleep quite well with a futon on a tatami floor. The room also has a very nice bathroom area and a separate toilet and there are two big baths, one that’s outside. The inside bath area was huge and I was the only one there. They also had the option for dinner and breakfast and I only got one breakfast and one dinner so I don’t know what the food is like yet. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

I only got the two meals because I knew the ryokan would have too much food and I was afraid this place might be the same. I do need to fit into a plane seat in a couple of weeks.

The first thing I have to say is I can no longer trust Google Maps for transit info. Especially not in the Japanese countryside. I already had it make me walk further than I needed to because it’s bad at backtracking even when it’s quicker, i.e. getting off at a later station and walking back. This morning I was planning on getting on a bus and then switching to a train because it was supposed to be the fastest way from Imari to Karatsu. Unfortunately Google Maps doesn’t know that the weekend schedules are different here.

I got to breakfast at the hotel and the whole cafeteria was full of high school girls. Or maybe college. I’m old and kids look like kids. The buffet was picked over but fortunately most of them were finishing up and the staff started refilling things as I was makingmy choices. There were a LOT of choices.

I didn’t fill up all of the spaces on the plate but I double-stacked two of the spaces. And while it looks like I didn’t get a lot of food, I was completely stuffed.

I made it to the station for the 9:43am bus, which wasn’t a thing on weekends. Looking at the schedules, it was quicker for me to wait for the 11:03am train. I had plenty of time to kill and I noticed there was a free work space at the station. I should’ve used that time to plan tomorrow’s travels but I just watched some YouTube videos.

The train was even smaller than the one yesterday. Ran like a bus (again) and was diesel rather than having an overhead electric wire. It wound through the countryside and and made many stops but hardly anyone got on or off.

I made it to Karatsu around noon and had them clear my Suica (did I mention I mistakenly touched the wrong IC card reader in the middle of the trip from Nagasaki to Imari?) i also got some advice on touristy spots from the tourist information desk. Then I took a cab to the ryokan I’m staying at. Couldn’t check in so early but they did let.me stash my luggage. The ryokan wasn’t close to the station but it was very close to the castle.

Here’s a view from the top of the castle of the peninsula where the ryokan is.

 

And a view of the castle from the bridge leading to the peninsula.

Does it look like there are a lot of stairs to the castle? There were a lot of stairs to the castle.

There was a ¥100 elevator that I was planning to take on the way down, but I missed it and walked down. Fortunately I didn’t trip on the uneven stairs.

The wisteria were starting to bloom and attracted a lot of bees.

The castle is a reproduction built during the Showa era which usually means it’s all museum inside. At least it wasn’t just concrete on the inside.

There were more stairs to climb but being so high up the view was pretty nice.

I walked to the former residence of Taketori, a local coal magnate. It was huge. The entry room was 4m tall and he even had his own noh stage in one of the wings. I didn’t take any pictures of it but it was a mansion and a half.

From there I went to Karatsu jinja (another shrine) where I again took no pictures. I do have one of the former Karatsu Bank, where they proudly say it looks like Tokyo station. The guy who designed Tokyo station was from Karatsu and designed the bank building too. I don’t really see the resemblance..

Then I went to the Hikiyama Float exhibition hall where they house all of the portable shrines used during their big November festival. With that I had completed the recommended route and thought I’d better figure out where I’m going tomorrow. I know I need to end up in Hagi, but I told my cousin I’d swing by and have lunch with her. I just wanted to sit down while I figured it out.

The menu looked delicious but I knew I’d have plenty back at the ryokan so I didn’t get any real food. I did sneak a picture of the inside.

I also didn’t think I’d need my usual Wilkinson but I took a picture of the selection in the FamilyMart.

Then back to the ryokan. I haven’t posted any pictures from my hotel windows because who needs pictures of parking lots. This is different.

And then dinner, in the room. I’m not going to describe things unless someone really needs to know. It was delicious.

My overeating continues.

Today I traveled to Imari. It’s a very small town. I didn’t really have lunch, but I’ve been eating a lot lately so it’s not like I’m going to waste away.

I think I decided a couple things about Nagasaki. First, I think I’ve seen most of the things in the city that I want to see. But second, I really like the place and I’ll definitely go again.

Started out the day with breakfast and I’ve had the Japanese breakfast at the restaurant at least three times already so I decided to try the American breakfast. As you can see, it’s kind of Japanese. How often do you see picked vegetables and stewed tomato something-or-another in an American breakfast? The rest is my own fault: the salad, croissant, and coffee are from the buffet. I’m used to doughy flat croissants but this one was crisp and flaky.

Then I checked the train schedule and saw if I just left a little earlier I’d make it to Imari before lunch instead of after. I had a non-reserved seat ticket which meant I could leave whenever I wanted. Even after buying a coffee at Mickey D’s, I made it to the train platform a half hour early and was first in line. It wasn’t crowded so there was no problem.

It was the weird shinkansen that doesn’t really go that far. It’s supposed to connect Fukuoka and Nagasaki but Saga Prefecture in between thinks no one will stop there and won’t allow them to connect the two ends.

I transferred to the Huis Ten Bosch line which I think also goes to Sasebo, but I only rode it one stop to Arita.

Then I got on the Matsuura Railway which was two cars that ran like a bus. That is, you take a ticket (or scan your IC card) on the way in, and then pay for the distance when you get off. Being the sticks, the train only comes once an hour. I guess Google Maps doesn’t like lettting you backtrack, so it told me to get off in the middle of EBFE and wondered if I was just going to a farmer’s house.

I think it was about the same as going to the station and backtracking.

I left my bags at the hotel and headed off to see Imari. The front desk told me I should go to Okawachiyama, where the potters historically had their kilns. I only had 15 minutes to make it to the bus, which ran once every two hours. Okawachiyama was a nice little town in the hills, only a 15 minute bus ride away, so I bet a taxi wouldn’t’ve been expensive..

Did I mention the hills? It’s pretty steep. Lots of pottery stores and my sister suggested I buy a mug. Since the cheapest one I liked was about $60US, I punted. (The cheapest one I saw was probably $40.) So many beautiful things wasted on me there. Anyone have a million yen for a vase?

I guess this is a waterway and not a stream. 

And a spillway or a water diverter?

I didn’t take any pictures of the pottery because they were stores and not just galleries. I’m filling in by showing pictures of the creek.

I tried looking for the shrine built into a cave but I went the wrong way (as usual) and ended up at the cemetery. It’s not in the guide book but there was a sign that said there were many Korean potters who were brought to Japan and never got to go home. There’s a monument to them made up of their gravestones in a mound. I didn’t think it would be respectful to take a picture. Sorry.

I had a few minutes to kill before the next bus so I got a my usual sightseeing lunch: soft ice cream. It was out of one of those machines that uses a pod and they let you (make you) make your own cone. I should not be trusted with a soft ice cream machine.

Oh, I got some tea as well.

I caught the bus back and did the tour of the town. There’s a very small pottery gallery at the station with several pieces of Edo era pottery. The information bureau also suggested the Silk Road exhibit and the merchant house next door to it.

The Silk Road exhibit is in an old house. The first floor is a pottery store (of course) and the second floor had a few displays. There was also a larger area where you could paint your own pottery.

The merchant house was more fun. If you follow Japanese history you know how the rulers liked controlling things. People weren’t allowed to go to the pottery studios  in Okawachiyama but were made to buy things from the merchant in town. The lady there was super nice and explained the whole thing to me, showing me all the rooms.

I took a picture of both buildings and they’re the smaller ones in the middle.

My last stop was Imari shrine and on the way there were ceramic tiles on the walls. As you’d expect, there’s ceramics everywhere. The most interesting ceramics were at the ends of the bridges.

There were way more porcelain figures but I’m not really a pottery guy so I only took two pictures. Plus one of these roosters.

I took a picture of what I thought was the shrine was just the bottom of the steps to the shrine. There were also some shrine office buildings to the left that I didn’t photograph.

The shrine itself was quite peaceful and no one was there! Usually there’s people selling fortunes and amulets.

I walked back to the hotel and they recommended two places for Imari beef but one no longer serves dinner. The only choice was a cafe that serves Imari beef hamburger steak. I know it’s kind of a waste to grind up good beef but it was very tasty. But I started off with a lemon squash, which I hadn’t had in years.

I’m just building up the suspense.

Sometimes you get off flavors with hamburgers but this one was just perfect.

I had what I hope is my last disaster of the day — when I tried to pay for dinner I couldn’t find my wallet! I’ve pulled this stunt before. Since I pay for most things with my Suica card (IC transit card) I didn’t realize my wallet was in one of the bags back at the hotel. I rushed back to get the wallet and came back and paid. Phew. They were super nice about it.

Oh and the convinience store wasn’t conveniently located to I first tried the Daiso for some more Wilkinson fizzy water. No dice, but there’s a MaxValu supermarket next door. And they had another flavor!

There’s a big bath on the third floor of the hotel so I’m going to head up in a bit. I hope I’m done with all my mistakes for the day.

This post will be edited after I go out for dinner, but it’s about 3:30pm and I’m back in the hotel relaxing for a bit. Hey, it’s my vacation, I can do what I want.

Nagasaki is much better without sciatica. I’ve been here twice before, once with my mom and sister about 20 years ago (man I’m old) and once three-ish years ago, right before the new section of the station shopping mall opened up. It was the year the Japanese COVID travel restrictrions lifted. In any case, I got sciatica on the trip and going up slopes and climbing stairs was particularly painful. Nagasaki has a lot of small steep hills and pedestrian overpasses with stairs.

Breakfast was in the hotel and I remember it being better. Then again, it was right after the COVID shutdown and I think there wasn’t a buffet. I also remember it being way more crowded since there weren’t as many breakfast options then. Either way, breakfast today was really good and honestly I wasn’t hungry when I had lunch.

They even had a couple of desserts but I just took a picture because I was full.

I actually put in my contacts today and then I couldn’t find my reading glasses that I swear I packed. Off I went to CanDo, a 100 yen shop, and the ladies laughed because they wore reading glasses too and probably have done the exact same thing.

After that I went to the tourist information counter at the station. As usual, they were surprised that I wanted to walk around instead of taking transit. The first thing I did, of course, was get lost. I did find this great view of the harbor.

It was actually not far from the back of the train station.

After that I wanted to find the mall we ate at during my first trip to Nagasaki. It was a long time ago and there was nothing at the train station back then. Now there’s a giant complex of stores.

I was expecting a run-down department store like I’ve been to in a lot of smaller Japanese towns, but it was renewed quite recently. Very clean and nice and much further from the station than I remember. It was pouring rain back the first time we went.

Then it was off to walk to Chinatown (or more literally translated: China Street). On the way I was going to a shopping arcade to check out the chawanmushi shop where I think they invented the dish. In any case my sister wouldn’t stop telling me to go there and so I did. Turns out I went there on my first trip to Nagasaki and I remember the entryway.

I was still full from breakfast so I got the basic set.

Ha. Here it is with the lids off. It was very tasty and I’m saying that as someone who wasn’t even hungry at the time.

Then it was off to Chinatown. I gave you the literal translation earlier because Chinatown is two blocks long, in an ell. It’s tiny. I was hoping to try some street food but it was mosly pork buns and Nagasaki pork buns and you can get those at the station. Plus I was stuffed from the chawanmushi.

By that time it was only about 12:30pm and I had run out of things on my short to-see list. I decided to visit the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture which is also quite new. On the way I saw this restaurant that was full of businessmen and took a picture of the plastic food display mainly for my sister who hates onions. Every dish seemed to have a ton of spring onions in it. (The joke probably isn’t worth it, but you’re not paying to view these pictures so whatever.)

Near the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture was the Santo Domingo Church Museum which was free but I really couldn’t be bothered to go. The NMHC (I’m not typing it all out again) was interesting, half being history and the other half being a reproduction of historic government offices.

The reproduction area required you to remove your shoes because there were tatami rooms you could enter to see what the government offices looked like.

That’s it for except for dinner. I’ll add that later (the half-dozen people who read this probably won’t notice because you’re in Portland and it’s after midnight and you should all all be asleep.)

—–

I was paying my bills on my computer, one reason I bring my computer, and I had to scribble some notes using the hotel room pen. It had a surprisingly nice feel to it but it had some interesting writing rather than a logo:

That’s not Photoshop, just a weird reflection.

I tried booking my “Shinkansen” ticket online (the mini Shinkansen that goes from Nagasaki to Takeo Onsen) and the payment page said I had to go pick up the ticket in person so I just went downstairs to the Midori-no-madoguchi. That’s one of the benefits of staying at the station. The ticket office was surprisingly empty and they told me I just hit it at the right time. They’re usually quite packed. I remember having to take a number the last time I was there.

It was dinnertime but I wasn’t hungry yet so I went shopping. I’m not a great shopper unless there’s something I’m looking for. I checked out the new water-based gel ink pens since I saw several ads on Instagram but couldn’t decide on anything. I also looked for some better reading glasses but they were ¥4000! I’ll stick with the cheapies. Then I looked around the restaurant floor of the new mall building thinking it was very familiar just to realize it’s the same one where I had breakfast. It’s weird approaching it from a different direction. I also realized I’d been there before when all the restaurants were open. There is only one open restaurant at brreakfast time.

I usually ask the front desk of the hotel what the area food specialty is and they suggested toruko rice (Turkish rice, which has nothing to do with Turkey) at “Nicky Austin” in the train station restaurant area (not the train station mall restaurant area). I ordered the one that was marked “ichiban ninki” (most popular) because they have over a hundred different combos.

Needed a touch more salt but it was good.

Here’s another picture that’s mainly for my sister.

She said she couldn’t find flavored WIlkinson during her last trip to Japan in the fall and so far I’ve had good luck. Usually it’s just lemon but in Nagasaki I’ve been finding all sorts of flavors. It’s like LaCroix but better and the flavor is minimal. Just like LaCroix the flavor does make a difference.

Anyway, that’s it for day 1. It’s only 7pm but I’m no longer a drinker so I’m just going to hole up in my room and hope my jet lag doesn’t get to me tonight.

I didn’t make it to Japan in fall of 2025 because I was feeling poor. Being retired and having no job means my income is less which is usually fine, but covering all my medical bills was making me nuts. I didn’t spend any more on medical bills than a usual year but my financial advisor wasn’t trickling out enough money to me on a regular basis to cover it all. Plus, one of my doors was rotting and I had to pay for that (which was months later but that’s another story). Anyway, it’s spring of 2026 and I’m back in Japan!

First day was kind of a doozy: 26 ½ hours from when I got up to now. Got up at 4 AM to catch a flight from PDX to SEA, and then the long flight from SEA to HND. I got my flights on Expedia and my sister wondered why it was so expensive. Turns out I got the Comfort++ seats (or whatever they call the class between comfort plus and business) where the food was served with tablecloths and was better than what I usually get. They provided headphones, not just earbuds, but I like to use my noise cancelling headset. The plugs were all moved around though and I ended up using the provided headsets. That means I carried my bulky headphones for nothing.

Watched a few movies, like I usually do. First Anaconda with Jack Black and Paul Rudd. Plenty of dumb fun. After that I watched Zootopia 2. Then I tried watching No Other Choice which is supposed to be a black comedy but I found no humor in it. Maybe I’m not cut out for Korean movies. It was also hideously long and I could only stomach half of it. I switched to watching Shrek which I’ve never actually seen, and after being scarred (ha) by the Korean movie I stuck to watching episodes of High Potential since I’m not caught up on the current season.

The long slog from the plane to immigration started out the same as usual.

But then there was a choke point. I didn’t see any Chinese tourists but holy crap there were a lot of tourists coming into the country.

It took a while but like the friendly guys in the seats next to me said, “It’s way faster than Disneyland.”

I had a five hour layover before my flight to Nagasaki and there was a lot to do in the airport (at least for me). First, shipping off all of the gifts for friends and family, checking in my bag for the flight from HND to NGS, and then getting dinner since I wasn’t getting into Nagasaki proper until 10-ish. I went to my usual casual cafe and got my usual Napolitan spaghetti (ketchup spaghetti). I love the stuff. Probably too sweet for most Americans.

The view from the cafe isn’t bad, either.

Up to that point I was feeling great. I usually start fading after eating dinner, even though it was pretty light. The flight started boarding about 6:30pm and they were really quick about it. The plane was mostly empty and it took a couple of hours to get to Nagasaki airport. It’s small. I only saw two other planes on the field and one was a commuter plane. From there the bus takes about 50 minutes to get to Nagasaki station and I checked in before 10pm PDT, 26 hours after leaving. I hit a combini before I went to bed (had to make sure to hydrate) and also got a korokke (beef croquette) as my late-night snack. WIlkinson is fizzy water and Pocari Sweat is a sports drink.

That’s it for my first travel day!

My sister planned a trip with the two of us, my brother-in-law, my brother-in-law’s college buddy, and the buddy’s son. We were going to ride the ferry from Osaka to Kagoshima too! But I panicked when I saw all my bills and instead of contacting my financial planner I just canceled everything. This is my first year of having no (paying) job at all and I panicked. Medical bills sure add up once you’re no longer working for a high tech company with good benefits.

For anyone waiting for my fall pictures (both of you) I apologize. I just sent an email to my financial planner and I might try to go twice next year, once in springtime and once in the fall.

But who knows? I was awoken by military helicopters over my house (they rattled my windows) because Portland, so who knows what’s in the future? Closed borders? Well, I’ll worry about that when it happens.

Day 17 isn’t a full day but the day we traveled back from Japan. We did most of our last-minute shopping yesterday so we could just relax before getting on the plane. Surprisingly I didn’t have the pre-flight sleeplessness though I did have something like it last night. And I stayed up until 10pm which meant I had a 30 hour day without feeling woozy towards the end. Strange.

I also slept OK last night. Wanted to sleep in but I had to get up for the housecleaners (who didn’t come) and to let the HVAC guy get into my neighbor’s garage. He’s quite friendly and told me why the furnace was broken, why it needs replacing, and how much a new one costs. I was surprised he could do it all in one day!

Back to Japan. We got a lazy start and went out to my favorite Hoshino coffee which has pancakes! Very few locations seem to have them. Mariko isn’t a huge pancake fan but the ones are Hoshino are more cake-y. We discussed our shared childhood trauma of box pancakes and Aunt Jemima syrup. These are much better.

I have a second pancake is under the egg.

Mariko had a giant salad and one pancake.

Then it was time to pack and then wait for the ride to the airport. At the airport we wandered around for a while and got soft ice cream (matcha and hojicha swirl, which was the best).

Mariko got a fancier one. But the same ice cream flavors.

Then it was off to the lounge where we both got the traditional mini-ramen (no pictures this time) and a couple of snacks. Chatted with a couple who sat across from us and they were so nice.

The plane flight was fairly uneventful. There’s only one meal and one “breakfast” served so that usually leaves a lot of time for movies. The entertainment system for my seat was acting up and they had to reset it four times before they just gave me some miles and gave me the option to sit in a bulkhead coach seat just to watch the movies. I took them up on the offer and I watched some winners: Bad Boys (which I had never watched before), Bad Boys II, and Deadpool and Wolverine (again). I went back to my seat and while I couldn’t do much with my screen, it did have a limited selection of movies available so I watched part of The Beekeeper (again). 

And that’s it for this trip. I didn’t feel the dread I usually feel when coming home. I guess that’s probably because I don’t work at Intel any more. Hahaha. Oddly, one of the things I started fantasizing about is doing my laundry. And when I got home I did HOURS of laundry. Hahaha.

Today was mostly a travel day and the last full day in Japan. At least I hope so. A couple of years ago my flight was delayed and I was in Japan an extra full day, mostly in the airport. It turned out OK.

I woke up a lot last night but felt more rested than the day before. Can’t really explain it. I usually sleep pretty well in an APA hotel. I guess Mariko likes the harder beds everywhere else but the slightly softer bed at APA is more to my liking.

We went to Hoshino Coffee for breakfast. Mariko just had toast and a hard-boiled egg with her coffee. I had one of the more elaborate morning sets which really wasn’t that elaborate. One of the Hoshino Coffees in Shinjuku has pancakes and egg and bacon.

After that it was a 3+ hour shinkansen ride from Okayama to Tokyo. I remember it took four hours or so but maybe I’m misremembering. We sat on the side away from Mt Fuji (which looked socked in from where I sat) and a bunch of seats on the other side was a big group from SE Asia all with large suitcases. Fortunately, the green car accommodates those pretty well.

Anyway, we had ekiben from Okayama Station. Mariko had inari sushi.

I had the Okayama Station bento. Shrimp with small clams, potato salad, very stale karaage on the top row. Sukiyaki and rice on the bottom left. Egg and ham, vinegared fish and something, seaweed, and finally kinako mochi. It was pretty good.

We got to Tokyo and did some final shopping. Bought some candy and a new kitchen timer. We had dinner at the same place in Keio Department Store as we did before with our friend Chico but we went fancier this time.

Mariko’s started with the yudofu that I forgot to take a picture of last time we were here.

She had the matsutake dinner. Lots of mushrooms in the tempura. Matsutake in the rice and in the soup in the kettle.

I had the yuba and maguro.

Mine ended up with ochazuke with yuba flakes on the rice but I ate it before I remembered to take a picture.

Mariko wanted to get more strawberry daifuku at a store at NewWoMan (pronounced Newman) but it was actually inside the station! We had to pay ¥150 to go in and go right back out. It was worth it to get the daifuku, but the best we had was in Kamakura.

While we were screwing around we met a woman from Oz who was completely lost. We got her on a train to her station, but I hope she made it to her final destination.